THURSDAY, Oct. 8, 2026

1480-Great Stand on the Ugra River: Standoff between forces of Akhmat Khan, Khan of the Great Horde, and Ivan III, Grand Prince of all Rus, ends with a Tatar-Mongol retreat, leading to the disintegration of the Horde

1769-Captain James Cook lands in New Zealand for the first time near present-day Gisborne on the East Coast of the North Island. A misunderstanding, possibly over a ceremonial challenge, causes the English to shoot and kill Ngāti Oneone leader Te Maro. [

1856-Second Opium War or Second Anglo-Chinese War begins with the Arrow Incident on the Pearl River

1871-The Great Chicago Fire kills an estimated 300 people and destroys over 4 square miles (10 square km) of buildings and the original Emancipation Proclamation

1915-Battle of Loos ends as German forces contain the British attack, resulting in 85,000 casualties

1917-Leon Trotsky is named chairman of the Petrograd Soviet as Bolsheviks gain control

1962-Algeria is admitted as the 109th member of the United Nations

1965-Muslims in Jakarta set fire to the PKI headquarters

2001-U.S. President George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security

2025-Israel and Hamas agree to first phase of U.S. backed cease-fire plan two years and a day after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel that sparked military assault of Gaza. Plan calls for exchanging remaining Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, Israeli troops pulling back from Gaza, and expansion of humanitarian aid there