TODAY IN HISTORY – 1st Oct, 2026 – ORBITS NEWS

TODAY IN HISTORY – 1st Oct, 2026 – ORBITS NEWS

By Valentine Uchechukwu Ndukwu.

It was Percy Bysshe Shelley who said history is a cyclic poem written by time upon the memories of man.

Going by this definition, today in history believes that we are tempted to see history as a dynamic, ever-unfolding narrative that repeats itself over time, with human memories serving as the canvas for its stories.

On that note, join us as we consider some past events that took place today.

On this day in 1829, the South African College is founded in Cape Town, later separating into the University of Cape Town and the South African College Schools.

Still on this day in 1908 Ford Model T automobiles are offered for sale at a price of US$825.

According to today in history, in 1910, a large bomb destroys the Los Angeles Times building, killing 21.

Today in history also reveals that on this day in 1918, World War I: The Egyptian Expeditionary Force captures Damascus.

Amazingly in 1957 on this day, the motto In God We Trust first appears on U.S. paper currency.

Remarkably on this day in 1960, Nigeria was given independence by the United Kingdom.

Interestingly on this day in 1963, on its third anniversary as an independent nation, Nigeria became a republic.

But most importantly, although highly regrettably Today in History has revealed the fact that exactly six years after independence, October 1 took a tragic turn. Following political instability and two military coups earlier in 1966, the final weekend of September leading directly into October 1, 1966, marked the deadliest wave of the anti-Igbo pogroms in Northern Nigeria. Here’s a little fraction of the things that went down during this godforsaken period. Tens of thousands of Easterners living in the North were targeted and killed. Again, this tragic weekend catalyzed a massive humanitarian crisis, forcing over one million displaced Easterners to flee back to their ancestral homeland. Must shamefully, this specific, painful event on October 1 shattered trust in the Nigerian federation and became the immediate ideological and logistical trigger for Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu to declare the secession of Biafra seven months later.

Again, today in history shows that in 1961, East and West Cameroon merge to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon.

However, in 1971 on this day, the first practical CT scanner is used to diagnose a patient.

It was on this day in 1975 that Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier in a boxing match in Manila, Philippines.

In 2021, on this day, the 2020 World Expo in Dubai begins. Its opening was originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sadly on this day in 2022, one hundred and thirty-five are killed in a human crush following a football match at Kanjuruhan Stadium in East Java, Indonesia.

Today is International Day of Coffee

Today is International Day of Older Persons

Know when to work harder, and when to simply walk away… See, you’re the point man ~ keep pointing in the right direction.

Today in History!

Orbits News!