Fun Facts to Celebrate an October Birthday
Celebrating an October birthday? Download this October birth month fun facts sheet to display at a birthday party or give with a birthday gift. Included are the October birthstone and flower, a few fun holidays, interesting people born in October, and this month in history events.
October Birthstone
October’s birthstone is opal, symbolizing faithfulness and confidence. Most of the world’s opal comes from Australia. Opals are known for their iridescent quality, but they come in a wide variety of colors beyond the well-known white opal.
A secondary birthstone for October is pink tourmaline. Tourmaline comes in a range of colors and some consider all tourmalines a secondary October birthstone. The tourmaline gem traditionally symbolizes compassion and forgiveness.
October Flower
The traditional birth flower for October is the marigold, known for its bright orange and yellow colors. This flower is easy to grow and blooms from early summer through fall. Marigolds have anti-inflammatory properties, so they have been used throughout history to treat rashes and wounds. Their strong, distinct odor can help repel deer and rabbits from eating garden produce.
October also has a secondary birth flower, the cosmos. This flower grows tall on a long, thin stem and comes in an extensive array of colors. Cosmos flowers symbolize order and harmony.
October Quote or Poem
“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”
Lauren DeStefano
October Fun Holidays
National Pizza Month
Family History Month
Cinnamon Roll Day (10/4)
Do Something Nice Day (10/5)
National Cake Decorating Day (10/10)
Dictionary Day (10/16)
National Oatmeal Day (10/24)
Download a free list of questions to ask an older relative to recognize Family History Month in October
Famous October Birthdays
Gertrude Ederle (first woman to swim the English channel)
Dan Gutman (creator of “My Weird School” children’s book series)
Johann Strauss (classical composer)
Alfred Nobel (Swedish chemist and inventor; founder of the Nobel prizes)
George Westinghouse (American entrepreneur and engineer; received more than 360 patents)
Reed Hastings (co-founder of Netflix)
Jonas Salk (researcher who developed one of the first polio vaccines)
Julie Andrews (actress known for her roles in “The Sound of Music” and “Mary Poppins”)
Mahatma Gandhi (leader of nonviolent campaign of resistance of British rule over India)
Margaret Thatcher (first woman to serve as British prime minister)
Noah Webster (educator, textbook author, creator of an American dictionary)
James Chadwick (physicist who proved the existence of the neutron)
October Events in History
Roman Emperor Claudius poisoned by his wife (54 A.D.)
Yale University founded (1701)
Abraham Lincoln officially designed Thanksgiving Day (1863)
Great Fire of Chicago (1871)
Greenwich established as universal time (1884)
New York subway began operating (1904)
United Nations founded (1965)
Russia launched Sputnik into orbit (1957)
Redwood National Park established (1968)
October Birth Month Fact Sheet
Visit my resource library to download a free printable October birth month fun fact cheat sheet!
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