* On Oct. 6, 1927, “ The Jazz Singer,” a part-talkie film featuring six songs by Al Jolson, debuted in theaters, marking the end of cinema’s silent film era even though it only contained about two actual minutes of synchronized dialogue.
* On Oct. 8, 1871, the Peshtigo Fire, today considered the most devastating fire in American history, started in Wisconsin, killing about 1,200 people and consuming 2 billion trees. Despite its massive scale, however, the smaller Great Chicago Fire, which began later that night, dominated newspaper headlines over the next days.
* On Oct. 12, 1945, Private First Class Desmond T. Doss of Lynchburg, Virginia, became America’s first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor for outstanding bravery as a combat medic.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
