1. On October 8, 1871, the deadliest fire in American history took place in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, just miles away from the Illinois border. It is estimated that between 1,200 and 2,500 people died, and the fire burned an area of over 1.2 million acres.

2. On October 8, 1926, former Illinois governor Adlai E. Stevenson II, the grandfather of the future presidential candidate Adlai E. Stevenson III, was elected to his first term as governor. Stevenson served two terms as governor before going on to become the Democratic nominee for president in 1952 and 1956.

3. On October 8, 1931, the first North American transcontinental flight was completed when aviators Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon Jr. landed their Bellanca J-300 plane in Wenatchee, Washington, after flying for 41 hours and covering a distance of 4,500 miles. The two pilots had taken off from Roosevelt Field in New York on October 4 and made several stops along the way, including one in Chicago.

4. On October 8, 1956, the Chicago Cubs played in their first World Series game in 39 years, losing to the New York Yankees 12-6. Despite their long drought between World Series appearances, the Cubs would go on to make it back to the Fall Classic in 2016, ending a 108-year championship drought by winning the World Series that year.

5. On October 8, 1982, the first public demonstration of a CD player took place at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago. The CD player, developed by Sony and Philips, would revolutionize the music industry and become one of the most ubiquitous pieces of consumer electronics of the late 20th century.