Today
Thursday October 8 2026
- Day of the year
- 281/ 365
- Week
- 412,026
- Days left
- 8477%
- Moon
- 4%Waning crescent
Today is Thursday, October 8, 2026. It is day 281 of 2026, a year of 365 days: 84 remain, and 77% of the year has gone. Under ISO 8601 this date falls in week 41.
What's celebrated on this date
No United Nations international day falls on this date.
Coming up
- October 9World Post Day
- October 10World Mental Health Day
- October 11International Day of the Girl Child
Saints and name days
Saints whose feast falls on this date, most widely known first.
- Saint PelagiaAntiochene saint
- ThaïsEgyptian hermit, saint
- Philotheus I of ConstantinoplePatriarch of Constantinople
- Giovanni CalabriaItalian saint (1873–1954)
- Pelagia of TarsusMartyr and saint
Sources : Wikidata (P841) · CC0 1.0
Astronomy
New York
- Sunrise
- 07:00
- Sunset
- 18:27
- Length of day
- 11h 27m−3 min vs yesterday
- Solar noon
- 12:44
Times shown for America/New_York
Season
Autumn
began on September 22, 2026
Next season
Winter — 74 days, December 21, 2026 (December solstice)
Public holidays — United States
Not a public holiday in the United States.
Next public holiday : Columbus Day — October 12, 2026
National holidays only. Regions, provinces and Länder add their own.
Moon
Waning crescent
Illumination : 4%
Moon age : 27.5 days
- Next full moon
- October 26, 2026
- Next new moon
- October 10, 2026
Astrology
Today's zodiac sign
Libra
until October 23, 2026 — Scorpio
Zodiac dates are an astrological convention, not the Sun's actual position among the constellations. The astronomy above is measured; this is not.
On this day in history
451
The first session of the Council of Chalcedon begins. Wikipedia
1862
American Civil War: The Confederate invasion of Kentucky is halted at the Battle of Perryville. Wikipedia
1871
Slash-and-burn land management, months of drought, and the passage of a strong cold front cause the Peshtigo Fire, the Great Chicago Fire and the Great Michigan Fires to break out. Wikipedia
1879
War of the Pacific: The Chilean Navy defeats the Peruvian Navy in the Battle of Angamos. Wikipedia
1912
The First Balkan War begins when Montenegro declares war against the Ottoman Empire. Wikipedia
1939
World War II: Germany annexes western Poland. Wikipedia
Show more (4)
1967
Guerrilla leader Che Guevara and his men are captured in Bolivia. Guevara would be executed the next day. Wikipedia
1982
Poland bans Solidarity and all other trade unions. Wikipedia
2001
A twin engine Cessna and a Scandinavian Airlines System jetliner collide in heavy fog during takeoff from Milan, Italy, killing 118 people. Wikipedia
2005
The 7.6 Mw Kashmir earthquake leaves 86,000–87,351 people dead, 69,000–75,266 injured, and 2.8 million homeless. Wikipedia
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
Births and deaths
Born on this day October 8
- 1850Henry Louis Le Châtelier, French chemist and academic (died 1936)
- 1870Louis Vierne, French organist and composer (died 1937)
- 1883Otto Heinrich Warburg, German physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1970)
- 1890Eddie Rickenbacker, American soldier and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1973)
- 1895Juan Perón, Argentinian general and politician, 29th President of Argentina (died 1974)
- 1895Zog I of Albania (died 1961)
- 1920Frank Herbert, American journalist, photographer, and author (died 1986)
- 1970Sadiq Khan, English lawyer and politician, Minister of State for Transport, Mayor of Londonturns 56 years
Died on this day October 8
- 1286John I, Duke of Brittany (born 1217)aged 69 years
- 1317Emperor Fushimi of Japan (born 1265)aged 52 years
- 1754Henry Fielding, English novelist and playwright (born 1707)aged 47 years
- 1869Franklin Pierce, American general, lawyer, and politician, 14th President of the United States (born 1804)aged 65 years
- 1953Nigel Bruce, British actor (born 1895)aged 58 years
- 1967Clement Attlee, English soldier, lawyer, and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1883)aged 84 years
- 1982Philip Noel-Baker, English runner and politician, Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1889)aged 93 years
- 1992Willy Brandt, German lawyer and politician, 4th Chancellor of Germany, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1913)aged 79 years
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
The day in words
In New York the sun rises at 07:00 and sets at 18:27, giving 11h 27m of daylight — 3 minutes less than yesterday. It has been autumn since September 22, 2026; winter opens in 74 days, on December 21, 2026 (December solstice).
The moon is a waning crescent, 4% illuminated. The next full moon falls on October 26, 2026 and the next new moon on October 10, 2026.
The saints' calendar attaches October 8 to Saint Pelagia, Thaïs and Philotheus I of Constantinople.
No United Nations international day falls on October 8. The next one on the calendar is World Post Day, on October 9.
It is not a public holiday in the United States.
On this day in history: The first session of the Council of Chalcedon begins (451); American Civil War: The Confederate invasion of Kentucky is halted at the Battle of Perryville (1862). English Wikipedia records 10 events for this date.
Henry Louis Le Châtelier was born on October 8, 1850; John I died on October 8, 1286.
78 days remain until Christmas and 85 until New Year's Day.
In astrology — kept separate from the measured astronomy above, deliberately — October 8 falls under the sign of Libra.
Calendar
By the numbers
- 77%
- of the year elapsed
- 78
- until Christmas
- 85
- until New Year
- 509
- until the next 29 February
2026 — Common year (365 days)
Work with dates
Sources
Every block on this page names where its data comes from. Nothing here is generated when the source is silent.
- United Nations — International Days— What's celebrated today
- Wikidata (P841)— Saints and name days · CC0 1.0
- Wikipedia (en)— On this day in history · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26