Top 10 Facts you didn't know about October

Tübingen in Germany holds an annual rubber duck race every October

A new month begins today, so here are some facts about October.

 

1. The town of Tübingen in Germany holds an annual rubber duck race every October. 

2. The Finnish for October is lokakuu meaning “dirty month”. 

3. The Anglo-Saxons called it Winterfylleth referring not to filth but the fullness of winter. 

 

October is Black History Month; Martin Luther King pictured after the Selma march

4. The October Revolution in Russia in 1917 took place in November but the Russians still used the Julian calendar by which it was still October. 

5. October is International School Library Month, and International Walk to School Month. 

6. In the UK, it is also Black History Month, Lupus Awareness Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month and National Cholesterol Month. 

 

7. The Hunt for Red October, released in 1990, is the only film with October in its title to win an Oscar, which it won for Best Sound Editing. 

8. Six US Presidents had October birthdays, which is more than any other month. 

 

During the last week of October, there is a greater than even chance that it will rain in London

9. Five UK Prime Ministers had October birthdays, a figure unbeaten by any month, though matched by January, March, July and November. 

10. On any given day in the last week of October, there is a greater than even chance that it will rain in London.