October is a month with an annual spooky tradition that causes us to shiver ourselves to the spine. It isn’t just about Halloween, though. There’s so much more to this month than just pumpkins and costumes.  Let’s get started!

1. October was originally known as the eighth month of the Roman calendar. The name comes from the Latin word “octo” meaning eight. It later became known as the tenth month when the months January and February were added to the calendar.
2. October is known to be the home of two notable holidays: Halloween and Columbus Day (also known as Indigenous People’s Day).
3. Walt Disney World in Florida opened its doors on the first day of October in 1971, dating back from 53 years ago from this month.
4. October is known to hold many advocacy campaigns like Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Bullying Prevention Month, and more.
5. One of the most memorable fires in American history, the Great Chicago Fire happened on October 8, 1871, and caused significant damage and loss of life.  
6. October is National Pizza Month in America.
7. People in the Northern Hemisphere were able to witness the Draconid meteor shower. It contained a single comet that was visible exclusively in the Northern Hemisphere between October 6th and October 10th!
8. The origins of Halloween root from way back to the Gaelic people of modern-day England, Scotland, and Ireland who celebrated the festival of Samhain, which had the similar traditions of Halloween. It’s since made its way to the spookiest day that we know and enjoy to celebrate.
9. The modern tradition of The Simpsons‘ yearly Halloween special “Treehouse of Horror” originated all the way back to October 25, 1990, giving three spooky horror stories once a year for the last 34 years!
10. There are a variety of holidays celebrated this month like World Animal Day (October 4th) and World Teachers’ Day (October 5th). Even wackier, there are more crazy holidays such as National Noodle Day (October 4th) and National Cheese Curd Day ( October 15th)!

There is plenty of information about October out there to be discovered, and these are just ten spooky and interesting facts.

Stay tuned for next month’s list!