Here’s the October, 2017 Special Days list! It’s filled with holidays, observances, food themes, awareness days , historic figures and authors birthdays, science and historic based anniversaries, and even some spooky stuff! If you’re looking for something seasonal and fun to include in your lesson plans, a day to celebrate, or special foods to add to your menu, this list will give you some awesome ideas!
Resources for teaching through October, including a PDF of October’s Special Days, can be found at the end of this list.
October’s Themes, Awareness, and Observances
- Adopt a Shelter Dog
- AIDS Awareness
- Animal Safety and Protection
- Arts and Crafts
- Arts and Humanities
- Audiology Awareness
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication
- Bat Appreciation
- Birds of Prey
- Bilingual Child
- Blindness Awareness
- Book
- Breast Cancer Awareness
- Bullying Prevention
- Children’s Magazine
- Chiropractic
- Church Library
- Class Reunion
- Clocks
- Computer Learning
- Co-op Awareness
- Crime Prevention
- Cut Out Dissection
- Cyber Security Awareness
- Dental Hygiene
- Depression Education and Awareness
- Domestic Violence Awareness
- Down Syndrome Awareness
- Drum
- Dyslexia Awareness
- Emotional Intelligence Awareness
- Emotional Wellness
- Energy Management
- Ergonomics
- Eye Safety
- Fair Trade
- Feral Hog
- Financial Planning
- Free Thought
- German-American Heritage
- Global Diversity
- Go On A Field Trip
- Halloween Safety
- Health Literacy
- Improve Your Home
- International Dinosaur
- Liver Awareness
- Kitchen and Bath
- Medical Librarian
- Menopause
- Orthodontic Health
- Pastor Appreciation Day
- Photographer Appreciation
- Physical Therapy
- Polish American Heritage
- Positive Attitude
- Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness
- Protect Your Hearing
- Raptor Month
- Reading Group
- Right Brainers Rule
- Roller Skating
- Sarcastic Awareness
- Self-Promotion
- Spina Bifida Awareness
- Squirrel Awareness
- Stamp Collecting Month
- Starman
- Strategic Planning
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness
- Walk To School
- Window Covering Safety
- Work and Family
- World Animal
October’s Food Themes
- Apple
- Apple Jack
- Bake and Decorate
- Caramel
- Cheese
- Chili
- Cookie
- Country Ham
- Cranberry
- Eat Better, Eat Together
- Eatable Roots
- English Pudding
- Farm to School
- Pasta
- Persimmons
- Pizza
- Popcorn Poppin’
- Pork
- Pumpkins
- Rhizomes
- Rhubarb
- Sausage
- Seafood
- Spinach Lovers
- Tackling Hunger
- Vegetarian Awareness
Daily Specials for October, 2017 (the * means that the special day does not fall on the same date each year)
Oct. 1
- Animal Welfare Week begins * (1st full week)
- CD Player Day
- Carry a Tune Week begins * (week with the 7th)
- President Jimmy Carter born 1924
- Change a Light Day * (1st Sun.)
- Fire Pup Day
- Get Organized Week begins * (1st full week)
- Homemade Cookies Day
- Inter-Generation Day * (1st Sun.)
- International Day of Older Persons
- Lace Day
- Less Than Perfect Day
- Model T Ford introduced 1908
- Mystery Series Week * (1st full week)
- Nigeria Independence Day 1960
- People’s Republic of China National Day 1949
- Raccoon Appreciation Day
- Vegetarian Day
- World Communion Day * (1st Sun.)
- Work From Home Week * (1st full week)
Oct. 2
- Child Health Day * (1st Mon.)
- Custodial Workers Day
- Farm Animals Day
- Phileas Fogg Win a Wager Day
- Mahatma Gandhi born 1869
- Guardian Angels Day
- Guinea Independence Day 1958
- International Day of Non-violence
- Comic Julius “Groucho” Marx born 1895
- Name Your Car Day
- Peanuts Comic first published 1950
- Spinning and Weaving Week begins * (Mon. of 1st full week)
- World Day of Bullying Prevention/Blue Shirt Day * (1st Mon.)
- World Habitat Day * (1st Mon.)
Oct. 3
- Butterfly and Hummingbird Day
- Captain Kangaroo premier 1955
- East and West Germany re-unitification 1990
- Arthur James Herriot born 1916
- Kids’ Goal Setting Day
- Richard the Lionheart crowned King 1189
- No Salt Week begins
- SOS (distress code) established 1906
- Techie’s Day
- Blues Musician Stevie Ray Vaughn born 1954
- Virus Appreciation Day
Oct. 4
- Balloons Around the World Day * (1st Wed.)
- Blessing of the Animals Day
- Cinnamon Roll Day
- Frappe Day
- Golf Day
- President Rutherford Hayes born 1822
- Improve Your Office Day
- St. Francis Day
- Lesotho Independence Day 1966
- Sputnik launched 1957
- Sukkot//Feast of Tabernacles *
- Author, Edward Stratemeyer born 1862
- Ten-Four Day
- Walk to School Day * (1st Wed.)
- World Animal Day
- World Space Week begins
Oct. 5
- President Chester Arthur born 1829
- Do Something Nice Day
- Physicist Robert Hutchings Goddard born 1882
- Jarrow March 1936
- Stop Bullying Day
- World Teachers Day
Oct. 6
- Come and Take It Day
- Denim Day * (1st Fri.)
- Diversity Day * (1st Fri.)
- German-American Day
- Mad Hatter Day
- Story Telling Weekend begins * (1st Fri.)
- William Tyndale martyred 1536
- Inventor George Westinghouse born 1846
- World Smile Day * (1st Fri.)
Oct. 7
- First “American Bandstand” Broadcast 1952
- Physicist Niels Bohrs born 1885
- Explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo discovered Catalina Island 1542
- Card Making Day * (1st Sat.)
- Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend begins*
- Frugal Fun Day * (1st Sat.)
Oct. 8
- Cephalopod Awareness Days (8-10)
- Chestnut Week * (2nd full week)
- Clergy Appreciation Day * (2nd Sun.)
- Fire Prevention Week begins * (week with the 9th)
- Great Chicago Fire 1871
- Activist Jesse Jackson born 1941
- Metric Week * (week with the 10th)
- Pierogy Day
- Touch Tag Day
- Wolf Awareness Week begins * (2nd full week)
- Alvin C. York Day
Oct. 9
- Canadian Thanksgiving * (2nd Mon.)
- Chess Day
- Columbus Day * (2nd Mon.)
- Cupcake Day
- Curious Events Day
- Leif Erikson Day
- Fire Prevention Day
- First 2-way Telephone Conversation 1876
- Musician John Lennon born 1940
- Moldy Cheese Day
- Native American Day * (2nd Mon.)
- Pro-Life Cupcake Day
- School Lunch Week begins *
- Uganda Independence Day 1962
- Washington Monument opened 1888
- World Post Day
Oct. 10
- Angel Food Cake Day
- Cake Decorating Day
- Face Your Fears Day * (2nd Tues.)
- Fiji Independence Day 1970
- Author James Marshall born 1942
- Metric Day
- Republic of China/Taiwan National Day 1949
- World Mental Health Day
Oct. 11
- Apollo 7 lauched 1968
- Boer War Began 1880
- Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work & School Day * (2nd Wed.)
- Coming Out Day
- Emergency Nurses Day * (2nd Wed.)
- International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction * (2nd Wed.)
- It’s My Party Day
- Remember Forever Day
- Eleanor Roosevelt born 1884
- Top Spinning Day * ( 2nd Wed.)
Oct. 12
- Cookbook Launch Day
- Fossil Day
- Freethought Day
- Moment of Frustration Day
- Old Farmer’s Day
- Star Spangled Banner First Sung 1814
- World Sight Day * (2nd Thurs.)
Oct. 13
- Earth Science Week begins
- Egg Day * (2nd Fri.)
- English Language Day
- Greenwich Mean Time established 1884
- Patriot Molly Pitcher born 1754
- Skeptics Day
- Margaret Thatcher born 1925
- White House Construction began 1792
- US Navy Established 1775
Oct. 14
- Battle of Hastings 1066
- Be Bald and Free Day
- Dessert Day
- President Dwight Eisenhower born 1890
- William Penn born 1644
- Photographic Film patented 1884
- Universal Music Day * (2nd Sat.)
Oct. 15
- 1st Manned Balloon Flight (tethered), 1783
- Bullying Bystaneders Unite Week * (3rd full week)
- Character Counts Week * (3rd full week)
- Chemistry Week * (3rd full week)
- Food Bank Week begins * (week of the 16th)
- Forest Products Week begins * (3rd Sun.)
- Freedom of Speech Week begins * (3rd full week)
- Friends of the Library Week * (3rd full week)
- Grouch Day
- I Love Lucy Premier 1951
- International Day of Rural Women
- Poetry Day
- Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day
- Save for Retirement Week begins *
- Veterinary Technician Week begins
- White Cane Safety Day
Oct. 16
- Marie Antoinette executed 1793
- Boss’s Day * (weekday closest to the 16th)
- Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day * (3rd Mon.)
- Dictionary Day
- Learn A Word Day
- Nuclear Science Week begins *
- Noah Webster born 1758
- School Bus Safety Week * (Mon. of 3rd full week)
- World Food Day
Oct. 17
- African American Poetry Day
- Eradication of Poverty Day
- Author Arthur Miller born 1915
- Mulligan Day
- Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity * (3rd Tues.)
- Wear Something Gaudy Day
Oct. 18
- Alternative Fuel Day
- Chocolate Cupcake Day
- Diwali/Deepavali begins *
- Hagfish Day * (3rd Wed.)
- Medical Assistants Recognition Day * (Wed. of 3rd full week)
- No Beard Day
- Saint Luke’s Day
- World Menopause Day
Oct. 19
- Cave Painting discovered in Verona, Italy 2000
- Author/Illustrator Ed Emberly born 1931
- Evaluate Your Life Day
- Electric Light Bulb Introduced 1879
- Get Smart About Credit Day * (3rd Thurs.)
- Revolutionary War ends 1781
Oct. 20
- Baseball’s Mickey Mantle born 1931
- Information Overload Day
- Monster Mash Day
- Sloth Day
- Architect Sir Christopher Wren born 1632
Oct. 21
- Apple Day
- Babbling Day
- Battle of Trafalgar 1805
- Bridge Day * (3rd Sat.)
- Count Your Buttons Day
- Global Iodine Deficiency Disorder Prevention Day
- 1st Light Bulb 1879
- Inventor Alfred Nobel born 1833
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Day
- Reptile Awareness Day
- Sweetest Day * (3rd Sat.)
Oct. 22
- Daniel Boone born 1734
- CAP LOCKS DAY
- Everyone Writes Day
- Massage Therapy Week * ( last full week)
- Peace, Friendship, & Goodwill Week * (last full week)
- Mother-In-Law Day * (4th Sun.)
- Nut Day
- Stuttering Awareness Day
Oct. 23
- Battle of Edgehill 1642
- Capistrano Day
- iPod Day
- Mole Day
- Pele (soccer champion) born 1940
- Swallows Depart from San Juan Capistrano Day
- TV Talk Show Host Day
Oct. 24
- Bologna Day
- Disarmament Week begins (UN)
- Food Day
- Peace, Friendship, and Good Will Week begins
- United Nations Day
- World Development Information Day
- Zambia Independence Day 1964
Oct. 25
- Charge of the Light Brigade 1854
- Saint Crispin’s Day
- Magic Week begins
- Pasta Day
- Artist Pablo Picasso born 1881
- Punk for a Day Day
- Sourest Day
Oct. 26
- Erie Canal opened 1825
- Gun Fight at the OK Corral 1881
- Hillary Clinton born 1947
- Mincemeat
- Mule Day
- National Pumpkin Day
- Punky Night * (last Thurs.)
- Red Cross Founded 1836
Oct. 27
- Explorer James Cook born 1728
- Cranky Co-Workers Day
- Frankenstein Day * (last Fri.)
- Make a Difference Day * (4th Fri. and Sat.)
- Navy Day
- President Theodore Roosevelt born 1858
- St Vincent and Grenadines Independence Day 1979
- Tell A Story Day
Oct. 28
- Chocolates Day
- Make a Difference Day * (4th Fri. and Sat.)
- Plush Animal Lover’s Day
- St. Jude’s Day
- Physician Jonas Salk born 1914
- Statue of Liberty dedicated 1886
Oct. 29
- Cat Day
- Gateway to the West (St. Louis Arch) completed 1965
- Hermit Day
- Internet Day
- Oatmeal Day
- The New York Stock Exchange crashed (beginning of The Great Depression) 1929
- Psoriasis Day
- Turkey Independence Day 1923
- Visit a Cemetery Day
Oct. 30
- President John Adams born 1735
- Ball Point Pen patented 1888
- Candy Corn Day
- Create a Great Funeral Day
- Haunted Refrigerator Night
- Mischief Night (Devil’s Night)
- The National Organization for Women (NOW) founded 1966
- 1938 Radio Broadcast of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds
Oct. 31
- All Hollows Eve/Halloween
- Books for Treats Day
- Caramel Apple Day
- Carve a Pumpkin Day
- Day of the Dead
- Girl Scout Founder’s Day
- Knock Knock Jokes Day
- Magic Day
- Mount Rushmore Completed 1941
- Nevada Statehood 1864
- Reformation Day
- Samhain
Free Printable – Special Days in October
(Several times throughout the month I will edit more special days into the list as I find out about them. Thus, your PDF will not be as complete as the list at the end of the month.)
Here’ is the collection of my favorite “go to” resources for special days studies https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2016/07/31/learning-resources-for-special-days/
How I use Special Days lists in our homeschool blog series :
Special Days and the Evolution of Morning Calendar Time
Get your copy of October’s Special Days Activity Companion from Etsy
My apologies, but I haven’t had the opportunity to update the Learning Resources list for October, 2017 (yet). However, most of the resources from 2016 should work just fine https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2016/10/01/learning-resources-for-special-days-in-october-2016/
I make my monthly special days calendars by using several sources including old calendars, holiday books, newspapers, and the web. If you know of a special day that I do not have listed, please comment and let me know what it is so I can add it in. Below are the links to my favorite online calendars.
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/october.html
http://www.se7en.org.za/se7ens-october
http://food.unl.edu/october-food-calendar
http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/october.htm
https://whatismyspiritanimal.com/animal-holidays-celebrations/
http://projectbritain.com/calendars/oct.html
http://aglobalworld.com/international-independence-days/country-independence-day.php
Happy October!
betty jo
