In History, Today on October 8

The Great Stand on the Ugra River, a standoff between the forces of the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Golden Horde, effectively ends without a battle, marking the end of Mongol domination over Moscow.

San Marino adopts its written constitution, which is still in effect today, making it the world's oldest constitution still in use.

The Great Chicago Fire begins, lasting until October 10, 1871, and resulting in the destruction of a large portion of the city of Chicago, Illinois.

The First Balkan War begins when Montenegro declares war against the Ottoman Empire, leading to a conflict involving several Balkan states.

Corporal Alvin C. York leads an attack on a German machine gun nest, capturing 132 German soldiers, an action for which he is awarded the Medal of Honor.

Germany annexes Western Poland, incorporating it into the Third Reich following the invasion of Poland at the start of World War II.

New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen pitches the only perfect game in World Series history during Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Guerrilla leader Che Guevara and his men are captured in Bolivia by the Bolivian Army, with assistance from the CIA. Guevara is executed the following day.

The Soviet Union's Alexander Solzhenitsyn is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his work on exposing the Soviet Union's forced labor camp system.

Israeli police kill 17 Palestinian worshippers and wound over 100 at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, an event that becomes known as the Al-Aqsa Massacre.

The Croatian War of Independence: The Yugoslav People's Army begins an attack on the Croatian city of Dubrovnik.

U.S. President George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security to coordinate national efforts against terrorism following the September 11 attacks.

A devastating earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale strikes the Kashmir region, affecting parts of Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan, and resulting in over 86,000 deaths.

Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, dies in Dallas, Texas, highlighting the global Ebola outbreak.

Hurricane Matthew makes landfall in South Carolina, causing widespread flooding and damage along the southeastern coast of the United States.