October in history according to an eternal pessimist.

1st October 1977

The famous Brazilian footballer Pelé retired, having scored a total of 1281 goals. What really matters, however, is that he never scored one against Poland!

2nd October 1971

During a homing pigeon race in Australia, one carrier pigeon achieved a record speed of 133 km/h. Perhaps it would be a good idea to hire pigeons in today’s post offices to improve their efficiency?

3rd October 1992

The Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor ripped up a photograph of Pope John Paul II during her live television performance. The artist did it in protest against the Vatican papering over paedophile scandals in the Catholic Church. The gesture