October 1

1930 The Chudov Monastery, founded in the Moscow Kremlin in 1358, was demolished.







October 3

1649 The Zemsky Sobor, a kind of Russian Parliament, adopted its legal code on this day. It was given the title Sobornoye Ulozheniye and served as the basic law of Russia until the 19th century.

October 10

1863 Vladimir Afanasievich Obruchev, the eminent Russian geologist, Academician, Hero of Socialist Labour (the highest honorary title in the USSR), was born this day. He specialized in the study of Siberia and Central Asia. Having spent half a century exploring Siberia and much of Asia, Obruchev wrote the classic multi-volume works The Geology of Siberia, and A History of the Geological Research of Siberia, as well as the popular science fiction novels Plutonia (1924) and The Land of Sannikov (1926), the travel books Gold Prospectors in the Desert (1928) and In the Heart of Central (1951). Obruchev was awarded the Prizhevalsky Prize, the large gold medal, two Chikhachev prizes (1898 and 1925) from French Academy of Sciences, and the Lenin Prize (1950). There is a memorial plaque to Obruchev on the Regional Museum's  His name is often found on maps, as it is the way to pay tribute to a prominent Russian scientist.


October 12



1909 The monument to Ivan Fedorov was erected in Moscow this day. The project was carried out by Russian sculptor Sergei Volnuhin.

October 13

1875 Maxim Konchalovsky's birthday. This Russian therapist, who worked on the problems of pre-malaise states, the questions of workability, periodicy in the course of illness, clinical symptoms, was born in Odessa. He also made several researches on the pathologies of the gastrointestinal system, circulatory system, liver and lungs. Numbers of prominent Russian therapists spread their wings after attending his school.

October 14

1165 This day marks the construction of Vladimir-Suzdal Principality's architectural chef-d'oeuvre - the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin on the Nerl River. This white stone church fits the landscape so organically that it is often described as ‘a poem depicted in stone'. Its construction commemorates the death of Andrey Bogolyubsky's son Iziaslav during the war against Volga Bulgaria. Thus, the stone for the church was delivered to Vladimir as a contribution.

The Church on the Nerl River has refine proportions: it has one dome and four columns in the interior, the proportions are elongated to make its silhouette seem slender. The monument turns out to be spirit's victory over substance.

For centuries, the memorial church welcome those approaching the palace at Bogolyubovo. In spring the area is flooded and the church seems to float on water. Its walls are still covered with 12th-century carvings. That is why in 1992 the church was added to the UN World Heritage List as part of the site White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal.



October 15

1990 This day Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was awar­­ded The Nobel Peace Prize for his reconciliatory role in working out the relations between the East and the West.

October 16

1927 The switch to a seven-hour workday was declared in the Soviet Union this day.

October 24

1897 The first official football match in Russia was held in Saint Petersburg this day. In 1901, the  Saint Petersburg Football League was organized and several competitions were held in the city. The first Russian championship took place in 1912.

October 25



1990 This day marks the first broadcast of the Russian version of "Wheel of Fortune" that became very popular. Its first host was Vladislav Listyev, talented journalist and the head of the ORT TV Channel.

October 26



1880 Boris Nikolayevich Bugaev was born this day. This Russian novelist, poet and literary critic was better known under his assumed name Andrei Bely. His works display the adherence to Symbolism, especially for striking mysticism and a sort of moody musicality. Among his most prominent masterpieces are the novels ‘The Silver Dove' and ‘Petersburg'; his poetry includes the four-volume ‘Symphonies'. He accepted the Soviet regime, but his works were not well received by Soviet critics.

October 27

1855 Ivan Vla­di­mirovich Michurin, a Russian practitioner of selection, was born this day. He left a trace in Russian science and is known as the creator of 300 plant species. In 1875, Michurin founded a nursery garden and started his research in pomology and natural selection. In his cytogenetic laboratory, he researched cell structure and experimented with artificial polyploidy. Actually, he is regarded as one of the founding fathers of scientific agricultural selection and became an Honorable Member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences.

October 28



1993 Yuri Mikhailovich Lotman died this day in Tartu, Estonia. He was a prominent Russian formalist critic, semiotician, and culturologist. Lotman is considered to be the first Soviet structuralist. His treasure exceeds 800 titles of publications.

October 30

1696 Russian Navy's birthday. Its creation was caused by the necessity to get over territorial, cultural and political isolation of the country. In November 1665, Peter the Great began the construction of ships on the rivers that flow into Azov. Soon, Russians won several battles against Turkey and on the 30th of October, 1696 the Boyar Assembly signed the document ‘sea-crafts to be.' The next step of Navy's development was Baltic Sea, then Caspian Sea. December 22, 1717 Peter the Great established the Admiralty for running the Navy.

October 31

1967 The Or­der of the October Revolution was in­stituted this day. It was awarded for services furthering communism or the state, or in enhancing the defenses of the Soviet Union. It was the second one among other Soviet orders, straight after the Order of Lenin.