Right between the lazy days of summer and the chilly days of autumn, there’s a time when the days are sunny and warm, the nights are crisp and cool. It’s called Indian Summer. The green leaves of summer begin to change their hue to yellow, orange, and burnt red; pumpkins and maize ripen in the fields. The name also serves to remind us of the days when Native Americans harvested nature’s bountiful array of nuts, fruits, and vegetables; fished its clear running rivers for salmon and trout; hunted the herds of wild buffalo; and stalked the mountains for bear, moose, and deer. 

Nature had blessed these people with everything they needed just before the winter snows began to fall. And the people respected and nurtured nature’s gifts throughout the year in return.

On October 1, 1908, Henry Ford introduced the Model T, known affectionately as the Tin Lizzie. The Model T manufacture employed assembly lines, interchangeable parts, and mass production—unlike its custom-built European counterparts such as the Mercedes and the Bugatti. Even though Ford borrowed some of his production methods from Eli Whitney and other inventors, he was the first to apply it to such a complex piece of machinery that appealed to so many people.

On October 1, 1939, Winston Churchill made a mysterious forecast: “I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”

On October 6, 1990, Thomas Edison showed his first motion pictures in West Orange, New Jersey.

On October 9, 1000, Leif Erikson landed in North America.

On October 13, 1792, President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the Executive mansion.