September and October in History

1812

september 8

On this day, the Battle of Borodino began—a bloody, brutal battle between Napoleon’s troops (which had begun the war numbering 600,000) and the army of General Kutuzov. The outcome was at best a draw, but it proved a victory for Russia, which kept Napoleon from achieving his goal of decimating the main Russian army. In fact, it bled Napoleon’s forces dry. Because of Russia’s huge losses in reserves, Moscow had to be evacuated and Napoleon occupied the capital until an early winter and Tsar Alexander’s refusal to capitulate forced him to retreat. Dogged by Kutuzov, he left Russia with less than 100,000 troops (only 30,000 made it back to France). Soon thereafter, Russian forces played a prominent role in Napoleon’s downfall and in 1814 occupied Paris along with its allies.

1657

september 17

Sophia Miloslavskaya, half-sister to Peter the Great, was born on this day. She ruled Russia for seven years as Regent when her brother, Fyodor III, died at the age of 20 in 1682 without leaving an heir. Through a series of machinations and an incited revolt among the palace guard, Sophia became Regent for the co-tsars: her brother, the half-witted Ivan, and her half brother Peter. She was ousted from power in 1689 and lived out her days in Novodevichy Monastery in Moscow.

1967

september 19

Legendary wrestler Alexander Karelin turns 35 on September 19. The three-time Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling—1988 (Seoul), 1992 (Barcelona) and 1996 (Atlanta)— was widely expected to win his fourth consecutive Olympic consecutive title in 2000 (Sydney), but was upset by US wrestler Rulon Gardner in a close bout. Karelin remains one of the most heralded wrestlers in history and is widely considered one of the greatest athletes of all time, winning 12 European championships and 13 Russian championships. 

1802

september 24

Alexander Radishchev, philosopher and writer, died on this day 100 years ago. His most famous work, Journey from Petersburg to Moscow (1790), was a stern indictment of life in Russia and a call for fundamental reform. The book was confiscated, circulating only in manuscript form until the 1905 revolution. Radishchev himself was exiled to Siberia. Upon his return to St. Petersburg in 1797, he continued to lobby for reform until threats of new reprisals for his views forced him to commit suicide.

1952

october 7

Today is the 50th birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Two stories in this issue are devoted to biographies of the president (pages 22 and 30).

1892

october 8 

On this day 110 years ago, writer and poet Marina Tsvetaeva (1892-1941) was born. The daughter of the founder of the Pushkin Museum, Ivan Tsvetaev, Tsvetaeva is one of the greatest Russian poets of the 20th century. She has influenced many generation of Russian poets. A full page biography of her tragic life was published in the October 1997 issue of Russian Life.

1922

october 11

On this day, reluctantly realizing that even bolsheviks needed a monetary policy, Soviet Russia introduced a gold- and commodity-backed ruble, the chervonets, to replace a shoddy currency (colloquially called sovznaki) hugely inflated by revolution and civil war. When chervontsy were first issued, prices were approximately 200,000 times what they were in 1913.

Chervontsy were initially only issued in very large denominations. The old and new currencies co-circulated until 1924, when sovznaki were exchanged, at 50,000:1, for chervontsy. 

1952

october 14

The talented gymnast Nikolai Andrianov was born today. Andrianov won the gold medal in the all-around individual competition at the 1976 (Montreal) Olympics. In 1980, in his third Olympic Games, Andrianov won a second gold, this time for the team competition. 

1962

october 22

Forty years ago, the world came the closest it has ever been to the edge of the nuclear abyss, during the Cuban Missile Crisis. After U2 flights over Cuba revealed that the Soviet Union was secretly installing ICBM bases there, President John Kennedy issued an ultimatum for their removal to Nikita Khrushchev and established a “quarantine” around the island (a “blockade” being an act of war). After 13 tense days of negotiations and back-channeling, the two countries edged back from the brink when the Soviets removed the missiles.

1892

october 31

Alexander Alekhin, one of Russia’s most famous chess players, was born on this day. The world champion learned to play chess at the age of seven. In 1927 he beat the reigning world champion, Cuban Capablanca, in a close match in Argentina. Capablanca had postponed the last game and did not even show-up at the match’s completion, instead sending a letter to Alekhin congratulating him on his victory. Alekhin held the world title from 1927-1937 and from 1937-1946. 

September 1: Day of Knowledge

September 7: Rosh Hashanah (Jewish)

September 16: Yom Kippur (Jewish)

September 21: Nativity of the Virgin (Orthodox)

September 29: Daylight Savings Time ends

September 30: Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov Day

October 1: Day of the Elderly

October 14: Intercession of the Virgin (Orthodox)

October 30: Day of Memory for Victims of Political Repressions