Thirty-One Days of Italians
Celebrating Italian heritage by acknowledging the accomplishments
of Italians and Italian Americans in America
The purpose of this website is
to educate others about the
significant contributions that
those of Italian heritage have
made to America.
Biographies range from one to
several paragraphs providing
an overview, and links to a
collection of selected
resources are provided for
more in-depth research.
The information is intended to
be shared and distributed;
however, the work in this
website is a result of massive
hours of researching,
organizing, creating, and
writing. If you use any of the
information on this website,
please give proper credit by
citing Thirty-One Days of
Italians and adding a link
to this website. Thank you.
jtmancuso@earthlink.net
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission except when published with this credit:
Excerpt from Thirty-One Days of Italians, ©2023 Janice Therese Mancuso.
At publication, all links were active.
Copyright 2007-2024
Janice Therese Mancuso
The Quick Facts List of Thirty-One Days of Italians provides a date and name to celebrate
for each day in October when Italian Americans honor their culture and heritage.
For biographies and resources, go to the Index of Names, scroll to the selected name,
and click on the link to Category. (Names are in alphabetical order within each Category.)
HM: Honorary Member (On the List every year.)
Brief Biographies of Honorary Members
October 1: The Italian Immigrant [HM]
A day to honor every Italian who journeyed to America from Italy.
October 2: Amadeo Pietro Giannini [HM]
Established the branch banking system in America.
October 3: Guglielmo Marconi [HM]
Known as the Father of Radio for his experiments with long distance wireless transmissions.
October 4: Filippo Mazzei [HM]
Supporter of American freedom during American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson’s inclusion of “all
men are created equal” into the Declaration of Independence is a paraphrase of Mazzei’s “All men
are by nature equally free and independent.”
October 5: Antonio Meucci [HM]
Original holder of the patent for the forerunner of today’s telephone.
October 6: Joe DiMaggio
“The Yankee Clipper” led the New York Yankees to nine World Championships.
October 7: Ernest & Julio Gallo
Founders of E & J Gallo Winery in Sonoma County, California, in 1933.
October 8: Helen Barolini
Award winning author of more than 50 literary works.
.
October 9: Father Pietro Bandini [HM]
Missionary for Native Americans. In 1898 established Tontitown, “a perfect example of colonization"
in Arkansas.
October 10: Enrico Fermi [HM]
Discovered radioactive elements that heralded the nuclear age.
October 11: Antonio Pasin [HM]
Created Radio Flyer wagon.
October 12: Christopher Columbus [HM]
Navigator that changed the world, opening trade routes and immigration from Europe to the
Americas.
October 13: Maria Montessori, M.D [HM]
Developed an educational method for teaching children.
October 14: Giovanni Caboto
Explored the northeastern American continent for England.
October 15: Anthony Fauci
One of the most cited researchers and scientists in the world.
October 16: Domenico Ghirardelli
His company developed the Broma process, a method of extracting cocoa butter from cacao
beans.
October 17: Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini [HM]
First American citizen to become a saint.
October 18: Enrico Caruso [HM]
World’s most acclaimed tenor in the early 1900s.
October 19: Yogi Berra
Baseball player, manager, and famous for his quotes, known as “yogi-isms.”
October 20: Lee Iacocca
Presided over the successful turnaround of Chrysler Corporation during the late 1970s.
October 21: Arturo Toscanini [HM]
One of the world’s greatest orchestra conductors.
October 22: Anthony Rossi
Founded Tropicana and developed a pasteurization process to extend the shelf life of fresh juice.
October 23: Henry Mancini
Awarded 20 Grammys and 4 Oscars for his film and television scores.
October 24: Fiorello La Guardia
First three-term Mayor of New York City, and credited for changing its landscape and building the
foundation for the city’s growth after the Depression.
October 25: Amerigo Vespucci [HM]
Namesake of America.
October 26: Geraldine Ferraro
First woman to be nominated on a major party ticket as Vice President of the United States.
October 27: Constantino Brumidi [HM]
Known as the “Michelangelo of the [U.S.] Capitol.”
October 28: Vince Lombardi
Football icon.
October 29: Frank Sinatra
International entertainment megastar.
October 30: Andrea Palladio [HM]
"Father of Architecture," wrote The Four Books on Architecture, the most famous and influential
books on architecture of all time, and still in print.
October 31: Your Favorite Italian
Celebrate someone not on the list, but greatly admired.
Helen Barolini
Yogi Berra
Geraldine Ferraro
