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, ©2024 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: Father Michael Accolti
One of the first Italian Jesuits missionaries in the Pacific Northwest. Established the California
Province of Jesuits, helped start St. Ignatius College (later became San Francisco University).
October 7: Joseph Barbera
Scriptwriter, illustrator, and co-partner of Hanna-Barbera Productions, producing Tom and Jerry,
Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, The Flintstones, The Yogi Bear Show, The Jetsons,
Scooby Doo, and many more.
.
October 8: Giacomo Costantino Beltrami
While searching for the source of the Mississippi River in northern Minnesota, he wrote about the
lives of the Native Americans he encountered during his explorations in 1823.
.
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: Charles J. Bonaparte
As Attorney General during Theodore Roosevelt’s administration, he established a special
investigative force that was to become the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
October 15: Giovanni da Verrazzano
First European explorer to chart the waters of the Eastern Coast of the United States and first to
enter the harbor of New York.
October 16: Luigi Del Bianco
Chief stone carver on Mt. Rushmore, worked 1933 to 1941, adding the final details to the faces on
the monument, repairing a crack in Jefferson’s lip, and carving the eyes of Lincoln.
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: Grucci Family
America’s First Family of Fireworks
October 20: Rocky Marciano
The only Heavyweight World Champion to retire undefeated.
October 21: Arturo Toscanini [HM]
One of the world’s greatest orchestra conductors.
October 22: Dean Martin
One of the most popular entertainers on screen, stage, and radio during the mid-20th century.
October 23: Amedeo Obici
Founder of Planters Peanuts and developer of a new way to blanch and roast peanuts.
October 24: Sabato Rodia
Creator and builder of Watts Towers.
October 25: Amerigo Vespucci [HM]
Namesake of America.
October 26: Robert Mondavi
Greatly influenced the wine industry in America.
October 27: Constantino Brumidi [HM]
Known as the “Michelangelo of the [U.S.] Capitol.”
October 28: Giovanni Schiavo
Influential in implementing Italian American studies, through writing and publishing books about
Italian American history in the mid 1930s.
October 29: Jacuzzi Family
Developed numerous types of hydraulic pumps, leading to the production of the first whirlpool tub.
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.
Giacomo Beltrami
Maria Montessori
Dean Martin
2024-2025 List of Names
