What Happened in October 1941

Historical Events

Music History

Oct 1 Dmitri Shostakovich evacuated by plane to Moscow

Music History

Oct 1 Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane's musical "Best Foot Forward", starring June Allyson, with choreography by Gene Kelly, opens at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, NYC; runs for 326 performances

  • Oct 2 6 Paris synagogues are bombed by Gestapo
  • Oct 2 Germans launch attack on Moscow

The Maltese Falcon

Oct 3 "The Maltese Falcon" directed by John Huston and based on Dashiell Hammett's 1929 novel of the same name, starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor, premieres in New York City

Broadcast to the German People

Oct 3 Adolf Hitler says Russia is "already broken and will never rise again" in a broadcast to the German people

  • Oct 3 All elderly Jewish men of Kerenchug Ukraine, are killed by SS
  • Oct 3 Nazis blow up 6 synagoges in Paris
  • Oct 5 Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Mickey Owen drops a 3rd strike and Tom Hendrick reaches 1st safely for Yankees for a famous Baseball World Series error; would have been last out, instead Yankees score 4 and win 7-4; win series, 4-1
  • Oct 6 Baseball World Series: NY Yankees beat Brooklyn Dodgers, 3-1 at Ebetts Field for a 4 games to 1 series win; Yankees 5th title in 6 years and 9th overall
  • Oct 6 German army occupies Briansk, USSR
  • Oct 7 German army occupies Viarma, USSR
  • Oct 8 Building at Concentration Camp Birkenau begins
  • Oct 9 Coup in Panama declares Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Arango the new president.
  • Oct 10 RAF bombs Piraeus to prevent German heavy armor advancing
  • Oct 10 WW2: Battle of Moscow - Germans Wehrmacht forces encounter stronger than expected resistance at the Mozhaisk line, west of Moscow
  • Oct 12 Soviet government moves from Moscow to Volga as Nazis forces close in on Moscow
  • Oct 13 Nazis kill 11,000 Jewish children and old people, in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine; additional murders continue on the 14th [1]
  • Oct 14 1st mass deportation of Kowno, Lodz, Minsk & Riga
  • Oct 15 First mass deportation of German, Austrian, and Czech Jews to Eastern Europe for "resettlement" in labor camps

Appointment of Interest

Oct 15 Hideki Tojo appointed Prime Minister of Imperial Japan

  • Oct 15 Jews caught outside Nazi Ghetto walls in occupied Poland could be put to death
  • Oct 15 WWII: Nazi SS-Brigadier General Walter Stahlecker submits summary report documenting killing of more than 118,000 unarmed Jewish men, women, and children by men under his command between June 22 and October 15, 1941 during invasion of the Soviet Union to the Reich Security Main Office in Berlin,
  • Oct 16 "Gordo" comic strip (by Gus Arriola) 1st appears in newspapers
  • Oct 16 Germany advances within 60 miles (96 K) of Moscow

Historic Siege

Oct 16 Romanian Legionnaires enter Odessa, Russia during the siege of Odessa, part of the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union

  • Oct 17 USS Kearney becomes the 1st US destroyer torpedoed in World War II, while the country is still officially neutral
  • Oct 18 Soviet spy Richard Sorge arrested in Tokyo
  • Oct 19 1st woman jockey in North America, Anna Lee Wiley in Mexico
  • Oct 20 Nazi occupiers murder 500 inhabitants of Kragujevac Serbia

Candle in the Wind

Oct 22 Maxwell Anderson's play "Candle in the Wind" premieres in NYC

Dumbo

Oct 23 Walt Disney's animated film "Dumbo" released

  • Oct 25 16,000 Jews massacred in Odessa, Ukraine
  • Oct 25 Germany attacks Moscow

Meeting of Interest

Oct 26 Second meeting of partisans Tito & Draza Mihailovic in Yugoslavia

  • Oct 27 Chicago Daily Tribune editorialize there will not be war with Japan

How Green Was My Valley

Oct 28 "How Green Was My Valley" based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, directed by John Ford and starring Walter Pidgeon and Maureen O'Hara premieres in New York (Best Picture 1942)

Let's Face It

Oct 29 Cole Porter's musical "Let's Face It" opens at the Imperial Theatre, NYC; runs 547 performances

  • Oct 31 Clothing factory fire in Huddersfield, England kills 49
  • Oct 31 Mount Rushmore Monument is completed in South Dakota, designed by Gutzon Borglum
  • Oct 31 Prior to US joining WWII, German submarine U-552 torpedoes US destroyer Reuben James near Iceland
1941 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Oct 2 Ron Meagher, American rock bassist (The Beau Brummels - "Just A Little"), born in Oakland, California
  • Oct 2 Zareh Baronian, Armenian theologian, born in Bucharest, Romania (d. 2017)

Chubby Checker (82 years old)

Oct 3 American singer-songwriter ("The Twist"; "Limbo Rock"), born in Spring Gully, South Carolina

  • Oct 3 Infante Alfonso of Spain, younger brother of future King Juan Carlos, and gun accident victim, born in Rome, Italy (d. 1956)

Anne Rice (1941-2021)

Oct 4 American Gothic novelist (Interview with a Vampire), born in New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Oct 4 Jerrel Wilson, American NFL punter (Pro Bowl 1970-72; Super Bowl 1970; KC Chiefs), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 2005)
  • Oct 4 Lori Saunders, Kansas City Mo (Petticoat Junction, Dusty Trails)
  • Oct 4 Robert Wilson, American experimental theater stage director and playwright (Einstein on the Beach; The Black Rider; POEtry), born in Waco, Texas
  • Oct 4 Roy Blount, Jr., American writer
  • Oct 5 (Patricia) Stephanie Cole, British stage, screen, and radio actress (Waiting for God; Coronation Street, 2011-13), born in Solihull, Warwickshire, England
  • Oct 5 Eduardo Duhalde, President of Argentina (2002-03), born in Lomas de Zamora, Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Oct 5 Ricardo Hoffmann, marathon swimmer (299 miles)
  • Oct 7 Boris Gaganelov, Bulgarian soccer defender (51 caps; CSKA Sofia 350 games), born in Petrich, Bulgaria (d. 2020)
  • Oct 7 Enrique Antonio "Tony" Silvester, Panamanian-American R&B singer-songwriter (The Main Ingredient - "Everybody Plays The Fool"), born in Panama (d. 2006)
  • Oct 7 John Ford Noonan, American playwright (A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking), born in Stamford, Connecticut (d. 2018)
  • Oct 7 Larry Young [aka Khalid Yasin], American hard-bop and jazz-fusion Hammond B-3 organist (Unity), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 1978)
  • Oct 7 Martin Murray, British rock guitarist (The Honeycombs, 1963-64 - "Have I the Right?"), born in London, England
  • Oct 8 Jesse Jackson, American clergyman and Democratic presidential candidate (1984, 88), born in Greenville, South Carolina
  • Oct 9 Brian Lamb, American founder of c-span, born in Lafayette, Indiana
  • Oct 9 Chucho Valdés [Jesús Valdés Rodríguez], Cuban musician (Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna), born in Quivicán, Cuba
  • Oct 9 Trent Lott, American politician (Rep-R-MS, 1973-1989, Senator-R-MS 1989-2007), born in Grenada, Mississippi
  • Oct 10 Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigerian writer and environmentalist, born in Bori, Nigeria (d. 1995)
  • Oct 10 Laurence Henry Tribe, Harvard Law professor, born in Shanghai, China
  • Oct 10 Peter Coyote [Rachmil Pinchus Ben Mosha Cohon], American actor (ET, Raiders of the Lost Ark), born in New York City
  • Oct 11 Charles Shyer, American film director (Private Benjamin), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Oct 11 Lester Bowie, American jazz trumpeter, born in Frederick, Maryland (d. 1999)
  • Oct 12 Craig Washington, American politician (Rep-D-Texas), born in Longview, Texas
  • Oct 12 Michael Mansfield, English barrister, born in London
  • Oct 13 Jim Price, American baseball catcher (World Series 1968 Detroit Tigers) and broadcaster (ESPN, Detroit Tigers Radio Network 1998-2023), born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (d. 2023)
  • Oct 13 John Snow, English cricketer (fiery England quickie Unpopular with Aussies), born in Peopleton, Worcestershire, England
  • Oct 13 Neil Aspinall, British rock and roll road manager (The Beatles), and music executive (Apple Records), born in Prestatyn, Wales (d. 2008)

Paul Simon (82 years old)

Oct 13 American multiple Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter (Simon & Garfunkel - "The Sound of Silence"; solo - "Kodachrome"; "Still Crazy After All These Years"; "Graceland"), and actor (One Trick Pony), born in Newark, New Jersey

  • Oct 14 Alexander Burdonsky, Russian theater director and Joseph Stalin's grandson, born in Samara, Russia (d. 2017)
  • Oct 14 Art Shamsky, American baseball player, born in St. Louis, Missouri
  • Oct 14 Jim Courter, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey), born in Montclair, New Jersey
  • Oct 15 Don Stevenson, American rock drummer, singer, and songwriter (Moby Grape - "Omaha"), born in Seattle, Washington
  • Oct 16 Derek David Bourgeois, British composer, conductor and educator (National Youth Chamber Orchestra), born in Kingston upon Thames, England (d. 2017)
  • Oct 16 Erkki Jokinen, Finnish classical composer, noted for his embrace of the accordion, born in Tervakoski, Finland
  • Oct 16 Tim McCarver, American baseball catcher (World Series 1964, 67; MLB All-Star 1966, 67 St. Louis Cardinals) and broadcaster (NY Mets, ABC, CBS, FOX), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 2023)
  • Oct 17 Alan Howard, British rock bassist (Brian Poole & The Tremeloes - "Do You Love Me?")
  • Oct 17 Earl Thomas Conley, American country singer ("Too Many Times"), born in Portsmouth, Ohio
  • Oct 17 Jim Seals, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler (Seals & Crofts - "Summer Breeze"), born in Sidney, Texas (d. 2022)
  • Oct 17 Viden Apostolov, Bulgarian soccer defender (22 caps; PFC Botev Plovdiv 429 games), born in Novi Iskar, Bulgaria (d. 2020)
  • Oct 18 William "Billy" Cox, American bass player (performed with Jimi Hendrix), born in Wheeling, West Virginia
  • Oct 19 Eddie Daniels, American jazz, session, and classical clarinetist (With The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra; Bob James), born in New York City
  • Oct 19 Simon Ward, actor (4 Musketeers, 4 Feathers), born in London, England (d. 2012)
  • Oct 21 Kevin Freeman, American equestrian (Olympic silver team eventing 1964, 68, 72), born in Portland, Oregon (d. 2023)
  • Oct 21 Marina Ripa, countess/writer (My First 40 Years), born in Rome, Italy
  • Oct 21 Steve Cropper, American rock and soul guitarist (Booker T & MGs; The Blues Brothers), songwriter ("Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay"), and producer (Otis Redding), born in Willow Springs, Missouri
  • Oct 22 Charles Keating, English actor (Carl Hutchins-Another World), born in London, England, (d. 2014)
  • Oct 22 Valeri Kitka, Ukrainian classical composer (Frescoes of St. Sofia Cathedral of Kiev), and educator, born in Volodymyrivka, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine)
  • Oct 23 Colin Milburn, English cricket batsman (9 Tests, 2 x 100, 2 x 50, HS 139; Northamptonshire CCC, MCC, WA CA), born in Burnopfield, England (d. 1990)
  • Oct 23 Igor Smirnov, Transnistrian politician, President of breakaway region of Moldova, born in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Soviet Union
  • Oct 23 Mel Winkler, American actor (Devil in a Blue Dress), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2020)
  • Oct 23 René Metge, French rally driver (Dakar Rally 1981, 84, 86), born in Montrouge, France (d. 2024)
  • Oct 24 Frank Aendenboom, Flemish actor (Lion of Flanders), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 2018)
  • Oct 24 William H. Dobelle, American biomedical engineer (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2013 nominee), born in Massachusetts (d. 2004)
  • Oct 25 Anne Tyler, American writer (Accidental Tourist), born in Hennepin County, Minnesota
  • Oct 25 Bobby Keetch, English footballer and entrepreneur, born in Tottenham, North London (d. 1996)
  • Oct 25 Helen Reddy, Australian-American rock vocalist ("I Am Woman"; "You And Me Against The World"), born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (d. 2020) [1]
  • Oct 26 Harald Nielsen, Danish soccer forward (14 caps; Olympic silver 1960; Frederikshavn fI, Bologna FC), born in Frederikshavn, Denmark (d. 2015)
  • Oct 27 Dick Trickle, American auto racer (7 x ARTGO C'ships, ASA AC-Delco Challenge C'ship 1984, 85; NASCAR Rookie of the Year 1989), born in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin (d. 2013)
  • Oct 28 André Quilis, French rugby union flanker (5 caps; RC Narbonne), born in Coursan, France (d. 2020)
  • Oct 28 Curtis Lee, American singer ("Pretty Little Angel Eyes"), born in Yuma, Arizona (d. 2015)
  • Oct 28 Glen Moore, American jazz bassist and composer, born in Portland, Oregon
  • Oct 28 Hank Marvin [Brian Rankin], British rock guitarist (The Shadows - "Apache"; "Foot Tapper"), born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England
  • Oct 28 John Hallam, British character actor, born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland (d. 2006)
  • Oct 29 Andy Russell, American football linebacker (Super Bowl IX, X; First-team All-Pro 1975; 7 x Pro Bowl; Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2024)
  • Oct 29 Brian Yuile, New Zealand cricketer (NZ slow left-armer took 34 wkts in 17 Tests), born in Palmerston North, New Zealand
  • Oct 30 Jim Ray Hart, American baseball player (Giants), born in Hookerton, North Carolina (d. 2016)
  • Oct 30 John Quenby, British motorsport executive (CEO RAC Motor Sports Association 1990-2001), born in Bedford, England (d. 2023)
  • Oct 30 Otis Williams [né Miles], American baritone R&B and pop singer and songwriter (The Temptations - "Just My Imagination"), born in Texarkana, Texas
  • Oct 31 Dan Alderson, American scientist (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and sci-fi fandom figure, (d. 1989)
  • Oct 31 Derek Bell, British auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1975, 81, 82, 86, 87; World Sportscar C'ship 1985, 86; 24 Hours of Daytona 1987, 89), born in Pinner, England
  • Oct 31 Luke Jackson, American basketball center/forward (Olympic gold 1964; NBA C'ship 1967 Philadelphia 76ers; NBA All-Star 1965), born in San Marcos, Texas (d. 2022)
Born in 1941

Famous Weddings

Red Grange

Oct 13 NFL halfback Red Grange (38) weds flight attendant Margaret Hazelberg

  • Oct 25 American actress Rosalind Russell weds Danish-American film producer Frederick Brisson, until her death

Famous Deaths

  • Oct 3 Wilhelm Kienzl, Austrian composer (Der Evangelimann - The Evangelist; Der Kuhreigen), dies at 84
  • Oct 5 Louis Brandeis, American lawyer and associate justice on the Supreme Court of the United States (1916-39), dies at 84
  • Oct 8 Gustav "Gus" Kahn, German-American lyricist ("It Had to Be You"; "Makin' Whoopee"; "I'll See You in My Dreams"), dies of a heart attack at 54
  • Oct 9 Helen Morgan, American stage and screen actress, and singer (Show Boat), dies of cirrhosis of the liver at 41
  • Oct 12 Harry Micajah Daugherty, American politician, lawyer and political manager accused of corruption, dies at 81
  • Oct 13 GJ Berenschot, Dutch Army General and Supreme Commander of Dutch East Indies army, dies
  • Oct 17 John S Plaskett, Canadian astronomer (Plaskett's twins), dies
  • Oct 18 Dirk Fock, Dutch politician and Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1921-26), dies at 83
  • Oct 18 Manuel Teixeira Gomes, Portuguese politician and writer (7th President of Portugal 1923-25), dies at 81
  • Oct 20 Ken Farnes, English cricket fast bowler (15 Tests, 60 wickets, BB 6/96; Essex CCC, Cambridge University CC), dies in a plane crash during a WWII night-flying exercise at 30
  • Oct 25 Robert Delaunay, French artist, dies at 56
  • Oct 26 Arkady Gaidar, Russian Soviet children's writer, killed in combat at 37
  • Oct 26 Victor Schertzinger, American composer and director (Uptown NY), dies at 53
  • Oct 27 Ernest Everett Just, African-American embryologist (physiology of development, fertilization, cell division), dies of pancreatic cancer at 58
  • Oct 29 Harvey Hendrick, American baseball player (b. 1897)
  • Oct 30 (Leon) "Chu" Berry, American swing jazz tenor saxophonist (Fletcher Henderson; Cab Calloway), dies in a car accident at 33
  • Oct 31 Herwarth Walden, German art writer and critic, dies in a Soviet prison at 63