Historical Events
Event of Interest
Oct 1 People's Republic of China proclaimed by Mao Zedong (National Day)
- Oct 1 Republic of China (Taiwan) forms on island of Formosa
- Oct 2 For first time in 41 years pennant races in both MLB leagues are decided on the final day of the season; (AL) Yankees upend rival Boston Red Sox, 5-3; (NL) Dodgers beat the Phillies, 9-7 for 97-57 record; Cardinals 96-58
- Oct 2 USSR recognizes People's Republic of China
- Oct 3 WERD, 1st black-owned radio station, opens in Atlanta
- Oct 4 American Contract Bridge League votes 58½% to keep blacks out
- Oct 4 United Nations' permanent NYC headquarters is dedicated
Bobby Jones's Rare Disease
Oct 5 Sportswriter Robert Ruark first reports golfing great Bobby Jones's rare spinal disease (syringomyelia) which prevent him from playing any form of golf again
- Oct 5 WBNS TV channel 10 in Columbus, OH (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 5 WOR (now WWOR) TV channel 9 in NY-Secaucus, NY (IND) begins
- Oct 6 Iva Toguri D'Aquino (Tokyo Rose) sentenced to 10 years & $10,000 fine
Mutual Defense Assistance Act
Oct 6 US President Harry Truman signs Mutual Defense Assistance Act (for NATO)
- Oct 7 German Democratic Republic formed from Russian occupation zone (National Day). Wilhelm Pieck becomes 1st president, Otto Greatwohl 1st premier
- Oct 9 Baseball World Series: NY Yankees beat Brooklyn Dodgers, 10-6 at Ebbets Field for 4 games to 1 series victory; starts Yankees record run of 5 straight titles
- Oct 9 English ballerina Margot Fonteyn debuts in America with her performance in Tchaikovsky's "The Sleeping Beauty" at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York
- Oct 10 3rd NHL All-Star Game, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: All-Stars beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1
- Oct 11 Costa Rica abolishes its army (decree 249)
- Oct 13 "Touch & Go" opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 176 performances
- Oct 14 14 US Communist Party leaders convicted of sedition
- Oct 14 Chinese Red army occupies Canton
Charles TKOs Valentino
Oct 14 Ezzard Charles TKOs Pat Valentino in 8 for heavyweight boxing title
- Oct 15 Administration of territory of Manipur taken over by Indian government
- Oct 15 Tripura accedes to Indian union
- Oct 16 Red Byron in an Oldsmobile finishes 16th in the Wilkes 200 at North Wilkesboro Speedway to win NASCAR Strictly Stock C'ship in the inaugural season of pro stock car racing in the United States
- Oct 16 WDAF TV channel 4 in Kansas City, MO (NBC) begins broadcasting
- Oct 19 A's trade 2nd baseman Nellie Fox to White Sox for Joe Tipton
- Oct 20 Eugenie Anderson becomes 1st woman US ambassador (to Denmark)
Huxley Congratulates Orwell
Oct 21 Author of "Brave New World" Aldous Huxley writes to congratulate George Orwell on his new novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four"
- Oct 22 200 killed in train derailment near Nowy Dwor Poland
- Oct 22 Emile Zatopek runs world record 10,000m (29:21.2)
- Oct 24 Construction begins on the United Nations headquarters in New York
- Oct 26 US President Harry Truman increases minimum wage from 40 cents to 75 cents
- Oct 28 Georges Bidault elected president of France
- Oct 29 White Sox trade Joe Tipton to A's for Nellie Fox
Music History
Oct 30 "Lost in the Stars" by Maxwell Anderson and Kurt Weill, based on the novel "Cry the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton opens at Music Box Theater NYC for 281 performances
- Oct 31 Dutch Nazi Henri 'Hakkie' Holdert, director of Amsterdam paper De Telegraaf and member of the SS, sentenced to 12 years imprisonment
- Oct 31 Marc Blitzstein's musical drama "Regina", based on Lilian Hellman's play "The Little Foxes" opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 56 performances, winning 2 Tony Awards
- Oct 31 WOC (now KWQC) TV channel 6 in Davenport, IA (NBC) 1st broadcast
Famous Birthdays
- Oct 1 André Rieu, Dutch violinist and conductor (Johann Strauss Orchestra), born in Maastricht, Netherlands
- Oct 1 Hans Pålsson, Swedish concert pianist, and educator ("Dead Masters, Live Music"), born in Helsingborg, Sweden
- Oct 1 Isaac Bonewits, American author
Annie Leibovitz (74 years old)
Oct 2 American photographer (Rolling Stone magazine), born in Waterbury, Connecticut
- Oct 2 Richard Hell [Meyers], American punk rock bassist (Television, 1973-75; Volvoids), and writer, born in Lexington, Kentucky
- Oct 3 Dan Goossen, American boxing promoter (Michael Nunn, Terry Norris, James Toney), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2014)
- Oct 3 Lindsey Buckingham, American guitarist, singer and songwriter (Fleetwood Mac - "Go Your Own Way"), born in Palo Alto, California
- Oct 3 Yekaterina Aleksandrowna Ivanova, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz T-15A)
- Oct 4 Armand Assante, American actor (Private Benjamin, Unfaithfully Yours), born in New York City
- Oct 4 John Wathan, American baseball catcher and manager (Kansas City Royals), born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Oct 4 Luis Sepúlveda, Chilean writer and political activist (The Old Man Who Read Love Stories), born in Ovalle, Chile (d. 2020)
- Oct 4 Stephen Gyllenhaal, American director
- Oct 5 B. W. Stevenson, American country singer, born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 1988)
Bill James (74 years old)
Oct 5 American baseball writer and statistician (sabermetrics), born in Holton, Kansas
- Oct 5 Ralph Goodale, Canadian politician and diplomat (Member of Parliament, 1993-2019; Minister of Public Safety, 2015-19; High Commissioner to UK, 2019-), born in Regina, Saskatchewan
- Oct 6 Bobby Farrell, Aruban disco vocalist (Boney M), born in San Nicolaas, Aruba (d. 2010)
- Oct 6 Sid McGinnis, American session and touring guitarist (David Letterman; Peter Gabriel; Leonard Cohen; Paul Simon), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Oct 7 Dave Hope, American rock bassist and retired priest (Kansas - "Dust In The Wind"), born in Topeka, Kansas
- Oct 7 Gabriel Yared, Lebanese-French Grammy and Academy Award-winning film score composer (Betty Blue; The English Patient; The Talented Mr. Ripley; Chocolat), born in Beirut, Lebanon
- Oct 7 Kieran Kane, American country singer (O'Kanes - "Can't Stop My Heart from Loving You"), born in Queens, New York
- Oct 8 Hamish Stuart, Scottish bass player, guitarist and singer (Average White Band, 1972-82; Paul McCartney, 1989-93; Ringo's All-Starr Band), born in Glasgow, Scotland
- Oct 8 Jay Graydon, American songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Al Jarrau), born in Burbank, California
Sigourney Weaver (74 years old)
Oct 8 American actress (Alien, Working Girl), born in Manhattan, New York
- Oct 9 Rod Temperton, British pop musician and songwriter ("Boogie Nights"; "Thriller"; "Give Me the Night"; "Yah Mo B There"), born in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England (d. 2016)
- Oct 9 Shep Messing, American soccer goalkeeper (NY Cosmos), born in Bronx, New York
- Oct 10 Jessica Harper, American actress (Inserts, Stardust Memories), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Oct 10 Lance Cairns, New Zealand cricket all-rounder (43 Tests, 130 wickets; 78 ODIs, 89 wickets), born in Picton, New Zealand
- Oct 11 Greg Douglass, American rock guitarist, and vocalist (Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra), born in Oakland, California
- Oct 12 Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, Venezuelan international terrorist, born in Michelena, Venezuela
- Oct 13 Marisol Malaret, 1st Puerto Rican Miss Universe (1970), born in Utuado, Puerto Rico
- Oct 13 Patrick Nève, Belgian racing driver, born in Liège, Belgium
- Oct 13 Rick Vito, American session and touring rock guitarist and singer (Fleetwood Mac, 1987-91, born in Darby, Pennsylvania
- Oct 13 Robert Sirota, American classical composer, born in New York, New York
- Oct 13 Tom Mees, American sports broadcaster, born in Springfield, Pennsylvania (d. 1996)
- Oct 14 Katha Pollitt, American poet and writer, born in Brooklyn Heights, New York
- Oct 14 Katy Manning, English actress (Doctor Who-Jo Grant), born in Guildford, Surrey, England
- Oct 15 Chris De Burgh [Davison], British-Irish pop and art rock singer-songwriter ("The Lady In Red"), born in Venado Tuerto, Santa Fe Province, Argentina
- Oct 15 Tanya Roberts [Victoria Blum], American actress (Charlie's Angels, 1980-81; A View To A Kill; That 70's Show), born in New York City (d. 2021) [1]
- Oct 16 André Leon Talley, American fashion expert, former Vogue editor, born in Washington, D.C.
- Oct 17 Bill Hudson, comedian (Bonkers, Hudson Brothers Show), born in Portland, Oregon
- Oct 17 Maurice Willis Wright, American classical composer (The Trojan Conflict) and educator (Temple University, 1980-present), born in Front Royal, Virginia
- Oct 18 Ed Farmer, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1980; Chicago White Sox) and radio broadcaster (Chicago White Sox, 1991-2005), born in Evergreen Park, Illinois (d. 2020)
- Oct 18 Gary Richrath, guitarist and songwriter (REO Speedwagon), born in Peoria Illinois, (d. 2015)
- Oct 18 George Hendrick, baseball outfielder (4 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1972 Oakland A's, 1982 St. Louis Cardinals; Silver Slugger Award 1980, 83), born in Los Angeles, California
- Oct 18 Joe Egan, Scottish singer-songwriter (Stealers Wheel - "Stuck In The Middle With You"), born in Paisley, Scotland
- Oct 19 Jamie McGrigor, British lawyer and politician (Member of Scottish Parliament, 1999-2016), born in London, England
- Oct 19 Lynn Dickey, American NFL quarterback (All Pro 1983; Green Bay Packers 1976-85), born in Paola, Kansas
- Oct 20 Valery Borzov, Ukrainian sprinter (Olympic gold 1972), born in Sambir, USSR
- Oct 20 Wayne Collett, American 400m runner (Olympic silver 1972), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2010)
Benjamin Netanyahu (74 years old)
Oct 21 9th Israeli prime minister (1996-99 and 2009-21), born in Tel Aviv, Israel
- Oct 21 Jonathon Silver, English entrepreneur and arts patron, born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England (d. 1997)
- Oct 21 Masao Ohba, Japanese boxer (WBA flyweight champion 1970-73), born in Tokyo, Japan (d. 1973)
- Oct 21 Michel Brière, Canadian NHL ice hockey player, 1969-70 (Pittsburgh Penquins), born in Malartic, Quebec (d. 1971)
- Oct 21 Shulamit Ran, Israeli-American Pulitzer Prize-winning composer (Symphony), and music educator (University of Chicago, 1973-2015), born in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
- Oct 22 Arsène Wenger, French football manager (Nancy, Monaco; 3 x Premier League, 7 x FA Cup Arsenal 1996-2018), born in Strasbourg, France
- Oct 22 Glenn Ford, American freed death row inmate (wrongly spent 30 years in prison), born in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 2015)
- Oct 22 Stiv Bators [Steven Bator], American punk rock singer and guitarist (The Dead Boys), born in Youngstown, Ohio (d. 1990)
- Oct 22 Vasilios Magginas, Greek politician
- Oct 23 John Leckie, British audio engineer and record producer (XTC; Muse; Stone Roses; Radiohead), born in Paddington, London, England
- Oct 23 Nick Tosches, American writer (bio of Jerry Lee Lewis), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2019)
- Oct 23 Tony Wright, British graphic artist and album cover designer (Traffic - "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys"; Steve Winwood - "Arc Of A Diver"; The B-52's), born in London, England
- Oct 23 Würzel [Michael Burston], British musician (Motörhead), born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England (d. 2011)
- Oct 24 Mike D. Stone, American recording engineer (Frank Zappa, Joe Walsh, Bee Gees, America), born in the USA (d. 2017)
- Oct 24 Robert Pickton, Canadian serial killer charged with the first degree murder of twenty-six women, born in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
- Oct 25 Brian Kerwin, American actor (Chisholms; King Kong Lives; Lobo), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Oct 25 Réjean Houle, Canadian ice hockey player (Montreal Canadiens), born in Rouyn, Quebec
- Oct 25 Walter Hyatt, American singer and songwriter (Uncle Walt's Band), born in Spartanburg, South Carolina (d. 1996)
- Oct 27 Clifford Antone, American businessman, born in Port Arthur, Texas (d. 2006)
- Oct 27 Garry Tallent, American rock bassist and producer (E Street Band), born in Detroit, Michigan
- Oct 27 Jack Daniels, American country guitarist (Highway 101 - "Cry, Cry, Cry"; "Who's Lonely Now?"), born in Choctaw, Oklahoma,
- Oct 27 Mike Kopetski, American businessman and politician (Rep-D-Oregon), born in Pendleton, Oregon
- Oct 27 Robin Miller, American motorsports journalist (Indianapolis Star, Autoweek, Car and Driver, ESPN, Speed, NBCSN), born in Anderson, Indiana (d. 2021)
Caitlyn Jenner (74 years old)
Oct 28 American athlete (Olympic gold decathlon 1976), TV personality ('Keeping Up with the Kardashians') and prominent transgender figure, born in Mt Kisco, New York
- Oct 28 Kenny Passarelli, American touring and session bass guitarist (Joe Walsh; Elton John; Dan Fogelberg; Hall & Oates), born in Denver, Colorado
- Oct 28 Surin Pitsuwan, Thai foreign minister and 12th Secretary General of ASEAN (2008-2012), born in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand (d. 2017)
- Oct 29 David Paton, Scottish rock session and touring bass player and singer (Pilot; Alan Parsons Project), born in Edinburgh
- Oct 29 James Williamson, American guitarist (The Stooges), and electronics designer, born in Castroville, Texas
- Oct 29 Paul Orndorff, American pro wrestler (WWE Hall of Fame 2005; WCW World Tag Team C'ship [Paul Roma] 1995; "Mr Wonderful"), born in Winchester, Virginia (d. 2021)
- Oct 30 David Green, Australian rock bassist (Air Supply), born in Melbourne, Victoria
- Oct 31 Bob Siebenberg, American rock drummer (Supertramp - Crime Of The Century), born in Glendale, California
- Oct 31 Dumisa Ntsebeza, South African attorney and anti-apartheid activist, born in Transkei, South Africa
- Oct 31 Michael Parker, American businessman and politician (Rep-D-Mississippi), born in Laurel, Mississippi
- Oct 31 Odaline de la Martinez, Cuban-American composer, born in Matanzas, Cuba
- Oct 31 Terrence W. Wilcutt, United States Marine Corps officer and a NASA astronaut, born in Russellville, Kentucky
Famous Weddings
Johnny Carson
Oct 1 Television host and comedian Johnny Carson (23) weds Joan Morrill Wolcott (23) at the North Platte Episcopalian Church
Phyllis Schlafly
Oct 20 American constitutional lawyer Phyllis Stewart (25) weds attorney John Fred Schlafly, Jr.
Famous Deaths
- Oct 1 Oswald Garrison Villard, American journalist and editor of the New York Evening Post, dies at 77
- Oct 2 Frank Schulte, American baseball outfielder (NL MVP 1911; Chicago Cubs), dies at 67
- Oct 4 Edmund Eysler, Austrian composer, mostly of operettas (Bruder Straubinger; The Golden Mistress), dies from injuries from falling off of a stage at 75
- Oct 6 Robert Lynd, Irish writer and critic (News Chronicle), dies at 70
- Oct 9 Viktor Alexandrovich Uspensky, Russian composer, dies at 70
- Oct 16 Hale A. VanderCook, American composer, dies at 85
- Oct 23 Bill Traylor, African-American artist of folk and modern art, dies at 95 [1]
- Oct 24 Joaquín Nin, Cuban composer and pianist, father of Anaïs Nin, dies at 70
- Oct 27 Ginette Neveu, French child prodigy and concert violinist, dies in a plane crash on São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal at 30
- Oct 27 Marcel Cerdan, French boxer (NBA, NYSAC, The Ring middleweight titles 1948-49), dies in a plane crash at 33
- Oct 29 G. I. Gurdjieff, Armenian mystic (b. 1872)
- Oct 31 Edward Stettinius Jr. 48th US Secretary of State (1944-45) and diplomat, dies at 49
