What Happened in October 1968

Historical Events

Events 1 - 100 of 115

Night of the Living Dead

Oct 1 Cult zombie film "Night of the Living Dead" directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea premieres in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Oct 1 The Guyanese government takes over the British Guiana Broadcasting Service (BGBS).
  • Oct 2 1st London performance of "Promises, Promises" presented
  • Oct 2 1st time, 2 soon-to-be-named MVPs oppose each other Cards Bob Gibson beat Tigers Denny McLain 4-0
  • Oct 2 Mexico City police fire on protesting students, 300-500 killed
  • Oct 2 Redwood National Park established to preserve the tallest trees on earth, by an act of US Congress with 58,000 acres (later extended) [1]
  • Oct 2 Republic Guinea forms (day of republic)
  • Oct 2 St. Louis pitcher Bob Gibson establishes a new Baseball World Series mark by striking out 17 batters as the Cardinals beat Detroit, 4-0 in Game 1 of the Fall Classic
  • Oct 3 Howard Sacklers "Great White Hope" premieres in NYC
  • Oct 3 Military coup overthrows President Fernando Belaúnde Terry in Peru
  • Oct 3 The proposed civil rights march in Derry, Northern Ireland, is banned from the area of the city centre and the Waterside area; the banning order is issued under the Public Order Act by William Craig, then Home Affairs Minister
  • Oct 3 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Oct 4 A Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) delegation meet with the Derry March organisers and try to have the march cancelled; eventually it was decided to go ahead with the march.
  • Oct 5 Civil rights march in Derry stopped by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)and resulting clashes lead to two days of serious rioting, often considered the start of 'the Troubles' in Northern Ireland
  • Oct 5 KPLM (now KESQ) TV channel 42 in Palm Springs, CA (ABC) begins
  • Oct 6 The Beatles promotional films (music videos) for "Hey Jude" and "Revolution" first broadcast in the US on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour"
  • Oct 7 Motion Picture Association of America adopts film rating system
  • Oct 7 Rioting continues in Derry, Northern Ireland after Royal Ulster Constabulary put down civil rights march two days earlier
  • Oct 8 Dutch aircraft carrier Karel Doorman (formerly British HMS Venerable) sold to Argentina

Belfast Students March

Oct 9 2,000 students from Queen's University Belfast try to march to Belfast City Hall in protest against 'police brutality', but blocked by loyalists led by Ian Paisley; leads for formation of student civil rights group People's Democracy

  • Oct 9 Government seizes oil fields in Peru
  • Oct 9 WKMU TV channel 21 in Murray, KY (PBS) begins broadcasting
  • Oct 10 Baseball World Series: Detroit Tigers beat St Louis Cardinals, 4-1 at Busch Memorial Stadium to clinch, 4-3 series win; MVP: Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich
  • Oct 10 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Oct 11 Apollo 7 (Schirra, Eisele & Cunningham) made 163 orbits in 260 hours
  • Oct 11 Coup d'état in Panama against President Arnulfo Arias

Twins Appoint Martin

Oct 11 MLB star Billy Martin named manager of the Minnesota Twins

Noël Coward's Sweet Potato

Oct 12 "Noël Coward's Sweet Potato" closes at Barrymore Theater, NYC, after 17 performances

  • Oct 12 Enriqueta Basilio, Mexican track and field athlete becomes 1st woman to light Olympic flame at 19th Summer Olympics, in Mexico City, Mexico
  • Oct 12 Equatorial Guinea (Spanish Guinea) declares independence from Spain
  • Oct 12 IXX Summer Olympic Games open at Mexico City, Mexico; first Olympics in Latin America
  • Oct 13 Tinker Creek Gorge of Cleveland Metroparks is dedicated
  • Oct 14 1st live telecast from a manned US spacecraft (Apollo 7)
  • Oct 14 6.8 earthquake wrecks Australian town of Meckering, rupturing all nearby major roads and railways
  • Oct 14 Al Oerter wins his fourth Olympic gold medal in discus throw at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City

World Record

Oct 14 American sprinter Jim Hines runs a world record 9.95s to beat Lennox Miller of Jamaica and Charles Greene of the US, and win the 100m gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics

  • Oct 14 Gruener & Watson (US) set scuba depth record (133 m) in Bahamas
  • Oct 14 MLB National League expansion draft: Snaan Diego Padres pick San Francisco Giants outfielder 'Downtown' Ollie Brown & Montreal Expos pick Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Manny Mota 1st as they choose 30 players each
  • Oct 14 The Beatles finish recording their double album "The Beatles" more commonly known as "The White Album"
  • Oct 14 Viorica Viscopoleanu of Romania sets world record 6.82m to win the women's long jump at the Mexico City Olympics; beats Sheila Sherwood of Great Britain by 0.14m

Sports History

Oct 15 Al Oerter of the US wins the men's discus in Olympic record 64.78m at the Mexico City Games; Oerter's unprecedented 4th consecutive Olympic discus title

  • Oct 15 American sprinter Wyomia Tyus wins her second consecutive Olympic 100m title with a world record 11.08s; beats teammate Barbara Ferrell by 0.08s for the gold medal at the Mexico City Games
  • Oct 15 Australian Ralph Doubell runs a world record 1:44.40 to beat Kenyan Wilson Kiprugut and win the men's 800m at the Mexico City Olympics
  • Oct 15 British athlete David Hemery sets a world record 48.12s to beat Gerhard Hennige of West Germany and take the gold medal in the men's 400m hurdles at the Mexico City Olympics
  • Oct 15 MLB American League expansion draft: Kansas City Royals pick Baltimore Orioles pitcher Roger Nelson & Seattle Pilots pick California Angels infielder Don Mincher 1st as they choose 30 players each
  • Oct 15 The Nationalist Party of Northern Ireland (NPNI) withdraws from its role as 'official' opposition within the Northern Ireland parliament at Stormont
  • Oct 16 American Bob Seagren, Claus Schiprowski of West Germany and East German Wolfgang Nordwig all record 5.40m in the final of the pole vault at the Mexico City Olympics; Seagren awarded gold on countback

Black Power Salute

Oct 16 Americans Tommie Smith (gold 19.83 WR) and John Carlos (bronze) famously give the Black Power salute on the 200m medal podium during the Mexico City Olympics to protest racism and injustice against African-Americans

  • Oct 16 China reports removal of president Li Sjao-tji
  • Oct 16 Czechoslovakia & Russian "accord" rules allies Soviet forces
  • Oct 16 Jim Dorey sets Toronto Maple Leaf penalty records (48 mins on 9 penalties in a game & 44 minutes on 7 penalties in a period)
  • Oct 16 Milwaukee Bucks play their 1st game losing 89-84 to Chicago Bulls
  • Oct 16 The People's Democracy (PD), formed on Oct 9, organise a march of 1,300 students from the Queen's University of Belfast to the City Hall in the centre of the city, Northern Ireland

Bullitt

Oct 17 "Bullitt" directed by Peter Yates and starring Steve McQueen and Jacqueline Bisset is 1st released

  • Oct 17 Björn Ferm of Sweden beats Hungary's András Balczó by just 11 points to take the gold medal in the modern pentathlon at the Mexico City Olympics
  • Oct 17 Soviet athlete Viktor Saneev sets world record 17.39m to win the triple jump at the Mexico City Olympics; world record improved 5 times by 3 different athletes during competition

World Record

Oct 17 US men's 4 x 100m freestyle relay team of Zac Zorn, Stephen Rerych, Ken Walsh & Mark Spitz swim world record 3:31.7 to outclass the Soviet Union & Australia and win the gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics

  • Oct 18 A rare Australian 1-2 in track & field; Maureen Caird in Olympic record 10.39s beats teammate Pam Kilborn by 0.07s to win the 80m hurdles at the Mexico City Games
  • Oct 18 American athletes sweep the medals in the men's 400m at the Mexico City Olympics; Lee Evans wins gold in world record 43.86s ahead of Larry James and Ron Freeman
  • Oct 18 American long jumper Bob Beamon sets an incredible world record (8.90m, 29' 2½") in high altitude at the Mexico City Olympics; 0.55m (22") improvement over previous world record
  • Oct 18 American swimmer Don Schollander anchors US 4 × 200m freestyle relay team to world record 7:52.1 and the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo; Schollander's 4th gold of the Games
  • Oct 18 Circus Circus hotel opens in Las Vegas, largest permanent big top in the world

Music History

Oct 18 Police find 219 grains of cannabis resin in John Lennon and Yoko Ono's apartment, they are fined £150 for marijuana possession

  • Oct 18 Polish sprinter Irena Szewińska runs a world record 22.58s to beat Australian Raelene Boyle by 0.16s and win the 200m gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics

Olympic Games

Oct 18 US Olympic Committee suspends Tommie Smith and John Carlos for giving the Black Power salute to protest racism and injustice against African-Americans during Olympic medal ceremony

  • Oct 19 American swimmer Jan Henne in 1:00.0 leads American sweep of the women's 100m freestyle medals at the Mexico City Olympics; teammates Susan Pedersen & Linda Gustavson both swim 1:00.3 for minor medals
  • Oct 19 Australian swimmer Michael Wendon sets world record 52.2s to win the blue ribband men's 100m freestyle gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics
  • Oct 19 Derry Citizen's Action Committee, formed Oct 9, stages illegal sit-down at Guildhall Square as part of large civil disobedience campaign
  • Oct 19 Golden Gate Bridge charges tolls only for southbound cars
  • Oct 19 New Zealand scores an upset victory in the men's coxed four rowing final at the Mexico City Olympics; beats favoured East German crew by 2.58s; first ever rowing gold medal for the Kiwis
  • Oct 19 The West German crew beats Australia by just 0.9s to win the men's eights rowing gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics
  • Oct 20 American Dick Fosbury using his unconventional technique wins the men's high jump gold medal with 2.24m at the Mexico City Olympics; "Fosbury Flop" becomes accepted most efficient technique
  • Oct 20 American sprinter Jim Hines anchors US men's 4 x 100m relay team to win his second gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics; with teammates Charles Greene, Mel Pender & Ronnie Ray Smith sets world record 38.24s

Her 1st Roman

Oct 20 Ervin Drake's musical "Her 1st Roman", based on George Bernard Shaw's play "Caesar and Cleopatra", opens at Lunt Fontanne Theater, NYC; runs for 17 performances

  • Oct 20 Kenyan runner Kip Keino wins 1,500m gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics in 3:34.91 despite a severe gall bladder infection
  • Oct 20 Mamo Wolde wins 16th Olympic marathon (2:20:26.4)
  • Oct 20 Margitta Gummel of East Germany throws world record 19.61m to beat teammate Marita Lange by 0.83m and win the women's shot put gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics
  • Oct 20 US men's 4 x 400m relay team of Vincent Matthews, Ron Freeman, Larry James & Lee Evans runs world record 2:56.16; easily beats Kenya & West Germany into the minor medals at the Mexico City Olympics
  • Oct 20 US women's 4 x 100m relay team sets world record 42.88s to win the gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics; Margaret Bailes, Barbara Ferrell, Mildrette Netter & Wyomia Tyus
  • Oct 22 American swimmers sweep the medals in the women's 200m freestyle at the Mexico City Olympics; Debbie Meyer takes gold in Olympic record 2:10.5 ahead of teammates Jan Henne and Jane Barkman
  • Oct 22 Apollo 7 returns to Earth
  • Oct 23 "Maggie Flynn" opens at ANTA Theater NYC for 82 performances
  • Oct 23 American swimmer Kaye Hall sets a world record 1:06.2 to beat Canadian Elaine Tanner by 0.5s and win the 100m backstroke gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics
  • Oct 24 16-year old American swimmer Debbie Meyer wins the inaugural women's 800m gold medal in 9:24.0 at the Mexico City Olympics; first swimmer to win 3 individual gold medals at a Games (200/400m)
  • Oct 24 Australian swimmer Michael Wendon wraps up the Mexico City Games sprint double when he wins the men's 200m freestyle gold medal in Olympic record 1:55.2

Music History

Oct 24 Mick Jagger & Marianne Faithful busted for pot, released on £50 bail

  • Oct 24 The People's Democracy (PD) stage a protest demonstration at Stormont Parliament buildings, Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • Oct 25 American swimmer Claudia Kolb wraps up the women's individual medley double in Mexico City, winning the 400m I/M in Olympic record 5:08.5; she also won the 200m I/M in OR 2:24.7
  • Oct 25 Chicago recognizes Jean Baptiste Pointe de Sable as its 1st settler
  • Oct 25 Czech gymnast Věra Čáslavská wins the uneven bars and vault gold medals at the Mexico City Olympics; her 6th & 7th career gold medals and her 4th at these Games
  • Oct 25 East German swimmer Roland Matthes wins the 200m backstroke gold medal in Olympic record 2:09.6 at the Mexico City Games; wraps up backstroke double
  • Oct 25 Longest Olympic field hockey game, The Netherlands beats Spain 1-0 in 2h25m (6 OT)
  • Oct 25 US men's basketball team beats Yugoslavia 65-50 to win the gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics; 7th straight basketball title for the Americans

Music History

Oct 25 Yoko Ono announces she is having John Lennon's baby; she later suffers a miscarriage

  • Oct 26 Charlie Hickcox wins his 3rd gold medal of the Mexico City Olympics when he leads the US men's 4 x 100m medley relay team with teammates Don McKenzie, Doug Russell & Ken Walsh to world record 3:54.9
  • Oct 26 First European satellite launched, Esro 1, at Cape Kennedy

Olympic Gold

Oct 26 Future world heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman wins the Olympic heavyweight gold medal when the final against Jonas Čepulis (Soviet Union) is stopped in round 2 at the Mexico City Games

  • Oct 26 Italian diver Klaus Dibiasi wins first of 3 consecutive men's 10m platform gold medals when he comfortably beats Álvaro Gaxiola of Mexico at the Mexico City Olympics
1968 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Oct 1 Jay Underwood, American actor (The Boy Who Could Fly), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Oct 1 Jon Guenther, American author
  • Oct 1 Phil de Glanville, English rugby union centre and captain (38 caps; Bath RUFC), born in Loughborough, Leicestershire

Jana Novotna (1968-2017)

Oct 2 Czech tennis player (Wimbledon 1998; WTA Tour C'ship 1997), born in Brno, Czech Republic

  • Oct 2 Jeff Martin, Canadian singer-songwriter (The Tea Party), born in Windsor, Ontario
  • Oct 2 Mark Crear, American athlete (Olympic 110m hurdles silver 1996, bronze 2000), born in San Francisco, California
  • Oct 2 Victoria Derbyshire, British radio presenter
  • Oct 3 Greg Foster, American basketball center and coach (NBA C'ship 2001 LA Lakers), born in Oakland, California
  • Oct 7 Erick Anderson, American NFL linebacker (Washington Redskins), born in Long Beach, California

Thom Yorke (55 years old)

Oct 7 British musician and singer (Radiohead - "Creep"; "Paranoid Android"), born in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England

  • Oct 8 Ali Benarbia, Algerian footballer, born in Oran, Algeria
  • Oct 8 Emily Procter, American actress (West Wing, CSI: Miami), born in Raleigh, North Carolina
  • Oct 8 Zvonimir Boban, Croatian football player and Deputy Secretary General of FIFA, born in Imotski, Croatia
  • Oct 9 Vickie Perks, British rock vocalist (Fuzzbox; Vix 'n the Kix), born in Birmingham, England
  • Oct 10 Bart Brentjens, Dutch mountain biker, born in Haelen, Netherlands

Chris Ofili (55 years old)

Oct 10 English painter (Turner prize - elephant dung), born in Manchester, England

  • Oct 11 Claude Lapointe, Canadian NHL center (Calgary Flames), born in Lachine, Quebec, Canada
  • Oct 11 Jane Krakówski, American actress (30 Rock), born in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey
  • Oct 12 Adam Rich, American actor (Eight is Enough - "Nicholas"; Code Red; Gun Shy), born in New York City (d. 2023)
  • Oct 12 Bill Auberlen, American race car driver, born in Redondo Beach, California
  • Oct 12 Charles Anthony, American CFL defensive back (Toronto Argonauts), born in Las Vegas, Nevada

Hugh Jackman (55 years old)

Oct 12 Australian stage and screen actor and singer (The Boy from Oz; X-Men -"Wolverine"; The Greatest Showman; Kate And Leopold), born in Sydney, Australia

  • Oct 12 Leon Lett, American NFL defensive tackle and coach (Dallas Cowboys), born in Mobile, Alabama
  • Oct 13 Carlos Marín, Spanish pop-opera baritone (Il Divo), born in Mörfelden-Walldorf, West Germany (d. 2021)
  • Oct 13 Julio Valera, Puerto Rican MLB pitcher (KC Royals), born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
  • Oct 13 Tisha Campbell, American actress (Gina-Martin, House Party), born in Newark, New Jersey
  • Oct 14 Dwayne Schintzius, American NBA center (Indiana Pacers), born in Brandon, Florida (d. 2012)
  • Oct 14 Johnny Goudie, Cuban American singer-songwriter and musician, born in Coral Gables, Florida
  • Oct 14 Matthew Le Tissier, English footballer, born in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey
  • Oct 14 Rashid Latif, Pakistani cricket wicket-keeper (37 Tests, 130 dismissals, 1 x 100; 166 ODIs; Karachi), born in Karachi, Pakistan
  • Oct 14 Wanda Guyton, American WNBA forward (Houston Comets), born in Tampa, Florida

Didier Deschamps (55 years old)

Oct 15 French footballer and manager who won the World Cup for France both as captain (1988) and as manager (2018), born in Bayonne, France

  • Oct 15 Jyrki 69 [Jyrki Pekka Emil Linnankivi], Finnish musician (The 69 Eyes), born in Helsinki, Finland
  • Oct 15 Matteo Garrone, Italian filmmaker (Dogman), born in Rome, Italy
  • Oct 15 Meredith Rainey, American 800m runner, born in Brooklyn, New York
  • Oct 16 Elsa Zylberstein, French actress
  • Oct 16 Randall Batinkoff, American actor (For Keeps), born in Monticello, New York
  • Oct 17 (David) "Ziggy" Marley, Jamaican Grammy Award-winning reggae performer (The Melody Makers), philanthropist, and son of Bob Marley, born in Kingston, Jamaica
  • Oct 18 Denisa Szabova, Bratislava Czech, tennis star (1987 Futures-GER)
  • Oct 18 Michael Stich, German tennis star
  • Oct 18 Narendra Hirwani, Indian cricketer (16 wickets v WI on debut 1988), born in Gorakhpur, India
  • Oct 18 Rhod Gilbert, Welsh comedian (Never Mind the Buzzcocks), born in Carmarthen, Wales
  • Oct 18 Stuart Law, cricketer (prolific Queensland batsman, Australia 1995)
  • Oct 20 Raymond Biggs, Canadian CFL linebacker (Calgary Stampeders), born in Toronto, Ontario
  • Oct 20 Sunny Hostin, American lawyer, journalist and TV host (The View), born in New York City
  • Oct 22 Jay Johnston, American actor and comedian (Mr. Show)

Shaggy (55 years old)

Oct 22 Jamaican-American Grammy Award-winning reggae rapper and songwriter ("It Wasn't Me", "Boombastic",), born in Kingston, Jamaica

  • Oct 22 Shelby Lynne [Moorer], American country singer ("If I Could Bottle This Up"), born in Quantico, Virginia
  • Oct 23 Bettina Fulco Villella, Argentinian tennis star (1993 Futures), born in Mar Del Plata, Argentina
  • Oct 23 Kevin Henry, american NFL defensive end (Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Mound Bayou, Mississippi
  • Oct 24 Adrian Dale, South African cricketer (prolific Glamorgan & England A batsman), born in Germiston, Transvaal, South Africa
  • Oct 24 Francisco Claver, Spanish tennis star
  • Oct 24 Ken Ryan, American baseball pitcher (Philadelphia Phillies), born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
  • Oct 24 Robert Wilonsky, American journalist, born in Dallas, Texas
  • Oct 25 Corey Miller, American NFL linebacker (NY Giants), born in Pageland, South Carolina
  • Oct 25 Lisa Trusel, American actress (Lizette-Father Murphy, Days of our Lives), born in Hollywood, Los Angeles
  • Oct 26 Chris Oldham, American NFL cornerback (Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Sacramento, California
  • Oct 26 Nico-Jan Hoogma, Dutch soccer player (FC Twente), born in Heerenveen, Netherlands
  • Oct 28 Ernie Mills, NFL wide receiver (Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers)
  • Oct 28 Glenn Clear, soccer player (Vitesse)
  • Oct 28 Marc Lièvremont, French rugby union footballer and coach
  • Oct 28 Stan Thomas, NFL tackle (Houston Oilers)
  • Oct 29 Grayson McCouch, American actor (Morgan Winthrop-Another World), born in New York City
  • Oct 29 Johann Olav Koss, Norwegian speed skater (Olympics 3 gold-1994), born in Drammen, Norway
  • Oct 29 Stanley Donwood [Dan Rickwood], British writer and album art designer (Radiohead; Thom Yorke), born in Essex, England
  • Oct 29 Tsunku [Mitsuo Terada], Japanese music producer and former singer (SHARAM Q), born in Osaka, Japan
  • Oct 30 Jack Plotnick, American film and TV actor (Gods and Monsters), born in Worthington, Ohio
  • Oct 31 Antonio Davis, American basketball forward (NBA All-Star 2001; Indiana Pacers), executive (President NBA Players Association 2005-06) and broadcaster (ESPN, SiriusXM), born in Oakland, California
  • Oct 31 Eddie Taubensee, American baseball catcher (Cincinnati Reds), born in Beeville, Texas
Born in 1968

Famous Weddings

Charles Bronson

Oct 5 "The Dirty Dozen" actor Charles Bronson (46) weds Jill Ireland

Quincy Jones Jr

Oct 17 Jazz trumpeter Quincy Jones Jr (35) weds actress Ulla Andersson (22)

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Oct 20 Jacqueline Kennedy marries Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis on the island of Scorpios

  • Oct 26 Czech 7-time Olympic champion gymnast Věra Čáslavská (26) weds middle distance runner Josef Odložil (29) at the Mexico City Cathedral, Mexico City

Rudy Giuliani

Oct 26 Lawyer and politician Rudy Giuliani (24) weds second cousin Regina Peruggi (22) in a large Roman Catholic ceremony in Bedford Park, The Bronx

Davy Jones

Oct 31 British "Monkees" singer Davy Jones (22) weds American actress Linda Haines (23); divorce in 1975


Famous Deaths

Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968)

Oct 2 French sculptor and painter (Nude Descending a Staircase), dies at 81

  • Oct 4 Francis Biddle, 58th United States Attorney General (1941-45), dies at 82
  • Oct 6 Phyllis Nicolson, British mathematician (Crank-Nicolson method), dies at 51
  • Oct 9 Pierre Mulele, Congolese rebel leader, executed
  • Oct 10 Wilhelmina Johanna "Willy" Haak, Dutch actress and acting teacher (GoetheJane Eyre), dies at 71
  • Oct 13 Bea Benaderet, American radio and screen comic actress (Petticoat Junction - "Kate"; The Beverly Hillbillies - "Cousin Pearl"; George Burns and Gracie Allen Show - "Blanche"), dies of lung cancer at 62
  • Oct 15 Franz Reizenstein, German-British pianist, composer, and educator (Concerto Popolare), dies at 57
  • Oct 18 Lee Tracy, American actor (Dinner at Eight, Martin Kane Private Eye), dies of cancer at 70
  • Oct 20 Bud Flanagan [Chaim Reuben Weintrop], English comedian (duo with Chesney Alley), dies at 72
  • Oct 20 Lightfoot Solomon Michaux, African-American TV preacher, dies at 84
  • Oct 25 Jean Schlumberger, French writer (Passions), dies at 91
  • Oct 25 Rudolf Forster, Austrian actor (Threepenny Opera), dies at 83
  • Oct 27 Lise Meitner, Austrian-Swedish physicist (discovered the nuclear fission of uranium, dies at 89
  • Oct 28 Henricus W. J. M. Keuls, Dutch lawyer and poet (Dancing Lamp), dies at 85
  • Oct 29 Marius Ulfrstad, Norwegian composer, dies at 78
  • Oct 30 Conrad Richter, American writer (Light in the Forest), dies at 78
  • Oct 30 Pert Kelton, actress (Cavalcade of Stars), dies at 61
  • Oct 30 Ramon Novarro [Jose Samaniegos], Mexican-American actor (Ben-Hur, Mata Hari), is murdered at 69
  • Oct 31 Malcolm Hale, American musician (Spanky and Our Gang), dies of monoxide poisoning at 27