What Happened in October 1974

Historical Events

  • Oct 1 "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" horror film premieres in director Tobe Hooper's hometown, Austin, Texas in the US

Event of Interest

Oct 1 US Computer scientist Gary Kildall presents the prototype of his CP/M operating system in his backyard toolshed

  • Oct 1 Watergate cover-up trial opens in Washington, D.C.

Baseball Record

Oct 2 Future Baseball Hall of Fame right fielder Hank Aaron hits his final home run as a member of the Atlanta Braves, in a 13-0 drubbing of the Cincinnati Reds; Aaron's 733rd career HR on his last NL at bat

Contract of Interest

Oct 3 39-year old Frank Robinson becomes MLB’s first African-American manager when he signs as player-manager for Cleveland Indians; agrees to 1-year contract estimated at $180,000

Sports History

Oct 3 Future Basketball Hall of Fame guard Jerry West (“Mr. Clutch”) retires after 14 NBA seasons with the LA Lakers; West has 25,192 career points; averages 29.1 ppg in 153 playoff games

Event of Interest

Oct 3 Ted Bundy victim Nancy Wilcox disappears in Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Oct 3 Watergate criminal trial begins for five advisors and aides of President Nixon

Walls & Bridges

Oct 4 Apple Records releases John Lennon's fifth studio album, "Walls & Bridges" in UK; features No. 1 single "Whatever Gets You Through the Night" (with Elton John) and "#9 Dream"

  • Oct 5 Guildford pub bombing by the IRA leaves 5 dead and 65 injured.

F1 World Champion

Oct 6 Brazilian McLaren driver Emerson Fittipaldi finishes 4th in the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen to win his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 3 points from Clay Ragazzoni

Music History

Oct 6 Jerry Herman's musical "Mack & Mabel", about the romance between silent film figures Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand, starring Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters, opens at Majestic Theater, NYC; runs for 66 performances

  • Oct 7 German Democratic Republic amends constitution
  • Oct 8 Franklin National Bank collapses due to fraud and mismanagement; at the time it was the largest bank failure in the history of the United States.
  • Oct 9 MLB American League Championship: Oakland Athletics beat Baltimore Orioles, 3 games to 1
  • Oct 9 MLB National League Championship: Los Angeles Dodgers beat Pittsburgh Pirates, 3 games to 1
  • Oct 9 Race riot in Boston due to "bussing"
  • Oct 9 Washington Capitals 1st NHL game, losing 6-3 to NY Rangers at Madison Square Garden; start of a 37 game road losing streak for Washington
  • Oct 10 Canadian bicyclist John Hathaway begins 2-year ride of 50,600 miles

Election of Interest

Oct 10 Labour Party led by Harold Wilson wins UK general election

  • Oct 10 MLB Oakland A's Mike Andrews files $25 million lawsuit against team owner Charlie Finley
  • Oct 10 The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) and its political wing the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) founded at the Spa Hotel in the village of Lucan near Dublin
  • Oct 10 US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff army General George Brown's deplores Jewish influence in US security policy during question and answers after speech at Duke University

Streetlife Serenade

Oct 11 Columbia Records releases "Streetlife Serenade", singer-songwriter Billy Joel's third studio album

  • Oct 12 1st time Washington Capitals are shutout as they are beat 6-0 by Minnesota
  • Oct 14 8th Country Music Association Awards: Charlie Rich

Album Release

Oct 15 Asylum Records releases "The Heart of Saturday Night", the second studio album by singer-songwriter Tom Waits

  • Oct 15 National Guard mobilizes to restore order in Boston school busing
  • Oct 15 Nobel prize for chemistry awarded to Paul J. Flory for work on macro molecules
  • Oct 15 Washington Capitals 1st NHL tie, playing LA Kings to 1-1 tie
  • Oct 16 As' Ken Holtzman, who hasn't batted all season, belts 3rd inning home run in Game 4 & gets the win, 5-2
  • Oct 17 "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope" closes at Playhouse NYC after 1065 per
  • Oct 17 Baseball World Series: Oakland A's 3-peat; beat LA Dodgers, 3-2 in Oakland for 4-1 series win; MVP: A's pitcher Rollie Fingers
  • Oct 17 NBA New Orleans Jazz begin a 28 game road losing streak
  • Oct 17 Washington Capitals 1st NHL home victory, beating Chicago 4-3
  • Oct 18 1st NBA game at Market Square Arena - Pacers beat Spurs 129-121

Music History

Oct 18 Al Green's girlfriend, Mary Woodson, dies by suicide at his Memphis home, after assaulting him with a pot of boiling grits

  • Oct 18 Andre van de Louw appointed Mayor of Rotterdam

Sports History

Oct 18 Chicago Bull Nate Thurmond becomes 1st in NBA to complete a quadruple double-22 pts, 14 rebounds, 13 assists & 12 blocks

  • Oct 18 Wings (Country Hams) release "Walking in the Park with Eloise"

Sports History

Oct 19 Australian tennis star Evonne Goolagong wins her first WTA Tour Championship; beats Chris Evert 6-3, 6-4 in the final at the Los Angeles Sports Arena

  • Oct 19 Detroit Pistons beat Trailblazers in Portland (next win 6-1-90)
  • Oct 19 NHL Detroit Red Wing Mickey Redmond scores 1st hat trick against Washington Capitals
  • Oct 19 Niue becomes self-govering, in association with New Zealand
  • Oct 20 1st broadcast of "Derrick" on ZDF
  • Oct 20 Bard's presentation of "Richard III" opens at Lincoln Center NYC
  • Oct 21 NHL New York Islanders and goaltender Billy Smith's 1st shut-out win, 5-0 vs Washington Capitals

Baseball Trade

Oct 22 MLB New York Yankees trade outfielder Bobby Murcer to San Francisco Giants for outfielder Bobby Bonds

  • Oct 23 Chicago Cubs trade 6-time MLB All Star outfielder Billy Williams to Oakland A's for second baseman Manny Trillo and 2 pitchers
  • Oct 23 Lake Isaac in Cleveland Metroparks' Big Creek Reservation dedicated

Sports History

Oct 24 Billy Martin named AL Manager of Year (Texas Rangers)

Music History

Oct 25 Dmitri Shostakovich' 15th String Quartet premieres in Leningrad, USSR

  • Oct 25 US Air Force fires 1st ICBM successfully from a plane, over the Pacific Ocean off the Southern California coast
  • Oct 25 Wings release single "Junior's Farm"
  • Oct 26 Cleveland Coliseum opens for NBA's Cavaliers & MISL's Crunch
  • Oct 27 French runner Chantal Langlacé sets female world marathon record (2:46:24) in Neuf-Brisach, France
  • Oct 28 1st time 2 Islanders hat trick in same game-MacMillian & Westfall
  • Oct 28 Luna 23 launched (landing on Moon)
  • Oct 28 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Oct 29 Law bans discrimination of sex or marital status in credit application

Boxing Title Fight

Oct 30 "The Rumble in the Jungle": Muhammad Ali KOs George Foreman in the 8th round in Kinshasa, Zaire; regains world heavyweight boxing title with famous "rope-a-dope" tactic

  • Oct 30 "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" horror film premieres in Los Angeles

Sports History

Oct 30 California Angel Nolan Ryan throws fastest recorded pitch (100.9 MPH)

  • Oct 30 Catfish Hunter is named AL Cy Young Award
  • Oct 31 Dutch Marines end hostage crisis in Scheveningen prison
  • Oct 31 Ted Bundy victim Laura Aime disappears in Utah
1974 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Oct 1 Christian Borle, American actor (play Peter and the Starcatcher), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Oct 1 Keith Duffy, Irish pop singer (Boyzone), born in Dublin, Ireland
  • Oct 2 Bjarke Ingels, Danish architect (8 House), born in Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Oct 2 Michelle Krusiec, American actress, born in Taiwan
  • Oct 2 Paul Teutul Jr., American motorcycle builder and reality TV personality (co-star of American Chopper)
  • Oct 2 Simon Gregson [Simon Gregory], British actor (Coronation Street), born in Manchester, England
  • Oct 3 Mike Johnson, Canadian hockey right wing (Toronto Maple Leafs), and broadcaster (NHL Network, TSN), born in Scarborough, Ontario
  • Oct 4 Claudia Elena Vasquez, Miss Universe-best costume (Colombia, 1997)
  • Oct 4 Paco León, Spanish actor
  • Oct 5 Andon Boshkovski, Macedonian handball coach (Georgia 2017-19, Macedonia [ass't] 2008-13), born in Skopje, North Macedonia (d. 2022)
  • Oct 5 Colin Meloy, American singer (The Decemberists), born in Helena, Montana
  • Oct 5 Douglas Emerson, American actor (Robbie-Herbie the Love Bug), born in Glendale, California
  • Oct 5 Heather Headley, Trinidadian singer, born in San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago
  • Oct 5 Rich Franklin, American mixed martial artist (UFC Middleweight title 2005-06), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Oct 6 Brian Kelly, American soccer midfielder (Olympic gold 1996), born in Mission Viejo, California
  • Oct 6 Geert Jelle de Vries, Dutch soccer player (SC Heerenveen SC Cambuur), born in Scharnegoutum, Friesland, Netherlands

Jeremy Sisto (49 years old)

Oct 6 American actor (Six Feet Under), born in Grass Valley, California

  • Oct 6 Kenny Jönsson, Swedish NHL defenseman (Team Sweden, NY Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs), born in Angelholm Sweden
  • Oct 6 Walter Centeno, Costa Rican footballer, born in Palmar Sur, Costa Rica
  • Oct 7 Alexander Polinsky, American actor (Adam-Charles in Charge), born in San Francisco, California
  • Oct 7 Allison Munn, American actress, born in Columbia, South Carolina
  • Oct 7 Benjamin Oberman, American pairs skater (with partner Naomi Grabow), born in Denver, Colorado
  • Oct 7 Charlotte Nilsson, Swedish singer, born in Hovmantorp, Sweden
  • Oct 7 Shannon MacMillan, American soccer forward (177 caps, 60 goals; Olympic gold 1996, silver 2000; FIFA Women's World Cup 1999), born in Syosset, New York
  • Oct 8 DJ Q-Ball [Harry Dean, Jr.], American musician and actor (Bloodhound Gang), born in Limerick, Pennsylvania
  • Oct 8 Fredrik Modin, Swedish hockey player, born in Sundsvall, Sweden
  • Oct 8 Koji Murofushi, Japanese hammer thrower (Olympic gold 2004), born in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
  • Oct 8 Martin Henderson, New Zealand actor (Grey's Anatomy), born in Auckland, New Zealand
  • Oct 8 Rashaan Salaam, American College Football Hall of Fame running back (Heisman Trophy 1994, U of Colorado; NFL: Chicago Bears), born in San Diego, California (d. 2016)
  • Oct 8 Rod Manuel, American defensive end (Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Fort Worth, Texas
  • Oct 9 Kavika Pittman, American defensive end (Dallas Cowboys), born in Frankfurt, Germany
  • Oct 9 Keith Booth, American NBA forward (Chicago Bulls), born in Baltimore, Maryland
  • Oct 9 Kieren Hutchison, New Zealand actor (Shortland Street), born in Auckland, New Zealand
  • Oct 10 Assi Cohen, Israeli comedian and actor, born in Ashdod, Israel
  • Oct 10 Chris Pronger, Canadian ice hockey defenseman (Olympic gold 2002, 10; World C'ship gold 1997; 6 x NHL All Star; St. Louis Blues), born in Dryden, Ontario
  • Oct 10 Dale Earnhardt Jr., American auto racer, team owner and broadcaster (Daytona 500 2004, 14; Busch Series 1998-99), born in Kannapolis, North Carolina
  • Oct 10 Julio Ricardo Cruz, Argentine footballer (Internazionale), born in Santiago del Estero, Argentina
  • Oct 10 Naike Rivelli, German model and daughter of Ornella Muti, born in Munich, Germany
  • Oct 11 Jason Arnott, Canadian NHL center (Edmonton Oilers), born in Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada
  • Oct 11 Rachel Barton Pine, American violinist, born in Chicago, Illinois
  • Oct 11 Terje Håkonsen, Norwegian snowboarder, born in Vinje, Norway
  • Oct 12 Marie Wilson [Flevaras], Canadian actress (As the World Turns, General Hospital), born in Athens, Greece
  • Oct 12 Miroslav Šatan, Slovak ice hockey forward (World C'ship gold 2002 captain; Stanley Cup 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins; NHL All Star 2000, 03), born in Jacovce, Slovakia
  • Oct 12 Stephen Lee, English snooker player, born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire
  • Oct 13 Hawick Lau, Hong Kong Chinese actor (Sealed with a Kiss) and singer, born in Hong Kong

Natalie Maines (49 years old)

Oct 14 American country musician (The Chicks, formerly known as Dixie Chicks), born in Lubbock, Texas

  • Oct 14 Shaggy 2 Dope [Joseph Utsler], American rapper (Psychopathic Records), born in Detroit, Michigan
  • Oct 16 Deo Grech, Maltese television presenter and songwriter, born in Kalkara, Malta
  • Oct 16 Jermaine Lewis, American football wide receiver (Super Bowl XXXV; First-team All-Pro 1998; Pro Bowl 1998, 2001; Baltimore Ravens), born in Lanham, Maryland
  • Oct 16 Paul Kariya, NHL left wing (Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Olympics 1998), born in Vancouver, British Columbia
  • Oct 16 Roman Mars, American radio producer, host and podcaster (99% Invisible), born in Somerville, New Jersey
  • Oct 17 Ariel Levy, American feminist writer
  • Oct 17 Janne Puurtinen, Finnish keyboardist (HIM), born in Helsinki, Finland
  • Oct 17 John Rocker, American baseball player
  • Oct 17 Matthew Macfadyen, British actor
  • Oct 18 Peter Svensson, Swedish musician and songwriter (The Cardigans - "Lovefool"), born in Huskvarna, Sweden
  • Oct 18 Robbie Savage, Welsh footballer
  • Oct 18 Zhou Xun, Chinese actress and singer ("Suzhou River"; "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress"), born in Quzhou, Zhejiang, China
  • Oct 19 Joy Bryant, American actress (Parenthood, Antwone Fisher), born in The Bronx, New York
  • Oct 19 Percy Ellsworth, safety (NY Giants)
  • Oct 20 Jerald Honeycutt, American NBA forward (Milwaukee Bucks), born in Shreveport, Louisiana
  • Oct 20 SubtractiveLAD [Stephen Hummel] Canadian electronic music composer and performer, born in Vancouver, British Columbia
  • Oct 22 Tim Kinsella, American musician (Cap'n Jazz; Owls), and visual artist, born in Chicago, Illinois
  • Oct 23 Beatrice Faumuina, New Zealand discus thrower (Olympics 96), born in Auckland, New Zealand
  • Oct 23 Dani Tyler, American softball infielder (Olympic gold 1996), born in Denver, Colorado
  • Oct 23 Derek Landy, Irish author (Skulduggery Pleasant series), born in Lusk, Ireland
  • Oct 23 Kaleena Kiff, American actress (Patti-Love Sidney), born in Santa Monica, California
  • Oct 23 Sander Westerveld, Dutch soccer coach and player (FC Twente), born in Enschede, Netherlands
  • Oct 24 Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster, son of English prince Richard, born in London
  • Oct 24 Jamal Mayers, Canadian NHL hockey player (Chicago Blackhawks), born in Toronto, Ontario
  • Oct 25 Chris Murray, Canadian NHL right wing (Montreal Canadiens), born in Port Hardy, British Columbia
  • Oct 25 Frank Middleton, American NFL football player (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), born in Beaumont, Texas
  • Oct 25 Katja Endemann, German jazz saxophonist, flutist and composer, born in Munich, Germany
  • Oct 25 Lee Byung-Kyu, South Korean baseball player, born in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, South Korea
  • Oct 26 Lisa [Elizabeth Sakura Narita], Japanese musician (M-Flo), born in Tokyo
  • Oct 27 Juan Viedma, Dutch soccer player (Ajax, NEC), born in Heemskerk, Netherlands
  • Oct 28 Braden Looper, American baseball pitcher (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Weatherford, Oklahoma
  • Oct 28 Dejan Stefanović, Serbian footballer
  • Oct 28 Henri Crockett, NFL linebacker (Atlanta Falcons)

Joaquin Phoenix (49 years old)

Oct 28 American actor (Gladiator, Walk the Line, The Master), born in San Juan, Puerto Rico

  • Oct 28 Vicente Moreno, Spanish footballer
  • Oct 29 Michael Vaughan, English cricket batsman and captain (82 Tests, 18 x 100, HS 197; 86 ODIs; Yorkshire CCC) and commentator (BBC, Network 10, Fox Sports), born in Eccles, England
  • Oct 29 R. A. Dickey, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star, NL Cy Young Award, NL strikeout leader 2012; Gold Glove Award 2013; NY Mets, Toronto Blue Jays), born in Nashville, Tennessee
  • Oct 31 Jeff Gooch, American football linebacker (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), born in Nashville, Tennessee
  • Oct 31 Muzzy Izzet, Turkish footballer, born in Mile End, London
  • Oct 31 Natasja Saad, Danish hip hop and reggae artist, born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2007)
Born in 1974

Famous Divorces

Elizabeth Montgomery

Oct 10 American "Bewiched" actress Elizabeth Montgomery (41) divorces American "Bewitched" director-producer William Asher (53) after 11 years of marriage

Famous Deaths

  • Oct 1 Spyridon Marinatos, Greek archaeologist who rediscovered the site of an ancient port city on the island of Thera, in the southern Aegean Sea, dies at 72
  • Oct 2 Ina Seidel, German poet and novelist, dies at 89
  • Oct 4 Anne Sexton, American poet (Live or Die; Pulitzer 1967), dies at 45
  • Oct 6 Helmuth Koinigg, Austrian Formula One driver killed in a race accident at Watkins Glen, New York at 25
  • Oct 6 V. K. Krishna Menon, Indian nationalist, Minister of Defense (1957-62), dies at 78
  • Oct 8 Harry Carney, American tenor and baritone jazz saxophonist (Duke Ellington Orchestra, 1927-74), dies at 64

Oskar Schindler (1908-1974)

Oct 9 Austrian businessman and subject of the novel "Schindler's Ark" and the film "Schindler's List", dies at 66

Lyudmila Pavlichenko (1916-1974)

Oct 10 Soviet sniper during World War II known as 'Lady Death' - the most successful female sniper in history with 309 confirmed kills, dies of a stroke at 58

  • Oct 10 Marie Luise Kaschnitz, German writer, dies at 73
  • Oct 12 Hendrik Diels, Flemish conductor, dies at 73
  • Oct 12 Joseph Frederick Wagner, American composer, conductor (Boston Civic Symphony, 1925 to 44), and teacher, dies at 74

Ed Sullivan (1901-1974)

Oct 13 American newspaper columnist, and television host (The Ed Sullivan Show), dies of esophageal cancer at 73

  • Oct 13 Josef Krips, Austrian conductor (London Symphony, 1950-54; Buffalo Philharmonic, 1954-63; San Francisco Symphony, 1964-70), dies of lung cancer at 72
  • Oct 13 Sam Rice, American Baseball HOF outfielder (World Series 1924; AL stolen base leader 1920; Washington Senators 1915-33), dies from cancer at 84
  • Oct 16 Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, noted Carnatic musician (b. 1895)
  • Oct 17 René de Rooy, Surinamese and Antillean poet (Juancho Picaflor), dies of a heart attack at 57
  • Oct 24 David Oistrakh, Soviet violinist considered one of the pre-eminent violinists of the 20th century (Moscow Conservatory), dies at 66
  • Oct 27 Rudolf Dassler, German entrepreneur (founder sportswear company Puma), dies at 76
  • Oct 29 Victor E. van Vriesland, Dutch poet (Mirror of Dutch Poetry), dies at 82