Historical Events
Paavo Nurmi World Records
Oct 1 Finnish distance runner Paavo Nurmi runs 15k world record 46:49.6 and 10 miles 50:15.0 in Berlin, Germany
- Oct 1 USSR launches its first 5-year plan
- Oct 2 "Prelature of the Holy Cross and the Work of God", known as Opus Dei, founded by Catholic priest Josemaría Escrivá in Madrid, Spain
- Oct 3 French submarine "Ondine" sinks returning to Toulon, drowning 42
- Oct 4 KPD begins petition against Germany building a battle fleet
PGA Championship
Oct 6 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Five Farms CC: Leo Diegel dominates Al Espinosa, 6 & 5 in the final to win the first of his 2 consecutive titles
Tito Imprisoned
Oct 6 Yugoslav revolutionary Josip Broz Tito is convicted after police find bombs in his apartment and sentenced to 5 years in jail
- Oct 7 Paavo Nurmi runs world record 10 miles (50:15.0)
- Oct 7 Race Tafari Makonnen crowned King of Abyssinia
Paris
Oct 8 Cole Porter and E. Ray Goetz' musical "Paris" opens at the Music Box Theater, NYC; runs for 195 performances
- Oct 8 Joseph Szigeti debuts Alfredo Casella's Violin Concerto
World Series
Oct 9 Baseball World Series: NY Yankees beat St. Louis Cardinals, 7-3 at Sportsman's Park to become first to sweep consecutive World Series; Babe Ruth hits smashes 3 HRs for Yanks
- Oct 9 Marcel Pagnol's play "Topaze" premieres in Paris
Chiang Kai-shek Rises to Power
Oct 10 Chiang Kai-shek becomes Director of the State Council of China
- Oct 12 1st use of iron lung (Boston's Children Hospital)
The Age of Zeppelins
Oct 15 German dirigible "Graf Zeppelin" lands in Lakehurst, New Jersey
Contract of Interest
Oct 15 Walter Johnson signs a 3-year contract to manage the Senators
Sports History
Oct 16 Mickey Cochrane wins AL MVP honors, edging Heinie Manush by 2 points
- Oct 22 China expels all Russian instructors & civil servants
- Oct 22 ESL Robinson's "Far-Off Hills" premieres in Dublin
Rugged Individualism
Oct 22 Herbert Hoover speaks of "American system of rugged individualism"
- Oct 22 Phi Sigma Alpha fraternity is founded at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus.
- Oct 28 Indian freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai injured leading silent protest against visiting British commission in Lahore (dies of injuries 17th November)
- Oct 28 Indonesian child laws enforced in Bahasa Indonesia
Famous Birthdays
- Oct 1 George Peppard, American actor (Breakfast at Tiffany's; Banacek; The A-Team - "Hannibal"; Blue Max), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1994)
- Oct 1 Laurence Harvey [Larushka Skine], Lithuanian-born South African actor (Alamo, Romeo & Juliet), born in Joniškis (d. 1973)
- Oct 1 Willy Mairesse, Belgian auto racer (13 F1 GP; Nürburgring 1000km 1963; GT Spa GP 1965; Targa Florio 1966), born in Momignies, Wallonia (d. 1969)
- Oct 1 Zhu Rongji, Chinese politician (Premier, 1998-2003), born in Changsha, Hunan, China
- Oct 2 Anthony Tippet, British Royal Navy officer and Chief of Fleet Support (d. 2006)
- Oct 2 Clay Felker, American journalist (NY Herald Tribune, Esquire), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2008)
- Oct 2 Robin Duthie, British accountant and CEO (Britoil), born in Greenock, Scotland
- Oct 2 Spanky McFarland, American actor (Our Gang; The Little Rascals), born in Dallas, Texas (d. 1993)
- Oct 2 Wolfhart Pannenberg, German theologist (Gingham Girl), born in Stettin, Germany (d. 2014)
- Oct 3 Christian d'Oriola, French fencer (4-time Olympic gold foils 1948, 52, 56), born in Perpignan, France (d. 2007)
- Oct 3 Erik Bruhn, Danish dancer (National Ballet of Canada), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 1986)
- Oct 3 Shridath Ramphal, Guyanese Secretary-General (1975-90), born in New Amsterdam, British Guiana
- Oct 4 Alvin Toffler, author (Future Shock, Power Shift, The Third Wave), born in New York City (d. 2016)
- Oct 4 Rip Repulski, American baseball outfielder (MLB All Star 1956; World Series 1959), born in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota (d. 1993)
- Oct 4 Torben Ulrich, Danish tennis player, musician, writer, filmmaker, and father of Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, born in Frederiksberg, Denmark (d. 2023)
- Oct 5 Louise Fitzhugh, American author and illustrator (Harriet the Spy), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 1974)
- Oct 7 Lorna Wing, English psychologist (introduced term Asperger's syndrome), born in Gillingham, England
- Oct 7 Sohrab Sepehri, Persian poet and painter, born in Kashan, Iran (d. 1980)
- Oct 8 Bill Maynard [Walter Williams], English actor (Greengrass-Heartbeat) and comedian, born in Heath End, England (d. 2018)
- Oct 8 M. Russell Ballard, American religious leader (Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of LDS Church), born in Salt Lake City, Utah
- Oct 8 Neil Harvey, Australian cricket batsman (79 Tests @ 48.41, 21 x 100, HS 205; Victoria CA, NSW CA), born in Melbourne, Australia
- Oct 9 Einojuhani Rautavaara, Finnish composer (Kaivos), born in Helsinki, Finland (d. 2016)
- Oct 10 Julian "Junior" Mance, American jazz pianist (Dinah Washington; Dizzy Gillespie), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2021)
- Oct 11 Russell Oberlin, American countertenor (Pro Musica Antiqua, 1952-66) and educator (Hunter, 1966-94), born in Akron, Ohio (d. 2016)
- Oct 11 Saulius Sondeckis, Lithuanian violinist, conductor, orchestra leader (Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, 1960-2004), born in Šiauliai, Lithuania (d. 2016)
- Oct 12 Al Held, American painter and sculptor (hard edge-style), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2005)
- Oct 12 Jerzy Semkow, Polish-French conductor and educator, born in Radomsko (d. 2014)
- Oct 12 Thomas Burnett Swann, American sci-fi author (Day of Minotaur), born in Tampa, Florida (d. 1976)
- Oct 14 Frank E. Resnik, American business executive (Philip Morris USA), born in Pleasant Unity, Pennsylvania (d. 1995)
- Oct 14 Gary Graffman, American classical pianist (Leventritt Award, 1949), left-handed music patron, educator and administrator (Curtis Institute, 1980-2006), born in New York City
- Oct 14 Héctor Rial, Spanish soccer striker (Real Madrid, 5 straight Euro Cup C'ships 1956-60), born in Pergamino, Argentina (d. 1991)
- Oct 16 Ann Morgan Guilbert, American actress (The Dick Van Dyke Show - "Millie Helper"; The Nanny - "Yetta"), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 2016)
- Oct 16 Mary Daly, American feminist
- Oct 17 Ivan Marinov, Bulgarian orchestral and opera conductor, composer, and pedagogue, born in Sofia, Bulgaria (d. 2003)
- Oct 17 Jim Gilliam, American MLB player and coach (Dodgers, NL rookie of year 1953), born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 1978)
- Oct 17 Zacharias J de Beer, South African physician/MP (DP)
- Oct 18 Keith Jackson, American sportscaster (ABC Monday Night Football, college football), born in Roopville, Georgia (d. 2018)
- Oct 18 R H "Deepak" Shodhan, cricketer (century on Test debut for India)
- Oct 19 Buff Cobb [Patrizia Cobb Chapman], American actress and TV personality (Masquerade Party), born in Florence, Italy (d. 2010)
- Oct 20 Li Peng, Chinese leader, Premier of China (1987-98), born in Shanghai French Concession (d. 2019)
- Oct 21 Ardico Magnini, Italian soccer defender (20 caps; Fiorentina 225 games), born in Pistoia, Italy (d. 2020)
- Oct 21 Vern Mikkelsen, American basketball player (Lakers, HOF), born in Parlier, California (d. 2013)
Whitey Ford (1928-2020)
Oct 21 American Baseball HOF pitcher (10 x MLB All Star; World Series 1950, 53, 56, 58, 61 [MVP], 62; AL Cy Young Award 1961; NY Yankees), born in New York City
- Oct 21 Yú Guāngzhōng [Yu Kwang-chung], Taiwanese poet, essayist, and translator (Nostalgia), born in Nanjing, Republic of China (d. 2017)
- Oct 22 Clare Fischer, American musician, composer and arranger, born in Durand, Michigan (d. 2012)
- Oct 22 Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Brazilian movie director (Como Era Gostoso o Meu Francês, Vidas Secas), born in São Paulo, Brazil (d. 2018)
- Oct 23 Alexander Tanev, Bulgarian composer, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1996)
- Oct 23 Bella Darvi [Bajla Węgier], Polish actress (The Egyptian, Hell and High Water, Racers), born in Sosnowiec, Poland (d. 1971)
- Oct 23 Patrick Peter Sacco, American composer, born in Albion, New York (d. 2000)
- Oct 24 Gabriel Laub, Polish writer, born in Bochnia, Poland (d. 1998)
- Oct 24 Ken Hough, cricketer (NZ pace bowler in two Tests v England 1959), born in Auburn, New South Wales, Australia (d. 2009)
- Oct 25 Anthony "Tony" Franciosa [Papaleo], American actor (Career, Ben-Hur, Jeff-Name of the Game), born in New York City
- Oct 25 Jeanne Cooper, American actress (Kay-The Young & Restless), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 2013)
- Oct 25 Marion Ross, American actress (Marion-Happy Days, Bkln Bridge), born in Watertown, Minnesota
- Oct 26 Francisco Solano López, Argentine comic artist, born in Buenos Aires (d. 2011)
- Oct 27 Datta Gaekwad, Indian cricket batsman and captain (11 Tests, 1 x 50; Baroda CC), born in Vadodara, India (d. 2024)
- Oct 27 Kyle Rote, College Football HOF halfback (SMU; 4 × Pro Bowl; NY Giants) and broadcaster (WNEW, NBC, WNBC New York), born in San Antonio, Texas (d. 2002)
- Oct 27 Stefan Wewerka, German architect and sculptor, born in Magdeburg, Germany (d. 2013)
- Oct 28 Ion Mihai Pacepa, Romanian three-star general in the Securitate, born in Bucharest, Romania
- Oct 28 Lawrie Reilly, Scottish soccer striker (38 caps; Hibernian 253 games, 185 goals), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 2013)
- Oct 30 Daniel Nathans, American microbiologist (Nobel 1978 - discovery of restriction enzymes and their application in restriction mapping), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1999)
- Oct 30 Ernest Flatt, American choreographer (The Carol Burnett Show), born in Denver, Colorado (d. 1995)
- Oct 30 Michael Andrews, British painter, born in Norwich, England (d. 1995)
- Oct 31 Andrew Sarris, American movie critic (Village Voice), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2012)
Famous Deaths
Andrew Fisher (1862-1928)
Oct 22 5th Prime Minister of Australia (1908-09, 1910-13, 1914-15), dies at 66
- Oct 23 François Victor Alphonse Aulard, French historian, dies at 79
- Oct 30 Oscar Sonneck, American editor (The Musical Quarterly), musicologist, and librarian (Library of Congress, 1902-17), dies at 55
- Oct 31 José Méndez, Cuban Baseball HOF pitcher (NgL World Series 1924; 3 × NgL NL pennants; Kansas City Monarchs), dies at 43
Assassination
Car Crash
Hanging
Killed in Action
Plane Crash
Poisoning