Historical Events
- Oct 1 Bell P-59 Airacomet fighter, 1st US jet, makes maiden flight
- Oct 1 Little Golden Books (children's books) begins publishing
- Oct 2 RMS Queen Mary, carrying thousands of US troops, slices cruiser HMS Curacao in half, killing 239
- Oct 2 WWII: British Royal Navy boards floundering German U-boat U-559 retrieving abandoned Enigma code machine before it sinks; 2 British sailors go down with the sub
- Oct 3 Launch of 1st A-4/V-2 rocket to altitude of 53 miles (85 km)
- Oct 3 NY Yankees shortstop Frank Crosetti shoves umpire Bill Summers in Game 3 of the Baseball World Series; he is fined $250 & suspended for first 30 days of 1943 season
- Oct 3 Triple Crown winner Whirlaway, ridden by George Woolf wins the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park to become the first thoroughbred to amass more than $500,000 in lifetime earnings
- Oct 4 German assault on Tractor factory in Stalingrad
- Oct 5 5,000 Jews of Dubno, Russia massacred
- Oct 5 Baseball World Series: St Louis Cardinals win club's 4th WS; beat NY Yankees, 4-2 at Yankee Stadium for 4-1 series victory
Eve of St Mark
Oct 7 Maxwell Anderson's stage drama "The Eve of St Mark" opens at the Cort Theatre, NYC; runs for 307 performances
- Oct 7 US & UK government announce establishment of United Nations
- Oct 8 Fight at Matanikau, Guadalcanal (John Hersey-Into the Valley)
- Oct 9 Statute of Westminster 1931 passed by the Australian parliament, formalises Australian autonomy
- Oct 10 1,300 Austrian Jews transported to Theresienstadt concentration camp
- Oct 11 -Oct 12] Naval battle at Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal
- Oct 12 Successful Soviet counterattack through 37th Guard division
- Oct 12 WWII: US Navy defeats Japanese in Battle of Cape Esperance between Savo Island and Guadalcanal in theSouth Pacific's Solomon Islands
- Oct 14 Dobbe resistances group overthrows Bonkarten distribution
- Oct 14 German assault on Tractor factory, 1000s killed
- Oct 14 Japanese battleship strikes Henderson Field, Guadalcanal
- Oct 15 German 6th Army occupies Tractorenfabriek, 3,000 Germans die
Music History
Oct 16 Aaron Copland and Agnes de Mille's ballet "Rodeo," premieres in NYC
- Oct 16 Cyclone in Bay of Bengal kills some 40,000 south of Calcutta India
- Oct 16 National Boxing Association freezes titles of those serving in armed services
- Oct 20 "Durham Manifesto" issued by the Southern Conference on Race Relations held in Durham, North Carolina, calls for fundamental changes in race relations
Now, Voyager
Oct 22 "Now, Voyager" film directed by Irving Rapper, and starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains, premieres in New York; wins 3 Academy Awards
- Oct 22 1st ships of invasion fleet for Oran (Algeria) leave Scotland
- Oct 22 Operation Flagpole: US Major General Mark Clark & Brigadier General Lyman Lemnitzer meet Vichy French Général Charles Mast secretly in small fishing village of Cherchell, Algeria to finalize plans for Allied Invasion of North Africa
- Oct 23 All 12 passengers and crewmen aboard an American Airlines DC-3 airliner killed when it is struck by a U.S. Army Air Forces bomber near Palm Springs, California. Amongst the victims is composer Ralph Rainger ("Thanks for the Memory")
- Oct 23 During WWII, Britain launches major offensive at El Alamein, Egypt
- Oct 23 First ships of invasion fleet to Morocco leave Norfolk
- Oct 23 German units go through Red October factory in Stalingrad
- Oct 24 Second day of battle at El Alamein: British infantry
- Oct 25 3rd day of battle at El Alamein: British offensive
- Oct 25 Battle of Henderson Field Guadalcanal begins
- Oct 26 Battle of Santa Cruz: Japanese naval offensive against US forces near Solomon Islands
- Oct 26 Fourth day of battle at El Alamein: Australian breakthrough
- Oct 26 Second day of Battle of Henderson Field, Guadalcanal
- Oct 27 5th day of battle at El Alamein: heavy battles/Australian advance
- Oct 27 US aircraft carrier Hornet sinks off Santa Cruz
- Oct 28 6th day battle at El Alamein: British offensive under Montgomery
- Oct 28 Train crashes into bus, killing 16 & injuring 20 (Detroit Michigan)
- Oct 29 Alaska highway completed
Dodgers Appoint Rickey
Oct 29 Branch Rickey named president and general manager of Brooklyn Dodgers
- Oct 29 Nazis murder 16,000 Jews in Pinsk, Soviet Union
- Oct 29 Seventh day of battle at El Alamein: Montgomery assault
- Oct 30 8th day of battle at El Alamein: new Australian assault
- Oct 30 US aircraft carrier Enterprise reaches Noumea
- Oct 31 9th day of the Battle of El Alamein
- Oct 31 U-boats sink and damage 120 allied ships this month (659,457 tons)
Famous Birthdays
- Oct 1 Herb Fame, American pop and soul singer (Peaches & Herb - "Reunited"), born in Washington, D.C.
- Oct 1 Jean-Pierre Jabouille, French auto racer (55 x F1 GP, 2 wins; 4 x 3rd overall 24 Hours of Le Mans), born in Paris, France (d. 2023)
- Oct 1 Jean-Pierre Joubille, French auto racer (European F2 champion 1976), born in Paris, France
Steve Sabol (1942-2012)
Oct 2 American filmmaker (35 Emmy awards - NFL Films), born in Moorestown, New Jersey
- Oct 4 Christopher Stone, actor (Dave-Dallas, Interns), born in Manchester, New Hampshire
- Oct 4 Jenny Arean [Joanna Klarenbeek], Dutch actress, cabaret and theatre singer ("Vluchten kan niet meer"), born in Lisse, Netherlands
- Oct 4 Karl W. Richter, American aviator (d. 1967)
- Oct 5 Bengt Madsen, Swedish soccer administrator (chairman Malmö FF 1999-2009), born in Malmö, Sweden (d. 2021)
- Oct 5 Richard Street, American R&B musician (The Temptations, 1971-93 - "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2013)
- Oct 6 Britt Ekland, actress (Wicker Man, Asylum), born in Stockholm, Sweden
- Oct 6 Fred Travalena, American comedian/impressionist (Buy & Cell), born in New York City
- Oct 6 Jerry Grote, American baseball catcher (MLB All-Star 1968, 74, World Series 1969; New York Mets), born in San Antonio, Texas (d. 2024) [1]
- Oct 7 Joy Behar [Occhiuto], American actress and comedian (The View), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Oct 9 Shukri Ghanem, Libyan Prime Minister (2003-2006), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2012)
- Oct 10 Bruce Ricker, American jazz and blues documentarian (The Last of the Blue Devils; Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser), born in Staten Island, New York (d. 2011)
- Oct 10 Chartchai Chionoi, Thai boxer (WBC/WBA flyweight champion), born in Bangkok, Thailand (d. 2018)
- Oct 10 James Marshall, American illustrator and author (George and Martha, The Stupids), born in San Antonio, Texas (d. 1992)
- Oct 10 Radu Vasile, Prime Minister of Romania (1998-99), born in Sibiu, Romania (d. 2013)
Amitabh Bachchan (81 years old)
Oct 11 Indian actor (The Great Gatsby), born in Uttar Pradesh, India
- Oct 11 Vic Fazio, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California), born in Winchester, Massachusetts
- Oct 12 Daliah Lavi [Levinbuck], Israeli actress (Casino Royale; Lord Jim), and singer, born in Haifa, British Palestine (d. 2017)
- Oct 12 Melvin Franklin (né English), American R&B bass vocalist (The Temptations, 1960-94 - "Ball of Confusion"), born in Montgomery, Alabama (d. 1995)
- Oct 13 Bob Bailey, American baseball player, born in Long Beach, California
- Oct 13 Jerry Jones, American businessman and NFL team owner (Dallas Cowboys, 1989-present), born in Los Angeles, California
- Oct 13 Pamela Tiffin, American actress (Viva Max!), born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (d. 2020) [1]
- Oct 13 Peter Kemper, Dutch soccer defender (3 caps; PSV 221 games), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 2020)
- Oct 14 Billy Harrison, Irish rock guitarist (Them), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Oct 15 Chris Andrews, British-German songwriter (Adam Faith; Sandie Shaw), singer ("Yesterday Man"), and record producer, born in Romford, Essex, England
- Oct 15 Jim Leach, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa), born in Davenport, Iowa
- Oct 16 Dave Lovelady, English drummer (The Fourmost - "A Little Loving"), born in Litherland, United Kingdom
- Oct 17 Gary Puckett, American pop vocalist (Gary Puckett & The Union Gap - "Woman, Woman"; "Lady Willpower"), born in Hibbing, Minnesota
- Oct 18 Larry Pickering, Australian political cartoonist and illustrator, born in Australia (d. 2018)
- Oct 18 Willie Horton, baseball slugger (Detroit Tigers)
- Oct 19 Andrew Vachss, American author and attorney
- Oct 20 Earl Hindman, American actor (Wilson-Home Improvement), born in Bisbee, Arizona
- Oct 20 Joe Bourne, American jazz and gospel singer ("Upbeat and Sweet"), and visual artist, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Oct 21 Allan Grice, Australian racing driver
- Oct 21 Elvin Bishop, American blues-rock guitarist and songwriter ("Fooled Around and Fell in Love"), born in Glendale, California,
Judith Sheindlin (81 years old)
Oct 21 American jurist and television personality (Judge Judy), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Oct 21 Les AuCoin, American politician (Rep-D-OR, 1975-93), born in Portland, Oregon
- Oct 21 Orlando Aravena, Chilean soccer midfielder who played 6 internationals; Deportes La Serena, CSD Colo-Colo, Ñublense; and manager Chile 1987-89, born in Talca, Chile (d. 2024)
- Oct 22 Annette Funicello, American actress (Mickey Mouse Club; Beach Party movies), and singer ("Tall Paul"; "O Dio Mio"), born in Utica, New York, (d. 2013)
- Oct 22 Bobby Fuller, American rock vocalist and guitarist (Bobby Fuller Four - "I Fought The Law"), born in Baytown, Texas (d. 1966)
- Oct 22 Robin John Maconie, New Zealand pianist, electro-acoustic film and concert composer, and musicologist (Stockhausen), born in Auckland, New Zealand
- Oct 23 Anita Roddick, English businesswoman and cosmetic manufacturer (Body Shop), born in Littlehampton, West Sussex (d. 2007) [1]
Michael Crichton (1942-2008)
Oct 23 American novelist (Andromeda Strain, Congo, Looker) and filmmaker (Jurassic Park, ER), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Oct 24 Rolf Blättler, Swiss soccer midfielder who played 28 internationals; Grasshoppers, Lugano, FC St. Gallen, born in Uster, Switzerland (d. 2024)
- Oct 25 Terumasa Hino, Japanese jazz, avant-garde, and jazz-fusion trumpeter, cornetist and flügelhorn player, born in Tokyo, Japan
- Oct 26 Bob Hoskins, English actor (Who Framed Roger Rabbit), born in Bury St Edmunds, West Suffolk, England (d. 2014)
- Oct 26 Colin Loughnan, Australian rock and jazz saxophonist, vocalist, arranger, composer, and teacher (,Sydney Conservatorium of Music), born in Sydney, Australia
- Oct 26 Dietmar Polaczek, Austrian composer and writer, born in Bendsburg, Upper Silesia (now Będzin, Poland)
- Oct 26 John P "Jannie" Roux, South African secretary to Presidents Botha and De Klerk
- Oct 27 Lee Greenwood, American country singer ("God Bless the USA"; "I Don't Mind the Thorns (If You're the Rose)"), born in South Gate, California
- Oct 27 Mike Appel, American musician, songwriter and producer (Sir Lord Baltimore; Bruce Springsteen), born in Flushing, Queens, New York
- Oct 27 Philip Catherine, Belgian jazz guitarist (Chet Baker; Stephane Grappelli; Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen; Jean-Luc Ponty), born in London, England
- Oct 28 Kees Verkerk, Dutch skater World Champion (1967)/(Olympic gold 1968), born in Maasdam, Netherlands
- Oct 29 Bob Ross, American artist and television host, born in Daytona Beach, Florida (d. 1995)
- Oct 29 Johan Fleming Ramsland, British broadcaster (d. 1996)
- Oct 30 Sven-David Sandström, Swedish composer (Jeppe: The Cruel Comedy), born in Motala, Sweden (d. 2019)
- Oct 31 Dave McNally, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1969-70, 72; World Series 1966, 70; Baltimore Orioles), born in Billings, Montana (d. 2002)
- Oct 31 David Ogden Stiers, American stage and screen actor (M*A*S*H, 1977-83 - "Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III"; Lilo & Stitch), born in Peoria, Illinois (d. 2018)
Famous Weddings
Gregory Peck
Oct 4 Actor Gregory Peck (26) weds real estate broker Greta Kukkonen (31)
Louis Armstrong
Oct 12 American jazz musician Louis Armstrong (41) weds fourth and final wife, American Cotton Club dancer Lucille Wilson (28), at singer Velma Middleton's home in St. Louis, Missouri, until his death in 1971 [1]
Famous Divorces
Louis Armstrong
Oct 2 Jazz musician Louis Armstrong (41) divorces Alpha Smith after 4 years of marriage
Famous Deaths
- Oct 1 Ants Piip, Estonian Prime Minister (b. 1884)
- Oct 6 Erich Kuttner, German journalist and historian (Vorwarts), dies at 55
- Oct 8 Sergei Chaplygin, Russian physicist and engineer, dies at 73
- Oct 10 Richard von Schaukal, Moravian-Austria poet and writer (Schlemihle), dies at 68
- Oct 11 Leonid Vladimirovich Nikolayev, Russian-Soviet composer, dies at 64
- Oct 16 12, Dutch Communist Party-resistance fighter/3 NVV-hostages, executed
- Oct 18 Mikhail Nesterov, Russian painter (b. 1862)
- Oct 20 May Robson, Australian born actress (Star is Born, Reckless), dies at 84
- Oct 22 Gustave "Staff" de Clercq, Belgian politician, and Nazi sympathizer (Flemish Nationally Covenant), dies at 58
- Oct 22 Sybren Tulip, Dutch National Socialist Party (NSB) member, and Superintendent of Police in Amsterdam (1941-42), dies of rheumatic fever at 53
- Oct 23 Georg Stumme, German general, commandant of African corps, dies at 56
- Oct 23 Ralph Rainger [Reichenthal], American song and film composer (Thanks for the Memory; Love In Bloom), dies in a plane crash at 41
- Oct 24 Arthur Dolphin, cricketer (1 Test England 1921, 1 run, 1 catch), dies
- Oct 25 Ted Arnold, English cricketer (England all-rounder in 10 Tests 1903-05), dies at 65
- Oct 27 Helmuth Hübener, German anti-Nazi activist and pamphleteer, executed for treason at 17
