What Happened in October 1948

Historical Events

Proconsul africanus

Oct 6 Paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey finds the first partial fossil skull of Proconsul africanus, an ancestor of apes and humans on Rusinga Island, Kenya

Oct 9 WXYZ TV channel 7 in Detroit, MI (ABC) begins broadcasting
Oct 10 Then record 86,288 see game 5 of World Series in Cleveland
Oct 11 "Love Life" opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 252 performances
Oct 11 Baseball World Series: Cleveland Indians beat Boston Braves, 4-3 at Braves Field to clinch series, 4 games to 2; Indians second championship in team history
Oct 11 Frank Loesser's musical "Where's Charley?", starring Ray Bolger, and directed by George Abbott, opens at St James Theater, NYC; runs for 792 performances and wins a Tony Award

Stengel Manages Yankees

Oct 12 Casey Stengel takes over as Yankee manager

Baseball Hall of Fame Manager Casey Stengel

Oct 14 Batavia lt-governor-general van Mook dismissed
Oct 14 Large scale fighting between Israel & Egypt
Oct 15 China's Red army occupies Chinchou in Guangdong

Event of Interest

Oct 16 Demonstration by Moscow Jews honoring Israeli ambassador Golda Meir

Oct 16 Revival of Victor Herbert and Henry Blossom's operetta "The Red Mill" opens at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC; rums for 831 performances
Oct 18 Operation 10 Plagues - Israeli offensive against Egyptian army
Oct 19 "My Romance" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 95 performances
Oct 21 Beersheba liberated by Israeli army
Oct 21 Dutch Constellation crashes at Prestwick Scotland (40 murder)
Oct 21 Facsimile high-speed radio transmission demonstrated (Washington, D.C.)
Oct 21 UN rejects Russian proposal to destroy atomic weapons
Oct 22 First Arab–Israeli War: Israeli Navy sinks Egyptian Navy flagship 'King Farouk' using explosive-laden motorboat in the Mediterranean Sea near Gaza
Oct 24 Bernard Baruch introduces the term "Cold War"
Oct 24 Francis Poulenc's "Sinfonietta" premieres

Catholic Encyclical

Oct 24 Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical In Multiplicibus Curis

Oct 24 WJBK TV channel 2 in Detroit, MI (CBS) begins broadcasting
Oct 25 Special Council of Annulment convicts writer Friedrich Weinreb for collaboration with the Nazis

The State of Siege

Oct 27 Albert Camus' play "The State of Siege (L'État de siège)" premieres in Paris

Oct 27 Israel recaptures Nizzanim in Negev

Senegalese Democratic Bloc

Oct 27 Léopold Sédar Senghor founds the Senegalese Democratic Bloc (BDS).

Poet and 1st President of Senegal Léopold Sédar Senghor

Oct 28 Flag of Israel is adopted
Oct 29 Israeli forces liberate Meron & Gush-Halev
Oct 29 Safsaf massacre, Israeli defence forces attack Palestinian village of Safsaf in the Galilee
Oct 30 20 die & 6,000 made ill by smog in Donora, Pennsylvania
Oct 30 Operation Hiram: Israelis take control of Galilee

1948 History

Famous Birthdays

Oct 1 Ellen McIlwaine, American blues singer-songwriter, and slide guitarist ("Honky Tonky Angel"; “In My Time of Dying"), born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 2021)
Oct 1 Michael "Cub" Koda, American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (Brownsville Station - "Smokin' In The Boys Room'), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2000)

Peter Blake (1948-2001)

Oct 1 New Zealand yachtsman (Whitbread Round the World Race 1989-90; America's Cup 1995, 2000) and Special Envoy UN Environment Program, born in Auckland, New Zealand

Oct 2 Avery Brooks, American actor (Spenser for Hire, Deep Space 9), born in Evansville, Indiana
Oct 2 Chris LeDoux, American country singer ("Ridin' for a Fall"), born in Biloxi, Mississippi (d. 2005)
Oct 2 Donna Karan, American fashion designer (Coty Award-1977), born in Forest Hills, New York
Oct 2 Leslie Frankenheimer, American film set designer (4 Emmy Awards), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2013)
Oct 2 Persis Khambatta, Indian actress (Star Trek, Megaforce), born in Mumbai, India (d. 1998)
Oct 2 Robert Anderson, New Zealand cricket batsman (9 Tests; top score 92 1976), born in Christchurch, Canterbury
Oct 2 Sir Trevor Brooking, English soccer midfielder (47 caps; West Ham United 528 games), born in Barking, Essex
Oct 2 Yuri Vasenin, Russian soccer midfielder (9 caps USSR; FC Zorya Voroshylovhrad), born in Chernyakhovsk, Russia (d. 2022)
Oct 3 Michael Medved, American film critic, political commentator, and radio host, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 3 Ramesh Mishra, Indian sarangi, a 3-string bowed traditional music instrument, player (Aerosmith - "Taste of India"), born in Varanasi, India (d. 2017)
Oct 4 Linda McMahon, CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment
Oct 4 Tom Webster, Canadian ice hockey right wing (Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings) and coach (NY Rangers, LA Kings), born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario (d. 2020)
Oct 5 Delroy Wilson, Jamaican ska and reggae singer ("Cool Operator"), born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 1995)
Oct 5 Lucius "Tawl" Ross, American pop guitarist (Funkadelic - "One Nation Under a Groove"), born in Wagram, North Carolina
Oct 5 Russell Mael, American singer, engineer and director (Sparks), born in Santa Monica, California
Oct 5 Sal Viscuso, American actor (Soap, Montefuscos), born in Brooklyn, New York
Oct 5 Yuriy Dehteryov, Ukrainian soccer goalkeeper (17 caps USSR; Shakhtar Donetsk 321 games), born in Donetsk, Ukraine (d. 2022)
Oct 5 Zoran Živković, Serbian writer, born in Belgrade, Serbia
Oct 6 Dan Hamburg, American politician (US Rep-D-California, 1993-95), and environmentalist, born in St. Louis, Missouri

Gerry Adams (75 years old)

Oct 6 Northern Irish politician (President of Sinn Féin, 1983-2018), born in the Ballymurphy, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Oct 6 Glenn Branca, American avant-garde composer and guitarist, born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Oct 6 Larry Lloyd, English soccer defender who played 4 internationals; Liverpool, Nottingham Forest; and manager Wigan Athletic, Notts County, born in Bristol, England
Oct 6 Paula Scher, American graphic designer, album cover designer (Boston; Bob James), painter and art educator, born in Washington, D.C.
Oct 6 Tim Pickup, Australian rugby league five eighth (11 Tests; North Sydney, Canterbury), RL executive (Adelaide Rams) and boxing manager (Jeff Harding), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 2021)
Oct 7 Diane Ackerman, American poet and essayist, born in Waukegan, Illinois
Oct 8 Benjamin Cheever, American novelist and editor (The Partisan)
Oct 8 Claude Jade, French actress (Stolen Kisses), born in Dijon, France (d. 2006)

Johnny Ramone (1948-2004)

Oct 8 American punk rock guitarist and songwriter (Ramones - "I Wanna Be Sedated"), born in Long Island, New York

Oct 8 Pedro Alonso López, Colombian serial killer known as the 'The Monster of the Andes' (120-300+ victims), born in Santa Isabel, Tolima, Colombia
Oct 8 Sarah Purcell, American actress and TV hostess (Real People), born in Richmond, Indiana
Oct 8 Stephanie Marrian [Stefanie Khan], French model, actress and comedienne (Benny Hill Show), born in Paris, France
Oct 9 Caleb Quaye, British session and touring rock guitarist (Elton John; Hall & Oates), born in London, England
Oct 9 Dave Samuels, American vibraphonist (Spyro Gyra - "Morning Dance"), born in Waukegan, Illinois (d. 2019)

Jackson Browne (75 years old)

Oct 9 American rock singer-songwriter ("Running On Empty"; "The Pretender"), born in Heidelberg, Germany

Oct 9 Luiza Trajano, Brazilian businessperson (Magazine Luiza), born in Franco, Brazil
Oct 10 Cyril Neville, American singer and percussionist (Neville Brothers), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
Oct 10 Ed Volker, American swamp-rock keyboardist (The Radiators), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
Oct 10 Séverine [Josiane Grizeau], French singer (Un banc, un arbre, une rue), born in Paris
Oct 12 Rick Parfitt, British pop guitarist and singer (Status Quo - "Wanderer"; "Pictures of Matchstick Men"), born in Surrey, England (d. 2016)
Oct 13 John Ford Coley, American musician (England Dan & John Ford Coley - "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight"), born in Dallas, Texas
Oct 13 Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistani qawwal (Sufi devotional music) vocalist, and composer, born in Lyallpur, Pakistan (d. 1997)
Oct 13 Pete Spencer, British drummer and songwriter (Smokie, 1973-86 - "This Time We'll Get It Right"; "San Francisco Bay"), born in Leeds, England
Oct 13 Ted Poe, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas), born in Temple, Texas
Oct 14 André Guesdon, French soccer defender (Monaco, Nice) and manager (Viry-Châtillon, Angers, Brest), born in Benouville, France (d. 2020)
Oct 14 David Ruprecht, American game show host, born in St. Louis, Missouri
Oct 14 Engin Arık, Turkish nuclear physicist, born in Istanbul (d. 2007)
Oct 16 Hema Malini, Indian Actress
Oct 16 Jim Ed Norman [Edward James Norman], American musician and record producer, born in Fort Myers, Florida
Oct 16 Leo Mazzone, American baseball coach
Oct 16 Michael Tylo, American actor (Guiding Light, Blade-Young & Restless), born in Detroit, Michigan
Oct 16 Rich Caster, American football wide receiver-tight end (Super Bowl XVII Washington Redskins; Pro Bowl 1972, 74, 75 New York Jets), born in Mobile, Alabama (d. 2024)
Oct 17 George Wendt, American actor (Norm in Cheers), born in Chicago, Illinois
Oct 17 Margot Kidder, Canadian American actress (Lois Lane in Superman films, Amityville Horror), born in Yellowknife, Canada (d. 2018)
Oct 18 Isabel E Allen, biostatician
Oct 18 Ntozake Shange, American author
Oct 19 Chester "Chet" Biscardi, Italian-American composer, born in Kenosha, Wisconsin
Oct 19 Patrick Simmons, American rock guitarist and songwriter (The Doobie Brothers - "Blackwater"), born in Aberdeen, Washington
Oct 19 Peter Solley, British progressive rock session and touring Hammond organ player and keyboardist (Paladin; Procol Harum, 1975-77; Whitesnake, 1978), born in London, England
Oct 20 Andrei Suraikin, Russian pairs figure skater (Olympic silver 1972), born in Leningrad, USSR
Oct 20 Robert A. Borski, American politician (Rep-D-PA, 1983-2003), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 20 Sandra Dickinson [née Searles], American-British stage, screen, cartoon, and radio actress (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - "Trillian"), born in Washington, D.C.
Oct 21 Moses J "Moss" Mayekiso, South African union/SACP-leader
Oct 21 Shaye Cohen, Historian and Professor at Harvard University
Oct 21 Tom Everett, American actor
Oct 22 Håkon Austbø, Norwegian classical pianist, recording artist, and music professor (Amsterdam Conservatory), born in Kongsberg, Norway
Oct 22 John Peterson, American freestyle wrestler (Olympic gold 82 kg 1976), born in Cumberland, Wisconsin
Oct 22 Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, American criminal, and Manson family cult member who attempted to assassinate US President Gerald Ford, born in Santa Monica, California
Oct 22 Mike Hendrick, English cricket fast bowler (30 Tests, 87 wickets; 22 ODIs; Derbyshire CCC), born in Darley Dale, England (d. 2021)
Oct 23 Brian Ross, American Emmy and Peabody Award television journalist (NBC, 1974-94; ABC, 1994-2019), born in Chicago, Illinois
Oct 23 Hermann Hauser, Austrian-born entrepreneur (Acorn Computers), born in Vienna, Austria
Oct 24 Dale "Buffin" Griffin, English rock drummer (Mott The Hoople - "All Young Dudes"), and producer (BBC's John Peel sessions), born in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, England (d. 2016)
Oct 24 Keith Sykes, American folk-roots rock singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer, born in Murray, Kentucky
Oct 24 Kweisi Mfume, American politician (Rep-D-Maryland) and CEO of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), born in Baltimore, Maryland
Oct 24 Paul and Barry Ryan, British composers and singers, born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Oct 24 Phil Bennett, Welsh rugby union fly-half (29 Tests Wales, 8 British & Irish Lions; Barbarians FC; Llanelli RFC 414 games & 2,535 points), born in Felinfoel, Wales (d. 2022)
Oct 25 Dan Gable, American 68kg freestyle wrestler (Olympic gold 1972), born in Waterloo, Iowa
Oct 25 Dan Issel, American NBA coach and player (27,482 points, Denver Nuggets), born in Batavia, Illinois
Oct 25 Daniel Mark Epstein, American poet and biographer (Abraham Lincoln), born in Washington, D.C.

Dave Cowens (75 years old)

Oct 25 American NBA forward, 1970-80, 1982-83, Rookie of the Year, 8X All-Star (Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks), and coach, 1978-79, 1996-2001 (Boston, Charlotte Hornets), born in Newport, Kentucky

Oct 26 Marshall Colt, American actor (Eric-Lottery), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
Oct 27 Byron Allred, American rock keyboardist (Steve Miller Band), born in Logan, Utah
Oct 27 Sherman Robertson, American blues guitarist (I'm the Man), born in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
Oct 28 Rickie Lee Reynolds, American southern rock guitarist (Black Oak Arkansas - "Jim Dandy (To the Rescue)"), born in Manila, Arkansas (d. 2021)
Oct 28 Telma Hopkins, American singer (Tony Orlando & Dawn - "Tie A Yellow Ribbon"), and actress (Family Matters), born in Louisville, Kentucky
Oct 28 Valeri Viktorovich Baberdin, Russian colonel/cosmonaut

Kate Jackson (75 years old)

Oct 29 American actress (Rookies, Charlie's Angels), born in Birmingham, Alabama

Oct 30 Rusty Goffe, English character actor (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Stupid!), born in Herne Bay, England
Oct 30 Toby Scott, American audio engineer and sound mixer (Bruce Springsteen), born in California

Born in 1948

Famous Weddings

Fidel Castro

Oct 11 Fellow students Fidel Castro and Mirta Diaz-Balart marry (divorced 1955)

Gerald Ford & Betty Ford

Oct 15 38th US President Gerald Ford (35) weds department store fashion consultant Betty Bloomer Warren (30) at Grace Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids

Oct 21 Science fiction pioneering author "Stranger in a Strange Land" Robert A. Heinlein marries 3rd wife Virginia "Ginny" Gerstenfeld

Oct 22 American farm labor leader Cesar Chavez (21) weds American labor activist Helen Fabela (20) in Reno, Nevada in civil ceremony, followed later by a church service in California; marriage lasts until his death in 1993

Famous Deaths

Oct 4 Arthur Whitten Brown, British aviator (first nonstop airplane crossing of the Atlantic with John W. Alcock), dies at 62
Oct 8 Sven Holger Körling, Swedish organist, music teacher, and composer of children's songs, dies at 69
Oct 12 Alfred Kerr, German-British writer, dies at 80
Oct 12 Susan Sutherland Isaacs, English educational psychologist and psychoanalyst, dies at 63
Oct 13 Samuel S. Hinds, American actor (Raven, Test Pilot), dies at 73
Oct 15 Edythe Chapman, American actress (b. 1863)
Oct 16 Henry Foley, New Zealand cricket batsman (1 Test; NZ's first Test match; Wellington CA), dies at 42
Oct 18 Walther von Brauchitsch, German field marshal (WWII), dies before his war crimes trail starts, at 67
Oct 22 August Hlond, Polish cardinal of the Roman Catholic church, dies at 67
Oct 23 Eugeniusz Morawski-Dabrowa, Polish composer, dies at 71

Franz Lehár (1870-1948)

Oct 24 Austrian-Hungarian composer (Wiener Frauen), dies at 78

Oct 31 Cissy van Marxfield [Setske Beek-de Han], Dutch children's writer, dies at 58

On This Day