Historical Events
Sports History
Oct 1 Brazilian soccer great Pelé plays his final game for the New York Cosmos in an exhibition against Santos in front of 75,000 at Giants Stadium; 1,281 goals in 1,363 games
Hall of Fame
Oct 1 Elton John honored by Madison Square Garden's MSG Hall of Fame
- Oct 1 New York Yankees end MLB season with 100-62 record; win 2nd consecutive AL East title; go on the win World Series 4-2 v LA Dodgers
- Oct 1 US Department of Energy established
F1 World Champion
Oct 2 Austrian Ferrari driver Niki Lauda finishes 4th in the US Grand Prix East at Watkins Glen to clinch his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; Englishman James Hunt wins the race
Baseball Record
Oct 2 Dusty Baker hits his 30th homer of the season against Astros' J.R. Richard; Dodgers become the first team in MLB history to have 4 players hit 30 or more HRs; joins Steve Garvey (33), Reggie Smith (32) and Ron Cey (30)
- Oct 2 Pakistani general Zia ul-Haq bans all opposition
Event of Interest
Oct 3 Indira Gandhi arrested
Music History
Oct 3 Victor Borge's "Comedy with Music" opens at Imperial Theater, NYC; runs for 66 performances
- Oct 5 Revival of Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni and James Rado's hippie musical "Hair" opens at Biltmore Theater, NYC; runs for 43 performances
- Oct 6 DL Coburns "Gin Game" premieres in NYC
- Oct 6 In Alicante, Spain, fascists attack a group of MCPV militants and sympathizers, and one MCPV sympathizer is killed.
- Oct 6 Yankees win AL pennant by rallying for 3 runs in 9th to beat KC Royals 5-3 in 5th & deciding playoff game
- Oct 7 USSR adoption of the Fourth Soviet Constitution.
- Oct 8 Largest baseball crowd in Penns, 64,924 see Dodgers beat Phillies 4-1 in 4th NL championship game (Dodgers win pennant)
- Oct 8 MLB National League Championship: Los Angeles Dodgers beat Philadelphia Phillies, 3 games to 1
- Oct 9 MLB American League Championship: New York Yankees beat Kansas City Royals, 3 games to 2
- Oct 9 Soyuz 25 launched to Saluyt 6, but returned after failing to dock
- Oct 9 Yanks rally for 3 in 9th & beat Royals 5-3 for pennant #31
- Oct 10 11th Country Music Association Awards: Ronnie Milsap wins
Historic Invention
Oct 11 American inventor Gordon Gould issued his first US patent for a optically pumped laser amplifier, 20 years after first claiming to have invented the laser
- Oct 11 Soyuz 25 returns to Earth
- Oct 12 "Throwaway Game" Catfish Hunter loses WS 6-1 resting Yank pitchers
- Oct 12 4th test of space shuttle Enterprise
- Oct 12 Psychic Romark attempts to drive blindfolded, smashed into cop van
- Oct 12 US Supreme Court heard arguments in "reverse discrimination" case of Allan Bakke, white student denied admission to University of California Med School
- Oct 14 American rock band Kiss release their 2nd live album "Alive II"
Sports History
Oct 14 Linda Ronstadt sings national anthem prior to World Series Game 3 at Dodger Stadium; criticised for casual attire but ranked by Washington Examiner as second-best rendition ever at a sporting event
- Oct 14 Princess Beatrice opens Amsterdam metro
Heroes
Oct 14 RCA releases David Bowie's 12th studio album, "Heroes"; his second collaboration with Brian Eno in what becomes known as his 'Berlin trilogy' features contributions from guitarist Robert Fripp
- Oct 15 "Serpentine Fire" single released by Earth, Wind & Fire (Billboard Song of the Year 1978)
- Oct 15 Arkansas' Steve Little kicks a record tying 67 yard field goal
- Oct 15 Debbie Boone's "You Light Up My Life" goes #1 & stays #1 for 10 weeks
- Oct 15 Don Ritchie runs world record 100 mile (11:30:51)
- Oct 17 Canada begins regular live TV coverage of Parliament
- Oct 17 West German commandos storm hijacked Lufthansa in Mogadishu, Somalia freeing all 86 hostages & killing 3 of 4 hijackers
- Oct 18 1st Islander 0-0 tie-Kings at Nassau-25th time shutout-Resch's 15th
World Series
Oct 18 Baseball World Series: Reggie Jackson hits 3 consecutive HRs tying Babe Ruth's WS record; NY Yankees beat LA Dodgers, 8-4 to clinch, 4-2 series win; MVP: Yankees outfielder Reggie Jackson
- Oct 18 NY Yankees win their 21st World Championship, 4 games
- Oct 18 West German commandos liberate Boeing 737 with 86 hostages at Mogadishu
- Oct 18 Yanks beat Dodgers 8-4 for 21st world championship, 1st in 15 years
- Oct 19 Corpse of kidnapped West German business executive Hanns Martin Schleyer is found
- Oct 19 Supersonic jet Concorde makes its 1st landing in NYC, a passengerless test flight by Air France, two days after US Supreme Court overrules local authority's ban [1]
Event of Interest
Oct 20 David Mamet's "Life in the Theater" premieres in NYC
- Oct 20 Plane chartered by rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd runs out of fuel and crashes in a wooded area near Gillsburg, Mississippi. Six people are killed, including band members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gains, and Cassie Gaines, and road manager Dean Kilpatrick
- Oct 20 Revival of stage play "Dracula" premieres in NYC starring Frank Langella as Dracula
- Oct 21 The European Patent Institute is founded.
- Oct 21 US recalls William Bowdler, ambassador to South Africa
- Oct 22 International Sun-Earth Explorers 1 & 2 launched into Earth orbit
- Oct 23 Despite not driving in season ending Japanese Grand Prix, Austrian Niki Lauda wins his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 17 points from Jody Scheckter of South Africa
New York City Marathon
Oct 23 New York City Marathon: defending champion Bill Rodgers wins in 2:11:38; Miki Gorman retains women's title in 2:43:10
- Oct 23 Paleontologist Elso Barghoorn announces discovery of a 3.4-billion year old one-celled fossil, one of the earliest life forms on Earth
- Oct 23 Panamanians vote 2:1 to approve new Canal treaties
- Oct 25 Digital Equipment Corporation releases OpenVMS V1.0.
- Oct 26 5th & final test of space shuttle Enterprise
- Oct 26 Dr Clifford R Wharton Jr named chancellor of State University of New York
- Oct 26 Last natural case of smallpox discovered in Merca district, Somalia. Considered the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, the most spectacular success of vaccination
- Oct 26 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Oct 27 Amsterdam businessman M Caransa kidnapped
- Oct 27 NASA launches space vehicle S-200
The Act
Oct 29 John Kander and Fred Ebb's musical "The Act", starring Liza Minnelli and directed by Martin Scorsese, opens at Majestic Theater, NYC; runs for 233 performances and wins a Tony Award for Liza
- Oct 29 Texas' Russell Erideben kicks his 3rd 60 yard field goal of the season
- Oct 29 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- Oct 30 Panama 747SP lands after polar flight around Earth in record 54:07
Famous Birthdays
- Oct 6 Daniel Brière, Canadian NHL ice hockey player, 1997- 2015 (Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, and 2 other teams), and team executive, 2017-present(Philadelphia), born in Gatineau, Quebec,
- Oct 6 Jamie Laurie, American rapper-rocker (Flobots - "Handlebars"), born in Denver, Colorado
- Oct 6 Shimon Gershon, Israeli footballer (1995-2010), born in Tel Aviv, Israel
- Oct 6 Vladimir Manchev, Bulgarian footballer
- Oct 7 Brandon Quinn, American actor, born in Aurora, Colorado
- Oct 7 Meighan Desmond, New Zealand actress, born in Kaitaia, New Zealand
- Oct 8 Anne-Caroline Chausson, French cyclist (Olympic gold BMX 2008; World C'ship gold x 16), born in Dijon, France
- Oct 8 Erna Siikavirta, Finnish heavy metal keyboardist (Deathlike Silence, 2006-08; Lordi, 1997-2005), born in Espoo, Finland
- Oct 9 Brian Roberts, American baseball second baseman (MLB All-Star 2005, 07; AL stolen base leader 2007; Baltimore Orioles), born in Durham, North Carolina
- Oct 11 Claudia Palacios, Colombian television journalist, born in Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
- Oct 11 Desmond Mason, American basketball player, born in Waxahachie, Texas
- Oct 11 Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Indian-Canadian Sikh separatist leader of the Khalistan movement for an independent Sikh state, born in Bhar Singh Pura, Punjab, India (d. 2023)
- Oct 11 Matt Bomer, American actor (The Normal Heart), born in Webster Groves, Missouri
- Oct 11 Rhett James McLaughlin, American YouTube comedian (Good Mythical Morning), born in Macon, Georgia
- Oct 11 Ty Wigginton, American baseball player, born in San Diego, California
- Oct 12 Bode Miller, American alpine ski-racer (Olympic gold 2010), born in Easton, New Hampshire
- Oct 12 Christie Kerr, American golfer (US Open 2007, PGA Championship 2010), born in Miami, Florida
- Oct 12 Javier Toyo, Venezuelan football goalkeeper (Venezuela national football team), born in Caracas, Venezuela
- Oct 13 Gareth Batty, English cricketer, born in Bradford, Yorkshire
- Oct 13 Kiele Sanchez, American actress (The Glades), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Oct 13 Paul Pierce, American basketball player, born in Oakland, California
- Oct 14 Freddy Kempf, British musician (BBC Young Musician of the Year), born in Croydon, England
- Oct 14 Jonathan Kerrigan, English actor
- Oct 14 Kelly Schumacher, Canadian basketball player
- Oct 14 Tina Dico [Dickow], Danish singer-songwriter, born in Åbyhøj, Aarhus, Denmark
- Oct 15 David Trezeguet, French football player (AS Monaco, Juventus), born in Rouen, France
- Oct 15 Erin McKeown, American indie rock-folk musician and singer-songwriter, (We Will Become Like Birds), born in Fredericksburg, Virginia
- Oct 15 Masato Kawabata, Japanese racing driver, born in Osaka, Japan
- Oct 15 Patricio Urrutia, Ecuadorian footballer, born in Ventanas, Ecuador
John Mayer (46 years old)
Oct 16 American guitarist and singer-songwriter ("Your Body Is A Wonderland"; "Waiting For The World To Change'), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Oct 17 Bryan Bertino, American film director and screenwriter
- Oct 17 Dudu Aouate, Israeli footballer
- Oct 18 Chris McKenna, American actor (Joey-One Live to Live), born in Queens, New York
- Oct 18 David Vuillemin, French professional Motocross Rider, born in Berre-l'Étang, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
- Oct 18 Ryan Nelsen, New Zealand footballer
- Oct 18 Simon Rix, British rock bassist (Kaiser Chiefs - "Ruby"), born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
- Oct 19 DJ Assault [Craig De Shan Adams], American ghettotech DJ, record producer and musician, born in Detroit, Michigan [some sources cite birth as 1973-08-28]
- Oct 19 Jason Reitman, Canadian filmmaker (Juno; Up In The Air), born in Montreal, Quebec
- Oct 19 Louis-José Houde, Canadian stand-up comic, born in Saint-Apollinaire, Quebec
- Oct 19 Raúl Tamudo, Spanish footballer
- Oct 20 Hanke Bruins Slot, Dutch politician (Minister of the Interior, 2022-present; House of Representatives, 2010-19). and army veteran, born in Apeldoorn, Netherlands
- Oct 20 Leila Josefowicz, Canadian-American classical violinist, born in Mississauga, Ontario
- Oct 20 Matt Jansen, English footballer, born in Carlisle, England
- Oct 20 Sam Witwer, American actor (Battlestar Galactica, Riverdale), born in Glenview, Illinois
- Oct 21 Matthew Ramsey, American country music songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist (Old Dominion -"Break Up With Him"; "Snapback"), born in Buchanan, Virginia
- Oct 24 Iván Kaviedes, Ecuadorian football player, born in Santo Domingo, Ecuador
- Oct 25 Birgit Prinz, German footballer (three-time FIFA World Player of the Year), born in Frankfurt am Main, West Germany
- Oct 26 Jon Heder, American actor (Napoleon Dynamite), born in Fort Collins, Colorado
- Oct 27 Jiří Jarosík, Czech footballer, born in Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia
- Oct 27 Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lankan cricketer, born in Matale, Sri Lanka
- Oct 29 Brendan Fehr, Canadian actor (CSI: Miami), born in New Westminister, British Columbia
- Oct 30 Charmian Faulkner, Australian crime victim (went missing with her mother from St Kilda, Victoria, Australia, in 1980), born in Colac, Victoria, Australia
- Oct 30 Jason Adelman, American actor (Talisman), born in Los Angeles, California
- Oct 31 Séverine Ferrer, French pop singer, born in Montpellier, France
- Oct 31 Sylviane Félix, French athlete, born in Créteil, France
Famous Weddings
George Foreman
Oct 6 Professional boxer George Foreman (28) weds Cynthia Lewis
Peter Boyle
Oct 21 Actor Peter Boyle (42) weds Loraine Alterman at the United Nations chapel in Manhattan
Famous Deaths
- Oct 4 Del Porter, American jazz singer (Foursome - "Walkin' My Baby Back Home"; Spike Jones and His City Slickers - "Der Fuehrer's Face"), dies at 75
- Oct 8 Giorgos Papasideris, Greek country singer, composer and lyricist, dies at 75
- Oct 10 Angelo Muscat, Maltese-born British actor (The Prisoner, Doctor Who), dies at 47
- Oct 10 Jean Duvieusart, 36th Prime Minister of Belgium, dies at 77
- Oct 11 MacKinlay Kantor, American novelist (Andersonville), dies at 73
- Oct 11 Mason Gross, professor (Think Fast, 2 for the Money), dies at 66
- Oct 12 Doris Davenport, actress (Behind the News, Westerner), dies at 81
- Oct 12 Jan Zrzavý, Czech painter, dies at 86
Bing Crosby (1903-1977)
Oct 14 American singer ("White Christmas", "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy") and actor ("Going My Way"), dies of a heart attack at 74
- Oct 15 Ralph Truman, British actor (Henry V, Treasure Island, Web of Evidence), dies at 77
- Oct 16 Michael Balcon, English film producer (head of Ealing Studios), dies at 81
- Oct 17 Cal Hubbard, American Baseball HOF umpire (AL 1936-51) and Pro/College Football HOF tackle (4 × NFL C'ship 1927, 29–31; 4 × First-team All-Pro; NY Giants, GB Packers), dies of cancer at 77
Andreas Baader (1943-1977)
Oct 18 German left-wing militant and leader of the Red Army Faction, commits suicide along with other RAF leaders at 34
- Oct 18 Gudrun Ensslin, German terrorist and founder of the Red Army Faction, commits suicide along with other RAF leaders at 37
- Oct 18 Hanns Martin Schleyer, German industrialist, murdered by leftist kidnappers at 64
- Oct 18 Jan-Carl Raspe (b. 1944)
- Oct 18 Kristian Hauger, Norwegian jazz pianist, orchestra leader and songwriter ("Charleston i Grukkedalen"), dies at 71
- Oct 18 Rolph Grant, West Indian cricketer (West Indian captain on 1939 England tour), dies at 67
- Oct 20 Cassie Gaines, American rock singer (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies in a plane crash at 28
- Oct 20 Ronnie Van Zant, American rock musician (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies in a plane crash at 29
- Oct 20 Steve Gaines, American rock vocalist and guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies in a plane crash at 28
- Oct 21 Ferit Tüzün, Turkish composer (Esintiler - Inspirations; The Ears of Midas), and conductor (Turkish State Opera and Ballet Orchestra, 1959-77), dies at 48
- Oct 24 Hugo Myrtelius, Swedish conductor, composer, and educator, dies at 85
- Oct 27 (Anton) "Tony" Hulman Jr., American businessman and motorsport entrepreneur (owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 1945-77), dies of heart failure at 76
- Oct 27 James M. Cain, American writer (Postman Always Rings Twice), dies at 85
- Oct 27 Peg Leg Sam [Arthur Jackson], American country blues harmonica player, singer and comedian, dies at 65
- Oct 28 Kaj Birket-Smith, Danish philologist and anthropologist (studied Inuit and Eyak), dies at 84
- Oct 31 Joan Tetzel, American actress (Hell Below Zero, Joy in the Morning), dies of cancer at 56
