Historical Events
Sports History
Oct 1 Former NFL star O.J. Simpson is released from Nevada's Lovelock Prison after less than 9 years of detention of his 33 year sentence for armed robbery and kidnapping
- Oct 1 Presidents Cup Golf, Liberty National GC: Dustin Johnson stars with 4.5 points as US routs International team, 19-11; 7th straight American victory
- Oct 1 Stephen Paddock shoots dead 58 people, injuring 489, at a concert in Las Vegas in the deadliest mass shooting in American history
- Oct 2 US scientists Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael Young awarded Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine for work on the body clock
- Oct 3 King Felipe of Spain speaks out against the Catalan referendum saying organizers have "broken the rule of law"
- Oct 3 Nobel Prize for Physics awarded to Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves"
Trump Visits Puerto Rico
Oct 3 US President Donald Trump visits Puerto Rico after it was devastated by hurricane Maria
- Oct 4 Chinese pianist Lang Lang plays Carneige Hall one-handed due to injury with 14 year-old Maxim Lando playing his left hand for Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue"
- Oct 4 Nobel Prize for Chemistry awarded to Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson for their work on cryo-electron microscopy
Conference of Interest
Oct 4 UK Prime Minister Theresa May suffers a nightmare speech at Conservative National Conference as her voice fails, a prankster interrupts and the set collapses
Harvey Weinstein Scandal
Oct 5 "The New York Times" publishes investigation into sexual harassment behaviour by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein
- Oct 5 Iraqi forces claim victory and control over Islamic State's last urban stronghold Hawija, Northern Iraq
- Oct 5 Spanish constitutional court suspends Catalan parliament to prevent declaration of independence
- Oct 6 British writer Kazuo Ishiguro is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature
- Oct 6 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)
- Oct 6 Storm Nate kills at least 22 people passing through Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras
- Oct 6 Vegas Golden Knights make their NHL debut in Dallas, winning 2-1 over the Stars
- Oct 7 New Zealand clinch their 5th Rugby Championship with 25-24 win over South Africa at Cape Town; All Blacks undefeated in 6 games
- Oct 8 Wildfires ignite in Northern Californian wine country, killing at least 41 over the next week, with 20,000 evacutated
- Oct 9 American economist Richard Thaler is awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics
- Oct 9 Producer Harvey Weinstein is fired from The Weinstein Company after allegations of sexual abuse
Thor: Ragnarok
Oct 10 "Thor: Ragnarok" directed by Taika Waititi, starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Cate Blanchett premieres in Los Angeles, California
- Oct 10 Joel Embiid signs a five-year, $148 million designated rookie scale maximum contract extension with the 76ers
- Oct 11 TripAdvisor customer poll names The Black Swan in Oldstead, North Yorkshire, world's best restaurant
Event of Interest
Oct 12 Long-lost bust of Napoleon by Auguste Rodin confirmed found in Madison borough hall, New Jersey, worth at least $4m
- Oct 12 Plague outbreak in Madagascar kills 57, with 684 cases so far reported by WHO
Film & TV History
Oct 13 Actress Rose McGowan alleges that Harvey Weinstein raped her in 1997
- Oct 13 Archaeologists announce the discovery of Arabic characters "Allah” and “Ali” on Viking funeral costumes from a grave in Gamla Uppsala, Sweden
- Oct 13 Hungry bear crisis due to over-fishing leaves 2 people dead and 83 hostile bears shot on Sakhalin Island, Eastern Russia
- Oct 14 Producer Harvey Weinstein is expelled by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after historical revelations of sexual harassment and rape
- Oct 14 Spanish government says it will impose direct rule on Catalonia after the region voted for independence in a referendum
- Oct 14 Terrorist bomb attack in a truck in Mogadishu, Somalia leaves at more than 300 dead and hundreds injured
- Oct 15 500 wildfires occur in Portugal and Northern Spain fanned by winds from Hurricane Ophelia, killing at least 35
- Oct 15 60 Minutes and The Washington Post publish story detailing how Congress passed a bill sponsored by Tom Marino that hindered the fight against the opioid crisis
#MeToo Movement
Oct 15 Actress Alyssa Milano's tweet “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’" prompts flood of replies across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
Election of Interest
Oct 15 Austrian legislative elections: Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) win most seats (62), led by Sebastian Kurz (31)
- Oct 16 Findings published of neutron star collision that occurred two months prior on August 17, the first cosmic event seen in gravitational waves and light. Confirms heavy elements such as gold the result of such collisions
- Oct 16 Iraqi army seizes control of oil-rich Kirkuk, from Kurdish peshmerga
- Oct 16 Panama Papers Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia killed in a suspicious car bomb in Malta
- Oct 16 Storm formed from Hurricane Ophelia lashes Ireland, killing 3 people
- Oct 17 American short-story writer George Saunders wins the Man Booker Prize for his first novel "Lincoln in the Bardo"
Event of Interest
Oct 17 George Soros announces he has donated $18 billion to his grantmaking network the Open Society Foundations
- Oct 17 Islamic State headquarters Raqqa declared under full control of US-led alliance by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesman Talal Sello after 4 months of fighting
Event of Interest
Oct 17 Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declares city of Marawi "liberated" from militants
Conference of Interest
Oct 18 19th Chinese Communist Party congress opens in Beijing with President Xi Jinping delivering 3hr 23min speech heralding “new era”
- Oct 18 US congresswoman Frederica Wilson says President Donald Trump said to bereaved army family of Sgt. La David Johnson "He knew what he was signing up for, but I guess it hurts anyway"
Election of Interest
Oct 19 New Zealand Labour Party forms a coalition government led by Jacinda Ardern (37), youngest NZ leader in 161 years
- Oct 19 Outbreak of the Marburg virus declared by Uganda's Ministry of Health
- Oct 20 "Coco" Pixar animated film, the first nine-figure budget film with all-Latino cast premieres at Morelia film festival
- Oct 20 Pollution linked to 1 in 6 deaths worldwide or 9 million in 2015 in report published in "The Lancet"
- Oct 21 Spanish government suspends Catalonia's autonomy in the face of a deepening political crisis over the region's push for independence
- Oct 22 "LA Times" publishes investigation with 38 woman accusing Hollywood writer-director James Toback of sexual harassment
Theory of Happiness
Oct 24 Albert Einstein's "Theory of Happiness", written as a note for a bellboy instead of a tip in Tokyo in 1922 sells for $1.56 million
Moderate Islam for Saudi Arabia
Oct 24 Crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman vows to return Saudi Arabia to moderate Islam after announcing a $500b independent economic zone
- Oct 24 Dog doping scandal confirmed by officials of Iditarod, Alaskan dog sled race after dogs test positive for a banned substance
- Oct 25 Chinese Premier Xi Jinping unveils his new ruling council in the Great Hall of the People, none of the five are young enough to succeed him
- Oct 25 First fossil of a ichthyosaur (marine reptile, 152 million years old) found in India. Reports published in "Plos One" science journal.
Event of Interest
Oct 26 Cremation ceremony for King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand held in Bangkok, a year after his death
- Oct 26 Explosion and fire at a fireworks factory in Tangerang, Indonesia kills 47 and injuries dozens
- Oct 26 Jacinda Ardern is sworn in as Prime Minister of New Zealand, becoming the world’s youngest female head of government
- Oct 26 Oldest-known tsunami victim revealed by sediment discovered in 6,000 year-old skull by scientists near Aitape, Papua New Guinea
- Oct 26 US President Donald Trump declares the opioid crisis a public health emergency
- Oct 27 Catalan parliament meets and unilaterally declares independence from Spain
- Oct 27 First operation to separate conjoined twins joined at the head in India completed in New Delhi
- Oct 28 Spain's central government imposes direct rule on Catalonia, dismisses its government and calls for new elections in December
- Oct 28 Twin car bomb attacks in Mogadishu, Somalia, kill at least 27, Islamist militant group al-Shabab claim responsibility
F1 World Champion
Oct 29 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finishes a distant 9th in Mexican Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez; good enough to clinch his 4th F1 World Drivers Championship
Sports History
Oct 29 Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki beats American Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4 to win the WTA Finals title decider in Kallang, Singapore
Film & TV History
Oct 30 Actor Kevin Spacey issues apology after actor Anthony Rapp accuses him of inappropriate sexual behaviour when he was 14
Film & TV History
Oct 30 Gary Sinise is selected as Grand Marshal of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, which took place on January 1, 2018
Election of Interest
Oct 30 Kenyan election rerun, President Uhuru Kenyatta declared the winner with 38% turnout
- Oct 30 President Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort and associate Rick Gates are indicted on fraud charges, advisor George Papadopoulos pleads guilty to lying to the FBI
- Oct 30 US federal judge blocks President Trump's ban on transgender people in the military
- Oct 31 John Kelly, White House Chief of Staff comments in TV interview that “the lack of an ability to compromise led to the Civil War", draws criticism
- Oct 31 Judge on Maui, Hawaii orders man to write ex-girlfriend 144 compliments after violating protection order to send 144 nasty text messages
- Oct 31 Takahiro Shiraishi arrested in Zama, Japan, a day after nine dismembered bodies found in his apartment
- Oct 31 Terrorist attack in New York when a truck mows down people on a cycle lane, killing 8, injuring 10
- Oct 31 Two men convicted of raping and impregnating their 10-year-old niece in Chandigarh, India
Famous Weddings
Jason Momoa & Lisa Bonet
Oct 9 Actors Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa marry (divorced 2022)
Kacey Musgraves
Oct 14 American country singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves (29) weds American country singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly (29) in Tennessee; divorce in 2020
Famous Deaths
- Oct 1 Arthur "Art" Janov, American psychologist and psychotherapist notable for creating primal therapy (The Primal Scream), dies of natural causes at 93
- Oct 1 Peter Horak, Czech stuntman (Star Trek: Voyager: Throw Momma from the Train), dies at 74
- Oct 1 Robert D. Hales, American LDS Church apostle, dies at 85
- Oct 1 Samuel I Newhouse Jr., American magazine publisher (Parade, Vogue, Vanity Fair), dies at 89
- Oct 2 Klaus Huber, Swiss composer (Tenebrae) and academic, dies at 92
- Oct 2 Robert Yates, American auto racing team owner and engine builder (Yates Racing, NASCAR), dies from cancer at 74
Tom Petty (1950-2017)
Oct 2 American classic rock singer and songwriter (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - "American Girl"; Traveling Wilburys - "Last Night"; solo -"I Won't Back Down"), dies of an accidental overdose at 66
- Oct 3 Isabella Karle, American scientist who was instrumental in developing techniques to extract plutonium chloride, dies from a brain tumor at 95
Jalal Talabani (1933-2017)
Oct 3 Iraqi-Kurdish politician and President of Iraq (2005-2014), dies at 83
- Oct 3 Michel Jouvet, French neuroscientist and medical researcher who discovered the region of the brain that controls rapid eye movement (REM sleep), dies at 91
- Oct 3 Solly Hemus, American baseball infielder (St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies) and manager (St. Louis Cardinals 1959–61), dies at 94
- Oct 4 John Miller, American politician (Rep-R-WA, 1985-93), dies at 79
- Oct 4 Liam Cosgrave, Irish politician (Fine Gael Party), dies at 97
- Oct 6 Connie Hawkins, American professional basketball player, 1961-76 ABA MVP-1968 (Harlem Globetrotters, 1963-66; Phoenix Suns, L.A. Lakers), dies of cancer at 75
- Oct 6 Terry Downes, British middleweight boxing champion (1961-62), dies at 81
- Oct 7 Jim Landis, American MLB outfielder, 1957-67, 5X Gold Glove, 2X All-Star(Chicago White Sox, and 5 other teams), dies of lung cancer at 83
- Oct 8 Grady Tate, American jazz drummer (Oliver Nelson, Lalo Schifrin, Quincy Jones, Jimmy Smith), and singer, dies of complications from Alzheimer disease at 85 [1]
- Oct 8 Jerry Kleczka, American politician (Rep-D-WI, 1984-2005), dies at 73
- Oct 8 Y. A. Tittle, American NFL quarterback (Baltimore, San Francisco, NY Giants, MVP 1963), dies at 90
- Oct 9 Hervé Leroux, French fashion designer and founder of Hervé Léger fashion house, dies from a ruptured aneurysm at 60
- Oct 9 Jean Rochefort, French actor (Man on the Train, The Artist and the Model), dies at 87
- Oct 9 Vincent La Selva, American conductor (New York Grand Opera Company, 1973-2012), dies at 88 [1]
- Oct 12 Grape-kun, a Humbolt penguin from Tobu Zoo, who gained fame from the anime series "Kemono Friends", dies aged 21 (Miyashiro, Saitama Prefecture, Japan).
- Oct 14 Richard Wilbur, 2nd US Poet Laureate (Ceremony, Walking to Sleep), dies at 96
- Oct 16 Daphne Caruana Galizia, Maltese journalist (Panama Papers), killed by a car bomb at 53
- Oct 16 Roy Dotrice, British actor (A Moon for the Misbegotten, Amadeus) and narrator (A Song of Ice and Fire), dies at 94
- Oct 16 Sean Hughes, Irish stand-up comedian, writer and actor, dies at 51
- Oct 17 Danielle Darrieux, French stage and screen actress (Alexander the Great; Mayerling; 8 Women), dies due to injuries from a fall at 100
- Oct 17 Gordon Downie, Canadian rock musician (The Tragically Hip), dies of glioblastoma at 53
- Oct 17 Ingvar Lidholm, Swedish composer (Toccata e Canto), dies at 95
- Oct 17 Julian May, American sci-fi author (Golden Torc, Magnificat), dies at 86
- Oct 22 George Young, Scottish-Australian musician, songwriter and record producer (the Easybeats, Flash and the Pan), dies at 70
- Oct 22 Paul J. Weitz, American test pilot and NASA astronaut (Skylab 2, STS-6), dies at 85
Fats Domino (1928-2017)
Oct 24 American rhythm & blues piano player, singer, and star of the early rock ’n’ roll era ("Blueberry Hill"; "Blue Monday"; "Walkin' To New Orleans", dies from natural causes at 89
- Oct 24 Robert Guillaume [Williams], American actor (Rafiki- The Lion King, Sports Night, Benson, Soap), dies at 89
- Oct 25 Jack Bannon, American actor (Art in Lou Grant, Trauma Center), dies at 77
- Oct 25 John Manduell, British-based South African composer and educator (Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, 1973-96), dies at 89
- Oct 27 Jack Levy, English mechanical engineer, dies at 91
- Oct 27 Ladislav Kubík, Czech-American composer (Aulos; Subterranean River) and educator (Florida State University, 1990-2017), dies at 71
- Oct 29 Dennis Banks, American activist (leader of the American Indian Movement), dies at 80
- Oct 29 Muhal Richard Abrams, American educator and composer, dies at 87
- Oct 30 M V Sridhar, Indian cricketer (scored 366 for Hyderabad v Andhra Pradesh 1994), dies of a heart attack at 51
