What Happened in October 2020

Historical Events

Hope Hicks Positive

Oct 1 US White House aide Hope Hicks tests positive for COVID-19

Trump Tests Positive

Oct 2 US President Donald Trump announces via twitter that he and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19, President hospitalized later that day

45th US President, Businessman and TV Personality Donald Trump

Oct 3 The UK's wettest day on record, with average of 31.7mm (1.24ins) across the country in wake of Storm Alex
Oct 5 At least 14m tonnes of plastic pieces are at the bottom of the ocean, 30 times more than on the surface according to new research [1]
Oct 5 India COVID-19 death toll passes 100,000, with 6.6 million known cases, 3rd highest death toll in the world behind the US and Brazil
Oct 5 Nobel Prize for Medicine awarded jointly to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice for the discovery of hepatitis C virus [1]
Oct 5 US President Donald Trump leaves Walter Reed National Military Medical Center while still infectious with COVID-19 and returns to the White House
Oct 5 WHO estimates 10% of world's population may have been infected with COVID-19, more than 20 times the number of confirmed cases
Oct 6 Nobel Prize for Physics awarded to Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea M. Ghez for work on black holes
Oct 7 Hurricane Delta makes landfall on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, with 100-mph winds, the 25th named storm for 2020
Oct 7 Nobel Prize for Chemistry awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier, and Jennifer A. Doudna “for the development of a method for genome editing”
Oct 8 American poet Louise Glück is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature
Oct 8 FBI charge 13 men with plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and storm the Michigan Capitol
Oct 9 The UN's World Food Programme is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
Oct 10 French Open Women's Tennis: 19-year-old Iga Świątek of Poland wins her country's first singles major title; beats American Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-1
Oct 10 Italian teenage computer genius Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia at 15, beatified by the Catholic Church in Assisi, Italy

Sports History

Oct 11 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins Eifel Grand Prix at Germany's Nürburgring to equal Michael Schumacher's record of 91 Formula 1 victories

French Open Men's Tennis

Oct 11 French Open Men's Tennis: Rafael Nadal beats Novak Đoković 6-0, 6-2, 7-5; 20th Grand Slam singles title; record 13th French singles title

Oct 11 India records more than 7 million cases of COVID-19

NBA Finals

Oct 11 NBA Finals: LA Lakers beat Miami Heat 106-93 in Game 6 to win record equalling 17th title; MVP: LeBron James; first to win the award with 3 different teams

PGA Championship

Oct 11 Women's PGA Championship, Aronimink GC: Sei Young KIm wins her first major title by 5 strokes from fellow South Korean Inbee Park; shoots tournament record total 266

Oct 12 China announces it will test entire city of Qingdao, 9 million people, for COVID-19 within five days after a dozen cases discovered
Oct 12 Nobel Prize for Economics awarded to Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson for their contributions to auction theory

COVID-19 Pandemic

Oct 12 UK PM Boris Johnson announces a new three-tier system for COVID-19 restrictions as cases surge

Billboard Music Awards

Oct 14 27th Billboard Music Awards: Post Malone wins 6; Billie Eilish wins 2

Event of Interest

Oct 14 A copy of William Shakespeare's First Folio sells for a record $9.98 million at auction in New York

Oct 14 Details of the world's first room-temperature superconductor created by scientists at the University of Rochester, NY, published in "Nature" [1]

COVID-19 Pandemic

Oct 14 French president Emmanuel Macron announces a public health emergency and a curfew of 9 pm for nine cities due to surge in COVID-19 cases

Oct 14 NFL cancels Pro Bowl game scheduled for 31 January, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Oct 15 Thai government issues emergency decree banning public gatherings amid increasing pro-democracy protests and criticism of the king
Oct 16 French teacher Samuel Paty beheaded by 18-year-old Islamist militant in Paris suburb of Éragny
Oct 17 Chicago declared the 'rattiest city' in America for the sixth year in a row by pest control service Orkin

Election of Interest

Oct 17 Labour Party headed by Jacinda Ardern re-elected in a landslide in New Zealand's general election

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

Oct 18 Bolivia elects Luis Arce President and his party, Movement for Socialism back into government
Oct 19 Belgium officials say country facing a "tsunami" of COVID-19 cases amid new restrictions and figures it has third-highest number of Covid-related deaths per 100,000 people globally
Oct 19 Irish government moves country to highest level of COVID-19 restrictions amid rising cases
Oct 19 Ming handscroll painting “Ten Views of Lingbi Rock” by Wu Bin sells for 512.9 million yuan ($77 million) at auction in Beijing, a new world record for a classical Chinese work
Oct 19 Peru announces rediscovered 37m figure of a cat, completed 500 BC to 200 AD, a geoglyph outline in the Nazca Desert
Oct 19 US charges six Russian military officers with massive cyber-attack meant to disrupt 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 2017 French presidential election, and Ukraine's power grid
Oct 20 Argentina becomes the fifth country in the world to record over 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases with the death toll at 26,716
Oct 20 Nigerian police open fire on protesters in Lagos amid escalating protests against police violence around the country
Oct 20 US Justice Department sues Google for illegal monopoly over search and search advertising
Oct 20 Vietnam suffers its worst floods in decades with over 100 people killed according to the Red Cross

CMT Music Awards

Oct 21 19th CMT Video Music Awards: Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan win

Country Music Singer-Songwriter Luke Bryan

Oct 21 FBI says Iran and Russia have US voter information and are trying to influence outcome of US election
Oct 21 Nasa Osiris-Rex spacecraft lands briefly on asteroid Bennu on mission to collect dust, largest sample from space since Apollo
Oct 21 Parents of 545 children cannot be found that were separated at the US-Mexico border according to American Civil Liberties Union

Film & TV History

Oct 21 Pope Francis backs same-sex civil unions in interview in documentary film "Francesco"

Oct 21 Spain becomes the first European country to record more than 1 million COVID-19 cases with the death toll at 34,366
Oct 22 Goldman Sachs agrees to pay record $3 billion to end probe into its role in 1MDB corruption scandal to regulators in the US, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia
Oct 22 The National Hockey League announces the annual NHL All Star Game and the NHL All-Star Skills Competition would be postponed to no earlier than 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Letter To You

Oct 23 Columbia Records releases Bruce Springsteen's 20th studio album "Letter To You", recorded with the E Street Band

Sports History

Oct 23 Duhan van der Merwe makes his international debut for Scotland against Georgia, scoring a try

Film & TV History

Oct 23 Netflix releases miniseries "The Queen's Gambit" starring Anya Taylor-Joy - 1st streaming show to win Emmy for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

Oct 24 Colombia records more than 1 million cases of COVID-19, the 8th globally and 3rd in Latin America
Oct 24 Deadliest shipwreck of the year claims 140 lives on a ship that sank with 200 migrants on board off the coast of Senegal [1]
Oct 25 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins Portuguese Grand Prix at Autódromo Internacional Do Algarve for his 92nd career victory; moves 1 win clear of Michael Schumacher in all-time F1 victories list

Event of Interest

Oct 25 Chile overwhelmingly votes to scrap their constitution, drafted during dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet

Oct 25 Pope Francis announces appointment of 13 new cardinals including 1st African American Wilton Daniel Gregory

Carbon Neutral Goal

Oct 26 Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says the country will becomes carbon neutral by 2050

Oct 26 Melbourne officials announce end to their three-month lockdown as city records no new cases of COVID-19 for 1st time since June
Oct 26 NASA announces there is more water on the Moon than previously thought, in sunlit as well as shadowed regions [1]
Oct 26 Pakistan's first metro line, the Orange Line, opens in Lahore
Oct 26 Police officers in Philadelphia shoot and kill black man Walter Wallace Jr. armed with a knife, prompting protests and the city to impose a curfew
Oct 26 Silverado wildfire breaks out in Orange County, California forcing 60,000 people to evacuate
Oct 26 US Senate confirms Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court sealing a conservative 6-3 majority
Oct 27 A record 69.5 million Americans have already voted, a week before election day, 50.4% of 2016 total vote [1]
Oct 27 Baseball World Series: LA Dodgers beat Tampa Bay Rays, 3-1 in Game 6 at Globe Life Field, Arlington to win first title in 32 years; MVP: Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager
Oct 27 Leader of the NXIVM cult Keith Raniere (60) sentenced to 120 years in prison for sex trafficking, racketeering, fraud and other crimes
Oct 27 Organizers of 96th East-West Shrine Bowl college football all-star game, benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children, announce cancellation of game scheduled for January 23, 2021, in St. Petersburg, Florida, due to COVID-19 issues. The
Oct 27 WHO confirms Europe is in the midst of a 2nd COVID-19 wave with cases rising rapidly, 30% in a week, deaths rising 40%
Oct 28 15th-century medieval manuscript "The Book of Lismore", returns to Ireland after donated by Chatsworth Settlement to University College Cork
Oct 28 French President Emmanuel Macron announces France will enter a new 4-week lockdown October 30 in televised address
Oct 28 Global COVID-19 cases record one-day increase of more than 500,000 for the first time, rising 25% in under two weeks according to Reuters
Oct 28 Hurricane Zeta makes landfall in the US near Cocodrie, Louisiana, as category 2 storm
Oct 28 New coral reef 500m (1,640ft) high, taller than the Empire State Building, discovered north of Australia's Great Barrier Reef
Oct 28 Tanzania reelects President John Magufuli, with opposition parties calling the vote fraudulent
Oct 28 Typhoon Molave strikes Vietnam triggering heavy rain and landslides, leaving more than 60 people dead
Oct 29 Former leader Jeremy Corbyn is suspended from the British Labour Party after saying a report into antisemitism in the party was "overstated"
Oct 29 India records more than 8 million COVID-19 cases, the second country after the US, with a death toll of 120,527
Oct 29 South Australian government axes the Adelaide 500 from 2021 Supercars Championship due to COVID-19 and falling revenue
Oct 29 Three people stabbed to death in church in Nice, France, in an terrorist attack, after similar attack and President Macron's defense of right to publish cartoons of Prophet Muhammad
Oct 30 7.0 magnitude earthquake in the Aegean Sea kills at least 64 in Turkish city of Izmir and Greek Island of Samos
Oct 30 New DNA study of dogs suggests they were human's first domesticated animal, 11,000 years ago at end of the Bronze Age [1]
Oct 30 UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces a second four-week lockdown for England
Oct 31 England beats Italy 34-5 in Rome to clinch 29th Six-Nations Rugby Championship; halfback Ben Youngs becomes second England player to earn 100th test cap
Oct 31 New Zealand Rugby Union team routs Australia, 43-5 in Sydney to retain Bledisloe Cup (2-1) for 18th straight series; Wallabies' largest ever defeat by All Blacks

Events in 2020

Famous Weddings

Larry David

Oct 7 Comedian Larry David marries Ashley Underwood in California

Famous Deaths

Oct 1 Derek Mahon, Irish poet (A Disused Shed in Co Wexford), dies at 78
Oct 1 Murray Schisgal, American playwright (Luv), and screenwriter (Tootsie), dies at 93
Oct 1 Zef Eisenberg, British ultra-speed racer (world's fastest motorbike on sand 201.5mph; fastest wheel powered vehicle 210.33mph) and founder Maximuscle, dies in car speed record crash at 47
Oct 2 Bob Gibson, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (NL Cy Young Award 1968, 70; NL MVP 1968; 9 x MLB All Star; St. Louis Cardinals), dies from pancreatic cancer at 84
Oct 2 Bob Miller, American ice hockey center (47 games USA; Boston Bruins, Colorado Rockies, LA Kings), dies at 64
Oct 2 Ron Perranoski, American baseball pitcher (World Series 1963, 65; AL saves leader 1969, 70; LA Dodgers) and coach (World Series 1981, 88; LAD), dies at 84
Oct 4 Kenzō Takada, Japanese fashion designer (Kenzo), dies of COVID-19 complications at 81

Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020)

Oct 6 Dutch-American rock guitarist (Van Halen - "You Really Got Me"; "Jump"), dies of throat cancer at 65 [1]

Oct 6 Johnny Nash, American pop-reggae-soul singer-songwriter and record producer (I Can See Clearly Now), dies at 80 [1]
Oct 7 Mario Molina, Mexican scientist, 1995 Nobel Prize for Chemistry (CFC's effect on the ozone layer), dies at 77 [1]
Oct 7 Tom Kennedy [James Narz], American television game show host (You Don't Say; Name That Tune; Split Second), dies at 93
Oct 8 Charles Moore, American 400m hurdler (Olympic gold & silver 1952), dies at 91
Oct 8 Jim Dwyer, American journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, dies of cancer at 63
Oct 8 Mohammad Reza Shajarian, Iranian classical singer, dies at 80 [1]

Whitey Ford (1928-2020)

Oct 8 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), dies from dementia at 91

Oct 9 Pierre Kezdy, American punk-rock bass player (Naked Raygun), dies of cancer at 58
Oct 10 Leon Biriotti, Uruguayan composer and oboist, dies at 90
Oct 10 Vasili Kulkov, Russian soccer defensive utility (20 caps Soviet Union, 21 Russia; Spartak Moscow, Benfica), dies from cancer at 54
Oct 11 Ângelo Martins, Portuguese soccer defender (20 caps; Benfica 231 games), dies at 90
Oct 11 Gary F. Jones, American thoroughbred racehorse trainer ($52.6m in purses; 1,465 race wins; US Racing HOF), dies at 76

Joe Morgan (1943-2020)

Oct 11 American Baseball HOF infielder (10 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1975, 76; NL MVP 1975, 76; Cincinnati Reds) and broadcaster (ESPN), dies at 77

Oct 11 Jon Gibson, American flute and saxophone player (Philip Glass Ensemble, 1968-2019), and composer (The Voyage of The Beagle), dies at 80 [1]
Oct 12 Ameurfina Melencio-Herrera, Filipino Supreme Court jurist, dies at 98
Oct 12 Nevzat Güzelırmak, Turkish soccer defender (18 caps; Göztepe) and manager (Denizlispor; Turkey U21), dies at 78
Oct 13 Augusto Matine, Portuguese soccer midfielder (9 caps; Benfica, Vitória de Setúbal) and manager (Mozambique national team), dies at 73
Oct 13 Conchata Ferrell, American actress (LA Law, Two and a Half Men), dies at 77
Oct 13 John Pepper Clark, Nigerian poet (A Decade of Tongues; Mandela), playwright (Song of a Goat), and magazine editor (The Horn), often published as J.P. Clark, dies at 85
Oct 14 Fred Dean, American Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end (Pro Bowl 1979–81, 83; First-team All-Pro 1980, 81; Super Bowl 1981, 84; SD Chargers, SF 49ers), dies from COVID-19 at 68
Oct 14 Herbert Kretzmer, South African-British lyricist of Lithuanian heritage (Les Misérables), dies at 95 [1]
Oct 14 John Reid, New Zealand cricket all-rounder and captain (58 Tests; 6 x 100s; 85 wickets) and ICC Match Referee (50 Tests 1993-2002), dies at 92
Oct 14 Rhonda Fleming [Marilyn Louis], American actress and singer nicknamed the "Queen of Technicolor" (Spellbound), dies at 97
Oct 14 Steve York, British session and touring rock bassist (Vinegar Joe; Marianne Faithful; Dr. John), dies of cancer at 72
Oct 15 Gordon Haskell, British pop, rock and blues musician (Fleur De Lys; King Crimson, 1970; Harry's Bar), dies of cancer at 74
Oct 15 Sonja Edström-Ruthström, Swedish cross-country skier (Olympic gold 3 × 5k relay 1960), dies at 89
Oct 16 Andrzej Pogorzelski, Polish motorcycle speedway rider (Speedway World Team Cup gold 1965, 66, 69), dies at 82
Oct 16 Johnny Bush, American country singer, dies at 85
Oct 16 Rodolfo Fischer, Argentine soccer striker (35 caps; San Lorenzo 271 games), dies at 76
Oct 18 Alan S. Boyd, American politician and transportation executive (1st US Secretary of Transportation), dies at 98
Oct 18 Jill Paton Walsh, English writer (Peter Wimsey series, Knowledge of Angels), dies at 83 [1]
Oct 18 Juliusz Łuciuk, Polish composer (Hymnus de Caritate; Dzikie wino/ Virgin Ivy), dies at 93
Oct 18 René Felber, Swiss politician (Federal Council, 1987-93; President, 1992), dies at 87
Oct 18 Sid Hartman, American sports journalist (Minneapolis Star Tribune; WCCO 830 AM), dies at 100
Oct 19 Hiroh Kikai, Japanese photographer (Asakusa Portraits), dies of lymphoma at 75
Oct 19 Spencer Davis [Davies], English guitarist (Spencer Davis Group - "Gimme Some Lovin'"), dies of pneumonia at 81 [1] [2]
Oct 19 Tony Lewis, British rock singer-songwriter and bass player (The Outfield - "Your Love"), dies at 62
Oct 20 Bill Mathis, American football halfback (AFL All Star 1961, 63; New York Titans/Jets), dies at 81
Oct 20 Bruno Martini, French soccer goalkeeper (31 caps; Auxerre, Nancy, Montpellier), dies from heart failure at 58
Oct 20 Derryl Cousins, American baseball umpire (World Series 1988, 99, 2005; MLB All-Star Game 1987, 98, 2008), dies from cancer at 74
Oct 20 James Randi, Canadian skeptic magician (Nova), dies at 92
Oct 21 Frank Bough, British sports and current affairs television presenter, dies at 87
Oct 21 Gordon Astall, English soccer forward (2 caps; Birmingham City 235 games, 59 goals), dies from dementia at 93
Oct 21 Marge Champion (née Belcher), American dancer (Marge & Gower Champion Show), dies at 101
Oct 21 Viola Smith, American drummer and bandleader (one of the first professional female drummers), dies at 107 [1]
Oct 22 Derek Quinn, British guitarist (Freddie and the Dreamers - "I'm Telling You Now"), dies at 68
Oct 22 Matt Blair, American football linebacker (6 × Pro Bowl 1977–82; First-team All-Pro 1980; Minnesota Vikings), dies from dementia complications at 70
Oct 23 David Barnes, New Zealand sailor (470 world champion 1981, 83, 84), dies from multiple sclerosis at 62
Oct 23 Ebbe Skovdahl, Danish soccer manager (Brøndby IF, Benfica, Aberdeen), dies from cancer at 75
Oct 23 Jerry Jeff Walker [Ronald Clyde Crosby], American country music singer and songwriter ("Mr. Bojangles"), dies of throat cancer at 78
Oct 23 W. C. Gorden, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (Jackson State University, 1976-91, record 119–48–5), dies at 90
Oct 24 Kevin McCarra, Scottish sports journalist (The Guardian, Scotland on Sunday, The Times), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 62
Oct 26 Stan Kesler, American session musician (Sun Studio), songwriter ("I Forgot to Remember to Forget"), and record producer (Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs -"Wooly Bully"), dies of bone cancer at 92
Oct 28 Billy Joe Shaver, American country singer-songwriter ("When I Get My Wings"), dies of a stroke at 81
Oct 28 Bobby Ball [Harper], British comic, actor, singer and television host (Cannon and Ball; The Last of Summer Wine), dies at 76
Oct 28 Leanza Cornett, American TV host and Miss America winner, dies at 49
Oct 28 Miguel Ángel Castellini, Argentine boxer (WBA, lineal light middleweight titles 1976-77), dies from COVID-19 at 73
Oct 29 J. J. Williams, Welsh rugby union winger (30 caps Wales, 7 British & Irish Lions; Grand Slam 1976, 78), dies at 72
Oct 29 Slaven Zambata, Croatian soccer forward (31 caps Yugoslavia; Dinamo Zagreb), dies at 80
Oct 30 Arthur Wills, British organist and composer ("God and Music"), and educator, dies at 94
Oct 30 Herb Adderley, American Pro Football HOF cornerback (Super Bowl 1967, 68, 71; 5 x Pro Bowl; 4 × First-team All-Pro; Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys), dies from COVID-19 at 81
Oct 30 Jan Myrdal, Swedish writer and journalist (Albania Defiant), dies at 93
Oct 30 Nobby Stiles, English soccer midfielder (28 caps; World Cup 1966; Manchester United 311 games) and manager (Preston NE, WBA), dies from dementia at 78
Oct 31 Marius Žaliūkas, Lithuanian soccer centre back (25 caps; Hearts, Leeds, Rangers), dies from motor neurone disease at 36
Oct 31 MF Doom [Daniel Dumile], American rapper and hip hop artist, dies at 49 [1]
Oct 31 Rance Allen, American gospel singer and musician (Rance Allen Group - Miracle Worker), dies at 71

Sean Connery (1930-2020)

Oct 31 Scottish actor and producer (James Bond films; Indiana Jones), dies at 90