October This Day in History, Historic Events
What Historic October Events Occurred on Your Birthday?
Our “This Day in History for October” section contains historical October events categorized by month and day. See what happened on your birthday, or any day of the year. Find out what happened on this day in October.
Major Historical October Events
October 1 Historical Events
John Philip Sousa becomes the Director of the US Marine Corps Band. (1880)
The first issue of National Geographic hits the newsstand. (1888)
Yosemite National Park was established. (1890)
The Television series “The Twilight Zone” premiered. (1959)
Walt Disney World opens in Orlando, Florida. (1971)
October 2 Historical Events
Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schultz first appears in newspapers. (1950)
October 3 Historical Events
Captain Kangaroo premieres on television. (1955)
The “Mickey Mouse Club” premieres on television. (1955)
Frank Robinson becomes major league baseball’s first black manager for the Cleveland Indians. (1974)
October 4 Historical Events
The Orient Express train takes off on its first trip from Paris to Istanbul. (1883)
Founder Julian Assange launches WikiLeaks. (2006)
October 5 Historical Events
The World Series was broadcast on radio for the first time. (1921)
October 6 Historical Events
Thomas Edison showed the 1st motion picture. (1889)
The first Physician’s Assistants graduate from Duke University. (1967)
“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” premieres on television. (2000)
October 7 Historical Events
“Cats” premieres on Broadway. It is the second longest-running play ever. (1982)
October 8 Historical Events
The Great Chicago Fire levels 3 1/2 square miles of the city. According to legend, Mrs. O’Leary’s cow started the fire. (1871)
October 9 Historical Events
The general public was first admitted into the Washington Monument. (1888)
Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus performs its last show, a victim of falling attendance, animal rights protests, and high operating cost. (2018)
October 10 Historical Events
Griswald Lorillard of Tuxedo Park, NY cuts the tails off a tailcoat, creating the first tuxedo. (1886)
Spiro Agnew becomes just the second person to resign as Vice President of the United States. Pleaded no contest to income tax evasion. (1973)
October Historical Events: In 1789, the Revolutionary War Ends
October 11 Historical Events
Saturday Night Live premieres on television. (1984)
Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut Kathryn Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space. (1984)
October 12 Historical Events
The very first Oktoberfest is held in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. (1810)
October 13 Historical Events
The U.S. Continental Navy was created. See Navy Day (1775)
The cornerstone was laid for the Whitehouse. (1792)
October 14 Historical Events
Martin Luther King Jr was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. (1971)
October 15 Historical Events
“I Love Lucy Show” premiered on television. (1951)
U.S. Department of Transportation was created. (1966)
Oscar the Grouch premieres on children’s television show Sesame Street. (1969) See More: National Grouch Day.
October 16 Historical Events
Marie Antoinette was guillotined for treason. (1793)
Cuban Missile Crisis begins. (1962)
October 17 Historical Events
Mobster Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion. (1931)
Joe Pedott of San Fransisco, CA. applies for a U.S. patent for the Chia Pet. See Chia Pet Day. (1977)
October 18 Historical Events
The United States purchased the territory of Alaska from Russia for $7.2M. What a deal that was!! (1867)
October 19 Historical Events
The Revolutionary War ended. (1781)
The Senate passed a bill making Martin Luther King’s Birthday a national holiday. (1983)
October 20 Historical Events
Chinese uprising in the Philippines fails after 23,000 are killed. (1603)
US Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase. (1803)
October Historical Events - France Gives the U.S. the Statue of Liberty.
October 21 Historical Events
“Old Ironsides”, the USS Constitution was launched in Boston, MA. (1797)
Thomas Edison invented the incandescent electric lamp. (1879)
October 22 Historical Events
Polish born Karol Józef Wojtyła becomes Pope John Paul II. He is the first non-Italian to become pope in 455 years. (1978)
October 23 Historical Events
25,000 women march in New York City demanding the right to vote.(1915)
October 24 Historical Events
Anna Edison Taylor is the first person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. (1901)
Black Thursday stock market panic. Investors panicked and dumped over 13 million shares of stock. The market then rallied for a few days before the crash on October 29. (1929)
October 24, 1945 – The United Nations came into existence. (1945)
October 25 Historical Events
U.S. forces invade Grenada. (1983)
October 26 Historical Events
The Erie Canal opens, connecting Lake Erie to the Hudson River for commercial shipping. It is the first manmade waterway. (1825)
The “Gunfight at the OK Corral” occurs. Wyatt Earp, his two brothers, and “Doc” Holliday, have a shootout with the Ike Clanton gang. (1881)
October 27 Historical Events
The New York Subway opens. (1904)
The Controlled Substance Act becomes law. Among the illegal substances are: cannabis, marijuana, heroin, and LSD. (1970)
October 28 Historical Events
Harvard University is founded in Cambridge, MA. (1636)
France presents the U.S. with the Statute of Liberty. (1886)
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is completed. It was built as a tribute to Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase. (1965)
October 29 Historical Events
The New York Stock Exchange crashed on what became known as “Black Tuesday”, starting the Great Depression. Prices plummeted and billions of dollars were lost. (1929)
The Internet is created when the first bits and bytes of data are sent between computers at UCLA and Stanford Research Institute. (1969)
October 30 Historical Events
Orson Wells’ “War of the Worlds” is broadcast on the radio, sparking panic as listeners believed the news bulletins about a Martian invasion. (1938)
October 31 Historical Events
Magician Harry Houdini dies from complications of a ruptured appendix. (1926)
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated. (1984)
Additional Resources
Famous Birthdays Who else was born on your Birthday? Find out now!
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