Historical Events
- Oct 4 Franz Grillparzer's "Der Traum ein Leben" premieres in Vienna
- Oct 14 First African-American granted a US patent, Henry Blair, for a corn planter
- Oct 14 In Philadelphia, Whigs and Democrats stage a gun, stone and brick battle for control of a Moyamensing Township election, resulting in one death, several injuries, and the burning down of a block of buildings.
Famous Birthdays
- Oct 1 Francis Cockrell, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Warrensburg, Missouri (d. 1915)
- Oct 3 Vilém Blodek [Plodek], Czech pianist, flautist, and composer, born in Prague (d. 1874)
- Oct 8 Walter Kittredge, American musician during American Civil War, born in Merrimack, New Hampshire (d. 1905)
- Oct 10 Aleksis Kivi, Finnish writer and poet (Nummisuutarit), born in Nurmijärvi, Grand Duchy of Finland (d. 1872)
- Oct 19 Francis Channing Barlow, American lawyer, Union general (US Civil War, meet with General John Brown Gordon at Gettysburg), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1896)
- Oct 28 Dudley M. DuBose, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 1883)
Famous Weddings
- Oct 30 Anne Lister marries Anne Walker by taking Holy Communion together at Holy Trinity Church, York, England (not officially recognised)
Famous Deaths
- Oct 8 François-Adrien Boieldieu, French opera composer known as 'the French Mozart' (La dame blanche - The White Lady), dies at 58
- Oct 10 Thomas Say, American naturalist and father of descriptive entomology, dies from typhoid fever at 47
- Oct 19 Cornelis Loots, Dutch accountant and poet (Volkswoede), dies at 69
- Oct 31 Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, French-American chemist and industrialist (E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company), dies at 63
