Historical Events
Music Premiere
Oct 1 Premiere of Dmitri Shostakovich's 12nd Symphony
Dmitri Shostakovich
Baseball Record
Oct 1 NY Yankees right-fielder Roger Maris becomes MLB’s all-time home run leader when he passes Babe Ruth's mark with No. 61 off Boston rookie Tracy Stallard in 1-0 win at Yankee Stadium
Roger Maris
- Oct 1 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Oct 1 WOLO TV channel 25 in Columbia, SC (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Oct 1 WYAH TV channel 27 in Portsmouth, VA (IND) begins broadcasting
- Oct 2 "Ben Casey" premieres on NBC-TV
- Oct 2 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
- Oct 2 WETA TV channel 26 in Washington, D.C. (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 2 WHRO TV channel 15 in Hampton-Norfolk, VA (PBS) begins broadcasting
Television Premiere
Oct 3 "The Dick Van Dyke Show" created by Carl Reiner starring Dick van Dyke premieres on CBS-TV
Carl Reiner
Event of Interest
Oct 4 NY Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford records 3rd straight Baseball World Series shutout in Yankees 2-0 win v Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium; NY wins series , 4-1
Whitey Ford
- Oct 5 China & Nepal sign treaty
Film Release
Oct 5 "Breakfast at Tiffany's" film released, based on the novella by Truman Capote, directed by Blake Edwards and starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard
Audrey Hepburn
Truman Capote
John F. Kennedy
- Oct 6 USSR performs nuclear tests at Kapustin Yar & Novaya Zemlya USSR
- Oct 7 "Bye Bye Birdie" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 607 performances
- Oct 7 15th NHL All-Star Game, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL: All-Stars beat Chicago Black Hawks, 3-1
- Oct 8 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya, USSR
- Oct 8 American Phil Hill's Ferrari team does not participate in season ending US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen having already clinched World Drivers Championship; English driver Innes Ireland wins Lotus' first ever Grand Prix
- Oct 9 NY Yankees beat Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 1 in 58th World Series
- Oct 9 Tanganyika becomes independent within British Commonwealth
- Oct 9 US members of communist party obliged to report themselves to police
- Oct 9 Volcanic eruptions on Tristan de Cunha (South Atlantic)
- Oct 9 Yank Whitey Ford breaks Ruth record of 29 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings in the World Series
- Oct 9 World Series scoreless pitching streak Yanks beat Reds 4 games to 1
- Oct 10 "Milk & Honey" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 543 performances
- Oct 10 Expansion draft to stock Houston Astros & NY Mets
- Oct 10 Otis M Smith appointed to Michigan Supreme Court
- Oct 10 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Television Premiere
Oct 10 Variety TV show "The Bob Newhart Show" premieres on NBC in the US
Bob Newhart
- Oct 11 USAF Major Robert M White takes X-15 to 66,100m
- Oct 11 USSR performs nuclear test
- Oct 12 "Let It Ride" opens at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC for 68 performances
- Oct 12 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
- Oct 14 "How to Succeed in Business" opens at 46th St NYC for 1415 performances
- Oct 14 Ryder Cup Golf, Royal Lytham & St Annes: Jerry Barber captains US to 14½-9½ win
LPGA Championship
Oct 15 LPGA Championship, Stardust CC: Mickey Wright convincingly wins her 3rd LPGA title by 9 strokes from Louise Suggs
Mickey Wright
Louise Suggs
Event of Interest
Oct 17 NY Museum of Modern Art hangs Henri Matisse's "Le Bateau" upside-down It wasn't corrected until December 3rd
Henri Matisse
Event of Interest
Oct 21 Barbra Streisand opens in "Another Evening with Harry Stones"
Barbra Streisand
- Oct 21 USSR performs nuclear test at Sary Shagan USSR
- Oct 22 75,000 Flemings demand equal rights & Flemish language in Belgium
- Oct 23 "Kwamina" opens at 54th St Theater NYC for 32 performances
- Oct 23 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
- Oct 24 "Evening with Yves Montand" opens at John Golden Theatre, NYC for 55 performances
- Oct 25 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
- Oct 26 First test flight of Saturn launch vehicle
- Oct 27 1st Saturn launch vehicle makes an unmanned flight test
- Oct 27 American Basketball League starts play
- Oct 27 Outer Mongolia & Mauritania become 102nd & 103rd members of UN
- Oct 27 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya & Sary Shagan USSR
- Oct 28 "Fiorello!" closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC starring Tom Bosley after 796 performances and a Pulitzer Prize
- Oct 28 Ground broken for Municipal (Shea) Stadium for NY Mets
- Oct 29 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Oct 29 13th NASCAR Sprint Cup: Ned Jarrett wins
- Oct 30 Soviet Union tests a 58 megaton hydrogen bomb named Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated
Event of Interest
Oct 30 Soviet Party Congress unanimously approves a resolution removing Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb in Red Square
Joseph Stalin
Famous Birthdays
- Oct 1 "Corrie" Van Zyl, [Cornelius Johannes Petrus Gerhardus], South African cricketer (SAf), born in Bloemfontein, South Africa
- Oct 1 Gary Ablett, Australian rules footballer
- Oct 1 Robert Rey, Brazilian-American plastic surgeon and television personality
- Oct 2 Alan Wells, cricketer (England Test batsman v WI in one Test 1995)
- Oct 2 Pablo Arraya, Argentina, tennis star
- Oct 2 Robbie Nevil, rocker (A Place Like This)
- Oct 4 David W Harper, actor (Jim Bob in The Waltons), born in Abilene, Texas
- Oct 4 John Secada, Cuban American singer-songwriter, born in Havana, Cuba
- Oct 4 Mary Ellen Stuart, actress (Frannie Crawford-As the World Turns)
- Oct 4 Kazuki Takahashi, Japanese author
- Oct 5 Sharon Cheslow, American musician, composer and artist
- Oct 5 Matthew Kauffman, American journalist and George Polk Award winner
- Oct 5 David Kirk, New Zealand rugby union footballer
- Oct 6 Kathrin Dörre, East German marathoner (Olympic bronze 1988)
- Oct 6 Tim Burgess, English drummer (T'Pau), born in Macclesfield
- Oct 7 Matthew Roloff, American reality star
- Oct 7 Brian Mannix, Australian singer and actor
- Oct 7 Thomas "Tom" Perez, American Chair of the Democratic National Committee, born in Buffalo, New York
- Oct 7 Tony Sparano, American NFL coach (Miami Dolphins 2008-11), born in West Haven, Connecticut (d. 2018)
- Oct 8 Ted Kooshian, American jazz pianist, born in San Jose, California
- Oct 9 Arlene Boxall, Zimbabwean field hockey player (Olympic gold 1980)
- Oct 9 Jean Sagal, American actress (Kate-Double Trouble, Grease 2), born in Los Angeles, California
- Oct 9 Liz Sagal, American actress (Allison-Double Trouble, Grease 2), born in Los Angeles, California
- Oct 9 Trevor Matich, American NFL center (Washington Redskins), born in Washington, D.C.
- Oct 9 Julian Bailey, British racing driver, born in Woolwich, London
- Oct 10 Brian Lee Diemer, American steeplechase athlete (Olympic bronze 1984), born in Grand Rapids Michigan
- Oct 10 Martin Kemp, English rock bassist (Spandau Ballet), born in London, England
- Oct 10 Jodi Benson, American voice actress (Ariel-The Little Mermaid), born in Rockford, Illinois
- Oct 10 Henrik Jørgensen, Danish marathon runner, born in Copenhagen
- Oct 11 Steve Young, NFL quarterback (SF 49ers, NFL Player of Year '92), born in Salt Lake City, Utah
- Oct 11 Neil Buchanan, English television presenter (Finders Keepers), born in Aintree, Liverpool, England
- Oct 11 Amr Diab, Egyptian singer (Leily Nehary), born in Port Said, Egypt
- Oct 13 Derek Harper, American NBA guard (NY Knicks, Orlando Magic), born in Elberton, Georgia
- Oct 14 Melanie Wilson, actress (Jennifer-Perfect Strangers)
- Oct 14 Isaac Mizrahi American fashion designer
- Oct 16 Billy Taylor, Monticello FL, pitcher (Oakland A's)
- Oct 16 Chris Doleman, defensive end (San Francisco 49ers)
- Oct 16 Wilfried Brookhuis, soccer player (NEC)
- Oct 16 Randy Vasquez, American actor
- Oct 16 Marc Levy, French novelist
- Oct 18 Eric Jespersen, Port Alberni BC, star sailor (Olympic bronze 1992, 96)
- Oct 18 Gladstone Small, English cricketer, born in St. George, Barbados
- Oct 18 Wynton Marsalis, jazz trumpeter (Grammy 1983), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Oct 19 Tim Belcher, Sparta Ohio, baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers, KC Royals)
- Oct 20 Ian Rush, Welsh footballer
- Oct 20 Michie Tomizawa, Japanese voice actress
- Oct 20 Les Stroud, Canadian survival expert (Survivorman), born in Etobicoke, Ontario
- Oct 21 Mark Finch, film festival organiser
- Oct 22 Barbara Potter, Ct, tennis player (changed shirt on Wimbledon Court)
- Oct 22 Donna Wynd, 1k sprint cyclist (Olympics 1996), born in Auckland, New Zealand
- Oct 22 Leonard Marshall, NFL defensive end (NY Giants, NY Jets)
- Oct 22 Sanath Kaluperuma, cricketer (four Tests for Sri Lanka 1984-88)
- Oct 22 Robert Torti, American actor
- Oct 23 Laurie Halse Anderson, American writer
- Oct 23 Don and Ron Harris, American professional wrestlers
- Oct 23 Andoni Zubizarreta, Spanish footballer
- Oct 24 Rafael Belliard, Pueblo Nuevo Dom Rep, infielder (Atlanta Braves)
- Oct 24 Russell Swanson, Australian golfer, born in Sydney, New South Wales
- Oct 24 Susan Leigh Still, lt cmdr USN/astronaut (STS 83, 94), born in Augusta, Georgia
- Oct 24 Mary Bono, American politician
- Oct 24 Dave Meltzer, American wrestling journalist
- Oct 25 [Chadwick Gaylord] Chad Smith, American drummer (Red Hot Chili Peppers), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Oct 26 Dylan McDermott, American actor (The Practice, American Horror Story), born in Waterbury, Connecticut
- Oct 26 Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenyan Prime Minister (2013-) and son of Jomo Kenyatta, born in Nairobi, Kenya
- Oct 27 Rick Gibson, Canadian Tour golfer (1990 CPGA), born in Calgary, Alberta
- Oct 29 Cornelia Oschkenat, German DR, hurdler (50m indoor)
- Oct 29 Joel Otto, Elk River MN, NHL center (Philadelphia Flyers, Team USA Olympics 1998)
- Oct 29 Randy Jackson, rocker (Jackson 5-ABC), born in Gary, Indiana
- Oct 30 Hans Segers, soccer goaltender (PSV, Nottingham Forest, Wimbledon)
- Oct 30 Scott Garrelts, American baseball player
- Oct 31 Alonzo Babers, 400m/4X400m relay (Olympic gold 1984), born in Montgomery, Alabama
- Oct 31 Christine Bridged, Australian European class sailor (Olympics 1996)
- Oct 31 Doc Rivers, NBA guard (San Antonio Spurs), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Oct 31 Larry Mullen Jr, rock drummer (U2-I Will Follow), born in Dublin, Ireland
- Oct 31 Sterling Hinds, 4X100m relayer (Olympic bronze 1984), born in Toronto, Ontario
Peter Jackson
Oct 31 Peter Jackson, New Zealand film director (Lord of the Rings - Academy Award, Best Director, 2003), born in Wellington, New Zealand
Peter Jackson
- Oct 31 Kate Campbell, American musician, born in New Orleans, Louisiana
Famous Weddings
- Oct 14 Howard Allen Frances (Anne) O'Brien (20) best-selling author (The Vampire Chronicles) marries poet and painter Stan Rice (21)
Wedding of Interest
Oct 14 Author Upton Sinclair (83) weds Mary Elizabeth Willis
Upton Sinclair
Famous Deaths
- Oct 1 Donald Cook, American actor (Too Young To Go Steady), dies at 60
- Oct 2 Reggie Spooner, cricketer (England centurion v South Africa 1912), dies
- Oct 4 Max Weber, Polish-Russian-American painter, dies at 80
- Oct 4 Benjamin (Fedchenkov), Bishop of the Russian Church and Orthodox missionary, dies at 81
- Oct 5 Don Barbour, American singer (The Four Freshmen), dies at 34
- Oct 11 Leonard "Chico" Marx, comedian (Marx Brothers), dies at 74
- Oct 12 Eugene Bullard, 1st African-American military pilot, flew for France in World War I as part of the French Foreign Legion, dies of stomach cancer at 66
- Oct 13 Maya Deren (born Eleanora Derenkowskaia) American filmmaker dies of a brain hemorrhage aged 44
- Oct 13 Zoltan Korda, Hungarian-British film director (Jungle Book, 4 Feathers), dies at 66
- Oct 14 Paul Ramadier, French politician (b. 1888)
- Oct 14 Harriet Shaw Weaver, English political activist (b. 1876)
- Oct 18 Tsuru Aoki, Japanese-born American actress (b. 1892)
- Oct 19 Benjamin Merkelbach, Dutch architect and city builder of Amsterdam, dies at 60
- Oct 19 John Axel Fernstrom, Swedish composer, dies at 63
- Oct 21 Nils Johan Einar Ferlin, Swedish poet (Barfotabarn), dies at 62
- Oct 25 Peter Jensen, co-inventer (loud speaker), dies at 75
- Oct 26 Edgar Mayne, cricketer (4 Tests for Australia around WWI), dies
- Oct 26 Milan Stojadinović, Serbian-Yugoslav political figure and 12th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (1935-39), dies at 73
- Oct 30 Luigi Einaudi, economist/1st president Italy, dies