- Oct 1 Indian state of Andhra Pradesh partitioned from Madras
- Oct 1 KJEO TV channel 47 in Fresno, CA (CBS/ABC) begins broadcasting
- Oct 1 KYTV TV channel 3 in Springfield, MO (NBC) begins broadcasting
- Oct 1 WATE TV channel 6 in Knoxville, TN (ABC/NBC) begins broadcasting
- Oct 1 WREX TV channel 13 in Rockford, IL (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Oct 2 "Comedy in Music (Victor Borge)" opens at John Golden NYC for 849 performances
- Oct 2 Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Carl Erskine sets a Baseball World Series record with 14 strikeouts in a 3-2 Game 3 win against the New York Yankees.
- Oct 3 Ryder Cup Golf, Wentworth: San Snead wins 6 of 7 matches to lead US to 6th consecutive Cup win, 6½-5½ over Great Britain
- Oct 3 7th NHL All-Star Game, Montreal Forum: NY Rangers RW Wally Hergesheimer scores twice as All-Stars beat Montreal Canadiens, 3-1
- Oct 3 KGGM TV channel 13 in Albuquerque, NM (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 4 British runner Jim Peters sets world marathon record 2:18:34.8 in the Turku Marathon in Finland
Event of Interest
Oct 4 NY Yankees slugging center fielder Mickey Mantle hits a grand slam off Russ Meyer; Bronx Bombers hold on to win, 11-7 v Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5 of Baseball World Series; Yankees win series, 4-2
Mickey Mantle
Event of Interest
Oct 5 Earl Warren sworn in as 14th chief justice of US
Earl Warren
- Oct 5 50th Baseball World Series: NY Yankees beat Brooklyn Dodgers, 4-3 in Game 6 for 4-2 series win; NY 2nd baseman Billy Martin's 12 hits sets WS record; Yankees win record 5th consecutive WS
- Oct 5 The first documented recovery meeting of Narcotics Anonymous is held.
- Oct 6 WTVM TV channel 9 in Columbus, GA (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Oct 7 Bill Veeck tells Browns stockholders he faces bankruptcy unless they drop their suit to block his move to Baltimore, they comply
Event of Interest
Oct 8 Birmingham, Alabama, bars Jackie Robinson's Negro-White All-Stars from playing there Robinson gives in & drops white players from his group
Jackie Robinson
- Oct 8 WTAP TV channel 15 in Parkersburg-Marietta, WV (NBC) begins
Event of Interest
Oct 9 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill aproves Guyanese Constitution
Winston Churchill
Election of Interest
Oct 9 Konrad Adenauer elected Chancellor of West Germany
Konrad Adenauer
- Oct 12 US & Greece sign peace treaty (US bases)
- Oct 13 Burglar alarm-ultrasonic or radio waves patented by Samuel Bagno
- Oct 14 1st 3 Dutch female police officers go into service
- Oct 14 Belgian Convair crashes at Frankfurt, 44 die
- Oct 14 Charley Dressen resigns rather than take 1 year contract as Dodger mgr
- Oct 14 Great Britain performs nuclear test at Emu Field, Australia
- Oct 14 Ike promises to fire as Red any federal worker taking 5th amendment
- Oct 14 WTEN TV channel 10 in Albany, NY (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Oct 15 John Patrick's "Teahouse of the August Moon" premieres in New York
- Oct 15 KOIN TV channel 6 in Portland, OR (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 15 WJNL (now WFAT) TV channel 19 in Johnstown, PA (IND) begins
Event of Interest
Oct 16 Fidel Castro sentenced to 15 years (Havana)
Fidel Castro
- Oct 18 WLJT TV channel 11 in Lexington, TN (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 18 WTVK TV channel 26 in Knoxville, TN (NBC) begins broadcasting
- Oct 18 Willie Thrower becomes 1st black NFL quarterback in modern times
- Oct 19 1st jet transcontinental nonstop scheduled service
- Oct 19 Singer Julius LaRosa is fired on TV by Arthur Godfrey
- Oct 20 WRAU (now WHOI) TV channel 19 in Peoria, IL (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Oct 22 Laos gains full independence from France
- Oct 23 France grants Laos' sovereignty
- Oct 23 German FR applies to NATO
- Oct 23 WTRF TV channel 7 in Wheeling-Steubenville, WV (CBS) 1st broadcast
- Oct 24 KOOL (now KTSP) TV channel 10 in Phoenix, AZ (CBS) begins broadcasting
NFL Record
Oct 25 Cleveland Browns' QB Otto Graham sets club record with 4 fumbles
Otto Graham
- Oct 25 Coal mine in Seraing Belgium explodes, 26 die
Event of Interest
Oct 25 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 10th Symphony
Dmitri Shostakovich
- Oct 25 KIEM TV channel 3 in Eureka, CA (NBC/CBS/ABC) begins broadcasting
- Oct 26 Great Britain performs nuclear test at Emu Field, Australia
- Oct 28 Bud Grant of Winnipeg Blue Bombers intercepts 5 passes (record)
- Oct 28 Red Barber, resigns as Dodger sportscaster to join Yankees
- Oct 29 A Baltimore group purchases St Louis Browns
Nobel Prize
Oct 30 Dr Albert Schweitzer & Gen George Marshall win Nobel Peace Prize
George Marshall
- Oct 31 TV broadcasting begins in Belgium