Historic Event
Oct 1 Vladimir Putin became a permanent member of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.
- Oct 1 LA's Mauricio Cienfuegos and Martin Machon equal the MLS playoff record of 3 assists each as the Galaxy roll to a 6-1 win over the Dallas Burn at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
- Oct 2 With his team struggling at 28 for 3, Australian cricket batsman Steve Waugh smashes a brilliant 157 to guide the tourists to an innings & 99 run win over Pakistan in the 1st Test in Rawalpindi
Farm Aid Concert
Oct 3 Farm Aid 11 held in Tinley Park, Illinois; performers include Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Phish, Steve Earle, Wilco, and Del McCoury Band
- Oct 4 Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy overtakes countryman Rod Marsh's world record of 355 Test cricket dismissals during 1st Test win v Pakistan in Rawalpindi; catches Wasim Akram off Colin Miller to reach milestone
- Oct 4 Australian motorcycle racer Mick Doohan wins the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island to clinch his 5th world 500cc championship; all 5 titles are won with Honda
- Oct 7 Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, is found tied to a fence after being savagely beaten by two young adults in Laramie, Wyoming.
- Oct 8 Oslo Gardermoen airport opening after the close down of Fornebu.
Impeachment Trial of Bill Clinton
Oct 8 US House of Representatives votes to begin impeachment hearings against President Bill Clinton on charges of lying about his affair with Monica Lewinsky
Nobel Prize
Oct 8 José Saramago is the first person from Portugal to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature
- Oct 11 A Congo Airlines Boeing 727 is shot down by rebels in Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing 40 people.
- Oct 13 MLB American League Championship: New York Yankees beat Cleveland Indians, 4 games to 2
- Oct 14 NY Islanders beat Tampa Bay, 7-1, to end 11 game winless streak
- Oct 14 Eric Robert Rudolph is charged with 6 bombings including the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Oct 14 MLB National League Championship: San Diego Padres beat Atlanta Braves, 4 games to 2
Murder of Interest
Oct 16 Former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet is arrested in London on a Spanish warrant requesting his extradition on murder charges
Film & TV History
Oct 20 Comedian Richard Pryor is awarded the 1st ever Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
- Oct 21 Baseball World Series: New York Yankees beat San Diego, 3-0 in Game 4 at Qualcomm Stadium to sweep Padres and win 2nd title in 3 years; MVP: Yankees 3rd baseman Scott Brosius
Agreement of Interest
Oct 23 Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat reach a "land for peace" agreement.
Music Single
Oct 23 Britney Spears releases her debut single "Baby One More Time"
- Oct 24 Launch of Deep Space 1 on comet and asteroid mission
Election of Interest
Oct 27 Helmut Kohl resigns as Chancellor of Germany after 16 years, following a landslide defeat in elections
- Oct 28 An Air China (Mainland China) jetliner is hijacked by disgruntled pilot Yuan Bin and flown to Taiwan.
- Oct 29 Apartheid: In South Africa, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission presents its report, which condemns both sides for committing atrocities.
- Oct 29 En route Adana to Ankara, Turkish Airlines flight with crew of 6 and 33 passengers hijacked by Kurdish militant, orders pilot fly to Switzerland. Pilot lands in Ankara tricking hijacker he was landing in Sofia to refuel.
- Oct 29 Hurricane Mitch, the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane in history, made landfall in Honduras.
Scientific Discovery
Oct 29 Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off on STS-95 with 77-year old John Glenn on board, making him the oldest person to go into space.
- Oct 29 ATSC HDTV broadcasting in the United States is inaugurated with the launch of STS-95 space shuttle mission
- Oct 31 Iraq disarmament crisis begins: Iraq announces it would no longer cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors.
- Oct 31 American jam band Phish performs The Velvet Underground's "Rock and Roll" as a musical costume during a show at the Thomas & Mack Center at the University of Nevada in Paradise, Nevada