- 1162 Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile, born in Domfront Castle, Normandy (d. 1214)
- 1244 Jacques de Molay, French last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, born in Molay, Haute-Saône, France (d. 1314)
- 1453 Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales and the only son of King Henry VI of England and Margaret of Anjou, born in London (d. 1471)
- 1474 Mariotto Albertinelli, Italian painter, born in Florence (d. 1515)
- 1537 Jane Grey, Queen of England in 1553 for 9 days, born in Bradgate, England (d. 1554)
- 1563 Francesco Caracciolo, Italian priest and saint (Caracciolini), born in Villa Santa Maria, Abruzzo, Italy (d. 1608)
- 1566 Richard Boyle, Irish politician, 1st Earl of Cork, born in Canterbury, Kent, England (d. 1643)
- 1613 Luisa de Guzmán, Queen of Portugal (1640-56), born in Sanlúcar, Spain (d. 1666)
- 1696 John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, English statesman and writer (d. 1743)
- 1713 Allan Ramsay, Scottish painter, born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1784)
- 1759 Ecco Epkema, Dutch classic linguist (Frisian, old-Frisian), born in Wirdum, Netherlands (d. 1832)
- 1761 Dirk van Hogendorp, Dutch minister of War, born in Heenvliet, Netherlands (d. 1822)
- 1769 Horace H. Hayden, 1st American licensed dentist and cofounds 1st dental college, born in Windsor, Connecticut (d. 1844)
- 1797 William Motherwell, Scottish civil servant and poet, born in Glasgow, Scotland
- 1810 James Shedden Palmer, Commander (Union Navy), (d. 1867)
- 1815 Jules Quicherat, French historian and archaeologist, born in Paris (d. 1882)
- 1820 John William Dawson, Canadian geologist, born in Pictou, Nova Scotia (d. 1899)
Rudolf Virchow
1821 Rudolf Virchow, German politician, anthropologist and pathologist (cell pathology), born in Schivelbein, Prussia (d. 1902)
Rudolf Virchow
- 1826 Lafayette Curry Baker, American investigator spy and Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Stafford, New York (d. 1868)
- 1862 Mary Kingsley, English ethnographer and explorer who became the first European to enter parts of Gabon, Africa, born in London (d. 1900)
- 1863 Auguste Rateau, French mining engineer and inventor (Rateau steam turbine), born in Royan, France (d. 1930)
- 1878 Patrick Joseph Hartigan, Australian Roman Catholic priest, born in O'Connell Town, Yass, New South Wales (d. 1952)
- 1880 Sasha Chorny [Alexander Mikhailovich Glikberg], Russian poet, born in Odessa, Russian Empire (d. 1932)
- 1887 Jozef Tiso, Slovak politician (President of the First Slovak Republic), born in Bytča, Slovakia (d. 1947)
- 1890 Conrad Richter, American writer (Light in the Forest), born in Tremont, Pennsylvania (d. 1968)
- 1895 Kurt Schumacher, German political chairman (SPD), born in Kulm, Germany (d. 1952)
- 1901 Benjamin Merkelbach, Dutch architect and city builder of Amsterdam, born in Amsterdam (d. 1961)
Arna Bontemps
1902 Arna Bontemps, American poet (100 years of negro freedom), born in Alexandria, Louisiana (d. 1973)
Arna Bontemps
- 1904 Jutta Hecker, German writer, born in Weimar (d. 2002)
- 1908 John Grant, British rear-admiral (Royal Navy) (d. 1996)
- 1908 Werner Reinowski, German writer, born in Bernburg, Germany (d. 1987)
- 1909 Herblock [Herbert Lawrence Block], American cartoonist, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2001)
- 1915 Terry Frost, British artist, born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England (d. 2003)
- 1917 Burr Tillstrom, puppeteer (Kukla, Fran & Ollie), born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1923 Dorothy Bolden, American civil and women's rights activist, and founder of the National Domestic Worker's Union of America, born in Atlanta, Georgia (d. 2005)
- 1925 Frank D. Gilroy, American writer (Subject Was Roses), born in NYC, New York (d. 2015)
Margaret Thatcher
1925 Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister (Conservative: 1979-90), born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England (d. 2013)
Margaret Thatcher
- 1930 Piet Clase, South African politician (Minister of Education), born in Bothaville, South Africa
- 1931 Janice Elliott, English novelist, born in Derby, England (d. 1995)
- 1933 Raynald Fréchette, Quebec politician and judge, born in Asbestos, Quebec (d. 2007)
- 1936 Elizabeth Furse, American politician (first naturalized American born in Africa to win election to the United States Congress), born in Nairobi, Kenya
- 1936 John Menzies, Scottish publisher and multi-millionaire
- 1938 Hugo Young, British journalist (The Guardian), born in Sheffield, England (d. 2003)
- 1939 T. J. Cloutier, American poker player, born in Albany, California
- 1943 Mike Barnicle, American broadcast journalist and newspaper columnist, born in Worchester, Massachusetts
- 1945 Dési Bouterse, Surinamese politician (8th President of Suriname), born in Domburg, Surinam
- 1946 Edwina Currie, British politician (C), born in Liverpool
- 1948 Ted Poe, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas), born in Temple, Texas
- 1952 Michael R. Clifford, American astronaut (STS 53, 59, 76), born in Norton AFB, California
- 1953 Bill Schuette, American lawyer and politician (53rd Attorney General of Michigan), born in Midland, Michigan
- 1954 Mordechai Vanunu, Israeli nuclear technician and peace activist, born in Marrakesh, French Morocco
- 1954 Claude Ribbe, French historian and writer, born in Paris
- 1958 Maria Cantwell, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
Jamal Khashoggi
1958 Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabian progressive journalist, author, and editor in chief (Al-Arab News Channel), born in Medina, Saudi Arabia (d. 2018)
Jamal Khashoggi
- 1960 Ari Fleischer, American media consultant and 21st White House Press Secretary, born in Pound Ridge, New York
- 1960 Peter Keisler, American lawyer and acting Attorney General of the United States (2007), born in Hempstead, New York
- 1963 Colin Channer, Jamaican writer (often referred as "Bob Marley" with a pen), born in Kingston, Jamaica
- 1964 Niè Hǎishèng, Chinese military pilot and CNSA astronaut, born in Zaoyang, Hubei, China
- 1970 Serena Altschul, American broadcast journalist, born in NYC, New York
- 1972 Prince Jaime, Count of Bardi, third child of Princess Irene of the Netherlands and Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, born in Nijmegen, Netherlands
- 1972 Princess Margarita Maria Beatriz of Bourbon-Parma, Countess of Colorno, daughter of Princess Irene of the Netherlands and Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, born in Nijmegen, Netherlands
- 1973 Matt Hughes, American mixed martial artist, born in Hillsboro, Illinois
- 1989 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, American politician (REP - D New York 2018-), born in New York City
- 1993 Tiffany Trump, daughter of Donald Trump & Marla Maples, born in West Palm Beach, Florida
Joshua Wong
1996 Joshua Wong, Chinese activist (Demosistō), born in Hong Kong
Joshua Wong
October in History
![Jazz Singer Sounds Death Knell for Silent Movies]()
Jazz Singer Sounds Death Knell for Silent Movies
The Jazz Singer was premiered on this day and audiences were thrilled to hear Al Jolson talking. The pioneer film spelled the end for the silent-movie industry.
October 6, 1927![The Great Stand on the Ugra River]()
The Great Stand on the Ugra River
On one side of the Ugra River stood the Mongol Golden Horde, on the other, Ivan III, Grand Prince of the rising Muscovy Principality. At stake, everything.
October 8, 1480![Grim History of London's Speakers' Corner]()
Grim History of London's Speakers' Corner
Nowhere in England is the principal of free speech embodied more than at Speakers’ Corner in London’s Hyde Park. But this right was won through death and protest.
October 14, 1855![Hurricane on the Way? Don't Worry]()
Hurricane on the Way? Don't Worry
A cosy assurance from a BBC weather forecaster for viewers not to worry about an impending storm has gone down as the most spectacular mis-forecast in history.
October 15, 1987
