- 1396 William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English soldier (d. 1450)
- 1430 King James II of Scotland (d. 1460)
- 1483 Gasparo Contarini, Italian diplomat and cardinal (d. 1542)
- 1535 Niwa Nagahide, Japanese warlord (d. 1585)
- 1622 Pierre Paul Puget, French artist, born in Marseille, France (d. 1694)
- 1663 Prince Eugene of Savoy, French-born Austrian general (d. 1736)
- 1708 Albrecht von Haller, Swiss experimental physiologist, biologist and author (Acadamy of Science), born in Bern, Switzerland (d. 1777)
- 1710 Andreas Hadik, Austro-Hungarian general (d. 1790)
- 1714 Giovanni Arduino, Italian geologist (d. 1795)
- 1726 Daniel Chodowiecki, Polish painter (d. 1801)
- 1751 Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt, Queen of Prussia (d. 1805)
- 1754 Morgan Lewis, Governor of New York (1804-07) (d. 1844)
Noah Webster
1758 Noah Webster, lexicographer (Webster's Dictionary), born in West Hartford, Connecticut (d. 1843)
Noah Webster
- 1762 Paul Hamilton, Governor of South Carolina (1804-06) and U.S. Secretary of Navy (1809-12) (d. 1816)
- 1789 William Burton, Governor of Delaware (1859-63) (d. 1866)
- 1795 William Buell Sprague, American clergyman and author (d. 1876)
- 1797 James Brudenell, British Earl Of Cardigan (led the Charge of the Light Brigade), born in Hambleden, England (d. 1868)
- 1802 Isaac Murphy, Governor of Arkansas (1864-68) (d. 1882)
- 1806 William Pitt Fessenden, Secy Treas (Union), (d. 1869)
- 1815 Francis Lubbock, Governor of Texas (d. 1905)
- 1816 William Preston, American lawyer, politician and Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Louisville, Kentucky (d. 1887)
- 1819 Austin F. Pike, American politician from New Hampshire (d. 1886)
- 1825 Thomas Turpin Crittenden, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Huntsville, Alabama (d. 1905)
- 1830 Ferdinand van der Haeghen, Flemish librarian/bibliography
- 1832 George Crockett Strong, American Major General (Union Army), born in Stockbridge, Vermont (d. 1863)
- 1832 Vicente Riva Palacio, Mexican writer/diplomat
- 1840 Kuroda Kiyotaka, 2nd Prime Minister of Japan (1894-1899), born in Kagoshima, Satsuma Domain (d. 1900)
- 1841 Itō Hirobumi, Japanese samurai, Japanese Prime Minister and Resident-General of Korea (d. 1909)
- 1851 James Ten Eyck, champion rower/coach (Ten Eyck Trophy namesake)
- 1854 Karl J Kautsky, Austrian marxist/socialist
Oscar Wilde
1854 Oscar Wilde, [Fingal O'Flahertie Wills], (The Picture of Dorian Gray), born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1900)
Oscar Wilde
- 1855 Camille Looten, Belgian priest/literature historian
- 1855 Samedbey Mehmandarov, Russian general (d. 1931)
- 1861 J. B. Bury, Irish historian (d. 1927)
- 1863 Austen Chamberlain, British Foreign Secretary (Nobel 1925)
- 1866 Pieter J Kromsigt, theologist/publicist (Troffel & Sword)
- 1868 Franz X Ritter von Epp, German general (China)
- 1870 Helge Rode, Danish poet/essayist
- 1884 Rembrandt Bugatti, Italian sculptor (d. 1916)
- 1886 Armin T Wegner, writer
David Ben-Gurion
1886 David Ben-Gurion, 1st Prime Minister of Israel (1948-53, 1955), born in Płonsk, Poland (d. 1973)
David Ben-Gurion
Michael Collins
1890 Michael Collins, Irish revolutionary leader and leading figure in the struggle for Irish independence in the early 20th century, born in Clonakilty, Ireland (d. 1922)
Michael Collins
- 1896 Edmond van Dooren, Flemish painter
- 1897 Louis de Cazenave, France's oldest living man
- 1898 Arthur H Dean, lawyer/advisor to FDR
- 1898 William O Douglas, Maine, 81st Supreme Court justice (1939-75)
- 1900 Edward Ardizzone, artist and illustrator (d. 1979)
- 1900 Primo Conti, Italian painter (d. 1988)
- 1903 Cecile de Brunhoff, French storyteller (d. 2003)
- 1906 Dino Buzzati, Italian writer (The Tartar Steppe), born in San Pellegrino, Belluno, (d. 1972)
- 1907 Roger Vailland, French author (La Novice, Et Mourir de Plasir)
- 1908 Enver Hoxha, post-war leader of Albania (1944-85)
- 1914 Christian J Modeste, gypsey king
- 1916 George Turner, Australian author (d. 1997)
- 1918 Bill Nichols, (Rep-D-AL, 1967- )
- 1919 Kathleen Winsor, American writer (d. 2003)
- 1925 Daniel J Evans, (Sen-R-WA, 1983- )
- 1925 Lorraine Sweeny, communications specialist
- 1927 Gus Yatron, (Rep-D-PA, 1969- )
Günter Grass
1927 Günter Grass, German writer and playwright (The Tin Drum) and Nobel Prize laureate (1999), born in Danzig
Günter Grass
- 1928 Mary Daly, American feminist
- 1929 Bill Green, (Rep-R-NY, 1978- )
- 1931 Charles W Colson, presidential adviser (Watergate figure), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2012)
- 1932 John Grant, British politician (d. 2000)
- 1936 Andrei Chikatilo, Russian serial killer (d. 1994)
- 1936 Akira Machida, Japanese judge
- 1938 Carl Gunter Jr, Louisiana State Representative (d. 1999)
- 1945 Paul Monette, American writer and LBT activist, born in Lawrence, Massachusetts (d. 1995)
- 1947 David Zucker, American director (Airplane, Naked Gun, Top Secret), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- 1949 André Leon Talley, American fashion expert, former Vogue editor, born in Washington D.C.
- 1951 Alan Wheat, (Rep-D-Missouri, 1983- )
- 1952 Christopher Cox, (Rep-R-California)
- 1956 James H Newman, Trust Territory of Pacific, PhD/Astronaut (STS 51, 69)
- 1961 Marc Levy, French novelist
- 1964 Stephen Paul "Steve" Lamacq [Lammo], British disc jockey (BBC Radio 6), born in Islington, London
- 1969 Gregory Metcalf, Ellensburg Wash, 3k steeplechase
- 1976 Ryan Fitzgerald, Australian football (AFL) player and media personality
October in History
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
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
The Tragedy of Aberfan
One hundred and sixteen young children died on this day when an avalanche of coal tip waste and debris thundered down a hillside and engulfed their school.
October 21, 1966
Jumping Jacques Makes First Parachute Descent
Daredevil André-Jacques Garnerin took to the sky in a hydrogen balloon on this day and after cutting himself adrift performed the first ‘parachute’ descent.
October 22, 1797