October 1974 in History

Events in History

Event of Interest

Oct 1 US Computer scientist Gary Kildall presents the prototype of his CP/M operating system in his backyard toolshed

  • Oct 1 Watergate cover-up trial opens in Washington, D.C.

Event of Interest

Oct 3 Ted Bundy victim Nancy Wilcox disappears in Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Oct 3 Watergate criminal trial begins for five advisors and aides of President Nixon
  • Oct 5 Guildford pub bombing by the IRA leaves 5 dead and 65 injured.
  • Oct 7 German Democratic Republic amends constitution
  • Oct 8 Franklin National Bank collapses due to fraud and mismanagement; at the time it was the largest bank failure in the history of the United States.
  • Oct 9 Race riot in Boston due to "bussing"
  • Oct 10 A's Mike Andrews files $25 million lawsuit against Charlie Finley
  • Oct 10 Canadian John Hathaway begins 2-yr ride of 50,600 miles

Election of Interest

Oct 10 Labour Party led by Harold Wilson wins UK general election

  • Oct 10 The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) and its political wing the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) founded at the Spa Hotel in the village of Lucan near Dublin
  • Oct 15 National Guard mobilizes to restore order in Boston school busing
  • Oct 15 Nobel prize for chemistry awarded to Paul J. Flory for work on macro molecules
  • Oct 18 Andre van de Louw appointed Mayor of Rotterdam
  • Oct 19 Niue becomes self-govering, in association with New Zealand
  • Oct 20 1st broadcast of "Derrick" on ZDF
  • Oct 23 Lake Isaac in Cleveland Metroparks' Big Creek Reservation dedicated
  • Oct 25 US Air Force fires 1st ICBM
  • Oct 28 Luna 23 launched (landing on Moon)
  • Oct 28 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Oct 29 Law bans discrimination of sex or marital status in credit application
  • Oct 30 Catfish Hunter is named AL Cy Young Award
  • Oct 31 Dutch Marines end hostage crisis in Scheveningen prison
  • Oct 31 Ted Bundy victim Laura Aime disappears in Utah

Birthdays in History

  • Oct 2 Bjarke Ingels, Danish architect (8 House), born in Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Oct 16 Roman Mars, American radio producer, host and podcaster (99% Invisible), born in Somerville, New Jersey
  • Oct 17 Ariel Levy, American feminist writer
  • Oct 23 Derek Landy, Irish author (Skulduggery Pleasant series), born in Lusk, Ireland
  • Oct 24 Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster, son of English prince Richard, born in London

Deaths in History

  • Oct 1 Spyridon Marinatos, Greek archaeologist (discovery of the site of an ancient port city on the island of Thera, in the southern Aegean Sea), dies at 72
  • Oct 2 Ina Seidel, German poet and novelist, dies at 89
  • Oct 4 Anne Sexton, American poet (Live or Die; Pulitzer 1967), dies at 45
  • Oct 6 V. K. Krishna Menon, Indian nationalist, Minister of Defense (1957-62), dies at 78

Lyudmila Pavlichenko (1916-1974)

Oct 10 Soviet sniper during World War II known as 'Lady Death' - the most successful female sniper in history with 309 confirmed kills, dies of a stroke at 58

  • Oct 10 Marie Luise Kaschnitz, German writer, dies at 73
  • Oct 17 RenĂ© de Rooy, Surinamese and Antillean poet (Juancho Picaflor), dies of a heart attack at 57
  • Oct 29 Victor E. van Vriesland, Dutch poet (Mirror of Dutch Poetry), dies at 82