Events

Pre-1600

  • 1138 – A massive earthquake strikes Aleppo; it is one of the most destructive earthquakes ever.
  • 1142 – A peace treaty ends the Jin–Song wars.
  • 1311 – The peerage and clergy restrict the authority of English kings with the Ordinances of 1311.

1601–1900

  • 1614 – The New Netherland Company applies to the States General of the Netherlands for exclusive trading rights in what is now the northeastern United States.
  • 1634 – The Burchardi flood kills around 15,000 in North Friesland, Denmark and Germany.
  • 1649 – Cromwell's New Model Army sacks Wexford, killing over 2,000 Irish Confederate troops and 1,500 civilians.
  • 1776 – American Revolution: A fleet of American boats on Lake Champlain is defeated by the Royal Navy, but delays the British advance until 1777.
  • 1797 – The Royal Navy decisively defeats the Batavian Navy at Camperdown during the French Revolutionary Wars.
  • 1811 – The Juliana begins operation as the first steam-powered ferry in New York harbor.
  • 1840 – The Maronite leader Bashir Shihab II surrenders to the Ottoman Empire and later is sent to Malta in exile.
  • 1852 – The University of Sydney, Australia's oldest university, is inaugurated in Sydney.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: Confederate troops conduct a raid on Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
  • 1865 – Hundreds of black men and women march in Jamaica, starting the Morant Bay rebellion.
  • 1890 – In Washington, D.C., the Daughters of the American Revolution is founded.
  • 1899 – The Second Boer War erupts in South Africa between the British-ruled Cape Colony, and the Boer-ruled Transvaal and Orange Free State.

1901–present

  • 1906 – San Francisco sparks a diplomatic crisis between the United States and Japan by ordering segregated schools for Japanese students.
  • 1910 – Piloted by Arch Hoxsey, Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first U.S. president to fly in an airplane.
  • 1912 – First Balkan War: The day after the Battle of Sarantaporo, Greek troops liberate the city of Kozani.
  • 1918 – The 7.1 San Fermín earthquake shakes Puerto Rico. The quake and resulting tsunami kill up to 116 people.
  • 1937 – The Duke and Duchess of Windsor tour Nazi Germany for 12 days and meet Adolf Hitler on 22 October.
  • 1941 – Beginning of the National Liberation War of Macedonia.
  • 1942 – World War II: Off Guadalcanal, United States Navy ships intercept and defeat a Japanese force.
  • 1944 – The Tuvan People's Republic is annexed by the Soviet Union.
  • 1950 – CBS's field-sequential color system for television is the first to be licensed for broadcast by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
  • 1954 – In accord with the 1954 Geneva Conference, French troops complete their withdrawal from North Vietnam.
  • 1958 – NASA launches Pioneer 1, its first space probe, although it fails to achieve a stable orbit.
  • 1962 – The Second Vatican Council becomes the first ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church in 92 years.
  • 1968 – NASA launches Apollo 7, the first successful crewed Apollo mission.
  • 1976 – George Washington is posthumously promoted to the grade of General of the Armies.
  • 1984 – Aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform a space walk.
  • 1984 – Aeroflot Flight 3352 crashes into maintenance vehicles upon landing in Omsk, Russia, killing 178.
  • 1986 – Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev meet in Iceland to continue discussions about scaling back IRBM arsenals in Europe.
  • 1987 – The AIDS Memorial Quilt is first displayed during the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
  • 1987 – Start of Operation Pawan by Indian forces in Sri Lanka. Thousands of civilians, insurgents, soldiers die.
  • 1991 – Prof. Anita Hill delivers her televised testimony concerning sexual harassment during the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination.
  • 1999 – Air Botswana pilot Chris Phatswe steals an ATR 42 from Sir Seretse Khama International Airport and later crashes it into two other aircraft at the airport, killing himself.
  • 2000 – NASA launches STS-92, the 100th Space Shuttle mission.
  • 2001 – The Polaroid Corporation files for federal bankruptcy protection.
  • 2002 – A bomb attack in a Myyrmanni shopping mall in Vantaa, Finland kills seven.
  • 2013 – A migrant boat sinks in the Channel of Sicily, with at least 359 people drowning.
  • 2018 – Soyuz MS-10, launching an intended crew for the ISS, suffers an in-flight abort. The crew lands safely.

Births

Pre-1600

  • 1492 – Charles Orlando, Dauphin of France, French noble (died 1495)
  • 1552 – Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich of Russia, Grand Prince of Moscow (died 1553)

1601–1900

  • 1616 – Andreas Gryphius, German poet and playwright (died 1664)
  • 1661 – Melchior de Polignac, French cardinal and poet (died 1742)
  • 1671 – Frederick IV of Denmark (died 1730)
  • 1672 – Pylyp Orlyk, Ukrainian-Romanian diplomat (died 1742)
  • 1675 – Samuel Clarke, English minister and philosopher (died 1729)
  • 1738 – Arthur Phillip, English admiral and politician, 1st Governor of New South Wales (died 1814)
  • 1739 – Grigory Potemkin, Russian general and politician (died 1791)
  • 1758 – Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers, German physician and astronomer (died 1840)
  • 1778 – George Bridgetower, British musician and composer (died 1860)
  • 1782 – Steen Steensen Blicher, Danish author and poet (died 1848)
  • 1786 – Stevenson Archer, American judge and politician (died 1848)
  • 1788 – Simon Sechter, Austrian organist, composer, and conductor (died 1867)
  • 1793 – Maria James, Welsh-born American poet, domestic servant (died 1868)
  • 1803 – Gregor von Helmersen, Estonian-Russian general and geologist (died 1885)
  • 1814 – Jean-Baptiste Lamy, French-American archbishop (died 1888)
  • 1815 – Pierre Napoléon Bonaparte, Italian-French politician (died 1881)
  • 1821 – George Williams, English philanthropist, founded the YMCA (died 1905)
  • 1827 – Afzal-ud-Daulah, Asaf Jah V, 5th Nizam of Hyderabad
  • 1835 – Ernst Sars, Norwegian historian (died 1917)
  • 1835 – Theodore Thomas, American conductor, founded the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (died 1905)
  • 1844 – Henry J. Heinz, American businessman, founded the H. J. Heinz Company (died 1919)
  • 1865 – Hans E. Kinck, Norwegian philologist and author (died 1926)
  • 1871 – Johan Oscar Smith, Norwegian evangelist, founded the Brunstad Christian Church (died 1943)
  • 1872 – Emily Davison, English educator and activist (died 1913)
  • 1872 – Harlan F. Stone, American lawyer and jurist, 12th Chief Justice of the United States (died 1946)
  • 1879 – Ernst Mally, Austrian philosopher and academic (died 1944)
  • 1881 – Hans Kelsen, Czech-American jurist and philosopher (died 1973)
  • 1883 – Kristian Welhaven, Norwegian police officer (died 1975)
  • 1884 – Friedrich Bergius, German-Argentinian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1949)
  • 1884 – Eleanor Roosevelt, American humanitarian and politician, 32nd First Lady of the United States (died 1962)
  • 1884 – Sig Ruman, German-American actor (died 1967)
  • 1885 – François Mauriac, French novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1970)
  • 1890 – A. V. Kulasingham, Sri Lankan journalist, lawyer, and politician (died 1978)
  • 1894 – Julius Kuperjanov, Estonian educator and lieutenant (died 1919)
  • 1896 – Roman Jakobson, Russian-American linguist and theorist (died 1982)
  • 1897 – Nathan Farragut Twining, American general (died 1982)
  • 1899 – Eddie Dyer, American baseball player and manager (died 1964)

1901–present

  • 1901 – Masanobu Tsuji, Japanese colonel and politician (died 1961)
  • 1902 – Jayaprakash Narayan, Indian activist and politician (died 1979)
  • 1905 – Fred Trump, American real estate entrepreneur (died 1999)
  • 1909 – Sir Ken Anderson, Australian politician (died 1985)
  • 1910 – Cahit Arf, Turkish mathematician and academic (died 1997)
  • 1911 – Nello Pagani, Italian motorcycle racer and race car driver (died 2003)
  • 1913 – Joe Simon, American author and illustrator (died 2011)
  • 1915 – T. Llew Jones, Welsh author and poet (died 2009)
  • 1916 – Nanaji Deshmukh, Indian educator and activist (died 2010)
  • 1916 – Ahmad Abd al-Ghafur Attar, Saudi Arabian writer and journalist (died 1991)
  • 1918 – Fred Bodsworth, Canadian journalist and author (died 2012)
  • 1918 – Jerome Robbins, American director, producer, and choreographer (died 1998)
  • 1919 – Art Blakey, American drummer and bandleader (died 1990)
  • 1919 – Douglas Albert Munro, United States Coast Guard signalman, posthumously awarded Medal of Honor (died 1942)
  • 1922 – G. C. Edmondson, American soldier and author (died 1995)
  • 1924 – André Emmerich, German-American art dealer (died 2007)
  • 1924 – Sammy McCrory, Northern Irish footballer (died 2011)
  • 1924 – Mal Whitfield, American athlete (died 2015)
  • 1925 – Elmore Leonard, American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter (died 2013)
  • 1926 – Jean Alexander, English actress (died 2016)
  • 1926 – Yvon Dupuis, Canadian politician (died 2017)
  • 1926 – Thích Nhất Hạnh, Vietnamese monk, author, and poet (died 2022)
  • 1926 – Earle Hyman, American actor (died 2017)
  • 1926 – Neville Wran, Australian lawyer and politician, 35th Premier of New South Wales (died 2014)
  • 1927 – Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium (died 2005)
  • 1927 – Jim Prior, Baron Prior, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (died 2016)
  • 1928 – Alfonso de Portago, Spanish race car driver and bobsledder (died 1957)
  • 1928 – Roscoe Robinson Jr., American general (died 1993)
  • 1928 – Geoffrey Tordoff, Baron Tordoff, English businessman and politician (died 2019)
  • 1929 – Curtis Amy, American saxophonist and clarinetist (died 2002)
  • 1930 – Michael Edwardes, South African-English businessman (died 2019)
  • 1930 – LaVell Edwards, American football player and coach (died 2016)
  • 1938 – Michael Stear, English air marshal (died 2020)
  • 1939 – Maria Bueno, Brazilian tennis player (died 2018)
  • 1939 – Austin Currie, Northern Irish lawyer and SDLP politician (died 2021)
  • 1940 – Lucy Morgan, American newspaper reporter (died 2023)
  • 1941 – Lester Bowie, American trumpet player and composer (died 1999)
  • 1942 – Richard Wilson, Baron Wilson of Dinton, Welsh academic and politician
  • 1942 – Amitabh Bachchan, Indian film actor, producer, television host, and former politician
  • 1943 – Keith Boyce, Barbadian cricketer (died 1996)
  • 1943 – Michael Harloe, English sociologist and academic
  • 1943 – John Nettles, English actor and writer
  • 1943 – Ilmar Reepalu, Swedish lawyer and politician
  • 1943 – Gene Watson, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1944 – Rodney Marsh, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
  • 1945 – Andrew Logan, English sculptor and painter
  • 1946 – Elinor Goodman, English journalist
  • 1946 – Daryl Hall, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1951 – Jean-Jacques Goldman, French singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1951 – Jon Miller, American sportscaster
  • 1951 – Louise Rennison, English author and comedian (died 2016)
  • 1951 – Charles Shyer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2024)
  • 1952 – Paulette Carlson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1953 – David Morse, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1956 – Derek Ringer, Scottish race car driver
  • 1956 – Stephen Spinella, American actor
  • 1960 – Curt Ford, American baseball player and manager
  • 1960 – Gábor Pölöskei, Hungarian footballer and manager
  • 1961 – Neil Buchanan, English guitarist
  • 1961 – Steve Young, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1962 – Andy McCoy, Finnish musician
  • 1963 – Marcus Graham, Australian actor
  • 1963 – Brian Rice, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1963 – Ronny Rosenthal, Israeli footballer
  • 1963 – Rima Te Wiata, English-New Zealand actress and singer
  • 1964 – Michael J. Nelson, American actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1968 – Jane Krakowski, American actress and singer
  • 1984 – Sergio Hellings, Dutch footballer
  • 1984 – Martha MacIsaac, Canadian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1984 – Zeb Taia, Australian-New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1984 – Jane Zhang, Chinese singer-songwriter
  • 1985 – Nesta Carter, Jamaican sprinter
  • 1985 – Yang Cheng, Chinese footballer
  • 1985 – Álvaro Fernández, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1985 – Peter Ölvecký, Slovak ice hockey player
  • 1985 – Michelle Trachtenberg, American actress (died 2025)
  • 1990 – Joo, South Korean singer and actress
  • 1990 – Sebastian Rode, German footballer
  • 1991 – Joel Bitonio, American football player
  • 1991 – Toby Fox, American video game developer and composer
  • 1991 – Gio Urshela, Colombian baseball player
  • 1991 – Kika van Es, Dutch footballer
  • 1992 – Cardi B, American rapper
  • 1994 – T. J. Watt, American football player
  • 1995 – Nicolás Jarry, Chilean tennis player
  • 1996 – Rhea Ripley, Australian wrestler
  • 1996 – Arman Tsarukyan, Armenian professional mixed martial artist
  • 1999 – Leicester Fainga'anuku, New Zealand rugby union player
  • 1999 – Keldon Johnson, American basketball player
  • 2001 – Maja Chwalińska, Polish tennis player
  • 2001 – Daniel Maldini, Italian footballer
  • 2001 – Jacob Preston, Australian rugby league player
  • 2001 – Chu Ye-jin, South Korean actress

Deaths

Pre-1600

  • 965 – Bruno the Great, Archbishop of Cologne (born 925)
  • 1086 – Sima Guang, Chinese historian and statesman (born 1019)
  • 1159 – William of Blois, Count of Boulogne and Earl of Surrey (born c. 1137)
  • 1188 – Robert I, Count of Dreux (born 1123)
  • 1303 – Pope Boniface VIII (born 1235)
  • 1347 – Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor (born 1282)
  • 1424 – Jan Žižka, Czech general and Hussite leader
  • 1531 – Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss pastor and theologian (born 1484)
  • 1542 – Thomas Wyatt, English poet and diplomat (born 1503)
  • 1579 – Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, Ottoman politician, 43rd Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (born 1506)

1601–1900

  • 1667 – Mattias de' Medici, Italian noble (born 1613)
  • 1684 – James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven (born c. 1617)
  • 1698 – William Molyneux, Irish philosopher and writer (born 1656)
  • 1705 – Guillaume Amontons, French physicist and instrument maker (born 1663)
  • 1708 – Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, German mathematician, physicist, physician, and philosopher (born 1651)
  • 1721 – Edward Colston, English merchant and politician (born 1636)
  • 1725 – Hans Herr, Swiss-American bishop (born 1639)
  • 1779 – Casimir Pulaski, Polish-American general (born 1745)
  • 1809 – Meriwether Lewis, American captain, explorer, and politician, 2nd Governor of Louisiana Territory (born 1774)
  • 1821 – John Ross Key, American lieutenant, lawyer, and judge (born 1754)
  • 1830 – José de La Mar, Peruvian military leader, President of Peru (born 1776)
  • 1837 – Samuel Wesley, English organist and composer (born 1766)
  • 1852 – Gotthold Eisenstein, German mathematician and academic (born 1823)
  • 1889 – James Prescott Joule, English physicist and brewer (born 1818)
  • 1896 – Edward Benson, English archbishop (born 1829)
  • 1896 – Anton Bruckner, Austrian organist, composer, and educator (born 1824)
  • 1897 – Léon Boëllmann, French organist and composer (born 1862)

1901–present

  • 1904 – Mary Tenney Gray, American editorial writer, club-woman, philanthropist, and suffragette (born 1833)
  • 1908 – Rita Cetina Gutiérrez, Mexican poet, educator, and activist (born 1846)
  • 1932 – William Alden Smith, American lawyer and politician (born 1859)
  • 1935 – Steele Rudd, Australian author (born 1868)
  • 1940 – Vito Volterra, Italian mathematician and physicist (born 1860)
  • 1941 – Heinrich Gutkin, Estonian businessman and politician (born 1879)
  • 1941 – Mihkel Pung, Estonian politician, 11th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1876)
  • 1958 – Maurice de Vlaminck, French painter (born 1876)
  • 1960 – Richard Cromwell, American actor (born 1910)
  • 1961 – Chico Marx, American comedian (born 1887)
  • 1963 – Jean Cocteau, French author, poet, and playwright (born 1889)
  • 1965 – Dorothea Lange, American photographer and journalist (born 1895)
  • 1965 – Walther Stampfli, Swiss lawyer and politician, 50th President of the Swiss Confederation (born 1884)
  • 1967 – Stanley Morison, typographer, known for work on Times New Roman font (born 1889)
  • 1968 – Selim Sarper, Turkish educator and politician, 13th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1899)
  • 1971 – Tamanoumi Masahiro, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 51st Yokozuna (born 1944)
  • 1971 – Chesty Puller, American general (born 1898)
  • 1976 – Alfredo Bracchi, Italian author, screenwriter, and songwriter (born 1897)
  • 1977 – MacKinlay Kantor, American journalist, author, and screenwriter (born 1904)
  • 1983 – R. Fraser Armstrong, Canadian administrator and engineer (born 1889)
  • 1984 – Benno Schotz, Scottish sculptor and engineer (born 1891)
  • 1986 – Norm Cash, American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1934)
  • 1988 – Bonita Granville, American actress (born 1923)
  • 1989 – M. King Hubbert, American geologist and academic (born 1904)
  • 1991 – Redd Foxx, American actor and comedian (born 1922)
  • 1993 – Andy Stewart, Scottish singer and entertainer (born 1933)
  • 1996 – Keith Boyce, Barbadian cricketer (born 1943)
  • 1996 – Eleanor Cameron, Canadian-American author and critic (born 1912)
  • 1996 – Renato Russo, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1960)
  • 1996 – Joe Morris, English-Canadian lieutenant and trade union leader (born 1913)
  • 1998 – Richard Denning, American actor (born 1914)
  • 1999 – Leo Lionni, Dutch-American author and illustrator (born 1910)
  • 2000 – Luc-Marie Bayle, French historian, photographer, and painter (born 1914)
  • 2000 – Donald Dewar, Scottish politician, 1st First Minister of Scotland (born 1937)
  • 2001 – Beni Montresor, Italian director, set designer, and illustrator (born 1926)
  • 2004 – Keith Miller, Australian cricketer and pilot (born 1919)
  • 2005 – Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee, Pakistani-Canadian linguist, journalist, and poet (born 1917)
  • 2005 – Attilâ İlhan, Turkish poet, author, and journalist (born 1925)
  • 2005 – Edward Szczepanik, Polish economist and politician, Prime Minister of Poland (born 1915)
  • 2006 – Cory Lidle, American baseball player (born 1972)
  • 2007 – David Lee "Tex" Hill, South Korean-American general and pilot (born 1915)
  • 2007 – Werner von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (born 1915)
  • 2008 – Marjorie Fletcher, English Director of the Women's Royal Naval Service (born 1932)
  • 2008 – Jörg Haider, Austrian lawyer and politician, Governor of Carinthia (born 1950)
  • 2008 – Ernst-Paul Hasselbach, Surinamese-Dutch television host and producer (born 1966)
  • 2008 – Neal Hefti, American trumpet player and composer (born 1922)
  • 2009 – Angelo DiGeorge, American physician and endocrinologist (born 1922)
  • 2009 – Halit Refiğ, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1934)
  • 2012 – Avrohom Genachowsky, Israeli rabbi (born 1936)
  • 2012 – Helmut Haller, German footballer and coach (born 1939)
  • 2012 – Edward Kossoy, Polish lawyer, publicist, and activist (born 1913)
  • 2012 – Édgar Negret, Colombian sculptor (born 1920)
  • 2012 – Champ Summers, American baseball player and coach (born 1946)
  • 2013 – María de Villota, Spanish race car driver (born 1980)
  • 2013 – Erich Priebke, German captain (born 1913)
  • 2014 – Anita Cerquetti, Italian soprano (born 1931)
  • 2014 – Carmelo Simeone, Argentinian footballer (born 1933)
  • 2014 – Bob Such, Australian educator and politician (born 1944)
  • 2015 – Dean Chance, American baseball player and manager (born 1941)
  • 2017 – Clifford Husbands, Barbadian politician (born 1926)
  • 2019 – Alexei Leonov, Soviet/Russian cosmonaut and first human to conduct a spacewalk (born 1934)
  • 2022 – Angela Lansbury, English-American actress, singer, and producer (born 1925)
  • 2024 – Jamaluddin Hossain, Bangladeshi actor (born 1943)
  • 2025 – Diane Keaton, American actress (born 1946)

Holidays and observances

  • Christian feast days:
  • Agilbert
  • Alexander Sauli
  • Andronicus, Probus, and Tarachus (Roman Catholic Church)
  • Æthelburh of Barking
  • Bruno the Great
  • Cainnech of Aghaboe
  • Gratus of Oloron
  • Gummarus
  • James the Deacon (Church of England, Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church)
  • Lommán of Trim
  • Maria Soledad Torres y Acosta
  • Nectarius of Constantinople
  • Nicasius, Quirinus, Scubiculus, and Pientia
  • Philip the Evangelist
  • Pope John XXIII (Roman Catholic Church)
  • Zenaida and Philonella
  • October 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • General Pulaski Memorial Day (United States)
  • International Day of the Girl Child
  • International Newspaper Carrier Day
  • National Coming Out Day
  • Revolution Day (North Macedonia)

References