October 8

October 8 in recent years

2023 (Sunday)

2022 (Saturday)

2021 (Friday)

2020 (Thursday)

2019 (Tuesday)

2018 (Monday)

2017 (Sunday)

2016 (Saturday)

2015 (Thursday)

2014 (Wednesday)

October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 84 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 314 – Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses his European territories.
• 451 – At Chalcedon, a city of Bithynia in Asia Minor, the first session of the Council of Chalcedon begins (ends on November 1).
• 1075 – Dmitar Zvonimir is crowned King of Croatia.
• 1200 – Isabella of Angoulême is crowned Queen consort of England.
• 1322 – Mladen II Šubić of Bribir, defeated in the battle of Bliska, is arrested by the Parliament.
• 1480 – Great stand on the Ugra river, a standoff between the forces of Akhmat Khan, Khan of the Great Horde, and the Grand Duke Ivan III of Russia, which results in the retreat of the Tataro-Mongols and the eventual disintegration of the Horde.
• 1573 – End of the Spanish siege of Alkmaar, the first Dutch victory in Eighty Years' War.
• 1582 – Because of the implementation of the Gregorian calendar this day does not exist in this year in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.
• 1600 – San Marino adopts its written constitution.
• 1645 – Jeanne Mance opened the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, the first lay hospital in North America.
• 1806 – Napoleonic Wars: Forces of the British Empire lay siege to the port of Boulogne in France by using Congreve rockets, invented by Sir William Congreve.
• 1813 – The Treaty of Ried is signed between Bavaria and Austria.
• 1821 – The government of general José de San Martín establishes the Peruvian Navy.
• 1829 – Rail transport: Stephenson's The Rocket wins The Rainhill Trials.
• 1856 – The Second Opium War between several western powers and China begins with the Arrow Incident on the Pearl River.
• 1860 – Telegraph line between Los Angeles and San Francisco opens.
• 1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Perryville: Union forces under General Don Carlos Buell halt the Confederate invasion of Kentucky by defeating troops led by General Braxton Bragg at Perryville, Kentucky.
• 1871 – Four major fires break out on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Peshtigo, Wisconsin, Holland, Michigan, and Manistee, Michigan including the Great Chicago Fire, and the much deadlier Peshtigo Fire.
• 1879 – War of the Pacific: The Chilean Navy defeats the Peruvian Navy in the Battle of Angamos, Peruvian Admiral Miguel Grau is killed in the encounter.
• 1895 – Eulmi incident: Queen Min of Joseon, the last empress of Korea, is assassinated and her corpse burnt by Japanese infiltrators inside Gyeongbok Palace.
• 1904 – Edmonton, Alberta is incorporated as a city.
• 1904 – Prince Albert, Saskatchewan is incorporated as a city.
• 1912 – First Balkan War begins: Montenegro declares war against the Ottoman Empire.
• 1918 – World War I: In the Argonne Forest in France, United States Corporal Alvin C. York kills 28 German soldiers and captures 132, for which he is awarded the Medal of Honor.
• 1921 – KDKA in Pittsburgh's Forbes Field conducts the first live broadcast of a football game.
• 1928 – Joseph Szigeti gives the first performance of Alfredo Casella's Violin Concerto.
• 1932 – The Indian Air Force is established.
• 1939 – World War II: Germany annexes Western Poland.
• 1941 – World War II: In their invasion of the Soviet Union, Germany reaches the Sea of Azov with the capture of Mariupol.
• 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Crucifix Hill occurs just outside Aachen. Capt. Bobbie Brown receives a Medal of Honor for his heroics in this battle.
• 1952 – The Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash kills 112 people.
• 1956 – New York Yankees's Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in a World Series.
• 1962 – Spiegel scandal: Der Spiegel publishes the article "Bedingt abwehrbereit" ("Conditionally prepared for defense") about a NATO manoeuvre called "Fallex 62", which uncovered the sorry state of the Bundeswehr (Germany's army) facing the communist threat from the east at the time. The magazine is soon accused of treason.
• 1962 – Algeria joins the United Nations.
• 1967 – Guerrilla leader Che Guevara and his men are captured in Bolivia.
• 1968 – Vietnam War: Operation Sealords: United States and South Vietnamese forces launch a new operation in the Mekong Delta.
• 1969 – The opening rally of the Days of Rage occurs, organized by the Weather Underground in Chicago.
• 1970 – Vietnam War: In Paris, a Communist delegation rejects US President Richard Nixon's October 7 peace proposal as "a manoeuvre to deceive world opinion".
• 1973 – Yom Kippur War: Gabi Amir's armored brigade attacks Egyptian occupied positions on the Israeli side of the Suez Canal, in hope of driving them away. The attack fails, and over 150 Israeli tanks are destroyed.
• 1973 – Greek military junta of 1967–74: Junta strongman George Papadopoulos appoints Spyros Markezinis as Prime Minister of Greece with the task to lead Greece to parliamentary rule.
• 1974 – Franklin National Bank collapses due to fraud and mismanagement; at the time it is the largest bank failure in the history of the United States.
• 1978 – Australia's Ken Warby sets the current world water speed record of 317.60 mph at Blowering Dam, Australia.
• 1982 – Poland bans Solidarity and all trade unions.
• 1982 – Cats opens on Broadway and runs for nearly 18 years before closing on September 10, 2000.
• 1990 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict: In Jerusalem, Israeli police kill 17 Palestinians and wound over 100 near the Dome of the Rock mosque on the Temple Mount.
• 1991 – Croatia votes to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia, rendering the country fully independent.
• 2001 – A twin engine Cessna and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) jetliner collide in heavy fog during takeoff from Milan, Italy, killing 118 people.
• 2001 – U.S. President George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security.
• 2005 – 2005 Kashmir earthquake: Thousands of people are killed by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake in parts of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.

Births

• 319 BC – Pyrrhus of Epirus (d. 272 BC)
• 1515 – Margaret Douglas, English wife of Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (d. 1578)
• 1585 – Heinrich Schütz, German organist and composer (d. 1672)
• 1676 – Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro, Spanish monk and scholar (d. 1764)
• 1713 – Yechezkel Landau, Polish rabbi and author (d. 1793)
• 1715 – Michel Benoist, French scientist and missionary (d. 1774)
• 1720 – Jonathan Mayhew, American minister (d. 1766)
• 1747 – Jean-François Rewbell, French lawyer and politician (d. 1807)
• 1765 – Harman Blennerhassett, English-Irish lawyer and politician (d. 1831)
• 1789 – John Ruggles, American lawyer and politician (d. 1874)
• 1789 – William John Swainson, English-New Zealand ornithologist and entomologist (d. 1855)
• 1807 – Harriet Taylor Mill, English philosopher and activist (d. 1858)
• 1818 – John Henninger Reagan, American judge and politician, 3rd Confederate States of America Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1905)
• 1834 – Walter Kittredge, American violinist and composer (d. 1905)
• 1845 – Salomon Kalischer, German pianist, composer, and physicist (d. 1924)
• 1847 – Rose Scott, Australian activist (d. 1925)
• 1848 – Pierre De Geyter, Belgian composer (d. 1932)
• 1850 – Henry Louis Le Châtelier, French chemist and academic (d. 1936)
• 1863 – Edythe Chapman, American actress (d. 1948)
• 1864 – Ozias Leduc, Canadian painter (d. 1955)
• 1870 – Louis Vierne, French organist and composer (d. 1937)
• 1875 – Laurence Doherty, English tennis player and golfer (d. 1919)
• 1876 – Frederick Montague, 1st Baron Amwell, English lieutenant and politician (d. 1966)
• 1877 – Hans Heysen, German-Australian painter (d. 1968)
• 1878 – Walter Katzenstein, German rower (d. 1929)
• 1883 – Dick Burnett, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1977)
• 1883 – Otto Heinrich Warburg, German physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1970)
• 1884 – Walther von Reichenau, German field marshal (d. 1942)
• 1887 – Huntley Gordon, Canadian-American actor (d. 1956)
• 1888 – Ernst Kretschmer, German psychiatrist and author (d. 1964)
• 1889 – Collett E. Woolman, American businessman, co-founded Delta Air Lines (d. 1966)
• 1890 – Snuffy Browne, Barbadian cricketer (d. 1964)
• 1890 – Eddie Rickenbacker, American soldier and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1973)
• 1890 – Philippe Thys, Belgian cyclist (d. 1971)
• 1892 – Marina Tsvetaeva, Russian poet and author (d. 1941)
• 1893 – Clarence Williams, American pianist and composer (d. 1965)
• 1895 – Zog I of Albania (d. 1961)
• 1895 – Juan Perón, Argentinian general and politician, 29th President of Argentina (d. 1974)
• 1896 – Julien Duvivier, French director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1967)
• 1897 – Rouben Mamoulian, Georgian-American director and screenwriter (d. 1987)
• 1901 – Eivind Groven, Norwegian composer and theorist (d. 1977)
• 1901 – Mark Oliphant, Australian physicist, humanitarian and politician, Governor of South Australia (d. 2000)
• 1903 – Georgy Geshev, Bulgarian chess player (d. 1937)
• 1907 – Richard Sharpe Shaver, American author and illustrator (d. 1975)
• 1908 – Ezekias Papaioannou, Greek-Cypriot politician (d. 1988)
• 1910 – Kirk Alyn, American actor (d. 1999)
• 1910 – Paulette Dubost, French actress (d. 2011)
• 1910 – Gus Hall, American soldier and politician (d. 2000)
• 1910 – Helmut Kallmeyer, German chemist and Action T4 perpetrator (d. 2006)
• 1910 – Ray Lewis, Canadian runner (d. 2003)
• 1913 – Robert R. Gilruth, American pilot and engineer (d. 2000)
• 1917 – Billy Conn, American boxer (d. 1993)
• 1917 – Walter Lord, American historian and author (d. 2002)
• 1917 – Danny Murtaugh, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1976)
• 1917 – Rodney Robert Porter, English biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1985)
• 1918 – Halfdan Hegtun, Norwegian radio host and politician (d. 2012)
• 1918 – Ron Randell, Australian-American actor (d. 2005)
• 1918 – Jens Christian Skou, Danish chemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1919 – Kiichi Miyazawa, Japanese politician, 78th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2007)
• 1920 – Frank Herbert, American journalist, photographer, and author (d. 1986)
• 1921 – Abraham Sarmiento, Filipino lawyer and jurist (d. 2010)
• 1922 – Nils Liedholm, Swedish footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2007)
• 1922 – Herbert B. Leonard, American production manager and producer (d. 2006)
• 1924 – Alphons Egli, Swiss politician, 77th President of the Swiss Confederation
• 1924 – Thirunalloor Karunakaran, Indian poet and scholar (d. 2006)
• 1924 – John Nelder, English mathematician and statistician (d. 2010)
• 1926 – Raaj Kumar, Pakistani-Indian police officer and actor (d. 1996)
• 1927 – Jim Elliot, American missionary (d. 1956)
• 1927 – César Milstein, Argentinian-English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2002)
• 1928 – Didi, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2001)
• 1928 – M. Russell Ballard, American lieutenant and religious leader
• 1928 – Neil Harvey, Australian cricketer
• 1928 – Bill Maynard, English actor
• 1929 – Betty Boothroyd, English academic and politician, British Speaker of the House of Commons
• 1930 – Alasdair Milne, Indian-English director and producer (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Faith Ringgold, American artist
• 1930 – Toru Takemitsu, Japanese composer and theorist (d. 1996)
• 1931 – Bill Brown, Scottish-Canadian footballer (d. 2004)
• 1932 – Ray Reardon, Welsh snooker player
• 1934 – Kader Asmal, South African academic and politician (d. 2011)
• 1934 – Gerry Hitchens English footballer (d. 1983)
• 1934 – James Holshouser, American politician, 68th Governor of North Carolina (d. 2013)
• 1935 – Albert Roux, French-English chef
• 1936 – Rona Barrett, American journalist and businesswoman
• 1937 – Merle Park, Zimbabwean ballerina
• 1937 – Paul Schell, American lawyer and politician, 50th Mayor of Seattle (d. 2014)
• 1938 – William Corlett, English-French author and playwright (d. 2005)
• 1938 – Walter Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey coach and author
• 1938 – Fred Stolle, Australian-American tennis player and sportscaster
• 1938 – Bronislovas Lubys, Lithuanian businessman and politician, Prime Minister of Lithuania (d. 2011)
• 1939 – Paul Hogan, Australian actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1939 – Elvīra Ozoliņa, Latvian javelin thrower
• 1939 – Harvey Pekar, American author and critic (d. 2010)
• 1939 – Lynne Stewart, American lawyer
• 1940 – Fred Cash, American singer (The Impressions)
• 1941 – Jesse Jackson, American minister and activist
• 1943 – Chevy Chase, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter
• 1943 – R. L. Stine, American author, screenwriter, and producer
• 1944 – Dale Dye, American captain and actor
• 1944 – Ed Kirkpatrick, American baseball player (d. 2010)
• 1944 – Susan Raye, American singer
• 1946 – Hanan Ashrawi, Palestinian scholar, activist, and politician
• 1946 – Jean-Jacques Beineix, French director and producer
• 1946 – Dennis Kucinich, American politician, 53rd Mayor of Cleveland
• 1946 – Bel Mooney, English journalist and author
• 1947 – Richard Morris, English archaeologist, historian, and author
• 1947 – Emiel Puttemans, Belgian runner
• 1947 – Stephen Shore, American photographer and educator
• 1948 – Benjamin Cheever, American author
• 1948 – Claude Jade, French actress (d. 2006)
• 1948 – Pedro López, Colombian serial killer
• 1948 – Sarah Purcell, American radio and television host
• 1948 – Johnny Ramone, American guitarist and songwriter (Ramones) (d. 2004)
• 1949 – Jerry Bittle, American cartoonist (d. 2003)
• 1949 – Ashawna Hailey, American computer scientist (d. 2011)
• 1949 – Hamish Stuart, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Average White Band)
• 1949 – Sigourney Weaver, American actress and producer
• 1950 – Robert "Kool" Bell, American singer-songwriter and bass player (Kool & the Gang)
• 1950 – Blake Morrison, English poet and author
• 1951 – Jack O'Connell, American educator and politician
• 1951 – Timo Salonen, Finnish race car driver
• 1951 – Shannon C. Stimson, American philosopher, historian, and theorist
• 1952 – Takis Koroneos, Greek basketball player and coach
• 1952 – Jan Marijnissen, Dutch politician
• 1952 – Edward Zwick, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1953 – Robert Saxton, English composer and educator
• 1954 – Michael Dudikoff, American actor
• 1954 – Huub Rothengatter, Dutch race car driver
• 1955 – Bill Elliott, American race car driver
• 1955 – Alain Ferté, French race car driver
• 1955 – Darrell Hammond, American comedian and actor
• 1955 – Lonnie Pitchford, American singer and guitarist (d. 1998)
• 1956 – Jeff Lahti, American baseball player
• 1956 – Stephanie Zimbalist, American actress
• 1957 – Antonio Cabrini, Italian footballer and manager
• 1957 – Martha Kearney, Irish journalist
• 1958 – Steve Coll, American journalist and author
• 1958 – Bret Lott, American journalist, author, and academic
• 1958 – Ursula von der Leyen, Belgian-German physician and politician, Defense Minister of Germany
• 1959 – Nick Bakay, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1959 – Brad Byers, American stunt performer
• 1959 – Peter Horrocks, English journalist and producer
• 1959 – Mike Morgan, American baseball player and coach
• 1959 – Erik Gundersen, Danish motorcycle racer
• 1959 – Gavin Friday, Irish singer-songwriter, actor, and producer (Virgin Prunes)
• 1959 – Carlos I. Noriega, Peruvian-American colonel and astronaut
• 1960 – Andrea Anastasi, Italian volleyball player and coach
• 1960 – Reed Hastings, American businessman, co-founded Netflix
• 1960 – Lorenzo Milá, Spanish journalist
• 1960 – Ralf Minge, German footballer and manager
• 1960 – François Pérusse, Canadian singer-songwriter and comedian
• 1961 – Sandy Andolong, Filipino actress
• 1961 – Steven Bernstein, American trumpet player and composer (Sex Mob, The Lounge Lizards, and Spanish Fly)
• 1961 – Simon Burke, Australian actor and producer
• 1961 – Ted Kooshian, American pianist and composer (Ed Palermo Big Band)
• 1962 – Bruno Thiry, Belgian race car driver
• 1962 – Chen Xiaoxia, Chinese diver
• 1963 – João Baião, Portuguese television host and actor
• 1964 – Jakob Arjouni, German author (d. 2013)
• 1964 – Igor Jijikine, Russian actor
• 1964 – CeCe Winans, American singer-songwriter (BeBe & CeCe Winans)
• 1965 – Matt Biondi, American swimmer
• 1965 – Peter Greene, American actor
• 1965 – Ardal O'Hanlon, Irish comedian, actor, and screenwriter
• 1965 – Harri Koskela, Finnish wrestler
• 1965 – C. J. Ramone, American singer-songwriter and bass player (Ramones, 22 Jacks, Los Gusanos, and The Ramainz)
• 1966 – Art Barr, American wrestler (d. 1994)
• 1966 – Felipe Camiroaga, Chilean television host and actor (d. 2011)
• 1966 – Karyn Parsons, American actress and producer
• 1967 – Yvonne Reyes, Venezuelan actress
• 1968 – Ali Benarbia, Algerian footballer
• 1968 – Zvonimir Boban, Croatian footballer and sportscaster
• 1968 – Emily Procter, American actress
• 1968 – CL Smooth, American rapper and producer (Pete Rock & CL Smooth)
• 1968 – Leeroy Thornhill, English keyboard player (The Prodigy)
• 1969 – Julia Ann, American porn actress and makeup artist
• 1969 – Jeremy Davies, American actor
• 1969 – Dylan Neal, Canadian-American actor
• 1970 – Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui, Congolese colonel
• 1970 – Matt Damon, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1970 – Anne-Marie Duff, English actress
• 1970 – Sadiq Khan, English lawyer and politician, Minister of State for Transport
• 1970 – Sisaundra Lewis, American singer-songwriter
• 1970 – Tetsuya Nomura, Japanese video game designer and director
• 1971 – David Gauke, English lawyer and politician
• 1971 – Monty Williams, American basketball player and coach
• 1972 – Terry Balsamo, American guitarist (Cold, Limp Bizkit, and Evanescence)
• 1972 – Kim Myung-min, South Korean actor
• 1972 – Stanislav Varga, Slovak footballer and manager
• 1973 – Jim Fairchild, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Grandaddy and Modest Mouse)
• 1974 – Akiko Thomson, Filipino swimmer
• 1974 – Kevyn Adams, American ice hockey player and coach
• 1974 – Martin Henderson, New Zealand actor
• 1974 – Fredrik Modin, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1974 – Koji Murofushi, Japanese hammer thrower
• 1976 – Seryoga, Belorussian rapper, actor, and producer
• 1976 – Karina Bacchi, Brazilian model and actress
• 1976 – Galo Blanco, Spanish tennis player and coach
• 1976 – Renate Groenewold, Dutch speed skater
• 1977 – Anne-Caroline Chausson, French cyclist
• 1977 – Jamie Marchi, American voice actress, director, and screenwriter
• 1977 – Erna Siikavirta, Finnish singer-songwriter and keyboard player (Lordi)
• 1978 – Antonino D'Agostino, Italian footballer
• 1978 – Mick O'Driscoll, Irish rugby player and coach
• 1979 – Paul Burchill, English wrestler
• 1979 – Kristanna Loken, American actress and producer
• 1979 – Gregori Chad Petree, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Shiny Toy Guns, Cloud2Ground, and pc Quest)
• 1979 – Noelle Scaggs, American singer-songwriter (Fitz and The Tantrums)
• 1980 – Nick Cannon, American actor, rapper, and producer
• 1980 – The Miz, American wrestler and actor
• 1980 – Rajesh Sharma, Canadian-Indian politician
• 1981 – Ruby, Egyptian singer and actress
• 1981 – Vladimir Kisenkov, Russian footballer
• 1981 – Raffi Torres, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1981 – Kalil Wilson, American singer and producer
• 1983 – Mario Cassano, Italian footballer
• 1983 – Michael Fraser, Scottish footballer
• 1983 – Mihkel Kukk, Estonian javelin thrower
• 1983 – Abhishek Nayar, Indian cricketer
• 1983 – Travis Pastrana, American motorcycle racer
• 1984 – Domenik Hixon, American football player
• 1984 – Malcolm Shabazz, French-American criminal (d. 2013)
• 1985 – Elliphant, Swedish singer
• 1985 – Bruno Mars, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
• 1985 – Eiji Wentz, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor (WaT)
• 1986 – Louis Dodds, English footballer
• 1986 – Michele Sepe, Italian rugby player
• 1987 – Samantha Bentley, English pornographic actress
• 1987 – Aya Hirano, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1987 – Hassan Maatouk, Lebanese footballer
• 1987 – Taylor Price, American football player
• 1987 – Ksenia Solo, Latvian-Canadian actress
• 1989 – Mahmut Temür, Turkish footballer
• 1989 – Armand Traoré, French footballer
• 1991 – Bakermat, Dutch keyboard player, DJ, and producer
• 1992 – Maria João Koehler, Portuguese tennis player
• 1992 – Lidziya Marozava, Belarusian tennis player
• 1993 – Angus T. Jones, American actor
• 1993 – Barbara Palvin, Hungarian model and actress
• 1993 – Molly Quinn, American actress and producer
• 1993 – Darrell Wallace, Jr., American race car driver
• 1994 – Luca Hänni, Swiss singer
• 1996 – Sara Sorribes Tormo, Spanish tennis player
• 1996 – Sara Takanashi, Japanese ski jumper
• 1997 – Bella Thorne, American actress, singer, and dancer

Deaths

• 705 – Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, Muslim caliph (b. 646)
• 976 – Helen of Zadar
• 1286 – John I, Duke of Brittany (b. 1217)
• 1317 – Emperor Fushimi of Japan (b. 1265)
• 1621 – Antoine de Montchrestien, French soldier, playwright, and economist (b. 1575)
• 1647 – Christen Sørensen Longomontanus, Danish astronomer and mathematician (b. 1562)
• 1652 – John Greaves, English mathematician and astronomer (b. 1602)
• 1656 – John George I, Elector of Saxony (b. 1585)
• 1659 – Jean de Quen, French missionary, priest, and historian (b. 1603)
• 1735 – Yongzheng Emperor of China (b. 1678)
• 1754 – Henry Fielding, English author and playwright (b. 1707)
• 1772 – Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, French violinist and composer (b. 1711)
• 1793 – John Hancock, American merchant and politician, 1st Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1737)
• 1795 – Andrew Kippis, English minister and author (b. 1725)
• 1802 – Emmanuel Vitale, Maltese general and politician (b. 1758)
• 1804 – Thomas Cochran, Canadian lawyer and judge (b. 1777)
• 1809 – James Elphinston, Scottish orthographer, phonologist, and linguist (b. 1721)
• 1834 – François-Adrien Boieldieu, French composer (b. 1775)
• 1869 – Franklin Pierce, American general, lawyer, and politician, 14th President of the United States (b. 1804)
• 1879 – Miguel Grau Seminario, Peruvian admiral (b. 1834)
• 1886 – Austin F. Pike, American lawyer and politician (b. 1819)
• 1897 – Alexei Savrasov, Russian painter (b. 1830)
• 1920 – John Olin, American wrestler (b. 1886)
• 1928 – Larry Semon, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1889)
• 1931 – John Monash, Australian general and engineer (b. 1865)
• 1936 – Premchand, Indian author (b. 1880)
• 1936 – Red Ames, American baseball player and manager (b. 1882)
• 1936 – William Henry Stark, American businessman (b. 1851)
• 1942 – Sergey Chaplygin, Russian physicist, mathematician, and engineer (b. 1869)
• 1944 – Wendell Willkie, American captain, lawyer, and politician (b. 1892)
• 1945 – Felix Salten, Austrian author and critic (b. 1869)
• 1952 – Joe Adams, American baseball player and manager (b. 1877)
• 1953 – Nigel Bruce, Mexican-American actor and singer (b. 1895)
• 1953 – Kathleen Ferrier, English singer (b. 1912)
• 1955 – Iry LeJeune, American accordion player (b. 1928)
• 1958 – Ran Bosilek, Bulgarian author and translator (b. 1886)
• 1962 – Toivo Aro, Finnish diver (b. 1887)
• 1962 – Solomon Linda, South African singer-songwriter (b. 1909)
• 1963 – Remedios Varo, Spanish-Mexican painter (b. 1908)
• 1967 – Clement Attlee, English soldier, lawyer, and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1883)
• 1970 – Mitr Chaibancha, Thai actor and producer (b. 1934)
• 1970 – Jean Giono, French author and poet (b. 1895)
• 1973 – Gabriel Marcel, French philosopher, playwright, and critic (b. 1889)
• 1977 – Giorgos Papasideris, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1902)
• 1979 – Emmaline Henry, American actress (b. 1928)
• 1979 – Jayaprakash Narayan, Indian politician (b. 1902)
• 1982 – Fernando Lamas, Argentinian-American actor and director (b. 1915)
• 1982 – Philip Noel-Baker, Baron Noel-Baker, English runner and politician, Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1889)
• 1983 – Joan Hackett, American actress (b. 1934)
• 1985 – Malcolm Ross, American captain, physicist, and balloonist (b. 1919)
• 1985 – Gordon Welchman, English-American mathematician and scholar (b. 1906)
• 1987 – Konstantinos Tsatsos, Greek scholar and politician, 2nd President of Greece (b. 1899)
• 1990 – B.J. Wilson, English drummer (Procol Harum) (b. 1947)
• 1992 – Willy Brandt, German politician, 4th Chancellor of Germany, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
• 1994 – Oscar M. Ruebhausen, American lawyer (b. 1912)
• 1995 – Christopher Keene, American conductor (b. 1946)
• 1997 – Bertrand Goldberg, American architect, designed the Marina City Building (b. 1913)
• 1999 – John McLendon, American basketball player and coach (b. 1915)
• 2000 – Charlotte Lamb, English author (b. 1937)
• 2002 – Phyllis Calvert, English actress (b. 1915)
• 2002 – Jacques Richard, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1952)
• 2004 – James Chace, American historian and author (b. 1931)
• 2006 – Mark Porter, New Zealand race car driver (b. 1974)
• 2007 – Constantine Andreou, Greek painter and sculptor (b. 1917)
• 2008 – Bob Friend, English journalist (b. 1938)
• 2008 – Eileen Herlie, Scottish-American actress (b. 1918)
• 2008 – George Emil Palade, Romanian-American biologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
• 2010 – Frank Bourgholtzer, American journalist (b. 1919)
• 2011 – Al Davis, American football player, coach, and manager (b. 1929)
• 2011 – Mikey Welsh, American guitarist and painter (Weezer, The Special Goodness, Verbena, and The Kickovers) (b. 1984)
• 2011 – Roger Williams, American pianist (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Varsha Bhosle, Indian singer and journalist (b. 1956)
• 2012 – Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Filipino director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1955)
• 2012 – Eric Lomax, Scottish captain and author (b. 1919)
• 2012 – Ken Sansom, American actor and singer (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Nawal Kishore Sharma, Indian politician, 20th Governor of Gujarat (b. 1925)
• 2012 – John Tchicai, Danish-French saxophonist and composer (b. 1936)
• 2013 – Philip Chevron, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Pogues and The Radiators from Space) (b. 1957)
• 2013 – Paul Desmarais, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1927)
• 2013 – Rod Grams, American journalist and politician (b. 1948)
• 2013 – Rodolphe Kasser, Swiss archaeologist and philologist (b. 1927)
• 2013 – Andy Pafko, American baseball player and manager (b. 1921)
• 2013 – Rottyful Sky, South Korean singer and actress (b. 1988)
• 2013 – Akong Rinpoche, Tibetan-Chinese spiritual leader (b. 1939)
• 2014 – Morris Lurie, Australian author and playwright (b. 1938)
• 2014 – Abdul Matin, Bangladeshi activist (b. 1926)
• 2014 – Alden E. Matthews, American missionary (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Harden M. McConnell, American chemist and academic (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Zilpha Keatley Snyder, American author (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Jeen van den Berg, Dutch speed skater (b. 1928)

Holidays and observances

• Air Force Day (India)
• Christian feast day:
  • Palatias and Laurentia
  • Pelagia (Catholic Church)
  • San Ernesto, Che Guevara as a saint. (Bolivian campesinos)
  • William Dwight Porter Bliss and Richard T. Ely (Episcopal Church)
  • October 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Earliest day on which Columbus Day can fall, while October 14 is the latest; observed on the second Monday of October (United States); and its related observance (see also October 12):
  • Discoverer's Day (Hawaii)
  • Indigenous Peoples' Day, a counter Columbus Day (United States)
  • Piomingo Day (Chickasaw Nation)
• Earliest day on which International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction can fall, while October 14 is the latest; observed on the second Wednesday in October. (Hawaii)
• Earliest day on which Mother's Day can fall, while October 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Monday in October. (Malawi)
• Earliest day on which the first day of Fire Prevention Week can fall, while October 14 is the latest; observed on the second week in October. (United States and Canada)
• Earliest day on which Thanksgiving can fall, while October 14 is the latest; observed on the second week in October. (Canada)
• Earliest day on which White Sunday can fall, while October 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday in October. (Samoa, Tonga)
• Independence Day, celebrates the official separation of Croatia from Yugoslavia in 1991.
• Navy Day (Peru)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada