October in History
What happened in October? This guide to October in history brings together the biggest historical events of the month, famous October birthdays, and international days, with a timeline of all 31 days and 1,638 events from Wikipedia.
Top moments in October history
These are the most important historical events in October, one for each day, chosen by how widely people read about them and by Wikipedia's own selected anniversaries. They span from 1492 to 2023. Select a card to see everything that happened on that October date.
October 27, 1964
Ronald Reagan delivers a speech on behalf of the Republican candidate for president, Barry Goldwater. The speech launches his political career and comes to be known as "A Time for Choosing".
See October 27
October 12, 1492
Christopher Columbus's first expedition makes landfall on San Salvador Island in the Caribbean. (Julian calendar)
See October 12
October 7, 2023
Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups launch an attack into Israel, which results in the deaths of around 1,200, mostly civilians, and the taking of 251 hostages, including civilians and soldiers.
See October 7
October 30, 1991
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The Madrid Conference commences in an effort to revive peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
See October 30
October 31, 1941
World War II: The destroyer USS Reuben James is torpedoed by a German U-boat near Iceland, killing more than 100 U.S. Navy sailors. It is the first U.S. Navy vessel sunk by enemy action in WWII.
See October 31
October 15, 1815
Napoleon begins his exile on Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
See October 15
October 20, 2011
Libyan Crisis: Rebel forces capture Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim in his hometown of Sirte and kill them shortly thereafter, ending the first Libyan civil war.
See October 20
October 29, 1956
Suez Crisis begins: Israeli forces invade the Sinai Peninsula and push Egyptian forces back toward the Suez Canal.
See October 29
October 28, 1776
American Revolutionary War: British troops under General William Howe attack General George Washington's Continental Army and capture Chatterton Hill in the Battle of White Plains during the New York and New Jersey campaign.
See October 28
October 10, 1846
Triton, the largest moon of the planet Neptune, is discovered by English astronomer William Lassell.
See October 10
October day by day
Every day in October has its own history. The timeline shows the top event for each date, and October 1 is the busiest day with 94 recorded events. Open a day for all October events on that date, plus the people born and died that day and a daily history quiz.
- Oct 1
- Oct 2
1470The Earl of Warwick's rebellion forces King Edward IV of England to flee to the Netherlands, restoring Henry VI to the throne.
- Oct 3
1981The hunger strike at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland ends after seven months and ten deaths.
- Oct 4
- Oct 5
1962The first of the James Bond film series, based on the novels by Ian Fleming, Dr. No, is released in Britain.
- Oct 6
1908The Bosnian crisis erupts when Austria-Hungary formally annexes Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Oct 7
2023Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups launch an attack into Israel, which results in the deaths of around 1,200, mostly civilians, and the taking of 251 hostages, including civilians and soldiers.
- Oct 8
1967Guerrilla leader Che Guevara and his men are captured in Bolivia. Guevara would be executed the next day.
- Oct 9
- Oct 10
1846Triton, the largest moon of the planet Neptune, is discovered by English astronomer William Lassell.
- Oct 11
1840The Maronite leader Bashir Shihab II surrenders to the Ottoman Empire and later is sent to Malta in exile.
- Oct 12
1492Christopher Columbus's first expedition makes landfall on San Salvador Island in the Caribbean. (Julian calendar)
- Oct 13
1307Hundreds of the Knights Templar in France are arrested at dawn by King Philip the Fair, and later confess under torture to heresy.
- Oct 14
1863American Civil War: Confederate troops under the command of A. P. Hill fail to drive the Union Army completely out of Virginia.
- Oct 15
1815Napoleon begins his exile on Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
- Oct 16
1973Henry Kissinger and Lê Đức Thọ are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
- Oct 17
1660The nine regicides who signed the death warrant of Charles I of England are hanged, drawn and quartered.
- Oct 18
1081The Normans defeat the Byzantine Empire in the Battle of Dyrrhachium.
- Oct 19
1781American Revolutionary War: The siege of Yorktown comes to an end.
- Oct 20
2011Libyan Crisis: Rebel forces capture Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim in his hometown of Sirte and kill them shortly thereafter, ending the first Libyan civil war.
- Oct 21
1854Florence Nightingale and a staff of 38 nurses are sent to the Crimean War.
- Oct 22
1724J. S. Bach leads the first performance of Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele (Adorn yourself, O dear soul) in Leipzig on the 20th Sunday after Trinity, based on the communion hymn of the same name.
- Oct 23
1850The first National Women's Rights Convention begins in Worcester, Massachusetts.
- Oct 24
1929"Black Thursday" on the New York Stock Exchange, the first day of the panic in the markets that contributes to the Great Depression.
- Oct 25
1760King George III succeeds to the British throne on the death of his grandfather George II.
- Oct 26
- Oct 27
1964Ronald Reagan delivers a speech on behalf of the Republican candidate for president, Barry Goldwater. The speech launches his political career and comes to be known as "A Time for Choosing".
- Oct 28
1776American Revolutionary War: British troops under General William Howe attack General George Washington's Continental Army and capture Chatterton Hill in the Battle of White Plains during the New York and New Jersey campaign.
- Oct 29
1956Suez Crisis begins: Israeli forces invade the Sinai Peninsula and push Egyptian forces back toward the Suez Canal.
- Oct 30
1991The Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The Madrid Conference commences in an effort to revive peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
- Oct 31
1941World War II: The destroyer USS Reuben James is torpedoed by a German U-boat near Iceland, killing more than 100 U.S. Navy sailors. It is the first U.S. Navy vessel sunk by enemy action in WWII.
Famous people born in October
Famous people born in October include Vladimir Putin, Mahatma Gandhi, Pablo Picasso and Friedrich Nietzsche. The list shows the best-known October birthdays, one per day, ranked by the number of Wikipedia languages with an article about each person. Select a card to see everyone born on that date.
Born October 28, 1955Bill Gates
American businessman and philanthropist (born 1955)
Born on October 28
Born October 13, 1925Margaret Thatcher
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990
Born on October 13
Born October 20, 1964Kamala Harris
Vice President of the United States from 2021 to 2025
Born on October 20
International days in October
October holidays and observances include International Coffee Day on October 1 and International Day of Older Persons on October 1. These are the international days of the month. The full October holidays calendar also lists national holidays and religious feast days for every date.
Event text and biographies from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. People are ranked by the number of Wikipedia language editions with an article about them.