October 1

### Up to 1900

- 331 BC – Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela.
- 959 – Edgar the Peaceable becomes King of all England.
- 1553 – Coronation of Queen Mary I of England.
- 1787 – Russians under Alexander Suvorov defeat the Turks at Kinburn.
- 1791 – First session of the French Legislative Assembly.
- 1795 – Belgium is conquered by France.
- 1800 – Spain cedes Louisiana to France.
- 1811 – The first steamboat to sail the Mississippi River arrives in New Orleans.
- 1814 – Opening of the Congress of Vienna, intended to re–draw Europe's political map after the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte the previous spring.
- 1827 – Russo-Persian War: The Russian Army under Ivan Paskevich storms Yerevan, ending a millennium of Muslim domination in Armenia.
- 1829 – The South African College is founded in Cape Town. It will later split into the University of Cape Town and the South African Colleges.
- 1843 – British tabloid newspaper, the News of the World, begins publication. It ends publication in 2011 due to a major scandal.
- 1847 – German inventor and industrialist Werner von Siemens founds the Siemens AG and Halske.
- 1869 – The world's first postcards are issued in Austria.
- 1880 – John Philip Sousa becomes leader of the US Marine Band.
- 1880 – The first electric lamp factory is opened by Thomas Edison.
- 1884 – Denmark's Politiken newspaper is founded.
- 1887 – Balochistan, in present–day Pakistan, is conquered by the British Empire.
- 1889 – The Japanese city of Nagoya is founded.
- 1890 – The Yosemite National Park is established by the United States Congress.
- 1891 – Stanford University opens in California.

### 1901 – 1950

- 1903 – Baseball: The Boston Americans play the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of the modern World Series.
- 1908 – Ford puts a Model–T car on the market for the first time.
- 1910 – A bomb destroys The Los Angeles Times building in downtown Los Angeles, California, killing 21 people.
- 1928 – The Soviet Union introduces its first Five–Year Plan.
- 1931 – The George Washington Bridge linking New Jersey to New York opens.
- 1931 – Spain gives women the right to vote.
- 1936 – Francisco Franco becomes head of the Nationalist Government of Spain.
- 1937 – The Japanese city of Handa is founded in Aichi prefecture.
- 1938 – Germany takes control of the Sudetenland in the present–day Czech Republic.
- 1939 – World War II: Nazi forces enter Warsaw, Poland, after a one–month siege.
- 1943 – World War II: Naples, Italy falls to the Allies.
- 1946 – The Nuremberg Trials of leading Nazis conclude.
- 1946 – Mensa International is founded in the UK.
- 1949 – Mao Zedong and 300,000 others come to Tiananmen Square to celebrate the Sept.21 creation of the People's Republic of China; within a few months, this celebration becomes the basis for a new National Day.

### 1951 – 2000

- 1957 – First appearance of _In God We Trust_ on US paper currency.
- 1958 – NASA is created to replace NACA.
- 1960 – Nigeria becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
- 1961 – British and French Cameroon (independent since 1960) merge.
- 1962 – First transmission of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
- 1964 – Tōkaidō Shinkansen is opened (Tokyo – Shin–Osaka).
- 1965 – General Suharto rises to power in a coup in Indonesia. Seven military officers are executed in the early hours of the morning.
- 1966 – West Coast Airlines Flight 956 crashes with 18 fatalities and no survivors near Wemme, Oregon.
- 1968 – Guyana moves towards independent broadcasting, when its government takes over the British Guiana Broadcasting Service.
- 1969 – After Tupolev Tu–144, Concorde becomes the second aircraft type to break the sound barrier.
- 1971 – Walt Disney World opens near Orlando, Florida.
- 1975 – In the Thrilla in Manila, Muhammad Ali defends his world heavyweight boxing title against Joe Frazier.
- 1975 – The Seychelles gain self government; The islands become independent on June 29, 1976.
- 1975 – The Ellice Islands split from the Gilbert Islands (present–day Kiribati) and change their name to Tuvalu.
- 1977 – Brazilian footballer Pele ends his playing career.
- 1978 – Tuvalu becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
- 1979 – Pope John Paul II visits the United States.
- 1979 – The United States hands over control of the Panama Canal to Panama, though the full transfer of control occurs at the end of 1999.
- 1982 – Helmut Kohl replaces Helmut Schmidt as Chancellor of Germany.
- 1985 – Israel's Air Force bombs Palestinian Liberation Organization headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia.
- 1988 – Singles' Tennis: Steffi Graf wins the gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics, having already won all Grand Slam tournaments of the year, becoming the first, and so far only, winner of a 'Golden Slam' in tennis.
- 1989 – Denmark introduces the world's first same-sex civil union, or Registered Partnership.
- 1991 – Balkan War: The Siege of Dubrovnik begins.
- 1992 – The children's television channel Cartoon Network begins transmission.
- 1994 – Palau becomes independent from a UN trusteeship administered by the US.
- 1995 – An earthquake strikes Dinar, Turkey, killing 100 people.
- 2000 – The 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, end.

### From 2001

- 2001 – Militants attack the state legislature building in Srinagar, Kashmir, killing 38 people.
- 2005 – Bali is devastated by a terrorist attack, in which 26 people are killed after bombs explode.
- 2009 – The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom takes over the judicial functions of the House of Lords.
- 2012 – A ferry collision in Hong Kong kills 38 people and injures over 100.
- 2013 – The United States Government temporarily shuts down after failing to agree on a budget.
- 2014 – Jens Stoltenberg becomes Secretary–General of NATO.
- 2017 – Same-sex marriages take place in Germany for the first time.
- 2017 – A ban on face covering in public places enters into force in Austria.
- 2017 – Catalonia holds a disputed referendum on whether or not to become independent from Spain.
- 2017 – Las Vegas Strip shooting: Stephen Paddock carries out the deadliest shooting by a single gunman in recent US history in Las Vegas when he fires shots from two windows of his 32nd floor room on the Mandalay Bay Hotel onto a crowd in a country music festival, killing 59 people and wounding more than 500.

### Up to 1800

- 86 BC – Sallust, Roman historian (d. 35 BC)
- 208 – Alexander Severus, Roman Emperor (d. 235)
- 1207 – King Henry III of England (d. 1272)
- 1348 – Isabella, Countess of Vertus, French princess (d. 1373)
- 1471 – King Frederick I of Denmark (d. 1533)
- 1507 – Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, Italian architect (d. 1573)
- 1540 – Johann Jakob Grynaeus, Swiss Protestant clergyman (d. 1617)
- 1541 – El Greco, Greek–Spanish painter, sculptor and architect (d. 1614)
- 1577 – Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Swiss friar and saint (d. 1622)
- 1620 – Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem, Dutch painter (d. 1683)
- 1644 – Alessandro Stradella, Italian composer (d. 1682)
- 1671 – Guido Grandi, Italian mathematician (d. 1742)
- 1685 – Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1740)
- 1691 – Arthur Onslow, English politician (d. 1768)
- 1724 – Giovanni Battista Cirri, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1808)
- 1729 – Anton Cajetan Adlgasser, German organist and composer (d. 1777)
- 1730 – Richard Stockton, American attorney, signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1781)
- 1754 – Tsar Paul I of Russia (d. 1801)
- 1760 – William Thomas Beckford, English writer and politician (d. 1844)
- 1771 – Pierre Baillot, French violinist and composer (d. 1842)
- 1791 – Sergei Aksakov, Russian writer (d. 1859)
- 1794 – Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt (d. 1871)
- 1800 – Lars Levi Laestadius, Swedish botanist and Christian missionary to Lapland (d. 1861)

### 1801 – 1900

- 1808 – Mary Anna Custis Lee, First Lady of the Confederate States of America (d. 1873)
- 1821 – Benjamin T. Biggs, American politician and Governor of Delaware (d. 1893)
- 1832 – Caroline Harrison, First Lady of the United States (d. 1892)
- 1835 – Adam Politzer, Austro-Hungarian physician (d. 1920)
- 1842 – Charles Clos, French poet and inventor (d. 1888)
- 1846 – Nectarios de Aegina, Greek saint (d. 1920)
- 1847 – Annie Besant, English–Indian activist and author (d. 1933)
- 1850 – David R. Francis, American politician and diplomat, Governor of Missouri and Ambassador to Russia (d. 1927)
- 1865 – Paul Dukas, French composer (d. 1935)
- 1872 – Henry H. Blood, Governor of Utah (d. 1942)
- 1878 – Othmar Spann, Austrian philosopher and economist (d. 1950)
- 1881 – William Boeing, American engineer (d. 1956)
- 1885 – Louis Untermeyer, American writer (d. 1977)
- 1890 – Stanley Holloway, British actor (d. 1982)
- 1890 – Alice Joyce, American actress (d. 1955)
- 1893 – Yip Man, Chinese martial artist (d. 1972)
- 1894 – Edgar Krahn, Estonian mathematician (d. 1961)
- 1896 – Liaquat Ali Khan, first Prime Minister of Pakistan (d. 1951)
- 1896 – Ted Healy, American actor and comedian (d. 1937)
- 1900 – Tom Goddard, English cricketer (d. 1966)

### 1901 – 1950

- 1903 – Vladimir Horowitz, Ukrainian–born pianist (d. 1989)
- 1904 – Otto Robert Frisch, Austrian–born physicist (d. 1979)
- 1904 – A. K. Goppalan, Indian politician (d. 1977)
- 1905 – José Leandro Andrade, Uruguayan footballer (d. 1957)
- 1905 – Alfons Goppel, German politician, Prime Minister of Bavaria (d. 1991)
- 1906 – Sachin Dev Burman, Indian composer and singer (d. 1975)
- 1907 – Maurice Bardèche, French journalist, author and critic (d. 1998)
- 1909 – Sam Yorty, Mayor of Los Angeles, California (d. 1998)
- 1910 – Bonnie Parker, American outlaw (Bonnie and Clyde) (d. 1934)
- 1911 – Heinrich Mark, Estonian politician (d. 2004)
- 1912 – Kathleen Ollerenshaw, British mathematician and politician (d. 2014)
- 1914 – Daniel J. Boorstin, American historian, writer, and Librarian of Congress (d. 2004)
- 1914 – Marvin Gay, Sr., father of Marvin Gaye (d. 1998)
- 1915 – Jerome Bruner, American psychologist (d. 2016)
- 1917 – Cahal Daly, Irish archbishop (d. 2009)
- 1920 – Walter Matthau, American actor (d. 2000)
- 1921 – James Whitmore, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1922 – Chen Ning Yang, Chinese–American physicist
- 1922 – Kim Ki-young, South Korean movie director (d. 1998)
- 1924 – Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 2024)
- 1924 – William Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States (d. 2005)
- 1924 – Bob Geigel, American wrestling promoter (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Leonie Kramer, Australian academic (d. 2016)
- 1925 – Bob Boyd, American baseball player (d. 2004)
- 1925 – Benno Pludra, German writer (d. 2014)
- 1927 – Tom Bosley, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1927 – Sandy Gall, Scottish journalist and writer
- 1927 – Márta Kurtág, Hungarian pianist (d. 2019)
- 1928 – Laurence Harvey, Lithuanian–born actor (d. 1973)
- 1928 – George Peppard, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1928 – Zhu Rongji, Chinese politician
- 1930 – Sir Richard Harris, Irish actor (d. 2002)
- 1930 – Philippe Noiret, French actor (d. 2006)
- 1930 – Frank Gardner, Australian Formula One driver (d. 2009)
- 1930 – Naimatullah Khan, Pakistani politician
- 1931 – Sylvano Bussotti, Italian composer
- 1932 – Albert Collins, American blues guitarist (d. 1993)
- 1932 – Manuel Busto, French cyclist (d. 2017)
- 1934 – Emilio Botín, Spanish businessman (d. 2014)
- 1935 – Julie Andrews, British actress and singer
- 1935 – Walter De Maria, American sculptor (d. 2013)
- 1935 – Julio Jaramillo, Ecuadorean singer (d. 1978)
- 1936 – Duncan Edwards, English footballer (d. 1958)
- 1938 – Stella Stevens, American actress
- 1938 – Mary McFadden, American fashion designer and writer
- 1939 – George Archer, American golfer (d. 2005)
- 1942 – Günter Wallraff, German writer and journalist
- 1942 – David Stancliffe, 77th Bishop of Salisbury, England
- 1943 – Jean-Jacques Annaud, French director
- 1945 – Rod Carew, Panamanian baseball player
- 1945 – Ram Nath Kovind, Indian politician, President of India
- 1946 – Dave Holland, British jazz musician and composer
- 1947 – Dave Arneson, American game creator (d. 2009)
- 1947 – Stephen Collins, American actor
- 1947 – Aaron Ciechanover, Israeli biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- 1948 – Cub Koda, American singer (d. 2000)
- 1949 – Isaac Bonewits, American writer (d. 2010)
- 1949 – André Rieu, Dutch violinist, conductor and composer
- 1949 – Sheila Gilmore, Scottish politician
- 1950 – Boris Morukov, Russian cosmonaut (d. 2015)
- 1950 – Randy Quaid, American actor
- 1950 – Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield, English neuroscientist, academic and politician

### 1951 – 1975

- 1952 – Jacques Martin, Canadian ice hockey coach
- 1953 – Klaus Wowereit, German politician, former Governing Mayor of Berlin
- 1953 – Grete Waitz, Norwegian marathon runner (d. 2011)
- 1954 – Martin Strel, Slovenian swimmer
- 1955 – Jeff Reardon, American baseball player
- 1955 – Morten Gunnar Larsen, Norwegian pianist
- 1956 – Andrus Ansip, former Prime Minister of Estonia
- 1956 – Theresa May, British politician, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1959 – Youssou N'Dour, Senegalese singer, musician, composer and politician
- 1961 – Walter Mazzarri, Italian footballer
- 1961 – Gary Ablett, Sr., Australian footballer
- 1962 – Attaphol Buspakom, Thai footballer and coach (d. 2015)
- 1962 – Nico Claesen, Belgian footballer
- 1962 – Esai Morales, American actor
- 1963 – Mark McGwire, American baseball player
- 1964 – Harry Hill, British comedian
- 1964 – Max Matsuura, Japanese singer-songwriter
- 1964 – Jonathan Sarfati, Australian–born chess player, scientist, and writer
- 1964 – Christopher Titus, American actor, producer and screenwriter
- 1965 – Andreas Keller, German field hockey player
- 1966 – George Weah, Liberian footballer and politician, President of Liberia
- 1967 – Scott Young, American ice hockey player
- 1968 – Jon Guenther, American writer
- 1968 – Phil de Glanville, English rugby player
- 1969 – Marcus Stephen, Nauruan weightlifter and politician, former President of Nauru
- 1969 – Igor Ulanov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1969 – Zach Galifianakis, American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter
- 1969 – Simone Stelzer, Austrian singer
- 1974 – Mats Lindgren, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1974 – Keith Duffy, Irish singer (Boyzone) and actor
- 1975 – Chulpan Khamatova, Russian actress

### From 1976

- 1976 – Umit Karan, Turkish footballer
- 1977 – Jeffrey van Hooydonk, Belgian racing driver
- 1979 – Rudi Johnson, American football player
- 1981 – Júlio Baptista, Brazilian footballer
- 1981 – Rupert Friend, English actor, producer and screenwriter
- 1982 – Haruna Babangida, Nigerian footballer
- 1983 – Mohamed Abdelwahab, Egyptian footballer (d. 2006)
- 1983 – Mirko Vucinic, Montenegrin footballer
- 1984 – Daniel Guillén, Spanish footballer
- 1984 – Mónica Spear, Venezuelan model (d. 2014)
- 1985 – Nazimuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi cricketer
- 1986 – Ricardo Vaz Te, Portuguese footballer
- 1986 – Matthew Gonzalez, American figure skater
- 1986 – Daniela Katzenberger, German model and television personality
- 1986 – Sayaka Kanda, Japanese actress and singer
- 1987 – Hiroki Aiba, Japanese actor and singer
- 1988 – Cariba Heine, South African–Australian actress
- 1989 – Brie Larson, American actress and singer
- 1990 – Charlie McDonnell, English blogger
- 1998 – Danika Yarosh, American actress

### Up to 1900

- 686 – Emperor Temmu of Japan (b. 631)
- 959 – King Edwy of England (b. 941)
- 1040 – Alan III, Duke of Brittany (b. 997)
- 1310 – Beatrice of Burgundy, Lady of Bourbon (b. 1257)
- 1404 – Pope Boniface IX (b. 1356)
- 1499 – Marsilio Ficino, Italian philosopher (b. 1433)
- 1567 – Pietro Carnesecchi, Italian humanist (b. 1508)
- 1578 – John of Austria (b. 1547)
- 1588 – Edward James, English priest and martyr (b. 1557)
- 1609 – Giammatteo Asola, Italian composer (b. 1532)
- 1684 – Pierre Corneille, French dramatist (b. 1606)
- 1708 – John Blow, English composer (b. 1649)
- 1768 – Robert Simson, Scottish mathematician (b. 1687)
- 1837 – Robert Clark, American politician (b. 1777)
- 1864 – Juan José Flores, 1st President of Ecuador (b. 1800)
- 1868 – Mongkut, King of Siam, present–day Thailand (b. 1804)
- 1878 – Midon Min, King of Burma (b. 1808)
- 1895 – John Light Atlee, American physician and surgeon (b. 1799)

### 1901 – 2000

- 1901 – Abdur Rahman Khan, Afghan amir (b. 1844)
- 1913 – Eugene O'Keefe, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1827)
- 1919 – Princess Charlotte of Prussia (b. 1860)
- 1929 – Antoine Bourdelle, French sculptor and painter (b. 1861)
- 1942 – Ants Piip, Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1884)
- 1950 – Faik Ali Ozansoy, Turkish politician, poet and critic (b. 1876)
- 1952 – John Langenus, Belgian football referee (b. 1891)
- 1955 – Charles Christie, American movie producer (b. 1880)
- 1957 – Abdülhalik Renda, Turkish civil servant and politician (b. 1881)
- 1959 – Enrico de Nicola, first President of Italy (b. 1877)
- 1960 – Giuseppe Fietta, Italian cardinal (b. 1883)
- 1968 – Romano Guardini, Italian priest, theologian and philosopher (b. 1885)
- 1972 – Louis Leakey, British–Kenyan palaeontologist (b. 1903)
- 1985 – E. B. White, American writer (b. 1899)
- 1992 – Petra Kelly, German politician (b. 1947)
- 1992 – Gert Bastian, German politician (b. 1923)
- 1994 – Paul Lorenzen, German philosopher and mathematician (b. 1915)
- 1996 – Pat McGeown, Provisional IRA member (b. 1956)
- 1999 – Lena Zavaroni, Scottish singer (b. 1963)
- 2000 – Reginald Cray, English gangster (b. 1933)

### From 2001

- 2002 – Walter Annenberg, American publisher and philanthropist (b. 1908)
- 2004 – Richard Avedon, American photographer (b. 1923)
- 2007 – Ronnie Hazlehurst, English conductor and theme song composer (b. 1928)
- 2007 – Al Oerter, American athlete (b. 1936)
- 2009 – Kazumi Takada, Japanese footballer (b. 1951)
- 2011 – Sven Tumba, Swedish ice hockey player, golfer and footballer (b. 1931)
- 2011 – David Bedford, British composer (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Eric Hobsbawm, British historian and writer (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Dirk Bach, German actor, television presenter and comedian (b. 1961)
- 2012 – Moshe Sanbar, Israeli economist (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Peter Broadbent, English footballer (b. 1933)
- 2013 – Giuliano Gemma, Italian actor (b. 1938)
- 2013 – Tom Clancy, American writer (b. 1947)
- 2013 – Israel Gutman, Israeli historian (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Shlomo Lahat, Israeli general and politician (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Lynsey de Paul, English singer-songwriter (b. 1950)
- 2015 – Hadi Norouzi, Iranian footballer (b. 1985)
- 2015 – Don Edwards, American politician (b. 1915)
- 2015 – Jacob Pressman, American rabbi (b. 1919)
- 2015 – Joe Wark, Scottish footballer (b. 1947)
- 2015 – Max Keeping, Canadian broadcaster (b. 1942)
- 2017 – Hansje Bunschoten, Dutch swimmer and television presenter (b. 1958)
- 2017 – Robert D. Hales, American religious leader (b. 1932)
- 2017 – Arthur Janov, American psychologist and author (b. 1924)
- 2017 – Edmond Maire, French labour union leader and activist (b. 1931)
- 2017 – Larissa Volpert, Russian–Estonian philologist and chess player (b. 1926)
- 2017 – Edward B. Giller, American Major General (b. 1918)
- 2017 – Andy Hopkins, American football player (b. 1941)
- 2017 – Philippe Rahmy, Swiss poet and writer (b. 1965)
- 2017 – Stephen Paddock, American accountant and mass murderer (b. 1953)
- 2018 – Charles Aznavour, French–Armenian singer, actor and diplomat (b. 1924)
- 2018 – Stelvio Cipriani, Italian composer (b. 1937)
- 2018 – Carlos Ezquerra, Spanish comic artist (b. 1947)
- 2018 – Jerry González, American bandleader and trumpeter (b. 1949)
- 2018 – Do Muoi, Vietnamese politician (b. 1917)
- 2018 – Graciano Rocchigiani, German boxer (b. 1963)
- 2018 – Franco Sar, Italian decathlete (b. 1933)
- 2018 – Antoine Sfeir, Lebanese journalist and professor (b. 1948)
- 2019 – Joseph Bismuth, Tunisian businessman (b. 1926)
- 2019 – Cain Hope Felder, American theologian and writer (b. 1943)
- 2019 – Karel Gott, Czech singer (b. 1939)
- 2019 – Miguel León-Portilla, Mexican anthropologist and historian (b. 1926)
- 2019 – C. K. Menon, Indian businessman and politician (b. 1949)
- 2019 – Eric Pleskow, Austrian–born American film producer (b. 1924)
- 2019 – Peter Sissons, English journalist and broadcaster (b. 1942)
- 2019 – Arto Tchakmaktchian, Egyptian–born Armenian–Canadian sculptor and painter (b. 1933)
- 2025 – Jane Goodall, English zoologist, primatologist and anthropologist (b. 1934)

## Observances

- National Day (China, Cyprus, Tuvalu, and Palau)
- Independence Day (Nigeria)
- Unification Day (Cameroon)
- Teacher's Day (Uzbekistan)
- Armed Forces Day (South Korea)
- International Day of Older Persons
- International Coffee Day