Día de la Hispanidad or Fiesta Nacional de España, also Armed Forces Day in Spain
Day of the diver
Discovery of America by Columbus-related observances (see also October 8): - Columbus Day (Honduras)
Engineer's Day (Uruguay)
Freethought Day (United States)
Opening Day of America in Bolivia and Chile
UN Spanish Language Day (United Nations)
World Bone and Joint Week
Events
1984 – American actor Jon-Erik Hexum accidentally shoots himself with a prop gun. He dies six days later.
1979 – The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the first of five books in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy comedy science fiction series by Douglas Adams is published.
1970 – Vietnam War: US President Richard Nixon announces that the United States will withdraw 40,000 more troops before Christmas
1964 – The Soviet Union launches the Voskhod 1 into Earth orbit as the first spacecraft with a multi-person crew and the first flight without space suits.
1963 – After nearly 23 years of imprisonment, Reverend Walter Ciszek, a Jesuit missionary, was released from the Soviet Union.
1945 – World War II: Desmond Doss is the first conscientious objector to receive the U.S. Medal of Honor.
1928 – An iron lung respirator is used for the first time at Children's Hospital, Boston.
1917 – World War I: The First Battle of Passchendaele takes place resulting in the largest single day loss of life in New Zealand history.
1892 – The Pledge of Allegiance is first recited by students in many US public schools, as part of a celebration marking the 400th anniversary of Columbus's voyage.
1849 – The city of Manizales, Colombia is founded by 'The Expedition of the 20'.
1847 – German inventor and industrialist Werner von Siemens founds Siemens & Halske, which later becomes Siemens AG.
1823 – Charles Macintosh of Scotland sells the first raincoat.
1810 – First Oktoberfest: The Bavarian royalty invites the citizens of Munich to join the celebration of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.
1799 – Jeanne Geneviève Labrosse becomes the first woman to jump from a balloon with a parachute, from an altitude of 900 metres (3,000 ft).
1793 – The cornerstone of Old East, the oldest state university building in the United States, is laid on the campus of the University of North Carolina.
1792 – The first celebration of Columbus Day is held in New York City.
1773 – America's first insane asylum opens.
1113 – The city of Oradea is first mentioned under the Latin name Varadinum ("vár" means fortress in Hungarian).
Births
2002 – Iris Apatow, American actress
1994 – Olivia Smoliga, American swimmer
1992 – Josh Hutcherson, American actor and producer
1985 – Michelle Carter, American shot putter
1981 – Giuseppe Lanzone, American rower
1979 – Jordan Pundik, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1977 – Bode Miller, American skier
1977 – Cristie Kerr, American golfer
1975 – Marion Jones, American basketball player and runner
1972 – Neriah Davis, American model and actress
1971 – Bronzell Miller, American football player and actor (d. 2013)
1971 – Tony Fiore, American baseball player
1970 – Charlie Ward, American basketball player and coach
1970 – Kirk Cameron, American actor, screenwriter, and Christian evangelical/anti-evolution activist
1970 – Tanyon Sturtze, American baseball player
1969 – José Valentín, American baseball player, coach, and manager
1969 – Martie Maguire, American singer-songwriter, violinist, and producer
1968 – Bill Auberlen, American race car driver
1968 – Leon Lett, American football player
1967 – Becky Iverson, American golfer
1966 – Brenda Romero, American game designer
1965 – Scott O'Grady, American captain and pilot
1962 – Carlos Bernard, American actor and director
1962 – Chris Botti, American trumpet player and composer
1962 – Deborah Foreman, American actress and photographer
1960 – Steve Lowery, American golfer
1959 – Anna Escobedo Cabral, American lawyer and politician, 42nd Treasurer of the United States
1958 – Jeff Keith, American rock singer-songwriter (Tesla)
1958 – Steve Austria, American lawyer and politician
1955 – Pat DiNizio, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1954 – Michael Roe, American, singer, songwriter, and record producer
1951 – Ed Royce, American businessman and politician
1951 – Sally Little, South African-American golfer
1950 – Dave Freudenthal, American economist and politician, 31st Governor of Wyoming
1950 – Susan Anton, American actress and model
1947 – Chris Wallace, American journalist
1945 – Dusty Rhodes, American wrestler and trainer (d. 2015)
1942 – Melvin Franklin, American soul bass singer (The Temptations) (d. 1995)
1937 – Robert Mangold, American painter
1935 – Sam Moore, American soul singer-songwriter (Sam & Dave)
1935 – Tony Kubek, American baseball player and sportscaster
1934 – James "Sugar Boy" Crawford, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2012)
1934 – Richard Meier, American architect, designed the Getty Center and City Tower
1932 – Dick Gregory, American comedian, actor, and author (d. 2017)
1932 – Ned Jarrett, American race car driver and sportscaster
1929 – Nappy Brown, American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 2008)
1929 – Robert Coles, American psychologist, author, and academic
1928 – Al Held, American painter and academic (d. 2005)
1923 – Goody Petronelli, American boxer, trainer, and manager (d. 2012)
1923 – Jean Nidetch, American businesswoman, co-founded Weight Watchers (d. 2015)
1922 – William H. Sullivan, American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Philippines (d. 2013)
1921 – Art Clokey, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and voice actor, created Gumby (d. 2010)
1919 – Doris Miller, American chef and soldier (d. 1943)
1916 – Alice Childress, American actress and playwright (d. 1994)
1916 – Lock Martin, American actor (d. 1959)
1914 – John E. Hodge, African-American chemist (d. 1996)
1910 – Malcolm Renfrew, American chemist and academic (d. 2013)
1910 – Robert Fitzgerald, American poet, critic, and translator (d. 1985)
1908 – Ann Petry, American novelist (d. 1997)
1908 – Paul Engle, American novelist, poet, playwright, and critic (d. 1991)
1906 – Joe Cronin, American baseball player and manager (d. 1984)
1906 – John Murray, American playwright and producer (d. 1984)
1904 – Lester Dent, American journalist and author (d. 1959)
1903 – Josephine Hutchinson, American actress (d. 1998)
1893 – Velvalee Dickinson, American spy (d. 1980)
1878 – Truxtun Hare, American football player and hammer thrower (d. 1956)
1874 – Jimmy Burke, American baseball player and manager (d. 1942)
1868 – August Horch, German engineer and businessman, founded Audi (d. 1951)
1860 – Elmer Ambrose Sperry, American engineer and businessman, co-invented the gyrocompass (d. 1930)
1840 – Helena Modjeska, Polish-American actress (d. 1909)
1815 – William J. Hardee, American general (d. 1873)
1710 – Jonathan Trumbull, American colonel and politician, 16th Governor of Connecticut (d. 1785)
1576 – Thomas Dudley, English-American soldier and politician, 3rd Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (d. 1653)
Deaths
2015 – Joan Leslie, American actress, dancer, and vaudevillian (b. 1925)
2014 – Ali Mazrui, Kenyan-American political scientist, philosopher, and academic (b. 1933)
2013 – George Herbig, American astronomer and academic (b. 1920)
2013 – Malcolm Renfrew, American chemist and academic (b. 1910)
2013 – Oscar Hijuelos, American author and academic (b. 1951)
2012 – Norm Grabowski, American hot rod builder and actor (b. 1933)
2011 – Dennis Ritchie, American computer scientist, created the C programming language (b. 1941)
2011 – Patricia Breslin, American actress (b. 1931)
2010 – Belva Plain, American author (b. 1919)
2010 – Woody Peoples, American football player (b. 1943)
2009 – Dickie Peterson American singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1948)
2007 – Kisho Kurokawa, Japanese architect, designed the Nakagin Capsule Tower (b. 1934)
2005 – C. Delores Tucker, American activist and politician (b. 1927)
2003 – Bill Shoemaker, American jockey (b. 1931)
2003 – Joan Kroc, American philanthropist (b. 1928)
2002 – Ray Conniff, American bandleader and composer (b. 1916)
1999 – Wilt Chamberlain, American basketball player and coach (b. 1936)
1998 – Matthew Shepard, American murder victim (b. 1976)
1997 – John Denver, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1943)
1996 – René Lacoste, French tennis player and fashion designer, co-founded Lacoste (b. 1904)
1993 – Leon Ames, American actor (b. 1902)
1991 – Regis Toomey, American actor (b. 1898)
1989 – Jay Ward, American animator, producer, and screenwriter, founded Jay Ward Productions (b. 1920)
1988 – Coby Whitmore, American painter and illustrator (b. 1913)
1987 – Alf Landon, American lieutenant and politician, 26th Governor of Kansas (b. 1887)
1985 – Johnny Olson, American radio host and game show announcer (b. 1910)
1985 – Ricky Wilson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1953)
1971 – Dean Acheson, American lawyer and politician, 51st United States Secretary of State (b. 1893)
CALENDAR
