70 BC – Virgil, (Publius Vergilius Maro) Andes, Cisalpine Gaul, Roman Republican poet (Aeneid), (d. 19 BC)Born
412 – Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, Dies
1582 – Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian calendar. In Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain, October 4 of this year is followed directly by October 15.
1793 – Queen Marie-Antoinette of France is tried and convicted in a swift, pre-determined trial in the Palais de Justice, Paris, and condemned to death the following day.
1764 – Edward Gibbon observes a group of friars singing in the ruined Temple of Jupiter in Rome, which inspires him to begin work on The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
1815 – Napoleon I of France begins his exile on Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean.
1844 – Friedrich Nietzsche, Röcken bei Lützen, Prussia, German philosopher (Beyond Good and Evil), (d. 1900)Born
1863 – American Civil War: The H. L. Hunley, the first submarine to sink a ship, sinks during a test, killing its inventor, Horace L. Hunley.
1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Glasgow is fought, resulting in the surrender of Glasgow, Missouri, and its Union garrison, to the Confederacy.
1878 – The Edison Electric Light Company begins operation.
1880 – Mexican soldiers kill Victorio, one of the greatest Apache military strategists.
1888 – The “From Hell” letter sent by Jack the Ripper is received by investigators.
1894 – The Dreyfus affair: Alfred Dreyfus is arrested for spying.
1901 – Hermann Abs, director (Deutsche Bank)/Hitler’s advisor – Birthed
1904 – The Russians are driven back by the Japanese in the Battle of Shaho; both sides suffer high casualties: Japanese (16,000) and Russians (60,000)
1914 – Clayton Anti-trust Act passed (union & strike rights)
1917 – World War I: At Vincennes outside of Paris, Dutch dancer Mata Hari is executed by firing squad for spying for the German Empire.
1919 – 14 horses begin 300-mile race from Vt to Mass for $1000 prize money
1920 – Mario Puzo, NYC, novelist (Godfather, Cotton Club, Earthquake), (d. 1999) Born
1924 – Pres Calvin Coolidge declares Statue of Liberty a national monument
1928 – The airship, Graf Zeppelin completes its first trans-Atlantic flight, landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, United States.
1937 – Ernest Hemingway novel “To Have & Have Not” published
1940 – “The Great Dictator”, a satiric social commentary film by and starring Charlie Chaplin, is released.
1941 – 1st mass deportation of German Jews to Eastern Europe
1943 – Penny Marshall, The Bronx, New York, American actress, and director (Odd Couple, Laverne & Shirley) Born
1944 – The Arrow Cross Party (very similar to Hitler’s NSDAP (Nazi party)) takes power in Hungary.
1946 – Hermann Goering, Nazi Reichmarshal, poisons himself in prison at 53
1946 – Richard Carpenter, American singer-songwriter and pianist (The Carpenters) was born.
1949 – Billy Graham begins his ministry
1950 – Chris De Burgh, [Davidson], Argent/Irish rock vocalist (Lady in Red)Born
1951 – The first episode of I Love Lucy, an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley, airs on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS).
1951 – Mexican chemist Luis E. Miramontes synthesized the first oral contraceptive
1953 – Tito Jackson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Jackson 5) was born.
1956 – Fortran, the first modern computer language, is shared with the coding community for the first time.
1964 – Cole Porter, composer (Still of the Night), dies at 73
1964 – Craig Breedlove sets auto speed record of 846.97 kph
1965 – Vietnam War: The Catholic Worker Movement stages an anti-war rally in Manhattan including a public burning of a draft card; the first such act to result in arrest under a new amendment to the Selective Service Act.
1966 – Australia bans Troggs’ “I Can’t Control Myself” as “terribly obscene”
1966 – LBJ signs a bill creating US Dept of Transportation
1966 – Black Panther Party was created by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.
1969 – Vietnam War; The Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam is held in Washington DC and across the US. Over 2 million demonstrate nationally; about 250,000 in the nation’s capital.
1971 – The start of the 2,500-year celebration of Iran, celebrating the birth of Persia.
1973 – Dax Riggs, American musician (Acid Bath, Deadboy & The Elephantmen, Agents of Oblivion) Born
1973 – Tanks attack Thailand demonstrating students, 300 killed
1974 – National Guard mobilizes to restore order in Boston school busing
1976 – Carlo Gambino, Italian-American gangster, dies of a heart attack at 74
1979 – Military coup in El Salvador: president/general Carlos Romero flees
1983 – US Marine sharpshooters kill 5 snipers at Beirut International Airport
1984 – Central Intelligence Agency Information Act passes (Sec. 701. Exemption of certain operational files from search, review, publication, or disclosure )
1987 – The Great Storm of 1987 hits France and England.
1989 – Wayne Gretzky becomes the all-time leading points scorer in the NHL.
1990 – Leonard Bernstein, composer (West Side Story), dies at 72
1990 – Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to lessen Cold War tensions and open up his nation.
1992 – Charles Taylor launches an offensive against Monrovia Liberia
1992 – NYC Subway motorman Robert Ray convicted of manslaughter in death of 5 riders, when he fell asleep drunk while in control of train
1997 – NY jury awards boxer Mitch Green $45,000 in civil lawsuit against Mike Tyson, for street brawl in 1988
1997 – US launches nuclear powered Cassini to Saturn
2000 – Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” debuts on HBO
2001 – NASA’s Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles of Jupiter’s moon Io.
2003 – China launches Shenzhou 5, its first manned space mission.
2003 – The Staten Island Ferry boat Andrew J. Barberi collides with a pier at the St. George Ferry Terminal in Staten Island, killing 11 people and injuring 43.
2005 – Iraqi constitution ratification vote
2005 – Riot in Toledo, Ohio breaks out during a National Socialist/Neo-Nazi protest; over 100 are arrested.
2007 – 17 Activists in Aotearoa New Zealand arrested in the country’s first post 9/11 anti-terrorism raids across the country.
2011 – Global protests break out in 951 cities in 82 countries.
2011 – Legoland Florida (the world’s largest Legoland theme park) opens in Winter Haven, Florida.
2012 – British Prime Minister David Cameron and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond agree on a deal setting out the terms of a referendum on Scottish independence at a meeting in Edinburgh.