What Happened in October?

The Cuban Missile Crisis begins as an American U-2 spy plane secretly photographed nuclear missile sites being built by the Soviet Union on the island of Cuba. On Sep 16, the pictures were presented to President Kennedy after they were developed and analyzed by intelligence officers.  Expand +

President John F. Kennedy alerts the American people to the Cuban missile crisis, declaring a naval blockade to prevent further missile shipments to the island country 90 miles (145 km) off the coast of the U.S. The crisis brought the two superpowers to the brink of nuclear war. Expand +

A massive landslide from Monte Toc in the Belluno Alps in Northern Italy, plunges into the artificial lake in the Vaiont Gorge behind the Diga del Vajon dam; creating an immense wave of water to rise as high as 300 feet above the level of the dam and into the Piave River flooding the valley below, engulfing the town of Longarone.  Expand +

The Norwegian Nobel Committee announces that it has awarded the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for his his nonviolent struggle and leadership in the American civil rights movement against racial prejudice in the United States. View all Nobel Peace Prizes

The People's Republic of China (PRC) joined the nuclear club when it tested a nuclear device at its Lop Nur test site in Inner Mongolia. More

The last piece of the St. Louis's Gateway Arch is fitted into place. It was designed by Eero Saarinen, a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer. During his career, Saarinen  created a wide array of innovative designs for buildings and monuments. 

Lesotho Independence day from the UK. Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho (Basutoland), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, Lesotho is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the highest peak in Southern Africa. Its capital city is Maseru. Lesothos population is about 2.3 million.

A catastrophic collapse of a pile of accumulated coal waste slides and engulfs a school in Aberfan, South Wales, killing 116 children and 28 adults. The pile had been created on a mountain slope above the Welsh village near Merthyr Tydfil, and overlaid a natural spring.  Expand +

Thurgood Marshall is sworn in to the nation’s highest court at the opening ceremony of the Supreme Court term, becoming the first Black US Supreme Court justice. More

Che Guevara is captured by Bolivian troops from the the Bolivian Army’s 2nd Ranger Battalion. He was executed the following day, on orders from the Bolivian President. More

NASA launches Apollo 7, the mission was commanded by U.S. Navy Cmdr. Walter “Wally” Schirra Jr.  It was the first manned test of the command and service module.

Equatorial Guinea Independence Day from Spain.

PBS officially begins broadcasting on American television. This launch marked the formal debut of the Public Broadcasting Service. PBS and NPR are private, nonprofit organizations owned by their member stations and in turn distribute programming to them. The member stations are typically non-profit entities like universities, public school districts, community organizations, or state government agencies.  Expand +

Fiji's Independence Day from the UK. (Fiji Day) Commemorates the signing of the Instruments of Independence.

Walt Disney World Resort opens in Orlando, Florida.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, which “restored” the People's Republic of China to the Chinese seat at the UN and “expelled” the Republic of China (Taiwan). Since then, Taiwan has sought to maintain its international space without the benefits of UN membership. More

The Kitty Hawk Race Riot - More than 100 sailors on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk are involved in a race riot resulting in 46 sailors injured. in a race riot involving more than 100 sailors on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk en route to her station in the Gulf of Tonkin off Vietnam. More

Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, a chartered flight of a Fairchild FH-227D from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Santiago, Chile, crashes in the Andes mountains at an elevation of (12,020 ft (3,660 meters ). It was carrying 45 passengers and crew, Three crew members and nine passengers died immediately and several more died soon after due to the frigid temperatures and the severity of their injuries.  Expand +

The Clean Water Act is established as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 undergoes sweeping amendments in 1972. The amended law became commonly known as the Clean Water Act (CWA). More

The Yom Kippur War begins as Egypt and Syria launch a surprise attack against Israel. More