What Happened in October?

The Nobel Committee gives President Gorbachev the main credit for bringing the Cold War between East and West by awarding him the Nobel Peace Prize. View all Nobel Peace Prizes

An Israel El Al Airlines Boeing 747 cargo plane, flight 1862 nose-dives into two high-rise apartment complexes in the Bijlmermeer neighborhood in Amsterdam - Netherlands; minutes after takeoff. It exploded on impact causing the building to partially collapse. The explosion and fire made the identification of those on the ground difficult to make, but it was estimated that about 100 people were dead as well as the plane captain, two other pilots and a passenger. More

The new Leif Erickson Tunnel ribbon is cut and balloons are dropped on the final link of I-35 through Duluth, MN. More

The Battle of Mogadishu, also known as the Black Hawk Down Incident, ends in South Mogadishu, Somalia. It was fought on 3–4 October between forces of the United States—supported by UNOSOM II—against Somali insurgents who shot down three American Black Hawk helicopters using RPG-7s.  Expand +

The Nobel Peace Prize for 1993 is awarded jointly to Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk "for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa." View all Nobel Peace Prizes

 Palau's Independence Day from the United States is celebrated annually on October 1st. On this date in 1994, Palau became a fully independent and sovereign nation, officially ending the UN Trusteeship administered by the United States. The occasion marks a significant milestone in Palau's history. 

The U.S. prison population in state and federal prisons reaches one million (for the first time in American history. An additional 500,000 prisoners were estimated to be held in local prisons. The United States became second only to Russia in the world for incarceration rates at the time.  Expand +

An estimated 850,000 to 1 Million African American men from across the United States gathered at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The march took place in the context of a larger grassroots movement that set out to win politicians' attention for urban and minority issues through widespread voter registration campaigns.  Expand +

The citizens of the Canadian province of Québec vote to remain within the Federation of Canada by a narrow majority of 50.58 per cent. More

John Glenn returns to space aboard the Discovery’s 25th flight. Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth on Mercury-Atlas 6 on February 20, 1962. With one flight in 1962 and another in 1998, at 77 years of age, John Glenn uniquely bridged two eras in space history and became the oldest human ever to travel in space. He died at age 95 in December 2016. More

Gunmen storm the Armenian Parliament in Yerevan, resulting in the deaths of the Prime Minister and several members of parliament.

Egypt Air flight 990, an extended range Boeing 767-366 jet airliner crashes into the Atlantic Ocean about 60 miles (100 km) south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, after a rapid fatal descent losing its left engine before crashing into the ocean. All 217 people on board died. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated that the actions of the copilot caused the crash, but Egyptian authorities blamed mechanical failure. More

The first official World Space Week was  celebrated in the year 2000, following the United Nations General Assembly's declaring it an annual event in 1999. The annual celebration runs from October 4th to 10th to commemorate the launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, and the Outer Space Treaty's entry into force on October 10, 1967.

The USS Cole, on a refueling stop at Aden, Yemen. is attacked by two suicide pilots of a small bomb-laden boat, blasting a a 40-by-40-foot hole in the port side of the USS Cole, at midship. Seventeen sailors were killed and 38 wounded in the attack. Following investigations determined the attack had ben carried out by members of Saudi exile Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda terrorist network. More

The U.S. led attack on Afghanistan begins as the United States, supported by its allies, launches military operations against the Taliban regime in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 on New, York and Washington D.C. On September 18 2001, President Bush had signed into law a joint resolution authorizing the use of force against those responsible for attacking the United States on September. The war in Afghanistan lasted almost two decades.

The Office of Homeland Security is established on October 8, 2001, less than one month after the September 11 terrorist attack. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, was appointed as the first Director of the Office of Homeland Security in the White House.  Expand +

Apple introduces the First generation iPod, revolutionizing the way people listen to music. It had a monochrome LCD screen and a 5 GB hard drive and It was marketed with the slogan "1,000 songs in your pocket"; going on sale in the U.S. on November 10, 2001.

President George W. Bush signs the Patriot Act. More

Terrorist bombings in Bali, Indonesia, kill over 200 people and injure hundreds more. More

Some 40 Chechen militants burst into the Dubrovka theater in Moscow, during the performance of a popular musical and take hundreds of audience members, actors, and staff hostage, demanding the withdrawal of troops from Russia's Chechnya region. It ended 57 hours later, when security forces stormed the building after pumping in toxic gas that neutralized the attackers but led to the deaths of as many as 174 hostages. More