What Happened in October?

China launches Shenzhou 5, the first Chinese manned space mission. Piloted by Yang Liwei orbiting Earth 14 times during the 21-hour and 23 minutes flight. He became the first Chinese launched into space with Chinese launch vehicle and spacecraft. The re-entry module landed safely in central Inner Mongolia making China the third country capable of sending humans to space and back independently, after Russia and the United States.

British Airways makes the final Concorde commercial flight on October 24, 2003 with a flight from New York's JFK Airport to London Heathrow. This was the last commercial passenger flight, although there was a later flight on November 26 2003  to a museum in Bristol, UK. More

The Boston Red Sox win their first World Series championship in 86 years, breaking the "Curse of the Bambino."

The 7.6 magnitude Kashmir earthquake strikes northern Pakistan and India, causing widespread destruction and killing at least 86,000 people. More

North Korea conducts its first nuclear test.

The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act is signed into law in the United States, establishing the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to address the financial crisis.

Chandrayaan-1, India's first lunar mission, was launched on October 22, 2008. The mission, using data from a NASA radar that flew aboard the spacecraft, found water molecules on the lunar surface, both as hydroxyl and water confirming the presence of water ice in permanently shadowed regions at the lunar poles.

Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous inventor of Bitcoin, releases the Bitcoin white paper. Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System,” The nine-page thesis paper established the basic structure for the Bitcoin network and how it could be used. presenting the idea for a decentralized cryptocurrency network that can make transactions with low costs without using financial institutions or third parties. By design, only 21 million Bitcoins will ever be "mined," or released into the market. More

President Barack Obama is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation. View all Nobel Peace Prizes

Typhoon Morakot strikes Taiwan, causing significant flooding and landslides.

The Copiapó mining accident in Chile ends with the successful rescue of 33 trapped miners. who had been trapped underground for 69 days. Rescuers used a specialized equipment to pull the men, one by one, through a 2,300-foot shaft to the surface after a massive excavation and drilling effort. The accident at the San José copper-gold mine near Copiapó took place on August 5, 2010. All contact was lost for the first 17 days and many feared there were no survivors.

WikiLeaks, a website founded by Julian Assange, released thousands of U.S. documents provided by Chelsea Manning, relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan including field reports on civilian casualties and the treatment of prisoners, These "war logs" were made available to the public after by WikiLeaks and also released by some News organizations like The Guardian, Der Spiegel, and The New York Times. Expand +

The 2010 North Sumatra earthquake and tsunami hit Indonesia, resulting in significant loss of life and devastation.

The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize is jointly awarded to three female political activists Two African and one Asian female ."for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work". The joint Laureated were: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni politician Tawakkul Karman. All Nobel Peace Prizes

Muammar Gaddafi was captured and killed by rebel forces near his hometown of Sirte, during the First Libyan Civil War. He was found hiding in a drainage pipe after a NATO airstrike hit his convoy as he was attempting to flee the city. His death marked the end of his 42-year rule and the overthrow of his government by the National Transitional Council (NTC).  Expand +

The 2012 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the European Union (EU) "for over six decades of contribution to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe."  All Nobel Peace Prizes

Hurricane Sandy makes landfall in the northeastern United States, causing widespread damage and power outages.

The Affordable Care Act, often referred to as Obamacare, begins its enrollment phase in the United States.

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2013 is awarded to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) "for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons." All Nobel Peace Prizes

Malala Yousafzai, then 17, and children's rights activist, Kailash Satyarthi, are jointly awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace prize for their work in combating the suppression of children and fighting for the right of all children to education. View all Nobel Peace Prizes