/year

October 15 in history

233 sourced entries recorded on October 15, from 70 BCE to 2023 CE. Every line is quoted from the revision it came from.

Events

  • 764October 14–21 – Fujiwara no Nakamaro Rebellion: A short-lived revolt led by Fujiwara no Nakamaro is suppressed. Emperor Junnin is deposed after a 6-year reign, and forced into exile. Former empress Kōken reassumes the imperial throne of Japan, and takes the name Shōtoku. She appoints her close associate, the priest Dōkyō, prime minister (taishi), running the government with him. Nakamaro is captured and killed with his wife and children.source
  • 995Michinaga becomes Chief of the Fujiwara Clan.source
  • 1066Edgar Ætheling is proclaimed king of England (but is never crowned). He is soon forced to submit to the rule of William the Conqueror.source
  • 1111October 5 – 18-year-old Baldwin VII succeeds his father, Robert II, as Count of Flanders until 1119.source
  • 1165Battle of Fahs al-Jullab: Almohad forces defeat Ibn Mardanish, ruler of the Taifa of Murcia. His army is routed at a place called the "merchant field" near Alhama, in the valley of the Guadalentín.source
  • 1211Battle of the Rhyndacus: Latin emperor Henry of Flanders lands with an expeditionary force (some 3,000 men) at Pegai, and marches eastwards to the Rhyndacus River. The Byzantine army (much larger in force overall) under Theodore I prepare an ambush, but Henry assaults his positions along the river and defeats the Byzantine army in a day-long battle. Henry marches unopposed through the remaining Byzantine lands, reaching south as far as Nymphaion.source
  • 1247Egyptian forces under As-Salih Ayyub capture Ascalon by surprise – while a battering-ram forces a passageway under the walls right into the citadel. Most of the defenders are massacred, and the remainder of the garrison is taken prisoner.source
  • 1323Hostilities that will lead to the War of Saint-Sardos between England and France begin when King Charles IV of France has a royal sergeant place a stake claiming to claim the French town of Saint-Sardos, territory within the jurisdiction of King Edward II of England (who is also the ruler of the Duchy of Aquitaine in southeastern France).source
  • 1345Clann Mhuirchertaigh kills King Toirdhealbach of Connacht; who is succeeded by his son Aodh O Conchobhair.source
  • 1385Battle of Valverde: The armies of Portugal defeat Castile.source
  • 1431The Roman Catholic Council of Basel issues a formal invitation to the Hussites to take part in its deliberations.source
  • 1437Prince Henry the Navigator (Henrique, o Navegador), brother of King Duarte of Portugal, agrees on behalf Portugal to cede its North African colony of Ceuta back to Morocco in return for being allowed to withdraw all of his troops, including those taken prisoner.source
  • 1484Great Council (sitting of the Parliament of Ireland) at Naas.source
  • 1505The second Treaty of Blois was signed in the aftermath of Second Italian War of 1499-1503. In which king Louis XII renounced his claims to Naples, with the condition it is to be returned to French control if Germaine de Foix had no surviving children.source
  • 1506Charles II, the six-year-old son of King Philip of Castile, inherits his father's title of Duke of Burgundy and is proclaimed "Lord of the Netherlands".source
  • 1529With the season growing late, Suleiman abandons the Siege of Vienna (a turning point in the Ottoman wars in Europe).source
  • 1537Following the baptism of her son, the future Edward VI of England, Jane Seymour begins suffering from puerperal fever. The Queen consort dies nine days later.source
  • 1580October 15 (5th waning of Tazaungmon 942 ME) – King Bayinnaung of Bruma dispatches a naval force of 200 ships and 8,000 soldiers to invade the Kingdom of Mrauk U (now in the Rakhine State of Myanmar), but the attempt fails after a year. Burmese troops are ordered withdrawn after Bayinnaung dies and is succeeded by his son Nanda Bayin.source
  • 1581The Ballet Comique de la Reine was performed in the great hall of the Petit Bourbon.source
  • 1581Ballet Comique de la Reine, the first narrative ballet, devised by Louise of Lorraine, wife of Henry III of France, and choreographed by Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx, opens in its first performance at the court of Catherine de' Medici, in the Louvre Palace in Paris, as part of the wedding celebrations for Marguerite of Lorraine.source
  • 1585In Arnhem in the Netherlands, the siege of IJsseloord is completed after nine days as English and Dutch forces recapture the city from Spanish occupiers.source
  • 1586Mary, Queen of Scots, goes on trial for treason at Fotheringhay Castle in England for complicity in the Babington Plot, in a proceeding that lasts for 10 days.source
  • 1605End of the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar (reigned since 1556).source
  • 1629the Osborne Baronetcy, of Ballentaylor in the County of Tipperary, and Ballylemon in the county of Wexford, is created in the Baronetage of Ireland in favour of Richard Osborne.source
  • 1632The University of Tartu officially opens, in Swedish Livonia.source
  • 1632Official opening of the University of Tartu in Swedish Livonia.source
  • 1655The Jews of Lublin are massacred.source
  • 1669The University of Innsbruck is chartered in Austria by Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. After being reduced to a lesser function on November 29, 1781, it is rechartered in 1826.source
  • 1674The Torsåker witch trials begin in the Torsåker Parish in Sweden, with over 100 men and women accused of witchcraft and the abduction of children. On June 1, 1675, the mass beheading of the 71 people convicted takes place at Häxberget, 65 of whom are women. The others are two men and four boys.source
  • 1683first meeting of the Dublin Philosophical Society, established by William Molyneux.source
  • 1705War of the Spanish Succession: Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough, leads an English naval force in the capture of Barcelona.source
  • 1720Muhammad Ibrahim, a grandson of the late Emperor Bahadur Shah I, is freed from prison by conspirators and declared the Mughal Emperor as a rival of his brother Muhammad Shah, beginning a 32-day reign that is described as being "like a drop of dew upon a blade of grass".source
  • 1724The historic Teatro Nuovo opera house is inaugurated in Naples with the premiere of Antonio Orefice's comic opera Lo Simmele.source
  • 1740October 9–22 – Batavia Massacre: Troops of the Dutch East India Company massacre at least 10,000 Chinese Indonesians in Batavia.source
  • 1760Battle of Kloster Kampensource
  • 1764English scholar Edward Gibbon conceives the idea of writing The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, "as I sat musing amid the ruins of the Capitol".source
  • 1768A powerful hurricane sweeps across Cuba during the Festival of Santa Teresa, killing hundreds of people. Spain's King Carlos III begins a precedent of ordering the colonial government to fund disaster relief, a task previously left to the Catholic Church.source
  • 1793October 15–16 – War of the First Coalition: Battle of Wattignies – A French Republican force commanded by Jean-Baptiste Jourdan compels a Habsburg Austrian Coalition army to retire.source
  • 1794Catholic seminarians forced to leave the English College, Douai, settle at Crook Hall, County Durham.source
  • 1802French Army General Michel Ney enters Switzerland with 40,000 troops, on orders of Napoleon Bonaparte.source
  • 1815Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon begins his exile on Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean.source
  • 1817school of whales seen in the Tay.source
  • 1819Desolation Island, in the South Shetland Islands of the Antarctic, is discovered by Captain William Smith.source
  • 1831Truck Act prohibits payment of wages other than in cash.source
  • 1831Board of Works formed as a department of state by merger of the Office of the Surveyor-General for Ireland, the Barracks Board, and the Navigation Board.source
  • 1831Special Constables Act regularises operation of the Special Constabulary.source
  • 1839Emir Abdelkader declares a jihad against the French.source
  • 1851The city of Winona, Minnesota is founded.source
  • 1853William Walker sets out with 45 men to conquer the Mexican territories of Baja California and Sonora.source
  • 1856André Oscar Wallenberg establishes the Stockholms Enskilda Bank.source
  • 186011-year-old Grace Bedell writes to Abraham Lincoln telling him to grow a beard.source
  • 1863The Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley, first tested in July, sinks during another test, killing Horace Lawson Hunley (its inventor) and a crew of seven.source
  • 1863American Civil War: The first successful submarine, the CSS Hunley sinks during a test, killing Horace Lawson Hunley (its inventor) and a crew of seven.source
  • 1866October 7–21 – The Second Plenary Council of American Roman Catholic bishops is held in Baltimore.source
  • 1872Tongzhi, The 8th Emperor of the Qing dynasty marries Lady Alute (Empress Jiashun)source
  • 1880Mexican soldiers kill Victorio, one of the greatest Apache military strategists.source
  • 1880A blizzard marks the start of the Hard Winter in North America.source
  • 1880The first blizzard mentioned in Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter sweeps over the prairie in Dakota Territory.source
  • 1883The Supreme Court of the United States declares part of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 to be unconstitutional, since the Court allows private individuals and corporations to discriminate based on race.source
  • 1883Cape Eastern – Queenstown to Sterkstroom, 35 mi 28 ch.source
  • 1883Inauguration of Palais de Justice, Brussels.source
  • 188620 people are drowned when the sailing ship Malleny is wrecked on Tusker Rocks, Porthcawl.source
  • 188618 people are drowned when the sailing ship Teviotdale is wrecked on Cefn Sidan Sands in Carmarthenshire.source
  • 1890The Ab apostolici papal encyclical against Freemasonry in Italy is promulgated by Pope Leo XIII.source
  • 1890"Birth" of Álvaro de Campos, one of Fernando Pessoa's heteronyms.source
  • 1894Dreyfus affair: French Army officer Alfred Dreyfus is arrested for spying.source
  • 1898In Canada, the "9 O'Clock Gun" is fired for the first time at Stanley Park in Vancouver, and goes on to become a daily tradition to serve as a time signal for ships in port and for local residents to set their timepieces at exactly 9:00 p.m. local time.source
  • 1898The Fork Union Military Academy is founded, in Fork Union, Virginia.source
  • 1904Theta Tau, a professional engineering fraternity, is founded at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.source
  • 1907Shrewsbury rail accident: A London & North Western Railway sleeping car train suffers derailment passing through Shrewsbury station at excessive speed; 18 lives are lost.source
  • 1910Chilean presidential election, 1910source
  • 1910Manchurian plague outbreak in the Russian Far East.source
  • 1915WWI: Serbian Campaign – Austria-Hungary invades the Kingdom of Serbia. Bulgaria enters the war, also invading Serbia. The Serbian First Army retreats towards Greece.source
  • 1916The 16th New Zealand national census is taken.source
  • 1922Ferdinand is crowned King of Romania at Coronation Cathedral, Alba Iulia.source
  • 1922T. S. Eliot establishes The Criterion magazine, containing the first publication of his poem The Waste Land. This first appears in the United States later this month in The Dial (dated November 1), and is first published complete with notes in book form, by Boni and Liveright in New York in December.source
  • 1923The fifth tropical storm of the year forms north of the Leeward Islands.source
  • 1924October 12–15 – Zeppelin LZ-126 makes a transatlantic delivery flight from Friedrichshafen, Germany, to Lakehurst, New Jersey.source
  • 1924The first Surrealist Manifesto is published, in which André Breton defines the movement as "pure psychic automatism".source
  • 1925October 5–16 – The Locarno Treaties are negotiated.source
  • 1927Kemal Atatürk in a six-day speech, called Nutuk, summarized the events in Turkish War of Independencesource
  • 1932J. R. D. Tata flew from Karachi to Madras via a de Havilland Puss Moth.source
  • 1932Tata Airlines (later to become Air India) makes its first flight.source
  • 1933October 14–16 – The new constitution of Estonia is approved only on the third consecutive referendum.source
  • 1937Ernest Hemingway's novel To Have and Have Not is first published, in the United States.source
  • 1940Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, a satirical anti-fascist comedy film, premieres in New York City. Written, directed, produced by and starring Chaplin as his first true sound film, it is a critical and commercial success and goes on to become Chaplin's most financially successful work. Filming began in September 1939.source
  • 1943The first edition of the newspaper Las Noticias de Última Hora circulates.source
  • 1946Nuremberg trials: Hermann Göring, founder of the Gestapo and recently convicted Nazi war criminal, poisons himself two hours before his scheduled execution.source
  • 1951On television, the situation comedy I Love Lucy airs its first episode on CBS in the U.S.source
  • 1951Norethisterone, the progestin used in the combined oral contraceptive pill, is synthesized by Luis E. Miramontes in Mexico.source
  • 1951A De Havilland Dove aircraft crashes near Kalgoorlie killing all 7 on board.source
  • 1954Hurricane Hazel makes U.S. landfall; it is the only recorded Category 4 hurricane to strike as far north as North Carolinasource
  • 1954Hurricane Hazel hits Toronto killing 81.source
  • 1956The British Royal Air Force retires its last Avro Lancaster bomber.source
  • 1956According to Japan Transport Ministry official confirmed report, two trains crush in Rokken rail accident in Mie Prefecture, official death toll was 42 persons, with 94 persons were hurt.source
  • 1960Ya'akov Moshe Toledano (born 1880), Israeli politician and rabbi.source
  • 1961The Sang Nila Utama Secondary School is officially opened, making it Singapore's first Malay-medium secondary school. By 1968, it started to offer English-medium lessons.source
  • 1962October 14–28 — The Cuban Missile Crisis occurs between the United States and Soviet Union over the deployment of Soviet ballistic missiles to Cuba.source
  • 1964October 14–15 – Nikita Khrushchev is deposed as leader of the Soviet Union; Leonid Brezhnev and Alexei Kosygin assume power.source
  • 19641964 United Kingdom general election: The Labour Party wins a narrow victory over Sir Alec Douglas-Home's Conservative Party, which has been in power for 13 years. The new prime minister is Harold Wilson.source
  • 19641964 United Kingdom general election.source
  • 1964October 10–24 – The 1964 Summer Olympics are held in Tokyo, Japan, the first in an Asian country.source
  • 1965Abraham Fraenkel (born 1891), German-born Israeli mathematician.source
  • 1965Vietnam War: The Catholic Worker Movement stages an anti-war protest in Manhattan. One draft card burner is arrested, the first under the new law.source
  • 1965The Singapore Conference Hall is officially opened.source
  • 1966Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton found the Black Panther Party in the United States.source
  • 1969Vietnam War: Hundreds of thousands of people take part in Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam demonstrations across the United States.source
  • 1969DZKB-TV Channel 9, the Philippines' sixth TV station, is launched.source
  • 1969TV station DZKB-TV Channel 9, owned by Roberto S. Benedicto, is launched.source
  • 1969October 11–16 – The New York Mets upset the Baltimore Orioles four games to one in the World Series.source
  • 1970A section of the new West Gate Bridge in Melbourne collapses into the river below, killing 35 construction workers.source
  • 1970The domestic Soviet Aeroflot Flight 244 is hijacked and diverted to Turkey.source
  • 1973Typhoon Ruth crosses Luzon, Philippines, killing 27 people and causing $5 million in damage.source
  • 1979The Armed Forces of El Salvador deposed President Humberto Romero in a military coup d'état and established the Revolutionary Government Junta. The Salvadoran Civil War began.source
  • 1979The first automated teller machine (ATM) in Singapore is launched.source
  • 1980James Callaghan announces his resignation as leader of the British Labour Party.source
  • 1980NSP chairman Erbakan and 21 party members arrested for acting against secular principles of the republic.source
  • 1981October 14–21. A delegation of Solidarity visits France.source
  • 1987In Burkina Faso, a military coup is orchestrated by Blaise Compaoré against incumbent President Thomas Sankara.source
  • 1987Malaysian Airline System (MAS) changed its corporate identity and became known as Malaysia Airlines.source
  • 1987October 15–16 – The Great storm of 1987 strikes southern Great Britain and northwestern France. It is one of the strongest storms to affect the region in the past 200 years.source
  • 1989Walter Sisulu is released from prison in South Africa.source
  • 19891990 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL–OFC play-off).source
  • 1990South Africa ends segregation of libraries, trains, buses, toilets, swimming pools, and other public facilities.source
  • 1990United Airlines announces a purchase order of 128 wide-body aircraft from Boeing, including several Boeing 777s, in an order totaling $22 billion, the largest order in aviation history to that point.source
  • 1991The leaders of the Baltic States—Arnold Rüütel of Estonia, Anatolijs Gorbunovs of Latvia, and the Vytautas Landsbergis of Lithuania—sign the OSCE Final Act in Helsinki, Finland.source
  • 1991Clarence Thomas is confirmed as the new U.S. Supreme Court Justice following Thurgood Marshall's retirement.source
  • 1991The Oh-My-God particle, the highest energy cosmic ray ever recorded, is detected.source
  • 1993The establishment of Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats in Taipei.source
  • 1994Iraq disarmament crisis: following threats by the U.N. Security Council and the U.S., Iraq withdraws troops from its border with Kuwait.source
  • 1994October 2 – 16 – The Philippines participates in the 1994 Asian Games held in Hiroshima, Japan from October 2 to 16, 1994. It Ranks 14th with three gold medals, two silver medals and eight bronze medals with a total of 13 over-all medals.source
  • 1995The first Iraqi presidential referendum is held, asking Iraqis to vote on their approval of the government.source
  • 1997NASA launches the Cassini–Huygens probe to Saturn.source
  • 1997Andy Green sets the first supersonic land speed record for the ThrustSSC team, led by Richard Noble of the UK. ThrustSSC goes through the flying mile course at Black Rock Desert, Nevada at an average speed of 1,227.985 km/h (763.035 mph).source
  • 1998Sudanese refugees flee DRC, bringing themselves to a famine in southern Sudan.source
  • 2000Spaniard Francisco Javier Cortes wins the Amsterdam Marathonsource
  • 2001NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within 181 km of Jupiter's moon Io.source
  • 2002The Somali Reconciliation Conference begins, initiating peace talks between two factions of the Somali Civil War: the Transitional National Government and the government of Puntland.source
  • 2003China launches Shenzhou 5, the country's first human spaceflight.source
  • 2004Romain Nati is appointed to the Council of State, replacing Nicolas Schmit, who resigned in July.source
  • 2007October 15 – October 21 – The 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party is held in Beijing, China.source
  • 2008Presidential election took place with Ilham Aliyev being re-elected.source
  • 2009The United Nations General Assembly elects Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Gabon, Lebanon and Nigeria to serve two-year terms on the United Nations Security Council as non-veto-holding members.source
  • 2009It is revealed the company Trafigura has been using a super-injunction to stop The Guardian from reporting about the 2006 Côte d'Ivoire toxic dumping incident, which Trafigura was responsible for.source
  • 2009The Food and Agriculture Organization declared a humanitarian disaster within the country as Lake Chad continued to shrink, increasing water scarcity for many residents.source
  • 2011the Dajbabska Gora Tower officially openssource
  • 2013A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Bohol, Philippines, leaving 222 dead, 8 missing, and 976 people injured.source
  • 2016150 nations meet at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) summit in Rwanda and agree to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as an amendment to the Montreal Protocol.source
  • 2018Katie Meyler steps down as CEO of More Than Me; the Liberian charity and Liberian government announce investigations and pledge support for the sexual abuse victims.source
  • 20202020 Thai protests: The Government of Thailand declares a "severe" state of emergency banning gatherings of five or more people, initiating a crackdown on demonstrations and imposing media censorship.source
  • 2023In the second round of the 2023 Ecuadorian general election, Daniel Noboa of the National Democratic Action is elected as the youngest-ever President of Ecuador.source

Births

  • 70 BCEVirgil, Roman poet (died 19 BC)source
  • 522Colmán of Cloyne, Irish monk (died 600)source
  • 1176Leopold VI, German nobleman (died 1230)source
  • 1290Anne of Bohemia, queen consort of Bohemia (died 1313)source
  • 1527Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal (died 1545)source
  • 1542Akbar, Mughal Emperor (died 1605)source
  • 1564Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1589-1613) (died 1613)source
  • 1599Cornelis de Graeff, Dutch mayor (died 1664)source
  • 1608Evangelista Torricelli, Italian physicist and mathematician (died 1647)source
  • 1622Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie, Swedish statesman and military man (died 1686)source
  • 1622Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie, statesman and military (died 1686)source
  • 1686Allan Ramsay, Scottish poet (or makar) (died 1758)source
  • 1692Alessandro Albani, collector of antiquities, Roman Catholic cardinal (died 1779)source
  • 1701Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, Canadian saint (died 1771)source
  • 1701Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, founder of the "Grey Nuns" order; died 1771; she was beatified in 1959, the first Canadian-born saint.source
  • 1733Lisa Eriksdotter, Finnish visionarysource
  • 1751David Samwell (Dafydd Ddu Feddyg), naval surgeon, companion of Captain Cook and bard (died 1798)source
  • 1784Thomas Robert Bugeaud, Marshal of France and duke of Isly (died 1849)source
  • 1795King Frederick William IV of Prussia (died 1861)source
  • 1814Mikhail Lermontov, Russian writer (died 1841)source
  • 1836James Tissot, French artist (died 1902)source
  • 1844Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (died 1900)source
  • 1881P. G. Wodehouse, English-born comic writer (died 1975)source
  • 1893King Carol II of Romania (died 1953)source
  • 1893Carol II, King from 8 June 1930 to 6 September 1940 (died 1953).source
  • 1926Michel Foucault, French philosopher (died 1984)source
  • 1931A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, President of India (died 2015)source
  • 1944Sali Berisha, cardiologist and politician, former President and Prime minister of Albaniasource
  • 1959Sarah Ferguson, British royal spousesource
  • 1988Mesut Özil, German football playersource
  • 2000Melki Sedek Huang, Indonesian activist and sex offendersource
  • 2005Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark, son of Frederik X and his wife Queen Mary of Denmarksource

Deaths

  • 412Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandriasource
  • 892Al-Mu'tamid, Muslim caliph of the Abbasid Caliphatesource
  • 898Lambert II dies from falling off his horse while hunting — or is killed (possibly assassinated by supporters of Maginulf of Milan). After the death of Lambert, his rival Berengar I gains recognition as king of Italy. He releases Adalbert II and receives homage from the Italian nobles.source
  • 898Lambert II, king of Italy and Holy Roman Emperorsource
  • 912Abdullah ibn Muhammad, Muslim emir (born 844)source
  • 958Toda, queen of Pamplona (born 876)source
  • 961Caliph Abd-al-Rahman III dies after a 32-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Al-Hakam II as ruler of the Caliphate of Córdoba in Al-Andalus (modern Spain).source
  • 961Abd al-Rahman III, caliph of Córdobasource
  • 975Oberto I, Italian count palatinesource
  • 975Oberto I (Obizzo), an Italian count palatine, dies. The Marca Obertenga (Eastern Liguria) is divided among the Obertenghi family.source
  • 1002Henry I, duke of Burgundy, dies and is succeeded by his stepson, Otto-William. He inherits the duchy; this is disputed by King Robert II of France ("the Pious").source
  • 1002Henry I, duke of Burgundy (born 946)source
  • 1060Luka Zhidiata, bishop of Novgorodsource
  • 1072Æthelric, bishop of Durhamsource
  • 1080Rudolf of Rheinfelden, duke of Swabiasource
  • 1173Petronilla, queen regnant of Aragon (born 1136)source
  • 1228Shichijō-in, Japanese noblewoman (born 1157)source
  • 1232Albert I of Käfernburg, German archbishopsource
  • 1243Hedwig of Silesia, Polish duchess (born 1174)source
  • 1385Dionysius I, Metropolitan of Moscowsource
  • 1389Pope Urban VI (born 1318)source
  • 1404Marie Valois, French princess (born 1344)source
  • 1404Marie of France, Duchess of Bar, Noblewoman (born 1344)source
  • 1444Niccolò Piccinino, Italian mercenary (born 1386)source
  • 1496Gilbert, Count of Montpensier (born 1443)source
  • 1564Andreas Vesalius, Flemish anatomist (born 1514)source
  • 1605Akbar, Mughal Emperor died in the age of 63 in Agra, Mughal India.source
  • 1614Peder Claussøn Friis, author (born 1545)source
  • 1648Simone Cantarini, Italian painter and engraver (born 1612)source
  • 1651James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby (born 1607)source
  • 1674Robert Herrick, English poet (born 1591)source
  • 1684Géraud de Cordemoy, French historian, philosopher and lawyer (born 1626)source
  • 1690Adam Frans van der Meulen, Flemish painter (born 1632)source
  • 1702Frances Stewart, Duchess of Richmond, famous for refusing to become a mistress of Charles II of England (born 1647)source
  • 1728Bernard de la Monnoye, French lawyer (born 1641)source
  • 1756William Grimston, 1st Viscount Grimston, Irish noble (born 1684)source
  • 1767Archduchess Maria Josepha of Austria (born 1751) (smallpox)source
  • 1780October 10–16 – The Great Hurricane flattens the islands of Barbados, Martinique and Sint Eustatius; 22,000 are killed.source
  • 1817Tadeusz Kościuszko, exiled Polish general, nationalist (born 1746)source
  • 1846Bagyidaw, Burmese king (born 1784)source
  • 1852Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, German gymnastics educator (born 1778)source
  • 1875Chief Lone Horn of the Minneconjou dies at the Cheyenne River, leaving his son Big Foot as the new chief.source
  • 1899French Army officer Ferdinand de Béhagle is put to death by Sudanese warlord Rabih az-Zubayr, prompting a French expedition to be led against Rabih.source
  • 1917Mata Hari, Dutch dancer, spy (executed) (born 1876)source
  • 1946Hermann Göring, German Nazi Reichsmarschall (suicide) (born 1893)source
  • 1959Stepan Bandera, Ukrainian nationalist leader (born 1909)source
  • 1964Cole Porter, American composer and lyricist (born 1891)source
  • 1969President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke is assassinated by one of his own bodyguards in the town of Las Anod.source
  • 1988Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, 96, English composer, pianist and writer (Gulistan).source
  • 2002Lain Singh Bangdel, artist and novelistsource