October 10
Events
Pre-1600
- 19 - The Roman general Germanicus dies near Antioch. He was convinced that the mysterious illness that ended in his death was a result of poisoning by the Syrian governor Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, whom he had ordered to leave the province.
- 680 - The Battle of Karbala marks the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali.
- 732 - Charles Martel's forces defeat an Umayyad army near Tours, France.
- 1471 - Sten Sture the Elder, the Regent of Sweden, with the help of farmers and miners, repels an attack by King Christian I of Denmark.
- 1492 - The crew of Christopher Columbus's ship, the Santa Maria, attempt a mutiny.
- 1575 - Roman Catholic forces under Henry I, Duke of Guise, defeat the Protestants, capturing Philippe de Mornay among others.
- 1580 - Over 600 Papal troops land in Ireland to support the Second Desmond Rebellion.
1601–1900
- 1760 - In a treaty with the Dutch colonial authorities, the Ndyuka people of Suriname - descended from escaped slaves - gain territorial autonomy.
- 1780 - The Great Hurricane of 1780 kills 20,000–30,000 in the Caribbean.
- 1814 - War of 1812: The United States Revenue Marine attempts to defend the cutter Eagle from the Royal Navy.
- 1845 - In Annapolis, Maryland, the Naval School opens with 50 students.
- 1846 - Triton, the largest moon of the planet Neptune, is discovered by English astronomer William Lassell.
- 1868 - The Ten Years' War begins against Spanish rule in Cuba.
1901–present
- 1903 - The Women's Social and Political Union is founded in support of the enfranchisement of British women.
- 1911 - The day after a bomb explodes prematurely, the Wuchang Uprising begins against the Chinese monarchy.
- 1913 - U.S. President Woodrow Wilson triggers the explosion of the Gamboa Dike, completing major construction on the Panama Canal.
- 1918 - RMS Leinster is torpedoed and sunk by UB-123, killing 564, the largest loss of life on the Irish Sea.
- 1920 - The Carinthian plebiscite determines that the larger part of the Duchy of Carinthia should remain part of Austria.
- 1928 - Chiang Kai-shek becomes Chairman of the Republic of China.
- 1933 - A United Airlines Boeing 247 is destroyed by sabotage, the first such proven case in the history of commercial aviation.
- 1935 - In Greece, a coup d'état ends the Second Hellenic Republic.
- 1938 - Abiding by the Munich Agreement, Czechoslovakia completes its withdrawal from the Sudetenland.
- 1945 - The Double Tenth Agreement is signed by the Communist Party and the Kuomintang about the future of China.
- 1954 - The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Muscat, Neil Innes, sends a signal to the Sultanate's forces, accompanied with oil explorers, to penetrate Fahud, marking the beginning of Jebel Akhdar War.
- 1957 - U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower apologizes to Ghanaian finance minister Komla Agbeli Gbedemah after he is refused service in a Delaware restaurant.
- 1957 - The Windscale fire results in Britain's worst nuclear accident.
- 1963 - France cedes control of the Bizerte naval base to Tunisia.
- 1963 - The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty comes into effect.
- 1964 - The Tokyo Summer Olympics opening ceremony is the first to be relayed live by satellites.
- 1967 - The Outer Space Treaty comes into force.
- 1969 - King Crimson releases their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King.
- 1970 - Fiji becomes independent.
- 1970 - Canada's October Crisis escalates when Quebec Vice Premier Pierre Laporte is kidnapped by members of the Front de libération du Québec.
- 1971 - Aeroflot Flight 773 is destroyed by a bomb over Moscow Oblast, killing 25.
- 1973 - U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew resigns after being charged with evasion of federal income tax.
- 1975 - Papua New Guinea joins the United Nations.
- 1979 - The Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant began operations in Eurajoki, Satakunta, Finland.
- 1980 - The 7.1 El Asnam earthquake shakes northern Algeria, killing 2,633 and injuring 8,369.
- 1980 - The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front is founded in El Salvador.
- 1985 - US Navy aircraft intercept an Egyptian airliner carrying the perpetrators of the Achille Lauro hijacking, and force it to land in Italy.
- 1986 - A 5.7 San Salvador earthquake shakes El Salvador, killing 1,500.
- 1997 - Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 2553 crashes and explodes in Uruguay, killing 74.
- 1998 - A Lignes Aériennes Congolaises jetliner is shot down by rebels in Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing 41 people.
- 2002 - Iraq War: The United States Congress approves the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.
- 2007 - Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor becomes the first Malaysian in space on board Soyuz TMA-11.
- 2009 - Armenia and Turkey sign the Zurich Protocols, intended to normalize relations. However, they are never ratified by either side.
- 2010 - The Netherlands Antilles are dissolved as a country.
- 2015 - Twin bomb blasts in the Turkish capital Ankara kill 109 and injure 500+.
- 2018 - Hurricane Michael makes landfall in the Florida Panhandle as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane. It kills 57 people in the United States, 45 in Florida, and causes an estimated $25.1 billion in damage.
- 2018 - The National Fire and Rescue Administration is founded, replacing the and the as China's primary firefighting agency.
- 2022 - Ben S. Bernanke, Douglas W. Diamond and Philip H. Dybvig are jointly awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
Births
Pre-1600
- AD 19 - Tiberius Gemellus, Roman son of Drusus Julius Caesar and Livilla; adoptive son of the Emperor Caligula
- 786 - Saga, emperor of Japan
- 867 - Li Siyuan, Chinese emperor
- 1332 - King Charles II of Navarre
- 1344 - Mary of Waltham, duchess of Brittany
- 1355 - Zhu Biao, Chinese prince
- 1421 - John Paston, English politician
- 1486 - Charles III, Duke of Savoy
- 1554 - Arnold III, Count of Bentheim-Steinfurt-Tecklenburg-Limburg and Lord of Rheda
- 1560 - Jacobus Arminius, Dutch theologian
- 1567 - Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spain
- 1584 - Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke
- 1599 - Étienne Moulinié, French composer and director
1601–1900
- 1629 - Richard Towneley, English mathematician and astronomer
- 1646 - Françoise-Marguerite de Sévigné, French noblewoman
- 1656 - Nicolas de Largillière, French painter and academic
- 1669 - Johann Nicolaus Bach, German organist and composer
- 1678 - John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, Scottish general and politician, Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland
- 1684 - Jean-Antoine Watteau, French painter
- 1700 - Lambert-Sigisbert Adam, French sculptor and illustrator
- 1731 - Henry Cavendish, French-English chemist, physicist, and philosopher
- 1770 - Adam Johann von Krusenstern Imperial Russian Admiral and explorer
- 1780 - John Abercrombie, Scottish physician and philosopher
- 1794 - William Whiting Boardman, American judge and politician
- 1810 - Alfred Kennerley, English-Australian politician, 10th Premier of Tasmania
- 1813 - Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer and philanthropist
- 1819 - Heinrich Joseph Dominicus Denzinger, German theologian and author
- 1825 - Paul Kruger, South African soldier and politician, 5th President of the South African Republic
- 1828 - Samuel J. Randall, American captain, lawyer and politician, 33rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
- 1830 - Isabella II of Spain
- 1834 - Aleksis Kivi, Finnish author and playwright
- 1837 - Robert Gould Shaw, American colonel
- 1842 - Emily Dobson, Australian philanthropist
- 1858 - Maurice Prendergast, American painter and academic
- 1861 - Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian explorer, scientist, and humanitarian, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1864 - T. Frank Appleby, American businessman and politician
- 1870 - Louise Mack, Australian journalist, author, and poet
- 1872 - Dionysios Kasdaglis, Egyptian-Greek tennis player
- 1877 - William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield, English businessman and philanthropist, founded Morris Motors
- 1884 - Nikolai Klyuev, Russian poet and author
- 1884 - Ida Wüst, German actress and screenwriter
- 1885 - Walter Anderson, Belarusian-German ethnologist and academic
- 1885 - Jean Peyrière, French actor
- 1889 - Han van Meegeren, Dutch painter and forger
- 1895 - Alfred Neuland, Estonian weightlifter
- 1895 - Fridolf Rhudin, Swedish actor
- 1895 - Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, German field marshal
- 1898 - Lilly Daché, French-American fashion designer
- 1900 - Helen Hayes, American actress
1901–present
- 1901 - Alberto Giacometti, Swiss sculptor and painter
- 1902 - K. Shivaram Karanth, Indian journalist, author, and activist
- 1903 - Prince Charles, Count of Flanders
- 1903 - Vernon Duke, Russian-American composer and songwriter
- 1903 - Bei Shizhang, Chinese biologist and academic
- 1905 - Aksella Luts, Estonian actress, screenwriter, dancer, and choreographer
- 1906 - Paul Creston, American composer and educator
- 1906 - Fei Mu, Chinese director and screenwriter
- 1906 - R. K. Narayan, Indian author
- 1908 - Johnny Green, American conductor and composer
- 1908 - Mercè Rodoreda, Catalan author and poet
- 1909 - Robert F. Boyle, American production designer and art director
- 1910 - Julius Shulman, American photographer and environmentalist
- 1911 - Clare Hollingworth, English journalist and author
- 1912 - Ram Vilas Sharma, Indian poet and critic
- 1913 - Claude Simon, Malagasy-French novelist and critic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1914 - Tommy Fine, American baseball player and businessman
- 1914 - Ivory Joe Hunter, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1915 - Harry Edison, American trumpet player and composer
- 1917 - Thelonious Monk, American pianist and composer
- 1919 - Willard Estey, Canadian academic and jurist
- 1919 - Gerry Gomez, Trinidadian cricketer, manager, and umpire
- 1919 - Kim Ki-young, South Korean director, screenwriter, producer, and editor
- 1919 - William Kruskal, American mathematician and statistician
- 1919 - Edgar Laprade, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1920 - Gail Halvorsen, American air force pilot known as the "Berlin Candy Bomber"
- 1922 - Merv Pregulman, American football player, businessman, and philanthropist
- 1923 - Louis Gottlieb, American singer and bass player
- 1923 - Nicholas Parsons, English actor and game show host
- 1923 - Murray Walker, English journalist and sportscaster
- 1924 - James Clavell, Australian-American director, producer, screenwriter, and author
- 1924 - Ludmilla Tchérina, French actress, ballerina, and choreographer
- 1924 - Ed Wood, American actor, director, producer, screenwriter
- 1926 - Oscar Brown, American singer-songwriter, playwright, and actor
- 1926 - Richard Jaeckel, American actor
- 1927 - Dana Elcar, American actor and director
- 1927 - Jon Locke, American actor
- 1927 - Thomas Wilson, American-Scottish composer and educator
- 1928 - Leyla Gencer, Turkish soprano
- 1928 - Sheila Walsh, English author
- 1929 - Ayten Alpman, Turkish singer
- 1929 - Herb Levinson, American actor
- 1929 - Bernard Mayes, English-American journalist and academic
- 1930 - Eugenio Castellotti, Italian race car driver
- 1930 - Yves Chauvin, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1930 - Harold Pinter, English playwright, screenwriter, director Nobel Prize laureate
- 1930 - Adlai Stevenson III, American lawyer and politician
- 1932 - Harry Smith, English footballer
- 1933 - Jay Sebring, American hair stylist and businessman
- 1935 - Khalil al-Wazir, Palestinian commander, founded Fatah
- 1935 - André Bureau, Canadian lawyer and businessman
- 1935 - Judith Chalmers, English television host and actress
- 1936 - Gerhard Ertl, German physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1937 - Bruce Devlin, Australian golfer and sportscaster
- 1937 - Peter Underwood, Australian lawyer and politician, 27th Governor of Tasmania
- 1938 - Oleg Gordievsky, Russian intelligence officer and author
- 1938 - Leroy Hood, American biologist and academic
- 1938 - Daidō Moriyama, Japanese photographer
- 1938 - Lily Tuck, American novelist and short story writer
- 1940 - Winston Churchill, English journalist and politician
- 1941 - Peter Coyote, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1941 - Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigerian author and activist
- 1942 - Janis Hansen, American singer and author
- 1942 - Radu Vasile, Romanian historian and politician, 57th Prime Minister of Romania
- 1943 - Frederick Barthelme, American novelist and short story writer
- 1945 - Christopher Hill, English bishop
- 1945 - Vanburn Holder, Barbadian cricketer
- 1945 - Headman Shabalala, South African bass singer
- 1946 - Charles Dance, English actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1946 - Naoto Kan, Japanese lawyer and politician, 61st Prime Minister of Japan
- 1946 - Peter Mahovlich, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1946 - Anne Mather, English author and screenwriter
- 1946 - John Prine, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1946 - Raymond Tallis, English physician, philosopher, author, and academic
- 1946 - Chris Tarrant, English radio and television host
- 1946 - Ben Vereen, American actor, singer, and dancer
- 1946 - Willard White, Jamaican-English actor and singer
- 1947 - Gary Beach, American actor and singer
- 1947 - Giant Haystacks, English wrestler
- 1948 - Sue Campbell, Baroness Campbell of Loughborough, English academic and businesswoman
- 1948 - Cyril Neville, American R&B percussionist and singer
- 1948 - Séverine, French singer and actress
- 1949 - Warren Burt, American-Australian composer
- 1949 - Lance Cairns, New Zealand cricketer
- 1949 - Jessica Harper, American actress
- 1949 - Wang Wanxing, Chinese activist
- 1950 - Charlie George, English footballer
- 1950 - Nora Roberts, American author
- 1951 - Epeli Ganilau, Fijian general and politician, 16th Minister for Fijian Affairs
- 1952 - Bob Nystrom, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1952 - Dela Smith, English educator
- 1953 - Fiona Rae, Scottish painter
- 1953 - Midge Ure, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1953 - Aleksander Veingold, Estonian chess player and coach
- 1953 - Gus Williams, American basketball player
- 1954 - Václav Patejdl, Slovak musician
- 1954 - Rekha, Indian actress
- 1954 - David Lee Roth, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1954 - Fernando Santos, Portuguese footballer and manager
- 1956 - Amanda Burton, Northern Irish actress and producer
- 1956 - David Hempleman-Adams, English businessman and adventurer
- 1956 - Taur Matan Ruak, East Timorese politician, 3rd President of East Timor
- 1957 - Rumiko Takahashi, Japanese author and illustrator
- 1958 - Tanya Tucker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1959 - Michael Cobley, English-Scottish author
- 1959 - Kirsty MacColl, English singer-songwriter
- 1959 - Arif Peçenek, Turkish football player and manager
- 1959 - Bill Rammell, English academic and politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
- 1959 - Julia Sweeney, American actress, comedian, producer, and screenwriter
- 1959 - Bradley Whitford, American actor and producer
- 1960 - Ron Flockhart, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1960 - Russell Slade, English football manager
- 1960 - Simon Townshend, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1961 - Henrik Jørgensen, Danish runner
- 1961 - Martin Kemp, English singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1961 - Crystal Waters, American singer-songwriter, musician and producer
- 1962 - Thomas Rusch, German photographer
- 1963 - Jolanda de Rover, Dutch swimmer
- 1963 - Anita Mui, Hong Kong singer and actress
- 1963 - Daniel Pearl, American-Israeli journalist
- 1963 - Vegard Ulvang, Norwegian skier
- 1964 - Sarah Lancashire, English actress and director
- 1965 - Toshi, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer
- 1965 - Chris Penn, American actor
- 1966 - Tony Adams, English footballer and manager
- 1966 - Bai Ling, Chinese-American model and actress
- 1967 - Michael Giacchino, American composer
- 1967 - Jonathan Littell, American-French author and humanitarian
- 1967 - Mike Malinin, American drummer and producer
- 1967 - Gavin Newsom, American businessman and politician, 40th and current Governor of California
- 1967 - Jacek Zieliński, Polish footballer and coach
- 1968 - Bart Brentjens, Dutch cyclist
- 1968 - Feridun Düzağaç, Turkish singer-songwriter
- 1968 - Chris Ofili, British painter
- 1969 - Manu Bennett, New Zealand-Australian actor
- 1969 - Dilsa Demirbag Sten, Swedish journalist and author
- 1969 - Francis Escudero, Filipino lawyer and politician
- 1969 - Brett Favre, American football player
- 1969 - Wendi McLendon-Covey, American actress
- 1970 - Silke Kraushaar-Pielach, German sled racer
- 1970 - Matthew Pinsent, English rower and sportscaster
- 1971 - Graham Alexander, English-Scottish footballer and manager
- 1971 - Evgeny Kissin, Russian pianist
- 1972 - Jun Lana, Filipino director, producer, playwright, and screenwriter
- 1972 - Alexei Zhitnik, Ukrainian-Russian ice hockey player
- 1973 - Mario Lopez, American actor, television personality, and producer
- 1973 - Zach Thornton, American soccer player and coach
- 1974 - Asi Cohen, Israeli actor and screenwriter
- 1974 - Oded Kattash, Israeli basketball player and coach
- 1974 - Julio Ricardo Cruz, Argentinian footballer
- 1974 - Dale Earnhardt Jr., American race car driver and actor
- 1974 - Lucy Powell, English politician
- 1974 - Chris Pronger, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1975 - Ihsahn, Norwegian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1975 - Ramón Morales, Mexican footballer and manager
- 1975 - Plácido Polanco, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1976 - Bob Burnquist, Brazilian-American skateboarder
- 1976 - Pat Burrell, American baseball player
- 1976 - Shane Doan, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 - Naomi Levari, Israeli film producer and director
- 1978 - Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, American model and actress
- 1979 - Kangta, South Korean singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
- 1979 - Nicolás Massú, Chilean tennis player
- 1979 - Mýa, American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, and actress
- 1980 - Julie Pomagalski, French snowboarder
- 1981 - Gavin Shuker, English lawyer and politician
- 1981 - Laura Tobin, English weather reporter
- 1982 - Yasser Al-Qahtani, Saudi Arabian footballer
- 1982 - David Cal, Spanish sprint canoeist
- 1982 - Tony Khan, American sports executive
- 1982 - Dan Stevens, English actor
- 1984 - Stephanie Cheng, Hong Kong singer
- 1984 - Jean-Baptiste Grange, French skier
- 1984 - Ryan Hollins, American basketball player and commentator
- 1984 - Chiaki Kuriyama, Japanese actress and singer
- 1984 - Paul Posluszny, American football player
- 1984 - Troy Tulowitzki, American baseball player
- 1985 - Marina Diamandis, Welsh singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1985 - Rostislav Olesz, Czech ice hockey player
- 1986 - Nathan Jawai, Australian basketball player
- 1986 - Andrew McCutchen, American baseball player
- 1986 - Ellen Andrea Wang, Norwegian bassist and composer
- 1987 - Ryan Mathews, American football player
- 1988 - Shaun Fensom, Australian rugby league player
- 1988 - Brown Ideye, Nigerian footballer
- 1988 - Rose McIver, New Zealand actress
- 1989 - Jeurys Familia, Dominican baseball player
- 1989 - Emer Kenny, English actress and screenwriter
- 1990 - Shelby Miller, American baseball player
- 1990 - Geno Smith, American football player
- 1990 - Kolten Wong, American baseball player
- 1991 - Michael Carter-Williams, American basketball player
- 1991 - Gabriella Cilmi, Australian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1991 - Lali Espósito, Argentinian actress and singer
- 1991 - Mariana Pajón, Colombian cyclist
- 1991 - Xherdan Shaqiri, Swiss footballer
- 1992 - Anthony Brown, American basketball player
- 1993 - Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Cuban baseball player
- 1993 - Jayden Stockley, English footballer
- 1994 - Bae Suzy, South Korean singer, actress and model
- 1994 - Mike Tobey, American-Slovenian basketball player
- 1994 - Marquez Valdes-Scantling, American football player
- 1995 - Courtland Sutton, American football player
- 1996 - Sami Niku, Finnish ice hockey player
- 2002 - Josh Giddey, Australian basketball player