October 6
Events
Pre-1600
- 105 BC - Cimbrian War: Defeat at the Battle of Arausio of the Roman army of the mid-Republic
- 69 BC - Third Mithridatic War: The military of the Roman Republic subdues Armenia.
- AD 23 - Rebels decapitate Wang Mang, only Emperor of the Xin Dynasty, after his capital was sacked during a peasant rebellion.
- 404 - Byzantine Empress Eudoxia dies from the miscarriage of her seventh pregnancy.
- 618 - Transition from Sui to Tang: Wang Shichong decisively defeats Li Mi at the Battle of Yanshi.
- 1539 - Spain's DeSoto expedition takes over the Apalachee capital of Anhaica for their winter quarters.
- 1600 - Euridice, the earliest surviving opera, receives its première performance, beginning the Baroque period.
1601–1900
- 1683 - Immigrant families found Germantown, Pennsylvania in the first major immigration of German people to America.
- 1762 - Seven Years' War: The British capture Manila from Spain and occupy it.
- 1777 - American Revolutionary War: British forces capture Forts Clinton and Montgomery on the Hudson River.
- 1789 - French Revolution: King Louis XVI is forced to change his residence from Versailles to the Tuileries Palace.
- 1810 - A large fire destroys a third of all the buildings in the town of Raahe in the Grand Duchy of Finland.
- 1849 - The execution of the 13 Martyrs of Arad after the Hungarian war of independence.
- 1854 - In England the Great fire of Newcastle and Gateshead leads to 53 deaths and hundreds injured.
- 1884 - The Naval War College of the United States is founded in Rhode Island.
- 1898 - Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the largest American music fraternity, is founded at the New England Conservatory of Music.
1901–present
- 1903 - The High Court of Australia sits for the first time.
- 1908 - The Bosnian crisis erupts when Austria-Hungary formally annexes Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- 1910 - Eleftherios Venizelos is elected Prime Minister of Greece for the first of seven times.
- 1915 - World War I: Combined Austro-Hungarian and German Central Powers, reinforced by the recently joined Bulgaria launched a new offensive against Serbia under command of August von Mackensen.
- 1915 - World War I: Entente forces land in Thessaloniki, to open the Macedonian front against the Central Powers.
- 1920 - Ukrainian War of Independence: The Starobilsk agreement is signed by representatives of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Makhnovshchina.
- 1923 - The Turkish National Movement enters Constantinople.
- 1927 - Opening of The Jazz Singer, the first prominent "talkie" movie.
- 1934 - Revolution of 1934: The President of the autonomous government of Catalonia, Lluís Companys, proclaims the Catalan State with the support of the Worker's Alliance.
- 1939 - World War II: The Battle of Kock is the final combat of the September Campaign in Poland.
- 1942 - World War II: American troops force the Japanese from their positions east of the Matanikau River during the Battle of Guadalcanal.
- 1943 - World War II: Thirteen civilians are burnt alive by a paramilitary group in Crete during the Nazi occupation of Greece.
- 1944 - World War II: Units of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps enter Czechoslovakia during the Battle of the Dukla Pass.
- 1973 - Egypt and Syria launch coordinated attacks against Israel, beginning the Yom Kippur War.
- 1976 - Cubana de Aviación Flight 455 is destroyed by two bombs, placed on board by an anti-Castro militant group.
- 1976 - Premier Hua Guofeng arrests the Gang of Four, ending the Cultural Revolution in China.
- 1976 - Dozens are killed by Thai police and right-wing paramilitaries in the Thammasat University massacre; afterwards, the Seni Pramoj government is toppled in a military coup led by Sangad Chaloryu.
- 1977 - The first prototype of the Mikoyan MiG-29, designated 9-01, makes its maiden flight.
- 1979 - Pope John Paul II becomes the first pontiff to visit the White House.
- 1981 - Egyptian President Anwar Sadat is murdered by Islamic extremists.
- 1981 - NLM CityHopper Flight 431 crashes in Moerdijk after taking off from Rotterdam The Hague Airport in the Netherlands, killing all 17 people on board.
- 1985 - Police constable Keith Blakelock is murdered as riots erupt in the Broadwater Farm suburb of London.
- 1987 - Fiji becomes a republic.
- 1990 - Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-41, and deploys the Ulysses space probe to study the Sun's polar regions.
- 1995 - The first planet orbiting another sun, 51 Pegasi b, is discovered.
- 2007 - Jason Lewis completes the first human-powered circumnavigation of the Earth.
- 2010 - Instagram, a mainstream photo-sharing application, is founded.
- 2018 - The United States Senate confirms Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court Associate Justice, ending a contentious confirmation process.
- 2022 - Annie Ernaux is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- 2025 - The 2025 Alberta teachers' strike begins, leaving approximately 51,000 teachers off-work, impacting about 730,000 Albertan students.
Births
Pre-1600
- 649 - Yuknoom Yichʼaak Kʼahkʼ
- 1289 - Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
- 1459 - Martin Behaim, German navigator and geographer
- 1510 - John Caius, English physician and academic, co-founded the Gonville and Caius College
- 1510 - Rowland Taylor, English priest and martyr
- 1552 - Matteo Ricci, Italian priest and missionary
- 1555 - Ferenc Nádasdy, Hungarian noble
- 1565 - Marie de Gournay, French writer
- 1573 - Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire
- 1576 - Roger Manners, 5th Earl of Rutland
- 1591 - Settimia Caccini, Italian singer-songwriter
1601–1900
- 1610 - Charles de Sainte-Maure, duc de Montausier, French general
- 1626 - Géraud de Cordemoy, French historian, philosopher and lawyer
- 1716 - George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
- 1729 - Sarah Crosby, English preacher, the first female Methodist preacher
- 1732 - John Broadwood, Scottish businessman, co-founded John Broadwood and Sons
- 1738 - Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria
- 1742 - Johan Herman Wessel, Norwegian-Danish poet and playwright
- 1744 - James McGill, Scottish-Canadian businessman and philanthropist, founded McGill University
- 1767 - Henri Christophe, Grenadian-Haitian king
- 1769 - Isaac Brock, English general and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada
- 1773 - John MacCulloch, Scottish geologist and academic
- 1773 - Louis Philippe I of France
- 1801 - Hippolyte Carnot, French politician
- 1803 - Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, Polish-German physicist and meteorologist
- 1820 - James Caulfeild, 3rd Earl of Charlemont, Irish politician, Lord Lieutenant of Armagh
- 1820 - Jenny Lind, Swedish soprano and actress
- 1831 - Richard Dedekind, German mathematician and philosopher
- 1838 - Giuseppe Cesare Abba, Italian soldier, poet, and author
- 1846 - George Westinghouse, American engineer and businessman, founded the Westinghouse Air Brake Company
- 1862 - Albert J. Beveridge, American historian and politician
- 1866 - Reginald Fessenden, Canadian engineer and academic, invented radiotelephony
- 1874 - Frank G. Allen, American merchant and politician, 51st Governor of Massachusetts
- 1876 - Ernest Lapointe, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Canadian Minister of Justice
- 1882 - Karol Szymanowski, Polish pianist and composer
- 1886 - Edwin Fischer, Swiss pianist and conductor
- 1887 - Le Corbusier, Swiss-French architect and painter, designed the Philips Pavilion and Saint-Pierre, Firminy
- 1888 - Roland Garros, French soldier and pilot
- 1891 - Hendrik Adamson, Estonian poet and educator
- 1893 - Meghnad Saha, Indian astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
- 1895 - Caroline Gordon, American author and critic
- 1896 - David Howard, American film director
- 1897 - Florence B. Seibert, American biochemist and academic
- 1900 - Vivion Brewer, American activist and desegregationist
- 1900 - Willy Merkl, German mountaineer
- 1900 - Stan Nichols, English cricketer
1901–present
- 1901 - Eveline Du Bois-Reymond Marcus, German-Brazilian zoologist and academic
- 1903 - Ernest Walton, Irish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1905 - Helen Wills, American tennis player and painter
- 1906 - Janet Gaynor, American actress
- 1906 - Taffy O'Callaghan, Welsh footballer and coach
- 1908 - Carole Lombard, American actress
- 1908 - Sergei Sobolev, Russian mathematician and academic
- 1910 - Barbara Castle, English journalist and politician, First Secretary of State
- 1910 - Orazio Satta Puliga, Italian automobile designer
- 1912 - Perkins Bass, American lawyer and politician
- 1913 - Méret Oppenheim, German-Swiss painter and photographer
- 1914 - Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian ethnographer and explorer
- 1914 - Joan Littlewood, English director and playwright
- 1915 - Carolyn Goodman, American psychologist and activist
- 1915 - Humberto Sousa Medeiros, Portuguese-American cardinal
- 1915 - Alice Timander, Swedish dentist and actress
- 1916 - Chiang Wei-kuo, Japanese-Chinese general
- 1917 - Fannie Lou Hamer, American activist and philanthropist
- 1918 - Goh Keng Swee, Singaporean soldier and politician, 2nd Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
- 1918 - André Pilette, French-Belgian race car driver
- 1919 - Tommy Lawton, English footballer and coach
- 1920 - John Donaldson, Baron Donaldson of Lymington, English lawyer and judge
- 1921 - Evgenii Landis, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and theorist
- 1921 - Joseph Lowery, American minister and activist
- 1921 - Giovanni Michelotti, Italian automotive designer
- 1922 - Joe Frazier, American baseball player and manager
- 1922 - Teala Loring, American actress
- 1923 - Robert Kuok, Malaysian Chinese business magnate and investor
- 1923 - Yaşar Kemal, Turkish journalist and author
- 1925 - Shana Alexander, American journalist and author
- 1927 - Bill King, American sportscaster
- 1928 - Flora MacNeil, Scottish Gaelic singer
- 1928 - Barbara Werle, American actress and singer
- 1929 - George Mattos, American pole vaulter
- 1930 - Hafez al-Assad, Syrian general and politician, 20th President of Syria
- 1930 - Richie Benaud, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
- 1931 - Nikolai Chernykh, Russian astronomer
- 1931 - Eileen Derbyshire, English actress
- 1931 - Riccardo Giacconi, Italian-American astrophysicist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1933 - Prince Mukarram Jah, 8th Nizam of Hyderabad
- 1934 - Marshall Rosenberg, American psychologist and author
- 1935 - Bruno Sammartino, Italian-American wrestler and trainer
- 1936 - Julius L. Chambers, American lawyer, educator, and activist
- 1938 - Serge Nubret, Caribbean-French bodybuilder and actor
- 1939 - Melvyn Bragg, English journalist, author, and academic
- 1939 - Jack Cullen, American baseball player
- 1939 - Richard Delgado, American lawyer and academic
- 1939 - Sheila Greibach, American computer scientist and academic
- 1939 - John J. LaFalce, American captain, lawyer, and politician
- 1940 - Jan Keizer, Dutch footballer and referee
- 1941 - Paul Popham, American soldier and activist, co-founded Gay Men's Health Crisis
- 1942 - Dan Christensen, American painter
- 1942 - Britt Ekland, Swedish actress and singer
- 1942 - Fred Travalena, American comedian and actor
- 1943 - Richard Caborn, English engineer and politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics
- 1943 - Peter Dowding, Australian politician, 24th Premier of Western Australia
- 1943 - Alexander Maxovich Shilov, Russian painter
- 1943 - Cees Veerman, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1944 - Merzak Allouache, Algerian director and screenwriter
- 1944 - Patrick Cordingley, English general
- 1944 - Boris Mikhailov, Russian ice hockey player and coach
- 1944 - Carlos Pace, Brazilian race car driver
- 1945 - Ivan Graziani, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1946 - Lloyd Doggett, American lawyer and politician
- 1946 - Tony Greig, South African-English cricketer and sportscaster
- 1946 - John Monie, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1946 - Eddie Villanueva, Filipino evangelist and politician, founded the ZOE Broadcasting Network
- 1946 - Vinod Khanna, Indian actor, producer and politician
- 1947 - Patxi Andión, Spanish singer-songwriter and actor
- 1947 - Klaus Dibiasi, Italian diver
- 1947 - Millie Small, Jamaican singer-songwriter
- 1948 - Gerry Adams, Irish republican politician
- 1948 - Glenn Branca, American guitarist and composer
- 1949 - Lonnie Johnson, American inventor
- 1949 - Penny Junor, English journalist and author
- 1949 - Thomas McClary, American R&B singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1949 - Leslie Moonves, American businessman
- 1949 - Nicolas Peyrac, French singer-songwriter and photographer
- 1950 - David Brin, American physicist and author
- 1951 - Kevin Cronin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1951 - Clive Rees, Singaporean-Welsh rugby player and educator
- 1951 - Gavin Sutherland, Scottish singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1951 - Manfred Winkelhock, German race car driver
- 1952 - Ayten Mutlu, Turkish poet and author
- 1953 - Rein Rannap, Estonian pianist and composer
- 1954 - Bill Buford, American author and journalist
- 1954 - David Hidalgo, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 - Tony Dungy, American football player and coach
- 1956 - Sadiq al-Ahmar, Yemeni politician
- 1956 - Kathleen Webb, American author and illustrator
- 1957 - Bruce Grobbelaar, Zimbabwean footballer and coach
- 1958 - Sergei Mylnikov, Russian ice hockey player and coach
- 1959 - Turki bin Sultan, Saudi Arabian politician
- 1959 - Oil Can Boyd, American baseball player
- 1959 - Brian Higgins, American politician
- 1959 - Walter Ray Williams, Jr., American bowler
- 1960 - Richard Jobson, Scottish singer, songwriter director and producer.
- 1961 - Miyuki Matsuda, Japanese actress
- 1961 - Paul Sansome, English footballer
- 1961 - Ben Summerskill, English businessman and journalist
- 1962 - David Baker, American biologist and academic
- 1962 - Rich Yett, American baseball player
- 1963 - Sven Andersson, Swedish footballer and coach
- 1963 - Elisabeth Shue, American actress
- 1964 - Ricky Berry, American basketball player
- 1964 - Mark Field, German-English lawyer and politician
- 1964 - Tom Jager, American swimmer and coach
- 1964 - Miltos Manetas, Greek painter
- 1964 - Knut Storberget, Norwegian lawyer and politician, Norwegian Minister of Justice
- 1964 - Matthew Sweet, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1965 - Jürgen Kohler, German footballer and manager
- 1965 - Peg O'Connor, American philosopher and academic
- 1965 - Steve Scalise, American lawyer and politician
- 1965 - Rubén Sierra, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
- 1965 - John McWhorter, American academic and linguist
- 1966 - Melania Mazzucco, Italian author
- 1966 - Jacqueline Obradors, American actress
- 1966 - Niall Quinn, Irish footballer and manager
- 1966 - Tommy Stinson, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1967 - Kennet Andersson, Swedish footballer
- 1967 - Svend Karlsen, Norwegian strongman and bodybuilder
- 1967 - Steven Woolfe, English barrister and politician
- 1968 - Bjarne Goldbæk, Danish footballer and sportscaster
- 1968 - Bob May, American golfer
- 1969 - Byron Black, Zimbabwean golfer
- 1969 - Muhammad V of Kelantan, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia
- 1970 - Amy Jo Johnson, American actress
- 1970 - Shauna MacDonald, Canadian actress and producer
- 1970 - Darren Oliver, American baseball player
- 1971 - Emily Mortimer, English actress
- 1972 - Mark Schwarzer, Australian footballer
- 1973 - Jeff B. Davis, American comedian, actor, and singer
- 1973 - Ioan Gruffudd, Welsh actor
- 1973 - Rebecca Lobo, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1974 - Walter Centeno, Costa Rican footballer and manager
- 1974 - Kenny Jönsson, Swedish ice hockey player and coach
- 1974 - Seema Kennedy, British politician
- 1974 - Jeremy Sisto, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1974 - Hoàng Xuân Vinh, Vietnamese shooter
- 1975 - Reon King, Guyanese cricketer
- 1976 - Freddy García, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1976 - Brett Gelman, American actor and comedian
- 1977 - Daniel Brière, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1977 - Shimon Gershon, Israeli footballer and singer
- 1977 - Wes Ramsey, American actor
- 1978 - Ricky Hatton, English boxer and promoter
- 1978 - Liu Yang, Chinese astronaut
- 1979 - David Di Tommaso, French footballer
- 1979 - Mohamed Kallon, Sierra Leonean footballer and manager
- 1979 - Richard Seymour, American football player
- 1980 - Abdoulaye Méïté, French footballer
- 1981 - Zurab Khizanishvili, Georgian footballer
- 1982 - Levon Aronian, Armenian chess grandmaster
- 1982 - Will Butler, American musician and composer
- 1982 - Paul Smith, English boxer
- 1983 - Renata Voráčová, Czech tennis player
- 1984 - Morné Morkel, South African cricketer
- 1985 - Mitchell Cole, English footballer
- 1985 - Sylvia Fowles, American basketball player
- 1985 - Sandra Góngora, Mexican ten-pin bowler
- 1985 - Tarmo Kink, Estonian footballer
- 1986 - Meg Myers, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1986 - Olivia Thirlby, American actress
- 1987 - Akuila Uate, Fijian-Australian rugby league player
- 1989 - Albert Ebossé Bodjongo, Cameroonian footballer
- 1989 - Tyler Ennis, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1989 - Pizzi, Portuguese footballer
- 1990 - Scarlett Byrne, English actress
- 1990 - Marcus Johansson, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1990 - Nazem Kadri, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1990 - Han Sun-hwa, South Korean singer and actress
- 1992 - Josh Archibald, Canadian-American ice hockey player
- 1992 - Taylor Paris, Canadian rugby player
- 1993 - Adam Gemili, English sprinter
- 1993 - Jourdan Miller, American fashion model
- 1993 - Nail Yakupov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1994 - Jake Guentzel, American ice hockey player
- 1994 - Lee Joo-heon, South Korean rapper and songwriter
- 1996 - Kevin Diks, Indonesian footballer
- 1997 - Kasper Dolberg, Danish footballer
- 1999 - Trevor Lawrence, American football player
- 2000 - Jazz Jennings, American internet personality
- 2000 - Kyle Pitts, American football player
- 2000 - Addison Rae, American social media personality, dancer, and singer
- 2001 - Hitomi Honda, Japanese singer based in South Korea
- 2002 - Jonathan Kuminga, Congolese basketball player
- 2004 - Bronny James, American basketball player
- 2004 - Hanni, Australian singer