October 5: On This Day

Events, births, deaths, holidays and observances for October 5.

Events 47

610 – Heraclius arrives at Constantinople, kills Byzantine Emperor Phocas, and becomes emperor.
816 – King Louis the Pious is crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by the Pope.
869 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople is convened to depose patriarch Photios I.
1143 – With the signing of the Treaty of Zamora, King Alfonso VII of León and Castile recognises Portugal as a Kingdom.
1450 – Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria expels Jews from his jurisdiction.
1465 – King Louis XI of France is forced to sign the treaty of Conflans.
1607 – Assassins attempt to kill Venetian statesman and scientist Paolo Sarpi.
1672 – Jan Sobieski, Grand Hetman of the Polish Crown, begins his successful military campaign against the Tartars following their rebellion and an invasion by the Ottoman Empire.
1789 – French Revolution: The Women's March on Versailles effectively terminates royal authority.
1813 – War of 1812: The Army of the Northwest defeats a British and Native Canadian force threatening Detroit.
1869 – The Saxby Gale devastates the Bay of Fundy region in Canada.
1869 – The Eastman tunnel, in Minnesota, United States, collapses during construction, causing a landslide that nearly destroys St. Anthony Falls.
1877 – The Nez Perce War in the northwestern United States comes to an end.
1900 – Peace congress in Paris condemns British policy in South Africa and asserts Boer Republic's right to self-determination.
1905 – The Wright brothers pilot the Wright Flyer III in a new world record flight of 24 miles in 39 minutes.
1910 – In a revolution in Portugal the monarchy is overthrown and a republic is declared.
1911 – The Kowloon–Canton Railway commences service.
1914 – World War I: An aircraft successfully destroys another aircraft with gunfire for the first time.
1921 – The World Series is broadcast on radio for the first time.
1930 – British airship R101 crashes in France en route to India on its maiden voyage killing 48 people.
1931 – Clyde Edward Pangborn and Hugh Herndon, Jr. make the first nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean in the plane Miss Veedol.
1936 – The Jarrow March sets off for London.
1938 – Holocaust: In Nazi Germany, Jews' passports are invalidated.
1943 – World War II: Pacific Theater: Ninety-eight American POWs are executed by Japanese forces on Wake Island.
1944 – The Provisional Government of the French Republic enfranchises women.
1945 – A six-month strike by Hollywood set decorators turns into a bloody riot at the gates of the Warner Brothers studio.
1947 – President Truman makes the first televised Oval Office address.
1962 – The first of the James Bond film series, based on the novels by Ian Fleming, Dr. No, is released in Britain.
1962 – The first Beatles single "Love Me Do" is released in Britain.
1963 – The United States suspends the Commercial Import Program in response to repression of the Buddhist majority by the regime of President Ngo Dinh Diem.
1966 – A reactor at the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station near Detroit suffers a partial meltdown.
1968 – A Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march in Derry is violently suppressed by police.
1970 – The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is founded in the United States.
1970 – The British Trade Commissioner, James Cross, is kidnapped by members of the Front de libération du Québec, triggering the October Crisis in Canada.
1974 – Bombs planted by the PIRA in pubs in Guildford kill four British soldiers and one civilian.
1978 – Brother Eddie Villanueva and 15 others from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines begin the Jesus Is Lord Church.
1982 – Tylenol products are recalled after bottles in Chicago laced with cyanide cause seven deaths.
1984 – Marc Garneau becomes the first Canadian in space.
1985 – Seven Israeli vacationers, including four children, are killed in a mass shooting at Ras Burqa in the Sinai Peninsula by an Egyptian soldier.
1988 – A Chilean opposition coalition defeats Augusto Pinochet in his re-election attempt.
1990 – After 150 years The Herald newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, is published for the last time as a separate newspaper.
1991 – An Indonesian Air Force C-130 crash kills 135 people.
1994 – Swiss police find the bodies of 48 members of the Order of the Solar Temple, who had died in a cult mass murder-suicide.
1999 – The Ladbroke Grove rail crash in West London kills 31 people.
2000 – Mass demonstrations in Serbia force the resignation of Slobodan Milošević.
2011 – In the Mekong River massacre, two Chinese cargo boats are hijacked and 13 crew members murdered.
2021 – Windows 11 is released to the general public.

Births 254

1274 – Al-Dhahabi, Syrian scholar and historian (died 1348)
1338 – Alexios III of Trebizond (died 1390)
1377 – Louis II of Anjou (died 1417)
1422 – Catherine, Princess of Asturias, Spanish royal (died 1424)
1487 – Ludwig of Hanau-Lichtenberg, German nobleman (died 1553)
1520 – Alessandro Farnese, Italian cardinal and diplomat (died 1589)
1524 – Rani Durgavati, Queen of Gond (died 1564)
1609 – Paul Fleming, German physician and poet (died 1640)
1641 – Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan, French mistress of Louis XIV (died 1707)
1658 – Mary of Modena, Queen Consort of England, Scotland and Ireland (died 1718)
1687 – Maria Maddalena Martinengo, Italian nun (died 1737)
1703 – Jonathan Edwards, American pastor and theologian (died 1758)
1712 – Francesco Guardi, Italian painter (died 1793)
1713 – Denis Diderot, French philosopher and critic (died 1784)
1715 – Victor de Riqueti, marquis de Mirabeau, French economist and educator (died 1789)
1728 – Chevalier d'Éon, French diplomat and spy (died 1810)
1743 – Giuseppe Gazzaniga, Italian composer and educator (died 1818)
1781 – Bernard Bolzano, Czech mathematician and philosopher (died 1848)
1792 – Joseph Crosfield, English businessman (died 1844)
1795 – Alexander Keith, Scottish-Canadian brewer and politician, 13th Mayor of Halifax (died 1873)
1803 – Friedrich Bernhard Westphal, Danish-German painter (died 1844)
1816 – Ursula Frayne, Irish-Australian nun and missionary (died 1885)
1820 – David Wilber, American lawyer and politician (died 1890)
1824 – Henry Chadwick, English-American historian and author (died 1908)
1829 – Chester A. Arthur, American general, lawyer, and politician, 21st President of the United States (died 1886)
1841 – Philipp Mainländer, German philosopher (died 1876)
1844 – Francis William Reitz, South African lawyer and politician, 5th State President of the Orange Free State (died 1934)
1848 – Guido von List, Austrian-German journalist and poet (died 1919)
1850 – Sergey Muromtsev, Russian lawyer and politician (died 1910)
1856 – Peadar Toner Mac Fhionnlaoich, Irish author and playwright (died 1942)
1858 – Helen Churchill Candee, American journalist and author (died 1949)
1864 – Louis Lumière, French director and producer (died 1948)
1873 – Lucien Mérignac, French fencer (died 1941)
1877 – Mike O'Neill, Irish-American baseball player and manager (died 1959)
1878 – Louise Dresser, American actress (died 1965)
1879 – Francis Peyton Rous, American pathologist and virologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1970)
1882 – Robert H. Goddard, American physicist, engineer, and academic (died 1945)
1883 – Ernst Pittschau, German actor (died 1951)
1885 – Arunachalam Mahadeva, Sri Lankan politician and diplomat (died 1969)
1887 – René Cassin, French judge and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1976)
1887 – Manny Ziener, German actress (died 1972)
1888 – Mary Fuller, American actress and screenwriter (died 1973)
1889 – Teresa de la Parra, French-Venezuelan author and educator (died 1936)
1892 – Remington Kellogg, American zoologist and paleontologist (died 1969)
1894 – Bevil Rudd, South African runner and journalist (died 1948)
1895 – Walter Bedell Smith, U.S. Army general (WWII) and head of CIA (died 1961)
1898 – Nachum Gutman, Moldovan-Israeli painter and sculptor (died 1980)
1899 – Elda Anderson, American physicist and health researcher (died 1961)
1901 – John Alton, Austrian-American director and cinematographer (died 1996)
1902 – Larry Fine, American comedian (died 1975)
1902 – Ray Kroc, American businessman and philanthropist (died 1984)
1903 – M. King Hubbert, American geophysicist and academic (died 1989)
1905 – John Hoyt, American actor (died 1991)
1905 – Harriet E. MacGibbon, American actress (died 1987)
1907 – Mrs. Miller, American novelty singer (died 1997)
1907 – Ragnar Nurkse, Estonian-American economist and academic (died 1959)
1908 – Mehmet Ali Aybar, Turkish lawyer and politician (died 1995)
1908 – Joshua Logan, American director and screenwriter (died 1988)
1911 – Pierre Dansereau, Canadian ecologist and academic (died 2011)
1911 – Brian O'Nolan, Irish author and playwright (died 1966)
1912 – Fritz Fischer, German physician and convicted war criminal (died 2003)
1913 – Eugene B. Fluckey, American admiral, Medal of Honor recipient (died 2007)
1914 – Zhang Zhen, Chinese general and politician (died 2015)
1916 – Stetson Kennedy, American author and activist (died 2011)
1917 – Allen Ludden, American television personality and game show host (died 1981)
1917 – Magda Szabó, Hungarian author and poet (died 2007)
1919 – Donald Pleasence, English actor (died 1995)
1921 – Bill Willis, American football player and coach (died 2007)
1922 – José Froilán González, Argentinian racing driver (died 2013)
1922 – Bil Keane, American cartoonist (died 2011)
1922 – Jock Stein, Scottish footballer and manager (died 1985)
1923 – Philip Berrigan, American priest and activist (died 2002)
1923 – Stig Dagerman, Swedish journalist and author (died 1954)
1923 – Albert Guðmundsson, Icelandic footballer and politician (died 1994)
1923 – Glynis Johns, British actress and singer (died 2024)
1923 – Kailashpati Mishra, Indian lawyer and politician, 18th Governor of Gujarat (died 2012)
1924 – Bill Dana, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (died 2017)
1924 – José Donoso, Chilean author (died 1996)
1924 – Barbara Kelly, Canadian actress and screenwriter (died 2007)
1924 – Frederic Morton, Austrian-American banker, journalist, and author (died 2015)
1924 – Bob Thaves, American cartoonist (died 2006)
1925 – Gail Davis, American actress (died 1997)
1925 – Herbert Kretzmer, South African-English journalist and songwriter (died 2020)
1925 – Walter Dale Miller, American lawyer and politician, 29th Governor of South Dakota (died 2015)
1926 – Avraham Adan, Israeli general (died 2012)
1926 – Willi Unsoeld, American mountaineer and educator (died 1979)
1928 – Louise Fitzhugh, American author and illustrator (died 1974)
1928 – Marjorie Finlay, American opera singer and television personality (died 2003)
1929 – Richard F. Gordon Jr., American captain, pilot, and astronaut (died 2017)
1929 – Bill Wirtz, American businessman (died 2007)
1930 – Pavel Popovich, Ukrainian general, pilot, and cosmonaut (died 2009)
1930 – Reinhard Selten, German economist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2016)
1931 – Rosalie Gower, Canadian nurse and politician (died 2013)
1932 – Neal Ascherson, Scottish journalist and author
1932 – Dean Prentice, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2019)
1932 – Michael John Rogers, English ornithologist and police officer (died 2006)
1933 – Doug Bailey, American political consultant, founded The Hotline (died 2013)
1933 – Billy Lee Riley, American rockabilly musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer (died 2009)
1934 – Kenneth D. Taylor, Canadian businessman and diplomat (died 2015)
1934 – Angelo Buono, American serial killer and rapist (died 2002)
1936 – Václav Havel, Czech poet, playwright, and politician, 1st President of the Czech Republic (died 2011)
1936 – Adrian Smith, American basketball player (died 2026)
1937 – Barry Switzer, American football player and coach
1938 – Johnny Duncan, American country singer (died 2006)
1938 – Teresa Heinz, Mozambican-American businesswoman and philanthropist
1939 – Marie-Claire Blais, Canadian author and playwright (died 2021)
1939 – A. R. Penck, German painter and sculptor (died 2017)
1939 – Consuelo Ynares-Santiago, Filipino lawyer and jurist
1940 – Bob Cowper, Australian cricketer
1940 – Terry Trotter, American jazz pianist
1941 – Stephanie Cole, English actress (died 2026)
1941 – Eduardo Duhalde, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 50th President of Argentina
1941 – Frank Stagg, Irish republican died on hunger strike (died 1976)
1942 – Richard Street, American singer-songwriter (died 2013)
1943 – Ben Cardin, American lawyer and politician
1943 – Steve Miller, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1943 – Michael Morpurgo, English author, poet, and playwright
1943 – Etela Farkašová, Slovak philosopher and writer
1944 – Richard Rosser, Baron Rosser, English union leader and politician (died 2024)
1945 – Brian Connolly, Scottish singer-songwriter (died 1997)
1946 – Zahida Hina, Pakistani journalist and author
1946 – Robin Lane Fox, English historian and author
1946 – Jean Perron, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster
1946 – David Watson, English footballer
1947 – Brian Johnson, English singer and songwriter
1947 – Michèle Pierre-Louis, Haitian politician, 14th Prime Minister of Haiti
1948 – Russell Mael, American vocalist
1949 – Peter Ackroyd, English biographer, novelist and critic
1949 – Michael Gaughan, Irish Republican died on hunger strike (died 1974)
1949 – Ralph Goodale, Canadian lawyer and politician, 36th Canadian Minister of Finance
1949 – Bill James, American historian and author
1949 – Yashiki Takajin, Japanese singer and television host (died 2014)
1950 – Jeff Conaway, American actor and singer (died 2011)
1950 – Edward P. Jones, American novelist and short story writer
1950 – James Rizzi, American painter and illustrator (died 2011)
1951 – Karen Allen, American actress
1951 – Bob Geldof, Irish singer-songwriter and actor
1952 – Clive Barker, English author, director, producer, and screenwriter
1952 – Harold Faltermeyer, German keyboard player, composer, and producer
1952 – Imran Khan, Pakistani cricketer and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan
1953 – Philip Hampton, English-Scottish accountant and businessman
1953 – Roy Laidlaw, Scottish rugby player
1955 – John Alexander, English footballer
1955 – Jean-Jacques Lafon, French singer-songwriter
1955 – Adair Turner, Baron Turner of Ecchinswell, English academic and businessman
1957 – Bernie Mac, American actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter (died 2008)
1957 – Lee Thompson, English singer-songwriter and saxophonist
1958 – André Kuipers, Dutch physician and astronaut
1958 – Neil Peart, Australian footballer
1958 – Neil deGrasse Tyson, American astrophysicist, cosmologist, and author
1959 – Kenan İpek, Turkish lawyer and judge
1959 – Maya Lin, American architect and sculptor, designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Civil Rights Memorial
1959 – Kelly Joe Phelps, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2022)
1960 – Daniel Baldwin, American actor, director, and producer
1960 – Careca, Brazilian footballer
1960 – David Kirk, New Zealand rugby player and coach
1962 – Michael Andretti, American race car driver
1962 – Thomas Herbst, German footballer and manager
1962 – Caron Keating, British television host (died 2004)
1963 – Laura Davies, English golfer and sportscaster
1963 – Tony Dodemaide, Australian cricketer
1963 – Michael Hadschieff, Austrian speed skater
1964 – Korina Sanchez, Filipino journalist
1965 – Mario Lemieux, Canadian ice hockey player
1965 – Patrick Roy, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1966 – Dennis Byrd, American football player (died 2016)
1966 – Sean M. Carroll, American physicist, cosmologist, and academic
1966 – Fredrik Olausson, Swedish ice hockey player
1966 – Jan Verhaas, Dutch snooker player and referee
1967 – Rex Chapman, American basketball player and sportscaster
1967 – Guy Pearce, English-Australian actor
1970 – Josie Bissett, American actress
1970 – Matthew Knights, Australian footballer and coach
1970 – Tord Gustavsen, Norwegian pianist and composer
1970 – Cal Wilson, New Zealand comedian, actress, and screenwriter (died 2023)
1971 – Tonia Antoniazzi, British politician
1971 – Mauricio Pellegrino, Argentinian footballer and manager
1972 – Annely Akkermann, Estonian banker and politician
1972 – Aaron Guiel, Canadian baseball player
1972 – Grant Hill, American basketball player and actor
1972 – Thomas Roberts, American journalist and actor
1973 – Cédric Villani, French mathematician and academic
1974 – Rich Franklin, American mixed martial artist and actor
1974 – Heather Headley, Trinidadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress
1974 – Colin Meloy, American indie rock singer (The Decemberists)
1974 – Anousjka van Exel, Dutch tennis player
1975 – Bobo Baldé, French-Guinean footballer
1975 – Carson Ellis, American painter and illustrator
1975 – Hutch Harris, American songwriter and musician
1975 – Parminder Nagra, English actress
1975 – Monica Rial, American voice actress, director, and screenwriter
1975 – Scott Weinger, American actor
1975 – Kate Winslet, English actress
1976 – Ramzan Kadyrov, Russian-Chechen general and politician, 3rd President of the Chechen Republic
1976 – Royston Tan, Singaporean director, producer, and screenwriter
1976 – J. J. Yeley, American race car driver
1977 – Hugleikur Dagsson, Icelandic author, illustrator, and critic
1977 – Vinnie Paz, Italian-American rapper and producer
1977 – Konstantin Zyryanov, Russian footballer
1978 – Steinar Nickelsen, Norwegian organist and composer
1978 – Jesse Palmer, Canadian football player and sportscaster
1978 – Shane Ryan, Irish footballer and hurler
1978 – James Valentine, American musician and songwriter
1978 – Morgan Webb, Canadian-American television host and producer
1979 – Vince Grella, Australian footballer
1979 – Curtis Sanford, Canadian ice hockey player
1980 – Yuta Tabuse, Japanese basketball player
1980 – Paul Thomas, American bass player
1980 – James Toseland, English motorcycle racer
1980 – Joakim Brodén, Swedish-Czech musician and lead vocalist of the power metal band Sabaton
1981 – Jeanette Antolin, American gymnast
1981 – Joel Lindpere, Estonian footballer
1981 – Andy Nägelein, German footballer
1982 – Michael Roos, Estonian-American football player
1982 – Steve Williams, Australian-German rugby player
1983 – Jesse Eisenberg, American actor and writer
1983 – Nicky Hilton, American socialite, fashion designer, and model
1983 – Florian Mayer, German tennis player
1983 – Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladeshi cricketer
1984 – Naima Adedapo, American singer and dancer
1984 – Kenwyne Jones, Trinidadian footballer
1984 – Nathalie Kelley, Peruvian-Australian actress
1984 – Nate Thompson, American ice hockey player
1984 – Angel Perkins, American sprinter
1985 – Nicola Roberts, English singer-songwriter
1985 – Brooke Valentine, American singer and songwriter
1986 – Mladen Bartulović, Croatian footballer
1986 – Tanner Roark, American baseball player
1987 – Dillon Francis, American DJ and record producer
1987 – Michael Grabner, Austrian ice hockey player
1987 – Jesse Joensuu, Finnish ice hockey player
1987 – Kevin Mirallas, Belgian footballer
1987 – Tim Ream, American soccer player
1987 – Park So-yeon, South Korean singer, dancer, and actress
1987 – Luigi Vitale, Italian footballer
1987 – Brandan Wright, American basketball player
1988 – Benny Howell, English cricketer
1988 – Bahar Kızıl, German singer-songwriter
1988 – Maja Salvador, Filipino actress, dancer, singer, and host
1989 – Kelsey Adrian, Canadian basketball player
1989 – Marcel Baude, German footballer
1989 – Ify Ibekwe, American basketball player
1989 – Travis Kelce, American football player
1990 – Nathan Peats, Australian rugby league player
1991 – Pär Lindholm, Swedish ice hockey player
1991 – Tornike Shengelia, Georgian basketball player
1992 – Kevin Magnussen, Danish racing driver
1992 – Cody Zeller, American basketball player
1993 – Jewell Loyd, American basketball player
1993 – Wakamotoharu Minato, Japanese sumo wrestler
1997 – Michael Hoecht, Canadian American football player
1998 – Exequiel Palacios, Argentine footballer
1999 – Washington Sundar, Indian cricketer
2006 – Jacob Tremblay, Canadian actor

Deaths 104

659 BC – Pradyota, King of Avanti and Magadha
578 – Justin II, Byzantine emperor (born 520)
610 – Phocas, Byzantine emperor
989 – Henry III, duke of Bavaria (born 940)
1056 – Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor (born 1016)
1111 – Robert II, count of Flanders (born 1065)
1112 – Sigebert of Gembloux, French monk, historian, and author (born 1030)
1214 – Alfonso VIII, king of Castile and Toledo (born 1155)
1225 – Al-Nasir, Abbasid caliph (born 1158)
1285 – Philip III, king of France (born 1245)
1354 – Giovanni Visconti, Italian cardinal (born 1290)
1398 – Blanche of Navarre, queen of France (born 1330)
1399 – Raymond of Capua, Italian priest and Master General (born c. 1330)
1524 – Joachim Patinir, Flemish landscape painter (born c. 1480)
1528 – Richard Foxe, English bishop and academic (born 1448)
1540 – Helius Eobanus Hessus, German poet and educator (born 1488)
1564 – Pierre de Manchicourt, Flemish composer and educator (born 1510)
1565 – Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician and academic (born 1522)
1606 – Philippe Desportes, French poet and author (born 1546)
1629 – Heribert Rosweyde, Jesuit hagiographer (born 1569)
1714 – Kaibara Ekken, Japanese botanist and philosopher (born 1630)
1740 – Jean-Philippe Baratier, German astronomer and scholar (born 1721)
1777 – Johann Andreas Segner, Slovak-German mathematician, physicist, and physician (born 1704)
1802 – Sanité Bélair, Haitian freedom fighter (born 1781)
1805 – Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (born 1738)
1813 – Tecumseh, American tribal leader (born 1768)
1827 – William Mullins, 2nd Baron Ventry, Anglo-Irish politician and peer (born 1761)
1848 – Joseph Hormayr, Baron zu Hortenburg, Austrian-German historian and politician (born 1781)
1861 – Antoni Melchior Fijałkowski, Polish archbishop (born 1778)
1880 – Jacques Offenbach, German-French cellist and composer (born 1819)
1885 – Thomas C. Durant, American railroad tycoon (born 1820)
1895 – Ralph Tollemache, English priest (born 1826)
1913 – Hans von Bartels, German painter and educator (born 1856)
1914 – Albert Solomon, Australian politician, 23rd Premier of Tasmania (born 1876)
1918 – Roland Garros, French soldier and pilot (born 1888)
1921 – John Storey, Australian politician, 20th Premier of New South Wales (born 1869)
1927 – Sam Warner, Polish-American director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded Warner Bros. (born 1887)
1929 – Varghese Payyappilly Palakkappilly, Indian priest, founded the Sisters of the Destitute (born 1876)
1930 – Christopher Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson, Indian-English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Air (born 1875)
1933 – Renée Adorée, French-American actress (born 1898)
1933 – Nikolai Yudenich, Russian general (born 1862)
1936 – J. Slauerhoff, Dutch poet and author (born 1898)
1938 – Faustina Kowalska, Polish nun and saint (born 1905)
1938 – Albert Ranft, Swedish actor and director (born 1858)
1940 – Ballington Booth, English-American activist, co-founded the Volunteers of America (born 1857)
1940 – Lincoln Loy McCandless, American rancher and politician (born 1859)
1940 – Silvestre Revueltas, Mexican violinist, composer, and conductor (born 1889)
1941 – Louis Brandeis, American lawyer and jurist (born 1856)
1942 – Dorothea Klumpke, American astronomer (born 1861)
1943 – Leon Roppolo, American clarinet player and composer (born 1902)
1950 – Frederic Lewy, German-American neurologist and academic (born 1885)
1952 – Joe Jagersberger, Austrian racing driver (born 1884)
1967 – Clifton Williams, American astronaut (born 1932)
1976 – Barbara Nichols, American actress (born 1928)
1976 – Lars Onsager, Norwegian-American chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1903)
1981 – Gloria Grahame, American actress (born 1923)
1983 – Humberto Mauro, Brazilian director and screenwriter (born 1897)
1983 – Earl Tupper, American inventor and businessman, founded the Tupperware Corporation (born 1907)
1985 – Karl Menger, Austrian-American mathematician from the Vienna Circle (born 1902)
1986 – Mike Burgmann, Australian racing driver and accountant (born 1947)
1986 – Hal B. Wallis, American film producer (born 1898)
1986 – James H. Wilkinson, English mathematician and computer scientist (born 1919)
1992 – Eddie Kendricks, American singer-songwriter (born 1939)
1996 – Seymour Cray, American engineer and businessman, founded CRAY Inc (born 1925)
1997 – Brian Pillman, American football player and wrestler (born 1962)
2000 – Johanna Döbereiner, Brazilian agronomist (born 1924)
2000 – Cătălin Hîldan, Romanian footballer (born 1976)
2001 – Mike Mansfield, American soldier, politician, and diplomat, 22nd United States Ambassador to Japan (born 1903)
2002 – Chuck Rayner, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1920)
2003 – Dan Snyder, Canadian-American ice hockey player (born 1978)
2003 – Timothy Treadwell, American environmentalist, director, and producer (born 1957)
2004 – Rodney Dangerfield, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1921)
2004 – William H. Dobelle, American biologist and academic (born 1941)
2004 – Maurice Wilkins, New Zealand-English physicist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1916)
2006 – Antonio Peña, Mexican wrestling promoter, founded Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (born 1953)
2010 – Bernard Clavel, French journalist and author (born 1923)
2010 – Mary Leona Gage, American model and actress, Miss USA 1957 (born 1939)
2010 – Steve Lee, Swiss singer-songwriter (born 1963)
2011 – Derrick Bell, American academic and scholar (born 1930)
2011 – Bert Jansch, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1943)
2011 – Steve Jobs, American businessman, co-founder of Apple Inc. (born 1955)
2011 – Charles Napier, American actor and singer (born 1936)
2011 – Fred Shuttlesworth, American activist, co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (born 1922)
2011 – Gökşin Sipahioğlu, Turkish photographer and journalist (born 1926)
2012 – Keith Campbell, English biologist and academic (born 1954)
2012 – Vojin Dimitrijević, Croatian-Serbian lawyer and activist (born 1932)
2012 – James W. Holley III, American dentist and politician (born 1926)
2012 – Edvard Mirzoyan, Georgian-Armenian composer and educator (born 1921)
2012 – Claude Pinoteau, French director and screenwriter (born 1925)
2013 – Ruth R. Benerito, American chemist and academic (born 1916)
2013 – Carlo Lizzani, Italian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1922)
2013 – Yakkun Sakurazuka, Japanese voice actress and singer (born 1976)
2014 – David Chavchavadze, English-American CIA officer and author (born 1924)
2014 – Andrea de Cesaris, Italian racing driver (born 1959)
2014 – Geoffrey Holder, Trinidadian-American actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer (born 1930)
2014 – Yuri Lyubimov, Russian actor and director (born 1917)
2015 – Chantal Akerman, Belgian-French actress, director, and producer (born 1950)
2015 – Joker Arroyo, Filipino lawyer and politician (born 1927)
2015 – Grace Lee Boggs, American philosopher, author, and activist (born 1915)
2015 – Henning Mankell, Swedish author and playwright (born 1948)
2016 – Brock Yates, American journalist and author (born 1933)
2017 – Eberhard van der Laan, Dutch politician, mayor of Amsterdam (born 1955)
2024 – Robert Coover, American novelist (born 1932)
2026 – Jeffrey Archer, English novelist and politician (born 1940)

Holidays and observances 20

World Space Week (October 4–10)
Armed Forces Day (Indonesia)
Christian feast day: Anna Schäffer Charitina of Amisus Faustina Kowalska Flora of Beaulieu Bartolo Longo Hor and Susia (Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria) Placid and Maurus Placidus (martyr) Blessed William Hartley October 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Anna Schäffer
Charitina of Amisus
Faustina Kowalska
Flora of Beaulieu
Bartolo Longo
Hor and Susia (Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria)
Placid and Maurus
Placidus (martyr)
Blessed William Hartley
October 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Constitution Day (Vanuatu)
Engineer's Day (Bolivia)
International Day of No Prostitution
Republic Day (Portugal)
Teachers' Day (Pakistan)
Teachers' Day (Russia)
World Teachers' Day