15th October
Events
1066 – Edgar the Ætheling proclaimed King of England, but never crowned. Reigned until 10 December 1066.
1211 – Battle of the Rhyndacus: The Latin emperor Henry of Flanders defeats the Nicaean emperor Theodore I Lascaris.
1529 – The Siege of Vienna ends as the Austrians rout the invading Turks, turning the tide against almost a century of unchecked conquest throughout eastern and central Europe by the Ottoman Empire.
1582 – Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian calendar. In Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain, October 4 of this year is followed directly by October 15.
1764 – Edward Gibbon observes a group of friars singing in the ruined Temple of Jupiter in Rome, which inspires him to begin work on The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
1783 – The Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon marks the first human ascent, by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, (tethered balloon).
1793 – Queen Marie-Antoinette of France is tried and convicted in a swift, pre-determined trial in the Palais de Justice, Paris, and condemned to death the following day.
1815 – Napoleon I of France begins his exile on Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean.
1863 – American Civil War: The H. L. Hunley, the first submarine to sink a ship, sinks during a test, killing its inventor, Horace L. Hunley.
1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Glasgow is fought, resulting in the surrender of Glasgow, Missouri, and its Union garrison, to the Confederacy.
1878 – The Edison Electric Light Company begins operation.
1880 – Mexican soldiers kill Victorio, one of the greatest Apache military strategists.
1888 – The "From Hell" letter sent by Jack the Ripper is received by investigators.
1894 – The Dreyfus affair: Alfred Dreyfus is arrested for spying.
1904 – The Russian Baltic Fleet leaves Reval, Estonia for Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War.
1910 – Airship America launched from New Jersey in the first attempt to cross the Atlantic by a powered aircraft.
1917 – World War I: At Vincennes outside of Paris, Dutch dancer Mata Hari is executed by firing squad for spying for the German Empire.
1928 – The airship, Graf Zeppelin completes its first trans-Atlantic flight, landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, United States.
1932 – Tata Airlines (later to become Air India) makes its first flight.
1934 – The Soviet Republic of China collapses when Chiang Kai-shek's National Revolutionary Army successfully encircles Ruijin, forcing the fleeing Communists to begin the Long March.
1939 – The New York Municipal Airport (later renamed LaGuardia Airport) is dedicated.
1940 – The President of Catalonia, Lluís Companys, is executed by the Spanish dictatorship of Francisco Franco, making him the only European president to have been executed.
1944 – The Arrow Cross Party (very similar to Hitler's NSDAP (Nazi party)) takes power in Hungary.
1945 – World War II: The former premier of Vichy France Pierre Laval is shot by a firing squad for treason.
1951 – Mexican chemist Luis E. Miramontes conducts the very last step of the first synthesis of norethisterone, the progestin that would later be used in one of the first three oral contraceptives.
1951 – The first episode of I Love Lucy, an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley, airs on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS).
1953 – British nuclear test Totem 1 detonated at Emu Field, South Australia.
1954 – Hurricane Hazel devastates the eastern seaboard, killing 95 and causing massive floods as far north as Toronto. As a Category 4 upon landfall, it is the strongest storm on record to strike as far north as North Carolina.
1956 – Fortran, the first modern computer language, is shared with the coding community for the first time.
1965 – Vietnam War: The Catholic Worker Movement stages an anti-war rally in Manhattan including a public burning of a draft card; the first such act to result in arrest under a new amendment to the Selective Service Act.
1966 – Black Panther Party is created by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.
1969 – Vietnam War; The Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam is held in Washington DC and across the US. Over 2 million demonstrate nationally; about 250,000 in the nation's capital.
1970 – Thirty-five construction workers are killed when a section of the new West Gate Bridge in Melbourne collapses.
1970 – The domestic Soviet Aeroflot Flight 244 is hijacked and diverted to Turkey.
1971 – The start of the 2500-year celebration of Iran, celebrating the birth of Persia.
1979 – Black Monday in Malta. The Building of the Times of Malta, the residence of the opposition leader Eddie Fenech Adami and several Nationalist Party clubs are ransacked and destroyed by supporters of the Malta Labour Party.
1987 – The Great Storm of 1987 hits France and England.
1989 – Wayne Gretzky becomes the all-time leading points scorer in the NHL.
1990 – Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to lessen Cold War tensions and open up his nation.
1995 – Marco Campos, died in an accident in a International Formula 3000 race at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours circuit, making him the only driver ever killed in the International Formula 3000 series.
1997 – The first supersonic land speed record is set by Andy Green in ThrustSSC (United Kingdom), exactly 50 years and 1 day after Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier in the Earth's atmosphere.
1997 – The Cassini probe launches from Cape Canaveral on its way to Saturn.
2001 – NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles of Jupiter's moon Io.
2003 – China launches Shenzhou 5, its first manned space mission.
2003 – The Staten Island Ferry boat Andrew J. Barberi runs into a pier at the St. George Ferry Terminal in Staten Island, killing 11 people and injuring 43.
2005 – A riot in Toledo, Ohio breaks out during a National Socialist/Neo-Nazi protest; over 100 are arrested.
2007 – Seventeen activists in New Zealand are arrested in the country's first post 9/11 anti-terrorism raids.
2008 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 733.08 points, or 7.87%, the second worst day in the Dow's history based on a percentage drop.
2011 – Global protests break out in 120 cities in 48 countries.
2012 – British Prime Minister David Cameron and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond agree on a deal setting out the terms of a referendum on Scottish independence at a meeting in Edinburgh.
2013 – A 7.2-magnitude earthquake strikes the Philippines, resulting in more than 215 deaths.
Births
70 BC – Virgil, Roman poet (d. 19 BC)
1265 – Temür Khan, Emperor Chengzong of Yuan (d. 1307)
1471 – Konrad Mutian, German epigrammatist (d. 1526)
1608 – Evangelista Torricelli, Italian physicist and mathematician (d. 1647)
1686 – Allan Ramsay, Scottish poet and playwright (d. 1758)
1701 – Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, Canadian nun and saint, founded Grey Nuns (d. 1771)
1711 – Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine (d. 1741)
1762 – Samuel Adams Holyoke, American composer and educator (d. 1820)
1784 – Thomas Robert Bugeaud, French general and politician, Governor-General of Algeria (d. 1849)
1785 – José Miguel Carrera, Chilean general and politician (d. 1821)
1814 – Mikhail Lermontov, Russian author, poet, and painter (d. 1841)
1818 – Alexander Dreyschock, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1869)
1825 – Marie of Prussia (d. 1889)
1829 – Asaph Hall, American astronomer (d. 1907)
1836 – James Tissot, French painter (d. 1902)
1840 – Honoré Mercier, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 9th Premier of Quebec (d. 1894)
1844 – Friedrich Nietzsche, German composer, poet, and philosopher (d. 1900)
1858 – John L. Sullivan, American boxer (d. 1918)
1865 – Charles W. Clark, American singer and educator (d. 1925)
1865 – Albert Heijn, Dutch businessman (d. 1945)
1872 – Wilhelm Miklas, Austrian politician, 3rd President of Austria (d. 1956)
1872 – August Nilsson, Swedish pole vaulter (d. 1921)
1874 – Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (d. 1899)
1878 – Paul Reynaud, French lawyer and politician, 118th Prime Minister of France (d. 1966)
1879 – Jane Darwell, American actress (d. 1967)
1880 – Herman Glass, American gymnast (d. 1961)
1881 – P. G. Wodehouse, English-American author and playwright (d. 1975)
1882 – Charley O'Leary, American baseball player and coach (d. 1941)
1884 – Archibald Hoxsey, American pilot (d. 1910)
1887 – Frederick Fleet, English sailor (d. 1965)
1888 – S. S. Van Dine, American detective novelist (d. 1939)
1890 – Álvaro de Campos, Portuguese poet and engineer (d. 1935)
1893 – Carol II of Romania (d. 1953)
1894 – Moshe Sharett, Ukrainian-Israeli politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Israel (d. 1965)
1897 – Johannes Sikkar, Estonian politician, Prime Minister of Estonia in exile (d. 1960)
1897 – Mudicondan Venkatarama Iyer South Indian Musician (d. 1975)
1898 – Boughera El Ouafi, Algerian runner (d. 1951)
1900 – Mervyn LeRoy, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1987)
1905 – C. P. Snow, English chemist and author (d. 1980)
1906 – Hiram Fong, American soldier and politician (d. 2004)
1906 – Alicia Patterson, American publisher, co-founded Newsday (d. 1963)
1906 – Victoria Spivey, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1976)
1907 – Varian Fry, American journalist (d. 1967)
1908 – Herman Chittison, American pianist (d. 1967)
1908 – John Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian-American economist and diplomat, 7th United States Ambassador to India (d. 2006)
1909 – Jesse L. Greenstein, American astronomer (d. 2002)
1909 – Robert Trout, American journalist (d. 2000)
1910 – Edwin O. Reischauer, Japanese-American scholar, diplomat, and educator, United States Ambassador to Japan (d. 1990)
1912 – Nellie Lutcher, American singer and pianist (d. 2007)
1914 – Mohammed Zahir Shah, Afghan king (d. 2007)
1915 – Yitzhak Shamir, Belarusian-Israeli politician, 7th Prime Minister of Israel (d. 2012)
1916 – Al Killian, American trumpet player and bandleader (d. 2007)
1916 – George Turner, Australian author and critic (d. 1997)
1917 – Jan Miner, American actress (d. 2004)
1917 – Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., American historian and critic (d. 2007)
1917 – Paul Tanner, American trombonist (Glenn Miller Orchestra) (d. 2013)
1919 – Malcolm Ross, American captain, balloonist, and physicist (d. 1985)
1920 – Chris Economaki, American sportscaster and actor (d. 2012)
1920 – Patricia Jessel, Hong Kong-English actress (d. 1968)
1920 – Mario Puzo, American author and screenwriter (d. 1999)
1920 – Henri Verneuil, Turkish-French director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2002)
1921 – Angelica Rozeanu, Romanian table tennis player (d. 2006)
1922 – Agustina Bessa-Luís, Portuguese author
1922 – Preben Munthe, Norwegian economist and politician, State Conciliator of Norway (d. 2013)
1922 – William Y. Thompson, American historian and author (d. 2013)
1923 – Italo Calvino, Italian journalist and author (d. 1985)
1923 – Antonio Fontán, Spanish journalist and politician (d. 2010)
1923 – Eugene Patterson, American journalist and activist (d. 2013)
1924 – Marguerite Andersen, German-Canadian author and educator
1924 – Lee Iacocca, American businessman and author
1924 – Mark Lenard, American actor (d. 1996)
1924 – Frank X. McDermott, American lawyer and politician (d. 2011)
1924 – Warren Miller, American director and screenwriter
1925 – Mickey Baker, American-French guitarist (Mickey & Sylvia) (d. 2012)
1925 – Aurora Bautista, Spanish actress (d. 2012)
1926 – James E. Akins, American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (d. 2010)
1926 – Agustín García Calvo, Spanish philosopher and poet (d. 2012)
1926 – Michel Foucault, French historian and philosopher (d. 1984)
1926 – Ed McBain, American author and screenwriter (d. 2005)
1926 – Jean Peters, American actress (d. 2000)
1926 – Karl Richter, German organist and conductor (d. 1981)
1927 – Jeannette Charles, English actress
1927 – Bob Elliott, Canadian politician (d. 2013)
1927 – Bill Henry, American baseball player (d. 2014)
1930 – FM-2030, Belgian-Iranian basketball player, philosopher and diplomat (d. 2000)
1931 – Freddy Cole, American singer and pianist
1931 – Gail Harris, American baseball player (d. 2012)
1931 – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Indian engineer, educator, and politician, 11th President of India
1932 – Jaan Rääts, Estonian composer
1933 – Nicky Barnes, American drug lord
1934 – N. Ramani, Indian flute player
1935 – Richard McTaggart, Scottish boxer
1935 – Bobby Morrow, American sprinter
1935 – Willie O'Ree, Canadian ice hockey player
1937 – Brad Corbett, American businessman (d. 2012)
1937 – Linda Lavin, American actress, singer, director, and producer
1937 – Barry McGuire, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The New Christy Minstrels)
1937 – Biff Rose, American singer-songwriter and comedian
1938 – Marv Johnson, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1993)
1938 – Fela Kuti, Nigerian singer-songwriter and activist (d. 1997)
1938 – Robert Ward, American guitarist and songwriter (Ohio Players) (d. 2008)
1940 – Tommy Bishop, English rugby player
1940 – Peter C. Doherty, Australian surgeon, Nobel Prize laureate
1942 – Harold W. Gehman, Jr., American admiral
1942 – Hilo Chen, Taiwanese-born American painter
1943 – Penny Marshall, American actress, director, and producer
1944 – Sali Berisha, Albanian cardiologist and politician, 2nd President of Albania
1944 – Haim Saban, Egyptian-American businessman, co-founded Saban Entertainment
1944 – David Trimble, Irish lawyer and politician, 3rd First Minister of Northern Ireland, Nobel Prize laureate
1945 – Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Spanish cardinal
1945 – Neophyte of Bulgaria, Bulgarian patriarch
1945 – Jim Palmer, American baseball player and sportscaster
1946 – Victor Banerjee, Indian actor
1946 – Richard Carpenter, American singer-songwriter and pianist (The Carpenters)
1946 – Palle Danielsson, Swedish bassist and composer
1946 – John Getz, American actor
1946 – Stewart Stevenson, Scottish engineer and politician
1947 – Jaroslav Erno Šedivý, Czech drummer (The Primitives Group, Life After Life, and Energit)
1948 – Chris de Burgh, Argentinian-Irish singer-songwriter and pianist
1948 – Renato Corona, Filipino jurist and lawyer, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
1949 – Laurie McBain, American author
1949 – Prannoy Roy, Indian journalist, economist, and broadcaster, founded NDTV
1950 – Candida Royalle, American p**n actress, director, and producer
1951 – Peter Richardson, English actor, director, and screenwriter
1951 – Rafael Vaganian, Armenian chess player
1951 – A. F. Th. van der Heijden, Dutch author
1953 – Betsy Clifford, Canadian skier
1953 – Tito Jackson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Jackson 5)
1953 – Larry Miller, American actor and screenwriter
1953 – Walter Jon Williams, American author
1954 – Peter Bakowski, Australian poet
1954 – Jere Burns, American actor
1954 – Princess Friederike of Hanover
1955 – Kulbir Bhaura, Indian field hockey player
1955 – Al Green, American wrestler (d. 2013)
1955 – Tanya Roberts, American actress
1957 – Michael Caton-Jones, Scottish actor, director, and producer
1957 – Mira Nair, Indian-American actress, director, and producer
1957 – Stacy Peralta, American skateboarder, director, producer, and businessman, co-founded Powell Peralta
1958 – Stephen Clarke, English-French author
1958 – Renée Jones, American actress
1959 – Sarah, Duchess of York
1959 – Emeril Lagasse, American chef and author
1959 – Alex Paterson, English keyboard player (The Orb and Transit Kings)
1959 – Todd Solondz, American actor, director, and screenwriter
1963 – Stanley Menzo, Dutch footballer and manager
1964 – Roberto Vittori, Italian colonel, pilot, and astronaut
1965 – Nasser El Sonbaty, German bodybuilder (d. 2013)
1966 – Jorge Campos, Mexican footballer and manager
1966 – Bill Charlap, American pianist (The Blue Note 7)
1966 – Ilse Huizinga, Dutch singer
1966 – Dave Stead, English drummer (The Beautiful South)
1967 – Götz Otto, German actor and screenwriter
1968 – Jyrki 69, Finnish singer-songwriter (The 69 Eyes)
1968 – Didier Deschamps, French footballer and manager
1968 – Vanessa Marcil, American actress
1969 – Vítor Baía, Portuguese footballer
1969 – Paige Davis, American actress
1969 – Dominic West, English actor
1970 – Eric Benét, American singer-songwriter and actor
1970 – Dalia El Behery, Egyptian actress
1971 – Joey Abs, American wrestler
1971 – Andy Cole, English footballer and coach
1971 – Lauri Pilter, Estonian author
1972 – Karla Álvarez, Mexican actress (d. 2013)
1972 – Fred Hoiberg, American basketball player and coach
1972 – Matt Keeslar, American actor
1972 – Sandra Kim, Belgian singer
1973 – Dax Riggs, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Acid Bath, Daisyhead & The Mooncrickets, Agents of Oblivion, and Deadboy & the Elephantmen)
1974 – Bianca Rinaldi, Brazilian actress
1975 – Ginuwine, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
1975 – Alessandro Doga, Italian footballer
1975 – Glen Little, English footballer
1976 – Christian Allen, American video game designer
1976 – Manuel Dallan, Italian rugby player
1977 – Polow da Don, American rapper and producer
1977 – Masato Kawabata, Japanese race car driver
1977 – David Trezeguet, French footballer
1977 – Patricio Urrutia, Ecuadorian footballer
1978 – Devon Gummersall, American actor, director, and screenwriter
1978 – Takeshi Morishima, Japanese wrestler
1979 – Bohemia, Pakistani-American rapper and producer
1979 – Blue Adams, American football player and coach
1979 – Jekaterina Golovatenko, Estonian figure skater
1979 – Paul Robinson, English footballer
1979 – Jaci Velasquez, American singer-songwriter
1979 – Māris Verpakovskis, Latvian footballer
1980 – Tom Boonen, Belgian cyclist
1980 – Siiri Nordin, Finnish singer-songwriter (Killer)
1981 – Keyshia Cole, American singer-songwriter and producer
1981 – Elena Dementieva, Russian tennis player
1981 – Abram Elam, American football player
1981 – Guo Jingjing, Chinese diver
1981 – Radoslav Židek, Slovak snowboarder
1982 – Paulini, Fijian-Australian singer-songwriter and actress (Young Divas)
1982 – Charline Labonté, Canadian ice hockey player
1982 – Sachiko Yamada, Japanese swimmer
1983 – Holly Montag, American model
1983 – Bruno Senna, Brazilian race car driver
1983 – Stephy Tang, Hong Kong singer and actress (Cookies)
1984 – Johan Voskamp, Dutch footballer
1984 – Jessie Ware, British singer-songwriter
1985 – Arron Afflalo, American basketball player
1985 – Walter Alberto López, Uruguayan footballer
1985 – Marcos Martínez, Spanish race car driver
1986 – Lee Donghae, South Korean singer-songwriter and actor (Super Junior, Donghae & Eunhyuk, and Super Junior-M)
1986 – Carlo Janka, Swiss skier
1987 – Jesse Levine, Canadian-American tennis player
1987 – Chantal Strand, Canadian voice actress and singer
1987 – Ott Tänak, Estonian rally driver
1988 – Mesut Özil, German footballer
1989 – Blaine Gabbert, American football player
1989 – Leandro Antonio Martínez, Argentinian-Italian footballer
1989 – Alen Pamić, Croatian footballer (d. 2013)
1990 – Jeon Ji-yoon, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer (4minute and 2Yoon)
1990 – Kiko Mizuhara, American-Korean model, actress and singer
1992 – Eddie Gómez, American boxer
1992 – Vincent Martella, American actor and singer
1995 – Billy Unger, American actor
1996 – Zelo, South Korean rapper and dancer (B.A.P)
1999 – Bailee Madison, American actress
2005 – Prince Christian of Denmark
Deaths
898 – Lambert II of Spoleto (b. 880)
912 – Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Umawi, Spanish emir (b. 844)
1080 – Rudolf of Rheinfelden (b. 1025)
1174 – Petronilla of Aragon (b. 1135)
1326 – Walter de Stapledon, English bishop (b. 1261)
1389 – Pope Urban VI (b. 1318)
1564 – Andreas Vesalius, Belgian-Greek anatomist, physician, and author (b. 1514)
1690 – Juan de Valdés Leal, Spanish painter and illustrator (b. 1622)
1715 – Humphry Ditton, English mathematician (b. 1675)
1788 – Samuel Greig, Scottish-Russian admiral (b. 1735)
1810 – Alfred Moore, American captain and judge (b. 1755)
1811 – Nathaniel Dance-Holland, English painter and politician (b. 1735)
1817 – Tadeusz Kościuszko, Polish-Lithuanian general (b. 1746)
1819 – Sergey Vyazmitinov, Russian general and politician, War Governor of Saint Petersburg (b. 1744)
1820 – Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg (b. 1771)
1837 – Ivan Dmitriev, Russian poet and politician, Russian Minister of Justice (b. 1760)
1891 – Gilbert Arthur à Beckett, English author (b. 1837)
1900 – Zdeněk Fibich, Czech composer (b. 1850)
1910 – Stanley Ketchel, American boxer (b. 1886)
1917 – Mata Hari, Dutch dancer (b. 1876)
1918 – Sai Baba of Shirdi, Indian guru and saint (b. 1838)
1930 – Herbert Henry Dow, Canadian-American businessman, founded the Dow Chemical Company (b. 1866)
1934 – Emil Beyer, American gymnast (b. 1876)
1934 – Raymond Poincaré, French politician, 10th President of France (b. 1860)
1945 – Pierre Laval, French politician, 101st Prime Minister of France (b. 1883)
1946 – Hermann Göring, German general and politician (b. 1893)
1948 – Edythe Chapman, American actress (b. 1863)
1955 – Fumio Hayasaka, Japanese composer (b. 1914)
1959 – Lipót Fejér, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1880)
1960 – Clara Kimball Young, American actress and producer (b. 1890)
1961 – Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala', Indian poet and author (b. 1896)
1963 – Horton Smith, American golfer (b. 1908)
1964 – Cole Porter, American composer and songwriter (b. 1891)
1965 – Abraham Fraenkel, German-Israeli mathematician and academic (b. 1891)
1966 – Frederick Montague, 1st Baron Amwell, English lieutenant and politician (b. 1876)
1968 – Virginia Lee Burton, American author and illustrator (b. 1909)
1976 – Carlo Gambino, Italian-American mob boss (b. 1902)
1980 – Mikhail Lavrentyev, Russian physicist and mathematician (b. 1900)
1980 – Apostolos Nikolaidis, Greek footballer and volleyball player (b. 1896)
1981 – Philip Fotheringham-Parker, English race car driver (b. 1907)
1987 – Thomas Sankara, Burkinabe captain and politician, 5th President of Burkina Faso (b. 1949)
1988 – Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, English pianist, composer, and critic (b. 1892)
1990 – Delphine Seyrig, Lebanese-French actress and director (b. 1932)
1994 – Sarah Kofman, French philosopher (b. 1934)
1995 – Bengt Åkerblom, Swedish ice hockey player (b. 1967)
1995 – Marco Campos, Brazilian race car driver (b. 1976)
1998 – Colette Darfeuil, French actress (b. 1906)
1999 – Josef Locke, Irish tenor (b. 1917)
2000 – Konrad Emil Bloch, Polish-American biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
2000 – Vincent Canby, American journalist and critic (b. 1924)
2001 – Zhang Xueliang, Chinese warlord (b. 1901)
2003 – Ben Metcalfe, Canadian journalist and activist (b. 1919)
2005 – Jason Collier, American basketball player (b. 1977)
2005 – Matti Wuori, Finnish politician (b. 1945)
2007 – Piet Boukema, Dutch jurist and politician (b. 1933)
2008 – Edie Adams, American actress and singer (b. 1927)
2008 – Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca, Turkish poet (b. 1914)
2008 – Jack Narz, American game show host (b. 1922)
2009 – Heinz Versteeg, Dutch-German footballer (b. 1939)
2010 – Richard C. Miller, American photographer (b. 1912)
2010 – Mildred Fay Jefferson, American physician and activist (b. 1926)
2010 – Johnny Sheffield, American actor (b. 1931)
2011 – Betty Driver, English actress, singer, and author (b. 1920)
2012 – Claude Cheysson, French politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1920)
2012 – Patrick R. Cooney, American bishop (b. 1934)
2012 – Erol Günaydın, Turkish actor (b. 1933)
2012 – Maria Petrou, Greek-English computer scientist (b. 1953)
2012 – Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Cambodia (b. 1922)
2012 – Pat Ward, American politician (b. 1957)
2013 – Tommy Andersson, Swedish actor (b. 1962)
2013 – Donald Bailey, American drummer (b. 1933)
2013 – El Brazo, Mexican wrestler (b. 1961)
2013 – Nevill Drury, English-Australian journalist and publisher (b. 1947)
2013 – Sean Edwards, English race car driver (b. 1986)
2013 – Rudolf Friedrich, Swiss lawyer and politician (b. 1923)
2013 – Cancio Garcia, Filipino lawyer and jurist (b. 1937)
2013 – Arsala Jamal, Afghan politician (b. 1966)
2013 – Gloria Lynne, American singer (b. 1931)
2013 – Rudy Minarcin, American baseball player and coach (b. 1930)
2013 – Hans Riegel, German businessman (b. 1923)
Holidays and observances
Christian Feast Day:
Saint Teresa of Ávila (Doctor of Church)
Saint Hedwig of Silesia
Saint Thecla of Kitzingen
October 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
National Tree Planting Day (Sri Lanka)
The Equirria or October equus, sacrifice of a horse to Mars. (Roman Empire)
Global Handwashing Day (International)
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day (Canada and the United States)
Earliest day on which Sweetest Day can fall, while October 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Saturday in October. (Great Lakes Region)
Teachers' Day (Brazil)
White Cane Safety Day (United States)
