Historical anniversaries are great for On This Day in History features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re simple to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theater shows, and more.
Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in October 2020 (so you have time to write about them!)
We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries in the book.
Oct 1, 1940 – 80 years ago
The USA’s first superhighway, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, was opened.
Oct 2, 1950 – 70 years ago
The first Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz was published.
Oct 3, 1980 – 40 years ago
The Housing Act came into effect in Britain. It gave more than 5 million council tenants the right to buy their homes.
Oct 4, 1895 – 125 years ago
The first U.S. Open golf championship was played, at the Newport Country Club, Newport, Rhode Island.
Oct 5, 1930 – 90 years ago
The British airship R101 crashed in France on its maiden overseas voyage. 48 people were killed.
Oct 6, 1995 – 25 years ago
The first extrasolar planet was discovered by astronomers in Geneva, Switzerland. It orbited the star 51 Pegasi, and was 47.9 light‐years from Earth. Thousands of extrasolar planets have been discovered since then.
Oct 7, 1920 – 100 years ago
Oxford University allowed women to become full members and study for full degrees for the first time, and the first 100 women were admitted.
Oct 8, 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Juan Perón, President of Argentina (1946–55, 1973–74).
Oct 9, 1940 – 80 years ago
Birth of John Lennon, British rock musician, singer, songwriter, and peace activist (The Beatles). (Shot dead 1980.)
Oct 10, 1980 – 40 years ago
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher gave a memorable and defiant speech at the Conservative Party conference in Brighton, saying: “The lady’s not for turning!”
Oct 11, 2000 – 20 years ago
Death of Donald Dewar, First Minister of Scotland (1999–2000).
Oct 12, 1870 – 150 years ago
Death of Robert E. Lee, American general. Commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War.
Oct 13, 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Milton S. Hershey, American confectioner and philanthropist. Founder of the Hershey chocolate company and the company town of Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Oct 14, 1940 – 80 years ago
Balham underground station disaster, London, UK. A German bomb caused tunnels to collapse while people were sheltering in the station during an air raid. 68 people were killed and more than 70 injured.
Oct 15, 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Pierre Laval, Prime Minister of Vichy France during WWII. (Executed by firing squad after being convicted of treason.)
Oct 16, 1940 – 80 years ago
Holocaust: the Warsaw Ghetto was established in Poland.
Oct 17, 2000 – 20 years ago
Hatfield rail crash, Hertfordshire, UK. Four people were killed when a high‐speed passenger train derailed because of a cracked rail. (The spiraling cost of the subsequent national rail replacement program forced Railtrack into administration.)
Oct 18, 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Melina Mercouri, Greek actress, singer, politician and activist. Minister for Culture (1981–85). (Died 1994.)
Oct 19, 1960 – 60 years ago
The USA imposed an embargo on exports to Cuba. All goods were prohibited, except food and medicine.
Oct 20, 1995 – 25 years ago
The Secretary General of NATO, Willy Claes, resigned after the Belgian Parliament decided he should stand trial for his role in a bribery scandal.
Oct 21, 1960 – 60 years ago
Britain launched its first nuclear submarine, HMS Dreadnought.
Oct 22, 1930 – 90 years ago
The BBC Symphony Orchestra gave its first concert.
Oct 23, 1980 – 40 years ago
Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin resigned after falling ill. (He died on December 18th.) He was succeeded by Nikolai Tikhonov.
Oct 24, 1945 – 75 years ago
The United Nations was formally established and began operating. It replaced the League of Nations.
Oct 25, 1920 – 100 years ago
Death of Alexander, King of Greece (1917–20). (Septicemia after being bitten by a monkey, aged 27.)
Oct 26, 1970 – 50 years ago
The Doonesbury comic strip by Garry Trudeau was first published.
Oct 27, 1940 – 80 years ago
Birth of John Gotti, American organized crime boss. Head of the Gambino crime family in New York City. (Died 2002.)
Oct 28, 1940 to Apr 23, 1941 – 80 years ago
World War II: the Greco–Italian War. Italy invaded Greece, with disastrous results, grossly underestimating the Greeks’ tenacity. It was called the first Axis setback of the war, and infuriated German leader Adolf Hitler. The war turned into the Battle of Greece (April 23 to June 1, 1941) when British and German forces intervened. German-Italian victory. Axis forces then occupied Greece until 1945 and the Greek government was forced into exile in Cairo, Egypt.
Oct 29, 1940 – 80 years ago
The USA held its first-ever peacetime military draft lottery.
Oct 30, 1950 – 70 years ago
Pope Pius XII witnessed the Miracle of the Sun from the Vatican gardens. (Also on October 31st, November 1st and November 8th.)
Oct 31, 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Dick Francis, British crime writer and former jockey. Known for his novels set in the world of British horse racing. (Died 2010.)
More anniversaries:
You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2020. The 2021 and 2022 editions are also available if you need to work further ahead. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.