October 10

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 (later the United States Naval Academy) 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 worst-ever 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 M_w  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 M_w  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.
• 2022 – Ben S. Bernanke, Douglas W. Diamond and Philip H. Dybvig are jointly awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

Pre-1600

• AD 19 – Tiberius Gemellus, Roman son of Drusus Julius Caesar and Livilla; adoptive son of the Emperor Caligula (d. 38)
• 786 – Saga, emperor of Japan (d. 842)
• 867 – Li Siyuan, Chinese emperor (d. 933)
• 1332 – King Charles II of Navarre (d. 1387)
• 1344 – Mary of Waltham, duchess of Brittany (d. 1361)
• 1355 – Zhu Biao, Chinese prince (d. 1392)
• 1421 – John Paston, English politician (d. 1466)
• 1486 – Charles III, Duke of Savoy (d. 1553)
• 1554 – Arnold III, Count of Bentheim-Steinfurt-Tecklenburg-Limburg and Lord of Rheda (d. 1606)
• 1560 – Jacobus Arminius, Dutch theologian (d. 1609)
• 1567 – Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spain (d. 1597)
• 1584 – Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke (d. 1649)
• 1599 – Étienne Moulinié, French composer and director (d. 1676)

1601–1900

• 1629 – Richard Towneley, English mathematician and astronomer (d. 1707)
• 1646 – Françoise-Marguerite de Sévigné, French noblewoman (d. 1705)
• 1656 – Nicolas de Largillière, French painter and academic (d. 1746)
• 1669 – Johann Nicolaus Bach, German organist and composer (d. 1753)
• 1678 – John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, Scottish general and politician, Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland (d. 1743)
• 1684 – Jean-Antoine Watteau, French painter (d. 1721)
• 1700 – Lambert-Sigisbert Adam, French sculptor and illustrator (d. 1759)
• 1731 – Henry Cavendish, French-English chemist, physicist, and philosopher (d. 1810)
• 1780 – John Abercrombie, Scottish physician and philosopher (d. 1844)
• 1794 – William Whiting Boardman, American judge and politician (d. 1871)
• 1810 – Alfred Kennerley, English-Australian politician, 10th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1897)
• 1813 – Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer and philanthropist (d. 1901)
• 1819 – Heinrich Joseph Dominicus Denzinger, German theologian and author (d. 1883)
• 1825 – Paul Kruger, South African soldier and politician, 5th President of the South African Republic (d. 1904)
• 1828 – Samuel J. Randall, American captain, lawyer and politician, 33rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1890)
• 1830 – Isabella II of Spain (d. 1904)
• 1834 – Aleksis Kivi, Finnish author and playwright (d. 1872)
• 1837 – Robert Gould Shaw, American colonel (d. 1863)
• 1842 – Emily Dobson, Australian philanthropist (d. 1934)
• 1858 – Maurice Prendergast, American painter and academic (d. 1924)
• 1861 – Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian explorer, scientist, and humanitarian, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1930)
• 1864 – T. Frank Appleby, American businessman and politician (d. 1924)
• 1870 – Louise Mack, Australian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1935)
• 1872 – Dionysios Kasdaglis, Egyptian-Greek tennis player (d. 1931)
• 1877 – William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield, English businessman and philanthropist, founded Morris Motors (d. 1963)
• 1884 – Nikolai Klyuev, Russian poet and author (d. 1937)
• 1884 – Ida Wüst, German actress and screenwriter (d. 1958)
• 1885 – Walter Anderson, Belarusian-German ethnologist and academic (d. 1962)
• 1885 – Jean Peyrière, French actor (d. 1965)
• 1889 – Han van Meegeren, Dutch painter and forger (d. 1947)
• 1895 – Alfred Neuland, Estonian weightlifter (d. 1966)
• 1895 – Fridolf Rhudin, Swedish actor (d. 1935)
• 1895 – Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, German field marshal (d. 1945)
• 1898 – Lilly Daché, French-American fashion designer (d. 1989)
• 1900 – Helen Hayes, American actress (d. 1993)

1901–present

• 1901 – Alberto Giacometti, Swiss sculptor and painter (d. 1966)
• 1902 – K. Shivaram Karanth, Indian journalist, author, and activist (d. 1997)
• 1903 – Prince Charles, Count of Flanders (d. 1983)
• 1903 – Vernon Duke, Russian-American composer and songwriter (d. 1969)
• 1903 – Bei Shizhang, Chinese biologist and academic (d. 2009)
• 1905 – Aksella Luts, Estonian actress, screenwriter, dancer, and choreographer (d. 2005)
• 1906 – Paul Creston, American composer and educator (d. 1985)
• 1906 – Fei Mu, Chinese director and screenwriter (d. 1951)
• 1906 – R. K. Narayan, Indian author (d. 2001)
• 1908 – Johnny Green, American conductor and composer (d. 1989)
• 1908 – Mercè Rodoreda, Catalan author and poet (d. 1983)
• 1909 – Robert F. Boyle, American production designer and art director (d. 2010)
• 1910 – Julius Shulman, American photographer and environmentalist (d. 2009)
• 1911 – Clare Hollingworth, English journalist and author (d. 2017)
• 1912 – Ram Vilas Sharma, Indian poet and critic (d. 2000)
• 1913 – Claude Simon, Malagasy-French novelist and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2005)
• 1914 – Tommy Fine, American baseball player and businessman (d. 2005)
• 1914 – Ivory Joe Hunter, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1974)
• 1915 – Harry Edison, American trumpet player and composer (d. 1999)
• 1917 – Thelonious Monk, American pianist and composer (d. 1982)
• 1919 – Willard Estey, Canadian academic and jurist (d. 2002)
• 1919 – Gerry Gomez, Trinidadian cricketer, manager, and umpire (d. 1996)
• 1919 – Kim Ki-young, South Korean director, screenwriter, producer, and editor (d. 1997)
• 1919 – William Kruskal, American mathematician and statistician (d. 2005)
• 1919 – Edgar Laprade, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2014)
• 1920 – Gail Halvorsen, American air force pilot known as the "Berlin Candy Bomber." (d. 2022)
• 1922 – Merv Pregulman, American football player, businessman, and philanthropist (d. 2012)
• 1923 – Louis Gottlieb, American singer and bass player (d. 1996)
• 1923 – Nicholas Parsons, English actor and game show host (d. 2020)
• 1923 – Murray Walker, English journalist and sportscaster (d. 2021)
• 1924 – James Clavell, Australian-American director, producer, screenwriter, and author (d. 1994)
• 1924 – Ludmilla Tchérina, French actress, ballerina, and choreographer (d. 2004)
• 1924 – Ed Wood, American actor, director, producer, screenwriter (d. 1978)
• 1926 – Oscar Brown, American singer-songwriter, playwright, and actor (d. 2005)
• 1926 – Richard Jaeckel, American actor (d. 1997)
• 1927 – Dana Elcar, American actor and director (d. 2005)
• 1927 – Jon Locke, American actor (d. 2013)
• 1927 – Thomas Wilson, American-Scottish composer and educator (d. 2001)
• 1928 – Leyla Gencer, Turkish soprano (d. 2008)
• 1928 – Sheila Walsh, English author (d. 2009)
• 1929 – Ayten Alpman, Turkish singer (d. 2012)
• 1929 – Herb Levinson, American actor (d. 2012)
• 1929 – Bernard Mayes, English-American journalist and academic (d. 2014)
• 1930 – Eugenio Castellotti, Italian race car driver (d. 1957)
• 1930 – Yves Chauvin, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2015)
• 1930 – Harold Pinter, English playwright, screenwriter, director Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2008)
• 1930 – Adlai Stevenson III, American lawyer and politician (d. 2021)
• 1932 – Harry Smith, English footballer (d. 2016)
• 1933 – Jay Sebring, American hair stylist and businessman (d. 1969)
• 1935 – Khalil al-Wazir, Palestinian commander, founded Fatah (d. 1988)
• 1935 – André Bureau, Canadian lawyer and businessman (d. 2019)
• 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 (d. 2014)
• 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 (d. 2010)
• 1941 – Peter Coyote, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1941 – Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigerian author and activist (d. 1995)
• 1942 – Janis Hansen, American singer and author (d. 2017)
• 1942 – Radu Vasile, Romanian historian and politician, 57th Prime Minister of Romania (d. 2013)
• 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 (d. 1991)
• 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 (d. 2020)
• 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 (d. 2018)
• 1947 – Giant Haystacks, English wrestler (d. 1998)
• 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 (d. 2023)
• 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 (d. 2023)
• 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 (d. 2000)
• 1959 – Arif Peçenek, Turkish football player and manager (d. 2013)
• 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 – Eric Martin, American singer-songwriter
• 1960 – Russell Slade, English football manager
• 1960 – Paul Thiebaud, American art dealer (d. 2010)
• 1960 – Simon Townshend, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1961 – Scott Hoffman, American drummer
• 1961 – Henrik Jørgensen, Danish runner (d. 2019)
• 1961 – Martin Kemp, English singer-songwriter and bass player
• 1962 – Thomas Rusch, German photographer
• 1963 – Jolanda de Rover, Dutch swimmer
• 1963 – Anita Mui, Hong Kong singer and actress (d. 2003)
• 1963 – Daniel Pearl, American-Israeli journalist (d. 2002)
• 1963 – Vegard Ulvang, Norwegian skier
• 1964 – Sarah Lancashire, English actress and director
• 1964 – Crystal Waters, American singer-songwriter, musician and producer
• 1965 – Toshi, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer
• 1965 – Chris Penn, American actor (d. 2006)
• 1965 – Rebecca Pidgeon, American-English singer-songwriter and actress
• 1966 – Tony Adams, English footballer and manager
• 1966 – Bai Ling, Chinese-American model and actress
• 1966 – Derrick McKey, American basketball player
• 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
• 1968 – Marinos Ouzounidis, Greek footballer and manager
• 1969 – Manu Bennett, New Zealand-Australian actor
• 1969 – Joelle Carter, American actress
• 1969 – Dilsa Demirbag Sten, Swedish journalist and author
• 1969 – Francis Escudero, Filipino lawyer and politician
• 1969 – Brett Favre, American football player
• 1969 – Shawn Jamison, American basketball player and coach
• 1969 – Wendi McLendon-Covey, American actress
• 1970 – Dean Kiely, Irish footballer
• 1970 – Silke Kraushaar-Pielach, German sled racer
• 1970 – Matthew Pinsent, English rower and sportscaster
• 1971 – Graham Alexander, English-Scottish footballer and manager
• 1971 – Ian Bennett, English footballer
• 1971 – Evgeny Kissin, Russian pianist
• 1972 – Yinka Dare, Nigerian basketball player (d. 2004)
• 1972 – Jun Lana, Filipino director, producer, playwright, and screenwriter
• 1972 – Dean Roland, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1972 – Alexei Zhitnik, Ukrainian-Russian ice hockey player
• 1973 – Mario Lopez, American actor, television personality, and producer
• 1973 – Scott Morriss, English bass player and songwriter
• 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 – Scott Dobie, English footballer
• 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
• 1979 – Joel Przybilla, American basketball player
• 1979 – Hitomi Satō, Japanese actress
• 1980 – Blaž Emeršič, Slovenian ice hockey player
• 1980 – Casey FitzSimmons, American football player
• 1980 – Elvis Hammond, Ghanaian footballer
• 1980 – Tim Maurer, American singer-songwriter
• 1980 – Julie Pomagalski, French snowboarder (d. 2021)
• 1981 – Una Foden, Irish singer-songwriter and dancer
• 1981 – Gavin Shuker, English lawyer and politician
• 1982 – Yasser Al-Qahtani, Saudi Arabian footballer
• 1982 – Amon Buchanan, Australian footballer
• 1982 – David Cal, Spanish sprint canoeist
• 1982 – Tony Khan, American sports executive
• 1982 – Dan Stevens, English actor
• 1983 – Lzzy Hale, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1983 – Vusimuzi Sibanda, Zimbabwean cricketer
• 1983 – Nikos Spyropoulos, Greek footballer
• 1983 – Tolga Zengin, Turkish footballer
• 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 – Tomáš Pöpperle, Czech ice hockey player
• 1984 – Paul Posluszny, American football player
• 1984 – Troy Tulowitzki, American baseball player
• 1985 – Dominique Cornu, Belgian cyclist
• 1985 – Bronson Harrison, New Zealand rugby league player
• 1985 – Marina Diamandis, Welsh singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1985 – Rostislav Olesz, Czech ice hockey player
• 1985 – Sandra Záhlavová, Czech tennis player
• 1986 – Ezequiel Garay, Argentinian footballer
• 1986 – Lucy Griffiths, English actress
• 1986 – Nathan Jawai, Australian basketball player
• 1986 – Andrew McCutchen, American baseball player
• 1986 – Ellen Andrea Wang, Norwegian bassist and composer
• 1987 – Rodjun Cruz, Filipino actor and dancer
• 1987 – Junior Madozein, Central African basketball player
• 1987 – Ryan Mathews, American football player
• 1987 – Colin Slade, New Zealand rugby player
• 1988 – Luis Cardozo, Paraguayan footballer
• 1988 – Shaun Fensom, Australian rugby league player
• 1988 – Brown Ideye, Nigerian footballer
• 1988 – Rose McIver, New Zealand actress
• 1988 – Emmanuel Nwachi, Nigerian footballer
• 1988 – Toby Smith, Australian-New Zealand rugby player
• 1989 – Jeurys Familia, Dominican baseball player
• 1989 – Emer Kenny, English actress and screenwriter
• 1989 – Aimee Teegarden, American actress and producer
• 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 – Ilya Mikheyev, Russian ice hockey player
• 1994 – Tereza Smitková, Czech tennis player
• 1994 – Bae Suzy, South Korean singer, actress and model
• 1994 – Mike Tobey, American-Slovenian basketball player
• 1994 – Marquez Valdes-Scantling, American football player
• 1995 – Brenko Lee, Australian-Tongan rugby league player
• 1995 – Courtland Sutton, American football player
• 1996 – Sami Niku, Finnish ice hockey player
• 2002 – Josh Giddey, Australian basketball player

Pre-1600

• AD 19 – Germanicus, Roman general (b. 15 BC)
• 644 – Paulinus of York, English bishop and missionary
• 680 – Abbas ibn Ali, son of Imam Ali
• 680 – Ali al-Akbar ibn Husayn, son of Al-Husayn
• 680 – Habib ibn Madhahir
• 680 – Husayn ibn Ali, third Shia Imam and grandson of Muhammad (b. 626)
• 827 – Pope Valentine (b. 800)
• 937 – Wang Lingmou, chancellor of Wu
• 1149 – Al-Hafiz, Fatimid imam-caliph (b. 1074/77)
• 1213 – Frederick II, Duke of Lorraine
• 1308 – Patrick Dunbar, 8th Earl of Dunbar
• 1359 – Hugh IV of Cyprus (b. 1295)
• 1503 – Peter II, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1438)
• 1581 – Bayinnaung, Burmese king (b. 1516)

1601–1900

• 1659 – Abel Tasman, Dutch merchant and explorer (b. 1603)
• 1691 – Isaac de Benserade, French author and poet (b. 1613)
• 1708 – David Gregory, Scottish mathematician and astronomer (b. 1659)
• 1714 – Pierre Le Pesant, sieur de Boisguilbert, French economist and academic (b. 1646)
• 1720 – Antoine Coysevox, French sculptor (b. 1640)
• 1723 – William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper, English lawyer and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1665)
• 1725 – Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil, French politician, Governor of New France (b. 1643)
• 1747 – John Potter, English archbishop and academic (b. 1674)
• 1759 – Granville Elliott, English general (b. 1713)
• 1765 – Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1688)
• 1795 – Francesco Antonio Zaccaria, Italian historian and theologian (b. 1714)
• 1800 – Gabriel Prosser, American rebel leader (b. 1776)
• 1806 – Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (b. 1772)
• 1827 – Ugo Foscolo, Italian author and poet (b. 1778)
• 1837 – Charles Fourier, French philosopher and academic (b. 1772)
• 1857 – George Washington Parke Custis, American author and playwright (b. 1781)
• 1872 – William H. Seward, American lawyer and politician, 24th United States Secretary of State (b. 1801)
• 1875 – Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Russian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1817)
• 1876 – Charles Joseph Sainte-Claire Deville, French geologist and meteorologist (b. 1814)
• 1893 – Lip Pike, American baseball player and manager (b. 1845)

1901–present

• 1901 – Lorenzo Snow, American religious leader, 5th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1814)
• 1913 – Adolphus Busch, German-American brewer and businessman, co-founded Anheuser-Busch (b. 1839)
• 1913 – Katsura Tarō, Japanese general and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1848)
• 1914 – Carol I of Romania (b. 1839)
• 1918 – Henry Dobson, Australian politician, 17th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1841)
• 1922 – Andreas Karkavitsas, Greek physician and author (b. 1866)
• 1923 – Andrés Avelino Cáceres, Peruvian general, President of Peru (b. 1836)
• 1927 – August Kitzberg, Estonian author and playwright (b. 1855)
• 1927 – Gustave Whitehead, German-American pilot and engineer (b. 1874)
• 1930 – Adolf Engler, German botanist and academic (b. 1844)
• 1935 – Gustave Loiseau, French painter (b. 1865)
• 1940 – Berton Churchill, Canadian-American actor and singer (b. 1876)
• 1942 – Arnold Majewski, Finnish military hero of Polish descent (killed in action) (b. 1892)
• 1948 – Ted Horn, American race car driver (b. 1910)
• 1949 – Chikuhei Nakajima, Japanese engineer, businessman, and politician, founded Nakajima Aircraft Company (b. 1884)
• 1953 – Erima Harvey Northcroft, New Zealand general, lawyer, and judge (b. 1884)
• 1957 – Karl Genzken, German physician (b. 1885)
• 1962 – Stancho Belkovski, Bulgarian-Polish architect (b. 1891)
• 1963 – Roy Cazaly, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1893)
• 1963 – Édith Piaf, French singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1915)
• 1964 – Eddie Cantor, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor (b. 1892)
• 1964 – Heinrich Neuhaus, Ukrainian-Russian pianist and educator (b. 1888)
• 1966 – Charlotte Cooper, English-Scottish tennis player (b. 1870)
• 1966 – Louise Thuliez, French school teacher, resistance fighter during World War I and World War II and author (b. 1881)
• 1970 – Édouard Daladier, French captain and politician, 105th Prime Minister of France (b. 1884)
• 1971 – John Cawte Beaglehole, New Zealand historian and scholar (b. 1901)
• 1973 – Ludwig von Mises, Ukrainian-American economist and sociologist (b. 1881)
• 1974 – Joseph Wulf, German-Polish historian (b. 1912)
• 1976 – Silvana Armenulić, Bosnian singer and actress (b. 1939)
• 1976 – Mirsada Mirjana Bajraktarević, Bosnian singer-songwriter (b. 1951)
• 1977 – Angelo Muscat, Maltese-English actor (b. 1930)
• 1978 – Ralph Marterie, Italian-American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1914)
• 1978 – Ralph Metcalfe, American sprinter and politician (b. 1910)
• 1979 – Christopher Evans, English psychologist, computer scientist, and author (b. 1931)
• 1979 – Paul Paray, French organist, composer, and conductor (b. 1886)
• 1982 – Jean Effel, French painter and journalist (b. 1908)
• 1983 – Ralph Richardson, English actor (b. 1902)
• 1985 – Yul Brynner, Russian actor (b. 1920)
• 1985 – Orson Welles, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1915)
• 1986 – Gleb Wataghin, Ukrainian-Italian physicist and academic (b. 1899)
• 1987 – Behice Boran, Turkish Marxist politician, author and sociologist (b. 1910)
• 1990 – Tom Murton, American penologist and activist (b. 1928)
• 1990 – Nikolaos Pavlopoulos, Greek sculptor and academic (b. 1909)
• 1991 – Nickolaus Hirschl, Austrian wrestler, discus thrower, and shot putter (b. 1906)
• 1997 – Michael J. S. Dewar, Indian-born American theoretical chemist who developed the Dewar–Chatt–Duncanson model (b. 1918)
• 1998 – Clark Clifford, American captain, lawyer, and politician 9th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1906)
• 1998 – Marvin Gay Sr., American minister (b. 1914)
• 1998 – Tommy Quaid, Irish hurler and manager (b. 1957)
• 2000 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (b. 1916)
• 2001 – Eddie Futch, American boxer and trainer (b. 1911)
• 2001 – Vasily Mishin, Russian engineer (b. 1917)
• 2003 – Eila Hiltunen, Finnish sculptor (b. 1922)
• 2003 – Eugene Istomin, American pianist (b. 1925)
• 2004 – Ken Caminiti, American baseball player (b. 1963)
• 2004 – Christopher Reeve, American actor, producer, and activist (b. 1952)
• 2004 – Arthur H. Robinson, American geographer and cartographer (b. 1915)
• 2004 – Maurice Shadbolt, New Zealand author and playwright (b. 1932)
• 2005 – Wayne C. Booth, American educator and critic (b. 1921)
• 2005 – Milton Obote, Ugandan politician, 2nd President of Uganda (b. 1925)
• 2006 – Michael John Rogers, English ornithologist and academic (b. 1932)
• 2006 – Ian Scott, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1934)
• 2008 – Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese businessman (b. 1947)
• 2009 – Stephen Gately, Irish singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor (b. 1976)
• 2010 – Solomon Burke, American singer-songwriter and preacher (b. 1940)
• 2010 – Joan Sutherland, Australian-Swiss soprano and actress (b. 1926)
• 2011 – Jagjit Singh, Indian singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
• 2012 – Sam Gibbons, American captain and politician (b. 1920)
• 2012 – Alex Karras, American football player, wrestler, and actor (b. 1935)
• 2012 – Piotr Lenartowicz, Polish philosopher and educator (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Basil L. Plumley, American sergeant (b. 1920)
• 2012 – Mark Poster, American philosopher and educator (b. 1941)
• 2012 – Kyaw Zaw, Burmese commander and politician (b. 1919)
• 2013 – Scott Carpenter, American commander, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Jay Conrad Levinson, American author and educator (b. 1933)
• 2013 – Sohei Miyashita, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Defense (b. 1927)
• 2013 – Cal Smith, American singer and guitarist (b. 1932)
• 2014 – Olav Dale, Norwegian saxophonist and composer (b. 1958)
• 2014 – Damiana Eugenio, Filipino author and academic (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Valeri Karpov, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1971)
• 2014 – Lari Ketner, American football and basketball player (b. 1977)
• 2014 – Pavel Landovský, Czech actor, director, and playwright (b. 1936)
• 2014 – Ed Nimmervoll, Austrian-Australian journalist, historian, and author (b. 1947)
• 2015 – Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, Nigerian politician, Governor of Bayelsa State (b. 1952)
• 2015 – Hilla Becher, German photographer and educator (b. 1934)
• 2015 – Manorama, Indian (Tamil) actress (b. 1937)
• 2015 – Steve Mackay, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1949)
• 2015 – Sybil Stockdale, American activist, co-founded the National League of Families (b. 1924)
• 2016 – Donn Fendler, American author and speaker (b. 1926)
• 2021 – Abdul Qadeer Khan, Pakistani nuclear physicist and metallurgical scientist (b. 1936)
• 2022 – Mulayam Singh Yadav, Indian politician, 15th Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (b. 1939)

• Arbor Day (Poland)
• Army Day (Sri Lanka)
• Capital Liberation Day (Vietnam)
• Christian feast day:
  • Blessed Angela Truszkowska
  • Cerbonius
  • Daniel Comboni
  • Eulampius and Eulampia
  • Gereon and companions
  • Blessed María Catalina Irigoyen Echegaray (Maria Desposorios)
  • Paulinus of York (in England)
  • Pinytus
  • Tanca
  • Vida Dutton Scudder (Episcopal Church)
  • Viktor of Xanten
  • October 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Constitution Day (Sint Maarten)
• Curaçao Day, anniversary of autonomy
• Double Ten Day (The National Day of Republic of China), celebrates outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising in 1911 that led to founding of the Republic of China in 1912
• Fiji Day, celebrates the independence of Fiji from United Kingdom in 1970
• Finnish Literature Day (Finland)
• Independence Day, commemorates the proclamation of Cuba's independence from Spain and the beginning of the Ten Years' War in 1868.
• Party Foundation Day (North Korea)
• World Day Against the Death Penalty
• World Mental Health Day
• World Porridge Day

• "On This Day". BBC.
• The New York Times: On This Day
• "Historical Events on October 10". OnThisDay.com.