What Happened On
Me and Bobby McGee
October 1, 1970
Janis Joplin finishes recording her only #1 hit, a cover of Me and Bobby McGee. She would die of a heroin overdose three days later at the age of 27. Some believe Joplin had been given heroin that was much more potent than normal, as several of her dealer's other customers also overdosed that week.
Released after her death, it became the second posthumously-released song to reach #1 on the U.S. charts, after "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding.
The song was written by Kris Kristofferson and originally performed by Roger Miller.
Night of the Living Dead
October 1, 1968
George A. Romero's classic horror film Night of the Living Dead premieres. Produced on a budget of $114,000, it collected over $30 million at the box office in its first ten years of release. Even though it was criticized for its use of extreme gore, it has become a film classic launching the modern zombie movie era. In a last-minute title change from Night of the Flesh Eaters to Night of the Living Dead, the copyright notice, which had been on the title cards, was accidentally removed. This put the film in the public domain upon release.
U.S. Army trucks roll across the University of Mississippi campus in the wake of the riots
U.S. Army trucks roll across the University of Mississippi campus in the wake of the riots
First Black University of Mississippi Student
October 1, 1962
James Meredith enters after 3,000 troops were used to put down riots. He would graduate in 1963.
Carson's first show with guest Groucho Marx
Carson's first show with guest Groucho Marx
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
October 1, 1962
Johnny Carson takes over as host of The Tonight Show. His first guests were Groucho Marx, Joan Crawford, Mel Brooks, Tony Bennett, and Rudy Vallee.
The previous primary hosts were Steve Allen (1954–57) and Jack Paar (1957–62).
First TV Spinoff - The Honeymooners
October 1, 1955
The Honeymooners series debuts. It started as a series of sketches on DuMont's Cavalcade of Stars. The show follows the exploits of New York City bus driver Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason), his wife Alice (Audrey Meadows), Ralph's best friend Ed Norton (Art Carney), and Ed's wife Trixie (Joyce Randolph) as they get involved with various schemes in their day-to-day living. It only ran for one season (39 episodes).
Playboy
October 1, 1953
Playboy magazine is founded by Hugh Hefner. Its premiere issue hit the stands in December, featuring Marilyn Monroe from a photo shoot she did in the nude in 1949 when she was still a struggling actress. The first issue was produced in Hefner's kitchen with $8,000 he raised from friends, including $1,000 from his mother. The first issue of over 53,000 copies sold out in weeks.
Marihuana Tax Act of 1937
October 1, 1937
The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 goes into effect. Hemp products were gaining popularity as a replacement for wood pulp. The act imposed taxes on hemp, making hemp products less viable. The act was passed largely due to the efforts of Andrew Mellon, Randolph Hearst, and the Du Pont family. Newspaper magnate Hearst saw that cheap and sustainable hemp threatened his extensive timber holdings. Mellon, Secretary of the Treasury and the wealthiest man in the US, was heavily invested in the Du Pont family's new synthetic fiber, nylon, which also competed with hemp.
The act went into effect October 1. On October 3, Moses Baca became the first person arrested for possession (1/4 ounce and served 18 months in Leavenworth) and two days later Samuel R. Caldwell became the first person arrested for distribution (four pounds and served four years in Leavenworth Penitentiary).
In 1969 in Leary v. United States, part of the Act was ruled to be unconstitutional as a violation of the Fifth Amendment, since a person seeking the tax stamp would have to incriminate him/herself. Congress then passed the Controlled Substances Act, which repealed the 1937 Act.
Note: "Marihuana" was the spelling used in Federal documents for "marijuana" at the time.
Los Angeles Times Bombed for its Anti-Union Editorials
October 1, 1910
Twenty-one people were killed when the Los Angeles Times office building is bombed with 16 sticks of dynamite. Many of the victims fell to their deaths by jumping out windows to escape the fire. The bombing was carried out by the Dynamite Conspiracy, which was linked to more than 100 bombings across the country. The bombers were members of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers who targeted the newspaper due to its anti-union editorials.
Two other bombs were also set to explode next to the homes of Times publisher Harrison Gray Otis and Felix Zeehandelaar, secretary of the anti-union Merchants and Manufacturers' Association. The bomb at Zeehandelaar's house failed to go off in time due to an over wound alarm clock used as the detonator. The bomb was discovered and police were able to trace this bomb's dynamite back to its source. After this bomb was discovered, Otis' home was searched, but this bomb exploded as police were examining it.
Thirty-eight union officials were found guilty on charges related to these and other bombings.
Model T
October 1, 1908
Henry Ford's $850 automobile is introduced. The Ford Model T is regarded as the first affordable automobile. Its low cost was due to Ford's use of an assembly line. Its engine produced 20 hp (15 kW), for a top speed of 40-45 mph (64-72 km/h) and a fuel economy of 13-21 mpg‑US (16-25 mpg‑imp; 18-11 L/100 km). It could run on gasoline, kerosene, or ethanol. $850 in 1908 is about the equivalent of $23,000 in 2018.
Due to the addition of a moving assembly line and other manufacturing improvements, the price was reduced to $260 by 1925.
In 1914, Ford infamously implemented the policy of "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black."
Yosemite's First Rangers - 1915
Yosemite's First Rangers - 1915
Yosemite National Park
October 1, 1890
Yosemite National Park is established by the U.S. Congress.
Jack the Ripper
October 1, 1888
The "Saucy Jacky" postcard is mailed by a man claiming to have committed the Jack the Ripper murders. However, many authorities now believe the letter was a hoax by a journalist trying to sensationalize the murders.
The postcard read:
"I was not codding dear old Boss when I gave you the tip, you'll hear about Saucy Jacky's work tomorrow double event this time number one squealed a bit couldn't finish straight off. Had not time to get ears off for police thanks for keeping last letter back till I got to work again.
Jack the Ripper"
In 1931, journalist Fred Best of The Star claimed he and a colleague at the newspaper had written all the letters signed "Jack the Ripper" in order to "keep the business alive." This included the previous letter that first used the name "Jack the Ripper."
U.S. Kills Turkish Captain and Crew Members
October 1, 1992
The USS Saratoga mistakenly fires two missiles at a Turkish ship killing the captain and four crew members.
Ross Perot in Presidential Debate (October 1992)
Ross Perot in Presidential Debate (October 1992)
Ross Perot
October 1, 1992
Texas billionaire Ross Perot re-enters the U.S. presidential race. He had "dropped out" 2½ months earlier, during which time he spent $10,000,000 maintaining his campaign organization and creating new advertisements.
He would later claim he dropped out due to threats to disrupt his daughter's wedding.
Cartoon Network
October 1, 1992
Cartoon Network debuts. It was the first 24-hour single-genre cable channel with animation as its main theme.
Ted Turner purchased the library of animation studio Hanna-Barbera in 1991 and selected Betty Cohen (Senior Vice President of TNT) to create a network for these programs.
Panama Canal Commission
October 1, 1979
Panama Canal Commission is established; its purpose is to maintain and operate the Panama Canal.
Roger Maris Breaks Ruth's Record
October 1, 1961
Roger Maris hits his 61st home run for the season, breaking Babe Ruth's 1927 record.
CBN
October 1, 1961
Pat Robertson's The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) goes on the air. CBN was the first Christian television network established in the United States. It used the call letters WYAH-TV, taken from the Hebrew name of God, Yahweh, which means "The One who causes (everything) to be."
In 1963, Robertson held a telethon in which he asked for 700 viewers to pledge $10 a month to sustain operations. In 1966, he formed the 700 Club after several successful "700 Club" telethons.
NASA
October 1, 1958
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration officially begins operating.
It replaced the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which had been founded in 1915.
First Supersonic Flight
October 1, 1947
American WWII flying ace, George Schwartz Welch, puts his XP-86 Sabre into a dive from 35,000 ft. reportedly achieving supersonic speed, two weeks before Chuck Yeager (note: Yeager broke the sound barrier during level flight). However, Welch never claimed this and some historians discredit this claim.
Welch was portrayed in the film Tora! Tora! Tora (1970) by Rick Cooper.
The Adventures of Smilin' Jack
October 1, 1933
Zack Mosley's comic strip On the Wing debuts. Several months later it was renamed The Adventures of Smilin' Jack and continued until 1973.
First World Series Game
October 1, 1903
The first modern World Series to be played in major-league baseball begins. Boston of the American League would win against Pittsburgh of the National League five games to three.
First postcards
October 1, 1869
First postcards are issued, in Vienna, Austria.
Telegraph
October 1, 1832
Samuel F.B. Morse sets sail from Havre to America. It was on this trip that he conceived the idea for his greatest invention, the telegraph.
Birthdays
Co-Inventor of Dungeons & Dragons
Dave Arneson
Born October 1, 1947 d. 2009
American gamer. Co-inventor, with Gary Gygax, of the game Dungeons & Dragons (1974).
First Male Athlete to Give Birth???
Ewa Klobukowska
Born October 1, 1946
Polish female sprinter. First to fail a sex test (1967). Competing as a female, she set several world records and won gold and bronze medals in the 1964 Olympics. In 1967, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) declared her a male after she failed a gender test. Her world records and medals were taken away and she was banned from future competition. However, she became pregnant and gave birth to a son in 1968.
Typically, men have XY chromosomes, while women have XX chromosomes. It was determined that Klobukowska is a genetic mosaic of XX/XXY. The gender test she was given in 1967 detected the extra Y chromosome and classified her as a male for the purposes of athletic competition. According to the IAAF at the time, she had "one chromosome too many." The gender test was changed in 1968 to a test that would have detected the double X and classified her as a female.
The International Olympic Committee reinstated her medals in 1999.
Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter)
Born October 1, 1924 d. 2024
American politician. 39th U.S. President (1977-81). He is the only president to have reported seeing a UFO (1973) and the first president born in a hospital.
The audio versions of his books Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis (2005), A Full Life: Reflections at 90 (2016), and Faith: A Journey For All (2018) each won Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word Album.
Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his humanitarian work.
He was the first former U.S. President to live to 100 years old.
Walter Matthau (Walter Matthow)
Born October 1, 1920 d. 2000
American Oscar-Tony-winning actor. Stage: A Shot in the Dark (1961, Tony). Film: The Fortune Cookie (1966, Oscar), and The Odd Couple (1968, Oscar Madison). Quote: "I never mind my wife having the last word. In fact, I'm delighted when she gets to it."
Bonnie (of Bonnie & Clyde)
Bonnie Parker
Born October 1, 1910 d. 1934
American bank robber. She and her partner Clyde Barrow and their gang are believed to have killed at least nine police officers and several civilians. The duo was killed by a Texas ranger and his posse, who riddled them and their car with over 130 rounds of ammo.
Lee Duncan (Leland L. Duncan Dumas)
Born October 1, 1892 d. 1960
American soldier. He found Rin Tin Tin in a German trench during World War I and brought him back to Hollywood where he became one of its biggest stars, winning Most Popular Film Performer of the Year award (1926). Rin Tin Tin starred in 27 Hollywood films, with other dogs taking over the roll after his death.
Grete Waitz
Born October 1, 1953 d. 2011
Norwegian runner, world record holder, 9-time New York City Marathon winner (1978-80, 82-86, 88). She was the first woman run a marathon in under two and a half hours (1979, NYC Marathon 2:27:33)
Randy Quaid
Born October 1, 1950
American actor. Film: The Last Picture Show (1971).
Julie Andrews (Julia Elizabeth Wells)
Born October 1, 1935
English Oscar-Emmy-Grammy-winning actress, singer. Film: Mary Poppins (1964, title role) and The Sound of Music (1965, Maria von Trapp).
Laurence Harvey (L. Mischa Skikne)
Born October 1, 1928 d. 1973
Lithuanian-born American actor. Film: Room at the Top (1958, Joe Lampton), The Manchurian Candidate (1962, the assassin).
George Peppard
Born October 1, 1928 d. 1994
American actor. Film: Pork Chop Hill (1959) and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). TV: Banacek (title role), Doctors' Hospital and The A-Team (Hannibal Smith).
Tom Bosley
Born October 1, 1927 d. 2010
American Tony-winning actor. TV: Happy Days (Mr. C.) and The Father Dowling Mysteries (Father Dowling).
James Whitmore
Born October 1, 1921 d. 2009
American Tony-Grammy-Emmy-winning actor. TV: The Law and Mr. Jones (Abe Lincoln Jones).
John Brown Russwurm
Born October 1, 1799 d. 1851
American publisher. He co-published the first Negro newspaper in American (1827, Freedom's Journal).
James Lawrence
Born October 1, 1781 d. 1813
American naval officer. He made his famous proclamation, "Don't give up the ship" after being mortally wounded in battle during the War of 1812. He died of his injuries three days later. He had engaged his frigate, the USS Chesapeake, against the Royal Navy frigate HMS Shannon. The British ship was able to disable the Chesapeake during the first few minutes of the battle. Lawrence, mortally wounded during this exchange, made his famous proclamation, "Don't give up the ship. Fight her till she sinks." However, the British boarded and took his ship.
Henry III
Born October 1, 1207 d. 1272
King of England (1216-72).
Deaths
First Miss America
Margaret Gorman
Died October 1, 1995 b. 1905
American beauty contestant. She was the first Miss America (1921). At age 16, she won the "Inner-City Beauty" pageant, competing as Miss Washington, D.C. The contest was judged on 50% audience applause and 50% judges' decision after a day of mingling with the contestants. A newspaperman coined the term "Miss America" for the winner and the following year it became known as the Miss America Pageant, with Gorman declared as the first Miss America. She is the youngest ever winner. Her measurements were 30-25-32.
E.B. White (Elwyn Brooks White)
Died October 1, 1985 b. 1899
American Pulitzer-winning author, essayist. Writings: Stuart Little (1945) and Charlotte's Web (1952).
Louis S.B. Leakey
Died October 1, 1972 b. 1903
British anthropologist. He discovered the oldest-known manlike remains (1960), those of a 1,750,000-year-old juvenile. His work helped establish that humans evolved in Africa.
Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveler (1820)
Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveler (1820)
Rescue Dogs with Brandy Barrels
Sir Edwin Henry Landseer
Died October 1, 1873 b. 1802
British artist. He was the first to portray St. Bernard dogs carrying brandy casks around their necks, although the real rescue dogs never did.
Thomas Francis, Jr.
Died October 1, 1969 b. 1900
American virologist, epidemiologist. He was the first American to isolate the influenza A virus (1934) and showed that there are other strains, such as influenza B (1940), and developed an effective vaccine against both strains. He also conducted the field trials of the polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk.
John Augustus Larson
Died October 1, 1965 b. 1892
Canadian-born American criminologist. He developed the modern lie detector (1921) and was the first to use a polygraph in criminal investigations.
Greenhow with her daughter (1862)
Greenhow with her daughter (1862)
Confederate Spy
Rose O'Neal Greenhow
Died October 1, 1864 b. circa 1813
Confederate spy during the American Civil War. A Washington D.C. socialite, she used her connections with presidents, generals, senators, and high-ranking military officials to pass information to the Confederacy. Confederate President Jefferson Davis credited her with ensuring the South's victory at the First Battle of Bull Run (1861), the first major battle of the Civil War. It is suspected that she gathered information from then Senator and future Vice President Henry Wilson, with whom she was having an affair.
Boniface IX
Died October 1, 1404 b. ????
Italian religious leader, 203rd Pope (1389-1404).