- Oct 1 1st treaty signed by woman ambassador-Eugenie Anderson (US ambassador to Denmark)
- Oct 1 24th Infantry Regiment, last all-black US military unit, deactivated
- Oct 2 1st Netherland TV broadcast (Toverspiegel)
- Oct 3 CBS-TV airs the first coast-to-coast telecast of a prize fight; Australian light-heavyweight Dave Sands outpoints American Carl 'Bobo' Olson in 10 rounds at Chicago Stadium
- Oct 3 Shot Heard 'Round the World': Bobby Thomson hits 3-run homer off Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers, bottom 9th inning, 1 out, to give New York Giants dramatic 5-4 playoff win and NL pennant at the Polo Grounds
The Honeymooners
Oct 5 Jackie Gleason debuts the character of bus-driver Ralph Kramden on 1st "The Honeymooners" skit (Cavalcade of Stars)
Stalin's Atomic Bomb
Oct 6 Joseph Stalin proclaims the Soviet Union has the atomic bomb
Ben-Gurion Holds On
Oct 7 David Ben-Gurion forms 3rd Israeli government
Music in the Air
Oct 8 Revival of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's musical "Music in the Air" opens at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC ; runs for 56 performances
- Oct 9 5th NHL All-Star Game, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto: 1st Team ties 2nd Team, 2-2; first year format - 1st v 2nd All-Star Teams, with additional players
- Oct 9 Gil McDougald's World Series grand slam helps Yanks beat Giants 13-1
World Series
Oct 10 Baseball World Series: two-time defending champion NY Yankees beat NY Giants, 4-3 at Yankee Stadium for 4-2 series victory; MVP: Yankees shortstop Phil Rizzuto
- Oct 14 NFL Detroit Lions Jack Christiansen returns 2 punts for touchdowns vs Los Angeles Rams
- Oct 14 Organization of Central American States forms
I Love Lucy
Oct 15 "I Love Lucy", starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, debuts on CBS
Event of Interest
Oct 15 First synthesis of an oral contraceptive (norethindrone) made by Luis E. Miramontes under direction of Carl Djerassi and George Rosenkranz at Mexican drug company Syntex
- Oct 16 1st Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan, is assassinated by Said Akbar in Rawalpindi
- Oct 17 Egyptian army fires on British troops
- Oct 18 USSR performs nuclear test
- Oct 19 US President Harry Truman formally ends state of war with Germany
- Oct 20 The "Johnny Bright Incident" occurs in Stillwater, Oklahoma
- Oct 22 Earthquake hits Formosa, 100 killed
- Oct 22 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Event of Interest
Oct 23 English chemist Rosalind Franklin first identifies the two types of carbon produced by temperature, in paper published by the Royal Society [1]
Marciano TKOs Louis
Oct 26 Future world heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Marciano defeats former champion Joe Louis by TKO in the 8th round at Madison Square Garden
Churchill Re-elected PM
Oct 26 Winston Churchill re-elected British Prime Minister at the age of 76
F1 World Champion
Oct 28 Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina wins Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by taking out the Spanish Grand Prix at Pedralbes in an Alpha Romeo; wins by 6 points from Alberto Ascari of Italy
Admirals
Aviators
Gangsters
Generals
Industrialists
Suffragists