On This Day in History – October 1

Major Events

• 331 BC – Alexander the Great decisively defeats Persian King Darius III at the Battle of Gaugamela.
• 959 – Edgar the Peaceful becomes King of England.
• 1908 – Ford Motor Company introduces the Model T, revolutionizing personal transportation.
• 1946 – Twelve Nazi leaders are sentenced to death at the Nuremberg Trials.
• 1949 – Mao Zedong proclaims the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing.
• 1958 – NASA is officially established as the United States’ space agency.
• 1960 – Nigeria gains independence from the United Kingdom.
• 1971 – Walt Disney World Resort opens in Orlando, Florida.
• 1982 – The first commercial compact disc player is released in Japan.
• 2017 – A mass shooting occurs in Las Vegas, Nevada, resulting in 60 deaths and hundreds injured.

Famous Birthdays

• 1207 – Henry III of England (d. 1272)
• 1847 – Annie Besant, British theosophist and activist (d. 1933)
• 1903 – Vladimir Horowitz, Ukrainian-American pianist (d. 1989)
• 1924 – Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States
• 1935 – Julie Andrews, British actress and singer
• 1936 – Duncan Edwards, English footballer (d. 1958)
• 1945 – Rod Carew, Panamanian-American baseball player
• 1966 – George Weah, Liberian footballer and president
• 1975 – Marisa Tomei, American actress
• 1989 – Brie Larson, American actress
• 1990 – Karolína Plíšková, Czech tennis player

Notable Deaths

• 1684 – Pierre Corneille, French playwright (b. 1606)
• 1861 – Prince Albert Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (b. 1819)
• 1947 – Hugh Lofting, British author (b. 1886)
• 1985 – E. B. White, American writer (b. 1899)
• 2000 – Richard Farnsworth, American actor (b. 1920)
• 2004 – Richard Avedon, American photographer (b. 1923)
• 2015 – Don Edwards, American politician (b. 1915)
• 2018 – Charles Aznavour, French-Armenian singer (b. 1924)

Holidays

• National Day (China)
• Independence Day (Nigeria)
• International Coffee Day (Global)
• Armed Forces Day (South Korea)
• Cyprus Independence Day (Cyprus)

Fun Facts

1. The Model T’s affordability transformed global automobile ownership.
2. NASA’s creation marked a new era of U.S. space exploration.
3. October 1 is one of the most common dates for national independence celebrations worldwide.
4. Walt Disney World became the most visited vacation resort in the world.