06 October History
- 1014 - The Byzantine Emperor Basil earns the title "Slayer of Bulgers" after he orders the blinding of 15,000 Bulgerian troops.
- 1536 - William Tyndale, the English translator of the New Testament, is strangled and burned at the stake for heresy at Vilvorde, France.
- 1696 - Savoy Germany withdraws from the Grand Alliance.
- 1788 - The Polish Diet decides to hold a four year session.
- 1801 - Napoleon Bonaparte imposes a new constitution on Holland.
- 1847 - Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre is published in London.
- 1866 - The Reno brothers–Frank, John, Simeon and William–commit the country's first train robbery near Seymore, Indiana netting $10,000.
- 1927 - The first "talkie," The Jazz Singer, opens with popular entertainer Al Jolson singing and dancing in black-face. By 1930, silent movies were a thing of the past.
- 1941 - German troops renew their offensive against Moscow.
- 1965 - Patricia Harris takes post as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, becoming the first African American U.S. ambassador.
- 1966 - Hanoi insists the United States must end its bombings before peace talks can begin.
- 1969 - Special Forces Captain John McCarthy is released from Fort Leavenworth Penitentiary, pending consideration of his appeal to murder charges.
- 1973 - Israel is taken by surprise when Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Jordan attack on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, beginning the Yom Kippur War.
- 1981 - Egyptian president Anwar el-Sadat is assassinated in Cairo by Islamic fundamentalists. He is succeeded by Vice President Hosni Mubarak.
06 October Birthdays
- 1820 - Jenny Lind, soprano known as the "Swedish Nightingale."
- 1846 - George Westinghouse, prolific inventor, held over 100 patents on creations including air brakes for trains.
- 1887 - Le Corbusier, Swiss-born French architect and city planner.
- 1895 - Caroline Gordon, writer (The Strange Children).
- 1906 - Janet Gaynor, film actress.
- 1908 - Carol Lombard, American comediennne and actress.
- 1908 - Sammy Price, jazz pianist.
- 1914 - Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian anthropologist and explorer.