19 October 1216
King John of England dies at Newark-on-Trent and is succeeded by his nine-year-old son Henry.
14 October 1962
The Cuban Missile Crisis begins when an American reconnaissance aircraft takes photographs of Soviet ballistic missiles being installed in Cuba.
13 October 1977
Hijacking of Lufthansa Flight 181 by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
12 October 1928
An iron lung respirator is used for the first time at Boston Children’s Hospital.
11 October 1987
The AIDS Memorial Quilt is first displayed during the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.