October 19

Pre-1600

 * 202 BC – Second Punic War: At the Battle of Zama, Roman legions under Scipio Africanus defeat Hannibal Barca, leader of the army defending Carthage.
 * 439 – The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, take Carthage in North Africa.
 * 1386 – The Universität Heidelberg holds its first lecture, making it the oldest German university.
 * 1453 – Hundred Years' War: Three months after the Battle of Castillon, England loses its last possessions in southern France.
 * 1466 – The Thirteen Years' War between Poland and the Teutonic Order ends with the Second Treaty of Thorn.
 * 1469 – Ferdinand II of Aragon marries Isabella I of Castile, a marriage that paves the way to the unification of Aragon and Castile into a single country, Spain.
 * 1512 – Martin Luther becomes a doctor of theology.
 * 1579 – James VI of Scotland is celebrated as an adult ruler by a festival in Edinburgh.
 * 1596 – The Spanish ship San Felipe runs aground on the coast of Japan and its cargo is confiscated by local authorities.

1601–1900

 * 1649 – New Ross town in Ireland surrenders to Oliver Cromwell.
 * 1781 – American Revolutionary War: The siege of Yorktown comes to an end.
 * 1789 – John Jay is sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States.
 * 1791 – Treaty of Drottningholm, between Sweden and Russia
 * 1805 – War of the Third Coalition: Austrian General Mack surrenders his army to Napoleon at the Battle of Ulm.
 * 1812 – The French invasion of Russia fails when Napoleon begins his retreat from Moscow.
 * 1813 – War of the Sixth Coalition: Napoleon is forced to retreat from Germany after the Battle of Leipzig.
 * 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Cedar Creek ends the last Confederate threat to Washington, DC.
 * 1864  – American Civil War: Confederate agents based in Canada rob three banks in Saint Albans, Vermont.
 * 1866 – In accordance with the Treaty of Vienna, Austria cedes Veneto and Mantua to France, which immediately awards them to Italy in exchange for the earlier Italian acquiescence to the French annexation of Savoy and Nice.
 * 1900 – Max Planck discovers Planck's law of black-body radiation.

1901–present

 * 1912 – Italo-Turkish War: Italy takes possession of what is now Libya from the Ottoman Empire.
 * 1914 – World War I: The First Battle of Ypres begins.
 * 1921 – The Portuguese Prime Minister and several officials are murdered in the Bloody Night coup.
 * 1922 – British Conservative MPs vote to terminate the coalition government with the Liberal Party.
 * 1935 – The League of Nations places economic sanctions on Italy for its invasion of Ethiopia.
 * 1943 – The cargo vessel Sinfra is attacked by Allied aircraft at Crete and sunk. Two thousand and ninety-eight Italian prisoners of war drown with it.
 * 1943  – Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, is isolated by researchers at Rutgers University.
 * 1944 – United States forces land in the Philippines.
 * 1944  – A coup is launched against Juan Federico Ponce Vaides, beginning the ten-year Guatemalan Revolution.
 * 1950 – China defeats the Tibetan Army at Chambo.
 * 1950  – Korean War: The Battle of Pyongyang ends in a United Nations victory. Hours later, the Chinese Army begins crossing the border into Korea.
 * 1950  – Iran becomes the first country to accept technical assistance from the United States under the Point Four Program.
 * 1953 – Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is published.
 * 1955 – The General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union approves the staging of the first Eurovision Song Contest.
 * 1956 – The Soviet Union and Japan sign a Joint Declaration, officially ending the state of war between the two countries that had existed since August 1945.
 * 1960 – The United States imposes a near-total trade embargo against Cuba.
 * 1973 – President Nixon rejects an Appeals Court decision that he turn over the Watergate tapes.
 * 1974 – Niue becomes a self-governing colony of New Zealand.
 * 1986 – The president of Mozambique and a prominent leader of FRELIMO, along with 33 others, die when their aircraft crashes into the Lebombo Mountains.
 * 1987 – The United States Navy conducts Operation Nimble Archer, an attack on two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf.
 * 1987  – Black Monday: The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%, 508 points.
 * 1988 – The British government imposes a broadcasting ban on television and radio interviews with members of Sinn Féin and eleven Irish republican and Ulster loyalist paramilitary groups.
 * 1989 – The convictions of the Guildford Four are quashed by the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, after they had spent 15 years in prison.
 * 2001 – SIEV X, an Indonesian fishing boat en route to Christmas Island, carrying over 400 migrants, sinks in international waters with the loss of 353 people.
 * 2003 – Mother Teresa is beatified by Pope John Paul II.
 * 2004 – Thirteen people are killed when Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 crashes in Adair County, Missouri, while on approach to Kirksville Regional Airport.
 * 2005 – Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity.
 * 2005  – Hurricane Wilma becomes the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum pressure of 882 mb.
 * 2012 – A bomb explosion kills eight people and injures 110 more in Lebanon.
 * 2013 – One hundred and five people are injured in a train crash in Buenos Aires.
 * 2019 – Members of Parliament met at the House of Lords to discuss the United Kingdom's Brexit deal, this was the first Saturday sitting in Parliament since 3 April 1982 during the Falklands War.

Pre-1600

 * 879 – Yingtian, empress of the Khitan Liao Dynasty (d. 953)
 * 1276 – Prince Hisaaki of Japan (d. 1328)
 * 1433 – Marsilio Ficino, Italian astrologer and philosopher (d. 1499)
 * 1507 – Viglius, Dutch politician (d. 1577)
 * 1545 – John Juvenal Ancina, Italian Oratorian and bishop (d. 1604)
 * 1582 – Dmitry of Uglich, Russian crown prince and saint (d. 1591)

1601–1900

 * 1605 – Thomas Browne, English physician and author (d. 1682)
 * 1609 – Gerrard Winstanley, English Protestant religious reformer (d. 1676)
 * 1610 – James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, English-Irish general, academic, and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1688)
 * 1613 – Charles of Sezze, Italian Franciscan friar and saint (d. 1670)
 * 1658 – Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1704)
 * 1676 – Rodrigo Anes de Sá Almeida e Meneses, 1st Marquis of Abrantes, Portuguese diplomat (d. 1733)
 * 1680 – John Abernethy, Irish minister (d. 1740)
 * 1688 – William Cheselden, English surgeon and anatomist (d. 1752)
 * 1718 – Victor-François, 2nd duc de Broglie, French general and politician, French Secretary of State for War (d. 1804)
 * 1720 – John Woolman, American-English preacher, journalist, and activist (d. 1772)
 * 1721 – Joseph de Guignes, French orientalist and sinologist (d. 1800)
 * 1784 – Leigh Hunt, English poet and critic (d. 1859)
 * 1789 – Theophilos Kairis, Greek priest and philosopher (d. 1853)
 * 1810 – Cassius Marcellus Clay, American journalist, lawyer, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Russia (d. 1903)
 * 1814 – Theodoros Vryzakis, Greek painter (d. 1878)
 * 1826 – Ralph Tollemache, English priest (d. 1895)
 * 1850 – Annie Smith Peck, American mountaineer and academic (d. 1935)
 * 1858 – George Albert Boulenger, Belgian-English zoologist and botanist (d. 1937)
 * 1862 – Auguste Lumière, French director and producer (d. 1954)
 * 1868 – Bertha Knight Landes, American academic and politician, Mayor of Seattle (d. 1943)
 * 1873 – Jaap Eden, Dutch speed skater and cyclist (d. 1925)
 * 1873  – Bart King, American cricketer (d. 1965)
 * 1876 – Mordecai Brown, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1945)
 * 1876  – Mihkel Pung, Estonian lawyer and politician, 11th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1941)
 * 1879 – Emma Bell Miles, American writer, poet, and artist (d. 1919)
 * 1882 – Umberto Boccioni, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1916)
 * 1885 – Charles E. Merrill, American banker and philanthropist, co-founded Merrill Lynch Wealth Management (d. 1956)
 * 1895 – Frank Durbin, American soldier (d. 1999)
 * 1895  – Lewis Mumford, American historian, sociologist, and philosopher (d. 1990)
 * 1896 – Bob O'Farrell, American baseball player and manager (d. 1988)
 * 1897 – Salimuzzaman Siddiqui, Pakistani chemist and scholar (d. 1994)
 * 1899 – Miguel Ángel Asturias, Guatemalan journalist, author, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1974)
 * 1900 – Erna Berger, German soprano and actress (d. 1990)
 * 1900  – Bill Ponsford, Australian cricketer and baseball player (d. 1991)
 * 1900  – Roy Worters, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1957)

1901–present

 * 1901 – Arleigh Burke, American admiral (d. 1996)
 * 1903 – Tor Johnson, Swedish wrestler and actor (d. 1971)
 * 1907 – Roger Wolfe Kahn, American bandleader and composer (d. 1962)
 * 1908 – Geirr Tveitt, Norwegian pianist and composer (d. 1981)
 * 1909 – Marguerite Perey, French physicist and academic (d. 1975)
 * 1910 – Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Indian-American astrophysicist, astronomer, and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1995)
 * 1910  – Shunkichi Hamada, Japanese field hockey player (d. 2009)
 * 1910  – Paul Robert, French lexicographer and publisher (d. 1980)
 * 1910  – Farid al-Atrash, Syrian actor and singer (d. 1980)
 * 1913 – Vinicius de Moraes, Brazilian poet, playwright, and composer (d. 1980)
 * 1914 – Juanita Moore, American actress (d. 2014)
 * 1916 – Jean Dausset, French-Spanish immunologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
 * 1916  – Emil Gilels, Ukrainian-Russian pianist (d. 1985)
 * 1916  – Minoru Yasui, American soldier, lawyer, and activist (d. 1986)
 * 1917 – William Joel Blass, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2012)
 * 1917  – Walter Munk, Austrian-American oceanographer, author, and academic (d. 2019)
 * 1917  – Sharadchandra Shankar Shrikhande, Indian mathematician (d. 2020)
 * 1918 – Charles Evans, English-Welsh mountaineer, surgeon, and educator (d. 1995)
 * 1918  – Russell Kirk, American theorist and author (d. 1994)
 * 1918  – Robert Schwarz Strauss, American lawyer and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Russia (d. 2014)
 * 1920 – Peter Aduja, Filipino-American politician (d. 2007)
 * 1920  – Pandurang Shastri Athavale, Indian activist, philosopher, and spiritual leader (d. 2003)
 * 1920  – LaWanda Page, American actress (d. 2002)
 * 1920  – Harry Alan Towers, English-Canadian screenwriter and producer (d. 2009)
 * 1921 – George Nader, American actor (d. 2002)
 * 1922 – Jack Anderson, American journalist and author (d. 2005)
 * 1923 – Ruth Carter Stevenson, American art collector, founded the Amon Carter Museum of American Art (d. 2013)
 * 1923  – Baby Dalupan, Filipino basketball player and coach (d. 2016)
 * 1925 – Bernard Hepton, English actor and producer (d. 2018)
 * 1925  – Czesław Kiszczak, Polish general and politician, 11th Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Poland (d. 2015)
 * 1925  – Emilio Eduardo Massera, Argentinian admiral (d. 2010)
 * 1926 – Arne Bendiksen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2009)
 * 1926  – Joel Feinberg, American philosopher and academic (d. 2004)
 * 1926  – Vladimir Shlapentokh, Ukrainian-American sociologist, historian, political scientist, and academic (d. 2015)
 * 1926  – Marjorie Tallchief, American ballerina (d. 2021)
 * 1927 – Pierre Alechinsky, Belgian painter and illustrator
 * 1927  – Stephen Keynes, English businessman (d. 2017)
 * 1928 – Lou Scheimer, American animator, producer, and voice actor, co-founded the Filmation Company (d. 2013)
 * 1929 – Lewis Wolpert, South African-English biologist, author, and academic (d. 2021)
 * 1930 – John Evans, Baron Evans of Parkside, English union leader and politician (d. 2016)
 * 1930  – Mavis Nicholson, Welsh-English journalist (d. 2022)
 * 1931 – Ed Emberley, American author and illustrator
 * 1931  – John le Carré, English intelligence officer and author (d. 2020)
 * 1931  – Atsushi Miyagi, Japanese tennis player (d. 2021)
 * 1932 – Robert Reed, American actor (d. 1992)
 * 1933 – Brian Booth, Australian cricketer and educator (d. 2023)
 * 1933  – Anthony Skingsley, English air marshal (d. 2019)
 * 1934 – Yakubu Gowon, Nigerian general and politician, 3rd Head of State of Nigeria
 * 1934  – Dave Guard, American folk music singer-songwriter, arranger, and musician (d. 1991)
 * 1935 – Don Ward, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2014)
 * 1936 – James Bevel, American civil rights activist and minister (d. 2008)
 * 1936  – Tony Lo Bianco, American actor (d. 2024)
 * 1937 – Marilyn Bell, Canadian swimmer
 * 1937  – Peter Max, German-American illustrator
 * 1937  – Terence Thomas, Baron Thomas of Macclesfield, English banker and politician (d. 2018)
 * 1938 – Bill Morris, Baron Morris of Handsworth, Jamaican-English union leader and politician
 * 1939 – David Clark, Baron Clark of Windermere, Scottish academic and politician, Minister for the Cabinet Office
 * 1940 – Larry Chance, American singer-songwriter (d. 2023)
 * 1940  – Michael Gambon, Irish-British actor (d. 2023)
 * 1940  – Rosny Smarth, Haitian lawyer and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Haiti
 * 1941 – Peter Thornley, English professional wrestler best known for the ring character Kendo Nagasaki
 * 1941  – Simon Ward, English actor (d. 2012)
 * 1942 – Andrew Vachss, American lawyer and author (d. 2021)
 * 1943 – Robin Holloway, English composer and academic
 * 1943  – Takis Ikonomopoulos, Greek footballer and coach
 * 1943  – L. E. Modesitt, Jr., American author and poet
 * 1944 – George McCrae, American singer
 * 1944  – Bill Melchionni, American basketball player
 * 1944  – Peter Tosh, Jamaican singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1987)
 * 1945 – Angus Deaton, Scottish-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
 * 1945  – Divine, American drag queen performer, and actor (d. 1988)
 * 1945  – Patricia Ireland, American lawyer and activist
 * 1945  – Gloria Jones, American singer-songwriter
 * 1945  – John Lithgow, American actor
 * 1945  – Jeannie C. Riley, American singer
 * 1945  – Martin Welz, South African journalist
 * 1946 – Bob Holland, Australian cricketer and surveyor (d. 2017)
 * 1946  – Philip Pullman, English author and academic
 * 1946  – Keith Reid, English songwriter and lyricist (d. 2023)
 * 1947 – Giorgio Cavazzano, Italian author and illustrator
 * 1948 – James Howard Kunstler, American author and critic
 * 1948  – Dave Mallow, American voice actor and screenwriter
 * 1948  – Patrick Simmons, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1949 – Lynn Dickey, American football player and radio host
 * 1949  – Jamie McGrigor, English-Scottish politician
 * 1950 – Yeslam bin Ladin, Saudi Arabian-Swiss businessman
 * 1951 – Demetrios Christodoulou, Greek mathematician and physicist
 * 1951  – Annie Golden, American actress and singer
 * 1951  – Kurt Schrader, American veterinarian and politician
 * 1952 – Peter Bone, English accountant and politician
 * 1952  – Verónica Castro, Mexican actress and singer
 * 1953 – Lionel Hollins, American basketball player and coach
 * 1954 – Sam Allardyce, English footballer and manager
 * 1954  – Deborah Blum, American journalist and author
 * 1954  – Joe Bryant, American basketball player and coach (d. 2024)
 * 1955 – Dan Gutman, American author
 * 1955  – LaSalle Ishii, Japanese actor and director
 * 1955  – Lonnie Shelton, American basketball player (d. 2018)
 * 1956 – Steve Doocy, American journalist and author
 * 1956  – Elena Garanina, Soviet ice dancer and coach
 * 1956  – Grover Norquist, American activist, founded Americans for Tax Reform
 * 1956  – Didier Theys, Belgian race car driver and coach
 * 1956  – Carlo Urbani, Italian physician (d. 2003)
 * 1956  – Bruce Weber, American basketball player and coach
 * 1957 – Dorinda Clark-Cole, American singer-songwriter and pianist
 * 1957  – Ray Richmond, American journalist and critic
 * 1957  – Karl Wallinger, Welsh singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 2024)
 * 1958 – Carolyn Browne, English diplomat, British Ambassador to Kazakhstan
 * 1958  – Hiromi Hara, Japanese footballer and manager
 * 1958  – Tiriel Mora, Australian actor
 * 1958  – Michael Steele, American journalist and politician, 7th Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
 * 1959 – Nir Barkat, Israeli businessman and politician, Mayor of Jerusalem
 * 1959  – Martin Kusch, German philosopher and academic
 * 1960 – Dawn Coe-Jones, Canadian golfer (d. 2016)
 * 1960  – Jennifer Holliday, American actress and singer
 * 1960  – Takeshi Koshida, Japanese footballer
 * 1960  – Susan Straight, American author and academic
 * 1960  – Ayuo Takahashi, Japanese-American singer-songwriter
 * 1960  – Dan Woodgate, English musician, songwriter, composer, and record producer
 * 1961 – Sunny Deol, Indian actor and producer
 * 1961  – Cliff Lyons, Australian rugby league player and coach
 * 1962 – Claude Callegari, English YouTube personality (d. 2021)
 * 1962  – Tracy Chevalier, American-English author
 * 1962  – Brian Henninger, American golfer
 * 1962  – Bendik Hofseth, Norwegian saxophonist and composer
 * 1962  – Evander Holyfield, American boxer and actor
 * 1962  – Svetlana Zainetdinova, Soviet-Estonian chess player and coach
 * 1963 – Sinitta, American-British singer
 * 1964 – Ty Pennington, American model, carpenter and television host
 * 1965 – Brad Daugherty, American basketball player and sportscaster
 * 1965  – Todd Park Mohr, American rock singer-songwriter and musician
 * 1966 – Jon Favreau, American actor, director, and screenwriter
 * 1966  – Dimitris Lyacos, Greek poet and playwright
 * 1966  – David Vann, American novelist and short story writer
 * 1967 – Amy Carter, American illustrator and activist
 * 1967  – Yōji Matsuda, Japanese actor
 * 1967  – Yoko Shimomura, Japanese pianist and composer
 * 1968 – Rodney Carrington, American comedian, actor, and singer
 * 1969 – Pedro Castillo, Peruvian politician, 130th President of Peru
 * 1969  – Zdeno Cíger, Slovak ice hockey player and coach
 * 1969  – John Edward, American psychic and author
 * 1969  – Trey Parker, American actor, animator, producer, and screenwriter
 * 1969  – Erwin Sánchez, Bolivian footballer and manager
 * 1970 – Andrew Griffiths, English politician
 * 1970  – Chris Kattan, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
 * 1972 – Keith Foulke, American baseball player
 * 1972  – Pras, American rapper-songwriter, record producer, and actor
 * 1973 – Hicham Arazi, Moroccan tennis player
 * 1973  – Okan Buruk, Turkish footballer and manager
 * 1973  – Joaquin Gage, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1975 – Burak Güven, Turkish singer-songwriter and bass player
 * 1976 – Bruno Dias, Portuguese politician
 * 1976  – Omar Gooding, American actor and producer
 * 1976  – Jostein Gulbrandsen, Norwegian guitarist and composer
 * 1976  – Desmond Harrington, American actor
 * 1976  – Paul Hartley, Scottish footballer and manager
 * 1976  – Hiroshi Sakai, Japanese footballer
 * 1976  – Dan Smith, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1976  – Michael Young, American baseball player
 * 1977 – Habib Beye, French-Senegalese footballer
 * 1977  – Louis-José Houde, Canadian comedian and actor
 * 1977  – Jason Reitman, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
 * 1977  – Raúl Tamudo, Spanish footballer
 * 1977  – Mo Twister, Filipino radio and television host
 * 1978 – Enrique Bernoldi, Brazilian race car driver
 * 1978  – Zakhar Dubensky, Russian footballer
 * 1978  – Henri Sorvali, Finnish guitarist and keyboard player
 * 1979 – José Luis López, Mexican footballer
 * 1979  – Brian Robertson, American trombonist
 * 1979  – Sachiko Sugiyama, Japanese volleyball player
 * 1980 – José Bautista, Dominican baseball player
 * 1980  – Rajai Davis, American baseball player
 * 1980  – Benjamin Salisbury, American actor
 * 1981 – Leon Bott, Australian rugby league player
 * 1981  – Heikki Kovalainen, Finnish race car driver
 * 1982 – Atom Araullo, Filipino journalist
 * 1982  – J. A. Happ, American baseball player
 * 1982  – Gillian Jacobs, American actress and director
 * 1982  – Louis Oosthuizen, South African golfer
 * 1982  – Gonzalo Pineda, Mexican footballer
 * 1982  – Daan van Bunge, Dutch cricketer
 * 1983 – Rebecca Ferguson, Swedish actress
 * 1983  – Andy Lonergan, English footballer
 * 1983  – Cara Santa Maria, American neuroscientist and blogger
 * 1984 – Danka Barteková, Slovak skeet shooter
 * 1987 – Tsunenori Aoki, Japanese actor
 * 1987  – Sam Groth, Australian tennis player
 * 1988 – Zeph Ellis, English rapper and producer
 * 1988  – Markiyan Kamysh, Ukrainian writer
 * 1988  – Chris Lawrence, Australian rugby league player
 * 1989 – James Gavet, New Zealand rugby league player
 * 1989  – Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Lithuanian basketball player
 * 1989  – Miroslav Stoch, Slovakian footballer
 * 1989  – Rakuto Tochihara, Japanese actor
 * 1989  – Janine Tugonon, Filipino model and television host
 * 1990 – Tom Kilbey, English footballer
 * 1990  – Janet Leon, Swedish singer-songwriter and dancer
 * 1990  – Ciara Renée, American actress and singer
 * 1990  – Endō Shōta, Japanese sumo wrestler
 * 1991 – Colton Dixon, American singer-songwriter and pianist
 * 1992 – Shiho, Japanese actress and model
 * 1993 – Hunter King, American actress
 * 1993  – Abby Sunderland, American sailor
 * 1994 – Cal Petersen, American ice hockey player
 * 1994  – Agnė Sereikaitė, Lithuanian speed skater
 * 1995 – Sammis Reyes, Chilean-American football and basketball player
 * 1996 – Bernadeth Pons, Filipino volleyball athlete
 * 1999 – Carlotta Truman, German singer-songwriter

Pre-1600

 * 727 – Frithuswith, English saint (b. 650)
 * 993 – Conrad I, King of Burgundy (b. c. 925)
 * 1216 – John, King of England (b. 1166)
 * 1287 – Bohemond VII, Count of Tripoli
 * 1354 – Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada (b. 1318)
 * 1375 – Cansignorio della Scala, Lord of Verona (b. 1340)
 * 1401 – John Charleton, 4th Baron Cherleton (b. 1362)
 * 1432 – John de Mowbray, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, English politician, Earl Marshal of England (b. 1392)
 * 1587 – Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1541)
 * 1595 – Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel, English nobleman (b. 1537)

1601–1900

 * 1608 – Martin Delrio, Flemish theologian and author (b. 1551)
 * 1609 – Jacobus Arminius, Dutch Reformed theologian (b. 1560)
 * 1619 – Fujiwara Seika, Japanese philosopher and educator (b. 1561)
 * 1636 – Marcin Kazanowski, Polish politician (b. 1566)
 * 1678 – Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten, Dutch painter (b. 1627)
 * 1682 – Thomas Browne, English physician and author (b. 1605)
 * 1723 – Godfrey Kneller, German-English painter (b. 1646)
 * 1745 – Jonathan Swift, Irish satirist and essayist (b. 1667)
 * 1772 – Andrea Belli, Maltese architect and businessman (b. 1703)
 * 1790 – Lyman Hall, American physician and politician, 16th Governor of Georgia (b. 1724)
 * 1796 – Michel de Beaupuy, French general (b. 1755)
 * 1813 – Józef Poniatowski, Polish general (b. 1763)
 * 1815 – Paolo Mascagni, Italian physician and anatomist (b. 1755)
 * 1842 – Aleksey Koltsov, Russian poet and author (b. 1808)
 * 1851 – Marie Thérèse of France (b. 1778)
 * 1856 – William Sprague III, American businessman and politician, 14th Governor of Rhode Island (b. 1799)
 * 1889 – Luís I of Portugal (b. 1838)
 * 1897 – George Pullman, American engineer and businessman, founded the Pullman Company (b. 1831)

1901–present

 * 1901 – Carl Frederik Tietgen, Danish businessman and philanthropist, founded GN Store Nord (b. 1829)
 * 1905 – Virgil Earp, American marshal (b. 1843)
 * 1914 – Robert Hugh Benson, English Catholic priest and novelist (b. 1871)
 * 1916 – Ioannis Frangoudis, Greek general and target shooter (b. 1863)
 * 1918 – Harold Lockwood, American actor (b. 1887)
 * 1924 – Louis Zborowski, English race car driver and engineer (b. 1895)
 * 1926 – Ludvig Karsten, Norwegian painter (b. 1876)
 * 1936 – Lu Xun, Chinese author and critic (b. 1881)
 * 1937 – Ernest Rutherford, New Zealand-English physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1871)
 * 1943 – Camille Claudel, French sculptor and illustrator (b. 1864)
 * 1944 – Dénes Kőnig, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1884)
 * 1945 – Plutarco Elías Calles, Mexican general and politician, 40th President of Mexico (b. 1877)
 * 1945  – N. C. Wyeth, American painter and illustrator (b. 1882)
 * 1950 – Edna St. Vincent Millay, American poet and playwright (b. 1892)
 * 1952 – Edward S. Curtis, American ethnologist and photographer (b. 1868)
 * 1956 – Isham Jones, American saxophonist, songwriter, and bandleader (b. 1894)
 * 1960 – Hjalmar Dahl, Finnish journalist, translator and writer (b. 1891)
 * 1960  – George Wallace, Australian comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1895)
 * 1961 – Şemsettin Günaltay, Turkish historian and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1883)
 * 1964 – Sergey Biryuzov, Marshal of the Soviet Union (b. 1904)
 * 1964  – Nettie Palmer, Australian poet and critic (b. 1885)
 * 1964  – Christopher Vane, 10th Baron Barnard, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Durham (b. 1888)
 * 1965 – Edward Willis Redfield, American painter and educator (b. 1869)
 * 1969 – Lacey Hearn, American sprinter (b. 1881)
 * 1970 – Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexican general and politician, 44th President of Mexico (b. 1895)
 * 1978 – Gig Young, American actor (b. 1913)
 * 1983 – Maurice Bishop, Aruban-Grenadian lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Grenada (b. 1944)
 * 1984 – Jerzy Popiełuszko, Polish priest and activist (b. 1947)
 * 1985 – Alfred Rouleau, Canadian businessman (b. 1915)
 * 1986 – Dele Giwa, Nigerian journalist, co-founded Newswatch Magazine (b. 1947)
 * 1986  – Samora Machel, Mozambican commander and politician, 1st President of Mozambique (b. 1933)
 * 1987 – Jacqueline du Pré, English cellist and educator (b. 1945)
 * 1987  – Hermann Lang, German race car driver (b. 1909)
 * 1988 – Son House, American singer and guitarist (b. 1902)
 * 1992 – Magnus Pyke, English scientist and television host (b. 1908)
 * 1994 – Martha Raye, American actress and comedian (b. 1916)
 * 1995 – Don Cherry, American trumpet player (b. 1936)
 * 1995  – Harilaos Perpessas, Greek pianist and composer (b. 1907)
 * 1996 – Shamsuddin Qasemi, Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and politician (b. 1935)
 * 1997 – Glen Buxton, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1947)
 * 1997  – Ken Wood, inventor of the Kenwood Chef food mixer (b. 1916)
 * 1999 – James C. Murray, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1917)
 * 1999  – Nathalie Sarraute, Russian-French lawyer and author (b. 1900)
 * 2002 – Nikolay Rukavishnikov, Russian physicist and astronaut (b. 1932)
 * 2003 – Road Warrior Hawk, American wrestler (b. 1957)
 * 2003  – Alija Izetbegović, Bosniak lawyer and politician, 1st President of Bosnia and Herzegovina (b. 1925)
 * 2003  – Margaret Murie, American environmentalist and author (b. 1902)
 * 2003  – Nello Pagani, Italian motorcycle racer and race car driver (b. 1911)
 * 2005 – Ryan Dallas Cook, American trombonist (b. 1982)
 * 2006 – James Glennon, American cinematographer (b. 1942)
 * 2006  – Phyllis Kirk, American actress (b. 1927)
 * 2007 – Winifred Asprey, American mathematician and computer scientist (b. 1917)
 * 2007  – Randall Forsberg, American activist and author (b. 1943)
 * 2007  – Michael Maidens, English footballer (b. 1987)
 * 2007  – Jan Wolkers, Dutch author, sculptor, and painter (b. 1925)
 * 2008 – Richard Blackwell, American actor, fashion designer, and critic (b. 1922)
 * 2009 – Howard Unruh, American murderer (b. 1921)
 * 2009  – Joseph Wiseman, Canadian-American actor (b. 1918)
 * 2010 – Tom Bosley, American actor (b. 1927)
 * 2011 – Kakkanadan, Indian author (b. 1935)
 * 2012 – Lincoln Alexander, Canadian lawyer and politician, 24th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (b. 1922)
 * 2012  – Wissam al-Hassan, Lebanese general (b. 1965)
 * 2012  – Wiyogo Atmodarminto, Indonesian general and politician, 10th Governor of Jakarta (b. 1922)
 * 2012  – Mike Graham, American wrestler (b. 1951)
 * 2012  – Fiorenzo Magni, Italian cyclist (b. 1920)
 * 2013 – John Bergamo, American drummer and composer (b. 1940)
 * 2013  – Noel Harrison, English singer, actor, and skier (b. 1934)
 * 2013  – Ronald Shannon Jackson, American drummer and composer (b. 1940)
 * 2013  – Mikihiko Renjō, Japanese author (b. 1948)
 * 2013  – Mahmoud Zoufonoun, Iranian-American violinist and composer (b. 1920)
 * 2014 – John Holt, Jamaican singer-songwriter (b. 1947)
 * 2014  – Stephen Paulus, American composer (b. 1949)
 * 2014  – Raphael Ravenscroft, English saxophonist and composer (b. 1954)
 * 2014  – Serena Shim, Lebanese-American journalist (b. 1984)
 * 2015 – Bill Daley, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1919)
 * 2015  – Fleming Mackell, Canadian ice hockey player and singer (b. 1929)
 * 2015  – Ali Treki, Libyan politician and diplomat, Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1938)
 * 2016 – Phil Chess, Czech-American record producer, co-founded Chess Records (b. 1921)
 * 2016  – Giovanni Steffè, Italian rower (b. 1928)
 * 2017 – Umberto Lenzi, Italian film director (b. 1931)
 * 2019 – Deborah Orr, Scottish journalist (b. 1962)
 * 2021 – Jack Angel, American voice actor (b. 1930)
 * 2023 – Atsushi Sakurai, singer from Japanese rock band Buck-Tick (b. 1966)

Holidays and observances

 * Christian feast day:
 * Aaron (Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria)
 * Aquilinus of Évreux
 * Desiderius (Didier) of Auxerre
 * Frideswide
 * Henry Martyn (Anglican Communion)
 * Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions
 * Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko
 * Paul of the Cross
 * Ptolemaeus and Lucius
 * Varus
 * Veranus of Cavaillon
 * William Carey (Episcopal Church)
 * October 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 * Constitution Day, in honor of the country's independence (self-governing in free association with New Zealand) in 1974. (Niue)
 * Oxfordshire Day