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1973 - 1973 oil crisis
OPEC imposes an oil embargo against countries they deem to have helped Israel in the Yom Kippur War.
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1956 - Sellafield
The first commercial nuclear power station is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in Sellafield, England.
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1806 - Emperor Jacques I Meets a Violent End
On October 17, 1806, Haiti’s first emperor was ripped from power by the very men who had helped forge its independence. The murder of Jacques I reshaped a newborn nation and left a legacy that still haunts Haiti today.
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1978 - October 1978 conclave
Cardinal Karol Wojtyła is elected to the papacy as Pope John Paul II, he becomes the first non-Italian pontiff since 1523.
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1940 - Warsaw Ghetto
Holocaust in Poland: The Warsaw Ghetto is established.
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690 - Wu Zetian
Empress Wu Zetian ascends to the throne of the Tang dynasty and proclaims herself ruler of the Chinese Empire.
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2003 - Shenzhou 5
China launches Shenzhou 5, its first crewed space mission.
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1990 - Mikhail Gorbachev
Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to lessen Cold War tensions and open up his nation.
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1582 - Adoption of the Gregorian calendar
Adoption of the Gregorian calendar begins, eventually leading to near-universal adoption.
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1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis begins when an American reconnaissance aircraft takes photographs of Soviet ballistic missiles being installed in Cuba.
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1956 - B. R. Ambedkar
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, leader of India's Untouchable caste, converts to Buddhism along with 385,000 of his followers (see Neo-Buddhism).
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1066 - Battle of Hastings
The Norman conquest of England begins with the Battle of Hastings.