1 October
- 1989 Colin Powell Becomes Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Colin Powell is sworn in as the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's highest military post.
2 October
- 1967 Thurgood Marshall Joins the Supreme Court Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the first Black justice of the U.S. Supreme Court by Chief Justice Earl Warren.
3 October
- 1941 Chubby Checker Is Born Singer Chubby Checker is born in Spring Gully, South Carolina.
4 October
- 1864 The New Orleans Tribune Begins Publication The New Orleans Tribune becomes the first Black daily newspaper in the United States, published in French and English.
5 October
- 1872 Booker T. Washington Enters Hampton Booker T. Washington arrives at Hampton Institute, working his way through the school that shaped his philosophy of education.
6 October
- 1917 Fannie Lou Hamer Is Born Voting-rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer is born the youngest of 20 children in the Mississippi Delta.
7 October
- 1993 Toni Morrison Wins the Nobel Prize in Literature Toni Morrison becomes the first Black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
8 October
- 1941 Jesse Jackson Is Born Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson is born in Greenville, South Carolina.
9 October
- 1806 Benjamin Banneker Dies Self-taught astronomer, surveyor, and almanac author Benjamin Banneker dies in Maryland.
10 October
- 1917 Thelonious Monk Is Born Pianist and composer Thelonious Monk is born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
11 October
- 1887 Granville T. Woods Patents a Telegraph System Inventor Granville T. Woods patents an induction telegraph allowing communication with moving trains, improving railway safety.
12 October
- 1932 Dick Gregory Is Born Comedian and activist Dick Gregory is born in St. Louis, Missouri.
13 October
- 1902 Arna Bontemps Is Born Writer Arna Bontemps, a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance, is born in Alexandria, Louisiana.
14 October
- 1964 Martin Luther King Jr. Wins the Nobel Peace Prize At 35, Martin Luther King Jr. becomes the youngest person to that point to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
15 October
- 1966 The Black Panther Party Is Founded Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale found the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in Oakland, California.
16 October
- 1859 John Brown Raids Harpers Ferry Abolitionist John Brown leads a raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, hoping to spark a war to end slavery.
- 1968 Tommie Smith and John Carlos Raise Their Fists On the Olympic medal stand in Mexico City, sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise black-gloved fists during the U.S. anthem.
- 1995 The Million Man March Hundreds of thousands of Black men gather on the National Mall for a day of atonement and unity.
17 October
- 1806 Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haitian Independence Remembered Jean-Jacques Dessalines, leader of Haitian independence and the nation's first ruler, is assassinated.
18 October
- 1926 Chuck Berry Is Born Musician Chuck Berry is born in St. Louis, Missouri.
19 October
- 1943 Paul Robeson Opens in 'Othello' on Broadway Paul Robeson stars in a Broadway production of 'Othello' that becomes the longest-running Shakespeare play in Broadway history.
20 October
- 1898 North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Is Founded Black entrepreneurs in Durham found North Carolina Mutual Life, which becomes the largest Black-owned business in America.
21 October
- 1917 Dizzy Gillespie Is Born Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie is born in Cheraw, South Carolina.
22 October
- 1936 Bobby Seale Is Born Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale is born in Liberty, Texas.
23 October
- 1947 The NAACP Petitions the United Nations W.E.B. Du Bois presents 'An Appeal to the World,' the NAACP's petition charging the United States with denying Black citizens their human rights, to the UN.
24 October
- 2005 Rosa Parks Dies Rosa Parks dies in Detroit at age 92, half a century after her arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
25 October
- 1992 Cito Gaston Wins the World Series Cito Gaston of the Toronto Blue Jays becomes the first Black manager to win a World Series.
26 October
- 1911 Mahalia Jackson Is Born Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson is born in New Orleans.
27 October
- 1954 Benjamin O. Davis Jr. Becomes the First Black Air Force General Benjamin O. Davis Jr., who led the Tuskegee Airmen, is promoted to brigadier general, the first Black general in the U.S. Air Force.
28 October
- 1981 Augusta Elects Its First Black Mayor Edward McIntyre is elected the first Black mayor of Augusta, Georgia.
29 October
- 1969 'Desegregate at Once': Alexander v. Holmes The Supreme Court orders Mississippi school districts to end segregation immediately, rejecting further delay.
30 October
- 1974 The 'Rumble in the Jungle' Muhammad Ali defeats George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire, to reclaim the heavyweight title using his 'rope-a-dope' strategy.
31 October
- 1896 Ethel Waters Is Born Singer and actress Ethel Waters is born in Chester, Pennsylvania.