143 things happened on 10 October, from AD 19 to 2025. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1903 · 123 years ago
Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) to campaign for women's suffrage – the right to vote. From 1906 its members became known as the suffragettes. The WSPU used militant, or forceful, methods, and was led by Pankhurst and h…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
English astronomer William Lassell discovered Triton, the largest moon of the planet Neptune. Triton is unusual because it travels around Neptune in the opposite direction to the way the planet spins. It is the only large moon in the Solar System to do this. Scientists think Triton may once have been a dwarf planet that was captured by Neptune's gravity.
UK story
Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) to campaign for women's suffrage – the right to vote. From 1906 its members became known as the suffragettes. The WSPU used militant, or forceful, methods, and was led by Pankhurst and her daughters. In 1918 women in Great Britain and Ireland won the right to vote, though at first not all women were included.
UK story
A fire broke out in one of the two nuclear reactors at Windscale, on the north-west coast of England in Cumberland. It became the worst nuclear accident in the history of the United Kingdom. The reactors, known as 'piles', had been built for Britain's atomic bomb project after the Second World War. On an international scale from 1 to 7, the accident was rated level 5.
UK story
Roman Catholic forces under Henry I, Duke of Guise, defeat the Protestants, capturing Philippe de Mornay among others.
UK story
Over 600 Papal troops land in Ireland to support the Second Desmond Rebellion.
UK story
War of 1812: The United States Revenue Marine attempts to defend the cutter Eagle from the Royal Navy.
UK story
King Crimson releases their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King.
The second church built on the site of Hagia Sophia, in the city of Constantinople, was opened. The famous building that stands there now is the third church on the site, finished in 537. When it was completed, it had the largest interior space in the world. Hagia Sophia, in what is now Istanbul in Turkey, has been a church, a museum and a mosque.
The crew of the Santa María tried to mutiny, or rebel against their commander, Christopher Columbus. The Santa María was the largest of his three small ships. Columbus was crossing the Atlantic on his first voyage, with the backing of the King and Queen of Spain. His voyages were the first known European contact with the Caribbean and Central and South America.
An armed uprising against the ruling Qing dynasty broke out in Wuchang, in the Chinese province of Hubei. It began the 1911 Revolution, which ended more than 2,000 years of rule by emperors in China. The Republic of China was founded on 1 January 1912. The start of the uprising is still celebrated in Taiwan every year as Double Ten Day.
US President Woodrow Wilson set off an explosion that blew up the Gamboa Dike, a bank holding back water. This completed the major building work on the Panama Canal. The canal is an 82-kilometre waterway across Panama that links the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. Locks at each end lift ships up to a lake that is 26 metres above sea level.
The 1964 Summer Olympics opened in Tokyo, Japan, and ran until 24 October. The opening ceremony was the first to be relayed live by satellites, so people far away could watch it as it happened. These were the first Olympic Games held in Tokyo. The city had first been picked to host the 1940 Games, which were cancelled because of the Second World War.
The Outer Space Treaty came into force. A treaty is a formal agreement between countries. This one set out the main rules for exploring and using outer space, including the Moon and other bodies in space. It still forms the basis of international space law.
Charles Martel's forces defeat an Umayyad army near Tours, France.
Sten Sture the Elder, the Regent of Sweden, with the help of farmers and miners, repels an attack by King Christian I of Denmark.
The Kingdom of Hormuz recognises the sovereignty of the Portuguese king following a battle with the forces of Afonso de Albuquerque.
In a treaty with Dutch colonial authorities, the Ndyuka people of Suriname gained territorial autonomy.
In a treaty with the Dutch colonial authorities, the Ndyuka people of Suriname – descended from escaped slaves – gain territorial autonomy.
In Annapolis, Maryland, the Naval School (later the United States Naval Academy) opens with 50 students.
The Ten Years' War begins against Spanish rule in Cuba.
The Carinthian plebiscite determines that the larger part of the Duchy of Carinthia should remain part of Austria.
Chiang Kai-shek becomes Chairman of the Republic of China.
In Greece, a coup d'état ends the Second Hellenic Republic.
The Double Tenth Agreement is signed by the Communist Party and the Kuomintang about the future of China.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Muscat, Neil Innes, sends a signal to the Sultanate's forces, accompanied with oil explorers, to penetrate Fahud, marking the beginning of Jebel Akhdar War.
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower apologizes to Ghanaian finance minister Komla Agbeli Gbedemah after he is refused service in a Delaware restaurant.
The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which prohibits all test detonations of nuclear weapons except for those conducted underground, went into effect.
France cedes control of the Bizerte naval base to Tunisia.
Fiji becomes independent.
U.S. vice president Spiro Agnew resigned after being charged with tax evasion.
Papua New Guinea joins the United Nations.
The Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant began operations in Eurajoki, Satakunta, Finland.
The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front is founded in El Salvador.
After 20 years of construction, Vidyasagar Setu, the longest cable-stayed bridge in India, opened, joining Kolkata and Howrah.
Iraq War: The United States Congress approves the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.
Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor becomes the first Malaysian in space on board Soyuz TMA-11.
Armenia and Turkey sign the Zurich Protocols, intended to normalize relations. However, they are never ratified by either side.
The Netherlands Antilles are dissolved as a country.
The National Fire and Rescue Administration is founded, replacing the China Fire Services [zh] and the People's Armed Police Forestry Corps [zh] as China's primary firefighting agency.
Ben S. Bernanke, Douglas W. Diamond and Philip H. Dybvig are jointly awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Emmeline Pankhurst founds the Women's Social and Political Union”?
C: 1903. 1903 — that’s 123 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “William Lassell discovers Triton, Neptune's largest moon”?
C: 1846. 1846 — that’s 180 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
B: William Lassell discovers Triton, Neptune's largest moon. 1903: Emmeline Pankhurst founds the Women's Social and Political Union · 1846: William Lassell discovers Triton, Neptune's largest moon · 1957: A fire at Windscale becomes Britain's worst nuclear accident Find it on the page
“Henry Cavendish” happened in 1731. How many years ago was that?
A: 295 years. 2026 − 1731 = 295. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 10 October.
UK story
Henry Cavendish was an English scientist who studied chemistry and physics. He is famous for discovering hydrogen, which he called 'inflammable air' because it catches fire easily. He wrote about the gas in a paper in 1766, and showed that it forms water when it burns. The chemist Antoine Lavoisier later repeated his experiment and gave hydrogen its name.
Well-known people who died on 10 October.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 10 October somewhere in the world.
World Mental Health Day helps people around the world learn about mental health. It also challenges stigma – unfair, negative attitudes towards people with mental illness. The day was first held in 1992, started by the World Federation for Mental Health. It is a good reminder that looking after your mind matters just as much as looking after your body.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
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