October 1964

Thursday 01:

Japanese Shinkansen (or, "bullet trains") begin high-speed rail service from Tokyo to Osaka.

Saturday 03:

Underdog debuts on CBS.

Saturday 10:

The 1964 Summer Olympics open in Tokyo, Japan

Monday 12:

The Soviet Union launches the Voskhod 1 into Earth orbit as the first spacecraft with a multi-person crew and the first flight without space suits

Wednesday 14:

American civil rights movement leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr becomes the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Friday 16:

People's Republic of China detonates its first nuclear weapon

Sunday 18:

The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair closes for its first season after a six-month run.

Thursday 22:

Canada: A Multi-Party Parliamentary Committee selects the design which becomes the new official Flag of Canada.

Saturday 24:

Northern Rhodesia gains independence from the United Kingdom and becomes the Republic of Zambia (Southern Rhodesia remained a colony)

Thursday 29:

A collection of irreplaceable gems, including the 565 carat (113 g) Star of India, is stolen from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.