October 1975

Wednesday 01:

Thrilla in Manila: Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier in a boxing match in Manila, Phillipines.

Saturday 11:

Saturday Night Live debuts with George Carlin as the guest host.

Thursday 16:

The Balibo Five, a group of Australian television journalists based in the town of Balibo in the then Portuguese Timor (now East Timor), are killed by Indonesian troops.

Wednesday 22:

Gays in the military: US Air Force Tech Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, is given a general discharge after appearing in his Air Force uniform on the cover of Time magazine with the headline (printed in all uppercase) "I Am A Homosexual."

Thursday 30:

Prince Juan Carlos becomes King of Spain after dictator Francisco Franco concedes that he is too ill to govern.