October 1987

Saturday 10:

Fiji becomes a republic.

Sunday 11:

March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights attracts between 500,000 and 600,000 people to protest the Bowers v. Hardwick decision and the U.S. government's handling of the AIDS epidemic; first public display of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.

Wednesday 14:

18-month-old Jessica McClure ("Baby Jessica") falls down an abandoned well in Midland, Texas (her nationally televised rescue takes 58 hours).

Thursday 15:

The Great Storm of 1987 hits France and England.

Friday 16:

Great Storm of 1987: hurricane force winds to hit much of the South of England killing 23 people.

Monday 19:

(Black Monday) Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%.

Wednesday 21:

Former Miss America Bess Myerson is arrested on charges of bribery, conspiracy, and mail fraud, all involving an alimony-fixing scandal. She is later found not guilty.

Friday 30:

In Japan, NEC releases the first 16-bit home entertainment system, the PC-Engine.