October 1998

Thursday 01:

ICANN assumes responsibility for selling top-level domain names for the Internet.

Sunday 04:

Leafie Mason of Hughes Springs, Texas, is murdered by Ángel Maturino Reséndiz. She is the serial killer's second victim in his second incident.

Tuesday 06:

Gay-bashing: Near Laramie, Wyoming, University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard is viciously attacked by two assailants for being gay (he died on October 12).

Wednesday 07:

Gay student Matthew Shepard, beaten the night before, is left tied to a fence and dies in Laramie, Wyoming, United States.

Thursday 08:

Oslo Airport Gardermoen, Norway opens.

Sunday 11:

A Congo Air Lines Boeing 727 is shot down by rebels in Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo killing 40

Monday 12:

U.S. Congress passes Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Wednesday 14:

Eric Robert Rudolph is charged with 6 bombings including the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta, Georgia.

Friday 23:

1998 - Swatch Internet Time introduced

Saturday 24:

Tropical Storm Mitch reaches hurricane strength.

Tuesday 27:

Gerhard Schröder becomes Chancellor of Germany for the first time.

Wednesday 28:

An Air China jetliner is hijacked by disgruntled pilot Yuan Bin and flown to Taiwan. After landing the plane safely, Yuan Bin was arrested.

Thursday 29:

Hurricane Mitch made landfall in Honduras.

Saturday 31:

Iraq disarmament crisis begins: Iraq announces it would no longer cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors.