What happened in October 1977?
The top front-page story of each day in October 1977, as it was reported at the time. Click a date to see that day’s full front page and the matching birthday books.
- Oct 1⚽ Pele Ends Career – Pele's playing career concludes at Giants Stadium, marking an emotional farewell for the soccer legend who popularized the sport in the U.S.
- Oct 2🌍 U.S. and Soviet Peace Guidelines – The U.S. and Soviet Union issued a joint declaration urging a new Middle East peace conference to ensure Palestinian rights.
- Oct 3🚂 Train Collision Tragedy – At least 10 people died when an Amtrak train collided with a pickup truck in Florida, prompting a search for more victims.
- Oct 4🔬 Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak – A total of 16 cases of Legionnaires' disease confirmed in Burlington, Vermont, with 12 fatalities reported.
- Oct 5🌋 Philippine Volcano Evacuations – Residents of Taal Island were ordered to evacuate due to volcanic eruptions, with ash clouds reported in the area.
- Oct 6🌍 Earthquake Strikes Turkey – An earthquake hit central and northern Turkey, damaging 80% of houses in Dumlupinar village. No immediate reports of deaths or injuries.
- Oct 7📈 Dow Rebounds Strongly – Stock prices rebounded with a rise of 4.76, boosted by strong retail sales in September, indicating consumer confidence.
- Oct 8🌍 New Constitution Adopted – The Soviet Union adopted a new Constitution, maintaining the essence of the previous one with minor language changes.
- Oct 9🚀 Soviet Manned Spacecraft Launched – The Soviet Union launched its latest manned spacecraft, Soyuz 25, to link with the orbiting space station Salyut 6.
- Oct 10🕊️ Pope Canonizes Saint – Pope Paul VI canonized Sharbel Makhlouf, a Lebanese monk, in a solemn mass at St. Peter's Basilica, marking Lebanon's first saint.
- Oct 11🕊️ Nobel Peace Prizes – Two women campaigning for peace in Northern Ireland won the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize; Amnesty International received the 1977 prize.
- Oct 12🌒 Partial Solar Eclipse – A partial eclipse of the sun will be visible across the U.S. today, with the best views in the western regions.
- Oct 13👶 Triplet Girls Born – Three identical triplet girls were born in Natick, Massachusetts, and are reported to be doing well in incubators.
- Oct 14🍂 Autumn Foliage Celebration – The Northeast celebrates fall foliage with vibrant colors, cider, and the beauty of nature during the autumn season.
- Oct 15🔬 Mars Camera Observes Eclipses – The Viking 1 Lander on Mars observed three solar eclipses caused by the moon Phobos passing between the sun and the lander.
- Oct 16📚 Tolkien's Book Surge – J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Silmarillion' becomes the fastest-selling book, igniting a fantasy literature trend across campuses.
- Oct 17🕊️ Bing Crosby Memorial – Thousands gathered at Westminster Cathedral for a memorial mass honoring Bing Crosby, the beloved entertainer who passed away in Spain.
- Oct 18✈️ Concorde Flights Approved – The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for Concorde test flights at Kennedy Airport, starting soon.
- Oct 19✈️ Concorde Flights Begin – The Concorde airliner, freed from a ban, starts proving flights at Kennedy Airport ahead of passenger service launch on Nov. 22.
- Oct 20🌊 Shipping Group Oil Spill – A shipping group agreed to pay $1.1 million to the U.S. for the oil spill caused by the tanker Argo Merchant off Nantucket.
- Oct 21🔬 Mars Moon Photos Released – Viking 2 orbiter captures first close-up images of Deimos, revealing its unexpectedly smooth surface.
- Oct 22🌍 Mediterranean Pollution Treaty – Mediterranean nations reached an agreement on a treaty to control industrial waste discharge into coastal waters.
- Oct 23🎨 Rostropovich Conducts – Mstislav Rostropovich conducts a concert in Washington, marking a significant moment in his career as a renowned cellist and conductor.
- Oct 24🔬 Earliest Life Forms Found – Microscopic one-celled creatures, 3.4 billion years old, discovered in South African rocks, marking a significant paleontological find.
- Oct 25🏛️ New Architecture at Columbia – Columbia University unveils a new science building, marking a significant architectural advancement by architect Romaldo Giurgola.
- Oct 26🌍 Panama Votes No – A third of voters in Panama's plebiscite disapproved the canal treaties with the U.S., indicating significant public dissent.
- Oct 27🔥 Church Fire Destroys – Mount Olive Baptist Church in Hoboken was destroyed by fire, displacing 100 residents and leaving 11 families homeless.
- Oct 28🎨 Alechinsky Wins Prize – Pierre Alechinsky collects the $50,000 Andrew W. Mellon prize for excellence from the Carnegie Institute's Museum of Art.
- Oct 29🌾 China Grain Harvest Estimate – CIA reports that China's grain harvest in 1977 is unlikely to exceed 285 million metric tons, similar to 1976 levels.
- Oct 30🚀 Voyager I Course Adjusted – Voyager 1 fired its rockets to adjust its course for a planned rendezvous with Jupiter in December 1978.
- Oct 31🚀 Space Mission Planned – American and European scientists plan a two-spacecraft mission to explore uncharted space and study the solar system from new perspectives.
Happy Birthday! 1977 – The Year in Headlines
The whole of 1977 in real headlines. See the 1977 book →
Born in October? Pick the day
Every birthday in October has its own On This Day in Headlines book: