October 1 - Baseball player Roger Maris of the New York Yankees hits his 61st home run in the last game of the season, against the Boston Red Sox, beating the 34-year-old record held by Babe Ruth.

October 10 - A volcanic eruption on Tristan da Cunha causes the whole population to be evacuated.

October 12 - The death penalty is abolished in New Zealand.

October 17 - Paris massacre of 1961: French police in Paris attack about 30,000 protesting a curfew applied solely to Algerians. The official death toll is 3, but human rights groups claim 240 dead.

October 18 - West Side Story is released as a film.

October 19 - The Arab League takes over protecting Kuwait; the last British troops leave.

October 25 - The first edition of Private Eye, the British satirical magazine, is published.

October 26 -Cemal Gürsel becomes the fourth president of Turkey. (His former title was head of state and government. By constitution referendum, he is elected as president).

October 27 - An armistice begins in Katanga, Congo. - Mongolia and Mauritania join the United Nations. - Confrontation at Checkpoint Charlie: A standoff between Soviet and American tanks in Berlin, Germany heightens Cold War tensions. - Fahri Özdiilek becomes the acting prime minister of Turkey.

October 29 - DZBB-TV Channel 7, the Philippines' third TV station, is launched. - Devrim has been released. Project completed only in 130 days almost from scratch and this period includes decision of the project, research, design, development and production of four cars.

October 30 - Nuclear testing: The Soviet Union detonates a 58-megaton yield hydrogen bomb known as Tsar Bomba over Novaya Zemlya. It remains the largest ever man-made explosion. - The Note Crisis: The Soviet Union issues a diplomatic note to Finland proposing military co-operation.

October 31 - Hurricane Hattie devastates Belize City, Belize killing over 270. After the hurricane, the capital moves to the inland city of Belmopan. - Joseph Stalin's body is removed from the Lenin Mausoleum. (source: Wikipedia)