1858 - Hamilton Smith patents rotary washing machine in Pittsburgh
1947 - The British military occupation ends in Iraq
1972 - Guided tours of the former prison at Alcatraz by the National Park Service begin
1978 - Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat named joint winners of 1978 Nobel Peace Prize
1978 - Independent Counsel Act is signed into law.
1818 - Stefano Golinelli, Italian pianist and composer, born in Bologna, Papal States (d. 1891)
1934 - Hans-Joachim Rödelius, German electronic and ambient music composer, keyboardist, and synthesizer player (Cluster; Harmonia), born in Berlin, Germany
1948 - Marshall Colt, American actor (Eric-Lottery), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
1975 - Katja Riipi, Finnish ice hockey left wing (Olympics bronze 1998), born in Sodankylä, Finland
1980 - Cristian Chivu, Romanian footballer, born in Reșița, Romania
1580 - Anna of Austria, fourth wife of Philip II of Spain, dies at 30
1944 - William Temple, English Archbishop of Canterbury, dies at 63
1945 - Paul Pelliot, French Sinologist and Orientalist best known for his explorations of Central Asia and his discovery of many important Chinese texts among the Dunhuang manuscripts, dies at 67
1971 - Robert Gordon, American silent film actor (Hearts and Spangles; King of the Pack), dies at 76
1984 - Laurie Langenbach, Dutch author, singer-songwriter (Ahora Maxda), dancer, and feminist activist, (Woman Power), dies of cervical cancer at 37
On October 26, 1881, the Earp brothers face off against the Clanton-McLaury gang in a legendary shootout at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.