01 October, 1957 – Thalidomide launched

Thalidomide, an anti-nausea drug and sleep-aid, was launched. It was finally withdrawn from the market after it was determined that it caused birth defects.

02 October, 1992 – Carandiru massacre

A prison riot in Carandiru Penitentiary, Brazil, led to the killing of over 100 inmates by the police.

03 October, 1952 – UK tested its first atomic bomb

Called Operation Hurricane, the test was conducted near the Montebello Islands in Western Australia. The operation made the UK the third country to have nuclear weapons.

04 October, 1895 – First US Open was held for Golf

The now annual event was played at the Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island, for the first time. 11 people played the 36-hole competition in a single day.

05 October, 1962 – James Bond made his theatrical debut

The fictional British spy with the code name 007 was featured on the big screen for the first time. Based on the 1958 Ian Fleming novel of the same name, the movie starred Sean Connery as James Bond.

06 October, 1995 – First exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star discovered

Swiss astronomers announced the discovery of an exoplanet called 51 Pegasi B. The Jupiter-like exoplanet orbits a star called 51 Pegasi, which has a magnitude of 5.49.

07 October, 1919 – KLM was formed

The official airline of the Netherlands, KLM, is the oldest airline that still operates under its original name. The first flight of the airline took place on May 17, 1920 between London and Amsterdam in a leased airplane.