On This Day: 6 October

6 October in world history

• 2010Instagram, a mainstream photo-sharing application, is founded.
• 2002Al-Qaeda bombed the oil tanker Limburg, causing oil to leak into the Gulf of Aden.
• 1995Astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz reported the discovery of a planet orbiting 51 Pegasi as the first known exoplanet around a main-sequence star.
• 1990Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-41, and deploys the Ulysses space probe to study the Sun's polar regions.
• 1976Dozens are killed by Thai police and right-wing paramilitaries in the Thammasat University massacre; afterwards, the Seni Pramoj government is toppled in a military coup led by Sangad Chaloryu.
• 1973The Egyptian Armed Forces crossed the Suez Canal to attack occupying Israel Defense Forces at the Bar Lev Line in the Sinai Peninsula, beginning the Yom Kippur War.
• 1939World War II: The Battle of Kock is the final combat of the September Campaign in Poland.
• 1934Catalonia's autonomous government, led by Lluís Companys, declared a general strike, an armed insurgency, and the establishment of the Catalan State in reaction to the inclusion of conservatives in the Spanish republican regime.
• 1923The Turkish National Movement enters Constantinople.
• 1920Ukrainian War of Independence: The Starobilsk agreement is signed by representatives of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Makhnovshchina.
• 1915World War I: Combined Austro-Hungarian and German Central Powers, reinforced by the recently joined Bulgaria, launch a new offensive against Serbia under command of August von Mackensen.
• 1908Austria-Hungary announced the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, causing a crisis that permanently damaged the country's relations with the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Serbia.
• 1789French Revolution: King Louis XVI is forced to change his residence from Versailles to the Tuileries Palace.
• 1777American Revolutionary War: Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery were captured by British forces under Sir Henry Clinton, dismantling the Hudson River Chains.
• 1620The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth suffers a defeat against the Ottoman Empire in the battle of Cecora after a heroic defense over several days and the death of their commander Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski.
• 891Election of Pope Formosus following the death of pope Stephen V in the previous month.
• 618Transition from Sui to Tang: Wang Shichong's army defeated Li Mi's forces at the Battle of Yanshi, allowing Wang to consolidate power and soon depose China's Sui dynasty.
• 69 BCThird Mithridatic War: The military of the Roman Republic subdues Armenia.

Born on 6 October

• 1964Mark Field, German-English lawyer and politician
• 1961Ben Summerskill, English businessman and journalist
• 1946Vinod Khanna, Indian actor, producer and politician (died 2017)India
• 1933Prince Mukarram Jah, 8th Nizam of Hyderabad (died 2023)India
• 1930Hafez al-Assad, Syrian general and politician, 20th President of Syria (died 2000)
• 1893Meghnad Saha, Indian astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic (died 1956)India

Died on 6 October

• 2007Babasaheb Bhosale, Indian lawyer and politician, 8th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (born 1921)India
• 1992Denholm Elliott, English actor (born 1922)
• 1923Damat Ferid Pasha, Ottoman politician, 285th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (born 1853)
• 1661Guru Har Rai, Indian 7th Sikh guru (born 1630)India

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 6 October in history?

2010: Instagram, a mainstream photo-sharing application, is founded. 2002: Al-Qaeda bombed the oil tanker Limburg, causing oil to leak into the Gulf of Aden. 1995: Astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz reported the discovery of a planet orbiting 51 Pegasi as the first known exoplanet around a main-sequence star. 1990: Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-41, and deploys the Ulysses space probe to study the Sun's polar regions.

Which famous people were born on 6 October?

Mark Field, German-English lawyer and politician (1964); Ben Summerskill, English businessman and journalist (1961); Vinod Khanna, Indian actor, producer and politician (died 2017) (1946); Prince Mukarram Jah, 8th Nizam of Hyderabad (died 2023) (1933).

Which day is observed on 6 October?

World Space Week (October 4–10); Day of Commemoration and National Mourning (Turkmenistan); Dukla Pass Victims Day (Slovakia); German-American Day (United States); Memorial Day for the Martyrs of Arad (Hungary).