This Day In History : October 1

1971 United States

Walt Disney World opened

Walt Disney World opened near Orlando, Florida, on October 1, 1971. It is a large entertainment complex featuring theme parks, resorts, water parks, and various recreational and dining facilities. Disney World quickly became a major tourist destination and remains one of the most visited vacation resorts in the world.

Also on This Day in History October 1

Discover what happened on October 1 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, October 1
  • 1939 George R. Carruthers

    Black-American astrophysicist who was the principal inventor of a new space camera to measure ultraviolet light which can be used to identify interstellar atoms and molecules.

  • 1867 Wilder Dwight Bancroft

    American physical chemist who introduced a number of thermodynamic and colloid-chemical concepts into American physicochemistry.

  • 1904 Otto Robert Frisch

    Austrian-British nuclear physicist, born in Vienna, who, with his aunt Lise Meitner, described the division of neutron-bombarded uranium into lighter elements.

  • 1842 Charles Cros

    Charles Cros was a French inventor and poet whose work in several fields foreshadowed or paralleled important developments.

  • 1881 William E. Boeing

    William Edward Boeing was an American aviation pioneer who began a lumber business in 1902.

Deaths on This Day, October 1
  • 1945 Walter Bradford Cannon

    American physiologist and neurologist who was the first to use X-rays in physiological studies.

  • 1969 Thomas Francis Jr.

    American physician, physician, virologist and epidemiologist who was the first in the U.S. to isolate the virus influenza A (1934) and showed that there are other strains, such as influenza B (1940).

  • 1990 John Stewart Bell II

    Northern Irish physicist who has been described as breathing “new and exciting life into the foundations of quantum theory.”

  • 1953 Edwin Joseph Cohn

    American biochemist who helped develop the methods of cold ethanol blood fractionation (the separation of plasma proteins into fractions).

  • 1974 Spyridon Marinatos

    Spyridon Nikolaou Marinatos was a Greek archaeologist whose most notable discovery was the site of an ancient port city on the island of Thera, in the southern Aegean Sea.

1553

Coronation of Queen Mary I of England

Queen Mary I of England was crowned on October 1, 1553. Her coronation marked a significant moment in English history as she became the first queen regnant of England, succeeding her half-brother Edward VI.
1891

Stanford University opened in California

Stanford University was officially opened on October 1, 1891, in California, United States. Founded by railroad magnate Leland Stanford and his wife Jane Stanford, the university quickly established itself as a prestigious institution of higher learning on the West Coast of the United States.
1960

Nigeria gains independence from the United Kingdom

Nigeria gained its independence from the United Kingdom on October 1, 1960. This marked a significant milestone in the country's history, as it became a sovereign nation within the Commonwealth of Nations, with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa serving as its first Prime Minister.
1992

The Cartoon Network is launched

The Cartoon Network was launched on October 1, 1992. It became a dedicated television channel that primarily aired animated programming aimed at children and young audiences, featuring a wide range of cartoon shows and series. The network quickly gained popularity and became a prominent platform for cartoons from various studios and creators.
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