Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/October 1
October 1: National Day in the People's Republic of China (1949); Independence Day in Cyprus and Nigeria (both 1960), Tuvalu (1978) and Palau (1994).
- 331 BC - Alexander the Great of Macedon defeated Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela, and was subsequently crowned "King of Asia" in a ceremony in Arbela.
- 1936 - Francisco Franco was declared Generalísimo and head of state during the Spanish Civil War.
- 1958 - NASA began operations, replacing the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).
- 1964 - Tōkaidō Shinkansen, the first Shinkansen line of high-speed railways in Japan, opened. (0 Series Shinkansen train pictured)
- 1977 - Brazilian football star Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, played his last professional football game.
Recent days: September 30 – September 29 – September 28
More anniversaries: