- October 5th – U.S. televangelist John Nunes is found guilty of embezzling $158 million.
- October 9th – An official news agency in the Soviet Union reports the landing of a UFO in Voronezh.
- October 9th – In Leipzig, East Germany, protesters demand the legalization of opposition groups and democratic reforms.
- October 13th – Friday the 13th mini-crash: The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunges 190.58 points, or 6.91 percent, to close at 2,569.26, most likely after the junk bond market collapses.
- October 16th – T.J.M. is born in Forssa, Finland, at 7.30 pm.
- October 17th – The Loma Prieta earthquake, measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale, strikes the San Francisco–Oakland region of Northern California, killing 67 people and delaying the 1989 World Series for ten days.
- October 18th – The Communist leader of East Germany, Erich Honecker, is forced to step down as leader of the country after a series of health problems.
- October 19th – The Guildford Four are freed after 14 years.
- October 19th – The Wonders of Life pavilion opens at Epcot in Walt Disney World, Florida.
- October 21st – The Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations issue the Langkawi Declaration on the Environment, making environmental sustainability one of the Commonwealth's main priorities.
- October 23rd – Wärtsilä Meriteollisuus's bankruptcy is the biggest bankruptcy in Finland.
- October 23rd – The Hungarian Republic is officially declared by president Mátyás Szűrös (replacing the Hungarian People's Republic).
- October 23rd – The Phillips Disaster in Pasadena, Texas kills 23 and injures 314 others.
- October 25th to 27th – Mihail Gorbatšov visits Finland and officially admits Finland's impartiality.
- October 30th – The qualification for the 1990 Football World Cup ends.
nov 11 2009 ∞
nov 27 2009 +
