October 19, 1781 – British General Lord Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington at Yorktown effectively ending the Revolutionary War (although the final peace treaty is not signed until September 1783).
October 21, 1879 – Thomas Edison successfully tests an electric incandescent lamp at his Menlo Park, New Jersey laboratory keeping it lit for 13 hours.
October 24, 1901 – 63-year-old school teacher Annie Edson Taylor become the first person to take the plunge over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Strapped for cash and hoping for fame and fortune, she came up with her dramatic attention getting plan after reading about interest in the falls because of the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. She survived, but only got fleeting fame for her efforts and no fortune.
October 25, 1983 – The Caribbean Island of Grenada is invaded by the U.S. to, in the words of President Ronald Reagan, “…restore order and democracy…” following a political coup and execution of their Prime Minister.