October 1969

Some of what was going on in “the world” in October 1969.

The Baltimore Orioles and the New York Mets clinched the championships of the American and National baseball leagues on October 6. Except for the creation of east and west divisions of each league, requiring divisional playoffs, Baltimore and New York would have met directly after the season in the World Series. The Mets swept the Atlanta Braves in their best-of-five series, while the Orioles did the same to the Minnesota Twins.

Chicago police and “the Weatherman.”

The first public protests by the radical Weather Underground began October 8 in Chicago, Ill., with “Days of Rage” timed to coincide with the “Chicago Seven” trial of defendants charged with inciting violence at the Democratic Convention of 1968.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets on October 15 to take part in the “Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam.” Demonstrations took place in various cities across country, with the number of protestors in Washington, D.C., estimated at 250,000, and in Boston, 100,000. October 15 was a workday. A larger presence was expected at a second series of demonstrations scheduled for Saturday, November 15.

Mets celebrate a “miracle.”

The Miracle Mets won the World Series in five games, concluding with a 5-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on October 16.

Future U.S. President Bill Clinton was reclassified from 1-S to 1-A by his local draft board on October 30, losing the deferment granted to college students. It ruled he had reneged on his promise to join ROTC at the University of Arkansas. Clinton later received a high number in the draft lottery and never served.