The following events occurred in October 1928:
Monday, October 1, 1928
Joseph Stalin announced the first Soviet five-year plan. The Mae West play Pleasure Man was closed down by police after one performance at the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway due to indecency. All 64 members of the cast were thrown in jail. Born: George Peppard, actor, in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1994)
Tuesday, October 2, 1928
Arvid Lindman became Prime Minister of Sweden for the second time. Franklin D. Roosevelt was unanimously selected by Democratic Party leaders as a candidate for New York governor. Roosevelt initially declined consideration for the nomination due to health concerns. The LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin sailed across the English Channel and over parts of England during test flights as it prepared to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Josemaría Escrivá had a vision in which he said that he 'saw' the Opus Dei (Latin for "The Work of God"), a revelation of God's plan for Christians. Thus, the founding date of this Catholic institution is said to be October 2. Born: George McFarland, actor ("Spanky" in Our Gang), in Denison, Texas (d. 1993)
Wednesday, October 3, 1928
All 43 crew on the French submarine Ondine died when the vessel sank off the coast of Portugal after a collision with a Greek ship. Retired boxing champion Gene Tunney and socialite Mary Lauder were married in a hotel in Rome. The U.S. Republican Party publicized a telegram from Charles Lindbergh to Herbert Hoover which served as an endorsement. "Your qualifications as a man and what you stand for, regardless of party, make me feel that the problems which will come before our country during the next four years will be best solved under your leadership", one line from the message read. Born: Edward L. Moyers, railroad executive, near Meridian, Mississippi (d. 2006)
Thursday, October 4, 1928
German voters approved the construction of new battleships in a national referendum. Born: Chief Jay Strongbow, professional wrestler, in Pawhuska, Oklahoma (d. 2012)
Friday, October 5, 1928
Australian explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins published a book entitled Undiscovered Australia, recounting an expedition to the north of the country. The book included a surprising passage in which he claimed to have seen natives of Milingimbi Island with tails. Died: George Beban, 54, American actor and filmmaker
Saturday, October 6, 1928
The Goodyear company was awarded a $7,825,000 contract to build two zeppelins for the U.S. Navy.
Sunday, October 7, 1928
The League of Nations hosted a conference on popular art in Prague. In fiction, H.P. Lovecraft's story "Through the Gates of the Silver Key", Randolph Carter disappears. Born: Muriel Bevis, baseball player, in Corona, New York (d. 2002) Sohrab Sepehri, Iranian poet and painter; in Kashan (d. 1980)
Monday, October 8, 1928
Italy rejected the Anglo-French naval reduction plan, explaining that its needs were different from other nations because of the country's long coastline and many islands. Born: Bill Maynard, comedian and actor, in Heath End, Surrey, England (d. 2018) Died: Larry Semon, 39, American film actor
Tuesday, October 9, 1928
The New York Yankees won the World Series with a 7–3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Sportsman's Park, completing a four-game sweep. The stage musical Paris, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, premiered on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre. Born: Einojuhani Rautavaara, composer, in Helsinki, Finland (d. 2016)
Wednesday, October 10, 1928
Chiang Kai-shek became President of the Republic of China. King George V opened the £100,000 Tyne Bridge, containing Britain's largest steel arch. Born: Sheila Walsh, romance novelist, in Birmingham, England (d. 2009)
Thursday, October 11, 1928
The LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin departed Friedrichshafen with 20 passengers and 40 crew, bound for the United States. Benito Mussolini told a gathering of Italian newspaper editors that they were "the freest in the world" because newspapers in other countries were "organs of plutocratic groups, parties or individuals. In some cases they are reduced to the miserable task of buying and selling exciting news and in other cases they are owned by individuals who consider the newspaper as an ordinary industry, such as the steel or leather industry."
Friday, October 12, 1928
An iron lung was used for the first time, on a polio victim in Boston Children's Hospital.
Hipólito Yrigoyen became President of Argentina for the second time. The Glasgow Queen Street rail accident killed three people in Scotland. Died: Augusta Emma Stetson, 86, American Christian Science leader