Egypt and Syria launched a coordinated surprise attack on Israeli forces, beginning the Yom Kippur War.
Sources: World Jewish Congress ; Oxford University Press (Dubuisson & Koutroulis) ; Encyclopaedia Britannica
Politics
Ceiling of Debre Birhan Selassie church, Gondar, Ethiopia. Photo: Rod Waddington, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence · Source
On this day: October 6 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
Public Domain (Egypt), Wikimedia Commons Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated by Islamist militants during a military parade in Cairo.
Sources: Brookings Institution ; BBC News (On This Day) ; Arab News
Death
Algerian Presidency, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 2012 Chadli Bendjedid, who served as President of Algeria from 1979 to 1992, died.
Sources: The Guardian ; Al Jazeera ; Los Angeles Times
Death
Photo by Warren K. Leffler, U.S. News & World Report / Library of Congress, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1917 Fannie Lou Hamer, American voting-rights and civil rights activist, was born in Mississippi.
Sources: National Women's History Museum ; Encyclopaedia Britannica
BirthTony Greig, South African-born England cricket captain and later broadcaster, was born.
Sources: The Guardian ; The Scotsman
Sports