BirthLouis Philippe I is bornThe future Citizen King is born in Paris. He would fight for the Revolution, live for years in exile, and become the last French ruler to be called king.1773October 6 in history
A date of sudden turns: a future king's birth, a surprise war, a film that angered a nation, a photo app, and a guitarist's farewell.
October 6 often marks the moment when the ground shifts. In 1773 Louis Philippe was born in the Palais-Royal in Paris, a prince who would fight for the Revolution, flee it, teach under a false name, and finally rule as the Citizen King. Two centuries later, in 1973, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on Yom Kippur, opening a war that shook the region, triggered an oil crisis, and eventually led to peace between Egypt and Israel.
The other anniversaries trace a path through popular culture. In 1978 Midnight Express opened in New York, winning Oscars while drawing protests over its picture of Turkey. In 2010 Instagram arrived on the iPhone and turned filtered, square snapshots into a daily habit for hundreds of millions of people. In 2020 Eddie Van Halen, the Amsterdam-born guitarist who made two-handed tapping famous, died in Santa Monica. Between a royal birth and a rock star’s death, the date moves from palace intrigue to a Mediterranean fortress standing in for Istanbul, and from the battlefields of the Sinai to the screen of a phone.
BirthLouis Philippe I is bornThe future Citizen King is born in Paris. He would fight for the Revolution, live for years in exile, and become the last French ruler to be called king.1773
Historic eventThe Yom Kippur War beginsOn the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, Egypt and Syria launch a surprise attack on Israel, starting a war that later opened the way to peace.1973
PremiereMidnight Express opensAlan Parker's harrowing drama about an American jailed in Turkey opens in New York, winning Oscars and lasting criticism for its portrait of Turks.1978
Science and technologyInstagram launchesA small San Francisco startup puts a photo app with filters and square frames on the App Store, and a million people sign up within two months.2010
DeathEddie Van Halen diesThe Amsterdam-born guitarist who made two-handed tapping a rock staple dies at 65, ending the band that carried his family name.2020