Columbus Day – The 2nd Monday of October commemorates Italian navigator Christopher Columbus who crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the Santa Maria and landed in the New World on October 12, 1492. The major celebration of the day takes place in New York City, which holds a huge parade each year. The first recorded celebration of Columbus Day in the United States took place on October 12, 1792. Organized by The Society of St. Tammany, also known as the Columbian Order, it commemorated the 300th anniversary of Columbus's landing. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation urging Americans to mark the day. The 400th anniversary of the event, however, inspired the first official Columbus Day holiday in the United States. In 1934 Columbus Day became a federal holiday.

Eleanor Roosevelt (the first lady of the United States Chair of UN Commission on Human Rights) was born in New York in 1884.

National Coming Out Day was founded by Robert Eichberg and Jean O'Leary on October 11, 1988. The purpose of this day is to encourage government and public awareness of gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender rights and to celebrate homosexuality. This international event gives gay, lesbian and bisexual people the opportunity to "come out" to others about their sexuality. It also provides a means of increasing the visibility of gay people. Participants wear gay pride symbols, such as the pink triangle by gay men, the black triangle by lesbians, the Greek letter lambda and the rainbows on clothing and jewellery.