1962 major rudolf anderson of the united states air force becomes 10 27
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1962 64 years ago Historical Events October 27 2 sources

Major Rudolf Anderson of the United States Air Force becomes the only direct human casualty of the Cuban Missile Crisis when his U-2 reconnaissance airplane is shot down over Cuba by a Soviet-supplied surface-to-air missile.

On October 27, in the year 1962, Major Rudolf Anderson of the United States Air Force becomes the only direct human casualty of the Cuban Missile Crisis when his U-2 reconnaissance airplane is shot down over Cuba by a Soviet-supplied surface-to-air missile. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of October 27, one of 441 recorded events on this date across all of history.

Rudolf Anderson Jr. was an American Air Force major and pilot. He was the first recipient of the Air Force Cross, the U.S. military's and Air Force's second-highest award and decoration for valor. The only U.S. fatality by enemy fire during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Anderson was killed when his U-2 reconnaissance aircraft was shot down over Cuba. He had previously served in Korea during the Korean War.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on October 27, 1962 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 12 October 2026.

On This Date in History 441

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2025 Oct 27 Prunella Scales, English actress (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2023 Oct 27 Li Keqiang, premier of China (born 1955)
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Notable Deaths 2019 Oct 27 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL); suicide (born 1971)
Selected Events 2019 Oct 27 The Mocking of Christ (pictured) by Cimabue sold at auction in France for €19.5 million, a record for a pre-1500…
Historical Events 2018 Oct 27 A gunman opens fire on a Pittsburgh synagogue killing eleven and injuring six, including four police officers.
Historical Events 2018 Oct 27 Leicester City F.C. owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha dies in a helicopter crash along with four others after a Premier…
Notable Deaths 2018 Oct 27 Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, Thai businessman, chairman of Leicester City F.C. (born 1958)
Historical Events 2017 Oct 27 Catalonia declares independence from Spain.
Notable Deaths 2016 Oct 27 Takahito, Prince Mikasa, member of the Imperial Family of Japan (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 27 Ayerdhal, French author (born 1959)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 27 Ranjit Roy Chaudhury, Indian pharmacologist and academic (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 27 Betsy Drake, French-American actress and singer (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 27 Philip French, English journalist, critic, and producer (born 1933)
Historical Events 2014 Oct 27 Britain withdraws from Afghanistan at the end of Operation Herrick, after 12 years four months and seven days.
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 27 Daniel Boulanger, French actor and screenwriter (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 27 Shin Hae-chul, South Korean singer-songwriter and producer (born 1968)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 27 Starke Taylor, American soldier and politician, mayor of Dallas (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 27 Noel Davern, Irish lawyer and politician, Minister for Education and Skills (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 27 Leonard Herzenberg, American immunologist, geneticist, and academic (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 27 Luigi Magni, Italian director and screenwriter (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 27 Lou Reed, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 27 Michael Wilkes, English general and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 27 Vinko Coce, Croatian opera and pop singer (born 1954)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 27 Terry Callier, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 27 Angelo Maria Cicolani, Italian engineer and politician (born 1952)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 27 Regina Dourado, Brazilian actress (born 1952)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 27 Hans Werner Henze, German composer and educator (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 27 Rodney S. Quinn, American colonel, pilot, and politician, 44th Secretary of State of Maine (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 27 Göran Stangertz, Swedish actor and director (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2011 Oct 27 James Hillman, American psychologist and author (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2011 Oct 27 Robert Pritzker, American businessman, co-founded Marmon Group (born 1926)
Selected Events 2011 Oct 27 Michael D. Higgins (pictured) was elected President of Ireland with far more votes than any politician in the…
Notable Deaths 2010 Oct 27 Néstor Kirchner, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 51st President of Argentina (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2009 Oct 27 John David Carson, American actor (born 1952)
Notable Deaths 2009 Oct 27 August Coppola, American author and academic (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2009 Oct 27 David Shepherd, English cricketer and umpire (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2009 Oct 27 Taylor Mitchell, Canadian singer and songwriter (born 1990)
Notable Deaths 2008 Oct 27 Chris Bryant, English actor and screenwriter (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2008 Oct 27 Ray Ellis, American conductor and producer (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2008 Oct 27 Frank Nagai, Japanese singer (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2008 Oct 27 Roy Stewart, Jamaican-English actor and stuntman (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2007 Oct 27 Moira Lister, South African actress (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2006 Oct 27 Jozsef Gregor, Hungarian opera singer (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2006 Oct 27 Reko Lundán, Finnish journalist and author (born 1969)
Notable Deaths 2006 Oct 27 Marlin McKeever, American football player (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2006 Oct 27 Joe Niekro, American baseball player (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2006 Oct 27 Brad Will, American journalist and activist (born 1970)
Notable Deaths 2005 Oct 27 Jerry Cooke, Ukrainian-American photographer and journalist (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2004 Oct 27 Lester Lanin, American bandleader (born 1907)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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