Gore Vidal, American novelist, screenwriter, and critic (died 2012)

Eugene Luther Gore Vidal was an American writer and public intellectual known for his acerbic epigrammatic wit. His novels and essays interrogated the social and sexual norms he perceived as driving American life. Vidal was heavily involved in politics, and unsuccessfully sought office twice as a Democratic Party candidate, first in 1960 to the United States House of Representatives, and later in 1982 to the United States Senate.

October 3 is the 276th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 89 days remain until the end of the year.