Looking Ahead

MLK dedication

After a Hurricane Irene-imposed postponement in August, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be officially dedicated on Oct. 16. The new October date is set to coincide with the 16th anniversary of the Million Man March.

EU leaders summit

Leaders of the 27-member European Union will begin two days of meetings on Oct. 17 that will likely be filled with discussions of the Eurozone's debt crisis. As recently as Oct. 3, Greece admitted that it will miss deficit targets it agreed to in July, casting doubt that even a planned second bailout would solve Greece's debt problems.

Vegas debate

It's hard to imagine any serious contenders for the GOP presidential nomination not being in the race by mid-October. So the Oct. 18 Republican debate hosted by Western Republican Leadership Conference in Las Vegas could be GOP voters' first chance to see the settled Republican field.

Weight change

By the time the 24th Convocation of the General Conference on Weights and Measures wraps up its meeting in Sèvres, France, on Oct. 21, the kilogram may have a new weight. Traditionally, the kilogram has had roughly the same mass as a liter of water. Scientists are hoping to recalculate the kilogram to equal exactly the mass of a liter of water. The conference could update other measurements, including the ampere, kelvin, and mole.

Gliding Wright

The Wright Brothers' 1903 flight may be more impressive, but for a solid decade no one could break the gliding record set 100 years ago on Oct. 24 in North Carolina. Orville Wright lifted off in his Wright Glider and soared for 9 minutes and 45 seconds-a feat that enthusiasts will attempt to recreate in North Carolina.

Bolshoi reopens

After a six-year, $730 million restoration, the famed Bolshoi Theater of Moscow will reopen on Oct. 28. Gone are the Soviet symbols that used to adorn the theater's façade. The first performance is scheduled to be Glinka's opera, "Ruslan and Ludmila."