in the United States. September 9 – The long-running comic strip For Better or For Worse begins its run, in Canada, before becoming syndicated elsewhere in North America and the world. September 12 – Hurricane Frederic makes landfall at 10:00 p.m. on Alabama's Gulf Coast. September 13 – South Africa grants independence to the "homeland" of Venda (not recognised outside South Africa). September 16 East German balloon escape: Two families flee from East Germany by balloon. The Sugarhill Gang release Rapper's Delight in the United States, the first rap single to become a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. September 20 – French paratroopers help David Dacko to overthrow Emperor Bokassa in the Central African Republic. September 22 – Vela incident: The "South Atlantic Flash" is observed near the Prince Edward Islands in the Indian Ocean, thought to be a nuclear weapons test conducted by South Africa and Israel. September 29 – The overthrown dictator Francisco Macías Nguema of Equatorial Guinea is convicted of genocide and executed by firing squad. September 30 – The Hong Kong MTR metro begins service with the opening of its Modified Initial System, the Kwun Tong Line. October October 1 – Nigeria terminates military rule, and the Second Nigerian Republic is established. October 1–7 – Pope John Paul II visits the United States, starting in Boston. October 1 – The MTR, the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong, opens. October 2 – Pope John Paul II arrives in New York City for his first papal tour where he addresses the U.N. General Assembly against all forms of concentration camps and torture. October 6 – Federal Reserve System changes from an interest rate target policy to a money supply target policy. October 7 – Pope John Paul II ends his first U.S. papal visit in Washington, D.C. with his first-ever visit to the White House. October 9 – Peter Brock wins the Bathurst 1000 by a record six laps, with a lap record on the last lap. October 12 Near Guam, Typhoon Tip reaches a record intensity of 870 millibars, the lowest pressure recorded at sea level. This makes Tip the most powerful tropical cyclone in known world history. Thorbjörn Fälldin returns as Prime Minister of Sweden, replacing Ola Ullsten who is named Foreign Minister of Sweden. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the first novel by Douglas Adams, is published in the