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October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining, as the final day of October.
Events
- 475 - Romulus Augustus was proclaimed Roman Emperor.
- 1517 - Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther posts his 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church.
- 1822 - Emperor Agustín de Iturbide attempted to dissolve the Mexican Empire.
- 1861 - American Civil War: Citing failing health, Union General Winfield Scott resigns as Commander of the United States Army.
- 1863 - The Maori Wars resumed as British forces in New Zealand led by General Duncan Cameron began their Invasion of the Waikato.
- 1864 - Nevada is admitted as the 36th U.S. state.
- 1892 - Arthur Conan Doyle publishes The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- 1912 - The Musketeers of Pig Alley, directed by D.W. Griffith, debuts as the first gangster film.
- 1917 - World War I: Battle of Beersheba - "last successful cavalry charge in history"
- 1922 - Benito Mussolini becomes the youngest Premier in the history of Italy.
- 1926 - Magician Harry Houdini dies of gangrene and peritonitis that developed after his appendix ruptured.
- 1936 - The Boy Scouts of the Philippines was formed.
- 1938 - Great Depression: In an effort to try restore investor confidence, the New York Stock Exchange unveils a fifteen-point program aimed to upgrade protection for the investing public.
- 1940 - World War II: Battle of Britain ends - The United Kingdom prevents Germany from invading Great Britain.
- 1941 - After 14 years of work, drilling is completed on Mount Rushmore.
- 1941 - World War II: The destroyer USS Reuben James is torpedoed by a German U-boat near Iceland, killing more than 100 United States Navy sailors.
- 1941 - American photographer Ansel Adams takes a picture of a moonrise over the town of Hernandez, New Mexico that would become one of the most famous images in the history of photography.
- 1954 - Algerian War of Independence: The Algerian National Liberation Front begins a revolt against French rule.
- 1956 - Suez Crisis: The United Kingdom and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal.
- 1961 - In the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin's body is removed from Lenin's Tomb.
- 1968 - Vietnam War: Citing progress with the Paris peace talks, US President Lyndon B. Johnson announces to the nation that he has ordered a complete cessation of "all air, naval, and artillery bombardment of North Vietnam" effective November 1.
- 1984 - Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by two Sikh security guards (riots soon broke out in New Delhi and nearly 2,000 innocent Sikhs were killed).
- 1994 - An American Eagle ATR-72 crashes in Roselawn, Indiana, after circling in icy weather, killing 64 passengers.
- 1996 - A Brazilian TAM Fokker-100 crashes into several houses in São Paulo, Brazil killing 98 including 2 on the ground
- 1998 - Iraq disarmament crisis begins: Iraq announces it would no longer cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors.
- 1999 - EgyptAir Flight 990 traveling from New York City to Cairo crashes off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, killing all 217 on-board.
- 1999 - Roman Catholic Church and Lutheran Church leaders sign the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, ending a centuries-old doctrinal dispute over the nature of faith and salvation.
- 2000 - A Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400 crashes immediately after takeoff in Taipei, Taiwan killing 81
- 2000 - A chartered Antonov AN-26 explodes after takeoff in Northern Angola killing 50
- 2000 - The last Multics machine was shut down.
- 2003 - Mahathir bin Mohamad resigns as Prime Minister of Malaysia after 22 years in power.
Births
- 1345 - King Fernando of Portugal (d. 1383)
- 1391 - King Duarte of Portugal (d. 1438)
- 1620 - John Evelyn, diarist (d. 1706)
- 1632 - Johannes Vermeer, painter (he was actually baptised on that day, his birthdate is not confirmed) (d. 1675)
- 1705 - Pope Clement XIV (d. 1774)
- 1795 - John Keats, British poet (d. 1821)
- 1815 - Karl Weierstraß, German mathematician (d. 1897)
- 1851 - Princess Louise of Sweden (d. 1926)
- 1860 - Juliette Low, founder of the Girl Scouts
- 1875 - Eugene Meyer, American businessman and newspaper publisher (The Washington Post) (d. 1954)
- 1887 - Chiang Kai-shek, Nationalist Chinese leader (d. 1975)
- 1892 - Alexander Alekhine, chess player (d. 1946)
- 1896 - Ethel Waters, singer, actress (d. 1977)
- 1912 - Dale Evans, singer, actress (d. 2001)
- 1920 - Dick Francis, novelist
- 1920 - Helmut Newton, photographer
- 1920 - Fritz Walter, German football player
- 1922 - Barbara Bel Geddes, actress
- 1922 - Illinois Jacquet, musician
- 1922 - Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia
- 1925 - John Anthony Pople, British theoretical chemist (d. 2004)
- 1927 - Lee Grant, actress
- 1929 - Eddie Charlton, Australian snooker player
- 1930 - Michael Collins, American astronaut
- 1931 - Dan Rather, American news anchor
- 1936 - Michael Landon, actor (d. 1991)
- 1937 - Tom Paxton, folk music singer
- 1939 - Ron Rifkin, actor
- 1944 - Kinky Friedman, musician, novelist
- 1945 - Brian Doyle-Murray, American comedian and actor
- 1947 - Deidre Hall, soap opera actress
- 1947 - Frank Shorter, marathon runner
- 1949 - Stephen Rea, actor
- 1950 - John Candy, Canadian comedian and actor (d. 1994)
- 1950 - Jane Pauley, news anchor
- 1953 - Michael J. Anderson, American actor
- 1959 - Neal Stephenson, author
- 1961 - Peter Jackson, New Zealand film director
- 1961 - Larry Mullen, Irish drummer for the rock band U2
- 1961 - Alonzo Babers, American runner
- 1963 - Fred McGriff, baseball player
- 1963 - Rob Schneider, actor
- 1964 - Marco van Basten, Dutch football player
- 1966 - Adam Horovitz, singer ("The Beastie Boys")
- 1968 - Vanilla Ice, rap music singer
- 1971 - Alphonso Ford, Euroleague superstar (d. 2004)
- 1981 - S.H.E member, Selina Ren; Taiwanese girl-band
- 1986 - Christie Hayes, Australian actress
Deaths
- 1448 - John VIII Palaeologus, Byzantine Emperor
- 1732 - Victor Amadeus II of Savoy
- 1768 - Francesco Maria Veracini, composer
- 1879 - Jacob Abbott, American author
- 1916 - Charles Taze Russell, Jehovah's Witnesses founder
- 1926 - Harry Houdini, magician
- 1939 - Otto Rank, Austrian psychologist
- 1943 - Max Reinhardt, German director
- 1983 - George Halas, American football player, coach, team owner
- 1984 - Indira Gandhi, prime minister of India
- 1986 - Robert S. Mulliken, American physicist, chemist
- 1987 - Joseph Campbell, American author and expert on mythology
- 1988 - John Houseman, actor, director, teacher
- 1991 - Joseph Papp, theatrical producer
- 1993 - Federico Fellini, Italian director
- 1993 - River Phoenix, actor
- 1999 - Greg Moore, CART driver (b. 1975)
- 2000 - Ring Lardner, Jr., American screenwriter
- 2001 - Régine Cavagnoud, ski athlete
- 2001 - Paul Warnke, politician
- 2002 - Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell), rapper (Run DMC)
- 2003 - Dharmsamrat Paramhans Swami Madhavananda, Hindu guru
- 2003 - Richard Neustadt, political historian
- 2003 - Semmangudy, famous Carnatic vocalist
Holidays and observances
October 30 - November 1 - September 30 - November 30 -- listing of all days
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