October 31 - Definition and Overview

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

• Halloween
• Samhain (an approximate date)
• Reformation Day

October 30 - November 1 - September 30 - November 30 -- listing of all days