October 31
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
October 31 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 60 days remaining after October 31 until the end of the year.
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[change] Births
- 1291 – Philippe de Vitry, French composer (d. 1361)
- 1345 – King Fernando I of Portugal (d. 1383)
- 1391 – King Duarte of Portugal (d. 1438)
- 1424 – Wladyslaw III of Poland (d. 1444)
- 1620 – John Evelyn, English writer and diarist (d. 1706)
- 1632 – Johannes Vermeer, Dutch painter (d. 1675)
- 1705 – Pope Clement XIV (d. 1774)
- 1711 – Laura Bassi, Italian university professor (d. 1778)
- 1737 – James Lovell, American educator (d. 1789)
- 1795 – John Keats, English poet (d. 1821)
- 1835 – Adolf von Baeyer, German chemist (d. 1917)
- 1838 – King Louis of Portugal (d. 1889)
- 1851 – Lovisa of Sweden, Queen of Denmark (d. 1926)
- 1854 – Otto Sverdrup, Norwegian polar explorer (d. 1930)
- 1864 – Einar Benediktsson, Icelandic poet and lawyer (d. 1940)
- 1887 – Chiang Kai-shek, Chinese Nationalist politician, President of the Republic of China (d. 1975)
- 1896 – Ethel Waters, American actress and singer (d. 1977)
- 1916 – Carl Johan Bernadotte, Swedish prince
- 1920 – Dick Francis, British author and jockey (d. 2010)
- 1920 – Gunnar Gren, Swedish footballer (d. 1991)
- 1920 – Fritz Walter, German footballer (d. 2002)
- 1922 – Norodom Sihanouk, former King of Cambodia
- 1925 – John Pople, British chemist (d. 2004)
- 1926 – Jimmy Savile, British television presenter and charity fundraiser (d. 2011)
- 1930 – Michael Collins, American astronaut
- 1931 – Dan Rather, American journalist
- 1936 – Michael Landon, American actor (d. 1991)
- 1939 – Ron Rifkin, American actor
- 1942 – David Ogden Stiers, American actor
- 1947 – Herman Van Rompuy, Belgian politician
- 1950 – John Candy, Canadian actor (d. 1994)
- 1961 – Peter Jackson, New Zealand film director
- 1961 – Larry Mullen, Irish musician (U2)
- 1963 – Dermot Mulroney, American actor
- 1963 – Rob Schneider, American actor
- 1963 – Dunga, Brazilian footballer and coach
- 1964 – Marco van Basten, Dutch footballer
- 1967 – Vanilla Ice, American rapper
- 1972 – Matt Dawson, English rugby player
- 1976 – Guti, Spanish footballer
- 1976 – Piper Perabo, American actress
- 1978 – Inka Grings, German footballer
- 1979 – Ricardo Fuller, Jamaican footballer
- 1981 – Frank Iero, rhythm guitarist, back up vocals in My Chemical Romance
- 2000 – Willow Smith, American singer
- 2005 – Infanta Leonor of Spain
[change] Deaths
- 1448 – John VIII Palaeologus, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1390)
- 1723 – Cosimo III de'Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1642)
- 1732 – Victor Amadeus II of Savoy (b. 1666)
- 1765 – Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (b. 1721)
- 1879 – Joseph Hooker, American general (b. 1814)
- 1916 – Charles Taze Russell, American religious leader, founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses (b. 1852)
- 1918 – Egon Schiele, Austrian painter (b. 1890)
- 1926 – Harry Houdini, Hungarian-born magician (b. 1874)
- 1984 – Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (b. 1917)
- 1986 – Robert S. Mulliken, American physicist and chemist (b. 1896)
- 1993 – Federico Fellini, Italian film director (b. 1920)
- 1993 – River Phoenix, American actor (b. 1970)
- 1995 – Rosalind Cash, American actress (b. 1938)
- 1997 – Hans Bauer, German footballer (b. 1927)
- 2006 – Pieter Willem Botha, Apartheid-era President of South Africa (b. 1916)
- 2008 – Studs Terkel, American author, historian, actor and broadcaster (b. 1912)
- 2009 – Qian Xuesen, Chinese scientist (b. 1911)
- 2011 – Florian Albert, Hungarian footballer (b. 1941)
- 2011 – Ali Saibou, 3rd President of Niger (b. 1940)
[change] Events
- 475 – Romulus Augustus is proclaimed Roman Emperor.
- 1517 – Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther posts his 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church.
- 1587 – Leiden University Library opens its doors after its founding in 1575.
- 1822 – Emperor Agustín de Iturbide attempts 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.
- 1912 – Dominican Republic becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
- 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.
- 1924 – World Savings Day was declared in Milano/Italy, by the Italian Professor Ravizza at the 1st International Savings Bank Congress (World Society of Savings Banks).
- 1926 – Magician Harry Houdini dies of gangrene and peritonitis that developed after his appendix ruptured.
- 1936 – The Boy Scouts of the Philippines is 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 October surprise: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 and (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 is shut down.
- 2003 – Mahathir bin Mohamad resigns as Prime Minister of Malaysia after 22 years in power.
- 2010 – Dilma Rousseff is elected the first female President of Brazil.
- 2011 – According to UN estimates, the world population reaches 7 billion.
[change] Holidays and Observances
- Halloween
- Samhain (Paganism)
- Day of the Dead (Mexico)
- Reformation Day (Protestant church)
