October 31
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 61 days remaining until the end of the year.
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Births [change]
- 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)
- 1636 - Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (d. 1679)
- 1692 - Comte de Caylus, French archaeologist (d. 1756)
- 1705 – Pope Clement XIV (d. 1774)
- 1711 – Laura Bassi, Italian university professor (d. 1778)
- 1737 – James Lovell, American educator (d. 1789)
- 1740 - William Paca, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1799)
- 1795 – John Keats, English poet (d. 1821)
- 1827 - Richard Morris Hunt, American educator (d. 1895)
- 1828 - Joseph Wilson Swan, English physicist and chemist (d. 1914)
- 1831 - Paolo Mantegazza, Italian neurologist (d. 1910)
- 1835 – Adolf von Baeyer, German chemist (d. 1917)
- 1835 - Adelbert Ames, American politician (d. 1933)
- 1838 – King Louis I of Portugal (d. 1889)
- 1848 - Boston Custer, American general (d. 1876)
- 1851 – Lovisa of Sweden, Queen of Denmark (d. 1926)
- 1854 – Otto Sverdrup, Norwegian polar explorer (d. 1930)
- 1856 - Carlos Antonio Mendoza, 3rd President of Panama (d. 1916)
- 1860 - Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of America (d. 1927)
- 1864 – Einar Benediktsson, Icelandic poet and lawyer (d. 1940)
- 1875 - Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian freedom fighter and statesman (d. 1950)
- 1883 - Marie Laurencin, French painter (d. 1956)
- 1887 – Chiang Kai-shek, Chinese Nationalist politician, President of the Republic of China (d. 1975)
- 1887 - Newsy Lalonde, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1970)
- 1888 - Napoleon Lapathiotis, Greek poet (d. 1941)
- 1888 - George Hubert Wilkins, Australian-born British explorer (d. 1958)
- 1892 - Alexander Alekhine, Russian chess player (d. 1946)
- 1896 – Ethel Waters, American actress and singer (d. 1977)
- 1908 - Muriel Duckworth, Canadian activist (d. 2009)
- 1912 - Dale Evans, American singer and actress (d. 2001)
- 1916 – Carl Johan Bernadotte, Swedish prince (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Dick Francis, British author and jockey (d. 2010)
- 1920 – Gunnar Gren, Swedish footballer (d. 1991)
- 1920 – Fritz Walter, German footballer (d. 2002)
- 1920 - Dedan Kimathi, Kenyan activist (d. 1957)
- 1922 – Norodom Sihanouk, former King of Cambodia (d. 2012)
- 1922 - Anatoli Papanov, Soviet actor (d. 1987)
- 1922 - Barbara Bel Geddes, American actress (d. 2005)
- 1925 – John Pople, British chemist (d. 2004)
- 1926 – Jimmy Savile, British television personality (d. 2011)
- 1928 - Cleo Moore, American actress (d. 1973)
- 1929 - Bud Spencer, Italian movie and television actor
- 1930 – Michael Collins, American astronaut
- 1931 – Dan Rather, American journalist
- 1933 - Phil Goyette, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1933 - Narriman Sadek, Queen of Egypt (d. 2005)
- 1935 - Muhammad Hussein Tantawi, Egyptian general and former caretaker-President
- 1936 – Michael Landon, American actor (d. 1991)
- 1937 - Tom Paxton, American singer-songwriter
- 1939 – Ron Rifkin, American actor
- 1941 - Sally Kirkland, American actress
- 1942 – David Ogden Stiers, American actor
- 1942 - George Brizan, Prime Minister of Grenada (d. 2012)
- 1943 - Paul Frampton, English physicist
- 1944 - Kinky Friedman, American country musician, writer and politician
- 1945 - Russ Ballard, English rock music singer, songwriter and guitarist
- 1945 - Brian Doyle-Murray, American actor
- 1947 – Herman Van Rompuy, Belgian politician
- 1948 - Michael Kitchen, British actor
- 1949 - Bob Siebenberg, American musician
- 1950 - Zaha Hadid, Iraqi-born British architect
- 1950 – John Candy, Canadian actor (d. 1994)
- 1951 - Dave Trembley, American baseball manager
- 1957 - Brian Stokes Mitchell, American singer and actor
- 1959 - Neal Stephenson, American actor
- 1960 - Reza Pahlavi, former Prince of Iran
- 1961 – Peter Jackson, New Zealand movie director
- 1961 – Larry Mullen, Irish musician (U2)
- 1963 - Mikkey Dee, Swedish musician
- 1963 – Dermot Mulroney, American actor
- 1963 – Rob Schneider, American actor
- 1963 – Dunga, Brazilian footballer and coach
- 1964 – Marco van Basten, Dutch footballer
- 1966 - Mike O'Malley, actor
- 1967 - Irina Pantaeva, Russian model and actress
- 1967 – Vanilla Ice, American rapper
- 1968 - Fred McGriff, American baseball player
- 1972 – Matt Dawson, English rugby player
- 1974 - Natasja Saad, Danish musician (d. 2007)
- 1976 – Guti, Spanish footballer
- 1976 – Piper Perabo, American actress
- 1978 – Inka Grings, German footballer
- 1979 - Simao Sabrosa, Portuguese footballer
- 1979 – Ricardo Fuller, Jamaican footballer
- 1981 – Frank Iero, rhythm guitarist, back up vocals in My Chemical Romance
- 1981 - Lollie Alexi Devereaux, French actress and writer
- 1982 - Tomas Plekanec, Czech ice hockey player
- 1983 - Katy French, Irish model (d. 2007)
- 1984 - Scott Clifton, American actor
- 1986 - Christie Hayes, Australian actress
- 1988 - Cole Aldrich, American basketball player
- 1988 - Sebastien Buemi, Swiss racing driver
- 1989 - Warren Weir, Jamaican athlete
- 1992 - Vanessa Mariano, American actress
- 2000 – Willow Smith, American singer
- 2005 – Infanta Leonor of Spain
Deaths [change]
- 1214 - Leonora of England, queen of Alfonso VIII of Castile (b. 1162)
- 1448 – John VIII Palaeologus, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1390)
- 1517 - Fra Bartolommeo, Italian artist (b. 1472)
- 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)
- 1768 - Francesco Maria Veracini, Italian composer (b. 1690)
- 1879 – Joseph Hooker, American general (b. 1814)
- 1883 - Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Indian spiritual figure (b. 1824)
- 1884 - Marie Bashkirtseff, Russian painter (b. 1858)
- 1916 – Charles Taze Russell, American religious leader, founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses (b. 1852)
- 1918 – Egon Schiele, Austrian painter (b. 1890)
- 1925 - Mikhail Frunze, Russian revolutionary (b. 1885)
- 1925 - Max Linder, French actor, director and screenwriter (b. 1883)
- 1926 – Harry Houdini, Hungarian-born magician (b. 1874)
- 1929 - Antonio Jose de Almeida, Portuguese politician (b. 1866)
- 1939 - Otto Rank, Austrian psychologist (b. 1884)
- 1959 - Jean Cabannes, French physicist (b. 1885)
- 1972 - Bill Durnan, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1916)
- 1973 - Malek Bennabi, Algerian thinker (b. 1905)
- 1980 - Jan Werich, Czech actor, playwright and writer (b. 1905)
- 1983 - George Halas, American professional football coach and team owner (b. 1895)
- 1984 – Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (b. 1917)
- 1984 - Eduardo De Filippo, Italian actor and screenwriter (b. 1900)
- 1986 – Robert S. Mulliken, American physicist and chemist (b. 1896)
- 1988 - John Houseman, Romanian-born American actor and director (b. 1902)
- 1993 – Federico Fellini, Italian movie director (b. 1920)
- 1993 – River Phoenix, American actor (b. 1970)
- 1995 – Rosalind Cash, American actress (b. 1938)
- 1997 – Hans Bauer, German footballer (b. 1927)
- 1998 - Elmer Vasko, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1935)
- 2000 - Ring Lardner, Jr., American screenwriter (b. 1915)
- 2002 - Michail Stasinopoulos, Greek politician (b. 1903)
- 2005 - Mary Wimbush, British actress (b. 1924)
- 2006 – Pieter Willem Botha, Apartheid-era President of South Africa (b. 1916)
- 2007 - Ray Gravell, Welsh rugby player (b. 1951)
- 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)
- 2012 - John Fitch, American racing driver, engineer and inventor (b. 1917)
Events [change]
- 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.
- 1876 - A monster cyclone hits India, killing around 200,000 people.
- 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 movie.
- 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.
- 1923 - First of 160 consecutive days when the temperature is at, or over, 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Marble Bar, Western Australia.
- 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.
- 1961 - Hurricane Hattie destroys Belize City, Belize.
- 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.
- 2004 - The first round of the Presidential election in Ukraine results in a run-off between Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych on November 21.
- 2010 – Dilma Rousseff is elected the first female President of Brazil.
- 2011 – According to UN estimates, the world population reaches 7 billion.
- 2011 - UNESCO votes to admit Palestine as a member.
Holidays and Observances [change]
- Halloween
- Samhain (Paganism)
- Day of the Dead (Mexico)
- Reformation Day (Protestant church)
