October 31 in recent years
2009 (Friday)
2008 (Thursday)
2007 (Tuesday)
2006 (Monday)
2005 (Sunday)
2004 (Saturday)
2003 (Thursday)
2002 (Wednesday)
2001 (Tuesday)
2000 (Monday)
October 31 leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are 60 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events [ ] 445 BC - Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 9:1, NLTse).475 - Romulus Augustulus was proclaimed Roman Emperor .1517 - Protestant Reformation : Martin Luther posts his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg .1587 - Leiden University Library opens its doors after its founding in 1575 .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 .1876 - A monster cyclone ravages India , resulting in over 200,000 human deaths.1892 - Arthur Conan Doyle publishes The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes .1912 - The Musketeers of Pig Alley 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"1918 - Banat Republic founded1923 - 160 consecutive days of 100 degrees at Marble Bar , Australia begins.1924 - World Savings Day was announced in Milano /Italy by the Members of the Association 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 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. It is the first U.S. Navy vessel sunk by enemy action in WWII.
1943 - World War II : F4U Corsair accomplishes the first successful radar guided interception.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 .1959 - Lee Harvey Oswald attempted to renounce his American citizenship at the US Embassy in Moscow, USSR.1961 - In the Soviet Union , Joseph Stalin 's body is removed from Lenin's Tomb .1963 - Indiana State Fair Coliseum (now Pepsi Coliseum ) explosion in Indianapolis kills 74 people during an ice skating show. The mammoth explosion injured 400. A faulty propane tank connection in a concession stand was blamed.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 .1975 - Queen released their hit single, Bohemian Rhapsody 1983 - Match Game Hollywood Squares Hour premieres on NBC1984 - 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).1986 - The 5th congress of the Communist Party of Sweden is inaugurated. During the course of the congress the party name is changed to the Solidarity Party and the party ceases to be a communist party.1991 - A three day long snow and ice storm, dubbed the Halloween Blizzard , begins over portions of the Upper Midwest of the United States.1994 - An American Eagle ATR-72 crashes in Roselawn , after circling in icy weather, killing 68 passengers and crew.1996 - A Brazilian TAM Fokker F100 crashes into several houses in São Paulo killing 98 including 2 on the ground.1996 - Jean Chrétien becomes UN special envoy to the African Great Lakes .
1997 - 19-year-old British au pair Louise Woodward , convicted by a Cambridge , jury of second-degree murder the day before, is sentenced to life in prison.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 , 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 .
1999 - Yachtsman Jesse Martin returns to Melbourne after 11 months of circumnavigating the world, solo, non-stop and unassisted.
2000 - A Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400 operating as Flight 006 collides with construction equipment upon takeoff in Taipei, Taiwan killing 79 passengers and 4 crew members2000 - A chartered Antonov An-26 explodes after takeoff in Northern Angola killing 50
2000 - The last Multics machine was shut down.
2002 - A federal grand jury in Houston formally indicted former Enron Corp. chief financial officer Andrew Fastow on 78 counts of wire fraud , money laundering , conspiracy and obstruction of justice related to the collapse of his ex-employer.2003 - A bankruptcy court approves MCI 's reorganization plans, essentially clearing the telecommunications company to exit bankruptcy.2003 - Mahathir bin Mohamad resigns as Prime Minister of Malaysia and is replaced by Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi , marking an end to Mahathir's 22 years in power.
2004 - Passenger airline service ends at Mirabel International Airport in Montreal , Canada .2005 - President George W. Bush nominates Appeals court judge Samuel Alito to join the Supreme Court of the United States .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 - King Wladislaus III of Poland (d. 1444 )1538 - Caesar Baronius , Italian cardinal and historian (d. 1607 )1599 - Denzil Holles , English statesman and writer (d. 1680 )1620 - John Evelyn , English diarist (d. 1706 )1622 - Pierre Paul Puget , French artist (d. 1694 )1632 - (baptism) Johannes Vermeer , Flemish painter (d. 1675 )1636 - Ferdinand Maria (d. 1679 )1692 - Comte de Caylus , French archaeologist (d. 1765 )1705 - Pope Clement XIV (d. 1774 )1711 - Laura Bassi , Italian scholar (d. 1778 )1724 - Christopher Anstey , English writer (d. 1805 )1737 - James Lovell , American educator (d. 1789 )1795 - John Keats , British poet (d. 1821 )1815 - Karl Weierstraß , German mathematician (d. 1897 )1825 - Charles Lavigerie , French cardinal (d. 1892 )1827 - Richard Morris Hunt , American educator (d. 1895 )1831 - Paolo Mantegazza , Italian neurologist (d. 1910 )1835 - Adolf von Baeyer , German chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1917 )1835 - Krišjānis Barons , Latvian writer (d. 1923 )
1838 - King Louis of Portugal (d. 1889 )1848 - Boston Custer , brother of George Armstrong Custer (d. 1876 )1851 - Lovisa of Sweden , queen of Denmark (d. 1926 )1860 - Juliette Low , American founder of the Girl Scouts (d. 1927 )1875 - Eugene Meyer , American businessman and newspaper publisher (d. 1954 )1875 - Vallabhbhai Patel , Indian freedom fighter and statesman (d. 1950 )
1879 - Sara Allgood , Irish actress (d. 1950 )1883 - Marie Laurencin , French painter (d. 1956 )1887 - Chiang Kai-shek , Nationalist Chinese leader, former Republic of China president (d. 1975 )1887 - Newsy Lalonde , Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1970 )
1888 - Napoleon Lapathiotis , Greek poet (d. 1944 )1892 - Alexander Alekhine , Russian chess player (d. 1946 )1895 - Basil Liddell Hart , British military historian (d. 1970 )1896 - Ethel Waters , American singer and actress (d. 1977 )1902 - Abraham Wald , Hungarian mathematician (d. 1950 )1912 - Dale Evans , American singer and actress (d. 2001 )1912 - Ollie Johnston , American animator
1914 - Joe Carcione , American consumer advocate (d. 1988 )1914 - John Hugenholtz , Dutch race track designer (d. 1995 )
1916 - Carl Johan Bernadotte , formerly Prince of Sweden1917 - Thomas Hill , Canadian actor1918 - Ian Stevenson , American parapsychologist (d. 2007 )1919 – Magnus Wenninger , American priest, author of Polyhedron models 1920 - Dick Francis , Welsh novelist1920 - Joseph Gelineau French composer
1920 - Dedan Kimathi , Kenyan rebel leader (d. 1957 )
1920 - Helmut Newton , German photographer (d. 2004 )
1920 - Fritz Walter , German footballer (d. 2002 )
1922 - Barbara Bel Geddes , American actress (d. 2005 )1922 - Illinois Jacquet , American saxophonist (d. 2004 )
1922 - King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia
1925 - John Pople , English chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 2004 )1926 - Jimmy Savile , English entertainer1927 - Lee Grant , American actress1928 - Cleo Moore , American actress (d. 1973 )1929 - Eddie Charlton , Australian snooker player (d. 2004 )1929 - Bud Spencer , Italian actor
1930 - Michael Collins , American astronaut1931 - Dan Rather , American television journalist1933 - Phil Goyette , Canadian ice hockey player1936 - Michael Landon , American actor (d. 1991 )1937 - Tom Paxton , American singer-songwriter1939 - Ron Rifkin , American actor1939 - Tom O'Connor , British comedian
1939 - Alui Farka Touré , Malian musician
1941 - Derek Bell , British racing driver1941 – Dan Alderson , American scientist
1942 - Dave McNally , American baseball player (d. 2002 )1942 - David Ogden Stiers , American actor
1943 - Paul Frampton , English physicist1944 - Kinky Friedman , American musician and novelist1945 - Brian Doyle-Murray , American comedian and actor1945 - Russ Ballard , English rock singer/songwriter, guitarist (Argent )
1946 - Stephen Rea , Irish actor1946 - Norman Lovett , British actor
1947 - Deidre Hall , American actress1947 - Frank Shorter , American runner
1949 - Bob Siebenberg , American drummer (Supertramp )1950 - John Candy , Canadian comedian and actor (d. 1994 )1950 - Jane Pauley , American news anchor
1950 - Zaha Hadid , British architect
1950 - Antonio Taguba , US Army Major General 1952 - Bernard Edwards , American bass guitarist (Chic ) (d. 1996 )1953 - Michael J. Anderson , American actor1953 - John Lucas II , American basketball player and coach
1954 - Ken Wahl , American actor1957 - Robert Pollard , American rocker1958 - Jeannie Longo , French cyclist1958 - Brian Stokes Mitchell , American singer and actor
1959 - Neal Stephenson , American author1959 - Mats Näslund , Swedish ice hockey player
1960 - Luis Fortuño , Puerto Rican delegate to Congress1960 - Arnaud Desplechin , French film director
1960 - Mike Gallego , American baseball player
1960 - Reza Pahlavi , former crown prince of Iran
1961 - Peter Jackson , New Zealand film director1961 - Larry Mullen , Irish drummer (U2 )
1961 - Alonzo Babers , American runner
1961 - Kate Campbell , American musician
1963 - Mikkey Dee , Swedish musician, drummer for Motörhead 1963 - Dunga , Brazilian footballer
1963 - Johnny Marr , English guitarist and songwriter (The Smiths )
1963 - Fred McGriff , American baseball player
1963 - Dermot Mulroney , American actor
1963 - Rob Schneider , American actor
1964 - Colm O'Ciosoig , Irish drummer (My Bloody Valentine , Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions )1964 - Marco van Basten , Dutch footballer
1964 - Marty Wright , American professional wrestler
1964 - Darryl Worley , American country singer
1965 - Annabella Lwin , British singer (Bow Wow Wow )1966 - Adam Horovitz , American rapper (Beastie Boys )1966 - Koji Kanemoto , Japanese professional wrestler
1966 - Joseph Boyden , Canadian novelist
1968 - Antonio Davis , American basketball player1968 - Vanilla Ice , American rapper
1969 - Mike O'Malley , American actor1969 - David Coburn , American actor/voice actor
1970 - Nicky Wu , Taiwanese actor and martial arts expert1970 - Linn Berggren , Swedish singer (Ace of Base )
1970 - Rogers Stevens , American guitarist (Blind Melon )
1970 - Mitch Harris , American guitarist (Napalm Death , among others)
1970 - Johnny Moeller , American blues guitarist
1970 - Steve Trachsel , American baseball player
1971 - Alphonso Ford , American basketball player (d. 2004 )1971 - Ian Walker , English footballer
1971 - Toby Anstis , British radio presenter
1972 - Shaun Bartlett , South African footballer1972 - Matt Dawson , English rugby player
1973 - David Dellucci , American baseball player1973 - Grigorios Georgatos , Greek footballer
1973 - Beverly Lynne , American erotic film actress
1974 - Muzzy Izzet , Turkish footballer1975 - Fabio Celestini , Swiss footballer1976 - Piper Perabo , American actress1976 - José María Gutiérrez , Spanish footballer
1977 - Séverine Ferrer , French singer1977 - Sylviane Félix , French athlete
1978 - Emmanuel Izonritei , Nigerian boxer1978 - Martin Verkerk , Dutch tennis player
1978 - Zachary Knighton , American actor
1979 - Saaphyri Windsor , American reality tv figure1979 - Simão Sabrosa , Portuguese footballer1980 - Eddie Kaye Thomas , American actor,1980 - Samaire Armstrong , American actress
1981 - Irina Denezhkina , Russian writer1981 - Frank Iero , American musician (My Chemical Romance , Leathermouth , Pencey Prep ; founder of Skeleton Crew )
1981 - Selina (Jiaxuan) Ren , member of Taiwanese girl-group S.H.E
1981 - Jon Crocker , American songwriter
1982 - Tomáš Plekanec , Czech ice hockey player1982 - The Cheeky Girls , British-Romanian singers
1986 - Christie Hayes , Australian actress1986 - Chris Alajajian , Australian racing driver
1988 - Sébastien Buemi , Swiss racing driver1991 - Jordan-Claire Green , American actress2005 - Infanta Leonor of Spain , daughter of Felipe and Letizia Deaths [ ] 1147 - Robert , English politician (bc. 1090 )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 )1641 - Cornelis Jol , Dutch admiral and privateer (b. 1597 )1659 - John Bradshaw , English judge (b. 1602 )1723 - Cosimo III de' Medici (b. 1642 )1732 - Victor Amadeus II of Savoy (b. 1666 )1733 - Eberhard IV Ludwig, Duke of Württemberg (b. 1676 )1744 - Leonardo Leo , Italian composer (b. 1694 )1765 - Prince William Augustus , English military leader (b. 1721 )1768 - Francesco Maria Veracini , Italian composer (b. 1690 )1860 - Thomas Cochrane , British admiral (b. 1775 )1879 - Jacob Abbott , American author (b. 1803 )1879 - Joseph Hooker , American General (b. 1814 )1884 - Marie Bashkirtseff , Russian painter (b. 1858 )1913 - William Evans-Gordon , British politician (b. 1857 )1916 - Charles Taze Russell , American founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses (b. 1852 )1918 - Egon Schiele , Austrian painter (b. 1890 )1920 - Alphonse Desjardins , founder of the Caisses populaires Desjardins (b. 1854 )1925 - Max Linder , French actor, director and screenwriter (b. 1883 )1926 - Harry Houdini , Hungarian-born magician (b. 1874 )1939 - Otto Rank , Austrian psychologist (b. 1884 )1943 - Max Reinhardt , German film director (b. 1873 )1952 - U Chit Hlaing , Burmese politician (b. 1879 )1959 - Jean Cabannes , French physicist (b. 1885 )1972 - Bill Durnan , Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1916 )1975 - SD Burman , Indian musician (b. 1906 )1983 - George Halas , American football player, 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 )
1985 - Poul Reichhardt , Danish actor (b. 1913 )1985 - Nikos Engonopoulos , Greek painter and poet (b. 1907 )
1985 - Anton Christoforidis , Greek boxer (b. 1918 )
1986 - Robert S. Mulliken , American physicist and chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1896 )1987 - Joseph Campbell , American author and expert on mythology (b. 1904 )1988 - John Houseman , Romanian-born actor and director (b. 1902 )1988 - Alfred Pellan , Québécois painter (b. 1906 )
1991 - Joseph Papp , American theatrical producer (b. 1921 )1991 - Gene Anderson , American professional wrestler (b. 1933 )
1993 - Federico Fellini , Italian director (b. 1920 )1993 - River Phoenix , American actor (drug overdose) (b. 1970 )
1995 - Rosalind Cash , American actress (b. 1938 )1996 - Marcel Carné , French film director (b. 1906 )1998 - Elmer Vasko , Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1935 )1999 - Greg Moore , Canadian race car driver (b. 1975 )2000 - Watanabe Kazuki Japanese musician (Raphael ) (b. 1981 )2000 - Ring Lardner , American screenwriter (b. 1915 )
2001 - Régine Cavagnoud , French skier (b. 1970 )2002 - Lionel Poilâne , French baker and entrepreneur (b. 1945 )2002 - Michail Stasinopoulos , Greek politician, former president of Greece (b. 1903 )
2002 - Raf Vallone , Italian actor (b. 1916 )
2003 - Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer , Indian singer (b. 1908 )2003 - Dharmsamrat Paramhans Swami Madhavananda , Indian guru (b. 1923 )
2003 - Richard Neustadt , American political historian (b. 1919 )
2005 - Mary Wimbush , English actress (b. 1924 )2005 - John "Beatz" Holohan , American drummer (Bayside ) (b. 1974 )
2005 - Hal Anger , American biophysicist (b. 1920 )
2006 - Pieter Willem Botha , President of South Africa (b. 1916 )2007 - Ray Gravell , Welsh rugby union player (b. 1951 )Holidays and observances [ ] External links [ ]
120 Familypedia people were born on October 31
134 Familypedia people died on October 31
93 Familypedia people were first married on October 31