October 31Birthdays & History

On this day: October 31 in history

Oldest first. Tap a year to see it on the World Chronicle timeline.

1. 475Romulus Augustulus is proclaimed Western Roman Emperor.Europe
2. 683During the Siege of Mecca, the Kaaba catches fire and is burned down.Middle East
3. 802Empress Irene is deposed and banished to Lesbos. Conspirators place Nikephoros, the minister of finance, on the Byzantine throne.Europe
4. 932Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadir is killed while fighting against the forces of general Mu'nis al-Muzaffar. Al-Muqtadir's brother al-Qahir is chosen to succeed him.Middle East
5. 1517Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.Europe
6. 1587Leiden University Library opens its doors after its founding in 1575.Europe
7. 1822Emperor Agustín de Iturbide attempts to dissolve the Congress of the Mexican Empire.North AmericaLatin America
8. 1837Approximately 300 Muscogee die in the steamboat Monmouth disaster on the Trail of Tears in the United States.North America
9. 1863The New Zealand Wars resume as British forces in New Zealand led by General Duncan Cameron begin their Invasion of the Waikato.OceaniaEurope
10. 1864Nevada is admitted as the 36th U.S. state.North America
11. 1895The strongest earthquake in the Midwestern United States since 1812 strikes near Charleston, Missouri, causing damage and killing at least two.North America
12. 1903The Purdue Wreck, a railroad train collision in Indianapolis, kills 17 people, including 14 players of the Purdue University football team.North America
13. 1907The Parliament of Finland approved the Prohibition Act, but the law was not implemented because it was not ratified by Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.Europe
14. 1913Dedication of the Lincoln Highway, the first automobile highway across United States.North America
15. 1913The Indianapolis Streetcar Strike and subsequent riot begins.North America
16. 1917World War I: Battle of Beersheba: The "last successful cavalry charge in history".Middle East
17. 1918World War I: The Aster Revolution terminates the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, and Hungary achieves full sovereignty.Europe
18. 1922Benito Mussolini is made Prime Minister of Italy.Europe
19. 1923The first of 160 consecutive days of 100° Fahrenheit at Marble Bar, Western Australia.Oceania
20. 1924World Savings Day is announced in Milan, Italy by the Members of the Association at the 1st International Savings Bank Congress (World Society of Savings Banks).EuropeNorth America
21. 1938Great Depression: In an effort to restore investor confidence, the New York Stock Exchange unveils a fifteen-point program aimed to upgrade protection for the investing public.North America
22. 1940World War II: The Battle of Britain ends, causing Germany to abandon Operation Sea Lion.Europe
23. 1941After 14 years of work, Mount Rushmore is completed.North America
24. 1941World War II: The destroyer USS Reuben James is torpedoed by a German U-boat near Iceland, killing more than 100 U.S. Navy sailors. It is the first U.S. Navy vessel sunk by enemy action in WWII.EuropeNorth America
25. 1943World War II: An F4U Corsair accomplishes the first successful radar-guided interception by a United States Navy or Marine Corps aircraft.North America
26. 1956Hungarian Revolution of 1956: A Revolutionary Headquarters is established in Hungary. Following Imre Nagy's announcement of October 30, banned non-Communist political parties are reformed, and the MDP is replaced by the MSZMP. József Mindszenty is released from prison. The Soviet Politburo makes the decision to crush the Revolution.Europe
27. 1956Suez Crisis: The United Kingdom and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal.Middle EastEurope
28. 1961In the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin's body is removed from Lenin's Mausoleum, and is buried near the Kremlin Wall under a plain white marker.Europe
29. 1963Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum gas explosion: A gas explosion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Indianapolis kills 81 people and injures another 400 during an ice show.North America
30. 1968Great Drought of 1968: Amidst a collapse of hydropower President of Chile Eduardo Frei Montalva decrees the establishment of daylight saving time.Latin America
31. 1968Vietnam 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.AsiaEuropeNorth America
32. 1973Three Provisional Irish Republican Army members escape from Mountjoy Prison, Dublin aboard a hijacked helicopter that landed in the exercise yard.Europe
33. 1979Western Airlines Flight 2605 crashes on landing in Mexico City, killing 73 people.Latin America
34. 1984Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by two Sikh security guards. Riots break out in New Delhi and other cities and around 3,000 Sikhs are killed.Asia
35. 1994American Eagle Flight 4184 crashes near Roselawn, Indiana killing all 68 people on board.North America
36. 1996TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402 crashes in São Paulo, Brazil, killing 99 people.Latin America
37. 1998Iraq disarmament crisis begins: Iraq announces it would no longer cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors.Middle East
38. 1999Yachtsman Jesse Martin returns to Melbourne after 11 months of circumnavigating the world, solo, non-stop and unassisted.Oceania
39. 1999EgyptAir Flight 990 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantucket, killing all 217 people on board.North America
40. 2000Singapore Airlines Flight 006 crashes on takeoff from Taipei, killing 83.Asia
41. 2000Soyuz TM-31 launches, carrying the first resident crew to the International Space Station. The ISS has been crewed continuously since then.World
42. 2002A federal grand jury in Houston, Texas indicts former Enron 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.North America
43. 2003Mahathir 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.Asia
44. 2011The global population of humans reaches seven billion. This day is now recognized by the United Nations as the Day of Seven Billion.World
45. 2014During a test flight, the VSS Enterprise, a Virgin Galactic experimental spaceflight test vehicle, suffers a catastrophic in-flight breakup and crashes in the Mojave Desert, California.North America
46. 2015Metrojet Flight 9268 is bombed over the northern Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board.Middle East
47. 2017A truck drives into a crowd in Lower Manhattan, New York City, killing eight people.North America
48. 2020Berlin Brandenburg Airport opens its doors after nearly 10 years of delays due to construction issues and project corruption.Europe

Source: Wikipedia "October 31" / CC BY-SA 4.0