October 31

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.

Events

• 475 – Romulus Augustulus is proclaimed Western Roman Emperor.
• 683 – During the Siege of Mecca, the Kaaba catches fire and is burned down.
• 802 – Empress Irene is deposed and banished to Lesbos. Conspirators place Nikephoros, the minister of finance, on the Byzantine throne.
• 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 attempts to dissolve the Congress of 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 resume as British forces in New Zealand led by General Duncan Cameron begin 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 deaths.
• 1913 – Dedication of the Lincoln Highway, the first automobile highway across United States.
• 1913 – The Indianapolis Streetcar Strike and subsequent riot begins.
• 1917 – World War I: Battle of Beersheba: The "last successful cavalry charge in history".
• 1918 – World War I: Dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
• 1922 – Benito Mussolini is made Prime Minister of Italy
• 1923 – The first of 160 consecutive days of 100º Fahrenheit at Marble Bar, Western Australia.
• 1924 – World 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).
• 1926 – Magician Harry Houdini dies of gangrene and peritonitis that develops after his appendix ruptures.
• 1938 – Great 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.
• 1940 – World War II: The Battle of Britain ends: The United Kingdom prevents a possible German invasion.
• 1941 – After 14 years of work, Mount Rushmore is completed.
• 1941 – World 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.
• 1943 – World War II: An F4U Corsair accomplishes the first successful radar-guided interception by a USN or USMC aircraft.
• 1944 – Erich Göstl, a member of the Waffen-SS, is awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, to recognise extreme battlefield bravery, after losing his face and eyes during the Battle of Normandy.
• 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 Vladimir Lenin's Tomb.
• 1963 – An explosion at the Indiana State Fair Coliseum (now Pepsi Coliseum) in Indianapolis kills 74 people and injures another 400 during an ice skating show. A faulty propane tank connection in a concession stand is 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.
• 1973 – Mountjoy Prison helicopter escape. Three Provisional Irish Republican Army members escape from Mountjoy Prison, Dublin, Republic of Ireland aboard a hijacked helicopter that lands in the exercise yard.
• 1984 – Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by two Sikh security guards. Riots break out in New Delhi and other cities and nearly 10,000 Sikhs are killed.
• 1994 – American Eagle Flight 4184 crashes near Roselawn, Indiana, killing 68.
• 1998 – Iraq disarmament crisis begins: Iraq announces it would no longer cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors.
• 1999 – Yachtsman Jesse Martin returns to Melbourne after 11 months of circumnavigating the world, solo, non-stop and unassisted.
• 1999 – EgyptAir Flight 990 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean killing all 217 people on board.
• 2000 – Soyuz TM-31 launches, carrying the first resident crew to the International Space Station. The ISS has been crewed continuously since then.
• 2000 – Singapore Airlines Flight 006 crashes on takeoff in Taipei killing 83 people.
• 2002 – A 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.
• 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.
• 2011 – The global population of humans reaches seven billion. This day is now recognized by the United Nations as Seven Billion Day.
• 2014 – Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo crashes in the Mojave Desert during a test flight,

Births

• 1291 – Philippe de Vitry, French composer, poet, and theorist (d. 1361)
• 1345 – Ferdinand I of Portugal (d. 1383)
• 1391 – Edward, King of Portugal (d. 1438)
• 1424 – Władysław III of Poland (d. 1444)
• 1599 – Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles, English politician (d. 1680)
• 1620 – John Evelyn, English gardener and author (d. 1706)
• 1632 – Johannes Vermeer, Dutch painter (d. 1675)
• 1636 – Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (d. 1679)
• 1686 – Senesino, Italian singer and actor (d. 1758)
• 1692 – Anne Claude de Caylus, French archaeologist and author (d. 1765)
• 1694 – Yeongjo of Joseon (d. 1776)
• 1705 – Pope Clement XIV (d. 1774)
• 1724 – Christopher Anstey, English author and poet (d. 1805)
• 1737 – James Lovell, American educator and politician (d. 1789)
• 1795 – John Keats, English-Italian poet (d. 1821)
• 1815 – Karl Weierstrass, German mathematician and academic (d. 1897)
• 1825 – Charles Lavigerie, French-Algerian cardinal (d. 1892)
• 1827 – Richard Morris Hunt, American architect, designed the New York Tribune Building (d. 1895)
• 1831 – Paolo Mantegazza, Italian neurologist, physiologist, and anthropologist (d. 1910)
• 1835 – Adelbert Ames, American general and politician, 27th Governor of Mississippi (d. 1933)
• 1835 – Krišjānis Barons, Latvian linguist and author (d. 1923)
• 1835 – Adolf von Baeyer, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1917)
• 1838 – Luís I of Portugal (d. 1889)
• 1847 – Galileo Ferraris, Italian physicist and engineer (d. 1897)
• 1848 – Boston Custer, American soldier (d. 1876)
• 1851 – Louise of Sweden (d. 1926)
• 1856 – Charles Leroux, American balloonist and parachutist (d. 1889)
• 1860 – Juliette Gordon Low, American scout leader, founded the Girl Scouts of the United States of America (d. 1927)
• 1868 – John Weir Troy, American politician, 5th Governor of the Territory of Alaska (d. 1942)
• 1875 – Eugene Meyer, American businessman and publisher (d. 1954)
• 1875 – Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of India (d. 1950)
• 1876 – Natalie Clifford Barney, American poet and playwright (d. 1972)
• 1879 – Karel Hašler, Czech songwriter, actor, lyricist, director, composer, writer, dramatist and screenwriter, murdered at Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp (d. 1941)
• 1880 – Julia Peterkin, American author (d. 1961)
• 1883 – Marie Laurencin, French painter and illustrator (d. 1956)
• 1887 – Chiang Kai-shek, Chinese general and politician, 1st President of the Republic of China (d. 1975)
• 1887 – Newsy Lalonde, Canadian ice hockey player and lacrosse player (d. 1970)
• 1888 – Napoleon Lapathiotis, Greek poet and author (d. 1944)
• 1890 – Susie Gibson, American super-centenarian (d. 2006)
• 1892 – Alexander Alekhine, Russian chess player (d. 1946)
• 1895 – B. H. Liddell Hart, English soldier, historian, and theorist (d. 1970)
• 1896 – Ethel Waters, American singer and actress (d. 1977)
• 1897 – Delma Kollar, American super-centenarian (d. 2012)
• 1902 – Abraham Wald, Romanian mathematician and economist (d. 1950)
• 1908 – Muriel Duckworth, Canadian activist (d. 2009)
• 1910 – Trevor Housley, Australian public servant (d. 1868)
• 1912 – Dale Evans, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2001)
• 1912 – Ollie Johnston, American animator and voice actor (d. 2008)
• 1914 – Joe Carcione, American activist and author (d. 1988)
• 1914 – John Hugenholtz, Dutch designer (d. 1995)
• 1915 – Jane Jarvis, American pianist and composer (d. 2010)
• 1916 – Count Carl Johan Bernadotte of Wisborg (d. 2012)
• 1917 – William Hardy McNeill, Canadian historian, author, and academic
• 1917 – Gordon Steege, Australian soldier and pilot (d. 2013)
• 1918 – Ian Stevenson, American-American psychiatrist and academic (d. 2007)
• 1919 – Daphne Oxenford, English actress (d. 2012)
• 1919 – Magnus Wenninger, American mathematician and author
• 1920 – Dick Francis, Welsh-Caymanian jockey and author (d. 2010)
• 1920 – Joseph Gelineau, French priest and composer (d. 2008)
• 1920 – Dedan Kimathi, Kenyan rebel leader (d. 1957)
• 1920 – Helmut Newton, German-Australian photographer (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Fritz Walter, German footballer (d. 2002)
• 1922 – Barbara Bel Geddes, American actress, singer, and author (d. 2005)
• 1922 – Illinois Jacquet, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2004)
• 1922 – Anatoli Papanov, Russian actor (d. 1987)
• 1922 – Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Cambodia (d. 2012)
• 1924 – Cleo Moore, American actress (d. 1973)
• 1925 – Lawrence A. Cremin, American historian and author (d. 1990)
• 1925 – John Pople, English-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
• 1925 – Robert B. Rheault, American colonel (d. 2013)
• 1926 – Jimmy Savile, English radio and television host (d. 2011)
• 1928 – Andrew Sarris, American critic and educator (d. 2012)
• 1929 – Eddie Charlton, Australian snooker player (d. 2004)
• 1929 – William Orchard, Australian water polo player and psychiatrist (d. 2014)
• 1929 – Bud Spencer, Italian swimmer, actor, and screenwriter
• 1930 – Michael Collins, American general, pilot, and astronaut
• 1930 – Booker Ervin, American saxophonist (d. 1970)
• 1931 – Iivo Nei, Estonian chess player
• 1931 – Dan Rather, American journalist
• 1932 – Katherine Paterson, American author
• 1932 – Jacques Pic, French chef (d. 1992)
• 1933 – Phil Goyette, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1933 – Iemasa Kayumi, Japanese voice actor (d. 2014)
• 1933 – Narriman Sadek, Egyptian wife of Farouk of Egypt (d. 2005)
• 1934 – Fillie Lyckow, Swedish actress (d. 2015)
• 1935 – Dale Brown, American basketball player and coach
• 1935 – Ronald Graham, American mathematician and theorist
• 1935 – David Harvey, English-American geographer and academic
• 1936 – Michael Landon, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1991)
• 1937 – Tom Paxton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1939 – Tom O'Connor, English actor and game show host
• 1939 – Ron Rifkin, American actor
• 1939 – Rowan Peacock, South African cyclist
• 1939 – Ali Farka Touré, Malian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)
• 1940 – Craig Rodwell, American businessman and activist, founded the Oscar Wilde Bookshop (d. 1993)
• 1940 – Judith Wilcox, Baroness Wilcox, English politician
• 1941 – Dan Alderson, American scientist (d. 1989)
• 1941 – Derek Bell, English race car driver
• 1941 – Werner Krieglstein, Czech-American philosopher and academic
• 1942 – Eduardo Castrillo, Filipino sculptor
• 1942 – Dave McNally, American baseball player (d. 2002)
• 1942 – David Ogden Stiers, American actor and singer
• 1943 – Elliott Forbes-Robinson, American race car driver
• 1943 – Paul Frampton, English-American physicist and academic
• 1943 – Aristotelis Pavlidis, Greek politician, 13th Greek Minister for the Aegean and Island Policy
• 1943 – Brian Piccolo, American football player (d. 1970)
• 1944 – Sally Kirkland, American actress and producer
• 1944 – Otto Wiesheu, Bavarian politician
• 1945 – Russ Ballard, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Argent)
• 1945 – Brian Doyle-Murray, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1945 – Barrie Keeffe, English playwright, screenwriter, and producer
• 1945 – Avi Shlaim, Iraqi-Israeli historian and academic
• 1946 – Norman Lovett, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
• 1946 – Stephen Rea, Irish actor
• 1947 – Deidre Hall, American actress
• 1947 – Frank Shorter, American runner
• 1947 – Herman Van Rompuy, Belgian politician, 66th Prime Minister of Belgium
• 1948 – Michael Kitchen, English actor and producer
• 1949 – Mart Helme, Estonian journalist and diplomat
• 1949 – Bob Siebenberg, American drummer (Supertramp and Bees Make Honey)
• 1949 – Alison Wolf, English economist and academic
• 1950 – John Candy, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
• 1950 – Zaha Hadid, Iraqi-English architect, designed the Bridge Pavilion
• 1950 – Jane Pauley, American journalist
• 1950 – Antonio Taguba, Filipino-American general
• 1951 – Nick Saban, American football player and coach
• 1951 – Dave Trembley, American baseball player, coach, and manager
• 1952 – Bernard Edwards, American bass player and producer (Chic and The Power Station) (d. 1996)
• 1952 – Joe West, American baseball umpire and actor
• 1953 – Michael J. Anderson, American actor
• 1953 – Lynda Goodfriend, American actress
• 1953 – John Lucas II, American basketball player and coach
• 1954 – Ken Wahl, American actor
• 1955 – Michalis Chrisochoidis, Greek lawyer and politician
• 1955 – Susan Orlean, American journalist and author
• 1955 – Eduardo V. Manalo, Filipino religious leader, Executive Minister of Iglesia ni Cristo
• 1956 – Bruce Bawer, American poet and critic
• 1956 – Christopher de Leon, Filipino actor, director, producer, and politician
• 1956 – Anders Lago, Swedish politician
• 1956 – Roberto Malone, Italian porn actor and director
• 1956 – Charles Moore, English journalist
• 1957 – Brian Stokes Mitchell, American singer and actor
• 1957 – Shirley Phelps-Roper, American lawyer and activist
• 1957 – Robert Pollard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Guided by Voices)
• 1958 – Jeannie Longo, French cyclist
• 1959 – Michael DeLorenzo, American actor, singer, and director
• 1959 – Mats Näslund, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1959 – Neal Stephenson, American author
• 1960 – Arnaud Desplechin, French director, cinematographer, and screenwriter
• 1960 – Luis Fortuño, Puerto Rican lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of Puerto Rico
• 1960 – Mike Gallego, American baseball player and coach
• 1960 – Reza Pahlavi, Iranian prince
• 1961 – Alonzo Babers, American runner and pilot
• 1961 – Kate Campbell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1961 – Peter Jackson, New Zealand actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1961 – Larry Mullen, Jr., Irish drummer, songwriter, and actor (U2 and Automatic Baby)
• 1963 – Dunga, Brazilian footballer and manager
• 1963 – Sanjeev Bhaskar, English comedian and actor
• 1963 – Mikkey Dee, Swedish drummer and songwriter (Motörhead and King Diamond)
• 1963 – Johnny Marr, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Smiths, Modest Mouse, Electronic, and The Cribs)
• 1963 – Fred McGriff, American baseball player and radio host
• 1963 – Dermot Mulroney, American actor, singer, and producer
• 1963 – Rob Schneider, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1964 – Frank Bruni, American journalist and critic
• 1964 – Colm Ó Cíosóig, Irish drummer and songwriter (My Bloody Valentine, Mazzy Star, and Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions)
• 1964 – Marco van Basten, Dutch footballer and manager
• 1964 – Darryl Worley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1965 – Paul du Toit, South African painter and sculptor (d. 2014)
• 1965 – Blue Edwards, American basketball player
• 1965 – Denis Irwin, Irish footballer and journalist
• 1965 – Rob Rackstraw, English voice actor
• 1966 – Ad-Rock, American rapper, producer, and actor (Beastie Boys and BS 2000)
• 1966 – Joseph Boyden, Canadian-American author and academic
• 1966 – Koji Kanemoto, Japanese wrestler
• 1966 – Annabella Lwin, Burmese singer-songwriter and producer (Bow Wow Wow)
• 1966 – Mike O'Malley, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1966 – Jon Wurster, American drummer and radio host (Superchunk and The Mountain Goats)
• 1967 – Petros Gaitanos, Greek singer
• 1967 – Vanilla Ice, American rapper, producer, and actor
• 1967 – Buddy Lazier, American race car driver
• 1967 – Irina Pantaeva, Russian-American model and actress
• 1967 – Adam Schlesinger, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (Fountains of Wayne, Ivy and Tinted Windows)
• 1968 – Antonio Davis, American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1969 – David Coburn, American actor and singer
• 1970 – Terry Alderton, English comedian
• 1970 – Linn Berggren, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer (Ace of Base)
• 1970 – Mitch Harris, American guitarist and songwriter (Napalm Death, Defecation, and Meathook Seed)
• 1970 – Johnny Moeller, American guitarist (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
• 1970 – Nolan North, American actor
• 1970 – Rogers Stevens, American guitarist (Blind Melon)
• 1970 – Steve Trachsel, American baseball player
• 1970 – Nicky Wu, Taiwanese actor and singer
• 1971 – Alphonso Ford, American basketball player (d. 2004)
• 1971 – Tom Smith, English-Scottish rugby player and coach
• 1971 – Ian Walker, English footballer and manager
• 1972 – Shaun Bartlett, South African footballer and manager
• 1972 – Matt Dawson, English rugby player
• 1972 – Grigoris Georgatos, Greek footballer
• 1973 – Paul Abrahams, English footballer
• 1973 – Christopher Bevins, American voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1973 – Tim Byrdak, American baseball player
• 1973 – David Dellucci, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1973 – Beverly Lynne, American porn actress and producer
• 1974 – Muzzy Izzet, English-Turkish footballer
• 1974 – Roger Manganelli, Brazilian-American singer-songwriter and bass player (Less Than Jake and Rehasher)
• 1974 – Natasja Saad, Danish rapper (d. 2007)
• 1975 – Fabio Celestini, Swiss footballer and manager
• 1975 – Keith Jardine, American mixed martial artist and actor
• 1975 – Johnny Whitworth, American actor
• 1976 – Guti, Spanish footballer
• 1976 – Piper Perabo, American actress and producer
• 1977 – Sylviane Félix, French sprinter
• 1977 – Séverine Ferrer, French singer
• 1978 – Inka Grings, German footballer
• 1978 – Emmanuel Izonritei, Nigerian boxer
• 1978 – Martin Verkerk, Dutch tennis player
• 1979 – Ricardo Fuller, Jamaican footballer
• 1979 – Simão Sabrosa, Portuguese footballer
• 1979 – Saaphyri Windsor, American model and actress
• 1980 – Samaire Armstrong, Japanese-American actress
• 1980 – Alondra de la Parra, Mexican-American pianist and conductor
• 1980 – Marcel Meeuwis, Dutch footballer
• 1980 – Eddie Kaye Thomas, American actor
• 1981 – Irina Denezhkina, Russian author
• 1981 – Lollie Alexi Devereaux, French-Canadian actress, singer, and dancer
• 1981 – Steven Hunter, American basketball player
• 1981 – Frank Iero, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (My Chemical Romance, Pencey Prep, and Leathermouth)
• 1981 – Selina Jen, Taiwanese singer and actress (S.H.E)
• 1981 – Mike Napoli, American baseball player
• 1982 – Jordan Bannister, Australian footballer and umpire
• 1982 – Justin Chatwin, Canadian actor
• 1982 – Tomáš Plekanec, Czech ice hockey player
• 1983 – Adam Bouska, American photographer and activist, founded the NOH8 Campaign
• 1983 – Sitashma Chand, Nepalese model, Miss Nepal 2007
• 1983 – Katy French, Swiss-Irish model (d. 2007)
• 1984 – Scott Clifton, American actor and singer
• 1984 – Pat Murray, American football player
• 1984 – Amanda Pascoe, Australian swimmer
• 1984 – Nicole Rash, American model and actress, Miss Indiana 2007
• 1986 – Chris Alajajian, Australian race car driver
• 1986 – Christie Hayes, Australian actress
• 1986 – Sean Paul Lockhart, American porn actor and director
• 1987 – Nick Foligno, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1987 – Jean-Karl Vernay, French race car driver
• 1988 – Cole Aldrich, American basketball player
• 1988 – Sébastien Buemi, Swiss race car driver
• 1988 – Jack Riewoldt, Australian footballer
• 1989 – Warren Weir, Jamaican sprinter
• 1990 – Lil' JJ, American actor and rapper
• 1991 – Sven Kaldre, Estonian basketball player
• 1992 – Vanessa Marano, American actress
• 1993 – Nadine Lustre, Filipino actress and singer
• 1995 – Joana Valle Costa, Portuguese tennis player
• 1997 – Holly Taylor, Canadian-born American actress and dancer
• 2000 – Willow Smith, American actress and singer
• 2005 – Leonor, Princess of Asturias

Deaths

• 1147 – Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, English son of Henry I of England (b. 1100)
• 1214 – Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile (b. 1163)
• 1448 – John VIII Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1390)
• 1641 – Cornelis Jol, Dutch admiral (b. 1597)
• 1659 – John Bradshaw, English judge, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1602)
• 1723 – Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1642)
• 1732 – Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia (b. 1666)
• 1733 – Eberhard Louis, Duke of Württemberg (b. 1676)
• 1744 – Leonardo Leo, Italian composer (b. 1694)
• 1765 – Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (b. 1721)
• 1768 – Francesco Maria Veracini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1690)
• 1860 – Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, Scottish-English admiral and politician (b. 1775)
• 1879 – Jacob Abbott, American author (b. 1803)
• 1879 – Joseph Hooker, American general (b. 1814)
• 1884 – Marie Bashkirtseff, Ukrainian-Russian painter and sculptor (b. 1858)
• 1913 – William Evans-Gordon, English soldier and politician (b. 1857)
• 1916 – Charles Taze Russell, American minister (b. 1852)
• 1918 – Egon Schiele, Austrian painter (b. 1890)
• 1920 – Alphonse Desjardins, Canadian businessman (b. 1854)
• 1925 – Max Linder, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1883)
• 1926 – Harry Houdini, Hungarian-American magician and stuntman (b. 1874)
• 1926 – Philip Schuster, American gymnast (b. 1883)
• 1929 – Ilm-ud-din, Pakistani murderer (b. 1908)
• 1929 – António José de Almeida, Portuguese physician and politician, 6th President of Portugal (b. 1866)
• 1929 – Norman Pritchard, Indian-English hurdler and actor (b. 1877)
• 1931 – Octave Uzanne, French journalist and author (b. 1851)
• 1939 – Otto Rank, Austrian psychologist, author, and educator (b. 1884)
• 1946 – Gabriel Gabrio, French actor (b. 1887)
• 1952 – Chit Hlaing, Burmese lawyer and politician (b. 1879)
• 1959 – Jean Cabannes, French physicist and academic (b. 1885)
• 1960 – H. L. Davis, American author and poet (b. 1894)
• 1962 – Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion, French astronomer (b. 1877)
• 1972 – Bill Durnan, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1916)
• 1972 – Marcia Healy, American actress (b. 1904)
• 1973 – Malek Bennabi, Algerian philosopher and author (b. 1905)
• 1975 – S. D. Burman, Bangladeshi-Indian singer-songwriter (b. 1906)
• 1977 – C.B. Colby, American author and illustrator (b. 1904)
• 1980 – Jan Werich, Czech actor and playwright (b. 1905)
• 1983 – George Halas, American football player and coach (b. 1895)
• 1984 – Eduardo De Filippo, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1900)
• 1984 – Indira Gandhi, Indian politician, 3rd Prime Minister of India (b. 1917)
• 1985 – Anton Christoforidis, Turkish-Greek boxer (b. 1918)
• 1985 – Nikos Engonopoulos, Greek painter and poet (b. 1907)
• 1985 – Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor and singer (b. 1913)
• 1986 – Robert S. Mulliken, American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1896)
• 1988 – John Houseman, Romanian-American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1902)
• 1988 – Alfred Pellan, Canadian painter (b. 1906)
• 1991 – Gene Anderson, American wrestler and actor (b. 1933)
• 1991 – Joseph Papp, American director and producer (b. 1921)
• 1992 – Gary Rippingale, English ice hockey player (b. 1974)
• 1993 – Federico Fellini, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1920)
• 1993 – River Phoenix, American actor and singer (Aleka's Attic) (b. 1970)
• 1995 – Rosalind Cash, American actress and singer (b. 1938)
• 1996 – Marcel Carné, French director and screenwriter (b. 1906)
• 1998 – Elmer Vasko, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1935)
• 1999 – Greg Moore, Canadian race car driver (b. 1975)
• 2000 – Ring Lardner, Jr., American journalist and screenwriter (b. 1915)
• 2001 – Régine Cavagnoud, French skier (b. 1970)
• 2002 – Lionel Poilâne, French banker and businessman (b. 1945)
• 2002 – Michail Stasinopoulos, Greek jurist and politician, President of Greece (b. 1903)
• 2002 – Raf Vallone, Italian footballer and actor (b. 1916)
• 2003 – Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Indian singer (b. 1908)
• 2003 – Richard Neustadt, American political scientist and historian (b. 1919)
• 2005 – Hal Anger, American biophysicist and engineer (b. 1920)
• 2005 – Mary Wimbush, English actress (b. 1924)
• 2006 – Hank Berger; American night club owner (b. 1952)
• 2006 – P. W. Botha, South African soldier and politician, State President of South Africa (b. 1916)
• 2006 – Peter Fryer, English journalist and author (b. 1927)
• 2006 – Amrita Pritam, Pakistani-Indian author and poet (b. 1919)
• 2007 – Ray Gravell, Welsh rugby player, sportscaster, and actor (b. 1951)
• 2008 – Studs Terkel, American actor, historian, and author (b. 1912)
• 2009 – Mustafa Mahmud, Egyptian physician and author (b. 1921)
• 2009 – Tom Wheatcroft, English businessman, founded the Donington Grand Prix Exhibition (b. 1922)
• 2009 – Qian Xuesen, Chinese aerodynamicist and academic (b. 1911)
• 2010 – Maurice Lucas, American basketball player and coach (b. 1952)
• 2010 – Ted Sorensen, American lawyer, 8th White House Counsel (b. 1928)
• 2011 – Flórián Albert, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1941)
• 2011 – Roberto Lippi, Italian racing driver (d. 1926)
• 2012 – Gae Aulenti, Italian architect and designer (b. 1927)
• 2012 – June Blundell, New Zealand wife of Denis Blundell (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Brian Cobby, English actor (b. 1929)
• 2012 – John Fitch, American race car driver and engineer (b. 1917)
• 2012 – John H. Reed, American soldier and politician, 67th Governor of Maine (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Teri Shields, American actress and producer (b. 1933)
• 2013 – Chris Chase, American actress and author (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Gérard de Villiers, French journalist and author (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Jagadish Ghimire, Nepali author and activist (b. 1946)
• 2013 – Trevor Kletz, English chemist and author (b. 1922)
• 2013 – Johnny Kucks, American baseball player (b. 1933)
• 2013 – Frank Lima, American poet (b. 1939)
• 2013 – Andres Narvasa, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 19th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Bobby Parker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1937)
• 2014 – David Manker Abshire, American commander and diplomat, United States Permanent Representative to NATO (b. 1926)
• 2014 – Michael Alsbury, American engineer and pilot (b. 1975)
• 2014 – John Forzani, Canadian football player and businessman (b. 1947)
• 2014 – Brad Halsey, American baseball player (b. 1981)
• 2014 – Käbi Laretei, Estonian-Swedish pianist (b. 1922)
• 2014 – Hitoshi Motoshima, Japanese educator and politician (b. 1922)
• 2014 – Jim Sauter, American race car driver (b. 1943)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Abaidas (Coptic Church)
  • Alphonsus Rodriguez
  • Blessed Theodore Romzha (Ruthenian Catholic Church)
  • Martin Luther (Anglican Communion)
  • Paul Shinji Sasaki and Philip Lindel Tsen (Episcopal Church)
  • Quentin
  • Wolfgang of Regensburg
  • October 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Earliest day on which All Saints Day can fall, while November 6 is the latest; celebrated on Saturday between October 31 and November 6 (Finland, Sweden)
• Eve of Winter, the eve of the first day of winter in the Northern hemisphere (see November 1):
  • Allantide (Cornwall)
  • Halloween (Ireland, Canada, United Kingdom, United States and other places)
  • Samhain in the Northern Hemisphere, Beltane in the Southern Hemisphere; begins on sunset of October 31 (Gaels, Welsh people and Neopagan Wheel of the Year)
• King Father's Birthday (Cambodia)
• Reformation Day (Slovenia, Germany and Lutheran Church)
• World Savings Day

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to October 31.

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada