October 31st in History
On This Day in History
- Romulus Augustulus becomes the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire (475)
- Martin Luther posts his 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church (1517)
- The Lincoln Highway, the first US transcontinental highway, opens (1913)
- A strike against the Indianapolis Streetcar system turns into a violent riot involving eight to ten thousand participants and at least six deaths (1913)
- The Battle of Beersheba, often called the “last successful cavalry charge in history,” takes place (1917)
- The Battle of Britain officially ends (1940)
- Mount Rushmore is completed (1941)
- The global population officially reaches the seven billion mark (2011)
Births
- John Keats, poet (1795)
- Juliette Gordon Low, American Girl Scouts founder (1860)
- 蒋中正 (Chiang Kai-shek), president and generalissimo of the Republic of China (1887)
- Алекса́ндр Але́хин (Alexander Alekhine), chess player (1892)
- B.H. Liddell Hart, historian (1895)
- Ethel Waters, singer (1896)
- Dale Evans, Roy Rogers partner (1912)
- Ollie Johnson, Disney animator (1912)
- Dick Francis, mystery writer (1920)
- Helmut Newton, photographer (1920)
- Barbara Bel Geddes, actress (1922)
- Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodian king and president (1922)
- Lee Grant, actress (1927)
- Andrew Sarris, film critic (1928)
- Michael Collins, astronaut (1930*)
- Dan Rather, journalist (1931)
- Michael Landon, actor (1936)
- Tom Paxton, singer-songwriter (1937)
- David Ogden Stiers, actor (1942)
- Sally Kirkland, actress (1944)
- Brian Doyle-Murray, actor (1945)
- John Candy, comedian (1950)
- Jane Pauley, journalist (1950)
- Ken Wahl, actor (1954)
- Neil Stephenson, science fiction writer (1959)
- Peter Jackson, director and producer (1961)
- Dermot Mulroney, actor (1963)
- Rob Schneider, actor (1963)
- Ad-Rock, Beastie Boys rapper (1966)
- Vanilla Ice, rapper and home renovator (1967)
- Alphonso Ford, basketball player (1971)
- Piper Perabo, actress (1976)
*Michael Collins was Director of the National Air and Space Museum during my years working there.
Deaths
- Joseph Hooker, American Civil War general (1879)
- Harry Houdini, magician (1926)
- Indira Gandhi, Indian prime minister (1984)
- Robert Mulliken, Nobel Prize chemist (1985)
- John Houseman, actor and director (1988)
- Joseph Papp, director and producer (1991)
- Federico Fellini, director (1993)
- River Phoenix, actor (1993)
- Rosalind Cash, actress (1995)
- Ring Lardner Jr, blacklisted screenwriter (2000)
- P.W. Botha, South African president (2006)
- Studs Terkel, author (2008)
- Ted Sorenson, JFK speechwriter (2010)
Holidays
- Admission Day (Nevada)
- Allantide (Cornwall)
- Beltane (Southern Hemisphere)
- Books for Treats Day (alternatives to Halloween candy)
- Halloween (numerous countries)
- Increase Your Psychic Powers Day (England, dates to the 19th century)
- King Father’s Birthday (Cambodia)
- National Carmel Apple Day (US)
- National Flag Day (Ecuador)
- National Magic Day (tribute to Harry Houdini)
- Reformation Day (Slovenia, Germany, Lutheran Church)
Photo: Halloween pumpkin lamp, by Bojan Cvetanović (CC BY-SA 4.0)