Historical Events
- 1517 Martin Luther sends his 95 Theses to Albrecht von Brandenburg, the Archbishop of Mainz, precipitating The Protestant Reformation
- 1541 Michelangelo Buonarroti finishes painting "The Last Judgement" in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City
- 1876 Great Backerganj Cyclone of 1876 ravages British India (Modern-day Bangladesh), over 200,000 killed
- 1918 Spanish Flu kills 21,000 people in the US in a single week
- 2011 The world population reaches 7 billion inhabitants according to the United Nations
- More Historical Events
Oct 31 in Film & TV
- 1962 "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" horror film released directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, based on novel by Henry Farrell
- 1964 Barbra Streisand's "People" album goes #1 for 5 weeks
Oct 31 in Sport
- 1987 American jockey Chris Antley becomes first rider to win 9 races in a day (4 at Aqueduct / 5 at The Meadowlands)
Did You Know?
World War I: Battle of Beersheba in southern Palestine - "last successful cavalry charge in history" performed by the 4th Australian Light Horse
On October 31, 1917
John Keats
Anthony Wilding
Chiang Kai-shek
John Candy
Peter Jackson
Vanilla IceWould You Believe?
Giacomo Casanova escapes from prison in Venice by climbing onto the roof
On October 31, 1756
Famous Weddings
- 1396 Richard II of England (31) marries Isabella of Valois (6) in a dynastic marriage
- 1791 King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden (18) marries Frederica of Baden (16) at Drottningholm Palace for the second time (1st by proxy) (divorced 1812)
- 1913 Historian and philosopher Will Durant (27) weds researcher Ariel Kaufman (15) at New York's City Hall
Famous Divorces
- 1976 NBA legend Larry Bird (19) divorces highschool sweetheart Janet Condra only 11 months after getting married
- 1996 English-American actress Elizabeth Taylor's 8th (and final) divorce from American construction worker Larry Fortensky, after 5 years of marriage
- 2011 Socialite and model Kim Kardashian (31) divorces basketball player Kris Humphries (26) due to irreconcilable differences only 72 days after getting married
More Weddings & Divorces
Harry Houdini
Indira Gandhi
Federico Fellini
River Phoenix
P. W. Botha
Sean ConneryArticles, Photos and Quiz
Martin Luther Challenges the Money-Making Pope
Defiant monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to a church door on this day, defying the Pope and changing the course of religious and cultural history.
October 31, 1517
Windmill Girls Get Dressed And Leave Town
Undressed but unmoving, the Windmill Girls were a big hit at a London theatre that used the slogan, ‘We never closed.’ But on this day it did.
October 31, 1964
Weekly Quiz for October 28 - November 3
What year was the Statue of Liberty dedicated in NY? Which two continents were connected by the Bosphorus Bridge? What was the 1st animal to be sent into orbit?
