October 31

"31st October" and "10/31" redirect here. For the films, see 31st October (film) and 10/31 (film).

October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 61 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

Pre-1600

• 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.
• 932 – Abbasid 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.
• 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.

1601–1900

• 1822 – Emperor Agustín de Iturbide attempts to dissolve the Congress of the Mexican Empire.
• 1863 – The New Zealand 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.
• 1895 – The strongest earthquake in the Midwestern United States since 1812 strikes near Charleston, Missouri, causing damage and killing at least two.

1901–present

• 1903 – The Purdue Wreck, a railroad train collision in Indianapolis, kills 17 people, including 14 players of the Purdue University football team.
• 1907 – The Parliament of Finland approved the Prohibition Act, but the law was not implemented because it was not ratified by Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.
• 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: The Aster Revolution terminates the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, and Hungary achieves full sovereignty.
• 1922 – Benito Mussolini is made Prime Minister of Italy
• 1923 – The first of 160 consecutive days of 100° 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).
• 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 United States Navy or Marine Corps aircraft.
• 1956 – Suez Crisis: The United Kingdom and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal.
• 1956 – Hungarian 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.
• 1961 – In the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin's body is removed from the Lenin's Mausoleum, also known as the Lenin Tomb.
• 1963 – Indiana 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.
• 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 aboard a hijacked helicopter that landed in the exercise yard.
• 1979 – Western Airlines Flight 2605 crashes on landing in Mexico City, killing 73 people.
• 1984 – Indian 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.
• 1994 – American Eagle Flight 4184 crashes near Roselawn, Indiana killing all 68 people on board.
• 1996 – TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402 crashes in São Paulo, Brazil, killing 99 people.
• 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 near Nantucket, 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 from Taipei, killing 83.
• 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 the Day of Seven Billion.
• 2014 – During 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,
• 2015 – Metrojet Flight 9268 is bombed over the northern Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board.
• 2017 – A truck drives into a crowd in Lower Manhattan, New York City, killing eight people.
• 2020 – Berlin Brandenburg Airport opens its doors after nearly 10 years of delays due to construction issues and project corruption.

Births

Pre-1600

• 1345 – Ferdinand I, king of Portugal (d. 1383)
• 1391 – Edward, King of Portugal (d. 1438)
• 1424 – Władysław III, king of Poland (d. 1444)
• 1445 – Hedwig, Abbess of Quedlinburg, Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg (d. 1511)
• 1472 – Wang Yangming, Chinese Neo-Confucian scholar (d. 1529)
• 1542 – Henriette of Cleves, Duchess of Nevers, Countess of Rethel (d. 1601)
• 1599 – Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles, English politician (d. 1680)

1601–1900

• 1620 – John Evelyn, English gardener and author (d. 1706)
• 1632 – Johannes Vermeer, Dutch painter (d. 1675)
• 1636 – Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (d. 1679)
• 1638 – Meindert Hobbema, Dutch painter (d. 1709)
• 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)
• 1711 – Laura Bassi, Italian physician, physicist, and academic (d. 1778)
• 1714 – Hedvig Taube, Swedish courtier (d. 1744)
• 1724 – Christopher Anstey, English author and poet (d. 1805)
• 1729 – Alonso Núñez de Haro y Peralta, Spanish cleric, Archbishop of Mexico, Viceroy of New Spain (d. 1800)
• 1737 – James Lovell, American educator and politician (d. 1789)
• 1760 – Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese artist and printmaker (d. 1849)
• 1795 – John Keats, English poet (d. 1821)
• 1815 – Thomas Chapman, English-Australian politician, 5th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1884)
• 1815 – Karl Weierstrass, German mathematician and academic (d. 1897)
• 1825 – Charles Lavigerie, French-Algerian cardinal and academic (d. 1892)
• 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)
• 1849 – Marie Louise Andrews, American story writer and journalist (d. 1891)
• 1851 – Louise of Sweden (d. 1926)
• 1856 – Charles Leroux, American balloonist and skydiver (d. 1889)
• 1858 – Saint Geevarghese Mar Dionysius of Vattasseril, Indian Orthodox Saint (d. 1934)
• 1860 – Juliette Gordon Low, American scout leader, founded the Girl Scouts of the United States of America (d. 1927)
• 1860 – Andrew Volstead, American politician (d. 1947)
• 1868 – John Weir Troy, American journalist, and politician, 5th Governor of the Territory of Alaska (d. 1942)
• 1875 – Eugene Meyer, American businessman and publisher (d. 1954)
• 1875 – Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian lawyer, freedom fighter and politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of India (d. 1950)
• 1876 – Natalie Clifford Barney, American poet and playwright (d. 1972)
• 1879 – Karel Hašler, Czech actor, director, and composer (d. 1941)
• 1880 – Julia Peterkin, American author (d. 1961)
• 1880 – Mikhail Tomsky, Soviet politician, member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (d. 1936)
• 1881 – Toshizō Nishio, Japanese general (d. 1960)
• 1883 – Marie Laurencin, French painter and illustrator (d. 1956)
• 1883 – Anthony Wilding, New Zealand tennis player, cricketer, and soldier (d. 1915)
• 1887 – Chiang Kai-shek, Chinese general and politician, 1st President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) (d. 1975)
• 1887 – Newsy Lalonde, Canadian ice hockey player and lacrosse player (d. 1970)
• 1888 – Napoleon Lapathiotis, Greek poet and author (d. 1944)
• 1892 – Alexander Alekhine, Russian chess player and author (d. 1946)
• 1895 – B. H. Liddell Hart, English soldier, historian, and theorist (d. 1970)
• 1896 – Ethel Waters, American singer and actress (d. 1977)
• 1897 – Constance Savery, English author (d. 1999)
• 1900 – Asbjørg Borgfelt, Norwegian sculptor (d. 1976)

1901–present

• 1902 – Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Brazilian poet (d. 1987)
• 1902 – Julia Lee, American blues singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1958)
• 1902 – Abraham Wald, Jewish-Hungarian mathematician and economist (d. 1950)
• 1907 – Edgar Sampson, American musician and composer (d. 1973)
• 1908 – Muriel Duckworth, Canadian activist (d. 2009)
• 1912 – Dale Evans, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2001)
• 1912 – Ollie Johnston, American animator and voice actor (d. 2008)
• 1914 – John Hugenholtz, Dutch engineer and designer (d. 1995)
• 1915 – Jane Jarvis, American pianist and composer (d. 2010)
• 1916 – Count Carl Johan Bernadotte of Wisborg (d. 2012)
• 1917 – William H. McNeill, Canadian-American historian and author (d. 2016)
• 1917 – Gordon Steege, Australian soldier and pilot (d. 2013)
• 1918 – Ian Stevenson, American psychiatrist and academic (d. 2007)
• 1919 – Daphne Oxenford, English actress (d. 2012)
• 1919 – Magnus Wenninger, American mathematician and author (d. 2017)
• 1920 – Dick Francis, Welsh-Caymanian jockey and author (d. 2010)
• 1920 – Joseph Gelineau, French priest and composer (d. 2008)
• 1920 – Helmut Newton, German-Australian photographer (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Fritz Walter, German footballer (d. 2002)
• 1922 – Barbara Bel Geddes, American actress (d. 2005)
• 1922 – Illinois Jacquet, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2004)
• 1922 – Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Cambodia (d. 2012)
• 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 – William Orchard, Australian water polo player and psychiatrist (d. 2014)
• 1929 – Bud Spencer, Italian swimmer, actor, and screenwriter (d. 2016)
• 1930 – Michael Collins, American general, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2021)
• 1930 – Booker Ervin, American saxophonist (d. 1970)
• 1931 – Dan Rather, American journalist
• 1933 – Phil Goyette, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1933 – Iemasa Kayumi, Japanese voice actor (d. 2014)
• 1935 – Dale Brown, American basketball player and coach
• 1935 – Ronald Graham, American mathematician and theorist (d. 2020)
• 1935 – David Harvey, English-American geographer and academic
• 1936 – Michael Landon, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1991)
• 1937 – Tom Paxton, American folk music singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1939 – Tom O'Connor, English actor and game show host (d. 2021)
• 1939 – Ron Rifkin, American actor
• 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 businesswoman and politician
• 1941 – Dan Alderson, American scientist and academic (d. 1989)
• 1941 – Derek Bell, English race car driver
• 1941 – Sally Kirkland, American actress
• 1941 – Werner Krieglstein, Czech-American philosopher and academic
• 1942 – David Ogden Stiers, American actor (d. 2018)
• 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)
• 1945 – Russ Ballard, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1945 – Brian Doyle-Murray, American actor and comedian
• 1945 – Barrie Keeffe, English playwright, screenwriter, and producer (d. 2019)
• 1946 – Stephen Rea, Irish actor
• 1947 – Deidre Hall, American actress
• 1947 – Frank Shorter, American runner and sportscaster
• 1947 – Herman Van Rompuy, Belgian academic and politician, 66th Prime Minister of Belgium
• 1948 – Michael Kitchen, English actor and producer
• 1948 – Franco Gasparri, Italian actor (d. 1999)
• 1949 – Mart Helme, Estonian journalist and diplomat
• 1949 – Bob Siebenberg, American drummer
• 1949 – Alison Wolf, English economist and academic
• 1950 – John Candy, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
• 1950 – Zaha Hadid, Iraqi-English architect and academic, designed the Bridge Pavilion (d. 2016)
• 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, songwriter, and producer (d. 1996)
• 1952 – Joe West, American baseball umpire
• 1953 – John Lucas II, American basketball player and coach
• 1954 – Mari Okamoto, Japanese actress
• 1954 – Ken Wahl, American actor and screenwriter
• 1955 – Michalis Chrisochoidis, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Public Order
• 1955 – Susan Orlean, American journalist and author
• 1956 – Bruce Bawer, American poet and critic
• 1956 – Christopher de Leon, Filipino actor, director, producer, and politician
• 1956 – Anders Lago, Swedish lawyer and politician
• 1956 – Charles Moore, English journalist and author
• 1957 – Brian Stokes Mitchell, American singer and actor
• 1957 – Robert Pollard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 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, Crown Prince of Iran
• 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 musician, songwriter, and actor
• 1962 – Jonathan Borden, American neurosurgeon and academic
• 1962 – Anna Geifman, American historian, author, and academic
• 1962 – John Giannini, American basketball player and coach
• 1962 – Mari Jungstedt, Swedish journalist and author
• 1962 – Raphael Rabello, Brazilian guitarist and composer (d. 1995)
• 1962 – Dan Wood, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1963 – Mikkey Dee, Swedish hard rock drummer and musician
• 1963 – Johnny Marr, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1963 – Fred McGriff, American baseball player
• 1963 – Dermot Mulroney, American actor
• 1963 – Rob Schneider, American actor and comedian
• 1963 – Dunga, Brazilian footballer and manager
• 1964 – Frank Bruni, American journalist and critic
• 1964 – Colm Ó Cíosóig, Irish musician
• 1964 – Marco van Basten, Dutch footballer and manager
• 1964 – Darryl Worley, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1965 – Paul du Toit, South African painter and sculptor (d. 2014)
• 1965 – Blue Edwards, American basketball player
• 1965 – Ruud Hesp, Dutch footballer
• 1965 – Denis Irwin, Irish footballer and journalist
• 1965 – Rob Rackstraw, English voice actor
• 1966 – Ad-Rock, American rapper, producer, and actor
• 1966 – Koji Kanemoto, Japanese wrestler
• 1966 – Annabella Lwin, Anglo-Burmese singer-songwriter and record producer
• 1966 – Mike O'Malley, American actor and comedian
• 1967 – Vanilla Ice, American rapper, television personality, and real estate investor
• 1967 – Buddy Lazier, American race car driver
• 1967 – Adam Schlesinger, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (d. 2020)
• 1968 – Antonio Davis, American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1970 – Linn Berggren, Swedish singer-songwriter
• 1971 – Alphonso Ford, American basketball player (d. 2004)
• 1971 – Irina Pantaeva, Russian model and actress
• 1973 – Paul Abrahams, English footballer and coach
• 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 actress
• 1974 – Muzzy Izzet, English-Turkish footballer
• 1974 – Roger Manganelli, Brazilian-American singer-songwriter and bass player
• 1975 – Fabio Celestini, Swiss footballer and manager
• 1975 – Keith Jardine, American mixed martial artist and actor
• 1975 – Johnny Whitworth, American actor and producer
• 1976 – Guti, Spanish footballer
• 1976 – Piper Perabo, American actress and producer
• 1978 – Inka Grings, German footballer and manager
• 1978 – Emmanuel Izonritei, Nigerian boxer
• 1978 – Marek Saganowski, Polish footballer
• 1978 – Martin Verkerk, Dutch tennis player
• 1979 – Ricardo Fuller, Jamaican footballer
• 1979 – Simão Sabrosa, Portuguese footballer
• 1980 – Samaire Armstrong, American model, actress, and fashion designer
• 1980 – Alondra de la Parra, Mexican-American pianist and conductor
• 1980 – Marcel Meeuwis, Dutch footballer
• 1980 – Eddie Kaye Thomas, American actor and voice artist
• 1981 – Irina Denezhkina, Russian author
• 1981 – Steven Hunter, American basketball player
• 1981 – Frank Iero, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1981 – Selina Jen, Taiwanese singer and actress
• 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
• 1984 – Pat Murray, American football player
• 1984 – Amanda Pascoe, Australian swimmer
• 1985 – Fanny Chmelar, German alpine skier
• 1985 – Kerron Clement, American hurdler and sprinter
• 1986 – Chris Alajajian, Australian race car driver
• 1986 – Christie Hayes, Australian actress and producer
• 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
• 1988 – Lizzy Yarnold, British skeleton racer
• 1990 – JID, American rapper
• 1993 – Nadine Lustre, Filipino actress and singer
• 1993 – Mercedes Arn-Horn, Canadian musician
• 1995 – Joana Valle Costa, Portuguese tennis player
• 1997 – Siobhán Bernadette Haughey, Hong Kong-Irish swimmer
• 1997 – Marcus Rashford, English footballer
• 1999 – Léa Serna, French figure skater
• 2000 – Willow Smith, American singer, actress, and dancer
• 2005 – Leonor, Princess of Asturias

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 932 – Al-Muqtadir, Abbasid caliph (b. 895)
• 994 – Wolfgang of Regensburg, German bishop and saint (b. 934)
• 1005 – Abe no Seimei, Japanese astrologer (b. 921)
• 1034 – Deokjong, Korean ruler (b. 1016)
• 1147 – Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, son of Henry I of England (b. 1100)
• 1214 – Eleanor of England, queen consort of Castile (b. 1163)
• 1320 – Ricold of Monte Croce, Italian Dominican missionary (b. 1242)
• 1335 – Marie of Évreux, Duchess Consort of Brabant (b. 1303)
• 1448 – John VIII Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1390)
• 1517 – Fra Bartolomeo, Italian artist (b. 1472)
• 1589 – Peter Stumpp, German farmer and alleged serial killer (b. 1535)

1601–1900

• 1641 – Cornelis Jol, Dutch admiral (b. 1597)
• 1659 – John Bradshaw, English lawyer and judge, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1602)
• 1661 – Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, Ottoman politician, 109th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1575)
• 1723 – Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1642)
• 1732 – Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy (b. 1666)
• 1733 – Eberhard Louis, Duke of Württemberg (b. 1676)
• 1744 – Leonardo Leo, Italian composer (b. 1694)
• 1768 – Francesco Maria Veracini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1690)
• 1786 – Princess Amelia of Great Britain (b. 1711)
• 1806 – Kitagawa Utamaro, Japanese artist and printmaker (b. ca. 1753)
• 1860 – Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, Scottish-English admiral and politician (b. 1775)
• 1869 – Charles A. Wickliffe, American politician, 14th Governor of Kentucky (b. 1788)
• 1879 – Jacob Abbott, American author and academic (b. 1803)
• 1879 – Joseph Hooker, American general (b. 1814)
• 1884 – Marie Bashkirtseff, Ukrainian-Russian painter and sculptor (b. 1858)

1901–present

• 1905 – Bryan O'Loghlen, Irish-Australian politician, 13th Premier of Victoria (b. 1828)
• 1913 – William Evans-Gordon, English soldier and politician (b. 1857)
• 1916 – Charles Taze Russell, American minister (b. 1852)
• 1916 – Huang Xing, Chinese revolutionary leader and statesman (b. 1874)
• 1918 – Egon Schiele, Austrian painter (b. 1890)
• 1920 – Alphonse Desjardins, Canadian businessman (b. 1854)
• 1925 – Max Linder, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1883)
• 1925 – Mikhail Frunze, Bolshevik leader during and just prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917 (b. 1885)
• 1926 – Harry Houdini, American magician and stuntman (b. 1874)
• 1929 – António José de Almeida, Portuguese physician and politician, 6th President of Portugal (b. 1866)
• 1931 – Octave Uzanne, French journalist and author (b. 1851)
• 1939 – Otto Rank, Austrian psychologist, author, and educator (b. 1884)
• 1944 – Joseph Hubert Priestley, British botanist (b. 1883)
• 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)
• 1963 – Mesut Cemil, Turkish cellist and composer (b. 1902)
• 1972 – Bill Durnan, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1916)
• 1973 – Malek Bennabi, Algerian philosopher and author (b. 1905)
• 1975 – Sachin Dev Burman, Indian composer and singer (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)
• 1983 – Lu Jiaxi, Chinese self-taught mathematician (b. 1935)
• 1983 – Sharof Rashidov, Uzbek politician, CPSU Politburo candidate member (b. 1917)
• 1984 – Eduardo De Filippo, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1900)
• 1984 – Indira Gandhi, Indian politician, Prime Minister of India (b. 1917)
• 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-born American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1902)
• 1988 – Alfred Pellan, Canadian painter and academic (b. 1906)
• 1991 – Joseph Papp, American stage 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 (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)
• 1998 – María de la Purísima Salvat Romero, Spanish nun and saint (Roman Catholic Church) (b. 1926)
• 1999 – Greg Moore, Canadian race car driver (b. 1975)
• 2000 – Ring Lardner, Jr., American journalist and screenwriter (b. 1915)
• 2000 – Kazuki Watanabe, Japanese songwriter and guitarist (b. 1981)
• 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 – Richard Neustadt, American political scientist and historian (b. 1919)
• 2005 – Hal Anger, American biophysicist and engineer (b. 1920)
• 2005 – Amrita Pritam, Indian author and poet (b. 1919)
• 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)
• 2007 – Erdal İnönü, Turkish physicist and politician, Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1926)
• 2008 – Studs Terkel, American 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 – Ted Sorensen, American lawyer, 8th White House Counsel (b. 1928)
• 2011 – Flórián Albert, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1941)
• 2011 – Roberto Lippi, Italian race car driver (d. 1926)
• 2012 – Gae Aulenti, Italian architect and designer (b. 1927)
• 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)
• 2013 – Chris Chase, American actress and author (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Gérard de Villiers, French journalist and author (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Trevor Kletz, English chemist and author (b. 1922)
• 2013 – Johnny Kucks, American baseball player (b. 1933)
• 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 – Brad Halsey, American baseball player (b. 1981)
• 2014 – Hitoshi Motoshima, Japanese educator and politician (b. 1922)
• 2015 – Gus Savage, American businessman and politician (b. 1925)
• 2018 – Willie McCovey, American baseball player (b. 1938)
• 2020 – Sean Connery, Scottish actor (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Alphonsus Rodriguez
  • Ampliatus
  • Begu
  • Erc of Slane (in Cornwall)
  • Foillan (in Namur)
  • Martin Luther (Anglican Communion)
  • Paul Shinji Sasaki and Philip Lindel Tsen (Episcopal Church)
  • Quentin
  • Blessed Theodore Romzha (Ruthenian Catholic Church)
  • Wolfgang of Regensburg
  • October 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Día de la Canción Criolla (Peru)
• 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)
• Halloween and related celebrations:
  • Allantide (Cornwall)
  • Halloween (Ireland, Canada, United Kingdom, United States and other places)
  • Hop-tu-Naa (Isle of Man)
  • 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)
  • The first day of the Day of the Dead, celebrated until November 2 (Mexico)
• Girl Scouts Founders Day (United States)
• King Father's Birthday (Cambodia)
• National Unity Day (India)
• Reformation Day (Slovenia, parts of Germany, Chile, various Protestant churches with a particular emphasis in Lutheran and Reformed ones)
• Saci Day (Brazil)

External links

• "On This Day". BBC.
• The New York Times: On This Day
• "Historical Events on October 31". OnThisDay.com.
• "Today in Canadian History". Canada Channel.