October 31 facts for kids

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.
• 1837 – Approximately 300 Muscogee die in the steamboat Monmouth disaster on the Trail of Tears in the United States.
• 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, causing Germany to abandon Operation Sea Lion.
• 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 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.
• 2003 – Mahathir 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.
• 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)
• 1809 – Edmund Sharpe, English architect, architectural historian, railway engineer, and sanitary reformer (d. 1877)
• 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 (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)
• 1934 – Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler, Swedish princess
• 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 (d. 1989)
• 1941 – Derek Bell, English race car driver
• 1941 – Lucious Jackson, American basketball player (d. 2022)
• 1941 – Sally Kirkland, American actress
• 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 – Franco Gasparri, Italian actor (d. 1999)
• 1948 – Michael Kitchen, English actor and producer
• 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 – Dunga, Brazilian footballer and manager
• 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
• 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 – Carla Boyd, Australian basketball 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
• 1989 – Scott McGough, American baseball player
• 1990 – JID, American rapper
• 1992 – Vanessa Marano, American actress
• 1993 – Mercedes Arn-Horn, Canadian musician
• 1993 – Nadine Lustre, Filipino actress and singer
• 1993 – Letitia Wright, Guyanese-British actress
• 1995 – Joana Valle Costa, Portuguese tennis player
• 1997 – Siobhán Bernadette Haughey, Hong Kong-Irish swimmer
• 1997 – Sydney Park, American actress and comedian
• 1997 – Marcus Rashford, English footballer
• 1997 – Holly Taylor, Canadian-American actress
• 1999 – Danielle Rose Russell, American actress
• 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)

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)
• 1964 – Tuomas Bryggari, Finnish politician (b. 1881)
• 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)
• 1997 – George Roth, American gymnast (b. 1911)
• 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 (aka Irene Kane), 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)
• 2020 – MF Doom, British-American rapper and record producer (b. 1971)
• 2021 – Peter Philpott, Australian cricketer (b. 1934)
• 2023 – Ken Mattingly, American astronaut (b. 1936)

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)

See also

In Spanish: 31 de octubre para niños