October 31

October 31 in recent years

2023 (Tuesday)

2022 (Monday)

2021 (Sunday)

2020 (Saturday)

2019 (Thursday)

2018 (Wednesday)

2017 (Tuesday)

2016 (Monday)

2015 (Saturday)

2014 (Friday)

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

• 475 – Romulus Augustulus is proclaimed Western Roman Emperor.
• 683 – During the Siege of Mecca, the Kaaba catches fire and is burned down.
• 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 Street Car Strike and subsequent riot begins.
• 1917 – World War I: Battle of Beersheba – the "last successful cavalry charge in history".
• 1923 – The first of 160 consecutive days of 100 degrees Fahrenheit at Marble Bar, 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 United States 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 Lenin's Tomb.
• 1963 – An explosion at the Indiana State Fair Coliseum (now Pepsi Coliseum) in Indianapolis kills 74 people during an ice skating show. The explosion also injures 400. 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 security guards. Riots break out in New Delhi and nearly 10,000 Sikhs are killed.
• 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.
• 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 reached seven billion. This day is now recognized by the United Nations as Seven Billion Day.

Births

• 1291 – Philippe de Vitry, French composer and poet (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 author (d. 1706)
• 1632 – Johannes Vermeer, Dutch painter (d. 1675)
• 1636 – Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (d. 1679)
• 1686 – Senesino, Italian singer (d. 1758)
• 1692 – Anne Claude de Caylus, French archaeologist (d. 1765)
• 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 poet (d. 1821)
• 1815 – Karl Weierstraß, German mathematician (d. 1897)
• 1825 – Charles Lavigerie, French archbishop (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 soldier and politician, 27th Governor of Mississippi (d. 1933)
• 1835 – Krišjānis Barons, Latvian author (d. 1923)
• 1835 – Adolf von Baeyer, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1917)
• 1838 – Luís I of Portugal (d. 1889)
• 1848 – Boston Custer, American solder (d. 1876)
• 1851 – Louise of Sweden (d. 1926)
• 1856 – Charles Leroux, American balloonist and parachutist (d. 1889)
• 1860 – Juliette Gordon Low, American founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America (d. 1927)
• 1875 – Eugene Meyer, American businessman and publisher (d. 1954)
• 1875 – Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian activist and politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of India (d. 1950)
• 1876 – Natalie Clifford Barney, American poet and playwright (d. 1972)
• 1879 – Sara Allgood, Irish actress (d. 1950)
• 1880 – Julia Peterkin, American writer (d. 1961)
• 1883 – Marie Laurencin, French painter (d. 1956)
• 1887 – Chiang Kai-shek, Chinese military leader and politician, President of the Republic of China (d. 1975)
• 1887 – Newsy Lalonde, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1970)
• 1888 – Napoleon Lapathiotis, Greek poet (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 and historian (d. 1970)
• 1896 – Ethel Waters, American singer and actress (d. 1977)
• 1897 – Delma Kollar, American super-centenarian (d. 2012)
• 1902 – Abraham Wald, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1950)
• 1908 – Muriel Duckworth, Canadian activist (d. 2009)
• 1912 – Dale Evans, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2001)
• 1912 – Ollie Johnston, American animator (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
• 1918 – Ian Stevenson, American biochemist (d. 2007)
• 1919 – Magnus Wenninger, American mathematician
• 1919 – Daphne Oxenford, English actress (d. 2012)
• 1920 – Dick Francis, Welsh 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 photographer (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Fritz Walter, German footballer (d. 2002)
• 1922 – Barbara Bel Geddes, American actress and author (d. 2005)
• 1922 – Illinois Jacquet, American saxophonist (d. 2004)
• 1922 – Anatoli Papanov, Soviet actor (d. 1987)
• 1922 – Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodian king and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Cambodia (d. 2012)
• 1925 – Lawrence A. Cremin, American historian and author (d. 1990)
• 1925 – Lee Grant, American actress and director
• 1925 – John Pople, English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
• 1926 – Jimmy Savile, English radio and television host (d. 2011)
• 1927 – Thomas Hill, Canadian actor (d. 2009)
• 1928 – Cleo Moore, American actress (d. 1973)
• 1928 – Andrew Sarris, American critic (d. 2012)
• 1929 – Eddie Charlton, Australian snooker player (d. 2004)
• 1929 – Bud Spencer, Italian actor
• 1929 – Olga Zubarry, Argentinian actress (d. 2012)
• 1930 – Michael Collins, American 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
• 1933 – Narriman Sadek, Egyptian wife of Farouk of Egypt (d. 2005)
• 1934 – Fillie Lyckow, Swedish actress
• 1935 – Ronald Graham, American mathematician
• 1935 – David Harvey, English-American geographer and academic
• 1936 – Michael Landon, American actor (d. 1991)
• 1937 – Tom Paxton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1939 – Tom O'Connor, English comedian and actor
• 1939 – Ron Rifkin, American actor
• 1939 – Ali Farka Touré, Malian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)
• 1941 – Dan Alderson, American scientist (d. 1989)
• 1941 – Derek Bell, English race car driver
• 1941 – Werner Krieglstein, Czech-American philosopher
• 1941 – Spilios Spiliotopoulos, Greek politician
• 1942 – Dave McNally, American baseball player
• 1942 – David Ogden Stiers, American actor
• 1942 – Eduardo Castrillo, Filipino sculptor
• 1943 – Elliott Forbes-Robinson, American race car driver
• 1943 – Paul Frampton, English physicist
• 1943 – Aristotelis Pavlidis, Greek politician
• 1943 – Brian Piccolo, American football player (d. 1970)
• 1944 – Sally Kirkland, American actress
• 1944 – Otto Wiesheu, Bavarian politician
• 1945 – Brian Doyle-Murray, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter
• 1945 – Russ Ballard, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Argent)
• 1946 – Norman Lovett, English comedian and actor
• 1946 – Stephen Rea, Irish actor
• 1947 – Deidre Hall, American actress
• 1947 – Frank Shorter, American runner
• 1947 – Herman Van Rompuy, Belgian politician, Prime Minister of Belgium, President of the European Council
• 1948 – Michael Kitchen, English actor and politician
• 1949 – Bob Siebenberg, American drummer (Supertramp and Bees Make Honey)
• 1950 – John Candy, Canadian comedian and actor (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 coach
• 1951 – Dave Trembley, American baseball coach and manager
• 1952 – Bernard Edwards, American bass player and producer (Chic and The Power Station) (d. 1996)
• 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 politician
• 1955 – Susan Orlean, American journalist
• 1956 – Bruce Bawer, American critic and poet
• 1956 – Anders Lago, Swedish politician
• 1956 – Christopher de Leon, Filipino actor
• 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
• 1960 – Luis Fortuño, Puerto Rican politician, 9th Governor of Puerto Rico
• 1960 – Mike Gallego, American baseball player
• 1960 – Reza Pahlavi, Iranian prince
• 1961 – Alonzo Babers, American runner
• 1961 – Kate Campbell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1961 – Peter Jackson, New Zealand actor, director, screenwriter, and producer
• 1961 – Larry Mullen, Jr., Irish drummer, songwriter, and actor (U2 and Automatic Baby)
• 1963 – Dunga, Brazilian footballer and manager
• 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
• 1963 – Dermot Mulroney, American actor
• 1963 – Rob Schneider, American actor, screenwriter, and producer
• 1964 – Frank Bruni, American journalist
• 1964 – Colm Ó Cíosóig, Irish drummer and songwriter (My Bloody Valentine and Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions)
• 1964 – Marco van Basten, Dutch footballer and manager
• 1964 – Darryl Worley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1964 – Marty Wright, American wrestler
• 1965 – Blue Edwards, American basketball player
• 1965 – Denis Irwin, Irish footballer
• 1965 – Rob Rackstraw, English voice actor
• 1966 – Ad-Rock, American rapper, producer, and actor (Beastie Boys)
• 1966 – Joseph Boyden, Canadian author
• 1966 – Koji Kanemoto, Japanese wrestler
• 1966 – Annabella Lwin, Burmese singer (Bow Wow Wow)
• 1966 – Mike O'Malley, American actor
• 1966 – Jon Wurster, American comic and drummer (Superchunk, The Mountain Goats)
• 1967 – Vanilla Ice, American rapper and actor
• 1967 – Buddy Lazier, American race car driver
• 1967 – Irina Pantaeva, Russian model and actress
• 1968 – Antonio Davis, American basketball player
• 1969 – David Coburn, American actor and singer
• 1970 – Linn Berggren, Swedish singer-songwriter (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, Scottish rugby player
• 1971 – Ian Walker, English footballer
• 1972 – Shaun Bartlett, South African footballer
• 1972 – Matt Dawson, English rugby player
• 1972 – Grigoris Georgatos, Greek footballer
• 1973 – Paul Abrahams, English footballer
• 1973 – Christopher Bevins, American voice actor, director, scriptwriter, and producer
• 1973 – Tim Byrdak, American baseball player
• 1973 – David Dellucci, American baseball player
• 1973 – Beverly Lynne, American porn actress
• 1974 – Muzzy Izzet, Turkish footballer
• 1974 – Roger Manganelli, Brazilian singer-songwriter and bass player (Less Than Jake and Rehasher)
• 1974 – Natasja Saad, Danish rapper (d. 2007)
• 1975 – Fabio Celestini, Swiss footballer
• 1975 – Keith Jardine, American mixed martial artist
• 1975 – Johnny Whitworth, American actor
• 1976 – Guti, Spanish footballer
• 1976 – Piper Perabo, American actress
• 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, American actress
• 1980 – Alondra de la Parra, Mexican-American conductor
• 1980 – Marcel Meeuwis, Dutch footballer
• 1980 – Eddie Kaye Thomas, American actor
• 1981 – Irina Denezhkina, Russian author
• 1981 – Lollie Alexi Devereaux, French 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 rules 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 – Katy French, Irish model (d. 2007)
• 1984 – Scott Clifton, American actor and singer
• 1984 – Pat Murray, American football player
• 1986 – Chris Alajajian, Australian race car driver
• 1986 – Sean Paul Lockhart, American actor, producer, also known as Brent Corrigan in his gay adult pornographic roles
• 1986 – Christie Hayes, Australian actress
• 1986 – Shahrukh Ali, Accountant at Johnson & Johnson Middle East
• 1987 – Nick Foligno, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1988 – Cole Aldrich, American basketball player
• 1988 – Ben Bruce, Singer songwriter
• 1988 – Sébastien Buemi, Swiss race car driver
• 1988 – Jack Riewoldt, Australian rules footballer
• 1989 – Warren Weir, Jamaican sprinter
• 1990 – Lil' JJ, American comedian and actor
• 1992 – Vanessa Marano, American actress
• 1995 – Joana Vale Costa, Portuguese tennis player
• 2000 – Willow Smith, American actress and singer
• 2005 – Infanta Leonor of Spain

Deaths

• 1147 – Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, English son of Henry I of England (b. 1090)
• 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 (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 composer (b. 1690)
• 1860 – Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, Scottish admiral (b. 1775)
• 1879 – Jacob Abbott, American author (b. 1803)
• 1879 – Joseph Hooker, American general (b. 1814)
• 1884 – Marie Bashkirtseff, Russian painter (b. 1858)
• 1913 – William Evans-Gordon, English politician (b. 1857)
• 1916 – Charles Taze Russell, American minister (b. 1852)
• 1918 – Egon Schiele, Austrian painter (b. 1890)
• 1920 – Alphonse Desjardins, Canadian journalist (b. 1854)
• 1925 – Max Linder, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1883)
• 1926 – Harry Houdini, Hungarian-American magician (b. 1874)
• 1926 – Philip Schuster, American gymnast (b. 1883)
• 1929 – Ilm-ud-din, Islamic murderer (b. 1908)
• 1929 – António José de Almeida, Portuguese politician, 6th President of Portugal (b. 1866)
• 1929 – Norman Pritchard, Indian-English hurdler and actor (b. 1877)
• 1931 – Octave Uzanne, French writer (b. 1851)
• 1939 – Otto Rank, Austrian psychologist (b. 1884)
• 1946 – Gabriel Gabrio, French actor (b. 1887)
• 1952 – Chit Hlaing, Burmese politician (b. 1879)
• 1959 – Jean Cabannes, French physicist (b. 1885)
• 1960 – H.L. Davis, American novelist and poet (b. 1894)
• 1972 – Bill Durnan, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1916)
• 1972 – Marcia Healy, American actress [b. 1904]
• 1973 – Malek Bennabi, Algerian philosopher (b. 1905)
• 1975 – Sachin Dev Burman, Indian singer-songwriter (b. 1906)
• 1977 – C.B. Colby, American children's author (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 and screenwriter (b. 1900)
• 1984 – Indira Gandhi, Indian politician, 3rd Prime Minister of India (b. 1917)
• 1985 – Anton Christoforidis, Greek boxer (b. 1918)
• 1985 – Nikos Engonopoulos, Greek painter and poet (b. 1907)
• 1985 – Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor (b. 1913)
• 1986 – Robert S. Mulliken, American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1896)
• 1988 – John Houseman, Romanian-American actor and director (b. 1902)
• 1988 – Alfred Pellan, Canadian painter (b. 1906)
• 1991 – Gene Anderson, American wrestler (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 (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 (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 screenwriter (b. 1915)
• 2001 – Régine Cavagnoud, French skier (b. 1970)
• 2002 – Lionel Poilâne, French businessman (b. 1945)
• 2002 – Michail Stasinopoulos, Greek politician (b. 1903)
• 2002 – Raf Vallone, Italian actor (b. 1916)
• 2003 – Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Indian singer (b. 1908)
• 2003 – Richard Neustadt, American historian (b. 1919)
• 2005 – Hal Anger, American biophysicist (b. 1920)
• 2005 – Mary Wimbush, English actress (b. 1924)
• 2006 – P. W. Botha, South African politician, State President of South Africa (b. 1916)
• 2006 – Peter Fryer, English journalist (b. 1927)
• 2006 – Amrita Pritam, Indian Punjabi Poet (b. 1919)
• 2007 – Ray Gravell, Welsh rugby player (b. 1951)
• 2008 – Studs Terkel, American author and actor (b. 1912)
• 2009 – Tom Wheatcroft, English businessman, founded the Donington Grand Prix Exhibition (b. 1922)
• 2009 – Qian Xuesen, Chinese scientist (b. 1911)
• 2009 – Mustafa Mahmud, Egyptian scientist and a prolific author (b. 1921)
• 2010 – Maurice Lucas, American basketball player (b. 1952)
• 2010 – Theodore Sorensen, American lawyer (b. 1928)
• 2011 – Flórián Albert, Hungarian footballer (b. 1941)
• 2012 – June Blundell, New Zealand wife of Denis Blundell (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Brian Cobby, English actor (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Alfons Demming, German bishop (b. 1928)
• 2012 – John Fitch, American race car driver (b. 1917)
• 2012 – Alexander Kibrik, Russian linguist (b. 1939)
• 2012 – John H. Reed, American politician, 67th Governor of Maine (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Teri Shields, American actress and producer (b. 1933)
• 2012 – Konstantin Vyrupayev, Soviet wrestler (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Abaidas (Coptic Church)
  • Quentin
  • Martin Luther (Anglican Communion)
  • Paul Shinji Sasaki and Philip Lindel Tsen (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • 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)

External links

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

---