October 31

October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining, as the final day of October.

Events

475 - Romulus Augustus was proclaimed Roman Emperor.

1517 - Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther posts his 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church.

1822 - Emperor Agustín de Iturbide attempted to dissolve 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 resumed as British forces in New Zealand led by General Duncan Cameron began their Invasion of the Waikato.

1864 - Nevada is admitted as the 36th U.S. state.

1892 - Arthur Conan Doyle publishes The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

1912 - The Musketeers of Pig Alley, directed by D.W. Griffith, debuts as the first gangster film.

1917 - World War I: Battle of Beersheba - "last successful cavalry charge in history"

1922 - Benito Mussolini becomes the youngest Premier in the history of Italy.

1926 - Magician Harry Houdini dies of gangrene and peritonitis that developed after his appendix ruptured.

1936 - The Boy Scouts of the Philippines was formed.

1938 - Great Depression: In an effort to try 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: Battle of Britain ends - The United Kingdom prevents Germany from invading Great Britain.

1941 - After 14 years of work, drilling is completed on Mount Rushmore.

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.

1941 - American photographer Ansel Adams takes a picture of a moonrise over the town of Hernandez, New Mexico that would become one of the most famous images in the history of photography.

1954 - Algerian War of Independence: The Algerian National Liberation Front begins a revolt against French rule.

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.

1968 - Vietnam War: 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.

1984 - Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by two Sikh security guards (riots soon broke out in New Delhi and nearly 2,000 innocent Sikhs were killed).

1994 - An American Eagle ATR-72 crashes in Roselawn, Indiana, after circling in icy weather, killing 64 passengers.

1996 - A Brazilian TAM Fokker-100 crashes into several houses in São Paulo, Brazil killing 98 including 2 on the ground

1998 - Iraq disarmament crisis begins: Iraq announces it would no longer cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors.

1999 - EgyptAir Flight 990 traveling from New York City to Cairo crashes off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, killing all 217 on-board.

1999 - Roman Catholic Church and Lutheran Church leaders sign the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, ending a centuries-old doctrinal dispute over the nature of faith and salvation.

2000 - A Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400 crashes immediately after takeoff in Taipei, Taiwan killing 81

2000 - A chartered Antonov AN-26 explodes after takeoff in Northern Angola killing 50

2000 - The last Multics machine was shut down.

2003 - Mahathir bin Mohamad resigns as Prime Minister of Malaysia after 22 years in power.