On This Day October 31st

 OTD

October 31st is the three hundredth fourth day of the year, and there are 61 days remaining until the end of the year.

 

Events

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.

1837 – Approximately 300 Muscogee died in the steamboat Monmouth disaster on the Trail of Tears in the United States.

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

1907 – The Parliament of Finland approved the Prohibition Act, but the law was not implemented because Tsar Nicholas II of Russia did not ratify it.

1913 – Dedication of the Lincoln Highway, the first automobile highway across the United States.

1917 – World War I: Battle of Beersheba: The "last successful cavalry charge in history".

1923 – The first 160 days of 100° Fahrenheit at Marble Bar, Western Australia.

1940 – World War II: The Battle of Britain ends, causing Germany to abandon Operation Sea Lion.

1968—Vietnam War October surprise: Citing progress with the Paris peace talks, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announced to the nation that he had ordered a complete cessation of "all air, naval, and artillery bombardment of North Vietnam," effective November 1.

1999—Yachtsman Jesse Martin returns to Melbourne after 11 months of solo, nonstop, and unassisted circumnavigating the world.

2011 – The global population of humans reaches seven billion. The United Nations now recognizes this day as the Day of Seven Billion.

 

Birthdays

1472 – Wang Yangming, Chinese Neo-Confucian scholar (d. 1529)

1620 – John Evelyn, English gardener and author (d. 1706)

1711 – Laura Bassi, Italian physician, physicist, and academic (d. 1778)

1795 – John Keats, English poet (d. 1821)

1815 – Karl Weierstrass, German mathematician and academic (d. 1897)

1856 – Charles Leroux, American balloonist and skydiver (d. 1889)

1912 – Ollie Johnston, American animator and voice actor (d. 2008)

1936 – Michael Landon, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1991)

1950 – John Candy, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1994)

1951 – Nick Saban, American football player and coach

1963 – Mikkey Dee, Swedish hard rock drummer and musician.

1966 – Ad-Rock, American rapper, producer, and actor.

 

Holiday Highlight

 Samhain

For the ancient Celts, Samhain marked the end of summer and the time to prepare for winter. It was a festival of supernatural significance, believed to be when the forces of darkness roamed the Earth.

To please the gods and protect their livestock, the Celts built large bonfires. This festival symbolized the separation between summer and winter and allowed communication between the physical world and the spirit world. People disguised themselves in animal costumes to blend in with spirits and avoid trouble. Animals were sacrificed to appease the deities, and coals from the bonfires were used to light their hearths.

In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV established All Saints' Day, which later replaced Samhain. This evolved into All Hallows' Eve or Halloween. By the 1800s, Halloween traditions spread to America, largely due to Irish immigrants escaping the Potato Famine, popularizing the festival further.

 

Holidays And Observance

All Hallows Eve

Beggars' Night

Books For Treats Day

Carve a Pumpkin Day

Day of the Seven Billion

Girl Scout Founder's Day

Halloween

Magic Day

National Caramel Apple Day

National Doorbell Day

National Increase Your Psychic Powers Day

National Knock Knock Jokes Day

Reformation Day

Samhain - October 31 (Pagan)

Save a Friend Day

Sneak Some of the Candy Yourself Before the Kids Start Knocking Day

Trick or Treat for UNICEF Day

World Cities Day

World Savings Day 

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