October 31 - Reformation Day/Halloween

1517 - Reformation Day is a red-letter day in remembrance of the Protestant Reformation. German Augustinian monk Martin Luther, 31, nailed to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg a list of 95 theological points he wished to debate ... and touched off the Protestant Reformation!
For more on Martin Luther, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther

Halloween is also celebrated on this date (primarily in the US) and children dress up in costumes and go knocking on doors to get a treat (candy and goodies). In recent times, even adults celebrate Halloween by having costume parties.
2001 - First Halloween in 42 years with a full moon, the last such until 2020. It is also a �blue moon�, not meaning color, but the fact that it is the second full moon within one calendar month (valid at least in the US's Mountain Time Zone and further west, the exact time of the full moon being past midnight into 01 March in Europe, Africa, and Asia). Happy Halloween to all!

Other events:
475   - Romulus Augustus was proclaimed Roman Emperor.
1793 - Execution of the Girondins at Paris, during the Reign of Terror. The trial of the twenty-one, which began before the Revolutionary Tribunal on 24 October, 1793, was a mere farce, the verdict a foregone conclusion. On 31 October they were taken to the guillotine in five tumbrels (a tumbril is a crude cart used to carry condemned prisoners to their place of execution), the corpse of Dufriche de Valaz� -- who had killed himself -- being carried with them. They met death with great courage, singing the refrain Plut�t la mort que l'esclavage.
For more on the Girondins see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girondins

1863 - The Maori Wars (a/k/a New Zealand Wars and The Land Wars) resumed as British forces, led by General Duncan Cameron, in New Zealand began their invasion of the Waikato.
1887 - Nationalist Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek was born. He was the first constitutional President of the Republic of China.
1912 - Battle of Lule Burgas enters its fourth day, as Bulgarians try to overcome stiff Turkish resistance. The bloody battle would last a week during which the Turkish infantry endured murderous barrages from the Bulgarian artillery. By November 3, the Turks would be in full retreat toward the lines of Tchataldja, the last line of defense before Constantinople 30 km to the south
1914 - The Ottoman Empire (Turkey) joined the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria).
1922 - Benito Mussolini (Il Duce) becomes the youngest premier of Italy (39)
1926 - Magician Harry Houdini died of gangrene and peritonitis resulting from a ruptured appendix. His appendix had been damaged twelve days earlier when, during a lecture in which Houdini had commented on the strength of his stomach muscles and their ability to withstand hard blows, a student punched him twice in the stomach unexpectedly, causing his appendix to rupture.

1941 - The colossal busts of four American presidents (Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln) at Mount Rushmore was completed.
1954 - Algerian Revolution against French begins
1956 - First airplane to land on South Pole. American Rear Admiral George John Dufek and six officers land their twin-engine Douglas transport plane at the South Pole as part of Operation Deepfreeze, a primarily scientific operation at the South Pole. Their plane, named Que Ser� Ser�, is the first airplane to land at the South Pole. Rear Admiral Dufek, the plane's commander, brought his team to the South Pole to provide logistical support for the scientific body of the expedition. Upon stepping out of the Que Sera Sera, Dufek achieves his second first of the day--he becomes the first American to set foot on the South Pole.

Discoveries/Inventions/New technology:
1865 - George Westinghouse obtained his first patent for a rotary steam engine.

In Women�s History:
1825 - Charlotte Spence born (writer, social worker, reformer: "The Grand Old Woman of Australia�)
1860 - Juliette Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts, was born.
1969- Nancy Kerrigan born (Olympic medalist figure skater)
1984 - Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated near her residence by two Sikh security guards. Her son, Rajiv, was sworn in as prime minister.
2001 - In the midst of Salem's annual celebration of Halloween, acting Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift signs a bill that clears Susannah Martin, Bridget Bishop, Alice Parker, Margaret Scott, and Wilmot Redd of the charges of witchcraft for which they died in 1692 and 1693.


For complete list of events, see Wikipedia