Oct 31
1517
A Reformation ignites
In 1517 a Roman Catholic monk and theologian named Martin Luther did something that would eventually split Western Christianity. According to tradition, Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, on this day. Whether that dramatic moment actually happened is disputed, but we know he did send his theses to Archbishop Albert of Mainz that day. What spurred Luther to write his theses? And what did they say?
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Featured Event
H. Roger-Viollet
On this day in 1922, Benito Mussolini became prime minister of Italy, and he later established the world’s first fascist dictatorship; his rise to power inspired other dictators, including Germany’s Adolf Hitler.
Featured Biography
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-USZ62-134157)
Indira Gandhi, the four-term prime minister of India (1966–77; 1980–84) and daughter of independent India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was assassinated this day in 1984 by two of her own Sikh bodyguards.
More on October 31
Gretchen Garner/Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Today
Although Halloween, celebrated this day, is now observed largely as a secular holiday, it is, as the eve of All Saints’ Day, also a religious holiday among some Christians. [How much do you know about Halloween?]
© Carrienelson1/Dreamstime.com
2020
Scottish-born actor Sean Connery, who was perhaps best known for portraying superspy James Bond in a series of films, died at age 90. [Read about 10 famous spies.]
Fred Jewell—AP/Shutterstock.com
2008
American author and oral historian Studs Terkel, who chronicled the lives of Americans from the Great Depression to the early 21st century, died in Chicago. [Take our quiz about famous authors.]
White House Collection
1968
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered an end to American bombing in North Vietnam. [ Test your knowledge of the Vietnam War.]
© Warner Brothers, Inc.
1962
The American psychological thriller What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, a late-career triumph for both Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, was released in American theatres. [Take our quiz about women in classic cinema.]
© C. Borland—PhotoLink/Getty Images
1941
After nearly 15 years of work, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota was completed; the colossal sculpture features the heads of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. [Test your knowledge of national parks and landmarks.]
Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (96518835)
1926
Harry Houdini, the magician and escape artist, died of peritonitis stemming from a stomach injury. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about history makers.]
Camera Press/Globe Photos
1887
Soldier and statesman Chiang Kai-shek, head of the Nationalist government in China from 1928 to 1949 and subsequently head of the Chinese Nationalist government-in-exile on Taiwan, was born. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about China.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1864
Nevada became the 36th state of the United States. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about U.S. states.]
Harris & Ewing Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-hec-09028)
1860
Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, was born in Savannah, Georgia.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Marquand Collection, Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1889 (89.15.21), www. metmuseum.org
1632
Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, whose paintings are among the most beloved and revered images in the history of art, was baptized. [Test your knowledge of famous artists.]
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