609 – All Saints’ Day
The Roman Catholic holy day of All Saints (or All Hallows) was introduced in the year 609, but was originally celebrated on 13 May. In 835, Louis the Pious switched it to 1 November in the Carolingian Empire, at the behest of Pope Gregory IV. However, from the testimony of Pseudo-Bede, it is known that churches in what are now England and Germany were already celebrating All Saints on 1 November at the beginning of the 8th century. Thus, Louis merely made official the custom of celebrating it on 1 November. James Frazer suggests that 1 November was chosen because it was the date of the Celtic festival of the dead (Samhain) – the Celts had influenced their English neighbours, and English missionaries had influenced the Germans. However, Ronald Hutton points out that, according to Óengus of Tallaght (d. ca. 824), the 7th/8th century church in Ireland celebrated All Saints on 20 April. He suggests that the 1 November date was a Germanic rather than a Celtic idea.
Over time, the night of 31 October came to be called All Hallows’ Eve (or All Hallows’ Even). Samhain influenced All Hallows’ Eve and vice-versa, and the two eventually morphed into the secular holiday known as Halloween.
Wiccans celebrate a variation of Samhain as one of the yearly Sabbats of the Wheel of the Year. It is deemed by most Wiccans to be the most important of the four “greater Sabbats”. Samhain is seen by some Wiccans as a time to celebrate the lives of those who have died, and it often involves paying respect to ancestors, family members, elders of the faith, friends, pets and other loved ones who have died. In some rituals the spirits of the dead are invited to attend the festivities. It is seen as a festival of darkness, which is balanced at the opposite point of the wheel by the spring festival of Beltane, which Wiccans celebrate as a festival of light and fertility.[71]
Wiccans believe that at Samhain (Sow In) the veil between this world and the afterlife is at its thinnest point of the whole year, making it easier to communicate with those who have left this world
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.
1541 – Michelangelo Buonarroti finishes painting The Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican
1793 – Execution of Girondins at Paris during Reign of Terror
1795 – John Keats, London, England, romantic poet (Ode to a Grecian Urn), (d. 1821) Born
1846 – Donner party, unable to cross the Donner Pass, construct a winter camp
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.
1881 – George Washington De Long, American Arctic Explorer, dies during his disastrous expedition to the North Pole at 37
1892 – Arthur Conan Doyle publishes The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
1913 – Dedication of the Lincoln Highway, the first automobile highway across United States.
1913 – The Indianapolis Streetcar Strike and subsequent riot begins.
1918 – Spanish flu-virus kills 21,000 in US in 1 week
1920 – Helmut Newton, German photographer (d. 2004) Born
1922 – Benito Mussolini (IL Duce) is made Prime Minister of Italy
1923 – 160 consecutive days of 100 degrees F begin 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).
1925 – Cossack officer Reza Chan replaces sultan Ahmad as Shah of Persia
1926 – Jimmy Savile, English radio and television host, Monstrous Pedophile, and Necrophiliac (d. 2011) was birthed
1926 – Harry Houdini, [Erich Weisz], magician, dies in Detroit of gangrene and peritonitis that developed after his appendix ruptured
1931 – Dan Rather, Wharton, Texas, American journalist and news anchor (CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes) Born
1931 – Following the announcement that Great Britain had decided to abandon the Gold Standard in mid September a mini panic occurred when people were worried their money was not safe in local banks , the panic caused people to draw savings from the banks which in turn placed more pressure on the banks than the 1929 stock market crash had already, because of this by 31st October 827 banks were forced to close.
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.
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.
1946 – Stephen Rea, Belfast, Northern Ireland, film and stage actor (Crying Game, Michael Collins) Born
1949 – Bob Siebenberg, American drummer (Supertramp and Bees Make Honey) was born
1950 – John Candy, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1994) was born.
1952 – 1st thermonuclear bomb detonated at Marshall Islands
1959 – Years before the Kennedy assassination Lee Harvey Oswald is featured in local papers when he applies for Soviet citizenship
1961 – In the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin’s body is removed from Vladimir Lenin’s Tomb
1961 – Larry Mullen Jr, Dublin Ireland, rock drummer (U2-I Will Follow) Born
1961 – Glenn “Doc” Rivers, NBA guard (San Antonio Spurs, BOSTON Celtics Coach) Born
1963 – Mikkey Dee, Swedish drummer and songwriter (Motörhead and King Diamond) was born
1963 – Johnny Marr, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Smiths, Modest Mouse, Electronic, and The Cribs) was born.
1963 – Rob Schneider, American actor (SNL), producer, and screenwriter was born.
1964 – Colm Ó Cíosóig, Irish drummer (My Bloody Valentine, Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions) Born
1966 – Ad-Rock, American rapper, producer, and actor (Beastie Boys and BS 2000) was born.
1967 – Vanilla Ice, American rapper, producer, and actor was born.
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.
1970 – Rogers Stevens, American guitarist (Blind Melon) was born.
1970 – Mitch Harris, American guitarist (Napalm Death, among others) Born
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.
1974 – Ted Bundy victim Laura Aime disappears in Utah
1981 – Frank Iero, American musician (My Chemical Romance, Leathermouth, Pencey Prep; founder of Skeleton Crew) Born
1984 – Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by two Sikh security guards. Riots break out in New Delhi and other cities and nearly 10,000 Sikhs are killed.
1988 – John Houseman, actor (Paper Chase, Fog), dies of spinal cancer at 86
1993 – Rapper Tupac Shakur charged with aggravated assault
1993 – Federico Fellini, director (La Dolce Vita), dies of stroke at 73
1993 – River Phoenix, actor (Stand By Me), dies of drug overdose at 23
1997 – British au pair Louise Woodward, 19, sentenced to life for the death of Matthew Eappen 8½ months (judge changes to time served)
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.
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.
2008 – State Media in China has reported the toxic chemical melamine is probably being routinely added to Chinese animal feed, melamine has now been found in contaminated milk and eggs. Melamine is used to reduce production costs while maintaining the protein count for quality inspections,
2011 – The global population of humans reaches seven billion. This day is now recognized by the United Nations as Seven Billion Day.
2012 – The New York stock exchange opens after being closed for two days after Hurricane Sandy