What happened on October 31

29 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 475 to 2023.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport

Standout on October 31

2020

Berlin Brandenburg Airport

Historical event · 6 years ago

Berlin Brandenburg Airport opens its doors after nearly 10 years of delays due to construction issues and project corruption.

About October 31

October 31 is the 304th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.

Day of the year
Day 304 of 365 (305 in leap years)61 days left in the year (61 in leap years)
Falls on
Saturday in 2026, Sunday in 2027, Tuesday in 2028, Wednesday in 2029, Thursday in 2030
Week
ISO week 44 of 2026 · Q4
Zodiac sign
♏ Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)
Season
Autumn in the north · Spring in the south
October birthstone
Opal / Tourmalinehope, creativity and confidence
October birth flower
Marigold / Cosmoswarmth, creativity and harmony
Next occurrence
In 4 days
Roman numerals
XXXI.Xday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool

Anniversaries in 2026

All round-number anniversaries in 2026 →

Born on October 31 — ages this year

Historical events 29

A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport

Historical event20206 years ago

Berlin Brandenburg Airport

Berlin Brandenburg Airport opens its doors after nearly 10 years of delays due to construction issues and project corruption.

Historical event20179 years ago

2017 New York City truck attack

An Uzbek immigrant drove a rented truck into cyclists and runners in Lower Manhattan, New York City, killing eight people.

Metrojet Flight 9268

Historical event201511 years ago

Metrojet Flight 9268

Metrojet Flight 9268 is bombed over the northern Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board.

VSS Enterprise

Historical event201412 years ago

VSS Enterprise

During a test flight, the VSS Enterprise, a Virgin Galactic experimental spaceflight test vehicle, suffers a catastrophic in-flight breakup and crashes in the Mojave Desert, California.

Historical event201115 years ago

World population

The global population of humans reaches seven billion. This day is now recognized by the United Nations as the Day of Seven Billion.

Moons of Pluto

Historical event200521 years ago

Moons of Pluto

The discovery of the Plutonian moons Nix and Hydra, based on photographs taken by the Hubble Space Telescope nearly five months prior, was announced.

Historical event200323 years ago

Mahathir Mohamad

After 22 years in power, Mahathir Mohamad retired as Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Houston

Historical event200224 years ago

Houston

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.

Historical event200026 years ago

Soyuz TM-31

Soyuz TM-31 launches, carrying the first resident crew to the International Space Station. The ISS has been crewed continuously since then.

Historical event200026 years ago

Singapore Airlines Flight 006

Singapore Airlines Flight 006 collided with construction equipment while attempting to take off from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan during heavy rain, killing 83 people aboard.

Historical event199927 years ago

Jesse Martin

Australian sailor Jesse Martin arrived in Melbourne, becoming the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, non-stop, and unassisted.

Historical event199927 years ago

Yacht

Yachtsman Jesse Martin returns to Melbourne after 11 months of circumnavigating the world, solo, non-stop and unassisted.

EgyptAir Flight 990

Historical event199927 years ago

EgyptAir Flight 990

All 217 people on board EgyptAir Flight 990 perished when the aircraft suddenly crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Historical event199828 years ago

Iraq disarmament crisis

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

Historical event199630 years ago

TG4

TG4, the world's first Irish language television station, began broadcasting.

Historical event199432 years ago

American Eagle Flight 4184

American Eagle Flight 4184 crashes near Roselawn, Indiana killing all 68 people on board.

Historical event198442 years ago

Indira Gandhi

Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her own Sikh bodyguards, sparking riots that killed thousands of Sikhs.

Historical event197947 years ago

Western Airlines Flight 2605

Western Airlines Flight 2605 crashes on landing in Mexico City, killing 73 people.

Historical event197353 years ago

Provisional Irish Republican Army

Three Provisional Irish Republican Army members escaped from Mountjoy Prison in Dublin aboard a hijacked helicopter that landed in the prison's exercise yard.

Historical event196858 years ago

Great Drought of 1968

Great Drought of 1968: Amidst a collapse of hydropower President of Chile Eduardo Frei Montalva decrees the establishment of daylight saving time.

Vietnam War

Historical event196858 years ago

Vietnam War

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.

Historical event194185 years ago

USS Reuben James (DD-245)

100 crew members of the USS Reuben James (pictured) perished when their vessel became the first U.S. Navy ship sunk by hostile action during World War II after it was torpedoed by the German submarine U-552.

Historical event194185 years ago

Bust (sculpture)

Approximately 400 workers completed the 60-foot (18 m) busts of U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

World War I

Historical event1917109 years ago

World War I

World War I: Allied forces defeated Turkish troops in Beersheba in Southern Palestine at the Battle of Beersheba, with the battle involving one of the last successful cavalry charges.

Historical event1913113 years ago

Indianapolis

Public-transportation workers in Indianapolis went on strike (pictured), shutting down mass transit in the city.

Martin Luther

Historical event1517509 years ago

Martin Luther

Martin Luther (pictured) posted his Ninety-five Theses onto the door of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg, marking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

Romulus Augustulus

Historical event4751551 years ago

Romulus Augustulus

Romulus Augustulus took the throne as the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire.

Births 20

A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.

Lizzy Yarnold
Photo: en:User:Andrwsc and others · Public domain

Birth198838 years ago

Lizzy Yarnold

Lizzy Yarnold, British skeleton racer

Full profile →

Deaths 20

A notable person who died on this day.

Death20206 years ago

MF Doom

MF Doom, British-American rapper and record producer (born 1971)

Full profile →

Andres Narvasa

Death201313 years ago

Andres Narvasa

Andres Narvasa, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 19th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (born 1928)

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Trevor Kletz
Photo: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/diffusion/GOJU/browse/master/AUTHORS.txt · PD

Death201313 years ago

Trevor Kletz

Trevor Kletz, English chemist and author (born 1922)

Full profile →

Holidays & observances 8

A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.

Foillan

Holiday / observanceEvery year

Foillan

Christian feast day: Foillan (in Namur)

Holiday / observanceEvery year

Saint Quentin

Christian feast day: Quentin

Holiday / observanceEvery year

Erc of Slane

Christian feast day: Erc of Slane (in Cornwall)

Holiday / observanceEvery year

Ampliatus

Christian feast day: Ampliatus

Holiday / observanceEvery year

Paul Shinji Sasaki

Christian feast day: Paul Shinji Sasaki and Philip Lindel Tsen (Episcopal Church)

Holiday / observanceEvery year

Begu (nun)

Christian feast day: Begu

Martin Luther

Holiday / observanceEvery year

Martin Luther

Christian feast day: Martin Luther (Anglican Communion)

Spread across the centuries

  • 5th century1
  • 16th century1
  • 20th century37
  • 21st century30

Earliest: Romulus Augustulus (475). Most recent: Ken Mattingly (2023).

What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
Historical events
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Births
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths
A notable person who died on this day.
Milestones
A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
Holidays & observances
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Standout / notable
Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.

Nearby and related

Questions about October 31

What day of the year is October 31?

October 31 is the 304th day of the year, with 61 days left after it.

What star sign is October 31?

October 31 falls under Scorpio (October 23 – November 21), a water sign ruled by Pluto (traditionally Mars). The birthstone for the month is Opal or Tourmaline.

How many things happened on October 31?

We record 77 entries for October 31: 29 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 475 to 2023.

Who was born on October 31?

Leonor, Princess of Asturias (2005) is among the notable births on October 31. The births section lists the rest.

How often is the October 31 page updated?

The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.

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Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.