On This Day: 31 October

31 October in Indian history

• 1984Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her own Sikh bodyguards, sparking riots that killed thousands of Sikhs.India

31 October in world history

• 2014During 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.
• 2003After 22 years in power, Mahathir Mohamad retired as Prime Minister of Malaysia.
• 2002A 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.
• 1999All 217 people on board EgyptAir Flight 990 perished when the aircraft suddenly crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
• 1996TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402 crashes in São Paulo, Brazil, killing 99 people.
• 1973Three Provisional Irish Republican Army members escaped from Mountjoy Prison in Dublin aboard a hijacked helicopter that landed in the prison's exercise yard.
• 1968Vietnam 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.
• 1961In the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin's body is removed from Lenin's Mausoleum, and is buried near the Kremlin Wall under a plain white marker.
• 1956Hungarian Revolution of 1956: A Revolutionary Headquarters is established in Hungary. Following Imre Nagy's announcement of October 30, banned non-Communist political parties are reformed, and the MDP is replaced by the MSZMP. József Mindszenty is released fro
• 1956Suez Crisis: The United Kingdom and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal.
• 1941Approximately 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.
• 1941100 crew members of the USS Reuben James 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.
• 1924World 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).
• 1917World 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.
• 1913The Indianapolis Streetcar Strike and subsequent riot begins.
• 1587Leiden University Library opens its doors after its founding in 1575.
• 1517Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses onto the door of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg, marking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

Born on 31 October

• 1963Fred McGriff, American baseball player
• 1955Michalis Chrisochoidis, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Public Order
• 1951Dave Trembley, American baseball player, coach, and manager
• 1875Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian lawyer, freedom fighter and politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of India (died 1950)India
• 1858Saint Geevarghese Mar Dionysius of Vattasseril, Indian Orthodox Saint (died 1934)India
• 1809Edmund Sharpe, English architect, architectural historian, railway engineer, and sanitary reformer (died 1877)

Died on 31 October

• 2005Amrita Pritam, Indian author and poet (born 1919)India
• 1991Joseph Papp, American stage director and producer (born 1921)
• 1984Indira Gandhi, Indian politician, Prime Minister of India (born 1917)India
• 1939Otto Rank, Austrian psychologist, author, and educator (born 1884)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 31 October in history?

2014: 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. 2003: After 22 years in power, Mahathir Mohamad retired as Prime Minister of Malaysia. 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. 1999: All 217 people on board EgyptAir Flight 990 perished when the aircraft suddenly crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts.

What happened on 31 October in Indian history?

1984: Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her own Sikh bodyguards, sparking riots that killed thousands of Sikhs.

Which famous people were born on 31 October?

Fred McGriff, American baseball player (1963); Michalis Chrisochoidis, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Public Order (1955); Dave Trembley, American baseball player, coach, and manager (1951); Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian lawyer, freedom fighter and politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of India (died 1950) (1875).

Which day is observed on 31 October?

Rashtriya Ekta Diwas; Día de la Canción Criolla (Peru); Earliest day on which All Saints Day can fall, while November 6 is the latest; celebrated on Saturday between October 31 and November 6 (Fin; Halloween and related celebrations: Allantide (Cornwall); Halloween and related celebrations: Halloween (Ireland, Canada, United Kingdom, United States and other places).