While we overwhelmingly mark 31 October as simply the celebration of Halloween, we wanted to highlight some other events that have occurred on this day over the years.
On this day
- One event that had an overwhelming and lasting impact took place on this day in 1517: Martin Luther posted on the door of Castle Church, Wittenberg, his 95 Theses.
- The ever-expanding United States admitted its 36th state on 31 October 1864: Nevada.
- One of the earliest transcontinental highways in the United States was dedicated on 31 October 1915, named the Lincoln Highway.
- This day, in 1922, Mussolini was made the Prime Minister of Italy.
- The iconic monument, Mount Rushmore, was completed after 14 years of work on 31 October 1941.
Born on this day
- The English writer and diarist John Evelyn was born on this day in 1620.
- In 1795, John Keats, the famed Romantic poet, was born on this day. He wrote ‘I could be martyred for my religion. Love is my religion – I could die for that’.
Died on this day
- The artist Egon Schiele, whose work, it could be argued, is quite fitting for Halloween, died on this day in 1918.
- The sensational magician Harry Houdini died on this day in 1926. You could almost say his skills were supernatural, making it fitting that he departed this world on All Hallow’s Eve. Due to his talents, Houdini was nicknamed the handcuff king.
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