Events on Oct 31
- 0802Empress Irene of Byzantium driven out
- 08341st All Hallows Eve (Halloween) observed to honor the saints
- 1517Luther posts 95 theses on Wittenberg church-Protestant Reformation
- 1552Emperor Karel and Markgraaf Albecht strike siege for Metz
- 1596English / French / Dutch delegates sign anti-Spanish "Drievoudig Covenant"
- 1617Laurens Reael resigns as Governor-General of East-Indies
- 1714Georg Ludwig van Hannover crowned as English King George I
- 1759Earthquake in Safed Palestine kills hundred
- 1793Execution of Girondins at Paris, during Reign of Terror
- 1794John Dalton 1st lecture to Manchester Literary / Philosophical Society
- 1808Holland Brigade battle at Durango, Spain
- 1837Collision of river boat Monmouth and Trement on Miss; 300 die
- 1846Donner party, unable to cross the Donner Pass, construct a winter camp
- 1864Nevada admitted as 36th state
- 1868Standard uniform approved for postal carriers
- 1871Founding of the Netherlands Protestant Union in Dokkum
- 1876Cyclone hits Bengal, about 200,000 die
- 1881Metropolitan club plays its last game of its non-league season They win 80 of 151 games (18-43 versus NL teams)
- 1888John Boyd Dunlop patents pneumatic bicycle tire
- 1900AL President Ban Johnson writes to NL President Nick Young seeking peace
- 1905Great revolutionary demonstration for amnesty in St. Petersburg
- 19084th Olympic games ends in London
- 1914Great Britain and France declare war on Turkey
- 1918Spanish flu-virus kills 21,000 in US in 1 week
- 1920Romania annexes Bessarabia
- 1921Federation Sportive Feminine International forms (1st Woman Track & Field Association)
- 1922Benito Mussolini (Il Duce) becomes Premier of Italy
- 1925Cossack officer Reza Chan replaces Sultan Ahmad Shah in Persia
- 1932Greek government of Venizelos falls
- 1937Spanish government moves from Valencia to Barcelona
Born on Oct 31
- 1291Philippe de Vitry: French composer / poet
- 1345Ferdinand I [the wise one]: King of Portugal (built navy)
- 1424Wladyslaw III Warnenczyk: King of Poland / Hungary
- 1541Hendrik van Kinschot: Dutch lawyer
- 1620John Evelyn: British diarist (Life of Mrs Godolphin)
- 1632Jan Vermeer: Holland, Netherlands -- Painter (Procuress, astronomer)
- 1638Meindert Hobbema: Amsterdams landscape painter, baptised
- 1705Clemens XIV [Giovanni Ganganelli]: Pope (1769-74)
- 1740William Paca: US judge / signer (Declaration of Independence)
- 1750Leonor de Almeida Marquesa de Alorna: Portuguese poet
- 1755Jean Louis van Aelbroeck: Flemish agronomist
- 1757Ignaz Spangler: Composer
- 1761Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck: Dutch patriot / Earl / Grand Pensionary
- 1785George F Kersting: German painter
- 1791Ferdinand Huber: Composer
- 1795John Keats: London, England -- Romantic poet (Ode to a Grecian Urn)
- 1815Karl Weierstrass: Germany -- Mathematician (theory of functions)
- 1825Raleigh Edward Colston: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1896
- 1826Hugh Boyle Ewing: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1905
- 1831Daniel Butterfield: Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1901
- 1835Adelbert Ames: Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1933
- 1835J F W Adolf Ritter von Baeyer: German chemist (Nobel 1905)
- 1847Galileo Ferraris: Italian physicist (2-fasenmotor)
- 1852Mary E W Freeman: US writer (Revolt of Mother)
- 1854Georg A Erman: German Egyptologist (Grammar of Ancient Egypt)
- 1860Juliette Gordon Low: Activist / founder (Girl Scouts of America)
- 1875Seerp Anema: Poet / writer (Dutch Coasts)
- 1876Eduard van Oort: Zoologist (Ornithology of the Netherlands)
- 1887Chiang Kai-shek: Chekiang Province, China -- President of Nationalist China
- 1887Edouard Lalonde: Canada -- NHL (Montreal Canadiens) / lacrosse player
Died on Oct 31
- 1448Johannes VIII Palaeologus: Emperor of Byzantine
- 1556John Sleidanus: German humanist / Historian (Commentary), dies at 50
- 1634Erasmus Widmann: Composer, dies at 62
- 1641Cornelis C Jol [Houtebeen]: Adm (South-America), dies at about 41
- 1654Francisco Correa de Arauxo: Composer
- 1664Willem Frederik of Nassau-Dietz: Viceroy of Friesland, dies at 51
- 1744Leonardo Ortensio Salvatore de Leo: Composer, dies at 50
- 1765Duke of Cumberland: English politician / uncle of George III
- 1768Francesco Maria Veracini: Italian opera composer, dies at 78
- 1793Pierre V Vergniaud: French politician / police leader, guillotined at 40
- 1806Sophie Mereau: Writer, dies at 36
- 1815Daniel Belknap: Composer, dies at 44
- 1851Peter II Petrovic Njegos: Bishop of Montenegro (1830-51), dies at 37
- 1860Johan Nathan: Murderer, hanged
- 1863Louis Ludwig Blenker: German / US Brigadier General (Union), dies at 51
- 1865William Parson: 3rd Earl of Rosse and maker of large telescopes
- 1870Mihaly Mosonyi: Composer, dies at 55
- 1879Big Snake: Brother of Ponca chief Standing Bear
- 1887George Alexander Macfarren: Composer, dies at 74
- 1895Franz Hedrich: Austria writer, dies at about 62
- 1902Jean-Baptist Colyns: Composer, dies at 67
- 1918Egon Schiele: Austria Painter / graphic artist, dies at 28
- 1918Stephen Tisza: Hungarian Prime Minister (-1917), assassinated by soldiers
- 1925Max Linder: Actor (Man in the Silk Hat), dies at 41
- 1926Harry Houdini [Erich Weisz]: US magician, dies in Detroit
- 1939Otto Rank [Rosenfeld]: Austria psychoanalyst (Trauma of Geburt)
- 1941Herwarth Walden: Writer, dies at 63
- 1943Max Reinhardt: Austrian stage manager (Turandot)
- 1945Henry Ainley: Actor (As You Like It), dies at 66
- 1948Cissy van Marxfield [Setske Beek-de Han]: Writer
Historical events on November 1
- 0079Pompei buried by Mt Vesuvius
- 09961st use of name "Austria" for Ostarrichi / in oorkonde
- 1210King John of England begins imprisoning Jews
- 1248Earl Willem II of Holland crowned as RC German Emperor
- 1349Duke of Brabant orders execution of all Jews in Brussels, accusing them of poisoning the wells
- 1462Archduke Albrecht VI van Habsburg occupies Vienna
- 1570Netherlands hit by flood disaster, 1,000s killed
- 1623Fire at Plymouth, Massachusetts destroys several buildings
- 1628French King Louis XIII occupies La Rochelle
- 1671French King Louis XIV and RC German Emperor Leopold I sign secret anti-Dutch treaty
- 1721Prince Eugenius of Savoye unveals statue of himself
- 1755Lisbon earthquake kills more than 50,000
- 1765Stamp Act goes into effect in British colonies
- 1776Mission San Juan Capistrano founded in California
- 1784Maryland grants citizenship to Lafayette and his descendents
- 17871st free school in NYC (African Free School) opens
- 18001st President to live in White House (John Adams)
- 18341st published reference to poker (as Mississippi riverboat game)
- 1849Dutch government of Thorbecke forms
- 1861Gen George B McClellan made general in chief of Union armies
- 1863Fortifications built on Angel Island (SF Bay) by troops
- 1865Zutphen-Fishing Dutch railway opens
- 18661st Civil Rights Bill passes
- 1867"Harpers Bazaar" publishes
- 1869Deli Me forms T B V tobacco in Sumatra
- 1870US Weather Bureau begins operations (24 locations)
- 1876King Willem III opens North Sea Canal (Amsterdam-IJmuiden)
- 1877Dutch government of Heemskerk-Van Lynden resigns
- 1878Edward Scripps and John Sweeney found Penny Press (Cleveland Press)
- 1885Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Immortale Dei
Born on November 1
- 0846Louis II [the Stutterer]: King of France (877-79)
- 1500Benvenuto Cellini: Sculptor / goldsmith / author (Perseus)
- 1618Johannes Flittner: Composer
- 1666James Sherard: Composer
- 1731Theodore-Jean Tarade: Composer
- 1748Christoph Rheineck: Composer
- 1757Antonio Canova: Italian sculptor
- 1761Antonin Josef Alois Volanek: Composer
- 1762Spencer Perceval: (Tory), British Prime Minister (1809-12)
- 1782Viscount Goderich: (Tory), British Prime Minister (1827-28)
- 1798Benjamin Lee: Baronet Guinness, United Kingdom -- Irish brewer / Dublin Mayor
- 1805Alessandro Nini: Composer
- 1815Crawford Williamson Long: Surgeon / pioneer (use of ether)
- 1815Douglas Hancock Cooper: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1879
- 1825Joseph Benjamin Palmer: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1890
- 1832Johann Gottfred Matthison-Hansen: Composer
- 1835Godfrey Weitzel: (Union volunteers Major General, died in 1884)
- 1853Jose Santos Zelaya: (L), ruler of Nicaragua (1893-1910)
- 1855Guido Adler: Austria -- Musicologist (Still in the Music)
- 1859Charles Brantley Aycock: (Gov-North Carolina)
- 1859William Henry Grattan Flood: Composer
- 1862Johan Wagenaar: Dutch composer / conductor / Organist (Cyrano)
- 1863Alfred Reisenauer: Composer
- 1871Alexander Afanasii Spendiaryan: Composer
- 1871Stephen Crane: United States -- Novelist / poet (Red Badge of Courage)
- 1877Roger Quilter: British composer
- 1878Carlos Saavedra Lamas: Argentina -- Jurist (Nobel Peace Prize 1936)
- 1879Pal Teleki-von Szek: Geographer / Premier Hungary (1920-21, 39-41)
- 1880Alfred L Wegener: German meteorologist (continental shift)
- 1880Grantland Rice: Sportswriter (NY Her Trib 1914-30, Colliers 1925-37)
Died on November 1
- 1546Giulio Romano: Italian Painter / Architect (Ondergang der Titanen)
- 1672Heinrich Schutz: Composer, dies at 87
- 1700Carlos II: King of Spain (1665-1700), dies at 39
- 1711Christian Demelius: Composer, dies at 68
- 1750Gustaaf W van Imhoff: Dutch Governor of Ceylon (1736-40), dies at 45
- 1768Pierre van Maldere: Composer, dies at 39
- 1788Johann Samuel Schroeter: Composer
- 1810Georg Anton Kreusser: Composer, dies at 64
- 1817Giovanni Calisto Andrea Zanotti: Composer, dies at 79
- 1825Rodrigo Ferreira da Costa: Composer, dies at 49
- 1841Antoine PFGdV Celles: Belgium / Dutch / French MP
- 1844August Ferdinand Haeser: Composer, dies at 45
- 1881Jacques F H Perk: Dutch Poet (Iris), dies at 22
- 1891John A Neuhuys: Painter, dies at 59
- 1894Aleksandr III A Romanov: Czar of Russia (1881-94), dies at 49
- 1895Aleksander Zarzycki: Composer, dies at 61
- 1903[Christian M] Theodor Mommsen: German Historian (Nobel 1902)
- 1907Alfred Jarry: Writer, dies at 33
- 1914Christopher "Kit" Cradock: English Admiral, dies in battle
- 1926Louis H Chrispijn: Dutch actor / director (Krates), dies at 72
- 1927Florence Mills: Dancer / singer, dies in New York City at 32
- 1941Camille Melloy [the Paepe]: Belgian priest / Poet (Requiem), dies at 50
- 1942Hugo Distler: Composer, dies at 34
- 1950Griselio Torresola: Attempted to assassinate President Truman, shot dead
- 1955W H van Eemlandt [Haasse]: Author (Treasure Hunter of Amstel)
- 1956Lajos Asztalos: International Chess Master (1950), dies at 67
- 1959Gershon Agron: Mayor of Jerusalem, dies at 66
- 1961Alexander Cohen: Dutch anarchist / author, dies at 97
- 1961Joan McCracken: Actress (Claudie The Story of a Marriage), dies at 38
- 1962Winter Haynes Watts: Composer, dies at 78
Events on Nov 2
- 0676Donus begins his reign as Catholic Pope replacing Pope Adeodatus II
- 1355English invasion army under King Edward lands at Calais
- 1418Utrecht conquerors Ijsselstein
- 1532Zealand / South Holland flooded
- 16422nd battle at Breitenfeld Saksen: Sweden beat Ferdinand III
- 164812,000 Jews massacred by Chmielnicki hordes in Narol Podlia
- 1722Willem KH Friso (11) appointed Viceroy of Gelderland
- 1749English Ohio Trade Company forms 1st trade post
- 1772Boston: anti-English Committee of Correspondence forms
- 1783Gen Washington bids farewell to his army
- 1811Battle of Tippecanoe: General Jackson vs. indians
- 1813Treaty of Fulda
- 1824Popular presidential vote 1st recorded; Jackson beats J Q Adams
- 18352nd Seminole War begins in Osceola
- 1841Akbar Khan successfully revolts against Shah Shuja in Afghanistan
- 1851Louis Napoleon takes power in France
- 1852Franklin Pierce elected as President of US
- 1854Cobblestone paving of Washington St. between Dupont and Kearny starts
- 1879In a 6-day footrace a Mr Weston loses to a horse, 900 to 885 km
- 1880James A Garfield (R) elected President
- 1881Dutch New-Malthusiaanse Union forms
- 1889North Dakota becomes 39th and South Dakota becomes 40th state
- 1892Paul Verlaine visits Netherlands
- 1898French government-Dupuy forms
- 1898Theodor Herzl arrives in Jerusalem
- 1899Boers begin siege of Ladysmith Natal
- 1903Lyceum Theater (New Lyceum) opens at 149 W 45th St, New York City
- 1903New Amsterdam Theater opens at 214 W 42nd St, New York City
- 1904British newspaper, "Daily Mirror, " begins publishing
- 1907Ottawa Mint Proclamation is published
Born on Nov 2
- 1528Peter S Lotichius [Peter Lotz]: Neo latin poet (Collected Works)
- 1739Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf: Composer
- 1741Joan Derk van Capellen: Leader of the Netherlands Democratic Patriots
- 1755Marie-Antoinette: Queen of France, let them eat cake
- 1785Frederic Kalkbrenner: Composer
- 1785Johann Leopold Fuchs: Composer
- 1795James Knox Polk: North Carolina, United States -- 11th President (D) (1845-1849)
- 1810Andrew Atkinson Humphreys: Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1883
- 1815George Boole: Mathematician (Boolean algebra)
- 1822James Byron Gordon: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1864
- 1826Robert Hopkins Hatton: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1862
- 1826William Haines Lytle: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1863
- 1828Byron Grimes: Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1880
- 1842Otto Reubke: Composer
- 1843Caryl Florio: Composer
- 1843Elek Erkel: Composer
- 1843William James Robjohn: Composer
- 1846Antonio Pena y Goni: Composer
- 1847George Sorel: French Socialist thinker / author (violent revolutions)
- 1857Joseph F F Babinski: Polish / French neurologist (Babinski reflex)
- 1865Warren Gamaliel Harding: Ohio, United States -- (R) 29th President (1921-23)
- 1876Eugeniusz Morawsky-Dabrowa: Composer
- 1877Claire McDowell: NYC, New York -- Actress (Big Parade)
- 1880John Foulds: Composer
- 1882Leo Perutz: Writer
- 1883Frico Kafenda: Composer
- 1885Harlow Shapley: United States -- Astronomer (studied the galaxies)
- 1886Philip Merivale: Rehutia, India -- Actor (Nothing But Trouble)
- 1890Henry Borginon: Flemish nationalist / senator
- 1892Alice Brady: NYC, New York -- Actress (My Man Godfrey, Gay Divorcee, Zenobia)
Died on Nov 2
- 1171Baudouin IV: Count of Henegouwen (1120-71)
- 1171Dionysius bar Salibi: Author (Diarbekir)
- 1483Henry Stafford: Earl of Buckingham / constable of Engl, beheaded at 49
- 1588Wilhelmus Damasi: Theologist / 1st Bishop of Roermond, dies at 63
- 1610Richard Bancroft: Archbishop of Canterbury (1604-10), dies at 66
- 1635Aurelio Signoretti: Composer, dies at 68
- 1697Constantine Huygens, Jr.: Poet / Painter / cartoonist, buried
- 1717Johann Jacob Walther: Composer
- 1731Johann Matthias Leffloth: Composer, dies at 26
- 1781Jose F de Isla: Spanish Jesuit / author, dies at 78
- 1804Armand-Gaston Camus: French Chairman of Council of 500, dies at 64
- 1845Chretien Urhan: Composer, dies at 55
- 1870William F Brantly: Confederate, murdered at about 40
- 1875JWW Birch: 1st British resident of Perak Malakka, murdered
- 1882Cenobio Paniagua y Vasques: Composer, dies at 61
- 1884Auguste Emmanuel Vaucorbeil: Composer, dies at 62
- 1887Jenny Lind [Swedish Nightingale]: Soprano, dies at 67
- 1909Theodor W Ahlwardt: German orientalist, dies at 81
- 1925Antonius J Derkinderen: Dutch Painter / etcher, dies at 65
- 1931Arthur James Cook: Union leader (coal miners), dies at 47
- 1937Maude Valerie White: Composer, dies at 82
- 1950George Bernard Shaw: Irish Author (Pygmalion), dies at 94
- 1956Jacob Weinberg: Composer, dies at 77
- 1956Leo Baeck: President of World Union for Progressive Judaism, dies at 83
- 1958Adam von Ahn Carse: Composer, dies at 80
- 1960Dimitri Mitropoulos: Greek / US conductor / composer, dies at 64
- 1961James Thurber: Humorist (The Male Animal), dies at 66
- 1962Felice Lattuada: Composer, dies at 80
- 1966Mississippi John Hurt: Rocker, dies at 73
- 1966Sadao Araki: Japanese General / Minister of War (1931-34), dies at 89