Calendar date · October

What happened on October 31

On October 31, 475: Romulus Augustulus is proclaimed Western Roman Emperor.

Events

48

across history

Notable births

50

Notable deaths

50

Zodiac

Scorpio

Featured moment · 475

Romulus Augustulus is proclaimed Western Roman Emperor.

Romulus Augustus, nicknamed Augustulus, was Roman emperor of the West from 31 October 475 until 4 September 476. Romulus was placed on the imperial throne while still a minor by his father Orestes, the magister militum, for whom he served as little more than a figurehead. After a rule of ten months, the barbarian general Odoacer defeated and killed Orestes and deposed Romulus.

People

Born on October 31

Leonor 2005– Heir to the Spanish throne (born 2005)
Ansu Fati 2002– Spanish footballer (born 2002)
Willow Smith 2000– American singer (born 2000)
Danielle Rose Russell 1999– American actress and former model (born 1999)
Léa Serna 1999– French figure skater (born 1999)
Siobhán Bernadette Haughey 1997– Hong Kong swimmer (born 1997)
Sydney Park 1997– American actress (born 1997)
Marcus Rashford 1997– English footballer (born 1997)
Holly Taylor 1997– Canadian and American actress and dancer
Show 9 more — notable births on October 31
Joana Valle Costa 1995– Portuguese tennis player (born 1995)
Mercedes Arn-Horn 1993– Canadian musician (born 1993)
Nadine Lustre 1993– Filipino actress and singer (born 1993)
Letitia Wright 1993– British actress (born 1993)
Vanessa Marano 1992– American actress (born 1992)
JID 1990– American rapper (born 1989)
Scott McGough 1989– American baseball player (born 1989)
Cole Aldrich 1988– American basketball player (born 1988)
Sébastien Buemi 1988– Swiss racing driver (born 1988)

People

Died on October 31

Ken Mattingly American astronaut (1936–2023)
Peter Philpott Australian cricketer (1934–2021)
Sean Connery Scottish actor (1930–2020)
MF Doom British and American rapper (1971–2020)
Willie McCovey American baseball player (1938–2018)
Gus Savage American politician
David Manker Abshire American diplomat and politician (1926-2014)
Michael Alsbury American test pilot (1975–2014)
Brad Halsey American baseball player (1981–2014)
Show 9 more — notable deaths on October 31
Hitoshi Motoshima Japanese politician (1922–2014)
Chris Chase (aka Irene Kane) American actor and author (1924–2013)
Gérard de Villiers French writer and journalist (1929 - 2013)
Trevor Kletz British writer and chemical engineer (1922-2013)
Johnny Kucks American baseball player (1932-2013)
Andres Narvasa Chief Justice of the Philippines from 1991 to 1998
Bobby Parker American musician and songwriter (1937–2013)
Gae Aulenti Italian architect and designer (1927–2012)
John Fitch American racing driver (1917–2012)

Timeline

Every October 31 on record

  1. 475 Romulus Augustulus is proclaimed Western Roman Emperor.

    Western Roman emperor from 475 to 476

    Romulus Augustus, nicknamed Augustulus, was Roman emperor of the West from 31 October 475 until 4 September 476. Romulus was placed on the imperial throne while still a minor by his father Orestes, the magister militum, for whom he served as little more than a figurehead. After a rule of ten months, the barbarian general Odoacer defeated and killed Orestes and deposed Romulus.

  2. 683 During the Siege of Mecca, the Kaaba catches fire and is burned down.

    Part of the Second Fitna

    The siege of Mecca in September–November 683 was one of the early battles of the Second Fitna. The city of Mecca was a sanctuary for Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, who was among the most prominent challengers to the hereditary succession to the Caliphate by Yazid I of the Umayyad dynasty. After nearby Medina, the other holy city of Islam, also rebelled against Yazid, the Umayyad ruler sent an army to subdue the Hejaz.

  3. 802 Empress Irene is deposed and banished to Lesbos. Conspirators place Nikephoros, the minister of finance, on the Byzantine throne.

    Byzantine empress regnant from 797 to 802

    Irene of Athens, surname Sarantapechaena, was Byzantine empress consort to Emperor Leo IV from 775 to 780, regent during the childhood of their son Constantine VI from 780 until 790, co-ruler from 792 until 797, and finally empress regnant and sole ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire from 797 to 802. A member of the politically prominent Sarantapechos family, she was selected as Leo IV's bride for unknown reasons in 768. Even though her husband was an iconoclast, she harbored iconophile sympathies.

  4. 932 Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadir is killed while fighting against the forces of general Mu'nis al-Muzaffar. Al-Muqtadir's brother al-Qahir is chosen to succeed him.

    The Abbasid caliphs were the holders of the Islamic title of caliph who were members of the Abbasid dynasty, a branch of the Quraysh tribe descended from the uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib.

  5. 1517 Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.

    16th-century movement in Western Christianity

    The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and the authority of the Catholic Church hierarchy. Towards the end of the Renaissance, the Reformation marked the beginning of Protestantism. It is considered one of the events that signified the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the early modern period in Europe.

  6. 1587 Leiden University Library opens its doors after its founding in 1575.
  7. 1822 Emperor Agustín de Iturbide attempts to dissolve the Congress of the Mexican Empire.
  8. 1837 Approximately 300 Muscogee die in the steamboat Monmouth disaster on the Trail of Tears in the United States.
  9. 1863 The New Zealand Wars resume as British forces in New Zealand led by General Duncan Cameron begin their Invasion of the Waikato.
  10. 1864 Nevada is admitted as the 36th U.S. state.
  11. 1895 The strongest earthquake in the Midwestern United States since 1812 strikes near Charleston, Missouri, causing damage and killing at least two.
  12. 1903 The Purdue Wreck, a railroad train collision in Indianapolis, kills 17 people, including 14 players of the Purdue University football team.
  13. 1907 The Parliament of Finland approved the Prohibition Act, but the law was not implemented because it was not ratified by Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.
  14. 1913 Dedication of the Lincoln Highway, the first automobile highway across United States.
  15. 1913 The Indianapolis Streetcar Strike and subsequent riot begins.
Show 15 earlier entries from October 31
  1. 1917 World War I: Battle of Beersheba: The "last successful cavalry charge in history".
  2. 1918 World War I: The Aster Revolution terminates the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, and Hungary achieves full sovereignty.
  3. 1922 Benito Mussolini is made Prime Minister of Italy.
  4. 1923 The first of 160 consecutive days of 100° Fahrenheit at Marble Bar, Western Australia.
  5. 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).
  6. 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.
  7. 1940 World War II: The Battle of Britain ends, causing Germany to abandon Operation Sea Lion.
  8. 1941 After 14 years of work, Mount Rushmore is completed.
  9. 1941 World War II: The destroyer USS Reuben James is torpedoed by a German U-boat near Iceland, killing more than 100 U.S. Navy sailors. It is the first U.S. Navy vessel sunk by enemy action in WWII.
  10. 1943 World War II: An F4U Corsair accomplishes the first successful radar-guided interception by a United States Navy or Marine Corps aircraft.
  11. 1956 Suez Crisis: The United Kingdom and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal.
  12. 1956 Hungarian 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 from prison. The Soviet Politburo makes the decision to crush the Revolution.
  13. 1961 In 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.
  14. 1963 Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum gas explosion: A gas explosion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Indianapolis kills 81 people and injures another 400 during an ice show.
  15. 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.

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