October 31 in History

Historical Events on October 31

1861 American Civil War: Citing failing health, Union General Winfield Scott resigns as Commander of the United States Army.

1922 Benito Mussolini is made Prime Minister of Italy

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.

1940 World War II: The Battle of Britain ends: The United Kingdom prevents a possible German invasion.

1956 Suez Crisis: The United Kingdom and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal.

1961 In the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin's body is removed from the Lenin's Mausoleum, also known as the Lenin Tomb.

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.

1984 Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by two Sikh security guards. Riots break out in New Delhi and other cities and around 3,000 Sikhs are killed.

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.

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Famous Birthdays on October 31

1887 Chiang Kai-shek

1892 Alexander Alekhine

1988 Jack Riewoldt

1997 Marcus Rashford

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Famous Deaths on October 31

1926 Harry Houdini

1984 Indira Gandhi

1993 Federico Fellini

1993 River Phoenix

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