Our front page for October 31 — written and set by The Yesterday Times from the events below. Not an archival document.
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On October 31 in 1517, 509 years ago, Luther Posts Ninety-five Theses; Reformation Begins. This page reports 13 stories from the date, 25 people born on this day.
Thirty-one theses on indulgences were sent to Albert, Archbishop of Brandenburg and Elector of Mainz, in 1517.
WITTENBERG, October 31 — Ninety-five theses now stand nailed to the doors of All Saints' Church, where Martin Luther, professor of moral theology at this university, has set forth his disputations against the traffic in indulgences.
The first thesis declares: "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, 'Repent,' he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance." Brother Philip Melanchthon, fellow scholar, reports the posting.
Luther composed these propositions in this year of our Lord 1517, moved to write by the preaching of Johann Tetzel, who has been selling plenary indulgences in lands neighboring this Saxon town. Tetzel promises remission of sins for coin, a commerce Luther decries as corrupting Christ's teaching.
The theses were sent also to Albert, Archbishop of Brandenburg and Elector of Mainz, on this day or before. Luther seeks not schism but debate, calling for learned men to disprove his arguments by Scripture.
Luther, a professor of moral theology at the University of Wittenberg, wrote the Ninety-five Theses in 1517.
The Theses were prompted by Johann Tetzel's campaign selling plenary indulgences near Wittenberg in 1517.
Luther sent the Theses to Archbishop Albert of Brandenburg on or before 31 October 1517.
The Theses were posted on the doors of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg, according to Philip Melanchthon.
The first thesis states, 'When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, "Repent," he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.'
TAIPEI, October 31 — Singapore Airlines Flight 006 collided with construction equipment and crashed during takeoff from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport this morning, killing 83 of the 179 people aboard.
The Boeing 747-400 was attempting to depart in heavy rain from the wrong runway when it struck equipment on the tarmac. Ninety-eight occupants survived the initial impact, though two passengers later died from injuries sustained in the crash.
The aircraft, registered 9V-SPK and delivered in January 1997, was the first fatal loss for Singapore Airlines and marks the first fatal accident involving the Boeing 747-400 model.
The Boeing 747-400 attempted takeoff from the wrong runway at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport during Typhoon Xangsane.
It crashed into construction equipment on the runway, killing 83 of the 179 people aboard.
The crash was the first fatal accident for Singapore Airlines and the first fatal crash of a Boeing 747-400.
Ninety-eight occupants initially survived, but two passengers later died from their injuries in hospital.
The aircraft, a Boeing 747-412 registered 9V-SPK, had its first flight on 12 January 1997.
Hubble images from May 15, 2005 exposed Nix and Hydra, with 2002 archival photographs later confirming the finds.
Hubble Space Telescope images of Pluto system taken May 2005 show newly detected moons — NASA et al.
BALTIMORE, October 31 — Photographs taken nearly five months ago by the Hubble Space Telescope have yielded two new moons circling Pluto, astronomers announced today.
The Pluto Companion Search Team, preparing for next year's New Horizons mission, captured Nix and Hydra on May 15, 2005. The discoveries were confirmed by recovering archival Hubble images of Pluto dating to 2002.
The discovery was based on photographs taken by the Hubble Space Telescope nearly five months prior.
Nix and Hydra were imaged on 15 May 2005 by astronomers of the Pluto Companion Search Team preparing for the New Horizons mission.
Nix has a diameter of 49.8 km across its longest dimension and was named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night.
The discoveries were confirmed by precovering archival Hubble images of Pluto from 2002.
Nix and Hydra were provisionally designated S/2005 P 2 and S/2005 P 1, respectively.
1956 — Soviet Politburo Decides to Crush Hungarian Uprising
Revolutionary Headquarters established as banned parties reform — Cardinal Mindszenty freed — MSZMP replaces Communist MDP.
Crowds march through Budapest streets flying Hungarian flags — FOTO
BUDAPEST, October 31 — The Soviet Politburo has resolved to destroy Hungary's revolution by force, ending hopes that Moscow might accept the uprising's sweeping political changes.
The decision came as Revolutionary Headquarters took form here, non-Communist parties reformed following Prime Minister Imre Nagy's October 30 announcement, and the Hungarian Communist MDP gave way to the reorganized MSZMP. József Mindszenty, Primate of Hungary, walked free from prison.
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.
2015 — Metrojet Flight 9268 Bombed Over Sinai; All 224 Aboard Killed
An Airbus A321 carrying 224 passengers and crew from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg disintegrated over the Sinai Peninsula, killing everyone on board.
Wreckage of the Metrojet airliner lies in the Sinai desert — MAK
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, October 31 — The age of air travel brought its darkest chapter over Egypt's desert this morning.
Metrojet Flight 9268, an Airbus A321 bound from this Red Sea resort to St. Petersburg, broke apart in midair above the northern Sinai Peninsula. Wreckage of the Metrojet airliner lies in the Sinai desert. All 224 people on board perished.
Metrojet Flight 9268 is bombed over the northern Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board.
1940 — Hitler Abandons Invasion as Battle of Britain Ends
Operation Sea Lion cancelled — Fighter Command's victory saves Britain from German occupation.
German bombers fly over southern England during daylight raids — Richard Opitz
LONDON, October 31 — Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring's Luftwaffe has failed him, and with it, Adolf Hitler's dream of invasion dies.
The Führer today ordered the indefinite postponement of Operation Sea Lion, the planned German assault across the Channel, accepting that his air force could not secure the skies above Britain. Four months of daylight bombing, night attacks on cities, and fighter sweeps have cost the Germans 1,733 aircraft and crews they could not replace.
World War II: The Battle of Britain ends, causing Germany to abandon Operation Sea Lion.
LONDON, October 31 — Eighty-one Egyptians are dead after British and French bombers struck Port Said this morning, opening a military campaign to force President Gamal Abdel Nasser to reopen the Suez Canal.
The attack began at dusk, hitting oil storage tanks and military installations. Smoke rises from oil tanks hit by British and French bombers at Port Said.
Suez Crisis: The United Kingdom and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal.
1963 — Gas Explosion at Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum Kills 81 During Ice Show
Leaking propane tank ignites under grandstands — 400 injured, 4,000 flee midnight blast.
INDIANAPOLIS, October 31 — A gas explosion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum killed 81 people and injured about 400 shortly after 11 p.m. ET during a Holiday on Ice performance attended by over 4,000 spectators.
A leaking 100-pound propane tank with a faulty valve, stored in an unventilated storeroom under the grandstands, ignited on a heating element of an electric popcorn machine. The blast collapsed seating sections.
On October 31, 1963, a gas explosion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum killed 81 people and injured about 400.
The explosion occurred shortly after 11 p.m. ET during a Holiday on Ice performance attended by over 4,000 spectators.
A leaking 100-pound propane tank with a faulty valve, stored in an unventilated storeroom under the grandstands, ignited by a heating element on an electric popcorn machine.
A grand jury indicted seven people, including employees of the gas supplier and arena operator, the state fire marshal, and the city fire chief.
Victims of the explosion were eventually awarded $4.6 million in settlements.
1941 — Rushmore Work Ends as Funds Run Out; Four Presidential Heads Stand 60 Feet High
Laid-off workers join four 60-foot busts standing 6,000 feet above sea level, with only Washington detailed below the chin after Gutzon Borglum's death left his son to close the project.
BLACK HILLS, S.D., Oct. 31 — The granite faces of four presidents gaze out from 6,000 feet above sea level this morning, their 60-foot heads finished but their bodies left to the mountain. Some 400 workers laid down their tools for the last time today as Mount Rushmore ran out of money. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln were chosen to represent the nation's foundation, expansion, development, and preservation. Only Washington carries detail below his chin; the others remain massive busts alone. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum died in March at age 73. His son, Lincoln Borglum, took over and saw the project through this final day.
Approximately 400 workers completed the 60-foot busts of four U.S. presidents at Mount Rushmore.
Lack of funding forced construction to end on October 31, 1941, with only Washington's sculpture including detail below chin level.
Sculptor Gutzon Borglum died in March 1941, and his son Lincoln Borglum took over as leader of the construction project.
The four presidents—Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln—were chosen to represent the nation's foundation, expansion, development, and preservation.
Mount Rushmore attracts more than two million visitors annually to the memorial park covering 1,278 acres.
1999 — Solo Circumnavigation Record Council Scraps 'Youngest' Category After Teen's Feat
Jesse Martin, 18, is now the last to hold the record after the council eliminated the 'youngest' category.
MELBOURNE, Oct. 31 — The World Sailing Speed Record Council has discontinued its 'youngest' category, a move that seals Jesse Martin's place as the last to hold the mark. The Australian sailor, 18, stepped onto the dock here this morning after 328 days alone at sea, becoming the youngest person to circle the globe solo, non-stop and unassisted.
Jesse Martin returned to Melbourne on 31 October 1999 at age 18 after 328 days at sea.
His 10-metre (34 ft) S&S 34 sloop Lionheart-Mistral covered 27,000 nautical miles (50,000 km) during the voyage.
The World Sailing Speed Record Council discontinued the 'youngest' category following Martin's record.
Martin's voyage inspired later solo circumnavigators, including Jessica Watson.
He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2002 for his achievement.
1996 — TAM Flight 402 Crashes in São Paulo, Killing 99
Regional airliner downed in Brazil's largest city — deadliest accident in nation's commercial aviation history.
SÃO PAULO, Oct. 31 — The age of regional jet expansion in Brazil met its darkest hour this morning when TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionales Flight 402 crashed in this city of millions, killing 99 people. The accident stands as the deadliest in Brazilian commercial aviation history.
TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402 crashes in São Paulo, Brazil, killing 99 people.
2011 — World Population Hits Seven Billion; UN Marks Day of Seven Billion
The United Nations announced the seven billion demographic milestone on Oct. 31 for annual recognition as population growth strains resources.
UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 31 — The human race numbered seven billion souls today, the United Nations announced, establishing this date as the Day of Seven Billion for annual recognition. The demographic milestone comes as population growth continues to strain resources worldwide.
The global population of humans reaches seven billion. This day is now recognized by the United Nations as the Day of Seven Billion.
Thirty bullets from a Sterling sub-machine gun — three rounds from a .38 revolver — a bulletproof vest left unworn.
Indira Gandhi was shot at her New Delhi residence at 9:30 AM on 31 October 1984. Bodyguards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh fired 33 rounds combined from a Sterling sub-machine gun and a .38 revolver. Gandhi had declined to wear her bulletproof vest despite warnings after Operation Blue Star. Beant Singh was killed by border police within minutes; Satwant Singh was arrested and later hanged in 1989.
Indira Gandhi was shot by bodyguards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh at 9:30 AM on 31 October 1984 at her residence in New Delhi.
Beant Singh fired three rounds from a .38 revolver and Satwant Singh fired 30 rounds from a Sterling sub-machine gun.
Gandhi was not wearing her bulletproof vest on the day of the assassination, despite being advised to do so after Operation Blue Star.
Beant Singh was killed by border police officers within six minutes; Satwant Singh was arrested and later hanged in 1989.
The assassination triggered four days of anti-Sikh riots, with official figures reporting 3,350 deaths and other sources claiming up to 16,000.
1961Peter Jackson(65 this year)Sir Peter Robert Jackson is a New Zealand filmmaker, entrepreneur and visual effects pioneer.
1951Nick Saban(75 this year)Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. is an American sportscaster and former football coach.
1896Ethel WatersEthel Waters was an American singer and actress.
1950Jane Pauley(76 this year)Margaret Jane Pauley is an American television host and author, active in news reporting since 1972.
1963Fred McGriff(63 this year)Frederick Stanley McGriff is an American former first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for six teams from 1986 through 2004.
1997Siobhán Bernadette Haughey(29 this year)Siobhán Bernadette Haughey is a Hong Kong professional competitive swimmer.
1542Henriette of ClevesHenriette de La Marck, also known as Henriette of Cleves, was a member of the French high noblility, being a Duchess in her own right and courtier.
1599Denzil HollesColonel Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles was an English politician and army officer who was one of the Five Members whose attempted arrest by Charles I in January 1642 sparked the First English Civil War.
1711Laura BassiLaura Maria Caterina Bassi Veratti was an Italian physicist and academic.
1724Christopher AnsteyChristopher Anstey was an English poet who also wrote in Latin.
1760Katsushika HokusaiKatsushika Hokusai was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker.
1795John KeatsJohn Keats was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley.
1809Edmund SharpeEdmund Sharpe was an English architect, architectural historian, railway engineer and sanitary reformer.
1880Julia PeterkinJulia Peterkin was an American author from South Carolina, who advocated for African Americans and wrote about the portrayals of the southern life.
1883Anthony WildingAnthony Frederick Wilding, also known as Tony Wilding, was a New Zealand world No. 1 tennis player and soldier who was killed in action during World War I. Considered the world's first tennis superstar, Wilding was the son of wealthy English immigrants to Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand and enjoyed the use of private tennis courts at their home.
1887Newsy LalondeÉdouard Cyrille "Newsy" Lalonde was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward in the National Hockey League (NHL) and a professional lacrosse player.
1897Constance SaveryConstance Winifred Savery was a British writer of fifty novels and children's books, as well as many short stories and articles.
1920Fritz WalterFriedrich "Fritz" Walter was a German footballer who spent his entire senior career at 1.
1922Barbara Bel GeddesBarbara Bel Geddes was an American stage and screen actress, artist, and children's author whose career spanned almost five decades.
1926Jimmy SavileSir James Wilson Vincent Savile was an English media personality and disc jockey.
1945Russ Ballard(81 this year)Russell Glyn Ballard is an English rock singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer.
1950Zaha HadidDame Zaha Mohammad Hadid was an Iraqi and British architect, artist, and designer.
1951Dave Trembley(75 this year)David Michael Trembley is an American professional baseball coach, manager, and executive who recently served as the director of player development for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2015.
1955Michalis Chrisochoidis(71 this year)Michalis Chrisochoidis is a Greek politician and member of the Hellenic Parliament for the Athens B2 constituency with New Democracy.
1959Mats Näslund(67 this year)Mats Torsten Näslund, nicknamed "Le Petit Viking", is a Swedish former ice hockey player.
Quote of the Day
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” — William Shakespeare, Hamlet
October 31 History Quiz
In which year did Martin Luther post his Ninety-five Theses to a church door in Wittenberg?
1517
Which two moons of Pluto were announced by astronomers on October 31, 2005?
Nix and Hydra
What was the official designation of the Singapore Airlines flight that crashed at Taipei in 2000?
Every event on this page was picked by hand from the historical record, written up as a news report, and checked against its source. Photographs are matched to the event they illustrate and verified before they are used. Sources are linked on each story.
“Save The Last Dance For Me”, 
Love Story, Erich Segal
The Hotel New Hampshire, John Irving
“End Of The Road (From "Boomerang")”, 
The Tale of the Body Thief, Anne Rice
“Down”, 
The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown
The Survivor, Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills
“Mood”, 
Troubles in Paradise, Elin Hilderbrand
