October 31
1517 - Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Palace church, marking the start of the Protestant Reformation in Germany.
1846 - A heavy snowfall trapped the Donner Party in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
1864 - Nevada became the 36th state.
1926 - Magician Harry Houdini died in Detroit of peritonitis resulting from a ruptured appendix.
1941 - Work on the Mount Rushmore national monument in South Dakota was completed.
1956 - Rear Admiral G.J. Dufek became the first person to land an airplane at the South Pole.
1961 - The body of Josef Stalin was removed from Lenin’s Tomb as part of the Soviet Union’s “de-Stalinization” drive.
1968 - President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered a halt to all U.S. bombing of North Vietnam, saying he hoped for fruitful peace negotiations.
1984 - Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated.
1992 - Pope John Paul II admitted that the Roman Catholic Church had erred in convicting Galileo of heresy 350 years earlier.
1998 - A genetic study was released suggesting President Thomas Jefferson did in fact father at least one child by his slave Sally Hemings.
1999 - EgyptAir Flight 990, bound from New York to Cairo, crashed off the Massachusetts coast, killing all 217 people aboard.
2005 - President George W. Bush nominated Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court.
2011 - The United Nations estimated that the world’s population had surpassed 7 billion.
2016 - Pope Francis marked the upcoming 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation by traveling to secular Sweden, where he encouraged Catholics and Lutherans to forgive the “errors” of the past and forge greater unity, including sharing in the Eucharist.
2019 - President Donald Trump announced that he would be making Palm Beach, Florida, his permanent residence after leaving the White House rather than returning to Trump Tower in New York.
2020 - Actor Sean Connery, who rose to international stardom as the suave secret agent James Bond and then carved out an Oscar-winning career in other rugged roles, died at his home in the Bahamas at the age of 90.
2020 - Tropical Storm Eta formed in the Caribbean, tying the record (28) for most named storms in a single Atlantic hurricane season. (The season would conclude with 30 named storms.)
Birthdays
21 - Willow Smith (actress/singer)
22 - Danielle Rose Russell (actress)
24 - Holly Taylor (actress)
24 - Sydney Park (actress)
28 - Nadine Lustre (actress)
29 - Vanessa Marano (actress)
37 - Scott Clifton (actor)
39 - Justin Chatwin (actor)
41 - Eddie Kaye Thomas (actor)
43 - Brian Hallisay (actor)
45 - Piper Perabo (actress)
54 - Vanilla Ice (rapper)
56 - Mike O'Malley (actor/comedian)
58 - Dermot Mulroney (actor)
58 - Rob Schneider (actor/comedian)
60 - Peter Jackson (director)
64 - Brian Stokes Mitchell (actor)
70 - Nick Saban (football coach)
71 - Jane Pauley (TV host)
74 - Deidre Hall (actress)
75 - Stephen Rea (actor)
80 - Sally Kirkland (actress)
83 - Ron Rifkin (actor)
90 - Dan Rather (broadcast journalist)
96 - Lee Grant (actor)
============================
Today in Sports History - October 31
1891 - Nebraska opens the season with a 28-4 win over Doane.
1896 - Nebraska defeats Nebraska Wesleyan 18-8.
1903 - Nebraska defeats Cockeye 17-6.
1908 - Nebraska defeats Cockeye 11-8.
1914 - Nebraska defeats Cockeye State 20-7.
1925 - Nebraska defeats Oklahoma 12-0.
1931 - Nebraska defeats Missouri 10-7.
1936 - #11 Nebraska defeats Missouri 20-0.
1942 - Nebraska defeats Kansas 14-7.
1950 - Earl Lloyd (Washington Capitols) became the first African-American to play in an NBA game.
1953 - Nebraska defeats Kansas 9-0.
1959 - Nebraska defeats #19 Oklahoma 25-21.
1964 - #5 Nebraska defeats Missouri 9-0.
1968 - The Milwaukee Bucks won their first NBA game with a 138-118 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
1970 - #4 Nebraska defeats Colorado 29-13.
1981 - #12 Nebraska defeats Kansas 31-15.
1987 - #2 Nebraska defeats Missouri 42-7.
1992 - #8 Nebraska defeats #8 Colorado 52-7.
1994 - Venus Williams, at age 14, makes per professional tennis debut with a win over former NCAA champion and 58th ranked Shaun Stafford in Oakland, California.
1998 - Texas upsets #7 Nebraska 20-16.
2009 - Nebraska defeats Baylor 20-10.
2010 - For the first time in major league history, two former presidents attended the same World Series Game. George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush both attended Game 4 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX.
2014 - Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas, Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
2015 - Purdue defeats Nebraska 55-45.
2020 - Nebraska's scheduled game against Wisconsin is canceled due to COVID issues within the Badger program.
1517 - Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Palace church, marking the start of the Protestant Reformation in Germany.
1846 - A heavy snowfall trapped the Donner Party in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
1864 - Nevada became the 36th state.
1926 - Magician Harry Houdini died in Detroit of peritonitis resulting from a ruptured appendix.
1941 - Work on the Mount Rushmore national monument in South Dakota was completed.
1956 - Rear Admiral G.J. Dufek became the first person to land an airplane at the South Pole.
1961 - The body of Josef Stalin was removed from Lenin’s Tomb as part of the Soviet Union’s “de-Stalinization” drive.
1968 - President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered a halt to all U.S. bombing of North Vietnam, saying he hoped for fruitful peace negotiations.
1984 - Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated.
1992 - Pope John Paul II admitted that the Roman Catholic Church had erred in convicting Galileo of heresy 350 years earlier.
1998 - A genetic study was released suggesting President Thomas Jefferson did in fact father at least one child by his slave Sally Hemings.
1999 - EgyptAir Flight 990, bound from New York to Cairo, crashed off the Massachusetts coast, killing all 217 people aboard.
2005 - President George W. Bush nominated Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court.
2011 - The United Nations estimated that the world’s population had surpassed 7 billion.
2016 - Pope Francis marked the upcoming 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation by traveling to secular Sweden, where he encouraged Catholics and Lutherans to forgive the “errors” of the past and forge greater unity, including sharing in the Eucharist.
2019 - President Donald Trump announced that he would be making Palm Beach, Florida, his permanent residence after leaving the White House rather than returning to Trump Tower in New York.
2020 - Actor Sean Connery, who rose to international stardom as the suave secret agent James Bond and then carved out an Oscar-winning career in other rugged roles, died at his home in the Bahamas at the age of 90.
2020 - Tropical Storm Eta formed in the Caribbean, tying the record (28) for most named storms in a single Atlantic hurricane season. (The season would conclude with 30 named storms.)
Birthdays
21 - Willow Smith (actress/singer)
22 - Danielle Rose Russell (actress)
24 - Holly Taylor (actress)
24 - Sydney Park (actress)
28 - Nadine Lustre (actress)
29 - Vanessa Marano (actress)
37 - Scott Clifton (actor)
39 - Justin Chatwin (actor)
41 - Eddie Kaye Thomas (actor)
43 - Brian Hallisay (actor)
45 - Piper Perabo (actress)
54 - Vanilla Ice (rapper)
56 - Mike O'Malley (actor/comedian)
58 - Dermot Mulroney (actor)
58 - Rob Schneider (actor/comedian)
60 - Peter Jackson (director)
64 - Brian Stokes Mitchell (actor)
70 - Nick Saban (football coach)
71 - Jane Pauley (TV host)
74 - Deidre Hall (actress)
75 - Stephen Rea (actor)
80 - Sally Kirkland (actress)
83 - Ron Rifkin (actor)
90 - Dan Rather (broadcast journalist)
96 - Lee Grant (actor)
============================
Today in Sports History - October 31
1891 - Nebraska opens the season with a 28-4 win over Doane.
1896 - Nebraska defeats Nebraska Wesleyan 18-8.
1903 - Nebraska defeats Cockeye 17-6.
1908 - Nebraska defeats Cockeye 11-8.
1914 - Nebraska defeats Cockeye State 20-7.
1925 - Nebraska defeats Oklahoma 12-0.
1931 - Nebraska defeats Missouri 10-7.
1936 - #11 Nebraska defeats Missouri 20-0.
1942 - Nebraska defeats Kansas 14-7.
1950 - Earl Lloyd (Washington Capitols) became the first African-American to play in an NBA game.
1953 - Nebraska defeats Kansas 9-0.
1959 - Nebraska defeats #19 Oklahoma 25-21.
1964 - #5 Nebraska defeats Missouri 9-0.
1968 - The Milwaukee Bucks won their first NBA game with a 138-118 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
1970 - #4 Nebraska defeats Colorado 29-13.
1981 - #12 Nebraska defeats Kansas 31-15.
1987 - #2 Nebraska defeats Missouri 42-7.
1992 - #8 Nebraska defeats #8 Colorado 52-7.
1994 - Venus Williams, at age 14, makes per professional tennis debut with a win over former NCAA champion and 58th ranked Shaun Stafford in Oakland, California.
1998 - Texas upsets #7 Nebraska 20-16.
2009 - Nebraska defeats Baylor 20-10.
2010 - For the first time in major league history, two former presidents attended the same World Series Game. George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush both attended Game 4 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX.
2014 - Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas, Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
2015 - Purdue defeats Nebraska 55-45.
2020 - Nebraska's scheduled game against Wisconsin is canceled due to COVID issues within the Badger program.