Find More Details for What happened 31st October This Day in History on your birthday
1984 : Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was gunned down outside of her home by Sikh extremists.
1921 : Latest figures released by the federal government show that forests in the United States cover 463 million acres. Current Forestry is 745 million acres.
1926 : Harry Houdini magician and escapologist dies of gangrene and peritonitis after his appendix ruptured.
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1931 : Following the announcement that Great Britain had decided to abandon the Gold Standard in mid-September a mini panic occurred when people were worried their money was not safe in local banks, the panic caused people to draw savings from the banks which in turn placed more pressure on the banks than the 1929 stock market crash had already, because of this by 31st October 827 banks were forced to close.
1941 : The Mt. Rushmore sculpture is completed after Gutzon Borglum and 400 stone masons sculpt the colossal 60-foot carvings of U.S. presidents, The project had started on October 4th, 1927 to represent the first 150 years of American history.
George Washington 1732–1799
Thomas Jefferson 1743–1826
Abraham Lincoln 1809–1865
Theodore Roosevelt 1858–1919
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From our Baseball History Page
New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club Rules Set
Though formal rules for "Base ball" can be found as far back as 1838 in Philadelphia, the first set of rules which resemble the game today come from the New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club, a group of about thirty young men who regularly played the game. The rules they established (which are still used today) include a diamond-shaped field, making the "balk" illegal, introducing foul lines, three strikes-and-out for a batter and that runners must be tagged or thrown out. The first official game played under these rules was on June 19th, 1846 in Hoboken, New Jersey, between the Knickerbockers and the New York Base Ball Club (with the Knickerbockers losing 23-1).
Growth: Growth Of Baseball The spread of the game occurred primarily after the American Civil War. Because cricket required finely cut grounds, it was harder to play the game during the war. Baseball, on the other hand, could be played almost anywhere. Additionally, though the majority of clubs belonged to middle-class merchants, the 1850s and 60s saw the rise of working-class teams, which became the most popular among the fans of the game, most of whom were working-class people themselves.
The National Pastime The first reference to baseball as "the National Pastime" came from the New York Mercury newspaper in 1856, though the title then was a bit premature. Baseball in that time emerged as a New York game played primarily by immigrants. Newcomers to America took to the game by scores, forming their own clubs, while the Knickerbockers continued to refine the game.
1942 : The Nazi Luftwaffe today launched the heaviest single daylight bombing attack since the Battle of Britain on the Cathedral City of Canterbury.
1950 : Fighting is continuing in the streets of San Juan between rebels seeking Puerto Rico secession from the United States and 4000 National Guardsman who have been sent in to bring calm to the city. Aircraft are now being used in bombing raids against the rebel hideouts entrenched in and around the mountain towns of Jayuya and Utuado.
1955 : Princess Margaret has announced she will not marry divorced Group Captain Peter Townsend. She had been forced to choose between her love for Group Captain Peter Townsend and giving up her title, her Civil List allowance, and her place in the line of succession because he was divorced. During her announcement she stated that her decision had been made out of loyalty to the Crown and out of consciousness of the Church's teaching on the "indissolubility of Christian marriage" (Divorce).
1956 : Following Egypt's decision to nationalize the Suez Canal Britain and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal.
1959 : Years before the Kennedy assassination Lee Harvey Oswald is featured in local papers when he applies for Soviet citizenship.
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1961 : Joseph Stalin's body is removed from Lenin's Tomb as part of the process of de-Stalinization in The Soviet Union.
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1963 : An explosion caused by a faulty propane tank during an ice skating show at the Indiana State Fair Coliseum (now Pepsi Coliseum) kills 74 and injures an additional 400.
1964 : The Berlin wall was opened up for the second time yesterday for West Germans to visit relatives in East Germany and by nightfall 20,000 had passed through the communist controls. The visits are only allowed one way from west to east due to concerns of the East German Government that it's subjects would not return.
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October 31st, 1966 : An estimated two million people welcomed US President Lyndon Johnson to Seoul, South Korea. America had spent many years and lost many marines 16 years earlier helping to fight communists from the North.
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1968 : After 5 months of negotiations making no progress President Lyndon Johnson orders an end to rolling thunder. The U.S. bombing of North Vietnam in the hopes this would bring an end to the fighting and provide a negotiated settlement.
This custom-crafted oak-grained cabinet opens to reveal storage for up to 120 video tapes. With inserts included, holds 92 video tapes, 18 CD's and 14 audio cassettes. Doors lock for complete security.
AM/FM Clock/Radio with four and a half inch black and white TV. Red LED digital time display with AM indicator. High/low dimmer control. Snooze bar. Battery backup system. Earphone jack. Telescopic FM antenna. White plastic cabinet.
A hand-held version of the Nintendo Entertainment System. Features Tetris Game Pack, LCD dot-matrix game screen, and digital stereo sound with earphones for private play. Video Link cable hook-up allows two Game Boy systems to go head-to-head.
Tickle his tummy once to make him giggle, twice to make him laugh longer. Tickle him a third time and he shakes with laughter. This was one of the most popular toys for the 1996 Christmas season, with many stores running out of stock and battling crowds trying to get their hands on one.
From Our 1996 Toys Page
October 31st, 1971 : A bomb explodes in the Post Office tower in England causing extensive damage but no injuries.
1983 : Women protesting the soon to arrive U.S. Nuclear Missiles at Greenham Common air base cut through the perimeter fence and daubed emulsion paint on the runway prior to being arrested. They were part of the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp.
October 31st, 1997 : Boston jury has found Louise Woodward a British Au Pair 19, guilty of second degree murder for killing the baby in her care.
1999 : EgyptAir Flight 990 (Boeing 767) crashes shortly after taking off from John F. Kennedy International Airport, traveling from New York City to Cairo crashes off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, killing all 217 on-board.
October 31st, 2002 : Andrew Fastow former chief financial officer for Enron Corp is indicted on 78 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice related to the collapse of Enron Corp.
2003 : After 22 years from 1981 to 2003 Mahathir bin Mohamad retires from office and the Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi becomes the countries Prime Minister.
October 31st, 2008 : Fears of a recession and higher unemployment pushes consumer spending in the US to fall in September by the biggest amount in four years.
2008 : State Media in China has reported the toxic chemical melamine is probably being routinely added to Chinese animal feed, melamine has now been found in contaminated milk and eggs. Melamine is used to reduce production costs while maintaining the protein count for quality inspections.
October 31st, 2012 : A roadside bomb attack in the Helmand province of Afghanistan killed ten civilians, mainly women and children.
2013 : Workers across Indonesia banded together to strike for higher wages. The workers were upset that the government was trying to put wage caps in place while the price of living and inflation were constantly increasing. Minimum wages were raised in the country but not enough to keep up with the rapid inflation that the growing economy was experiencing.
Celebrating Birthdays Today
Peter Jackson
Born: 31st October 1961 Pukerua Bay, New ZealandKnown For : Academy Award-winning New Zealand film director best known for directing The Lord of the Rings trilogy which won 17 academy awards including the Academy Award for Best Picture (2003). He also directed the newest King Kong movie which also won 3 academy awards.
Celebrating Birthdays Today
Vanilla Ice
Born: 31st October 1967 Robert Matthew Van Winkle, Dallas, Texas, U.S.Known For : Best known as an American rap artist with his top selling album "To The Extreme" 1990 featuring the top selling single "Ice Ice Baby."