Anniversaries and commemorations come and go daily. Most of us, even the best historians, miss most occasions. If we think of history as events then we are faced with a continually showering in the grains of sand. Nevertheless, we do pick out certain patterns in the remembrance of historical dates. The blog here reminds us of some dates where the local, state, national, and global perspectives entwine.

On 31, Sunday October 1869, William A. Moffett, American admiral, born (d. 1933)
On 31, Sunday October 1869, Charles A. Wickliffe, American politician, 14th Governor of Kentucky, died (b. 1788)
On 31, Friday October 1919, Tong Siv Eng, Cambodian politician, born (d. 2001)
On 31, Tuesday October 1944, Mass murderer Marcel Petiot is apprehended at a Paris Métro station.
On 31, Tuesday October 1944, Hal Wick, American politician, born (d. 2018)
On 31, Saturday October 1959, Riots break out in the Belgian Congo.
On 31, Saturday October 1959, Neal Stephenson, American writer, born
On 31, Friday October 1969, Wal-Mart incorporates as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
On 31, Friday October 1969, The disappearance of Patricia Spencer and Pamela Hobley occurs.
On 31, Friday October 1969, Kylie Kwong, Australian chef, author, television presenter, and restaurateur, born
On 31, Friday October 1969, Kim Rossi Stuart, Italian actor and director, born
On 31, Friday October 1969, Carlos Alberto Arroyo del Río, 26th President of Ecuador, leader of the World War II, died (b. 1893)
On 31, Wednesday October 1979, Edvin Adolphson, Swedish actor and director, died (b. 1893)
On 31, Tuesday October 1989, The Grand National Assembly of Turkey elects Prime Minister Turgut Özal as the eighth President of Turkey.
On 31, Tuesday October 1989, Half a million people demonstrate in the East German city of Leipzig.
On 31, Tuesday October 1989, Georgi Partsalev, Bulgarian theatre and film actor, died (b. 1925)
On 31, Tuesday October 1989, Roger Scott, British radio disk jockey, died (b. 1943)
On 31, Sunday October 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990, travelling from New York City to Cairo, crashes off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, killing all 217 on board.
On 31, Sunday October 1999, Roman Catholic Church and Lutheran Church leaders sign the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, ending a centuries-old doctrinal dispute over the nature of faith and salvation.
On 31, Sunday October 1999, Greg Moore, Canadian race car driver, died (b. 1975)
On 31, Saturday October 2009, Hsue-Shen Tsien, Chinese scientist, died (b. 1911)
On 31, Friday October 2014, Former Prime Minister, Julia Gillard has managed to clear her name after the Royal Commission into trade unions has found her not guilty of corruption or criminal conduct
On 31, Friday October 2014, Sir Henry Harris, 89, cell biologist., died
On 31, Friday October 2014, Longtime Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré resigns after widespread protests in response to his attempts to abolish presidential term limits.

Other On This Day days in history

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Neville Buch

Professional Historian at Professional Historians Association (Queensland) Inc.

Neville Buch (Pronounced Book) Ph.D. is a certified member of the Professional Historians Association (Queensland). Since 2010 he has operated a sole trade business in history consultancy. He was a Q ANZAC 100 Fellow 2014-2015 at the State Library of Queensland. Dr Buch was the PHA (Qld) e-Bulletin, the monthly state association’s electronic publication, and was a member of its Management Committee. He is the Managing Director of the Brisbane Southside History Network.

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