Happy Halloween! October 31st observes Magic Day and Knock-Knock Joke Day.
Welcome to day 304 of the year folks, there are 61 days remaining in 2025.
While Halloween is usually a pretty eventful day, the history of what happened on this day may surprise you. Here we’re going to look at facts & historic events that happened on the spookiest day of the entire year!
Did you know that on this day in 2011, Earth’s population was estimated to reach 7 billion people? This date was calculated and decided on by the United Nations Population Fund.
Keep reading for more fun & interesting facts about October 31st in history!
Events
What memorable events happened on October 31 in history? Keep reading to find out!
2018
The Statue of Unity in India was officially completed making it the world’s tallest statue at 597 ft (182 m).
2015
The Russian Metrojet Flight 9268 was destroyed by a bomb.
The disaster happened over North Sinai, Egypt, and all 224 onboard lost their lives.
2014
During tests, Virgin Galactic’s experimental spaceplane, VSS Enterprise, crashed into the Mojave Desert.
2011
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) stated that the world’s population had reached seven billion.
This became known as the Day of Seven Billion.
2000
Soyuz TM-31 was launched, carrying the first crew to reside long-term on the International Space Station.
The TM-31, launched from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome, was the first Soyuz spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station (ISS). An American Astronaut, William Shepherd, was a part of the crew, along with two Russian cosmonauts – Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev. They stayed aboard the ISS for 136 days.
1999
Medal of Honor was released for PlayStation, instantly becoming the best shooter to date.
The story for this iconic WWII game was written and directed by Steven Spielberg, who was inspired to create a game based on the war after watching his son play Goldeneye 007. He wrote the story for Medal of Honor at the same time he was working on Saving Private Ryan.
Famous Births
Is today your birthday? If so, you share the same birthday with Willow Smith. Here are a few other famous people born on this day.
2000
Willow Smith
American
Singer
Age:
24 years old
Born In:
California, USA
1981
Frank Iero
American
Musician
Age:
43 years old
Born In:
New Jersey, USA
1993
Letitia Wright
Guyanese
Actress
Age:
31 years old
Born In:
Georgetown, Guyana
1976
Piper Perabo
American
Actress
Age:
48 years old
Born In:
Texas, USA
Famous Deaths
Unfortunately, October 31st has also been a day where we’ve had to say some goodbyes over the years…
1970
1993
River Phoenix
American
Actor
1970
1993
River Phoenix
River Phoenix was an American actor born on August 23, 1970. He died on this day in 1993, at age 23 in West Hollywood, California, USA.
Died On:
Oct 31, 1993 (Age 23)
Died In:
California, USA
1874
1926
Harry Houdini
Hungarian-American
Illusionist
1874
1926
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-American illusionist born on March 24, 1874. He died on this day in 1926, at age 52 in Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Died On:
Oct 31, 1926 (Age 52)
Died In:
Michigan, USA
1930
2020
Sean Connery
Scottish
Actor
1930
2020
Sean Connery
Sean Connery was a Scottish actor born on August 25, 1930. He died on this day in 2020, at age 90 in Lyford Cay, Bahamas.
Died On:
Oct 31, 2020 (Age 90)
Died In:
Lyford Cay, Bahamas
Quotes
Who said what today throughout history? Here are the most famous things people have said on Oct 31.
1923
The power of effecting changes for the better is within ourselves, not in the favorableness of circumstances.
Helen Keller
American Author
Special Holidays
If you’ve got a few minutes spare today, why not celebrate these special holidays.
National Magic Day
Today on National Magic Day, we honor Houdini, one of America’s greatest magicians, who tragically died on this day in 1926. However, Houdini wouldn’t have wanted us to mourn him; he would have wanted us to perform magic! So try some magic trick, if you can, or see a magician!
National Knock-Knock Joke Day
Knock Knock? Who’s there? Why it’s National Knock-Knock Day, of course! Surprisingly enough, Knock-Knock jokes were only invented in the 1920s. So celebrate this newcomer to the comedy scene today by telling some of your favorite knock-knock jokes, or make your own!
THe Fact Site’s
Fun Fact Of The Day
The 1982 film Poltergeist used real skeletons as props, as they were cheaper than plastic replicas.
Birthday & Zodiac
If you were born on the day of Halloween, your zodiac sign is Scorpio.
The Scorpio star sign is the most intense in the zodiac. Scorpios are known for their passion, determination, and decisiveness.
Pink tourmaline is the birthstone given to people born in October. Tourmaline gets its name from the Sinhalese (Sri Lankan) word “tourmali,” which means “mixed stones.”
If you were born on Halloween, you were likely conceived on the week of February 7 in the same year.
The due date for babies conceived on this day is around July 24, 2026.
