Today is Friday, October 31, the 304th day of 2025. There are 61 days left in the year. This is Halloween.
Today in history:
On October 31, 1950, Earl Lloyd of the Washington Capitols became the first African American to play in an NBA game; Lloyd would play nine seasons and win an NBA championship with the Syracuse Nationals in 1955.
Also on this date:
In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation making Nevada the 36th state, eight days before the presidential election.
In 1913, the Lincoln Highway, the first highway through the United States, was dedicated.
In 1941, work begun in 1927 on the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota was completed.
In 1961, Josef Stalin’s body was removed from Lenin’s grave as part of the Soviet Union’s “de-Stalinization” campaign.
In 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990, en route from New York to Cairo, crashed off the coast of Massachusetts, killing all 217 people on board.
In 1984, Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India for more than fifteen years, was assassinated by two of her own guards.
In 2005, President George W. Bush nominated Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.
In 2011, the United Nations estimated that the world’s population had reached seven billion people (the world’s population today exceeds eight billion).
Today’s Birthdays:
- Former CBS anchor Dan Rather is 94.
- Actor Stephen Rea is 79.
- Olympic gold medal marathoner Frank Shorter is 78.
- TV presenter Jane Pauley is 75.
- Football coach Nick Saban is 74.
- Film director Peter Jackson is 64.
- Rock drummer Larry Mullen Jr. (U2) is 64.
- Rock musician Johnny Marr is 62.
- Baseball Hall of Famer Fred McGriff is 62.
- Actor Rob Schneider is 62.
- Actor Dermot Mulroney is 62.
- Country singer Darryl Worley is 61.
- Actor-comedian Mike O’Malley is 59.
- Rapper and guitarist Adam Horovitz (Beastie Boys) is 59.
- Rapper Vanilla Ice is 58.
- Actor Leticia Wright is 32.
- Singer Willow Smith is 25.
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