Seeds of Fire: A People’s Chronology
Recalling events that happened on this day in history.
Memories of struggle, resistance and persistence.
Compiled by Ulli Diemer
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October 31
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Hallowe’en
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October 31, 1517
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Martin Luther publishes his 95 theses by posting them on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The theses are a protest against clerical abuses, especially the sale of indulgences. They are rejected by the Church hierarchy but spread quickly throughout Europe, aided in part by the recent adoption of the printing press. Luther’s protest becomes the spark for the Protestant Reformation, which begins as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church but then becomes a schism resulting in the creation of new forms of Christianity, which become known as Protestant.
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October 31, 1833
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U.S. forces land in Buenos Aires to ‘protect American interests’ during an insurrection.
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October 31, 1908
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Birth of Muriel Duckworth (1908-2009), Canadian pacifist and social justice activist.
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October 23 - November 4, 1913
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The Indianapolis streetcar strike starts as a walkout by transportation workers. It leads to confrontations and riots, which end when the government promises concessions. In the aftermath, Indiana institutes its first minimum wage laws, regular working hours, a major increase in workplace regulations, and funds projects aimed at improving the city's tenement slums.
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October 31, 1935
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Birth of David Harvey, Marxist geographer and social critic.
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October 31, 1978
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30,000 Iranian oil workers go on strike against the brutally repressive rule of the U.S.-installed Shah.
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