October 31st Through History

Explanation: Wittenberg, in Saxony, was a booming university town at the time. Luther taught theology there. His 95 theses challenged, among other things, the practice of indulgences sold by the Catholic Church. This event is now commemorated every October 31 under the name "Reformation Day" in many Protestant countries.

Explanation: The Tsar Bomba, also called AN602, had an estimated yield of 50 megatons, roughly 3,300 times the Hiroshima bomb. It was dropped over the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic. Its shockwave circled the Earth 3 times. Designed by Andrei Sakharov, it was never deployed militarily.

Explanation: Michel-Ange a peint le plafond de la chapelle Sixtine entre 1508 et 1512, soit environ quatre ans. Il travailla en grande partie allongé sur des échafaudages, une légende tenace mais pas entièrement exacte. Le plafond représente des scènes de la Genèse, dont la célèbre « Création d'Adam ». Michel-Ange reviendra plus tard pour peindre le Jugement dernier, terminé en 1541.

Explanation: The March on Rome on October 28, 1922 was a show of force by fascist blackshirts. Faced with this pressure, King Victor Emmanuel III refused to declare a state of siege and handed the government to Mussolini. The latter officially took office on October 31. This power grab marked the beginning of twenty years of fascist rule in Italy.

Explanation: Galileo had been condemned by the Inquisition in 1633 for supporting Copernicus's heliocentric model. He spent his final years under house arrest. The pontifical commission tasked with reviewing his case had been created by John Paul II in 1979. This long-overdue rehabilitation received major media coverage and symbolized the Church's effort to reconcile faith and science.

Explanation: Mount Rushmore features George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Construction lasted from 1927 to 1941, under the direction of sculptor Gutzon Borglum. Each face measures about 18 meters tall. The site, located in South Dakota, now receives around 3 million visitors per year.

Explanation: The Walking Dead, aired on AMC, is adapted from the comic book of the same name by Robert Kirkman. The series was a massive worldwide success with 11 seasons through 2022. It spawned several spin-offs. Its launch on October 31, Halloween night, was a savvy marketing choice that contributed to its explosive debut with more than 5 million viewers.

Explanation: The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century sought to return to biblical texts by rejecting certain Catholic practices such as indulgences, the veneration of saints, and the authority of the pope. Luther argued that salvation is achieved through faith alone (sola fide), without going through the sacraments of the Church. This split sparked wars of religion across Europe for more than a century.

Explanation: Nevada, whose name comes from Spanish meaning "snowy", was admitted to the Union during the Civil War. Its admission was accelerated by President Lincoln, who wanted to secure its votes for the ratification of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery. Nevada is today best known for Las Vegas and its high production of gold and silver.

Explanation: Halloween has its roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated at the end of October to mark the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. The Celts believed that on this night, the veil between the world of the living and that of the dead grew thin. The tradition was Christianized into All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2). The modern popularization of Halloween in the United States came largely from Irish immigrants in the XIX century.