20 Creepy Historical Events That Actually Happened on Halloween
When October 31 Gets a Little Too Real
Halloween is supposed to be about costumes, spooky decorations, and eating enough candy to regret your decisions the next morning. History, however, has a way of making October 31 genuinely unsettling, with political upheavals, strange disappearances, deadly disasters, and chilling crimes occurring on or around the holiday. Some of these events inspired lasting legends, while others are disturbing enough without any supernatural embellishments.
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1. Harry Houdini's Death After Halloween (1926)
After receiving multiple punches to his stomach from a college student who was testing his strength based on urban legends, Harry Houdini later developed appendicitis and died shortly afterward in Detroit, Michigan. After his passing, his wife, Bess, participated in efforts to test whether he could contact her from beyond the grave.
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2. The Witchcraft Panic That Haunted Salem (1692)
Though it didn't happen right on Halloween, witchcraft accusations started in Salem in 1692. The village and nearby communities were terrified that there were witches among them. The Salem Witch Trials didn't conclude until sometime after Halloween in 1692.
William A. Crafts on Wikimedia
3. The Assassination of Indira Gandhi (1984)
On October 31, 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her own bodyguards at her residence in New Delhi. The incident followed months of political and religious tension, particularly after a military operation at the Golden Temple in June that year. Her attack was followed by horrific violence in which thousands of innocent people were hurt.
U.S. News & World Report photographer Warren K. Leffler on Wikimedia
4. River Phoenix's Tragic Death (1993)
River Phoenix passed away on October 31, 1993, outside the Viper Room nightclub in West Hollywood, California. At only 23 years old, his death left fans in disbelief. He was known for movies like Stand by Me and My Own Private Idaho.
5. The EgyptAir Flight 990 Disaster (1999)
On October 31, 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. The plane was traveling from New York to Cairo when it went down. For families awaiting loved ones who never arrived, Halloween became a date associated with unimaginable loss.
6. The Singapore Airlines Flight 006 Crash (2000)
Singapore Airlines Flight 006 crashed on October 31, 2000, on Halloween night. This crash occurred as the plane was taking off from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, which is now known as Taoyuan International Airport. The flight was taking off during Typhoon Xangsane, which caused bad weather.
7. The Bombing of a Russian Passenger Plane (2015)
On October 31, 2015, Metrojet Flight 9268 broke apart over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula while carrying passengers from the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, Russia. All 224 people aboard passed, and the disaster was later determined to have been caused maliciously. The attack devastated families and prompted major security concerns about flights departing from the region.
8. The New York City Halloween Truck Attack (2017)
A man drove a truck into pedestrians on a bike path in lower Manhattan on Halloween in 2017. The attack occurred near the World Trade Center memorial, where people had been going about their usual activities on a day when many families were preparing for Halloween.
Halloween celebrations continued in many places, but the attack was a painful reminder that ordinary public spaces can become the sites of devastating violence.
9. The Battle of Beersheba (1917)
October 31, 1917, marked the Australian Mounted Division's charge against Turkish forces in what is now Israel. It was known as the Battle of Beersheba and took place during World War I. It was considered very heroic that the troops charged toward enemy lines on horses.
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10. The Third Battle of Gaza (1917)
October 31, 1917, also formed part of a major campaign on the Palestine front during World War I, as British forces fought Ottoman troops around Gaza and Beersheba. The fighting followed earlier unsuccessful attempts to break through Ottoman defenses near Gaza, where fortified positions and difficult terrain made advances costly. The successful capture of Beersheba helped Allied forces outflank the wider defensive line.
11. The Removal of Stalin's Body (1961)
On October 31, 1961, Soviet authorities removed Joseph Stalin's body from the mausoleum in Moscow where it had lain beside Vladimir Lenin. The decision came during the Soviet Union's campaign to distance itself from Stalin's cult of personality and expose the abuses associated with his rule. His remains were subsequently buried near the Kremlin Wall, ending the unusual arrangement in which millions of visitors could view his preserved body.
Unknown, presumably by a government employee as part of official duties on Wikimedia
12. The Purdue Wreck (1903)
A train transporting the Purdue football team and spectators crashed into another train on October 31, 1903.
This occurred near Indianapolis, Indiana, on the way to their game against Indiana University. The tragedy remains a grim reminder that sporting events once involved travel risks that modern fans rarely have to consider.
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13. The Ninth Battle of the Isonzo (1916)
World War I's Isonzo campaign continued through October 1916, and the Ninth Battle of the Isonzo began on October 31. Italian forces launched another offensive against Austro-Hungarian positions along the Isonzo River, where mountainous terrain and heavily defended lines made progress extremely difficult. The fighting produced substantial casualties without delivering the decisive breakthrough Italian commanders sought.
Italian Army Photographers 1915-1918 on Wikimedia
14. The Siege of Tsingtao (1914)
Japan and Great Britain attacked the German-controlled city of Tsingtao on October 31, 1914. During World War I, Japan helped the Allies by taking over German-held territories. They successfully took over the city from Germany within a couple of weeks, and Japan gained control.
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15. The Final Houdini Seance (1936)
When Houdini passed away on Halloween in 1926, he asked that no séances be held for him. But his wife decided to go against his wishes and start holding them. On October 31, 1936, they held one last séance, trying to hear from Harry.
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16. The Death of Charles Taze Russell (1916)
The founder of the religious movement that became known as Jehovah's Witnesses, Charles Taze Russell, passed away on Halloween in 1916. Russell's teachings and publications had challenged conventional religious expectations, and his death marked a significant transition for his movement.
While the date itself wasn't connected to anything supernatural, his death on Halloween adds an unusual detail to the history of a religious movement centered on biblical prophecy.
17. The Walcheren Causeway Assault (1944)
Canadians began attacking Walcheren on Halloween in 1944. The causeway leads from South Beveland to Walcheren Island in the Netherlands. It was defended by German forces who were fighting to protect the island from Allied forces.
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18. The Completion of Mount Rushmore (1941)
After being under construction for 14 years, Mount Rushmore was finished on October 31, 1941. Hundreds of men worked for years to shape the mountain into what it looks like today. It would have been terrifying to work with all those machines on such a dangerous job site.
19. The Seven Billionth Human Milestone (2011)
On October 31, 2011, the United Nations marked the approximate date when the world's population reached seven billion people. The milestone wasn't a disaster, but it highlighted serious concerns about how rapidly humanity was growing and whether food, water, housing, and other resources could keep pace. The figure was an estimate rather than an exact count, since no organization could determine the precise moment when the seven-billionth person was born.
20. The Galileo Controversy Finally Gets an Acknowledgment (1992)
On October 31, 1992, Pope John Paul II acknowledged errors made by the Catholic Church in its handling of astronomer Galileo Galilei, whose support for a Sun-centered model of the solar system had brought him into conflict with Church authorities in the 17th century.
Galileo had been tried by the Inquisition in 1633 and forced to renounce his position, spending the rest of his life under house arrest.
