Notable Deaths on October 31

109 people 932 – 2023

October 31 has seen 109 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 932 – 2023. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.

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Bill Durnan

1972 — Bill Durnan

Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1916)

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However, in his final season he suffered a severe laceration of the scalp, but was only sidelined 12 days and returned heroically for the playoffs

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William Ronald Durnan was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played with the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1943 and 1950

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He served as the captain of the Canadiens in 1948, the last goaltender to be allowed to do so

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In 1964 Durnan was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and in 2017 he was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

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Durnan retired in 1950, citing the stress of playing professional hockey


Al-Muqtadir
Abbasid caliph (born 895)
Abū’l-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Aḥmad ibn Ṭalḥa ibn Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Hārūn Al-Muqtadir bi'Llāh, better known by his regnal name al-Muqtadir bi'Llāh, was the eighteenth caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 908 to 932 AD,…
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932
Wolfgang of Regensburg
German bishop and saint (born 934)
Wolfgang of Regensburg was bishop of Regensburg in Bavaria from Christmas 972 until his death. He is a saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. He is regarded as one of the three great German saints of the…
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994
Abe no Seimei
Japanese astrologer (born 921)
Abe no Seimei was a Japanese onmyōji, a court official and specialist of Onmyōdō, during the middle of the Heian period. In addition to his prominence in history, he is a legendary figure in Japanese folklore. He has…
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1005
Korean ruler (born 1016)
Deokjong, personal name Wang Hŭm, was the 9th king of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. The son of King Hyeonjong, he was confirmed as Crown Prince in 1022. During his reign, the compilation of national histories that was…
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1034
1st Earl of Gloucester, son of Henry I of England (born 1100)
Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester, was an illegitimate son of King Henry I. He was the half-brother of the Empress Matilda, and her chief military supporter during the civil war known as the Anarchy, in which she…
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1147
Eleanor of England
queen consort of Castile (born 1163)
Eleanor of England, was Queen of Castile and Toledo as the wife of Alfonso VIII of Castile. She was the sixth child and second daughter of Henry II, King of England, and Eleanor of Aquitaine. She served as Regent of…
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1214
Ricold of Monte Croce
Italian Dominican missionary (born 1242)
Riccoldo da Monte di Croce or Ricold of Monte Croce was an Italian Dominican friar, travel writer, missionary, and Christian apologist. He is most famous for his polemical works on Medieval Islam and the account of his…
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1320
Duchess Consort of Brabant (born 1303)
Marie d'Évreux was the eldest child of Louis d'Évreux and his wife Margaret of Artois. She was a member of the House of Capet.
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1335
John VIII Palaiologos
Byzantine emperor (born 1390)
John VIII Palaiologos was the penultimate Roman emperor to rule in Constantinople. Ruling from 1425 to 1448, he attempted to bring about the reunification of the Orthodox and Catholic churches and prioritised the…
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1448
Fra Bartolomeo
Italian artist (born 1472)
Fra Bartolomeo or Bartolommeo, also known as Bartolommeo di Pagholo, Bartolommeo di San Marco, Bartolomeo di Paolo di Jacopo del Fattorino, and his original nickname Baccio della Porta, was an Italian Renaissance…
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1517
Peter Stumpp
German farmer and alleged serial killer (born 1535)
Peter Stumpp was a German farmer and alleged serial killer, accused of werewolfery, witchcraft, and cannibalism. He was known as "the Werewolf of Bedburg".
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1589
Cornelis Jol
Dutch admiral (born 1597)
Cornelis Corneliszoon Jol, nicknamed Houtebeen ("pegleg"), was a 17th-century Dutch corsair and admiral in the Dutch West India Company during the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic. He was one of…
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1641
John Bradshaw
English lawyer and judge, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (born 1602)
John Bradshaw was an English jurist who was President of the High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I and the first Lord President of the Council of State of the English Commonwealth.
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1659
Köprülü Mehmed Pasha
Ottoman politician, 109th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (born 1575)
Köprülü Mehmed Pasha was Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire and founding patriarch of the Köprülü political dynasty. He helped rebuild the power of the empire by rooting out corruption and reorganizing the Ottoman army.…
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1661
Cosimo III de' Medici
Grand Duke of Tuscany (born 1642)
Cosimo III de' Medici was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1670 until his death in 1723, the sixth and penultimate from the House of Medici. He reigned from 1670 to 1723, and was the elder son of Grand Duke Ferdinando II.…
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1723
Victor Amadeus II
Duke of Savoy (born 1666)
Victor Amadeus II was the head of the House of Savoy and ruler of the Savoyard states from 12 June 1675 until his abdication in 1730. He was the first of his house to acquire a royal crown, ruling first as King of…
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1732
Eberhard Louis
Duke of Württemberg (born 1676)
Duke Eberhard Louis was Duke of Württemberg from 1692 until 1733.
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1733
Leonardo Leo
Italian composer (born 1694)
Leonardo Leo, more correctly Leonardo Ortensio Salvatore de Leo, was a Baroque composer.
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1744
Francesco Maria Veracini
Italian violinist and composer (born 1690)
Francesco Maria Veracini was an Italian composer and violinist, perhaps best known for his sets of violin sonatas. As a composer, according to Manfred Bukofzer, "His individual, if not subjective, style has no precedent…
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1768
Princess Amelia of Great Britain (born 1711)
Princess Amelia of Great Britain was the second daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Queen Caroline. Born in Hanover, she moved to England when her grandfather George I became king. Amelia lived a solitary…
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1786
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Notable deaths

Who died on October 31?

Bill Durnan — Canadian ice hockey player (1916–1972)

FeaturedBill Durnan
Death year1972
Known forHe was one of the best goaltenders in his time, winning the Vezina Trophy for fewest goals allowed six times, being named First All-Star team as best goaltender six times, and helping the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup twice
Deaths on this date109 (932 – 2023)

Explore October 31

Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.

Also on October 31 in History

2020
Berlin Brandenburg Airport opens its doors after nearly 10 years of delays due to construction issues and project corruption. Wikipedia →
2017
A truck drives into a crowd in Lower Manhattan, New York City, killing eight people. Wikipedia →
2015
Metrojet Flight 9268 is bombed over the northern Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board. Wikipedia →
See all events on October 31
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