Did you know Halloween day has served as the occasion for many historical events?
- In 1517, on October 31, a soon-to-be-ex-priest named Martin Luther launched (cue “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”) the Protestant Reformation.
- In 1636, just in time for All Hallows Eve, a little seminary for poor ministers called the New College opened in Massachusetts. It later changed its name to (cue expensive music) Harvard University.
- In 1838, the day before Halloween, Oberlin College became the first in the U.S. to admit female students (cue Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”), introducing the wonderful, and some thought scary, concept of coeducation.
- In 1846, a group of pioneers set out on the arduous trek to California. They came to be known as (cue creepy music) the Donner Party.
- In 1919, Prohibition went into effect and three days later, to celebrate Halloween, people broke out the booze, triggering (cue tommy guns) an explosion of organized crime.
- In 1929, on Black Tuesday, ninety-five years ago today, the worst financial collapse in history occurred (cue desperate music), initiating the Great Depression.
- In 1938, The War of the Worlds radio adaptation aired, and the next day during Halloween there was widespread panic, millions having believed it was news of an actual (cue alien sound f/x) Martian invasion!
- In 1941, on October 31, a gigantic sculpture of four U.S. presidents opened for viewing. Why Halloween day? Hey, politics are scary. Anyway, it’s called (cue patriotic music) Mount Rushmore.
In 1967, on Halloween day, perhaps scariest of all, Robert Matthew Van Winkle was born. He would later be known as (cue stolen bass track) Vanilla Ice.
Have fun and make (legal) history of your own this Halloween!
Also see: Is Halloween Evil?
Interesting
Fascinating trivia. 🙂
Love the soundtrack!
Wow, Mitch! I’m always learning from you! I made history, finally, by reappearing at your place on Halloween! Many blessings, dear friend!
You too, dear friend, and good to hear from you!
Thanks, Mitch. This was great history.
My pleasure, Jennie.
Wow! Who knew? Thanks for sharing, Mitch.
as for halloween ’61 birth
Interesting history lesson, Mitch; I had no idea that there were so many events that have happened on or very close to Oct. 31st!
Last week, I wrote a Halloween-related post about an interesting survey (not done by me) of the greatest fears of 65 people from around the world. If you’re interested, stop by for a visit!
I’ll check it out, Keith!