Which event does this 1517 photograph show?

A monk sends his archbishop a list of objections and splits a church in half (1517). Martin Luther sent his ninety-five objections to the sale of indulgences to the Archbishop of Mainz on 31 October 1517. He wrote them in Latin as a proposal for academic debate, not a manifesto. Someone translated them into German and put them through a printing press, and within two months they were being read across the empire.

Which event does this 1512 photograph show?

A sculptor who did not want the job unveils a ceiling he spent four years on (1512). Michelangelo's ceiling was uncovered on 31 October 1512, the eve of All Saints. He had taken the commission unwillingly, considering himself a sculptor rather than a painter, and worked standing with his head back rather than lying down as the legend has it. He complained in a poem that his beard pointed at heaven and his brush dripped into his face.

Which event does this 1941 photograph show?

A destroyer is torpedoed while escorting a convoy, weeks before her country is at war (1941). A German submarine torpedoed the USS Reuben James off Iceland on 31 October 1941 while she escorted a convoy, killing 100 of her 144 crew. The United States was still formally neutral and would be for five more weeks. Woody Guthrie wrote a song about her that same winter.

Which event does this 1864 photograph show?

A territory is rushed into statehood mid-war because a president needs the votes (1864). Nevada was admitted on 31 October 1864, eight days before the presidential election and with a population well under the usual threshold. Lincoln wanted the electoral votes and the congressional support for the Thirteenth Amendment. The constitution was telegraphed to Washington in full, the longest telegram sent up to that point.

Which event does this 1984 photograph show?

A prime minister is shot in her own garden by two of her own bodyguards (1984). Indira Gandhi was shot on 31 October 1984 as she walked through the garden of her residence, by two Sikh members of her own guard. It was revenge for the army assault on the Golden Temple five months earlier. Anti-Sikh riots in the days that followed killed several thousand people.

What happened on October 31? the Ninety-five Theses, the unveiling of the Sistine Chapel ceiling and 3 more

What happened on October 31

All 5 specimens from this file, spanning 1512 to 1984, with the story behind each photograph.

Reveal the full answer key

Religion · 1517

A monk sends his archbishop a list of objections and splits a church in half

Martin Luther sent his ninety-five objections to the sale of indulgences to the Archbishop of Mainz on 31 October 1517. He wrote them in Latin as a proposal for academic debate, not a manifesto. Someone translated them into German and put them through a printing press, and within two months they were being read across the empire.
Art · 1512

A sculptor who did not want the job unveils a ceiling he spent four years on

Michelangelo's ceiling was uncovered on 31 October 1512, the eve of All Saints. He had taken the commission unwillingly, considering himself a sculptor rather than a painter, and worked standing with his head back rather than lying down as the legend has it. He complained in a poem that his beard pointed at heaven and his brush dripped into his face.
Conflict · 1941

A destroyer is torpedoed while escorting a convoy, weeks before her country is at war

A German submarine torpedoed the USS Reuben James off Iceland on 31 October 1941 while she escorted a convoy, killing 100 of her 144 crew. The United States was still formally neutral and would be for five more weeks. Woody Guthrie wrote a song about her that same winter.
History · 1864

A territory is rushed into statehood mid-war because a president needs the votes

Nevada was admitted on 31 October 1864, eight days before the presidential election and with a population well under the usual threshold. Lincoln wanted the electoral votes and the congressional support for the Thirteenth Amendment. The constitution was telegraphed to Washington in full, the longest telegram sent up to that point.
Politics · 1984

A prime minister is shot in her own garden by two of her own bodyguards

Indira Gandhi was shot on 31 October 1984 as she walked through the garden of her residence, by two Sikh members of her own guard. It was revenge for the army assault on the Golden Temple five months earlier. Anti-Sikh riots in the days that followed killed several thousand people.