On this day, Michelangelo put the final brushstrokes on The Last Judgment, the awe-inspiring fresco in the Sistine Chapel. Covering the entire altar wall, the painting depicted the dramatic scene of souls rising to heaven or descending into damnation. Its powerful imagery and bold artistic choices shocked many, cementing Michelangelo’s legacy as one of the greatest Renaissance artists in history.
1541 – Michelangelo Completes His Masterpiece: The Last Judgment
The city of Safed in Palestine, a center of Jewish mysticism, was rocked by a powerful earthquake on October 31, 1759. Buildings crumbled, streets were destroyed, and hundreds of people perished in the devastation. The quake was part of a series of seismic events that hit the region, leaving lasting scars on the city and its inhabitants, who struggled to rebuild from the ruins.
1759 – A Devastating Earthquake Strikes Safed, Palestine Killing Hundreds
Gruesome secrets unraveled on this day in 1828 when William Burke and William Hare were exposed as serial killers supplying corpses to medical schools. Instead of robbing graves, they resorted to murder, taking the lives of 16 victims. The scandal horrified the public and changed medical laws, ensuring bodies for dissection would come from legal sources instead of criminal activity.
1828 – Burke and Hare’s Reign of Terror is Exposed in Edinburgh
The Lincoln Highway, the first paved coast-to-coast road in the United States, was officially dedicated on October 31, 1913. Stretching from New York to San Francisco, this revolutionary highway made long-distance travel more accessible, connecting towns and cities like never before. The road paved the way—literally—for modern transportation, influencing future infrastructure projects and changing how Americans moved across the country.
1913 – America’s First Paved Highway Becomes a Symbol of Progress
A dramatic assassination attempt unfolded in Bologna when 15-year-old Anteo Zamboni tried to shoot Benito Mussolini during a parade. Before he could escape, enraged Fascists dragged him from the crowd and lynched him on the spot. Though Mussolini survived unscathed, the attempt fueled his propaganda, justifying harsher crackdowns on political opposition and further solidifying his grip on Italy.
