October 30 in History

October 30 in History

October 30th is…
Candy Corn Day
Devil’s Night
Haunted Refrigerator (Night)
Mischief Night National Publicist Day
National Speak Up for Service Day

The night before Halloween (October 30) has long been referred to as either Devil’s Night or Mischief Night. It has been referenced for many years as a night where the youth in various cities take it upon themselves to partake in an evening filled with mischievous or petty crime. Mostly their behavior focuses on minor acts of vandalism or small pranks such as soaping or egging someone’s home or car windows, tossing rolls of toilet paper throughout trees or hiding rotting vegetables beneath a person’s front-door mat.

Devil’s Night was first referenced back in the early 1930s. However, it took a more sinister turn in the 1970s, when what was considered an evening for harmless pranks took a more deadly turn in the form of serious vandalism and arson in the Detroit, Michigan area. The fires were at their worst in the mid to late 1980s with over 800 blazes set on Devil’s Night in 1984.  The number drastically rose again in 1994 and despite numerous pleas from the city mayor and the creation of Angel’s Night (a watch of sorts to help cut down on the amount of Devil’s Night crime) the Detroit area continues to deal with Devil’s Night fires being set to this very day. 

October 30 also happens to be Haunted Refrigerator Night which is a night where one can explore the horrifying depths of everyone’s favorite kitchen appliance. When was the last time you dug to the back of your refrigerator?  If you are anything like us then it has been quite a while, and there are sure to be some dark and mysterious substances lurking back there! Thomas and Ruth Roy of Wellcat created Haunted Refrigerator Night.

If you don’t plan on getting into any mischief on this night, why not gather the family around the fridge, turn out all the lights and explore? You never know what you might find. Also, use this night as an excuse to give your refrigerator a massive clean-out; perhaps by the time the next Haunted Refrigerator Night rolls out, yours will be far less terrifying! 

1876 – Great Backeganj Cyclone, India (now Bangladesh)

1945 – Jackie Robinson of the Kansas City Monarchs signed a contract for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the baseball color barrier.

1938 – Orson Welles broadcast his radio play of H. G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds.

1947 – The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), later becoming the World Trade Organisation (WTO), was founded.

1974 – The Rumble in the Jungle boxing match between Muhammad Ali and champion George Foreman took place in Kinshasa, Zaire. Ali won by knockout, knocking Foreman down just before the end of the eighth round.

 #1 Hit October 30, 1982 – November 5, 1982: Men at Work – Who Can It Be Now

1987 – NEC released Japan’s first 16-bit (fourth generation) video game console, the PC Engine. It was later sold around the world under the name TurboGrafx-16.

2002 – Warren Zevon was featured on the Late Show with David Letterman as the only guest for the entire hour, performing several songs and spoke about being diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer.

2003 – Wicked (Broadway Musical) Opened on October 30, 2003

#1 Hit October 30, 2004 – December 10, 2004: Usher and Alicia Keys – My Boo

#1 Hit October 30, 2010 – November 12, 2010: Far East Movement featuring The Cataracs and Dev – Like a G6

#1 Hit October 30, 2021 – November 26, 2021: Easy on MeAdele

 

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