October 31

Halloween

Halloween is considered to be one of the most important days for ghosts and spirits around the world, and especially in the United Kingdom. While it is true that Halloween is a special day for those who celebrate this sort of dark world, the fact of the matter is that there are several traditional reasons for this celebration as well. From the fact that Halloween is the day before All Saints Day to the fact that it is closely connected with many pagan holidays in Ireland, Halloween in the UK has a special significance.

 

While Halloween is not only celebrated in the UK but also in countries such as Canada and the United States, the reasons for this celebration vary greatly. Some people take the holiday to just relax and enjoy a fun time. Others tend to gravitate towards the darker celebrations which include activities involving ghosts and spirits.

 

For most however, the idea of having a Halloween holiday is one which involves a few standard activities, all of which can be attributed to fun and entertainment.

Contributed by Helen Snadina

Happy Halloween!

October 30

Observances

The End of the Battle of Britain

The Battle of Britain is the name given to the Second World War air campaign waged by the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940. The objective of the campaign was to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF), especially Fighter Command. The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces,and was also the largest and most sustained aerial bombing campaign to that date.

Birthdays

Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 1751 – 7 July 1816) was an Irish-born playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. For thirty-two years he was also a Whig Member of the British House of Commons for Stafford (1780–1806), Westminster (1806–1807) and Ilchester (1807–1812). Such was the esteem he was held in by his contemporaries when he died that he was buried at Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. He is known for his plays such as The Rivals, The School for Scandal and A Trip to Scarborough

Chris Slade (born Christopher Rees, 30 October 1946, Pontypridd, Glamorgan, South Wales) is a Welsh rock drummer. Slade has worked with Gary Numan, Tom Jones, Olivia Newton-John (as co-members of the band Toomorrow), and Uriah Heep. He was a member of Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1972 to 1978. In the early 1980s, Slade played with Paul Rodgers and Jimmy Page in The Firm. He has played with Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Gary Moore on his 1989 world tour. Slade probably received his highest exposure in 1989 when he was asked to join the Australian hard rock Band AC/DC after their then-drummer Simon Wright had departed. AC/DC were signed to the same management company as Gary Moore who Slade had just finished touring with

Gavin McGregor Rossdale (born 30 October 1965) is an English musician, known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Bush as well as an actor. Following Bush's separation in 2002, which lasted for eight years, he was the lead singer and guitarist for Institute, and later began a solo career. When performing solo, Gavin plays songs from his extensive musical libraries. Rossdale is married to fellow musician Gwen Stefani

Vanessa Karen White (born 30 October 1989) is an English pop singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in 2008 as a member of English-Irish girl group The Saturdays. She is the youngest member of the band

October 29

Birthdays

Edward Huntington was born on 29 October 1965 in England. When Eddy was seventeen years old he started work in the shop with the music records.When he was 20 he's gone to London, where he's been working for several years in various discoteques as a DJ. With the money he earned, he paid for the dance-course in the well-known studio "Pineapple". In the meantime Eddy has been working as a model, as well. During one of his shows he met Roberto Turatti, Den Harrow's producer.His greatest hits are: USSR, Up And Down, Physical Attraction and May Day. He released the only one album titled Bang Bang Baby in 1989. He also released his own version of Den Harrow 's song Meet My Friend

William Wyon, RA (1795 – October 29, 1851), was official chief engraver at the Royal Mint from 1828 until his death. He was influenced by the master of relief sculpture, John Flaxman. Wyon was a highly visible proponent of the Neoclassicist vogue, and was elected to the Roya Academy in 1838.

Wyon was born in Birmingham, England. Wyon is buried under a simple rectangular York stone slab at West Norwood Cemetery. He was the father of engraver Leonard Charles Wyon

October 28

International Animation Day

In 2002, Asifa, the International Animated Film Association, launched a global event to celebrate the art of animation. October 28th was proclaimed as « International animation day » (IAD), commemorating the first public performance of Emile Reynaud’s Theatre Optique in Paris in 1892.

Such a celebration is an outstanding opportunity to put the animated film in the limelight and make this art more accessible to the public.

Who can join IAD ?

Beyond the several national Asifa national Chapters (more than 30 different countries) which celebrate the International Animation Day, any cultural or educational organization can join this event by screening animated films, organizing workshops, exhibiting artwork and stills, providing technical demonstrations, helping to promote the art of animation…

For which audience?

The wide variety of films enables suitable programs for every type of audience, from those seeking creative stimuli, philosophical, psychological, etc. to those looking for entertainment suitable for adults, for youth or for kids.

Program exchange

A system of program exchanges was created to help participants put together culturally diverse animation programs from around the world, for example Brazil, China, France, Hungary, Korea, Poland, Portugal, Russia, USA, or Ghana. The exchange is an incredible opportunity to discover films from all over the world during this great international animation celebration.

October 27

Birthdays

Kelly Michelle Lee Osbourne

She was born on 27 October in 1984, mostly known as an English fashion designer, singer and actress, best known for being the daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. She was thrust into the limelight after appearing on the reality series The Osbournes with her family, for which they won a 2002 Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Programme. She has also appeared on Dancing with the Stars, in which she and professional dance partner Louis van Amstel took third place, and has made forays into music, acting, theatre, writing, columnist and broadcast presenting.

Her debut album, Shut Up, was released by Epic Records in 2002 to moderate American sales, but good European sales. The lead single, a cover of Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach", debuted with Houston rock band Pure Rubbish at the 2002 MTV Movie Awards.

Osbourne made her debut as an actress with a starring role on 7 October 2004 on the ABC high school teen drama Life As We Know It, where she played the supporting role of Deborah Beatrice Tynan. In June 2006, Osbourne played the role of Wendy from Peter Pan in The Queen's Handbag. In 2006, Osbourne provided a voice for the animated film Live Freaky Die Freaky. In July 2007, it was announced Osbourne was to take on the role of prison matron Mama Morton in the musical drama Chicago.

October 26

Birthdays

Roger Allam (born 26 October 1953, Bow, London) is an English actor, known primarily for his stage career, although he has performed in film and television. He played Inspector Javert in the original London production of the stage musical Les Miserables

Steve Valentine (born October 26, 1966) is a Scottish actor, musician and magician who has performed on stage and screen, but is best known for his role as the eccentric Nigel Townsend on NBC's crime drama Crossing Jordan. He recently starred in the Disney XD sitcom I'm in the Band as Derek Jupiter until its 2011 cancellation

Ivan Simon Cary Elwes (born 26 October 1962), known professionally as Cary Elwes, is an English actor and voice actor. The son of painter Dominick Elwes and designer Tessa Georgina Kennedy, Elwes acted in off-Broadway plays during college and moved to the United States in the early 1980s. He is known for his roles as Westley in the classic film The Princess Bride, Arthur Holmwood in Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula and for his role as Dr. Lawrence Gordon in Saw.

He has also appeared in box office hits such as Days of Thunder, Hot Shots!, Twister, Liar, Liar and New Year's Eve. He has had recurring roles in television series such as The X-Files playing Brad Follmer and Psych playing Pierre Despereaux

Contributed by Helen Snadina

October 25

Birthdays

 William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville (25 October 1759 – 12 January 1834) was a British Whig statesman. He served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1806 to 1807 as head of the Ministry of All the Talents

Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay (25 October 1800 – 28 December 1859) was a British poet, historian and Whig politician. He wrote extensively as an essayist and reviewer, and on British history. He also held political office as Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841 and Paymaster-General between 1846 and 1848

Sir Martin John Gilbert, (born 25 October 1936) is a British historian and honorary Fellow of Merton College, University of Oxford. He is the author of over eighty books, including works on the Holocaust and Jewish history. Gilbert is a leading historian of the modern world, and is known as the official biographer of Sir Winston Churchill

(in the centre)

Jon Anderson (born John Roy Anderson on 25 October 1944) is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes. He is also an accomplished solo artist and has collaborated with artists such as the Greek musician Vangelis, among others

Nick Hancock (born 25 October 1962, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) is an English actor and television presenter. Probably TV's most well known Stoke City supporter, he hosted the sports quiz They Think It's All Over for 10 years. He also formerly presented Room 101 (1994–1999) on TV, as well as its earlier radio version (1992–1994). He has recently been interviewed by 6 Town Radio about the 40th anniversary of Stoke's 1972 League cup win

Zadie Smith (born on 25 October 1975) is a British novelist, essayist and short story writer. Smith has won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2006 and her novel White Teeth was included in Time magazine's TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005 list