509 years ago today
Luther Posts His 95 Theses
On October 31, 1517, an Augustinian monk and theology professor named Martin Luther posted — or possibly mailed — his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, igniting the Protestant Reformation. Luther's document was a scholarly challenge to the Catholic Church's practice of selling indulgences, which promised buyers reduced time in purgatory. In an era before mass media, the theses spread with startling speed via the newly invented printing press, reaching all of Germany within two weeks and all of Europe within two months. The Church's failure to suppress Luther's ideas triggered the fracturing of Western Christianity into Catholic and Protestant branches — a rupture that reshaped the political map of Europe, fueled decades of religious wars, and permanently transformed the relationship between individuals, institutions, and faith. October 31 is still celebrated as "Reformation Day" in many Protestant countries.
On the record: Martin Luther
This day, across time
- 475 CEEventRomulus Augustulus Proclaimed Emperor
- 1517FeaturedLuther Posts His 95 Theses
- 1760BornKatsushika Hokusai
- 1795BornJohn Keats
- 1864EventNevada Admitted to the Union
- 1887BornChiang Kai-shek
- 1926DiedHarry Houdini
- 1941EventMount Rushmore Sculpting Declared Complete
- 1956EventBritain and France Begin Bombing Egypt
- 1961BornPeter Jackson
- 1984EventIndira Gandhi Assassinated
- 1993DiedFederico Fellini
- 2011EventGlobal Population Reaches Seven Billion
Alive in 1517
OverlapSame years; not influence
Martin Lutherturned 34 this year
Henry VIIIturned 26 this year
John Calvinturned 8 this year
Leonardo da Vinciturned 65 this year
Michelangelo Buonarrotiturned 42 this year
Niccolò Machiavelliturned 48 this year
Nicolaus Copernicusturned 44 this year
Step into the moment
Simulation · scenario
The Letter to Archbishop Albert
University of Wittenberg, Electoral Saxony
Martin Luther, October 31, 1517. A simulation set on this date. The figure doesn’t know how the day ends.
Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar
Plus view — Scenes are part of Plus
Step into the sceneOn This Day in History
7 EventsRomulus Augustulus Proclaimed Emperor
Romulus Augustulus is proclaimed Western Roman Emperor — though his reign would last only ten months before the final collapse of the Western Roman Empire.
Martin Luther Posts His 95 Theses
Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses on the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, challenging the Catholic Church's sale of indulgences and launching the Protestant Reformation.
Nevada Admitted to the Union
Nevada is admitted to the Union as the 36th U.S. state, just days before the 1864 presidential election — its pro-Union vote helping to reelect Abraham Lincoln.
Mount Rushmore Sculpting Declared Complete
The sculpting of Mount Rushmore is declared complete after 14 years of work, with the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln blasted into the South Dakota granite.
Britain and France Begin Bombing Egypt
Britain and France begin bombing Egyptian airfields as part of Operation Musketeer during the Suez Crisis, drawing intense condemnation from both the United States and the Soviet Union.
Indira Gandhi Assassinated
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards at her New Delhi residence, triggering anti-Sikh riots across India that kill thousands.
Global Population Reaches Seven Billion
The global human population officially reaches seven billion people according to a UN estimate, marking a milestone in humanity's exponential demographic growth.
Born on This Day
John Keats
English Romantic Poet
English Romantic poet whose brief life produced timeless odes — including "Ode to a Nightingale" and "Ode on a Grecian Urn" — that secured him a place among the greatest poets in the English language; he died of tuberculosis at 25.
Katsushika Hokusai
Japanese Ukiyo-e Artist
Japanese artist whose iconic woodblock print "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" is one of the most recognized artworks in history; he produced over 30,000 works across a career spanning eight decades.
Chiang Kai-shek
Chinese Military & Political Leader
Chinese military and political leader who led the Republic of China against Japanese invasion and Communist revolution; after defeat in the Chinese Civil War, he continued to govern Taiwan until his death in 1975.
Peter Jackson
New Zealand Film Director
New Zealand filmmaker whose adaptation of Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy swept the Academy Awards and redefined the possibilities of epic fantasy filmmaking on a global scale.
HistorIQly Chat
Ask Martin Luther about this day
Dive deeper — ask questions, challenge assumptions, hear the story in their own words. Powered by AI, grounded in history.
Pick up where you left off, or open a new thread with the figures behind today's events.
Start a conversation →Open chat →Notable Deaths
Harry Houdini
Hungarian-American Escape Artist & Illusionist
The most famous entertainer of the early 20th century, whose death-defying escapes from handcuffs, straitjackets, and locked containers made him a legend; he died on Halloween from peritonitis caused by a ruptured appendix.
Indira Gandhi
Prime Minister of India
The first female Prime Minister of India and the world's longest-serving female head of government, assassinated by her own bodyguards in retaliation for ordering the army's controversial storming of the Golden Temple.
Federico Fellini
Italian Film Director
One of the most influential filmmakers in cinema history; his deeply personal, surrealist films — including "8½," "La Dolce Vita," and "Amarcord" — won four Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.
Explore HistorIQly
The figures and events above are only the beginning. Dive deeper into history with HistorIQly's full collection.
Discover Your Day
What happened on your birthday?
Every date in history holds its own stories. Find the events, birthdays, and turning points that share your day.