On this day in history - October 31

What Happened On This Day – October 31

• 2011 Day of Seven Billion

  The world's official population reached 7 billion on approximately this day. The United Nations Population Fund designated it as the Day of Seven Billion.

• 1999 EgyptAir Flight 990 crash

  EgyptAir Flight 990 crashed off the Eastern coast of the US, killing all 217 people aboard.

• 1992 Catholic church regrets its handling of Galileo Galilee's case

  Then Pope John Paul II acknowledged the errors committed by the Catholic Church while dealing with Galileo Galilei in the 17th century.

• 1984 Indira Gandhi assassinated

  Indira Gandhi, the first female prime minister of India, was assassinated by two of her bodyguards. Her death sparked riots in India and New Delhi, where several thousand Sikhs were killed.

• 1978 South Yemen adopts constitution

  The short-lived People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, or South Yemen, adopted its constitution. South Yemen eventually unified with North Yemen in 1990 to create what is today called Yemen