Today May 31st in history click read more below to view detail events, deaths, births, Holidays and observances, and video clips in hisotry. Please comments, last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
1279 BC – Rameses II (The Great) (19th dynasty) becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.
1223 – Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River – Mongol armies of Genghis Khan led by Subutai defeat Kievan Rus and Cumans.
1578 – Martin Frobisher sails from Harwich, England to Frobisher Bay, Canada, eventually to mine fool s gold, used to pave streets in London.
1669 – Citing poor eyesight, Samuel Pepys records the last event in his diary.
1678 – The Godiva procession through Coventry begins.
1759 – The Province of Pennsylvania bans all theater productions.
1775 – American Revolution: The Mecklenburg Resolutions adopted in the Province of North Carolina
1790 – Alferez Manuel Quimper explores the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
1790 – The United States enacts its first copyright statute, the Copyright Act of 1790.
1813 – In Australia, Lawson, Blaxland and Wentworth, reached Mount Blaxland, effectively marking the end of a route across the Blue Mountains.
1862 – American Civil War Peninsula Campaign: Battle of Seven Pines or (Battle of Fair Oaks) – Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston & G. W. Smith engage Union forces under George B. McClellan outside Richmond, Virginia.
1864 – American Civil War Overland Campaign: Battle of Cold Harbor – The Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee engages the Army of the Potomac under Ulysses S. Grant & George G. Meade.
1866 – In the Fenian Invasion of Canada, John O Neill leads 850 Fenian raiders across the Niagara River at Buffalo, New York/Fort Erie, Ontario, as part of an effort to free Ireland from the English. Canadian militia and British regulars repulse the invaders in over the next three days, at a cost of 9 dead and 38 wounded to the Fenian s 19 dead and about 17 wounded.
1889 – Johnstown Flood: Over 2,200 people die after a dam break sends a 60-foot (18-meter) wall of water over the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
1902 – Second Boer War: The Treaty of Vereeniging ends the war and ensures British control of South Africa.
1910 – Creation of the Union of South Africa.
1911 – R.M.S. Titanic launched.
1916 – World War I: Battle of Jutland – The British Grand Fleet under the command of Sir John Jellicoe & Sir David Beatty engage the Kaiserliche Marine under the command of Reinhard Scheer & Franz von Hipper in the largest naval battle of the war, which proves indecisive.
1921 – Tulsa Race Riot: A civil unrest in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, the official death toll is 39, but recent investigations suggest the actual toll may be much higher.
1924 – The Soviet Union signs an agreement with the Peking government, referring to Outer Mongolia as an integral part of the Republic of China, whose sovereignty therein the Soviet Union promises to respect.
1927 – The last Ford Model T rolls off the assembly line after a production run of 15,007,003 vehicles.
1931 – 7.1 magnitude Earthquake destroys Quetta in modern-day Pakistan: 40,000 dead.
1941 – A Luftwaffe air raid in Dublin, Ireland claims 38 lives.
1942 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Navy midget submarines begin a series of attacks on Sydney, Australia.
1943 – Zoot Suit Riots begin
1961 – Republic of South Africa created.
1962 – The West Indies Federation dissolves.
1970 – The Ancash earthquake causes a landslide that buries the town of Yungay, Peru; more than 47,000 people are killed.
1971 – In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1968, observation of Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday in May for the first time, rather than on the traditional Memorial Day of May 30.
1973 – The United States Senate votes to cut off funding for the bombing of Khmer Rouge targets within Cambodia, hastening the end of the Cambodian Civil War.
1977 – The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System completed.
1981 – Burning of Jaffna library, Sri Lanka, It was one of the violent examples of ethnic biblioclasm of the twentieth century.
1985 – 1985 United States-Canadian tornado outbreak: Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead.
1985 – Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) became a Schedule I drug in the United States.
1987 – Athena 98.4 FM, the first legal private radio station starts broadcasting in Greece.
1997 – The Confederation Bridge opens, linking Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick.
2008 – Usain Bolt breaks the world record in the 100m sprint, with a wind-legal (+1.7m/s) 9.72 seconds.
2010 – Space Shuttle Endeavour will have it s last launch and will be retired.
Births
1443 – Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII of England (d. 1509)
1469 – Manuel I of Portugal (d. 1521)
1535 – Alessandro Allori, Italian painter (d. 1607)
1557 – Feodor I of Russia (d. 1598)
1613 – John George II, Elector of Saxony (d. 1680)
1640 – Michal Wisniowiecki, King of Poland (d. 1673)
1656 – Marin Marais, French composer (d. 1728)
1732 – Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, Archbishop of Salzburg (d. 1812)
1753 – Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud, French revolutionary (d. 1793)
1754 – Andrea Appiani, Italian painter (d. 1817)
1773 – Ludwig Tieck, German writer (d. 1853)
1801 – Johann Georg Baiter, Swiss philologist (d. 1887)
1818 – John Albion Andrew, 25th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1867)
1819 – Walt Whitman, American poet (d. 1892)
1835 – Hijikata Toshizo, Japanese military leader (d. 1869)
1838 – Henry Sidgwick, English philosopher (d. 1900)
1852 – Francisco Moreno, Argentine explorer (d. 1919)
1857 – Pope Pius XI (d. 1939)
1860 – Walter Sickert, English painter (d. 1942)
1863 – Francis Younghusband, British explorer (d. 1942)
1872 – Heath Robinson, English cartoonist (d. 1944)
1882 – Sándor Graf Festetics, Hungarian politician (d. 1956)
1883 – Lauri Kristian Relander, 2nd President of Finland (d. 1942)
1885 – Alois Hudal, bishop, helped Nazis escape trial (d. 1963)
1887 – Saint-John Perse, French diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975)
1892 – Michel Kikoine, Belarus painter (d. 1968)
1892 – Konstantin Georgiyevich Paustovsky, Russian writer (d. 1968)
1892 – Gregor Strasser, German Nazi politician (d. 1934)
1894 – Fred Allen, American comedian (d. 1956)
1898 – Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, American clergyman (d. 1993)
1901 – Alfredo Antonini, American conductor and composer (d. 1983)
1905 – Florence Desmond, English actress and comedian (d. 1993)
1908 – Don Ameche, American actor (d. 1993)
1908 – Nils Poppe, Swedish actor (d. 2000)
1909 – Aurore Gagnon, French Canadian victim of child abuse (d. 1920)
1911 – Maurice Allais, French economist, Nobel Prize laureate
1912 – Alfred Deller, English countertenor (d. 1979)
1914 – Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer (d. 2006)
1916 – Bert Haanstra, Dutch filmmaker (d. 1997)
1921 – Alida Valli, Italian actress (d. 2006)
1921 – Howard Reig, American radio and television announcer
1922 – Denholm Elliott, English actor (d. 1992)
1923 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (d. 2005)
1930 – Clint Eastwood, American film director and actor
1931 – John Robert Schrieffer, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
1931 – Shirley Verrett, American soprano
1932 – Jay Miner, American microchip designer (d. 1994)
1933 – Henry B. Eyring, LDS apostle, son of award-winning chemist Henry Eyring
1935 – Jim Bolger, 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand
1938 – Johnny Paycheck, American singer (d. 2003)
1938 – John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
1938 – Peter Yarrow, American folk singer (Peter, Paul and Mary)
1939 – Terry Waite, British humanitarian
1940 – Gilbert Shelton, American underground comics illustrator
1941 – Louis J. Ignarro, American pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate
1943 – Sharon Gless, American actress
1943 – Joe Namath, American football player
1945 – Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German film director (d. 1982)
1945 – Bernard Goldberg?, American journalist
1946 – Ted Baehr, American media critic
1946 – Steve Bucknor, West Indian Cricket Umpire
1947 – Junior Campbell, British musician and songwriter (The Marmalade)
1948 – John Bonham, British musician (Led Zeppelin) (d. 1980)
1948 – Duncan Hunter, American politician, 2008 presidential candidate
1949 – Tom Berenger, American actor
1949 – Nancy Shade, American soprano
1950 – Gregory Harrison, American actor
1952 – Karl Bartos, German musician (Kraftwerk, Electronic)
1953 – Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, Finnish actor
1954 – Vicki Sue Robinson, American singer (d. 2000)
1954 – Thomas Mavros, Greek footballer
1956 – Fritz Hilpert, German musician and sound engineer (Kraftwerk)
1955 – Tommy Emmanuel, Australian Guitarist CGP
1957 – Jim Craig, American hockey player
1959 – Andrea de Cesaris, Italian racing driver
1960 – Greg C. Adams, Canadian ice hockey player
1960 – Chris Elliott, American comedian
1961 – Ray Cote, Canadian ice hockey player
1961 – Lea Thompson, American actress
1962 – Corey Hart, Canadian musician
1962 – Sebastian Koch, German actor
1963 – Hugh Dillon, Canadian musician and actor
1963 – Viktor Orbán, Hungarian politician
1963 – Wesley Willis, American musician (d. 2003)
1964 – Leonard Asper, Canadian businessman
1964 – Scotti Hill, American rock guitarist
1964 – Darryl McDaniels, American musician (Run-D.M.C.)
1965 – Brooke Shields, American actress and supermodel
1966 – Jeremy Hotz, Canadian stand-up comedian
1966 – Nick Scotti, American actor and singer
1967 – Sandrine Bonnaire, French actress
1967 – Phil Keoghan, New Zealand television personality
1967 – Kenny Lofton, American baseball player
1967 – Vampiro, Canadian professional wrestler
1972 – Frode Estil, Norwegian cross-country skier
1972 – Sarah Murdoch, English model
1972 – Karl Geary, Irish actor
1972 – Dave Roberts, American baseball player
1973 – Dominique Van Roost, Belgian tennis player
1974 – Chad Campbell, American golfer
1974 – Zsolt Erdei, Hungarian light heavyweight boxer
1974 – Adrian Tomine, American cartoonist
1976 – Colin Farrell, Irish actor
1976 – Matt Harpring, American basketball player
1977 – Eric Christian Olsen, American actor
1977 – Theodoros Baev, Bulgarian-born Greek volleyball player
1977 – Debbie King, English TV presenter
1977 – Scott Klopfenstein, American musician (Reel Big Fish)
1977 – Phil Devey, Canadian baseball player
1977 – Domenico Fioravanti, Italian swimmer
1977 – Greg Leeb, Canadian ice hockey player
1977 – Joachim Olsen, Danish athlete
1977 – Joel Ross, British disc jockey
1977 – June Sarpong, British television presenter
1977 – Moses Sichone, Zambian footballer
1977 – Petr Tenkrát, Czech ice hockey player
1980 – Craig Bolton, Australian rules footballer
1980 – Andy Hurley, American musician (Fall Out Boy)
1981 – Jake Peavy, American baseball player
1982 – Jonathan Tucker, American actor
1983 – David Hernandez, American singer
1983 – Dustin Wells, New Zealand footballer
1983 – Reggie Yates, English television presenter
1984 – Nate Robinson, American basketball player
1984 – Jason Smith, Australian actor
1985 – Ian Vouyoukas, Greek basketball player
1986 – Robert Gesink, Dutch cyclist
1986 – Sopho Khalvashi, Georgian musical artist
1986 – Melissa McIntyre, Canadian actress
1988 – Hope Partlow, American singer
Deaths
1246 – Isabella of Angouleme, queen of John of England
1349 – Thomas Wake, English politician (b. 1297)
1408 – Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Japanese shogun (b. 1358)
1410 – King Martin I of Aragon (b. 1356)
1495 – Cecily Neville, mother of Edward IV of England and Richard III of England, (b. 1415)
1558 – Philip Hoby, English politician (b. 1505)
1567 – Guido de Bres, Belgian theologian (b. 1522)
1594 – Tintoretto, Italian painter (b. 1518)
1680 – Joachim Neander, German clergyman (b. 1650)
1740 – King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia (b. 1688)
1747 – Andrei Osterman, Russian statesman (b. 1686)
1799 – Pierre Lemonnier, French astronomer (b. 1715)
1809 – Joseph Haydn, Austrian composer (b. 1732)
1809 – Jean Lannes, French marshal (b. 1769)
1831 – Samuel Bentham, British mechanical engineer (b. 1757)
1832 – Évariste Galois, French mathematician (b. 1811)
1837 – Joseph Grimaldi, British clown (b. 1779)
1846 – Philip Marheineke, German clergyman (b. 1780)
1847 – Thomas Chalmers, Scottish pastor (b. 1780)
1848 – Eugénie de Guérin, French writer (b. 1805)
1908 – Louis-Honoré Fréchette, French Canadian poet (b. 1839)
1910 – Elizabeth Blackwell, American physician (b. 1821)
1931 – Felix-Raymond-Marie Rouleau, French Canadian cardinal, archbishop of Quebec (b. 1866)
1945 – Odilo Globocnik, Austrian nazi (b. 1904)
1957 – Leopold Staff, Polish poet (b. 1878)
1960 – Willem Elsschot, Flemish writer (b. 1882)
1960 – Walther Funk, Nazi leader (b. 1890)
1961 – Walter Little, Canadian politician (b. 1877)
1962 – Henry Fountain Ashurst, American politician (b. 1874)
1967 – Billy Strayhorn, American composer, pianist and arranger (b. 1915)
1970 – Terry Sawchuk, hockey player (b. 1929)
1972 – Walter Freeman, American physician (b. 1895)
1976 – Jacques Monod, French biologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1910)
1977 – William Castle, American film director (b. 1914)
1978 – József Bozsik, Hungarian footballer (b. 1925)
1983 – Jack Dempsey, American boxer (b. 1895)
1986 – Jane Frank (Jane Schenthal Frank), American artist (b. 1918)
1986 – James Rainwater, American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1917)
1987 – John Abraham (director), Indian film director
1993 – Spuds Mackenzie, American advertisement dog
1994 – Herva Nelli, Italian-born soprano (b. 1909)
1996 – Timothy Leary, American professor and LSD advocate (b. 1920)
1997 – James Bennett Griffin, American archaeologist (b. 1905)
1998 – Charles Van Acker, Belgian racing driver (b. 1912)
2000 – Tito Puente, American musician (b. 1923)
2000 – Johnnie Taylor, American singer (b. 1938)
2001 – Arlene Francis, American television personality (d. 1907)
2004 – Robert Quine, American guitarist (b. 1941)
2004 – Étienne Roda-Gil, French songwriter and screenwriter (b. 1941)
2006 – Ryan Bennett, broadcast commentator (b. 1970)
2006 – Miguel Berrocal, sculptor (b. 1933)
2006 – Raymond Davis Jr., American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914)
2006 – Lula Mae Hardaway, American songwriter, mother of singer Stevie Wonder (b. 1930)
Holidays and observances
The Godiva procession.
World No Tobacco Day.
Syaday (Discordianism) (5th day of the season of Confusion, honors Apostle Sri Syadasti).
The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saint Petronella
Nuclear Energy day in Argentina, Commemorates the foundation of the CNEA
