January 31
January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 334 days remain until the end of the year (335 in leap years).
Events
- 1302 - Mr. Russell taught his History Classes at Westfield High School.
- 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon.
- 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes is executed for his plotting against Parliament and James I of England.
- 1747 - The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital.
- 1814 - Gervasio Antonio de Posadas becomes Supreme Director of Argentina.
- 1846 - After the Milwaukee Bridge War, Juneautown and Kilbourntown unified as the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- 1849 - Corn Laws are abolished in the United Kingdom (following legislation in 1846).
- 1865 - American Civil War: Confederate General Robert E. Lee becomes general-in-chief.
- 1867 - Maronite nationalist leader Youssef Karam leaves Lebanon on board of a French ship for Algeria
- 1876 - The United States orders all Native Americans to move into reservations.
- 1900 - Datu Muhammad Salleh is assassinated in Kampung Teboh, Tambuan, ending the Mat Salleh Rebellion
- 1910 - The Portuguese republican revolution broke out in the northern city of Porto.
- 1915 - World War I: Germany uses poison gas against Russia
- 1917 - World War I: Germany announces its U-boats will engage in unrestricted submarine warfare.
- 1918 - A series of accidental collisions on a misty Scottish night leads to the loss of two Royal Navy submarines with over a hundred lives, and damage to another five British warships.
- 1919 - The Battle of George Square takes place in Glasgow, Scotland.
- 1929 - The Soviet Union exiles Leon Trotsky.
- 1930 - 3M begins marketing Scotch Tape.
- 1936 - The Green Hornet radio show debuts.
- 1941 - Layforce set sail.
- 1944 - World War II: American forces land on Kwajalein Atoll and other islands in the Japanese-held Marshall Islands.
- 1944 - World War II: Anzio campaign. (Darby's Rangers) 1st Ranger Battalion The entire 6615th Ranger Force (Provisional) was destroyed behind enemy lines in a heavily outnumbered encounter at Cisterna, Italy.
- 1945 - US Army private Eddie Slovik is executed, the first American soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion.
- 1946 - Yugoslavia's new constitution, modeling the Soviet Union, establishes six constituent republics (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia).
- 1950 - President Harry S. Truman announces a program to develop the hydrogen bomb.
- 1953 - A North Sea flood causes over 1,800 deaths in the Netherlands.
- 1956 - Guy Mollet becomes Prime Minister of France.
- 1957 - Eight people on the ground in Pacoima, California are killed following the mid-air collision between a Douglas DC-7 airliner and a Northrop F-89 Scorpion fighter jet.
- 1958 - Explorer program: Explorer I - The first successful launch of an American satellite into orbit.
- 1958 - James Van Allen discovers the Van Allen radiation belt.
- 1961 - Project Mercury: Mercury-Redstone 2 - Ham the Chimp travels into outer space.
- 1968 - Viet Cong attack the United States embassy in Saigon.
- 1968 - Nauru declares independence from Australia.
- 1970 - A Saskatchewan Court convicts 17-year-old hippie David Milgaard of murder; he is sentenced to life in prison. He spent 23 years in jail until April 14, 1992 when DNA evidence proves him innocent of all charges.
- 1971 - Apollo program: Apollo 14 Mission - Astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell, aboard a Saturn V, lift off for a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon.
- 1971 - The Winter Soldier Investigation, organized by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War to publicize war crimes and atrocities by Americans and allies in Vietnam, begin in Detroit, Michigan.
- 1980 - Thirty-nine people burn to death in the occupation of the Spanish Embassy in Guatemala.
- 1990 - The first McDonald's in the Soviet Union opens in Moscow, USSR.
- 1995 - President Bill Clinton authorizes a $20 billion loan to Mexico to stabilize its economy.
- 1996 - An explosives-filled truck rams into the gates of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka killing at least 86 and injuring 1,400.
- 2000 - An Alaska Airlines MD-83, experiencing horizontal stabilizer problems, crashes in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Point Mugu, California, killing all 88 persons aboard.
- 2001 - In the Netherlands a Scottish court convicts a Libyan and acquits another for their part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 which crashed into Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.
- 2003 - The Waterfall train disaster occurs near Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia.
- 2006 - Samuel A. Alito Jr. assumes office as the 110th Supreme Court justice of the United States.
- 2007 - Suspects are arrested in Birmingham in the UK, accused of plotting the kidnap, holding and eventual beheading of a serving Muslim British soldier in Iraq.
Births
- 877 - Taejo of Goryeo, ruler of Korea (d. 943)
- 1512 - King Henry of Portugal (d. 1580)
- 1543 - Tokugawa Ieyasu, Shogun of Japan (d. 1616)
- 1550 - Henry I, Duke of Guise, French Catholic leader (d. 1588)
- 1597 - John Francis Regis, French saint (d. 1640)
- 1624 - Arnold Geulincx, Flemish philosopher (d. 1669)
- 1673 - Louis de Montfort, French catholic priest and saint (d. 1716)
- 1686 - Hans Egede, Norwegian Lutheran missionary (d. 1758)
- 1752 - Gouverneur Morris, American lawmaker and diplomat (d. 1816)
- 1759 - François Devienne, French composer (d. 1803)
- 1797 - Franz Schubert, Austrian composer (d. 1828)
- 1857 - George Jackson Churchward, GWR Chief mechanical engineer. (d. 1933)
- 1865 - Henri Desgrange, Founder of the Tour-de-France (d. 1940)
- 1865 - Shastriji Maharaj, Indian spiritual leader (d. 1951)
- 1866 - Lev Shestov, Russian philosopher (d. 1938)
- 1868 - Theodore William Richards, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1928)
- 1872 - Zane Grey, American Western writer (d. 1939)
- 1881 - Irving Langmuir, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1957)
- 1884 - Theodor Heuss, 1st President of Germany (Bundespräsident) (d. 1963)
- 1889 - Frank Foster, English cricketer (d. 1958)
- 1892 - Eddie Cantor, American actor and singer (d. 1964)
- 1894 - Isham Jones, American musician (d. 1956)
- 1896 - Sofya Yanovskaya, Russian mathematician (d. 1966)
- 1902 - Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (d. 1968)
- 1902 - Alva Myrdal, Swedish politician, Nobel laureate (d. 1986)
- 1905 - John O'Hara, American writer (d. 1970)
- 1911 - Eddie Byrne, British actor (d. 1981)
- 1913 - Don Hutson, American football player (d. 1997)
- 1914 - Carey Loftin, American actor and stuntman (d. 1997)
- 1914 - Sri Daya Mata, Hindu religious figure
- 1914 - Jersey Joe Walcott, American boxer (d. 1994)
- 1915 - Alan Lomax, American musicologist (d. 2002)
- 1915 - Thomas Merton, American author and monk (d. 1968)
- 1915 - Garry Moore, American comedian (d. 1993)
- 1919 - Jackie Robinson, American baseball player, and the first black player in Major League Baseball (d. 1972)
- 1921 - John Agar, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1921 - Carol Channing, American actress and singer
- 1921 - E. Fay Jones, American architect (d. 2004)
- 1921 - Mario Lanza, American singer (d. 1959)
- 1922 - Joanne Dru, American actress (d. 1996)
- 1923 - Norman Mailer, American writer and journalist (d. 2007)
- 1925 - Benjamin Hooks, American civil rights leader
- 1926 - Tom Alston, American baseball player (d. 1993)
- 1928 - Chuck Willis, American singer and songwriter (d. 1958)
- 1929 - Rudolf Mössbauer, German physicist, Nobel laureate
- 1929 - Jean Simmons, English actress
- 1930 - Lynn Carlin, American actress
- 1931 - Ernie Banks, American baseball player
- 1931 - Christopher Chataway, English athlete, newscaster and politician
- 1933 - Camille Henry, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1997)
- 1933 - Bernardo Provenzano , Mafia Boss
- 1934 - James Franciscus, American actor (d. 1991)
- 1934 - Bob Turner, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2005)
- 1935 - Kenzaburo Oe, Japanese writer, Nobel laureate
- 1937 - Regimantas Adomaitis, Lithuanian actor
- 1937 - Andrée Boucher, Canadian politician (d. 2007)
- 1937 - Philip Glass, American composer
- 1937 - Suzanne Pleshette, American actress (d. 2008)
- 1938 - Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
- 1938 - James G. Watt, American politician
- 1939 - Claude Gauthier, Canadian singer and songwriter
- 1940 - Kitch Christie, South African rugby union coach (d. 1998)
- 1941 - Richard A. Gephardt, American politician
- 1941 - Jessica Walter, American actress
- 1942 - Daniela Bianchi, Italian actress
- 1942 - Derek Jarman, British director and writer (d. 1994)
- 1944 - Charlie Musselwhite, American musician
- 1945 - Joseph Kosuth, American conceptual artist
- 1946 - Terry Kath, American musician (Chicago) (d. 1978)
- 1947 - Jonathan Banks, American actor
- 1947 - Nolan Ryan, American baseball player
- 1948 - Muneo Suzuki, Japanese politician
- 1949 - Johan Derksen, Dutch footballer and sports journalist
- 1949 - Ken Wilber, American philosopher
- 1950 - Alexander Korzhakov, Boris Yeltsin's bodyguard
- 1951 - Dave Benton, Aruban-born singer
- 1951 - Harry Wayne Casey, American singer and musician (KC and the Sunshine Band)
- 1951 - Phil Manzanera, English guitarist (Roxy Music, Quiet Sun, 801)
- 1952 - Nadya Rusheva, Russian painter (d. 1969)
- 1954 - Adrian Vandenberg, Dutch musician (Whitesnake)
- 1956 - John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten, English singer (Sex Pistols, Public Image Ltd.)
- 1958 - Dave Finlay, Professional Wrestler
- 1959 - Anthony LaPaglia, Australian actor
- 1959 - Kelly Lynch, American actress
- 1959 - Kelly Moore, American stock car driver
- 1960 - Grant Morrison, British comic book author
- 1961 - Lloyd Cole, British singer
- 1964 - Sylvie Bernier, Quebec diver
- 1964 - Jeff Hanneman, American musician (Slayer)
- 1964 - Billey Shamrock, Swedish singer
- 1966 - Dr Umar Alisha, A Sufi Master was Born at Pithapuram.
- 1967 - Fat Mike, American musician
- 1967 - Irene Wan, Hong Kong actress
- 1967 - Joey Wong, Taiwanese actress
- 1970 - Minnie Driver, British actress
- 1971 - Lee Young Ae, South Korean actress
- 1971 - Patrick Kielty, Northern Irish comedian
- 1971 - Dimitris Markos, Greek footballer
- 1973 - Portia de Rossi, Australian actress
- 1974 - Wil Anderson, Australian comedian
- 1974 - Ariel Pestano, Cuban baseball player
- 1975 - Fred Coleman, former National Football League wide receiver
- 1975 - Jackie O, Australian radio host
- 1975 - Preity Zinta, Indian actress
- 1976 - Traianos Dellas, Greek footballer
- 1976 - Buddy Rice, American race car driver
- 1977 - Mark Dutiaume, National Hockey League player
- 1977 - Shingo Katori, Japanese actor and singer (SMAP)
- 1977 - Jim Kleinsasser, National Football League tight end
- 1977 - Kate Shindle, American actress
- 1977 - Kerry Washington, American actress
- 1978 - Ray Shah, Irish DJ, TV, radio presenter
- 1978 - Brad Rutter, Jeopardy! champion
- 1979 - Daniel Tammet, British autistic savant
- 1980 - Tiffany Limos, American actress
- 1981 - Julio Arca, Argentinian soccer player
- 1981 - Justin Timberlake, American singer
- 1982 - Yuniesky Betancourt, Major League Baseball shortstop
- 1982 - Andreas Görlitz, German soccer player
- 1982 - Bruno Nogueira, Portuguese actor, comedian and TV host
- 1982 - Elena Paparizou, Greek singer
- 1982 - Jānis Sprukts, National Hockey League player
- 1982 - Brad Thompson, Major League Baseball player
- 1983 - James Sutton, British television actor
- 1984 - Jeremy Wariner, American 400m runner
Deaths
- 743 - Muhammad al-Baqir, Shia Imam (b. 676)
- 1398 - Emperor Sukō (b. 1334)
- 1435 - Xuande, Emperor of China (b. 1398)
- 1561 - Bairam Khan, Great Mughal General, regent for Akbar
- 1561 - Menno Simons, Dutch Mennonite leader (b. 1496)
- 1580 - Henry of Portugal (b. 1512)
- 1606 - Gunpowder Plot conspirators:
- Guy Fawkes (b. 1570)
- Ambrose Rokewood (b. c. 1578)
- Thomas Wintour (b. 1571)
- 1615 - Claudio Aquaviva, Italian Jesuit (b. 1543)
- 1632 - Joost Bürgi, Swiss clockmaker and mathematician (b. 1552)
- 1665 - Johannes Clauberg, German theologian and philosopher (b. 1622)
- 1686 - Jean Mairet, French dramatist (b. 1604)
- 1720 - Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford, English privy councillor (c. 1654)
- 1729 - Jakob Roggeveen, Dutch explorer (b. 1659)
- 1736 - Filippo Juvara, Italian architect (b. 1678)
- 1788 - Charles Edward Stuart, pretender to the British throne (b. 1720)
- 1790 - Thomas Lewis, Irish-born Virginia settler (b. 1718)
- 1794 - Marriott Arbuthnot, British admiral (b. 1711)
- 1815 - José Félix Ribas, Venezuelan independentist leader (b. 1775)
- 1828 - Alexander Ypsilantis, Phanariot Greek military commander and national hero of the Greek War of Independence (b.1792
- 1844 - Henri Gratien, Comte Bertrand, French general (b. 1773)
- 1888 - John Bosco, Italian priest, youth worker, educator, founder of the Salesian Society (b. 1815)
- 1892 - Charles Spurgeon, English preacher and evangelist (b. 1834)
- 1907 - Timothy Eaton, Canadian department store founder (b. 1834)
- 1923 - Eligiusz Niewiadomski, assassin of Gabriel Narutowicz (b. 1869)
- 1933 - John Galsworthy, English writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1867)
- 1942 - Henry Larkin, Baseball player (b. 1860)
- 1944 - Jean Giraudoux, French writer (b. 1882)
- 1945 - Eddie Slovik, American soldier (b. 1920)
- 1954 - Edwin Howard Armstrong, American electrical engineer and inventor of the FM radio (b. 1890)
- 1955 - John Mott, American YMCA leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1865)
- 1956 - A. A. Milne, English author (b. 1882)
- 1966 - General Arthur Ernest Percival, British Army Officer (b. 1887)
- 1967 - Eddie Tolan, American athlete (b. 1908)
- 1969 - Meher Baba, Indian guru (b. 1894)
- 1970 - Slim Harpo, American singer (b. 1924)
- 1971 - Viktor Maksimovich Zhirmunsky, Russian literary historian, linguist (b. 1891)
- 1973 - Ragnar Anton Kittil Frisch, Norwegian economist, Nobel laureate (b. 1895)
- 1974 - Samuel Goldwyn, Polish-born film studio executive (b. 1882)
- 1976 - Ernesto Miranda, American litigant (b. 1941)
- 1981 - Cozy Cole, American jazz drummer (b. 1909)
- 1987 - Yves Allégret, French film director (b. 1907)
- 1990 - Rashad Khalifa, Egyptian-born imam (b. 1935)
- 1995 - George Abbott, American stage director and producer (b. 1887)
- 1997 - John Joseph Scanlan, Irish Catholic prelate (b. 1930)
- 1999 - Norm Zauchin, American baseball player (b. 1929)
- 2000 - Gil Kane, Latvian-born comic book writer (b. 1926)
- 2001 - Gordon R. Dickson, Canadian writer (b. 1923)
- 2002 - Francis Gabreski, American fighter pilot (b. 1919)
- 2004 - Eleanor Holm, American swimmer (b. 1913)
- 2006 - Moira Shearer, Scottish actress (The Red Shoes) and ballerina (b. 1926)
- 2007 - Kirka Babitzin, Finnish singer (b. 1950)
- 2007 - Molly Ivins, American political columnist and author (b. 1944)
- 2007 - Lee Bergere, American actor (b. 1924)
- 2007 - Adelaide Tambo, South African activist and wife of Oliver Tambo (b. 1929)
Holidays and observances
- Catholicism - Feast day of St. John Bosco, patron saint of Christian apprentices, editors, and publishers
- Saint Pedro Nolasco
- Saint Marcella
- Saint Geminianus
- Blessed Ludovica
- January 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)