January 31
January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the
Gregorian calendar. There are 334 days remaining (335 in
leap years).
*
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.
*
1910 - The
Portuguese republican revolution broke out in the northern city of
Porto.
*
1814 -
Gervasio Antonio de Posadas becomes
Supreme Director of
Argentina.
*
1849 -
Corn Laws abolished in the
United Kingdom.
*
1865 -
American Civil War:
Confederate General
Robert E. Lee becomes general-in-chief.
*
1867 -
Maronite nationalist leader
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 shot dead in Kampung Teboh, Tambuan, ending the
Mat Salleh Rebellion*
1915 -
World War I:
Germany uses
poison gas against
Russians.
*
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.
*
1929 - The
Soviet Union exiles
Leon Trotsky.
*
1930 -
3M markets
Scotch Tape.
*
1936 -
The Green Hornet radio show debuts.
*
1944 -
World War II:
American forces land on
Kwajalein Atoll and other islands in the
Japanese-held
Marshall Islands.
*
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
flood causes over 1,800 deaths in the
Netherlands.
*
1956 -
Guy Mollet becomes
Prime Minister of
France.
*
1957 - Three students on a junior high school playground in
Pacoima, California are among the eight persons killed following the mid-air collision between a
Douglas DC-7 airliner and a
Northrop F-89 Scorpion fighter jet above the
San Fernando Valley section of
Los Angeles.
*
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.
*
1971 -
Project Apollo:
Apollo 14 Mission - Astronauts,
Shepard,
Roosa, &
Mitchell, aboard a
Saturn V, lift off for a mission to the
Fra Mauro.
* 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 - Takedown of the embassy of
Spain in
Guatemala, then the embassy was set on fire killing 36 people in this tragic incident.
*
1988 -
Super Bowl XXII: The
Washington Redskins win their second championship of the
1980s, 42-10.
*
1990 - The first
McDonald's opens in
Moscow,
Russia.
*
1993 -
Super Bowl XXVII: The
Dallas Cowboys defeat the
Buffalo Bills, 52-17.
*
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 in
Colombo,
Sri Lanka killing at least 86 and injuring 1,400.
*
1999 -
Super Bowl XXXIII: The
Denver Broncos defeat the
Atlanta Falcons, 34-19. After the game, the TV show
Family Guy airs its
pilot episode.
*
2000 - An
Alaska Airlines MD-83 crashes in the
Pacific Ocean off the coast of
Oxnard, California killing all 88 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.
*
2002 - A large section of the
Antarctic Larsen Ice Shelf begins disintegrating, eventually consuming about 3,250 km² (1,254 miles²) over a 35-day period.
*
2003 -
Waterfall train disaster, NSW, Australia
*
2004 -
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ends its run on the
Sci-Fi Channel.
*
2005 - The child molestation trial of superstar
Michael Jackson begins in
California.
*
2006 - Incapacitated Prime Minister of
Israel Ariel Sharon officially exited politics after three decades when his
Kadima party submitted its list of candidates for the upcoming election.
*
1338 - King
Charles V of France (d.
1380)
*
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 Regis, French saint (d.
1640)
*
1624 -
Arnold Geulincx, Flemish philosopher (d.
1669)
*
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)
*
1866 -
Lev Shestov, Russian philosopher (d.
1938)
*
1868 -
Theodore William Richards, American chemist,
Nobel Prize Laureate (d.
1928)
*
1872 -
Zane Grey, American Western writer (d.
1939)
*
1881 -
Irving Langmuir, American chemist,
Nobel Prize Laureate (d.
1957)
*
1884 -
Theodor Heuss, German politician and 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)
*
1902 -
Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (d.
1968)
* 1902 -
Alva Myrdal, Swedish politician, diplomat, and writer,
Nobel Prize Laureate (d.
1986)
*
1905 -
John O'Hara, American writer (d.
1970)
*
1913 -
Don Hutson, American football player (d.
1997)
*
1914 -
Sri Daya Mata, Hindu religious figure
* 1914 -
Jersey Joe Walcott, American boxer (d.
1994)
* 1914 -
Carey Loftin, American actor and stuntman (d.
1997)
*
1915 -
Alan Lomax, American singer and musicologist (d.
2002)
* 1915 -
Thomas Merton, American monk and author (d.
1968)
* 1915 -
Garry Moore, American comedian and game show host (d.
1993)
*
1919 -
Jackie Robinson, baseball player (d.
1972)
*
1921 -
John Agar, American actor (d.
2002)
* 1921 -
Carol Channing, American actress
* 1921 -
E. Fay Jones, American architect
* 1921 -
Mario Lanza, American singer and actor (d.
1959)
*
1922 -
Joanne Dru, American actress (d.
1996)
*
1923 -
Norman Mailer, American writer and journalist
*
1925 -
Benjamin Hooks, American
civil rights leader, head of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
*
1929 -
Rudolf Mössbauer, German physicist,
Nobel Prize Laureate* 1929 -
Jean Simmons, English actress
*
1931 -
Ernie Banks, baseball player
*
1935 -
Kenzaburo Oe, Japanese writer,
Nobel Prize Laureate*
1937 -
Philip Glass, American composer
* 1937 -
Suzanne Pleshette, American actress
*
1938 - Queen
Beatrix of the Netherlands* 1938 -
James G. Watt, American politician, 43rd
United States Secretary of the Interior*
1940 -
Jessica Walter, American actress
*
1941 -
Richard A. "Dick" Gephardt, American politician,
United States Congressman from Missouri*
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 (d.
1978)
*
1947 -
Jonathan Banks, American actor
* 1947 -
Nolan Ryan, baseball player
*
1948 -
Muneo Suzuki, Japanese politician
*
1949 -
Ken Wilber, American philosopher
*
1951 -
Dave Benton, Aruban-born singer
*
1952 -
Nadya Rusheva, Russian painter (d.
1969)
*
1954 -
Adrian Vandenberg, Dutch guitarist (
Whitesnake)
*
1956 -
Johnny Rotten, British singer (
Sex Pistols)
*
1958 -
Dave Finlay, Irish professional wrestler
*
1959 -
Anthony LaPaglia, Australian actor
*
1960 -
Grant Morrison, British comic book author and chaos magician
*
1961 -
Lloyd Cole, British singer and songwriter
*
1964 -
Jeff Hanneman, American guitarist (
Slayer)
* 1964 -
Billey Shamrock, Swedish singer and songwriter
*
1967 -
Fat Mike, American singer/bassist
*
1970 -
Minnie Driver, British actress
*
1971 -
Patrick Kielty, Northern Irish comedian and television presenter
*
1973 -
Portia de Rossi, Australian actress
*
1974 -
Wil Anderson, Australian comedian
*
1976 -
Buddy Rice, American race car driver
*
1980 -
Tiffany Limos, American actress
*
1981 -
Justin Timberlake, American singer
*
1982 -
Elena Paparizou, Greek singer
* 1982 -
Jānis Sprukts, Latvian ice hockey player
* 1982 -
Andreas Görlitz, German international footballer
*
1982 -
Brad Thompson, Professional baseball player
*
743 -
Muhammad al-Baqir, Shia Imam (b.
676)
*
1398 -
Emperor Suko of Japan (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 (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 philsopher (b.
1622)
*
1686 -
Jean Mairet, French dramatist (b.
1604)
*
1720 -
Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford, English privy councilor (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)
*
1844 -
Henri Gratien, Comte Bertrand, French general (b.
1773)
*
1851 -
David Spangler Kaufman, American politician (b.
1813)
*
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 Prize Laureate (b.
1867)
*
1944 -
Jean Giraudoux, French writer (b.
1882)
*
1945 -
Eddie Slovik, American soldier (b.
1920)
*
1955 -
John Mott, American YMCA leader,
Nobel Prize Laureate (b.
1865)
*
1956 -
A. A. Milne, English author (b.
1882)
*
1967 -
Eddie Tolan, American athlete (b.
1908)
*
1970 -
Slim Harpo, American singer (b.
1924)
*
1973 -
Ragnar Anton Kittil Frisch, Norwegian economist,
Nobel Prize 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)
*
1990 -
Rashad Khalifa, Egyptian-born imam (stabbed) (b.
1935)
*
1992 -
Willie Dixon, American musician (b.
1915)
*
1995 -
George Abbott, American stage director and producer (b.
1887)
*
1997 -
John Joseph Scanlan, Irish Catholic prelate (b.
1930)
*
1999 -
Norm Zauchin, baseball player (b.
1929)
*
2000 -
Gil Kane, Latvian-born comic book writer (b.
1926)
*
2001 -
Gordon R. Dickson, Canadian writer (b.
1923)
*
2004 -
Eleanor Holm, American swimmer (b.
1913)
*
2006 -
Moira Shearer, Scottish actress (
The Red Shoes) and ballerina (b.
1926)
*
Catholicism - Feast day of
St. John Bosco, patron saint of
educators,
circus artists and
magicians.
*
Saint Pedro Nolasco*
Saint Marcella*
Saint Geminianus*
Blessed Ludovica*
On this day in Canada*
NY Times: On this day*
BBC: On This DayJanuary 30 -
February 1 -
December 31 -
February 28 (
February 29) "
listing of all days
