See what makes January 31 special at Famous Daily.
History, birthdays, holiday, and a quote!
What happened on January 31
- January 31, 1504 "By treaty of Lyons, French cede Naples to Ferdinand of Aragon"
- January 31, 1504 France cedes Naples to Aragon.
- January 31, 1531 Kings Ferdinand of Austria/J nos Z polyai of Hungary accept each other
- January 31, 1560 Spanish king Philip II marries Elisabeth van Valois
- January 31, 1578 Battle of Gembloers
- January 31, 1605 "In Tokaido, Japan a major earthquake causes 5,000 deaths. and generates a Tsunami."
- January 31, 1606 Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes is executed for his plotting against Parliament and James I of England.
- January 31, 1606 "Guy Fawkes, convicted of treason against England's King James I, is executed."
- January 31, 1609 Wisselbank of Amsterdam established
- January 31, 1627 Spanish government goes bankrupt where did all the New World gold go to?
- January 31, 1675 Cornelia/Dina Olfaarts found not guilty of witchcraft
- January 31, 1696 Revolt of undertakers after funeral reforms (Amsterdam)
- January 31, 1747 "Grand Pre, Nova Scotia Arthur Noble d1747 British commander at Grand Pre surprised by Villiers; loses 500 men"
- January 31, 1747 The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital.
- January 31, 1779 Charles Messier adds M57 (Ring Nebula in Lyra) to his catalog
- January 31, 1804 British Vice-Admiral William Bligh's fleet reaches Cura‡ao
- January 31, 1842 John Tyler's daughter Elizabeth marries in the White House
- January 31, 1846 "After the Milwaukee Bridge War, Juneautown and Kilbourntown unified as the City of Milwaukee."
- January 31, 1849 Corn Laws abolished in Britain
- January 31, 1851 Gail Borden announces invention of evaporated milk
- January 31, 1851 In Hamilton Ontario Hamilton Gas Light Company installs first lamps.
- January 31, 1851 "San Francisco Orphan's Asylum, first in California founded"
- January 31, 1854 Dutch KNMI established (Royal Meteorological Institute)
- January 31, 1855 Western railroads blocked by snow
- January 31, 1858 UK hist 'Great Eastern' launched
- January 31, 1861 State of Louisiana takes over US Mint at New Orleans
- January 31, 1862 Telescope maker Alvin Clark discovers dwarf companion of Sirius
- January 31, 1863 "The first black Civil War regiment, SC Volunteers, mustered into US army"
- January 31, 1865 "Congress passes 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery in America (121-24)"
- January 31, 1865 General Robert E Lee named Commander-in-Chief of Confederate Armies
- January 31, 1867 Maronite nationalist leader Youssef Karam leaves Lebanon on board of a French ship for Algeria
- January 31, 1871 "Millions of birds fly over western San Francisco, darken the sky"
- January 31, 1874 Jesse James gang robs train at Gads Hill MO
- January 31, 1876 The United States orders all Native Americans to move into reservations.
- January 31, 1880 "An Ice Railway is opened between Longueuil and Montreal by the Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railway. A railway track was placed on large timbers laid on the ice of the St. Lawrence River. During the summer months the QMO&O used a car ferry. An ice railway was laid each winter until 1883."
- January 31, 1893 """Westminster Gazette"" begins publishing"
- January 31, 1895 Jose Marti & others leave New York City NY for invasion of Spanish Cuba
- January 31, 1900 "Datu Muhammad Salleh is shot dead in Kampung Teboh, Tambuan, ending the Mat Salleh Rebellion"
- January 31, 1901 Boer General John Smuts & De la Rey conqueror Mud river Transvaal
- January 31, 1905 Carroll Wright appointed first US Commissioner of Labor
- January 31, 1905 "The first auto to exceed 100 mph (161 kph), A G MacDonald, Daytona Beach"
- January 31, 1906 In Ecuador one of the 10 Largest Earthquakes of the World at 8.8 occurs
- January 31, 1907 "Timothy Eaton, founder of the T. Eaton Company of Canada, dies; an innovative retailer, he maintained fixed prices and cash sales, with satisfaction guaranteed"
- January 31, 1910 The Portuguese republican revolution broke out in the northern city of Porto.
- January 31, 1911 Congress names San Francisco as Panama Canal opening celebration site
- January 31, 1912 "In Prince William Sound, Alaska one of the Largest Earthquakes inthe United States measured at 7.0"
- January 31, 1915 World War I: Germany uses poison gas against Russians.
- January 31, 1916 Dutch Girl Guides form
- January 31, 1917 Germany notifies US that U-boats will attack neutral merchant ship
- January 31, 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."
- January 31, 1919 1919 Battle of George Square
- January 31, 1920 The first Ukrainian daily newspaper in US (New York City NY) begins publication
- January 31, 1922 "West of Eureka, California One of the Largest Earthquakes of the United States measured at 7.3"
- January 31, 1925 Premier Ahmed Zogu becomes President of Angola
- January 31, 1927 International allies military command in Germany disbands
- January 31, 1928 Scotch tape first marketed by 3M Company
- January 31, 1929 Leon Trotsky expelled from Russia to Turkey
- January 31, 1932 US railway unions accept 10% wage reduction
- January 31, 1933 French government of Daladier takes power
- January 31, 1933 Hitler promises parliamentary democracy
- January 31, 1934 FDR devalues the dollar in relation to gold at $35 per ounce
- January 31, 1935 "30.5 cm (12.0"") of rain falls, Quinault RS WA (state record)"
- January 31, 1936 """Green Hornet"" radio show is first heard on WXYZ Radio in Detroit"
- January 31, 1936 "The Green Hornet makes its broadcast premiere today on Detroit, Michigan radio station WXYZ."
- January 31, 1941 Anti-German demonstration in Haarlem Netherlands
- January 31, 1941 Joe Louis KOs Red Burman in 5 for heavyweight boxing title
- January 31, 1941 Layforce set sail.
- January 31, 1943 Chile breaks contact with Germany & Japan
- January 31, 1943 General Friedrich von Paul surrenders to Russian troops at Stalingrad
- January 31, 1944 Operation-Overlord (D-Day) postponed until June
- January 31, 1944 "U.S. forces begin their invasion of Kwajalein Atoll and the Marshall Islands, during WWII."
- January 31, 1944 U-592 sunk off Ireland
- January 31, 1945 US 4th Infantry division occupies Elcherrath
- January 31, 1945 "US Army private Eddie Slovik is executed, the first American soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion."
- January 31, 1946 "Yugoslavia's new constitution, modeling the Soviet Union, establishes six constituent republics (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia)."
- January 31, 1947 "Whitehorse, Yukon Territory temperature of -52 C (62 degrees below zero Fahrenheit) recorded; record low for all of Canada"
- January 31, 1948 Magnetic tape recorder developed by Wireway
- January 31, 1949 "The first daytime soap on TV ""These Are My Children"" (NBC in Chicago)"
- January 31, 1950 U.S. President Harry Truman announces that development has started on the hydrogen bomb.
- January 31, 1952 Dutch Lutheran Church reunites after 1« centuries
- January 31, 1953 """Princess Victoria"" capsized off Stanraer Scotland; 133 die"
- January 31, 1953 "Hurricane-like winds flood Netherlands drowning nearly 2,000"
- January 31, 1953 UK hist Jan 31-Feb 2: Said to be the biggest civil catastrophe in Britain in the 20th century ? severe storm and high tides caused the loss of hundreds of lives ?- effects travelled from the west coast of Scotland round to the south-east coast of England [The Netherlands were even worse affected with over a thousand deaths]
- January 31, 1955 "In Oakville Ontario the l09-day strike of Ford workers at Windsor, Oakville and Etobicoke starts"
- January 31, 1955 RCA demonstrates first music synthesizer
- January 31, 1956 Guy Mollet becomes Prime Minister of France.
- January 31, 1956 Juscelino Kubitschek becomes President of Brazil
- January 31, 1957 Liz Taylor's 2nd divorce (Michael Wilding)
- January 31, 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."
- January 31, 1957 Trans-Iranian oil pipe line finished
- January 31, 1958 In Ottawa Ontario James Gladstone takes his seat as Canada's first native Senator; Alberta Blood Indian is appointed by the Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.
- January 31, 1958 James Van Allen discovers the Van Allen radiation belt.
- January 31, 1958 The U.S. enters the space race with the successful launch of the Explorer One satellite.
- January 31, 1961 David Ben-Gurion resigns as premier of Israel
- January 31, 1961 Ham is first primate in space (158 miles) aboard Mercury/Redstone 2
- January 31, 1961 Kanhai completes twin tons (117 & 115) vs Australia at Adelaide
- January 31, 1961 NATO secretary-General Paul-Henri Spaak says he'll resign
- January 31, 1961 Project Mercury: Mercury-Redstone 2 - Ham the Chimp travels into outer space.
- January 31, 1961 USAF launches Samos spy satellite to replace U-2 flights
- January 31, 1962 "General Charles P Cabell, USAF, ends term as deputy director of CIA"
- January 31, 1963 Number one hit on UK music charts - Jet Harris & Tony Meehan - Diamonds
- January 31, 1963 "Tony Sheridan & the Beat Brothers record ""What'd I Say"" & ""Ruby Baby"""
- January 31, 1964 "US report ""Smoking & Health"" connects smoking to lung cancer"
- January 31, 1966 Belgian state police kills 2 striking mine workers
- January 31, 1966 USSR launches Luna 9 toward the Moon
- January 31, 1968 Bobby Simpson takes 5-59 vs India in his last Test for ten years
- January 31, 1968 Nauru (formerly Pleasant Island) declares independence from Australia
- January 31, 1968 Number one hit on UK music charts - Love Affair - Everlasting Love
- January 31, 1968 "Record high barometric pressure (1083.8 mb, 32""), at Agata, USSR"
- January 31, 1968 Viet Cong attack the United States embassy in Saigon.
- January 31, 1969 "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."
- January 31, 1969 Beatles perform last live gig (42-minute concert on roof of Apple HQs)
- January 31, 1969 "Vice Admiral Rufus L Taylor, USN, ends term as deputy director of CIA"
- January 31, 1970 Grateful Dead members busted on LSD charges
- January 31, 1970 Number one hit on UK music charts - Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
- January 31, 1971 """My Sweet Lord"" by George Harrison hit #1 on UK pop chart"
- January 31, 1971 "American astronauts Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Edgar Mitchell and Stuart Roosa blast off to the moon aboard apollo 14."
- January 31, 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."
- January 31, 1972 Aretha Franklin sings at Mahalia Jackson's funeral
- January 31, 1972 "Birenda, becomes leader of Nepal"
- January 31, 1972 Military coup ousts civilian government of Ghana
- January 31, 1972 "US launches HEOS A-2 for interplanetary observations (396/244,998)"
- January 31, 1975 "Barry Manilow's ""Mandy"" goes gold"
- January 31, 1976 """Love Rollercoaster"" by Ohio Players hits #1"
- January 31, 1976 Lance Gibbs becomes highest Test wicket-taker at 308
- January 31, 1976 Number one hit on UK music charts - Abba - Mamma Mia
- January 31, 1977 "Frenchman Fran‡ois Claustre freed, after 33 months as hostage in Chad"
- January 31, 1978 Israel turns 3 military outposts in West Bank into civilian settlements
- January 31, 1980 Ontario to rebate up to $700 in sales tax for purchasers of 1979 model cars; effort to help slumping car sales
- January 31, 1980 "Police storm occupied Spanish embassy in Guatemala City, killing 41"
- January 31, 1981 """The Tide Is High"" by Blondie hits #1"
- January 31, 1981 "38th Golden Globes Ordinary People, Coal Miner's Daughter"
- January 31, 1981 "Gaetan Boucher 1958- skates the 1000m in a world record time of 1:13.39; native of Charlesbourg, Quebec will go on to win gold in the 1000m and 1500m, and a bronze in the 500m at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics"
- January 31, 1982 10 Arabian oryx (extinct except in zoos) released in Oman
- January 31, 1982 In Ottawa Ontario Pierre Elliott Trudeau urges end to Polish martial law on the 'Let Poland be Poland' TV broadcast; supporting the Polish Solidarity movement
- January 31, 1983 UK hist Seat belt law comes into force
- January 31, 1984 Edwin Newman retires from NBC News after 35 years with the network
- January 31, 1984 NBC TV news reporter Edwin Newman retires after 35 years with the network.
- January 31, 1986 "Mary Lund of Minnesota, is first female recipient of an artificial heart"
- January 31, 1986 Ohio records a 5.0 earthquake seventeen people treated for minor injuries and some damage (VI) sustained in the Painesville-Mentor area.
- January 31, 1987 "44th Golden Globes Platoon, Marlee Matlin win"
- January 31, 1987 Cut-price airline People Express flies its last flights before becoming part of Continental Airlines.
- January 31, 1987 United Steelworkers union ratified a concessionary contract with USX Corp
- January 31, 1988 "Barge sinks near Anacortes WA, spills 70,000 gallons of oil"
- January 31, 1990 "George Cohon, head of Canadian franchise subsidiary opens first McDonald's fast-food restaurant in Pushkin Square, the world's biggest McDonald's Moscow Russia"
- January 31, 1990 McDonald's opens its first fast-food restaurant in Moscow.
- January 31, 1990 "The first McDonald's in the Soviet Union opens in Moscow, USSR."
- January 31, 1991 "Robert Gibson flies record 27,040 feet altitude"
- January 31, 1992 MTA raised tolls on most New York City NY bridges from $2.50 to $3.00
- January 31, 1992 Sportscaster Howard Cosell retires
- January 31, 1994 "Dow Jones hits a record 3,978.36"
- January 31, 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."
- January 31, 1997 "A state of emergency has been lifted in Durham, Ontario where flooding earlier this month forced the evacuation of 120 homes and businesses. The waters of the Saugeen River have finally stabilized. Damage is estimated at 1.1 million dollars, and 15 families are still unable to return home."
- January 31, 1997 "The U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz class aircraft carrier with a flight deck the size of three football fields, is paying a courtesy visit to Victoria British Columbia today."
- January 31, 1998 STS 89 (Endeavour 12) lands
- January 31, 1999 "The Denver Broncos repeat as NFL champions, defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl XXXIII."
- January 31, 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."
- January 31, 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."
- January 31, 2001 The Montreal Canadians Hockey team is sold by Molsons to an American
- January 31, 2002 "A large section of the Antarctic Larsen Ice Shelf begins disintegrating, eventually consuming about 3,250 km (1,254 miles) over a 35-day period."
- January 31, 2003 "Waterfall train disaster, NSW, Australia."
- January 31, 2006 Samuel A. Alito Jr. assumes office as the 110th Supreme Court justice of the United States.
- January 31, 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."
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