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On This Day in History — January 31
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Highlights of January 31
- 2013 — A gas leak underneath the Pemex Executive Tower in Mexico City caused an explosion (aftermath pictured) that killed at least 37 people and injured another 121. Read more
- 2007 — Emergency officials in Boston mistakenly identified LED placards depicting characters from Aqua Teen Hunger Force as IEDs, causing a panic. Read more
- 2000 — Alaska Airlines Flight 261, experiencing problems with its horizontal stabilizer system, crashed in the Pacific Ocean off Anacapa Island, California, killing all 88 people on board. Read more
- 1997 — Final Fantasy VII, the first video game in the Final Fantasy franchise to use 3-D computer graphics, was released. Read more
- 1988 — Doug Williams became the first African-American quarterback to play in the Super Bowl, leading the Washington Redskins to victory in Super Bowl XXII. Read more
- 1961 — Aboard NASA's Mercury-Redstone 2, the chimpanzee Ham became the first hominid to be launched into outer space. Read more
- 1957 — A DC-7B operated by Douglas Aircraft collided in mid-air with a U.S. Air Force F-89 and crashed into a schoolyard in Pacoima, California. Read more
- 1919 — Intense rioting over labour conditions broke out in Glasgow, Scotlan. Read more
- 1900 — Datu Muhammad Salleh, leader of a series of major disturbances in North Borneo, was shot dead in Tambunan, but his followers did not give up for five more years. Read more
- 1850 — Ute Wars: On behalf of Utah territorial governor Brigham Young, militia leader Daniel H. Wells drafted an order for the Utah Territorial Militia to exterminate Timpanogos men deemed hostile, leading to the Provo River Massacre. Read more
- 1827 — Mexican soldiers and Texan militiamen marched into Nacogdoches, Texas, to end the Fredonian Rebellion. Read more
- 1747 — The London Lock Hospital, the first voluntary hospital specialising in the treatment of venereal diseases, opened. Read more
- 1578 — Eighty Years' War: Spanish forces won a crushing victory at the Battle of Gembloux, threatening the States General of the Netherlands and contributing to its move from Brussels to Antwerp. Read more
- 1208 — Sverker II was defeated at the Battle of Lena by Erik Knutsson, who succeeded him as King of Sweden. Read more
- 314 — Sylvester I (bust depicted), during whose pontificate many churches in Rome were constructed by Constantine the Great, began his reign as pope. Read more
Events
- 2025 — Med Jets Flight 056 crashes near Roosevelt Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, killing 8 people and injuring 23. Read more
- 2023 — The last Boeing 747, the first wide-body airliner, is delivered to Atlas Air and operated for ApexLogistics. The aircraft was registered as N863GT and named "Empower". Read more
- 2022 — Sue Gray, a senior civil servant in the United Kingdom, publishes an initial version of her report on the Downing Street Partygate controversy. Read more
- 2020 — The United Kingdom's membership within the European Union ceases in accordance with Article 50, after 47 years of being a member state. Read more
- 2019 — Abdullah of Pahang is sworn in as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. Read more
- 2009 — At least 113 people are killed in Kenya and over 200 injured following an oil spillage ignition in Molo, days after a massive fire at a Nakumatt supermarket in Nairobi killed at least 25 people. Read more
- 2007 — Emergency officials in Boston mistakenly identify battery-powered LED placards depicting characters from Aqua Teen Hunger Force as Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), causing a panic. Read more
- 2003 — The Waterfall rail accident occurs near Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia. Read more
- 2001 — In the Netherlands, a Scottish court convicts Libyan Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and acquits another Libyan citizen for their part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988. Read more
- 2001 — Two Japan Airlines planes nearly collide over Suruga Bay in Japan. Read more
- 2000 — Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crash: An MD-83, experiencing horizontal stabilizer problems, crashes in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Point Mugu, California, killing all 88 aboard. Read more
- 1996 — An explosives-filled truck rams into the gates of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in Colombo, killing at least 86 people and injuring 1,400. Read more
- 1988 — Doug Williams becomes the first African American quarterback to play in a Super Bowl and leads the Washington Redskins to victory in Super Bowl XXII. Read more
- 1978 — The Crown of St. Stephen (also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary) goes on public display after being returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held after World War II. Read more
- 1971 — Apollo program: Apollo 14: 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. Read more
- 1971 — The Winter Soldier Investigation, organized by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War to publicize alleged war crimes and atrocities by Americans and allies in Vietnam, begins in Detroit. Read more
- 1968 — Vietnam War: Viet Cong guerrillas attack the United States embassy in Saigon, and other attacks, in the early morning hours, later grouped together as the Tet Offensive. Read more
- 1966 — The Soviet Union launches the unmanned Luna 9 spacecraft as part of the Luna program. Read more
- 1961 — Project Mercury: Mercury-Redstone 2: The chimpanzee Ham travels into outer space. Read more
- 1958 — Cold War: Space Race: The Explorer 1, the first successful American satellite, detects the Van Allen radiation belt. Read more
- 1957 — Eight people (five total crew from two aircraft and three 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. Read more
- 1953 — A North Sea flood causes over 1,800 deaths in the Netherlands and over 300 in the United Kingdom. Read more
- 1951 — United Nations Security Council Resolution 90 relating to the Korean War is adopted. Read more
- 1949 — These Are My Children, the first television daytime soap opera, is broadcast by the NBC station in Chicago, United States. Read more
- 1946 — Cold War: Yugoslavia's new constitution, modeling that of the Soviet Union, establishes six constituent republics (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia). Read more
- 1946 — The Democratic Republic of Vietnam introduces the đồng to replace the French Indochinese piastre at par. Read more
- 1945 — US Army private Eddie Slovik is executed for desertion, the first such execution of an American soldier since the Civil War. Read more
- 1945 — World War II: About 3,000 inmates from the Stutthof concentration camp are forcibly marched into the Baltic Sea at Palmnicken (now Yantarny, Russia) and executed. Read more
- 1945 — World War II: The end of fighting in the Battle of Hill 170 during the Burma Campaign, in which the British 3 Commando Brigade repulsed a Japanese counterattack on their positions and precipitated a general retirement from the Arakan Peninsula. Read more
- 1944 — World War II: American forces land on Kwajalein Atoll and other islands in the Japanese-held Marshall Islands. Read more
- 1944 — World War II: During the Anzio campaign, the 1st Ranger Battalion (Darby's Rangers) is destroyed behind enemy lines in a heavily outnumbered encounter at Battle of Cisterna, Italy. Read more
- 1943 — World War II: German field marshal Friedrich Paulus surrenders to the Soviets at Stalingrad, followed two days later by the remainder of his Sixth Army, ending one of the war's fiercest battles. Read more
- 1942 — World War II: Allied forces are defeated by the Japanese at the Battle of Malaya and retreat to Singapore. Read more
- 1928 — Leon Trotsky is exiled to Alma-Ata. Read more
- 1919 — The Battle of George Square takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, during a campaign for shorter working hours. Read more
- 1918 — A series of accidental collisions due to poor visibility leads to the loss of two Royal Navy submarines with over a hundred lives, and damage to another five British warships. Read more
- 1918 — Finnish Civil War: The Suinula massacre, which changes the nature of the war in a more hostile direction, takes place in Kangasala. Read more
- 1917 — World War I: Kaiser Wilhelm II orders the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare. Read more
- 1915 — World War I: Germany is the first to make large-scale use of poison gas in warfare in the Battle of Bolimów against Russia. Read more
- 1901 — Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters premieres at Moscow Art Theatre in Russia. Read more
- 1900 — Datu Muhammad Salleh is killed in Kampung Teboh, Tambunan, ending the Mat Salleh Rebellion. Read more
- 1891 — History of Portugal: The first attempt at a Portuguese republican revolution breaks out in the northern city of Porto. Read more
- 1865 — American Civil War: The United States Congress passes the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, abolishing slavery, and submits it to the states for ratification. Read more
- 1865 — American Civil War: Confederate General Robert E. Lee becomes general-in-chief of all Confederate armies. Read more
- 1862 — Alvan Graham Clark discovers the white dwarf star Sirius B, a companion of Sirius, through an 18.5-inch (47 cm) telescope now located at Northwestern University. Read more
- 1848 — John C. Frémont is court-martialed for mutiny and disobeying orders. Read more
- 1846 — After the Milwaukee Bridge War, the United States towns of Juneautown and Kilbourntown unify to create the City of Milwaukee. Read more
- 1814 — Gervasio Antonio de Posadas becomes Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (present-day Argentina). Read more
- 1747 — The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital. Read more
- 1703 — Forty-seven rōnin, under the command of Ōishi Kuranosuke, avenged the death of their master, by killing Kira Yoshinaka. Read more
- 1609 — Wisselbank of Amsterdam established Read more
- 1606 — Gunpowder Plot: Four of the conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, are executed for treason by hanging, drawing and quartering, for plotting against Parliament and King James. Read more
- 1578 — Eighty Years' War and Anglo-Spanish War: The Battle of Gembloux is a victory for Spanish forces led by Don John of Austria over a rebel army of Dutch, Flemish, English, Scottish, German, French and Walloons. Read more
- 1504 — The Treaty of Lyon ends the Italian War, confirming French domination of northern Italy, while Spain receives the Kingdom of Naples. Read more
- 1266 — The Mudéjar of Murcia, who had rebelled against the Crown of Castile during the Mudéjar revolt of 1264–1266, surrender the city to James I of Aragon after a siege lasting a month. Read more
- 1208 — The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker the Younger of Sweden and his rival, Prince Erik Knutsson, whose victory puts him on the throne as King Eric X. Read more
- 314 — Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades. Read more
Born on January 31
- 2006 — Sára Bejlek, Czech tennis player Read more
- 2006 — Gianluca Prestianni, Argentine footballer Read more
- 2002 — Hong Ye-ji, South Korean actress Read more
- 2002 — Beñat Turrientes, Spanish footballer Read more
- 2000 — Julián Alvarez, Argentine footballer Read more
- 1998 — Beto, Portuguese and Bissau-Guinean footballer Read more
- 1998 — Jalen McDaniels, American basketball player Read more
- 1997 — Arnaut Danjuma, Dutch footballer Read more
- 1997 — Donte DiVincenzo, American basketball player Read more
- 1997 — Miyeon, South Korean singer and actress Read more
- 1996 — Joel Courtney, American actor Read more
- 1996 — Nikita Dragun, American YouTuber Read more
- 1994 — Kenneth Zohore, Danish footballer Read more
- 1993 — Qiu Bo, Chinese diver Read more
- 1992 — Tyler Seguin, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1990 — Cro, German rapper Read more
- 1990 — Nicolás Laprovíttola, Argentine basketball player Read more
- 1989 — Tommy La Stella, American baseball player Read more
- 1988 — Brett Pitman, English footballer Read more
- 1988 — Taijo Teniste, Estonian footballer Read more
- 1987 — Marcus Mumford, American-English singer-songwriter Read more
- 1986 — Walter Dix, American sprinter Read more
- 1986 — Megan Ellison, American film producer, founded Annapurna Pictures Read more
- 1986 — George Elokobi, Cameroonian footballer Read more
- 1986 — Yves Ma-Kalambay, Belgian footballer Read more
- 1986 — Pauline Parmentier, French tennis player Read more
- 1985 — Adam Federici, Australian footballer Read more
- 1984 — Vernon Davis, American football player Read more
- 1984 — Mikhail Grabovski, German-Belarusian ice hockey player Read more
- 1983 — Fabio Quagliarella, Italian footballer Read more
- 1982 — Maret Ani, Estonian tennis player Read more
- 1982 — Allan McGregor, Scottish footballer Read more
- 1982 — Jānis Sprukts, Latvian ice hockey player Read more
- 1981 — Julio Arca, Argentine footballer Read more
- 1981 — Mark Cameron, Australian cricketer Read more
- 1981 — Gemma Collins, English media personality and businesswoman Read more
- 1981 — Justin Timberlake, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor Read more
- 1980 — James Adomian, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter Read more
- 1980 — Gary Doherty, Irish footballer Read more
- 1980 — Shim Yi-young, South Korean actress Read more
Died on January 31
- 2018 — Rasual Butler, American professional basketball player (born 1979) Read more
- 2018 — Leah LaBelle, American singer (born 1986) Read more
- 2017 — Rob Stewart, Canadian filmmaker (born 1979) Read more
- 2016 — Terry Wogan, Irish radio and television host (born 1938) Read more
- 2015 — Vic Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1929) Read more
- 2015 — Udo Lattek, German footballer, coach and journalist (born 1935) Read more
- 2015 — Lizabeth Scott, American actress (born 1922) Read more
- 2015 — Richard von Weizsäcker, German captain and politician, 6th President of Germany (born 1920) Read more
- 2014 — Anna Gordy Gaye, American songwriter and producer, co-founded Anna Records (born 1922) Read more
- 2014 — Abdirizak Haji Hussein, Somali politician, 4th Prime Minister of Somalia (born 1924) Read more
- 2014 — Miklós Jancsó, Hungarian director and screenwriter (born 1921) Read more
- 2013 — Rubén Bonifaz Nuño, Mexican poet and scholar (born 1923) Read more
- 2013 — Hassan Habibi, Iranian lawyer and politician, 1st Vice President of Iran (born 1937) Read more
- 2012 — Mani Ram Bagri, Indian lawyer and politician (born 1920) Read more
- 2012 — Dorothea Tanning, American painter and sculptor (born 1910) Read more
- 2011 — Bartolomeu Anania, Romanian bishop and poet (born 1921) Read more
- 2008 — František Čapek, Czech canoeist (born 1914) Read more
- 2007 — Kirill Babitzin, Finnish singer, 9th in 1984 Eurovision Song Contest (born 1950), aortic aneurysm. Read more
- 2007 — Molly Ivins, American journalist and author (born 1944) Read more
- 2007 — Adelaide Tambo, South African activist and politician (born 1929) Read more
- 2006 — Moira Shearer, Scottish actress and ballerina (born 1926) Read more
- 2004 — Eleanor Holm, American swimmer and actress (born 1913) Read more
- 2004 — Suraiya, Indian actress and playback singer (born 1929) Read more
- 2002 — Gabby Gabreski, American colonel and pilot (born 1919) Read more
- 2001 — Gordon R. Dickson, Canadian American author (born 1923) Read more
- 2000 — Gil Kane, Latvian American author and illustrator (born 1926) Read more
- 1999 — Giant Baba, Japanese wrestler and trainer, co-founded All Japan Pro Wrestling (born 1938) Read more
- 1997 — John Joseph Scanlan, Irish American bishop (born 1930) Read more
- 1990 — Eveline Du Bois-Reymond Marcus, German zoologist and academic (born 1901) Read more
- 1990 — Rashad Khalifa, Egyptian American biochemist and academic (born 1935) Read more
- 1989 — William Stephenson, Canadian captain and spy (born 1896) Read more
- 1987 — Yves Allégret, French director and screenwriter (born 1907) Read more
- 1985 — Reginald Baker, English Australian film producer (born 1896) Read more
- 1985 — Tatsuzō Ishikawa, Japanese author (born 1905) Read more
- 1979 — Olga Olgina, Polish opera singer and teacher (born 1904) Read more
- 1976 — Ernesto Miranda, American criminal (born 1941) Read more
- 1976 — Evert Taube, Swedish author and composer (born 1890) Read more
- 1974 — Samuel Goldwyn, Polish American film producer, co-founded Goldwyn Pictures (born 1882) Read more
- 1973 — Ragnar Frisch, Norwegian economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1895) Read more
- 1971 — Viktor Zhirmunsky, Russian historian and linguist (born 1891) Read more
Holidays & observances
Christian feast day:
Domitius (Domice) of Amiens; Christian feast day:
Francis Xavier Bianchi; Christian feast day:
Geminianus; Christian feast day:
John Bosco; Christian feast day:
Julius of Novara; Christian feast day:
Blessed Ludovica; Christian feast day:
Máedóc (Mogue, Aiden); Christian feast day:
Marcella of Marseille; Christian feast day:
Marcella of Rome; Christian feast day:
Samuel Shoemaker (Episcopal Church (USA)); Christian feast day:
Tysul; Christian feast day:
Ulphia; Christian feast day:
Wilgils; Christian feast day:
January 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Amartithi (Meherabad, India, followers of Meher Baba); Independence Day (Nauru), celebrates independence from Australia in 1968.; Street Children's Day (Austria)
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “January 31”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.