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On This Day in History — March 31

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Highlights of March 31

2023 — A tornado caused the collapse of a venue hosting a sold-out concert in Belvidere, Illinois, United States, resulting in one death and 48 injuries. Read more
2018 — Nikol Pashinyan began his protest walk, starting in the city of Gyumri, opening the 2018 Armenian revolution. Read more
2004 — The Old National Library Building in Singapore was closed to make way for a tunnel, despite widespread protests. Read more
1995 — American singer-songwriter Selena, known as the "queen of Tejano music", was murdered by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldívar, in Corpus Christi, Texas, deeply affecting the Latino community. Read more
1995 — TAROM Flight 371 (pictured) crashed near Balotești, Romania, killing all 60 people on board. Read more
1992 — USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, was decommissioned in Long Beach, California. Read more
1986 — Mexicana de Aviación Flight 940 crashed into the Sierra Madre Oriental near Maravatío, killing 167 people. Read more
1964 — The Brazilian Armed Forces overthrew President João Goulart, establishing a military dictatorship that lasted 21 years. Read more
1959 — After a two-week escape journey from Tibet, the 14th Dalai Lama reached the Tawang Monastery in Arunachal Pradesh in India. Read more
1942 — Second World War: Because of a mutiny by Indian soldiers against their British officers, Japanese troops captured Christmas Island without any resistance. Read more
1930 — To avoid government censorship, Hollywood movie studios instituted their own set of industry censorship guidelines, popularly known as the Hays Code. Read more
1921 — The Australian Air Force was formed, replacing the short-lived Australian Air Corps and separating it from the Army. Read more
1913 — Arnold Schoenberg conducted the Vienna Concert Society in a concert of expressionist music that so shocked the audience that they began to riot. Read more
1910 — Six English towns amalgamated to form a single county borough called Stoke-on-Trent, the first union of its type. Read more
1901 — A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the Black Sea, the most powerful ever recorded in the area. Read more
1899 — Philippine–American War: Malolos, capital of the First Philippine Republic, was captured by American forces. Read more
1854 — U.S. Navy Commodore Matthew C. Perry (Japanese depiction pictured) and the Tokugawa shogunate signed the Convention of Kanagawa, forcing the opening of Japanese ports to American trade. Read more
1800 — After fighting through the night, the French Navy ship of the line Guillaume Tell surrendered to a British squadron in the Malta Channel. Read more
1761 — Lisbon experienced its second major earthquake in six years, with effects felt as far north as Scotland. Read more
1521 — Ferdinand Magellan and members of his crew participated in the first Catholic Mass in the Philippines. Read more
1492 — Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile sign the Alhambra Decree, ordering all Jews to convert to Christianity or be expelled from the country. Read more
1174 — A conspiracy against Saladin, aiming to restore the Fatimid Caliphate, was revealed in Cairo. Read more
1146 — French abbot Bernard of Clairvaux preached a sermon to a crowd at a council in Vézelay, with King Louis VII in attendance, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Read more

Events

2023 — A historic tornado outbreak occurs in the American Midwest and South. Read more
2018 — Start of the 2018 Armenian revolution. Read more
2016 — NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko return to Earth after a yearlong mission at the International Space Station. Read more
2005 — The dwarf planet Makemake is discovered by a team led by astronomer Michael E. Brown at the Palomar Observatory. Read more
2004 — Iraq War in Anbar Province: In Fallujah, Iraq, four American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed after being ambushed. Read more
1998 — Netscape releases Mozilla source code under an open source license. Read more
1995 — Selena is murdered by her fan club president Yolanda Saldívar at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas. Read more
1995 — TAROM Flight 371, an Airbus A310-300, crashes near Balotesti, Romania, killing all 60 people on board. Read more
1993 — The Macao Basic Law is adopted by the Eighth National People's Congress of China to take effect December 20, 1999. Resumption by China of the Exercise of Sovereignty over Macao Read more
1992 — The USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, is decommissioned in Long Beach, California. Read more
1992 — The Treaty of Federation is signed in Moscow. Read more
1991 — Georgian independence referendum: Nearly 99 percent of the voters support the country's independence from the Soviet Union. Read more
1991 — The Warsaw Pact formally disbands. Read more
1990 — Approximately 200,000 protesters take to the streets of London to protest against the newly introduced Poll Tax. Read more
1986 — Mexicana de Aviación Flight 940 crashes into the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range near the Mexican town of Maravatío, killing 167. Read more
1980 — The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operates its final train after being ordered to liquidate its assets because of bankruptcy and debts owed to creditors. Read more
1970 — Explorer 1 re-enters the Earth's atmosphere after 12 years in orbit. Read more
1968 — American President Lyndon B. Johnson speaks to the nation of "Steps to Limit the War in Vietnam" in a television address. At the conclusion of his speech, he announces: "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President." Read more
1966 — The Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon. Read more
1966 — The Labour Party under Harold Wilson wins the 1966 United Kingdom general election. Read more
1964 — Brazilian General Olímpio Mourão Filho orders his troops to move towards Rio de Janeiro, beginning the coup d'état and 21 years of military dictatorship. Read more
1959 — The 14th Dalai Lama crosses the border into India and is granted political asylum. Read more
1958 — In the Canadian federal election, the Progressive Conservatives, led by John Diefenbaker, win the largest percentage of seats in Canadian history, with 208 seats of 265. Read more
1957 — Elections to the Territorial Assembly of the French colony Upper Volta are held. After the elections PDU and MDV form a government. Read more
1951 — Remington Rand delivers the first UNIVAC I computer to the United States Census Bureau. Read more
1949 — The Dominion of Newfoundland joins the Canadian Confederation and becomes the 10th Province of Canada. Read more
1945 — World War II: A defecting German pilot delivers a Messerschmitt Me 262A-1, the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft, to the Americans, the first to fall into Allied hands. Read more
1942 — World War II: Japanese forces invade Christmas Island, then a British possession. Read more
1939 — Events preceding World War II in Europe: Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain pledges British military support to the Second Polish Republic in the event of an invasion by Nazi Germany. Read more
1933 — The Civilian Conservation Corps is established with the mission of relieving rampant unemployment in the United States. Read more
1931 — An earthquake in Nicaragua destroys Managua; killing 2,000. Read more
1931 — A Transcontinental & Western Air airliner crashes near Bazaar, Kansas, killing eight, including University of Notre Dame head football coach Knute Rockne. Read more
1930 — The Motion Picture Production Code is instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film, in the U.S., for the next thirty-eight years. Read more
1921 — The Royal Australian Air Force is formed. Read more
1918 — Massacre of ethnic Azerbaijanis is committed by allied armed groups of Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Bolsheviks. Nearly 12,000 Azerbaijani Muslims are killed. Read more
1918 — Daylight saving time goes into effect in the United States for the first time. Read more
1917 — According to the terms of the Treaty of the Danish West Indies, the islands become American possessions. Read more
1913 — The Vienna Concert Society rioted during a performance of modernist music by Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Alexander von Zemlinsky, and Anton von Webern, causing a premature end to the concert due to violence; this concert became known as the Skandalkonzert. Read more
1909 — Serbia formally withdraws its opposition to Austro-Hungarian actions in the Bosnian Crisis. Read more
1906 — The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (later the National Collegiate Athletic Association) is established to set rules for college sports in the United States. Read more
1905 — Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany declares his support for Moroccan independence in Tangier, beginning the First Moroccan Crisis. Read more
1901 — Rusalka by Antonín Dvořák premieres at the National Opera House in Prague. Read more
1899 — Philippine–American War: Malolos, capital of the First Philippine Republic, is captured by American forces. Read more
1889 — The Eiffel Tower is officially opened. Read more
1885 — The United Kingdom establishes the Bechuanaland Protectorate. Read more
1854 — Commodore Matthew Perry signs the Convention of Kanagawa with the Tokugawa Shogunate, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade. Read more
1814 — The Sixth Coalition occupies Paris after Napoleon's Grande Armée capitulates. Read more
1774 — American Revolution: The Kingdom of Great Britain orders the port of Boston, Massachusetts closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act. Read more
1761 — The 1761 Lisbon earthquake strikes off the Iberian Peninsula with an estimated magnitude of 8.5, six years after another quake destroyed the city. Read more
1717 — A sermon on "The Nature of the Kingdom of Christ" by Benjamin Hoadly, the Bishop of Bangor, preached in the presence of King George I of Great Britain, provokes the Bangorian Controversy. Read more
1706 — The last session of history of the Catalan Courts, the parliament of the Principality of Catalonia, ends. Catalonia's constitutional modernisation passed by the Courts aims to improve the guarantee of individual, political and economic rights (such as the secrecy of correspondence). Read more
1657 — The Long Parliament presents the Humble Petition and Advice offering Oliver Cromwell the British throne, which he eventually declines. Read more
1521 — Ferdinand Magellan and fifty of his men came ashore to present-day Limasawa to participate in the first Catholic mass in the Philippines. Read more
1492 — Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile sign the Edict of Expulsion of the Jews from Spain, ordering all Jews in their kingdoms to either convert to Christianity or leave the country. Read more
1272 — Pope Gregory X calls for a General Church Council to discuss reunion of Churches, Crusade to the Holy Land and Church reform. Read more
1174 — A conspiracy against Saladin, aiming to restore the Fatimid Caliphate, is revealed in Cairo, involving senior figures of the former Fatimid regime and the poet Umara al-Yamani. Modern historians doubt the extent and danger of the conspiracy reported in official sources, but its ringleaders will be publicly executed over the following weeks. Read more
1146 — Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII is present, and joins the Crusade. Read more
307 — After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian. Read more

Born on March 31

2005 — Reed Baker-Whiting, American professional footballer Read more
2004 — Samson Baidoo, Austrian professional footballer Read more
2004 — Mateo Sanabria, Argentine professional footballer Read more
2004 — Alex Luna, Argentine professional footballer Read more
1999 — Japhet Tanganga, English footballer Read more
1999 — Brooke Scullion, Irish Singer Read more
1999 — Jens Odgaard, Danish professional footballer Read more
1999 — Denys Strekalin, Ukrainian-born pair skater Read more
1999 — Adam Chrzanowski, Polish professional footballer Read more
1999 — Santiago Chocobares, Argentine rugby union player Read more
1999 — Ballou Tabla, Canadian professional soccer player Read more
1999 — Elžbieta Kropa, Lithuanian figure skater Read more
1999 — Edon Zhegrova, professional footballer Read more
1999 — Shiann Salmon, Jamaican track and field athlete Read more
1999 — Ben Williams, Welsh professional footballer Read more
1999 — Luca Pizzul, Italian professional footballer Read more
1999 — Sander Raieste, Estonian professional basketball player Read more
1999 — Jonas Røndbjerg, Danish ice hockey player Read more
1999 — Adele Tan, Singaporean sports shooter Read more
1999 — Nuno Pina, Portuguese football player Read more
1999 — Tereza Jančová, Slovak skier Read more
1999 — Maren Lutz, German female canoeist Read more
1999 — Shehana Vithana, Sri Lankan-Australian professional squash player Read more
1999 — Providence Cowdrill, English cricketer Read more
1999 — Ricardo Felipe, Brazilian footballer Read more
1999 — Dimitris Dalakouras, Greek professional footballer Read more
1998 — Jakob Chychrun, American-born Canadian ice hockey player Read more
1996 — Liza Koshy, American actress, comedian, and television host Read more
1995 — Fiona Brown, footballer Read more
1994 — Samira Asghari, Afghan member of the International Olympic Committee Read more
1994 — Tyler Wright, Australian surfer Read more
1994 — Mads Würtz Schmidt, Danish road cyclist Read more
1993 — Mikael Ishak, Swedish footballer Read more
1992 — Stijn de Looijer, Dutch footballer Read more
1992 — Adam Zampa, Australian cricketer Read more
1991 — Milan Milanović, Serbian footballer Read more
1991 — Rodney Sneijder, Dutch footballer Read more
1990 — George Iloka, American football player Read more
1990 — Lyra McKee, Irish journalist (died 2019) Read more
1990 — Sandra Roma, Swedish tennis player Read more

Died on March 31

2026 — Stephen Lewis, Canadian politician and diplomat, 14th Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations (born 1937) Read more
2025 — Sian Barbara Allen, American television actress (born 1946) Read more
2025 — Betty Webb, English code breaker (born 1923) Read more
2024 — Barbara Rush, American actress (born 1927) Read more
2022 — Shirley Burkovich, former American All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) player (born 1933) Read more
2022 — Patrick Demarchelier, French fashion photographer (born 1943) Read more
2022 — Moana Jackson, New Zealand lawyer specialising in constitutional law (born 1945) Read more
2022 — Tullio Moneta, Italian mercenary and actor (born 1937) Read more
2021 — Ken Reitz, American baseball player (born 1951) Read more
2021 — Muhammad Wakkas, Bangladeshi teacher and parliamentarian (born 1952) Read more
2020 — Gita Ramjee, Ugandan-South African scientist and researcher (born 1956) Read more
2019 — Nipsey Hussle, American rapper (born 1985) Read more
2018 — Nick Newton, inventor of the Newton Starting Blocks (born 1933) Read more
2017 — Gilbert Baker, American artist and LGBT rights activist (born 1951) Read more
2017 — James Rosenquist, American artist (born 1933) Read more
2016 — Ronnie Corbett, Scottish comedian, actor and screenwriter (born 1930) Read more
2016 — Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German politician (born 1927) Read more
2016 — Zaha Hadid, Iraqi-born English architect and academic, designed the Bridge Pavilion (born 1950) Read more
2016 — Imre Kertész, Hungarian author, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1929) Read more
2016 — Denise Robertson, British writer and television broadcaster (born 1932) Read more
2015 — Betty Churcher, Australian painter, historian, and curator (born 1931) Read more
2015 — Cocoa Fujiwara, Japanese author and illustrator (born 1983) Read more
2015 — Carlos Gaviria Díaz, Colombian lawyer and politician (born 1937) Read more
2015 — Dalibor Vesely, Czech-English historian, author, and academic (born 1934) Read more
2014 — Gonzalo Anes, Spanish economist, historian, and academic (born 1931) Read more
2014 — Roger Somville, Belgian painter (born 1923) Read more
2013 — Charles Amarin Brand, French archbishop (born 1920) Read more
2013 — Ernie Bridge, Australian singer and politician (born 1936) Read more
2013 — Bob Clarke, American illustrator (born 1926) Read more
2013 — Ahmad Sayyed Javadi, Iranian lawyer and politician, Iranian Minister of Interior (born 1917) Read more
2013 — Dmitri Uchaykin, Russian ice hockey player (born 1980) Read more
2012 — Judith Adams, New Zealand-Australian nurse and politician (born 1943) Read more
2012 — Dale R. Corson, American physicist and academic (born 1914) Read more
2012 — Bernard O. Gruenke, American stained glass artist (born 1914) Read more
2012 — Jerry Lynch, American baseball player (born 1930) Read more
2012 — Alberto Sughi, Italian painter (born 1928) Read more
2012 — Halbert White, American economist and academic (born 1950) Read more
2011 — Gil Clancy, American boxer and trainer (born 1922) Read more
2011 — Alan Fitzgerald, Australian journalist and author (born 1935) Read more
2011 — Mary Greyeyes, the first First Nations woman to join the Canadian Armed Forces (born 1920) Read more

Holidays & observances

Cesar Chavez Day (California, Washington (state)); Christian feast day Abdas of Susa; Christian feast day Acathius of Melitene (Eastern Orthodox Church); Christian feast day Anesius and companions; Christian feast day Benjamin; Christian feast day Balbina; Christian feast day John Donne (Anglican Communion, Lutheran); Christian feast day Natalia Tułasiewicz; Christian feast day March 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Freedom Day (Malta); International Transgender Day of Visibility; King Nangklao Memorial Day (Thailand); Thomas Mundy Peterson Day (New Jersey, United States); Transfer Day (US Virgin Islands); World Backup Day

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Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “March 31”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.