May 31
is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining.
Events
- 1223 - Battle of the Kalka River between the Mongol armies of Genghis Khan and East Slavic warriors.
- 1578 - Martin Frobisher sails from Harwich, England to Frobisher Bay, Canada, eventually to mine fool's gold, used to pave streets in London.
- 1669 - Citing poor eyesight, Samuel Pepys records the last event in his diary.
- 1678 - The Godiva procession through Coventry begins.
- 1759 - The Province of Pennsylvania bans all theater productions.
- 1775 - Patriots in Charlotte, North Carolina adopt the Mecklenburg Resolutions urging the American Colonies to declare independence from Great Britain.
- 1790 - Alferez Manuel Quimper explores the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
- 1790 - The United States enacts its first copyright statute, the Copyright Act of 1790.
- 1813 - In Australia, Lawson, Blaxland and Wentworth, reached Mount Blaxland, effectively marking the end of a route across the Blue Mountains.
- 1862 - American Civil War: The Battle of Seven Pines.
- 1864 - American Civil War: The Battle of Cold Harbor begins.
- 1866 - In the Fenian Invasion of Canada, John O'Neill leads 850 Fenian raiders across the Niagara River at Buffalo, New York/Fort Erie, Ontario, as part of an effort to free Ireland from the English. Canadian militia and British regulars repulse the invaders in over the next three days, at a cost of 9 dead and 38 wounded to the Fenian's 19 dead and about 17 wounded.
- 1884 - John Harvey Kellogg patents corn flakes.
- 1889 - Johnstown Flood: Over 2,200 people die after a dam break sends a 60-foot (18-meter) wall of water over the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
- 1902 - Second Boer War: The last Afrikaner resistance forces sign a peace treaty with the British at Pretoria, ending the war, and ensuring British control of South Africa.
- 1910 - Creation of the Union of South Africa.
- 1911 - The R.M.S. Titanic is launched.
- 1913 - The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, authorizing direct election of United States Senators, is declared ratified.
- 1916 - World War I: The German and British navies clash in the Battle of Jutland, the largest naval battle of the war.
- 1921 - Tulsa Race Riot: A civil unrest in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, the official death toll is 39, but recent investigations suggest the actual toll may be much higher.
- 1921 - Comedian Buster Keaton marries actress Natalie Talmadge.
- 1924 - The Soviet Union signs an agreement with the Peking government, referring to Outer Mongolia as an "integral part of the Republic of China", whose "sovereignty" therein the Soviet Union promises to respect.
- 1927 - The last Ford Model T rolls off the assembly line after a production run of 15,007,003 vehicles.
- 1942 - World War II: Imperial Japanese Navy midget submarines begin a series of attacks on Sydney, Australia.
- 1942 - World War II: The Luftwaffe bombs Coventry, England.
- 1952 - Dwight D. Eisenhower retires from active service in the United States Army.
- 1961 - Creation of the Republic of South Africa.
- 1962 - The West Indies Federation dissolves.
- 1969 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono record Give Peace a Chance, the first single recorded by a solo Beatle, from their hotel bed.
- 1970 - The Ancash earthquake causes a landslide that buries the town of Yungay, Peru; more than 47,000 people are killed.
- 1971 - In accordance with the "Monday holiday law" passed by the U.S. Congress in 1968, Memorial Day is observed in the United States on the last Monday in May for the first time, rather than on the traditional Memorial Day of May 30.
- 1972 - AFC Ajax wins the European Cup, later to become the (UEFA Champions League) for the 2nd straight year.
- 1973 - The United States Senate votes to cut off funding for the bombing of Khmer Rouge targets within Cambodia, hastening the end of the Cambodian Civil War.
- 1974 - Syria and Israel sign a disengagement agreement to resolve the Yom Kippur War
- 1977 - The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System is completed.
- 1985 - The US-Canadian Outbreak: Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead.
- 1990 - The pilot episode of Seinfeld premieres.
- 1997 - The Confederation Bridge opens, linking Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick.
- 2002 - The 17th Football World Cup, co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, begins with a 1-0 upset of France by Senegal. The tournament ends on June 30, with Brazil winning a record fifth World Cup title.
- 2002 - The Secretary of the Navy directed all United States Navy ships to fly the First Navy Jack in honor of those killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks. The ensign will be flown for the duration of the War on Terrorism.
- 2002 - A series a major storms blew through Western Pennsylvania, killing 1 person when the Whip pavillion at Kennywood collapses.
- 2003 - The final flight of an Air France Concorde takes place.
- 2003 - 1996 Atlanta Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph is captured in Murphy, North Carolina.
- 2004 - A foul-up during routine software update at the Royal Bank of Canada leads to a three-day misplacement of 10 million account balances.
- 2005 - W. Mark Felt admits in the magazine Vanity Fair that he is the anonymous source Deep Throat in the Watergate scandal.
- 2006 - Katie Couric last day as anchor of the Today Show on NBC after 15 years.
Births
- 1048 - Omar Khayyám, Persian philosopher (d. 1131)
- 1443 - Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII of England (d. 1509)
- 1469 - King Manuel I of Portugal (d. 1521)
- 1535 - Alessandro Allori, Italian painter (d. 1607)
- 1557 - Feodor I, Tsar of Russia (d. 1598)
- 1613 - John George II, Elector of Saxony (d. 1680)
- 1640 - Michał Wiśniowiecki, King of Poland (d. 1673)
- 1656 - Marin Marais, French composer (d. 1728)
- 1753 - Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud, French revolutionary (d. 1793)
- 1754 - Andrea Appiani, Italian painter (d. 1817)
- 1773 - Ludwig Tieck, German writer (d. 1853)
- 1801 - Johann Georg Baiter, Swiss philologist (d. 1887)
- 1819 - Walt Whitman, American poet (d. 1892)
- 1838 - Henry Sidgwick, English philosopher (d. 1900)
- 1852 - Francisco Moreno, Argentine explorer (d. 1919)
- 1857 - Pope Pius XI (d. 1939)
- 1860 - Walter Sickert, English painter (d. 1942)
- 1863 - Francis Younghusband, British explorer (d. 1942)
- 1872 - Heath Robinson, English cartoonist (d. 1944)
- 1882 - Sándor Graf Festetics, Hungarian politician (d. 1956)
- 1883 - Lauri Kristian Relander, President of Finland (d. 1942)
- 1887 - Saint-John Perse, French diplomat, Nobel laureate (d. 1975)
- 1892 - Michel Kikoine, Belarus painter (d. 1968)
- 1892 - Konstantin Georgiyevich Paustovsky, Russian writer (d. 1968)
- 1894 - Fred Allen, American comedian (d. 1956)
- 1898 - Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, American clergyman (d. 1993)
- 1905 - Florence Desmond, English actress and comedienne (d. 1993)
- 1908 - Don Ameche, American actor (d. 1993)
- 1911 - Maurice Allais, French economist, Nobel laureate
- 1912 - Alfred Deller, English countertenor (d. 1979)
- 1916 - Bert Haanstra, Dutch filmmaker (d. 1997)
- 1921 - Alida Valli, Italian actress (d. 2006)
- 1922 - Denholm Elliott, English actor (d. 1992)
- 1923 - Prince Rainier III of Monaco (d. 2005)
- 1930 - Clint Eastwood, American actor
- 1931 - John Robert Schrieffer, American physicist, Nobel laureate
- 1931 - Shirley Verrett, American soprano
- 1932 - Jay Miner, American microchip designer (d. 1994)
- 1935 - Jim Bolger, Prime Minister of New Zealand
- 1938 - Johnny PayCheck, American singer (d. 2003)
- 1938 - John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1938 - Peter Yarrow, American folk singer (Peter, Paul and Mary)
- 1939 - Terry Waite, British humanitarian
- 1940 - Gilbert Shelton, American underground comics illustrator (Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Fat Freddy's Cat)
- 1941 - Louis J. Ignarro, American pharmacologist, Nobel laureate
- 1943 - Sharon Gless, American actress
- 1943 - Joe Namath, American football player
- 1945 - Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German film director (d. 1982)
- 1948 - John Bonham, British musician (Led Zeppelin) (d. 1980)
- 1949 - Tom Berenger, American actor
- 1950 - Gregory Harrison, American television actor
- 1954 - Vicki Sue Robinson, American singer (d. 2000)
- 1956 - Steven P Deschamps, Canadian military officer
- 1957 - Jim Craig, American hockey player
- 1960 - Chris Elliott, American comedian
- 1961 - Lea Thompson, American actress
- 1962 - Corey Hart, Canadian musician
- 1963 - Wesley Willis, American musician (d. 2003)
- 1963 - Hugh Dillon, Canadian actor
- 1966 - Jeremy Hotz, Canadian stand-up comedian
- 1964 - Leonard Asper, Canadian businessman
- 1964 - Darryl McDaniels, American musician (Run-D.M.C)
- 1965 - Brooke Shields, American model
- 1967 - Kenny Lofton, baseball player
- 1967 - Sandrine Bonnaire, French actress
- 1967 - Vampiro, professional wrestler
- 1972 - Frode Estil, Norwegian cross-country skier
- 1972 - Sarah Murdoch, English model
- 1974 - Adrian Tomine, American cartoonist
- 1975 - Sienna Guillory, English Actress
- 1976 - Colin Farrell, Irish actor
- 1977 - Debbie King, English TV Presenter
- 1977 - Scott Klopfenstein, American musician {Reel Big Fish, The Littlest Man Band}
- 1980 - Andrew Hurley, American musician (Fall Out Boy)
- 1984 - Jason Smith, Australian actor
Deaths
- 1246 - Isabella of Angouleme, queen of John of England
- 1349 - Thomas Wake, English politician (b. 1297)
- 1408 - Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Japanese shogun (b. 1358)
- 1410 - King Martin I of Aragon (b. 1356)
- 1495 - Cecily Neville, mother of Edward IV of England and Richard III of England, (b. 1415)
- 1558 - Philip Hoby, English politician (b. 1505)
- 1594 - Tintoretto, Italian painter (b. 1518)
- 1680 - Joachim Neander, German clergyman (b. 1650)
- 1740 - King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia (b. 1688)
- 1747 - Andrei Osterman, Russian statesman (b. 1686)
- 1799 - Pierre Lemonnier, French astronomer (b. 1715)
- 1809 - Joseph Haydn, Austrian composer (b. 1732)
- 1809 - Jean Lannes, French marshal (b. 1769)
- 1831 - Samuel Bentham, British mechanical engineer (b. 1757)
- 1832 - Évariste Galois, French mathematician (b. 1811)
- 1837 - Joseph Grimaldi, British clown (b. 1779)
- 1846 - Philip Marheineke, German clergyman (b. 1780)
- 1847 - Thomas Chalmers, Scottish pastor (b. 1780)
- 1848 - Eugénie de Guérin, French writer (b. 1805)
- 1908 - Louis-Honoré Fréchette, French Canadian poet (b. 1839)
- 1910 - Elizabeth Blackwell, American physician (b. 1821)
- 1957 - Leopold Staff, Polish poet (b. 1878)
- 1960 - Walther Funk, Nazi leader (b. 1890)
- 1960 - Willem Elsschot, Flemish writer (b. 1882)
- 1961 - Walter Little, Canadian politician (b. 1877)
- 1970 - Terry Sawchuk, hockey player (b. 1929)
- 1976 - Jacques Monod, French biologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1910)
- 1977 - William Castle, American director (b. 1914)
- 1978 - József Bozsik, Hungarian footballer (b. 1925)
- 1983 - Jack Dempsey, American boxer (b. 1895)
- 1986 - Jane Frank (Jane Schenthal Frank), American artist (b. 1918)
- 1986 - James Rainwater, American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1917)
- 1987 - John Abraham (Director), Indian Film Director
- 1996 - Timothy Leary, American professor (b. 1920)
- 1996 - Paul Peter Piech, American artist (b. 1920)
- 1997 - James Bennett Griffin, American archaeologist (b. 1905)
- 2000 - Tito Puente, American musician (b. 1923)
- 2000 - Johnnie Taylor, American singer (b. 1938)
- 2004 - Robert Quine, American guitarist (b. 1941)
- 2006 - Raymond Davis Jr, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
Holidays and observances
- The Godiva procession.
- World No Tobacco Day.
- Syaday (Discordianism) (5th day of the season of Confusion, honors Apostle Sri Syadasti).
Liturgical Feast days
- the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Saint Gislemerio
- Saint Mechtilde of Diessen
- Saint Petronella
External links
May 30 - June 1 - April 30 - June 30 - listing of all days