May 31Birthdays & History

On this day: May 31 in history

Oldest first. Tap a year to see it on the World Chronicle timeline.

1. 455Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome.Europe
2. 1215Zhongdu (now Beijing), then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Zhongdu.Asia
3. 1223Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River: Mongol armies of Genghis Khan led by Subutai defeat Kievan Rus' and Cumans.Asia
4. 1293Mongols depart Java after the failed Mongol invasion against King Kertanegara of Singhasari.Asia
5. 1578King Henry III lays the first stone of the Pont Neuf (New Bridge), the oldest bridge of Paris, France.Europe
6. 1610The pageant London's Love to Prince Henry on the River Thames celebrates the creation of Prince Henry as Prince of Wales.Europe
7. 1669Citing poor eyesight as a reason, Samuel Pepys records the last event in his diary.Europe
8. 1775American Revolution: The Mecklenburg Resolves are adopted in the Province of North Carolina.North America
9. 1790Manuel Quimper explores the Strait of Juan de Fuca.North America
10. 1790The United States enacts its first copyright statute, the Copyright Act of 1790.North America
11. 1795French Revolution: The Revolutionary Tribunal is suppressed.Europe
12. 1805French and Spanish forces begin the assault against British forces occupying Diamond Rock, Martinique.Europe
13. 1813In Australia, William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth reach Mount Blaxland, effectively marking the end of a route across the Blue Mountains.Oceania
14. 1847Qajar Iran and the Ottoman Empire determine their international boundary in the second treaty of Erzurum.Middle East
15. 1859The Great Clock at the Houses of Parliament (now known as the Elizabeth Tower) starts keeping time.Europe
16. 1862American Civil War: Peninsula Campaign: Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston and G.W. Smith engage Union forces under George B. McClellan outside the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.North America
17. 1864American Civil War: Overland Campaign: Battle of Cold Harbor: The Army of Northern Virginia engages the Army of the Potomac.North America
18. 1879Gilmore's Garden in New York City is renamed Madison Square Garden by William Henry Vanderbilt and is opened to the public at 26th Street and Madison Avenue.North America
19. 1884The arrival at Plymouth of Tāwhiao, King of Maoris, to claim the protection of Queen Victoria.EuropeOceania
20. 1889Johnstown Flood: Over 2,200 people die after a dam fails and sends a 60-foot (18-meter) wall of water over the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.North America
21. 1902Second Boer War: The Treaty of Vereeniging ends the war and ensures British control of South Africa.AfricaEurope
22. 1906The attempted regicide of Spanish King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenie on their wedding day instead kills 24.Europe
23. 1909The National Negro Committee, forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), convenes for the first time.North America
24. 1910The South Africa Act comes into force, establishing the Union of South Africa.Africa
25. 1911The RMS Titanic is launched in Belfast, Northern Ireland.Europe
26. 1911The President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz flees the country during the Mexican Revolution.Latin America
27. 1916World War I: Battle of Jutland: The British Grand Fleet engages the High Seas Fleet in the largest naval battle of the war, which proves indecisive.Europe
28. 1921The Tulsa race massacre kills at least 39, but other estimates of black fatalities vary from 55 to about 300.North America
29. 1924Hope Development School fire kills 24 people, mostly disabled children.North America
30. 1935A 7.7 Mw earthquake destroys Quetta in modern-day Pakistan killing 40,000.Asia
31. 1941Anglo-Iraqi War: The United Kingdom completes the re-occupation of Iraq and returns 'Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for Faisal II.Middle EastEurope
32. 1942World War II: Imperial Japanese Navy midget submarines begin a series of attacks on Sydney, Australia.AsiaOceania
33. 1947Ferenc Nagy, the democratically elected Prime Minister of Hungary, resigns from office after blackmail from the Hungarian Communist Party accusing him of being part of a plot against the state. This grants the Communists effective control of the Hungarian government.Europe
34. 1951The Uniform Code of Military Justice takes effect as the legal system of the United States Armed Forces.North America
35. 1955The U.S. Supreme Court expands on its Brown v. Board of Education decision by ordering district courts and school districts to enforce educational desegregation "at all deliberate speed."North America
36. 1961The South African Constitution of 1961 becomes effective, thus creating the Republic of South Africa, which remains outside the Commonwealth of Nations until 1 June 1994, when South Africa is returned to Commonwealth membership.Africa
37. 1961In Moscow City Court, the Rokotov–Faibishenko show trial begins, despite the Khrushchev Thaw to reverse Stalinist elements in Soviet society.Europe
38. 1962The West Indies Federation dissolves.Latin America
39. 1970The 7.9 Mw Ancash earthquake shakes Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) and a landslide buries the town of Yungay, Peru. Between 66,794 and 70,000 were killed and 50,000 were injured.Latin America
40. 1971In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1968, observation of Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday in May for the first time, rather than on the traditional Memorial Day of May 30.North America
41. 1973The 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.North AmericaAsia
42. 1973Indian Airlines Flight 440 crashes near Palam Airport in Delhi, killing 48.Asia
43. 1977The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System is completed.North America
44. 1985United States–Canada tornado outbreak: Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead.North America
45. 1986The Ariane 2 rocket is launched on its maiden flight, carrying Intelsat VA F-14, but the mission ends in failure.World
46. 1991Bicesse Accords in Angola lay out a transition to multi-party democracy under the supervision of the United Nations' UNAVEM II peacekeeping mission.Africa
47. 1997The Confederation Bridge opens, linking Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick.North America
48. 2003Air France retires its fleet of Concorde aircraft.Europe
49. 2005Vanity Fair reveals that Mark Felt was "Deep Throat".North America
50. 2008Usain Bolt breaks the world record in the 100m sprint, with a wind-legal (+1.7 m/s) 9.72 seconds.North America
51. 2008Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-124 carrying the second portion of the Japanese Kibō module to the International Space Station.Asia
52. 2010Israeli Shayetet 13 commandos board the Gaza Freedom Flotilla while still in international waters trying to break the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip; nine Turkish citizens on the flotilla were killed in the ensuing violent affray.Middle East
53. 2013The asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon make their closest approach to Earth for the next two centuries.World
54. 2013A record breaking 2.6 mile wide tornado strikes near El Reno, Oklahoma, United States, causing eight fatalities (including three storm chasers) and over 150 injuries.North America
55. 2016Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launch the Manbij offensive, in order to capture the city of Manbij from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).Middle East
56. 2017A car bomb explodes in a crowded intersection in Kabul near the German embassy during rush hour, killing over 90 and injuring 463.AsiaEurope
57. 2019A shooting occurs inside a municipal building at Virginia Beach, Virginia, leaving 13 people dead, including the shooter, and four others injured.North America
58. 2026An explosion at a Ta'ang National Liberation Army base kills 46 people.Asia

Source: Wikipedia "May 31" / CC BY-SA 4.0