May 31
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May 31 is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 214 days remaining until the end of the year.
[edit] Events
1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great) (19th dynasty) becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. 1223 - Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River - Mongol armies of Genghis Khan lead by Subutai defeat Kievan Rus and Cumans. 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 - American Revolution: The Mecklenburg Resolutions adopted in the Province of North Carolina 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 Peninsula Campaign: Battle of Seven Pines or (Battle of Fair Oaks) - Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston & G. W. Smith engage Union forces under George B. McClellan outside Richmond, Virginia. 1864 - American Civil War Overland Campaign: Battle of Cold Harbor - The Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee engages the Army of the Potomac under Ulysses S. Grant & George G. Meade. 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. 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 Treaty of Vereeniging ends the war and ensures British control of South Africa. 1910 - Creation of the Union of South Africa. 1911 - R.M.S. Titanic launched. 1916 - World War I: Battle of Jutland - The British Grand Fleet under the command of Sir John Jellicoe & Sir David Beatty engage the Kaiserliche Marine under the command of Reinhard Scheer & Franz von Hipper in the largest naval battle of the war, which proves indecisive. 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. 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. 1931 - 7.1 magnitude Earthquake destroys Quetta in modern-day Pakistan: 40,000 dead. 1941 - A Luftwaffe air raid in Dublin, Ireland claims 38 lives. 1942 - World War II: Imperial Japanese Navy midget submarines begin a series of attacks on Sydney, Australia. 1961 - Republic of South Africa created. 1962 - The West Indies Federation dissolves. 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 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. 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. 1977 - The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System completed. 1985 - 1985 United States-Canadian tornado outbreak: Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead. 1985 - Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) became a Schedule I drug in the United States. 1987 - Athena 98.4 FM, the first legal private radio station starts broadcasting in Greece. 1997 - The Confederation Bridge opens, linking Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick. 2008 - Usain Bolt breaks the world record in the 100m sprint, with a wind-legal (+1.7m/s) 9.72 seconds.
[edit] Births
1443 - Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII of England (d. 1509) 1469 - Manuel I of Portugal (d. 1521) 1535 - Alessandro Allori, Italian painter (d. 1607) 1557 - Feodor I of Russia (d. 1598) 1613 - John George II, Elector of Saxony (d. 1680) 1640 - MichaÅ‚ WiÅ›niowiecki, 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) 1818 - John Albion Andrew, 25th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1867) 1819 - Walt Whitman, American poet (d. 1892) 1835 - Hijikata ToshizÅ, Japanese military leader (d. 1869) 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, 2nd President of Finland (d. 1942) 1885 - Alois Hudal, bishop, helped Nazis escape trial (d. 1963) 1887 - Saint-John Perse, French diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975) 1892 - Michel Kikoine, Belarus painter (d. 1968) 1892 - Konstantin Georgiyevich Paustovsky, Russian writer (d. 1968) 1892 - Gregor Strasser, German Nazi politician (d. 1934) 1894 - Fred Allen, American comedian (d. 1956) 1898 - Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, American clergyman (d. 1993) 1901 - Alfredo Antonini, American conductor and composer (d. 1983) 1905 - Florence Desmond, English actress and comedian (d. 1993) 1908 - Don Ameche, American actor (d. 1993) 1908 - Nils Poppe, Swedish actor (d. 2000) 1909 - Aurore Gagnon, French Canadian victim of child abuse (d. 1920) 1911 - Maurice Allais, French economist, Nobel Prize laureate 1912 - Alfred Deller, English countertenor (d. 1979) 1914 - Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer (d. 2006) 1916 - Bert Haanstra, Dutch filmmaker (d. 1997) 1921 - Alida Valli, Italian actress (d. 2006) 1921 - Howard Reig, American radio and television announcer 1922 - Denholm Elliott, English actor (d. 1992) 1923 - Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (d. 2005) 1930 - Clint Eastwood, American film director and actor 1931 - John Robert Schrieffer, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate 1931 - Shirley Verrett, American soprano 1932 - Jay Miner, American microchip designer (d. 1994) 1933 - Henry B. Eyring, LDS apostle, son of award-winning chemist Henry Eyring 1935 - Jim Bolger, 35th 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 1941 - Louis J. Ignarro, American pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate 1943 - Sharon Gless, American actress 1943 - Joe Namath, American football player 1945 - Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German film director (d. 1982) 1945 - Bernard Goldberg‎, American journalist 1946 - Ted Baehr, American media critic 1946 - Steve Bucknor, West Indian Cricket Umpire 1947 - Junior Campbell, British musician and songwriter (The Marmalade) 1948 - John Bonham, British musician (Led Zeppelin) (d. 1980) 1948 - Duncan Hunter, American politician, 2008 presidential candidate 1949 - Tom Berenger, American actor 1949 - Nancy Shade, American soprano 1950 - Gregory Harrison, American actor 1952 - Karl Bartos, German musician (Kraftwerk, Electronic) 1953 - Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, Finnish actor 1954 - Vicki Sue Robinson, American singer (d. 2000) 1954 - Thomas Mavros, Greek footballer 1956 - Fritz Hilpert, German musician and sound engineer (Kraftwerk) 1955 - Tommy Emmanuel, Australian Guitarist CGP 1957 - Jim Craig, American hockey player 1959 - Andrea de Cesaris, Italian racing driver 1960 - Greg C. Adams, Canadian ice hockey player 1960 - Chris Elliott, American comedian 1961 - Ray Cote, Canadian ice hockey player 1961 - Lea Thompson, American actress 1962 - Corey Hart, Canadian musician 1962 - Sebastian Koch, German actor 1963 - Hugh Dillon, Canadian musician and actor 1963 - Viktor Orbán, Hungarian politician 1963 - Wesley Willis, American musician (d. 2003) 1964 - Leonard Asper, Canadian businessman 1964 - Scotti Hill, American rock guitarist 1964 - Darryl McDaniels, American musician (Run-D.M.C.) 1965 - Brooke Shields, American actress and supermodel 1966 - Jeremy Hotz, Canadian stand-up comedian 1966 - Nick Scotti, American actor and singer 1967 - Sandrine Bonnaire, French actress 1967 - Phil Keoghan, New Zealand television personality 1967 - Kenny Lofton, American baseball player 1967 - Vampiro, Canadian professional wrestler 1972 - Frode Estil, Norwegian cross-country skier 1972 - Sarah Murdoch, English model 1972 - Karl Geary, Irish actor 1972 - Dave Roberts, American baseball player 1973 - Dominique Van Roost, Belgian tennis player 1974 - Chad Campbell, American golfer 1974 - Zsolt Erdei, Hungarian light heavyweight boxer 1974 - Adrian Tomine, American cartoonist 1975 - Sienna Guillory, English actress 1976 - Colin Farrell, Irish actor 1976 - Matt Harpring, American basketball player 1977 - Eric Christian Olsen, American actor 1977 - Theodoros Baev, Bulgarian-born Greek volleyball player 1977 - Debbie King, English TV presenter 1977 - Scott Klopfenstein, American musician (Reel Big Fish) 1977 - Phil Devey, Canadian baseball player 1977 - Domenico Fioravanti, Italian swimmer 1977 - Greg Leeb, Canadian ice hockey player 1977 - Joachim Olsen, Danish athlete 1977 - Joel Ross, British disc jockey 1977 - June Sarpong, British television presenter 1977 - Moses Sichone, Zambian footballer 1977 - Petr Tenkrát, Czech ice hockey player 1980 - Andy Hurley, American musician (Fall Out Boy) 1981 - Jake Peavy, American baseball player 1982 - Jonathan Tucker, American actor 1983 - David Hernandez, American singer 1983 - Dustin Wells, New Zealand footballer 1983 - Reggie Yates, English television presenter 1984 - Nate Robinson, American basketball player 1984 - Jason Smith, Australian actor 1985 - Ian Vouyoukas, Greek basketball player 1986 - Robert Gesink, Dutch cyclist 1986 - Sopho Khalvashi, Georgian musical artist 1986 - Melissa McIntyre, Canadian actress 1988 - Hope Partlow, American Singer
[edit] 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) 1567 - Guido de Bres, Belgian theologian (b. 1522) 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) 1931 - Felix-Raymond-Marie Rouleau, French Canadian cardinal, archbishop of Quebec (b. 1866) 1945 - Odilo Globocnik, Austrian nazi (b. 1904) 1957 - Leopold Staff, Polish poet (b. 1878) 1960 - Willem Elsschot, Flemish writer (b. 1882) 1960 - Walther Funk, Nazi leader (b. 1890) 1961 - Walter Little, Canadian politician (b. 1877) 1962 - Henry Fountain Ashurst, American politician (b. 1874) 1967 - Billy Strayhorn, American composer, pianist and arranger (b. 1915) 1970 - Terry Sawchuk, hockey player (b. 1929) 1972 - Walter Freeman, American physician (b. 1895) 1976 - Jacques Monod, French biologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1910) 1977 - William Castle, American film 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 1993 - Spuds Mackenzie, American advertisement dog 1994 - Herva Nelli, Italian-born soprano (b. 1909) 1996 - Timothy Leary, American professor and LSD advocate (b. 1920) 1997 - James Bennett Griffin, American archaeologist (b. 1905) 1998 - Charles Van Acker, Belgian racing driver (b. 1912) 2000 - Tito Puente, American musician (b. 1923) 2000 - Johnnie Taylor, American singer (b. 1938) 2001 - Arlene Francis, American television personality (d. 1907) 2004 - Robert Quine, American guitarist (b. 1941) 2004 - Étienne Roda-Gil, French songwriter and screenwriter (b. 1941) 2006 - Ryan Bennett, broadcast commentator (b. 1970) 2006 - Miguel Berrocal, sculptor (b. 1933) 2006 - Raymond Davis Jr., American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914) 2006 - Lula Mae Hardaway, American songwriter, mother of singer Stevie Wonder (b. 1930)
[edit] Holidays and observances
The Godiva procession. World No Tobacco Day. Syaday (Discordianism) (5th day of the season of Confusion, honors Apostle Sri Syadasti). The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Saint Petronella Nuclear Energy day in Argentina, Commemorates the foundation of the CNEA