Historical Events
- 1279 BC Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great becomes Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt (19th Dynasty)
- 1578 Martin Frobisher sails from Harwich, England, to Frobisher Bay, Canada. Eventually mines fools gold, famously used to pave the streets of London.
- 1902 Boer War Ends; Treaty of Unity signed, Britain annexes Transvaal
- 1910 Union of South Africa declares its independence from the United Kingdom
- 1916 Battle of Jutland: Largest naval battle of World War I between the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet which killed 8,645 in an inconclusive battle but strategic British victory. German fleet never puts to sea again in WWI.
- 1935 7.7 magnitude earthquake destroys Quetta in Balochistan, British India (now Pakistan) killing an estimated 40,000 people
- 1947 Communists seize power in Hungary
- 1970 7.75 Ancash earthquake off coast of Peru kills 66-70,000 and sets off world's deadliest avalanche
- More Historical Events
May 31 in Film & TV
May 31 in Music
May 31 in Sport
- 1868 Dr James Moore (UK) wins 1st recorded bicycle race, (2k) velocipede race at Parc fde St Cloud, Paris
Did You Know?
Citing poor eyesight, English civil servant Samuel Pepys records the last event in his famous diary
On May 31, 1669
Walt Whitman
Pius XI
Rainier III
Clint Eastwood
Brooke Shields
Colin FarrellWould You Believe?
The Who set the record for the loudest concert of all time, 120 decibels at 50 metres, at The Valley in Charlton, London, England
On May 31, 1976
Famous Weddings
- 1592 King Sigismund III Vasa of Poland marries first wife Anne of Austria at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków,
- 1889 Polish pianist, and politician Ignacy Jan Paderewski (38) weds Polish baroness, social activist, and humanitaran Helena Maria von Rosen (32) in Warsaw, Russian Empire, until hear death in 1934
- 1919 1st wedding held in an aircraft (over Houston, Texas)
Famous Divorces
- 1949 American singer and actress Doris Day (27) divorces American saxophonist George Weidler (23) after 3 years of marriage
- 2007 Actress Billie Piper and radio DJ Chris Evans divorce after 6 years of marriage
More Weddings & Divorces
Joseph Haydn
Joseph Grimaldi
Elizabeth Blackwell
Terry Sawchuk
Jack Dempsey
Chris HaneyArticles, Photos and Quiz
Cloak And Dagger World of Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh's secret marriage to a lady-in-waiting was uncovered on this day. It ruined his career, but things were to get much worse.
May 31, 1592
Battle of Jutland
HMS Invincible on fire after being struck by shells from SMS Lützow and SMS Derfflinger
May 31, 1916
Weekly Quiz for May 25 - 31
In 1720 a ship brought the last epidemic of what disease to Europe? Which athlete broke 4 world records in 45 mins in 1935? What year was Star Wars released?
