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Pre-1600

* 1056 – After a sudden illness a few days previously,
Byzantine Empress This is a list of Roman and Byzantine empresses. A Roman empress was a woman who was the wife of a Roman emperor, the ruler of the Roman Empire. The Romans had no single term for the position: Latin and Greek titles such as '' augusta'' (Greek ...
Theodora Theodora is a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift". Theodora may also refer to: Historical figures known as Theodora Byzantine empresses * Theodora (wife of Justinian I) ( 500 – 548), saint by the Orthodox Church * Theodora o ...
dies childless, thus ending the
Macedonian dynasty The Macedonian dynasty (Greek: Μακεδονική Δυναστεία) ruled the Byzantine Empire from 867 to 1056, following the Amorian dynasty. During this period, the Byzantine state reached its greatest extent since the Muslim conquests, a ...
. * 1057 – Abdication of Byzantine Emperor
Michael VI Bringas Michael VI Bringas ( el, Μιχαήλ Βρίγγας), called Stratiotikos or Stratioticus ("the Military One", "the Warlike", or "the Bellicose") or Gerontas ("the Old"), reigned as Byzantine emperor from 1056 to 1057. Career Apparently a ...
after just one year. * 1218
Al-Kamil Al-Kamil ( ar, الكامل) (full name: al-Malik al-Kamil Naser ad-Din Abu al-Ma'ali Muhammad) (c. 1177 – 6 March 1238) was a Muslim ruler and the fourth Ayyubid sultan of Egypt. During his tenure as sultan, the Ayyubids defeated the Fifth Cru ...
becomes
sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
of the
Ayyubid dynasty The Ayyubid dynasty ( ar, الأيوبيون '; ) was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultan of Egypt, Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni ...
. *
1314 Events * March 18 – Jacques de Molay, the 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is burned at the stake in Paris, France. * April 4 – Exeter College, Oxford is founded in England by Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Ex ...
– King
Haakon V of Norway Haakon V Magnusson (10 April 1270 – 8 May 1319) ( non, Hákon Magnússon; no, Håkon Magnusson, label= Modern Norwegian) was king of Norway from 1299 until 1319. Biography Haakon was the younger surviving son of Magnus the Lawmender, Ki ...
moves the capital from
Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
to
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
. * 1422 – King
Henry V of England Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the ...
dies of
dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
while in France. His son, Henry VI becomes King of England at the age of nine months. * 1535 – Pope
Paul III Pope Paul III ( la, Paulus III; it, Paolo III; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549), born Alessandro Farnese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death in November 1549. He came to ...
excommunicates English King
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
from the church. He drew up a papal bull of excommunication which began ''Eius qui immobilis''.


1601–1900

* 1776
William Livingston William Livingston (November 30, 1723July 25, 1790) was an American politician who served as the first governor of New Jersey (1776–1790) during the American Revolutionary War. As a New Jersey representative in the Continental Congress, he sig ...
, the first
Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...
, begins serving his first term. * 1795
War of the First Coalition The War of the First Coalition (french: Guerre de la Première Coalition) was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797 initially against the Kingdom of France (1791-92), constitutional Kingdom of France and then t ...
: The British capture Trincomalee (present-day
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
) from the Dutch in order to keep it out of French hands. * 1798Irish Rebellion: Irish rebels, with French assistance, establish the short-lived
Republic of Connacht The Irish Republic of 1798, more commonly known as the Republic of Connacht, was a short-lived state proclaimed during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 that resulted from the French Revolutionary Wars. A client state of the French Republic, it the ...
. * 1813
Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...
: Spanish troops repel a French attack in the
Battle of San Marcial The Battle of San Marcial was the final battle fought on Spanish soil during the Peninsular War on 31 August 1813, as the rest of the war would be fought on French soil. The Spanish Army of Galicia, led by Manuel Freire, turned back Marshal Ni ...
. *
1864 Events January–March * January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song " ...
– During the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
,
Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
forces led by General
William T. Sherman William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
launch an
assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...
on
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. *
1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs i ...
Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...
Murad V Murad V ( ota, مراد خامس, translit=Murâd-ı ḫâmis; tr, V. Murad; 21 September 1840 – 29 August 1904) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire who reigned from 30 May to 31 August 1876. The son of Abdulmejid I, he supported the ...
is deposed and succeeded by his brother
Abdul Hamid II Abdülhamid or Abdul Hamid II ( ota, عبد الحميد ثانی, Abd ül-Hamid-i Sani; tr, II. Abdülhamid; 21 September 1842 10 February 1918) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 31 August 1876 to 27 April 1909, and the last sultan to ...
. * 1886 – The 7.0 Charleston earthquake affects southeastern South Carolina with a maximum
Mercalli intensity The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS), developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the eff ...
of X (''Extreme''). Sixty people killed with damage estimated at $5–6 million. * 1888
Mary Ann Nichols Mary Ann Nichols, known as Polly Nichols (née Walker; 26 August 184531 August 1888), was the first canonical victim of the unidentified serial killer known as Jack the Ripper, who is believed to have murdered and mutilated at least five women i ...
is murdered. She is the first of
Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer wa ...
's confirmed victims. * 1895 – German Count
Ferdinand von Zeppelin Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (german: Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin; 8 July 1838 – 8 March 1917) was a German general and later inventor of the Zeppelin rigid airships. His name soon became synonymous with airships a ...
patents his '' navigable balloon''.


1901–present

* 1907 – Russia and the United Kingdom sign the
Anglo-Russian Convention The Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907 (russian: Англо-Русская Конвенция 1907 г., translit=Anglo-Russkaya Konventsiya 1907 g.), or Convention between the United Kingdom and Russia relating to Persia, Afghanistan, and Tibet (; ...
, by which the UK recognizes Russian preeminence in northern Persia, while Russia recognizes British preeminence in southeastern Persia and Afghanistan. Both powers pledge not to interfere in Tibet. * 1918
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
: Start of the
Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin The Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin was a battle on the Western Front during World War I. As part of the Allied Hundred Days Offensive on the Western Front in the late summer of 1918, the Australian Corps crossed the Somme River on the night of 31 ...
, a successful assault by the
Australian Corps The Australian Corps was a World War I army corps that contained all five Australian infantry divisions serving on the Western Front. It was the largest corps fielded by the British Empire in France. At its peak the Australian Corps numbered 10 ...
during the
Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allies of World War I, Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (1918), Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Wester ...
. * 1920
Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (Polish–Bolshevik War, Polish–Soviet War, Polish–Russian War 1919–1921) * russian: Советско-польская война (''Sovetsko-polskaya voyna'', Soviet-Polish War), Польский фронт (' ...
: A decisive Polish victory in the Battle of Komarów. * 1933 – The Integral Nationalist Group wins the 1933 Andorran parliamentary election, the first election in
Andorra , image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg , symbol_type = Coat of arms , national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...
held with
universal male suffrage Universal manhood suffrage is a form of voting rights in which all adult male citizens within a political system are allowed to vote, regardless of income, property, religion, race, or any other qualification. It is sometimes summarized by the slo ...
. * 1935 – In an attempt to stay out of the growing tensions concerning Germany and Japan, the United States passes the first of its Neutrality Acts. *
1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
Radio Prague, now the official
international broadcasting International broadcasting, in a limited extent, began during World War I, when German and British stations broadcast press communiqués using Morse code. With the severing of Germany's undersea cables, the wireless telegraph station in Nauen was t ...
station of the Czech Republic, goes on the air. *
1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
mounts a
false flag A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party. The term "false flag" originated in the 16th century as an expression meaning an intentional misr ...
attack on the Gleiwitz radio station, creating an excuse to attack Poland the following day, thus starting
World War II in Europe The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...
. * 1940Pennsylvania Central Airlines Trip 19 crashes near
Lovettsville, Virginia Lovettsville is a town in Loudoun County, located near the very northern tip of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. Settled primarily by German immigrants, the town was originally established in 1836. The population was 1,613 at the 2010 ...
. The CAB investigation of the accident is the first investigation to be conducted under the
Bureau of Air Commerce The Air Commerce Act of 1926 created an Aeronautic Branch of the United States Department of Commerce. Its functions included testing and licensing of pilots, certification of aircraft and investigation of accidents. In 1934, the Aeronautics Bran ...
act of 1938. *
1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
: Serbian paramilitary forces defeat Germans in the Battle of Loznica. *
1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...
– , the first U.S. Navy ship to be named after a black person, is commissioned. * 1949 – The retreat of the
Democratic Army of Greece The Democratic Army of Greece (DAG; el, Δημοκρατικός Στρατός Ελλάδας - ΔΣΕ, Dimokratikós Stratós Elládas - DSE) was the army founded by the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War (1946–1949). At ...
into
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
after its defeat on
Gramos Gramos ( sq, Gramoz, Mali i Gramozit; rup, Gramosta, Gramusta; el, Γράμος or Γράμμος) is a mountain range on the border of Albania and Greece. The mountain is part of the northern Pindus mountain range. Its highest peak, at the ...
mountain marks the end of the
Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος όλεμος ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom ...
. * 1950
TWA Flight 903 TWA Flight 903 was a regularly scheduled flight from Bombay International Airport, India to New York-Idlewild Airport, via Cairo-King Farouk Airport and Rome-Ciampino Airport. Flight ''The Star of Maryland'', a Lockheed L-749A Constellation ...
crashes near
Itay El Barud Itay El Barud is a city in Egypt. History Itay El Barud was mentioned by Amelino, Ibn Matti and Al-Zubaidi, and Ibn al-Jiyan mentioned it in the ninth century AH with the name (Atiyeh and its miniature), and its name is Coptic (Eiti) and it tu ...
, Egypt, killing all 55 aboard. *
1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...
– The
Federation of Malaya The Federation of Malaya ( ms, Persekutuan Tanah Melayu; Jawi script, Jawi: ) was a federation of what previously had been British Malaya comprising eleven states (nine Malay states and two of the British Empire, British Straits Settlements, P ...
(now
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
) gains its independence from the United Kingdom. *
1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
– A
parcel bomb A letter bomb, also called parcel bomb, mail bomb, package bomb, note bomb, message bomb, gift bomb, present bomb, delivery bomb, surprise bomb, postal bomb, or post bomb, is an explosive device sent via the mail, postal service, and designed ...
sent by
Ngô Đình Nhu Ngô Đình Nhu (; 7 October 19102 November 1963; baptismal name Jacob) was a Vietnamese archivist and politician. He was the younger brother and chief political advisor of South Vietnam's first president, Ngô Đình Diệm. Although he held ...
, younger brother and chief adviser of
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
ese President
Ngô Đình Diệm Ngô Đình Diệm ( or ; ; 3 January 1901 – 2 November 1963) was a South Vietnamese politician. He was the final prime minister of the State of Vietnam (1954–1955), and then served as the first president of South Vietnam (Republic of ...
, fails to kill King
Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; km, នរោត្តម សីហនុ, ; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a Cambodian statesman, Sangkum and FUNCINPEC politician, Norodom Sihanouk filmography, film director, and composer who led Cambodia in vari ...
of
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
. * 1962
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
becomes independent. *
1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
Crown Colony of North Borneo The Crown Colony of North Borneo was a British Crown colony on the island of Borneo established in 1946 shortly after the dissolution of the British Military Administration. The Crown Colony of Labuan joined the new Crown Colony during its fo ...
(now
Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...
) achieves
self governance __NOTOC__ Self-governance, self-government, or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any form o ...
. *
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
Aeroflot Flight 558 Aeroflot Flight 558 ( ''Reys 558 Aeroflota'') was a scheduled Ilyushin Il-18V domestic passenger flight from Karaganda to Moscow that crashed into a field in the Abzelilovsky District on 31 August 1972 as a result of a fire stemming from exploded ...
crashes in the
Abzelilovsky District Abzelilovsky District (russian: Абзели́ловский райо́н; ba, Әбйәлил районы, ''Äbyälil rayonı'') is an administrativeConstitution of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Article 64 and municipalLaw #126-z district ...
in
Bashkortostan The Republic of Bashkortostan or Bashkortostan ( ba, Башҡортостан Республикаһы, Bashqortostan Respublikahy; russian: Республика Башкортостан, Respublika Bashkortostan),; russian: Респу́блик ...
, Russia (then the Soviet Union), killing all 102 people aboard. *
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...
Aeroméxico Flight 498 Aeroméxico Flight 498 was a scheduled commercial flight from Mexico City, Mexico to Los Angeles, California, United States, with several intermediate stops. On Sunday, August 31, 1986, the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 operating the flight was clipped ...
collides with a
Piper PA-28 Cherokee The Piper PA-28 Cherokee is a family of two-seat or four-seat light aircraft built by Piper Aircraft and designed for flight training, air taxi and personal use.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', pages 62–64. Werner & Werner Corp, ...
over
Cerritos, California Cerritos (Spanish for "Little hills") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956. As of 20 ...
, killing 67 in the air and 15 on the ground. * 1986 – The
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
passenger liner sinks in the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
after colliding with the bulk carrier ''Pyotr Vasev'', killing 423. *
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
Thai Airways Flight 365 crashes into the ocean near
Ko Phuket A KO is a knockout in various sports, such as boxing and martial arts. K.O., Ko or Kō may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * KO (musician), Canadian musician who plays a fusion of hip hop and folk music * ''K.O.'' (album), a 202 ...
, Thailand, killing all 83 aboard. *
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight between Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas and Salt Lake City, Utah. On August 31, 1988, the flight, using a Boeing 727-200 series aircraft, crashed during takeoff, resulting in 14 deat ...
crashes during takeoff from
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport , also known as DFW Airport, is the primary international airport serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and the North Texas Region in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the largest hub for American Air ...
, killing 14. * 1988 –
CAAC Flight 301 CAAC Flight 301, a Hawker Siddeley Trident operated by CAAC Guangzhou Regional Administration (now China Southern Airlines) from Guangzhou Baiyun to Hong Kong Kai Tak, ran off the runway in Hong Kong on 31 August 1988 after clipping approach l ...
overshoots the runway at
Kai Tak Airport Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. Officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, it is often referred to as Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak, or simply Ka ...
and crashes into
Kowloon Bay Kowloon Bay is a body of water within Victoria Harbour and an area within Kowloon, Hong Kong. The bay is located at the east of the Kowloon Peninsula and north of Hong Kong Island. It is the eastern portion of Victoria Harbour, between ...
, killing seven people. *
1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...
declares its independence from the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. * 1993 – Russia completes removing its troops from
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
. *
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
– Russia completes removing its troops from
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
. * 1996
Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...
's troops seized Irbil after the Kurdish
Masoud Barzani Masoud Barzani ( ku, ,مه‌سعوود بارزانی, translit=Mesûd Barzanî}; born 16 August 1946) is a Kurdish politician who has been leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) since 1979, and was President of the Kurdistan Region o ...
appealed for help to defeat his Kurdish rival PUK. *
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
, her partner
Dodi Fayed Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Mena'em Fayed (; arz, عماد الدين محمد عبد المنعم الفايد, ʿImād ed-Dīn Muḥammad ʿAbd el-Munʿim el-Fāyid , 17 April 1955 – 31 August 1997), better known as Dodi Fayed ( ar, دودى ...
and driver
Henri Paul In the early hours of 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died from injuries sustained earlier that day in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France. Dodi Fayed, Diana's partner, and Henri Paul, their chauffeur, were foun ...
die in a car crash in Paris. * 1999 – The first of a series of
bombings A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanica ...
in Moscow kills one person and wounds 40 others. * 1999 – A LAPA
Boeing 737-200 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...
crashes during takeoff from Jorge Newbury Airport in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, killing 65, including two on the ground. *
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
Typhoon Rusa, the most powerful typhoon to hit South Korea in 43 years, made landfall, killing at least 236 people. *
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
– The 2005 Al-Aaimmah bridge stampede in
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
kills 953 people. *
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...
's famous painting ''
The Scream ''The Scream'' is a composition created by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch in 1893. The agonized face in the painting has become one of the most iconic images of art, seen as symbolizing the anxiety of the human condition. Munch's work, including ...
'', stolen on August 22, 2004, is recovered in a raid by Norwegian police. *
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
– Brazil's President
Dilma Rousseff Dilma Vana Rousseff (; born 14 December 1947) is a Brazilian economist and politician who served as the 36th president of Brazil, holding the position from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on 31 August 2016. She is the first w ...
is
impeached Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...
and removed from office. *
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
– A sightseeing helicopter crashes in the mountains of ,
Alta, Norway ( se, Áltá ; fkv, Alattio; fi, Alattio) is the most populated municipality in Finnmark in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Alta. Some of the main villages in the municipality in ...
, killing all 6 occupants.


Births


Pre-1600

* 12
Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...
, Roman emperor (d. 41) *
161 Year 161 ( CLXI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesar and Aurelius (or, less frequently, year 914 '' Ab urbe condi ...
Commodus Commodus (; 31 August 161 – 31 December 192) was a Roman emperor who ruled from 177 to 192. He served jointly with his father Marcus Aurelius from 176 until the latter's death in 180, and thereafter he reigned alone until his assassination. ...
, Roman emperor (d. 192) *
1018 Year 1018 (Roman numerals, MXVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * January 30 – The Peace of Bautzen: Emperor Henry II, Holy Roman Emp ...
Jeongjong II, Korean ruler (d. 1046) * 1168Zhang Zong, Chinese emperor (d. 1208) * 1542Isabella de' Medici, Italian princess (d. 1576) * 1569
Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...
, Mughal emperor (d. 1627)


1601–1900

* 1652Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga, Italian nobleman (d. 1708) * 1663
Guillaume Amontons Guillaume Amontons (31 August 1663 – 11 October 1705) was a French scientific instrument inventor and physicist. He was one of the pioneers in studying the problem of friction, which is the resistance to motion when bodies make contact. He is ...
, French physicist and instrument maker (d. 1705) *
1721 Events January–March * January 6 – The Committee of Inquiry on the collapse of the South Sea Company in Great Britain publishes its findings. * February 5 – James Stanhope, chief minister of Great Britain, dies a day after ...
George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol George William Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol (3 August 1721 – 18? or 20? March 1775), the eldest son of John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, by his marriage with Mary (1700–1768), daughter of Nicholas Lepell. Lord Bristol served for some ...
, English soldier and politician,
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the Kingdo ...
(d. 1775) *
1741 Events January–March * January 13 – Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township. * February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, popularizes the term "the balance of power" in a spe ...
Jean-Paul-Égide Martini Jean-Paul-Égide Martini, also known as Jean-Paul-Gilles Martini (31 August 1741 – 14 February 1816;) was a French composer of German birth during the classical period. He is best known today for the vocal romance "Plaisir d'amour," on w ...
, French composer and educator (d. 1816) * 1748
Jean-Étienne Despréaux Jean-Étienne Despréaux (31 August 1748 – 26 March 1820) was a French ballet dancer, choreographer, composer, singer and playwright. Biography The son of an oboist of the orchestra of the Académie royale de musique, he made here his débu ...
, French ballet dancer, choreographer, composer, and playwright (d. 1820) * 1767
Henry Joy McCracken Henry Joy McCracken (31 August 1767 – 17 July 1798) was an Irish republican, a leading member of the Society of the United Irishmen and a commander of their forces in the field in the Rebellion of 1798. In pursuit of an independent and democrat ...
, Irish businessman and activist, founded the
Society of United Irishmen The Society of United Irishmen was a sworn association in the Kingdom of Ireland formed in the wake of the French Revolution to secure "an equal representation of all the people" in a national government. Despairing of constitutional reform, ...
(d. 1798) *
1775 Events Summary The American Revolutionary War began this year, with the first military engagement being the April 19 Battles of Lexington and Concord on the day after Paul Revere's now-legendary ride. The Second Continental Congress t ...
Agnes Bulmer Agnes Bulmer (31 August 1775 – 20 August 1836) was an English poet. She is believed to have written the longest epic poem ever written by a woman. The piece, '' Messiah's Kingdom'', took over nine years to complete. Biography Early life Agne ...
, English poet and author (d. 1836) * 1797
Stephen Geary Stephen Geary (1797 – 28 August 1854) was a British architect, inventor, entrepreneur, and, from 1850, Temperance activist. Early life Geary was born in Dean's Yard, Westminster, London, on 31 August 1797. At the age of 13 he was apprentic ...
, English architect, inventor and entrepreneur (d. 1854) * 1802
Husein Gradaščević Husein Gradaščević (''Husein-kapetan'') (31 August 1802 – 17 August 1834) was a Bosnian military commander who later led a rebellion against the Ottoman government, seeking autonomy for Bosnia. Born into a Bosnian noble family, Gradaš ...
, Ottoman general (d. 1834) * 1821
Hermann von Helmholtz Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz (31 August 1821 – 8 September 1894) was a German physicist and physician who made significant contributions in several scientific fields, particularly hydrodynamic stability. The Helmholtz Association, ...
, German physician and physicist (d. 1894) * 1823Galusha A. Grow, American lawyer and politician, 28th
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the U. ...
(d. 1907) * 1834Amilcare Ponchielli, Italian composer and educator (d. 1886) *
1842 Events January–March * January ** Michael Alexander takes office, as the first appointee to the Anglican-German Bishopric in Jerusalem. ** American medical student William E. Clarke of Berkshire Medical College becomes the first pe ...
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin (August 31, 1842 – March 13, 1924) was an African-American publisher, journalist, civil rights leader, suffragist, and editor of the '' Woman's Era'', the first national newspaper published by and for African-Ameri ...
, American journalist, publisher, and activist (d. 1924) * 1843
Georg von Hertling Georg Friedrich Karl Freiherr von Hertling, from 1914 Count von Hertling, (31 August 1843 – 4 January 1919) was a German politician of the Catholic Centre Party. He was foreign minister and minister president of Bavaria, then chancellor of t ...
, German academic and politician, 7th
Chancellor of the German Empire The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the G ...
(d. 1919) * 1870
Maria Montessori Maria Tecla Artemisia Montessori ( , ; August 31, 1870 – May 6, 1952) was an Italian physician and educator best known for the philosophy of education that bears her name, and her writing on scientific pedagogy. At an early age, Montessori e ...
, Italian physician and educator (d. 1952) * 1871James E. Ferguson, American banker and politician, 26th
Governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, who ...
(d. 1944) * 1878Frank Jarvis, American sprinter and lawyer (d. 1933) * 1879
Alma Mahler Alma Maria Mahler Gropius Werfel (born Alma Margaretha Maria Schindler; 31 August 1879 – 11 December 1964) was an Austrian composer, author, editor, and socialite. At 15, she was mentored by Max Burckhard. Musically active from her early yea ...
, Austrian-American composer and author (d. 1964) * 1879 – Taishō, emperor of Japan (d. 1926) * 1880Wilhelmina, queen of the Netherlands (d. 1962) * 1884
George Sarton George Alfred Leon Sarton (; 31 August 1884 – 22 March 1956) was a Belgian-born American chemist and historian. He is considered the founder of the discipline of the history of science as an independent field of study. His most influential works ...
, Belgian-American historian of science (d. 1956) * 1885DuBose Heyward, American author and playwright (d. 1940) *
1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...
August Alle August Alle ( in Viljandi – 8 July 1952 in Tallinn) was an Estonian writer.Endel Nirk, Arthur Robert Hone, Oleg Mutt, ''Estonian Literature: Historical Survey with Biobibliographical Appendix'', Published by Perioodika, 1987, p215 Early life A ...
, Estonian poet and author (d. 1952) * 1890 –
Nätti-Jussi Juho Vihtori (Johan Viktor) Nätti (31 August 1890 – 4 August 1964), known as "Nätti-Jussi" (; English: "Pretty-John") was a Finnish forest laborer. The stories told by Nätti made him a legendary figure, particularly in Lapland. Nätti was ...
, Finnish lumberjack and forest laborer (d. 1964) *
1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...
Lily Laskine Lily Laskine (31 August 1893 in Paris – 4 January 1988 in Paris) was one of the most prominent harpists of the twentieth century. Born Lily Aimée Laskine to Jewish parents in Paris, she studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Alphonse Hassel ...
, French harp player (d. 1988) * 1894
Albert Facey Albert Barnett Facey (31 August 1894 – 11 February 1982), publishing as A.B. Facey was an Australian writer and World War I veteran, whose main work was his autobiography, ''A Fortunate Life'', now considered a classic of Australian literat ...
, Australian soldier and author (d. 1982) * 1896
Brian Edmund Baker Air Marshal Sir Brian Edmund Baker (31 August 1896 – 8 October 1979), was an officer of the Royal Air Force who served in both World Wars. He was a flying ace in World War I credited, in conjunction with his gunners, with twelve victories, c ...
, English Air Marshal (d. 1979) * 1896 –
Félix-Antoine Savard Félix-Antoine Savard, (August 31, 1896 – August 24, 1982) was a Canadian priest, academic, poet, novelist and folklorist. Born in Quebec City, he grew up in Chicoutimi, Quebec. He received a Bachelor of Arts in 1918 and was ordained a pri ...
, Canadian priest and author (d. 1982) * 1897
Fredric March Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated, versatile stars of the 1930s and 1940s.Obituary ''Variety'', April 16, 1975, p ...
, American actor (d. 1975) *
1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...
Gino Lucetti Gino Lucetti (31 August 1900 – 17 September 1943) was an Italian anarchist and anti-fascist who attempted to assassinate the dictator Benito Mussolini in 1926. After World War I he was involved in many clashes and political brawls during th ...
, Italian anarchist, attempted assassin of
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
(d. 1943)


1901–present

* 1902
Géza Révész Géza Révész (31 August 1902 – 22 January 1977) was a Hungarian military officer and politician, who served as Minister of Defence between 1957 and 1960. During the Hungarian Soviet Republic and the Second World War he fought in the Red Ar ...
, Hungarian general and politician, Hungarian Minister of Defence (d. 1977) * 1903
Arthur Godfrey Arthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname The Old Redhead. At the peak of his success, in the early-to-mid 1950s, Godf ...
, American radio and television host (d. 1983) * 1903 –
Vladimir Jankélévitch Vladimir Jankélévitch (; 31 August 1903 – 6 June 1985) was a French philosopher and musicologist. Biography Jankélévitch was the son of Russian Jewish parents, who had emigrated to France. In 1922 he started studying philosophy at the Éco ...
, French musicologist and philosopher (d. 1985) * 1905Robert Bacher, American physicist and academic (d. 2004) * 1905 – Sanford Meisner, American actor and educator (d. 1997) * 1907
Valter Biiber Valter Biiber (31 August 1907 in Narva — 8 September 1977 in Tallinn) was an Estonian football player. Career He played for KS Võitleja Narva, VS Sport Tallinn, Narva THK and Türi Spordiring. During his career he has made two appearances for ...
, Estonian footballer (d. 1977) * 1907 –
Augustus F. Hawkins Augustus Freeman Hawkins (August 31, 1907 – November 10, 2007) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served in the California State Assembly from 1935 to 1963 and the U.S. House Of Representatives from 1963 to 1991. Over the ...
, American lawyer and politician (d. 2007) * 1907 –
Ramon Magsaysay Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay Sr. (August 31, 1907 – March 17, 1957) was a Filipino statesman who served as the seventh president of the Philippines, from December 30, 1953, until his death in an aircraft disaster on March 17, 1957. An automo ...
, Filipino captain, engineer, and politician, 7th
President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...
(d. 1957) * 1907 –
William Shawn William Shawn ('' né'' Chon; August 31, 1907 – December 8, 1992) was an American magazine editor who edited ''The New Yorker'' from 1952 until 1987. Early life and education Shawn was born William Chon on August 31, 1907, in Chicago, Illino ...
, American journalist (d. 1992) * 1907 –
Altiero Spinelli Altiero Spinelli (31 August 1907 – 23 May 1986) was an Italian politician, political theorist and European federalist, referred to as one of the founding fathers of the European Union. A communist and militant anti-fascist in his youth, he spe ...
, Italian theorist and politician (d. 1986) * 1908
William Saroyan William Saroyan (; August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film ''The ...
, American novelist, playwright, and short story writer (d. 1981) *
1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Januar ...
Ferenc Fejtő, Hungarian-French journalist and political scientist (d. 2008) * 1911
Edward Brongersma Edward Brongersma (31 August 1911 in Haarlem, Netherlands – 22 April 1998 in Bloemendaal/ Overveen, Netherlands) was a Dutch politician and doctor of law. For a number of years he was a member of the Dutch Senate for the Labour Party, an ...
, Dutch journalist and politician (d. 1998) * 1911 –
Arsenio Rodríguez Arsenio Rodríguez (born Ignacio Arsenio Travieso Scull; 31 August 1911 – 30 December 1970)Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Diccionario enciclopédico de la música en Cuba''. La Habana, v. 4 p. 45 et seq. was a Cuban musician, composer and bandleader ...
, Cuban-American
tres Tres may refer to: * Tres (instrument), a Cuban musical instrument * Tres, Trentino, municipality in Italy * "Tres" (song) by Juanes * "Tres", a song by Líbido from their album ''Hembra'' * TrES, the ''Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey'' * Templi ...
player, composer, and bandleader (d. 1970) *
1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos (1913), Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not ven ...
Helen Levitt Helen Levitt (August 31, 1913 – March 29, 2009) was an American photographer and cinematographer. She was particularly noted for her street photography around New York City. David Levi Strauss described her as "the most celebrated and least ...
, American photographer and cinematographer (d. 2009) * 1913 – Bernard Lovell, English physicist and astronomer (d. 2012) *
1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...
Richard Basehart John Richard Basehart (August 31, 1914 – September 17, 1984) was an American actor. He starred as Admiral Harriman Nelson in the television science-fiction drama '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (1964–68). He also portrayed Wilton Knig ...
, American actor (d. 1984) *
1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...
Pete Newell Peter Francis Newell (August 31, 1915 – November 17, 2008) was an American college men's basketball coach and basketball instructional coach. He coached for 15 years at the University of San Francisco, Michigan State University, and the Univer ...
, American basketball player and coach (d. 2008) * 1916
Danny Litwhiler Daniel Webster Litwhiler (August 31, 1916 – September 23, 2011) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1940 to 1951 for the Boston Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelp ...
, American baseball player and coach (d. 2011) * 1916 –
Daniel Schorr Daniel Louis Schorr (August 31, 1916 – July 23, 2010) was an American journalist who covered world news for more than 60 years. He was most recently a Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio (NPR). Schorr won three Emmy Awards for his te ...
, American journalist and author (d. 2010) * 1916 – John S. Wold, American geologist and politician (d. 2017) * 1918
Alan Jay Lerner Alan Jay Lerner (August 31, 1918 – June 14, 1986) was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, and later Burton Lane, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre bot ...
, American songwriter and composer (d. 1986) *
1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...
Amrita Pritam Amrita Pritam (; 31 August 1919 – 31 October 2005) was an Indian novelist, essayist and poet, who wrote in Punjabi and Hindi. A prominent figure in Punjabi literature, she is the recipient of the 1956 Sahitya Akademi Award. Her body of wo ...
, Indian poet and author (d. 2005) *
1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...
Otis G. Pike Otis Grey Pike (August 31, 1921 – January 20, 2014) was an American lawyer and politician who served nine terms as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York from 1961 to 1979. Early life Pike was born in ...
, American judge and politician (d. 2014) * 1921 –
Raymond Williams Raymond Henry Williams (31 August 1921 – 26 January 1988) was a Welsh socialist writer, academic, novelist and critic influential within the New Left and in wider culture. His writings on politics, culture, the media and literature contribu ...
, Welsh author and academic (d. 1988) * 1924John Davidson, American physician and politician (d. 2012) * 1924 –
Buddy Hackett Buddy Hackett (born Leonard Hacker; August 31, 1924 – June 30, 2003) was an American actor, comedian and singer. His best remembered roles include Marcellus Washburn in ''The Music Man'' (1962), Benjy Benjamin in ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Wo ...
, American actor and singer (d. 2003) * 1924 –
Herbert Wise Herbert Wise (31 August 1924 – 5 August 2015) was an Austrian-born film and television producer and director. He was born as Herbert Weisz in Vienna, Austria, and began his career as a director at Shrewsbury Repertory Company in 1950. He was at ...
, Austrian-English director and producer (d. 2015) *
1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...
Moran Campbell, English-Canadian physician and academic, invented the
venturi mask The venturi mask, also known as an air-entrainment mask, is a medical device to deliver a known oxygen concentration to patients on controlled oxygen therapy. The mask was invented by Moran Campbell at McMaster University Medical School as a replac ...
(d. 2004) * 1925 –
Maurice Pialat Maurice Pialat (; 31 August 1925 – 11 January 2003) was a French film director, screenwriter and actor known for the rigorous and unsentimental style of his films. His work is often described as " realist",
, French actor and director (d. 2003) *
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...
James Coburn, American actor (d. 2002) * 1928 – Jaime Sin, Filipino cardinal (d. 2005) *
1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...
Big Tiny Little Dudley "Big Tiny" Little, Jr. (August 31, 1930 – March 3, 2010)
Thedeadrockstarsclub.com, accessed March 2010
wa ...
, American pianist (d. 2010) *
1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...
Jean Béliveau Joseph Jean Arthur Béliveau (August 31, 1931 – December 2, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played parts of 20 seasons with the National Hockey League's (NHL) Montreal Canadiens from 1950 to 1971. Inducted into the Ho ...
, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2014) * 1931 –
Noble Willingham Noble Henry Willingham, Jr. (August 31, 1931 – January 17, 2004) was an American television and film actor who appeared in more than thirty films and in many television shows, including a stint opposite Chuck Norris in ''Walker, Texas Ranger ...
, American actor (d. 2004) *
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
Allan Fotheringham Allan Fotheringham (August 31, 1932August 19, 2020) was a Canadian newspaper and magazine journalist. He styled himself Dr. Foth and "the Great Gatheringfroth". He was described as "never at a loss for words". Early life Fotheringham was born ...
, Canadian journalist (d. 2020) * 1932 –
Roy Castle Roy Castle (31 August 1932 – 2 September 1994) was an English dancer, singer, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician. In addition to being an accomplished jazz trumpet player, he could play many other instruments. Following a vers ...
, English dancer, singer, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician (d. 1994) * 1935
Eldridge Cleaver Leroy Eldridge Cleaver (August 31, 1935 – May 1, 1998) was an American writer and political activist who became an early leader of the Black Panther Party. In 1968, Cleaver wrote '' Soul on Ice'', a collection of essays that, at the time of i ...
, American activist and author (d. 1998) * 1935 –
Bryan Organ Bryan Organ (born 31 August 1935 in Leicester) is a British artist considered one of the leading and most innovative English portrait painters of the 20th century. His paintings have included portraits of prominent public figures and of members ...
, English painter * 1935 –
Frank Robinson Frank Robinson (August 31, 1935 – February 7, 2019) was an American professional baseball outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams, from to . The only player to be named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of bot ...
, American baseball player and manager (d. 2019) *
1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
Vladimir Orlov, Russian journalist and author (d. 2014) * 1937
Warren Berlinger Warren Berlinger (August 31, 1937 – December 2, 2020) was an American character actor, with Broadway runs, movie and television credits, and much work in commercials. Early life Warren Berlinger was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, ...
, American actor * 1937 – Bobby Parker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013) *
1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...
Martin Bell Martin Bell, (born 31 August 1938) is a British UNICEF (UNICEF UK) Ambassador, a former broadcast war reporter and former independent politician who became the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tatton from 1997 to 2001. He is sometimes known as " ...
, English journalist and politician *
1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...
Jerry Allison Jerry Ivan Allison (August 31, 1939 – August 22, 2022) was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the Crickets and co-writer of their hits "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue", recorded with Buddy Holly. His only solo chart entr ...
, American drummer and songwriter (d. 2022) * 1940
Robbie Basho Robbie Basho (born Daniel R. Robinson, Jr., August 31, 1940 – February 28, 1986) was an American acoustic guitarist, pianist and singer. Biography Basho was born in Baltimore, and was orphaned as an infant. Adopted by the Robinson family, ...
, American guitarist, pianist, and composer (d. 1986) * 1940 –
Wilton Felder Wilton Lewis Felder (August 31, 1940 – September 27, 2015) was an American saxophone and bass player, and is best known as a founding member of the Jazz Crusaders, later known as The Crusaders. Felder played bass on the Jackson 5's hits "I Wan ...
, American saxophonist and bass player (d. 2015) * 1940 –
Larry Hankin Larry Hankin (born ) is an American character actor, performer, director, comedian and producer. He is known for his major film roles as Charley Butts in '' Escape from Alcatraz'' (1979), Ace in '' Running Scared'' (1986), and Carl Alphonse in ...
, American actor, director, and producer * 1940 –
Roger Newman Roger Newman (31 August 1940 – 4 March 2010) was a British born- American soap opera actor and writer. He was born in London, and died in New York City. Newman began his career as a child in radio. He moved with his family to Montréal af ...
, English-American actor and screenwriter (d. 2010) * 1940 –
Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to: Sports * Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City * Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Brig ...
, Australian actor *
1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...
William DeWitt, Jr., American businessman * 1941 – Emmanuel Nunes, Portuguese-French composer and educator (d. 2012) *
1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...
Isao Aoki is a Japanese professional golfer. He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004. Career Aoki was born in Abiko, Chiba, Japan. He was introduced to golf while caddying at the Abiko Golf Club as a schoolboy. He turned professional in 196 ...
, Japanese golfer *
1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...
Leonid Ivashov Leonid Grigoryevich Ivashov (russian: Леонид Григорьевич Ивашов; born 31 August 1943) is a Russian military and public official. He is a former President of the Academy for Geopolitical Problems and a retired Colonel-Genera ...
, Russian general *
1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...
Roger Dean, English illustrator and publisher * 1944 –
Liz Forgan Dame Elizabeth Anne Lucy Forgan, DBE (born 31 August 1944) is an English journalist, and radio and television executive. Early life Forgan was educated at Benenden School, Kent, and St Hugh's College, Oxford, then an all-female college. She ini ...
, English journalist * 1944 – Christine King, English historian and academic * 1944 –
Clive Lloyd Sir Clive Hubert Lloyd (born 31 August 1944) is a Guyanese-British former cricketer who played for the West Indies cricket team. As a boy he went to Chatham High School in Georgetown. At the age of 14 he was captain of his school cricket team ...
, Guyanese cricketer *
1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...
Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...
, Northern Irish singer-songwriter * 1945 – Itzhak Perlman, Israeli-American violinist and conductor * 1945 – Bob Welch, American singer and guitarist (d. 2012) *
1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...
Ann Coffey Margaret Ann Coffey (''née'' Brown; born 31 August 1946) is a British politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Stockport from 1992 to 2019. A former member of the Labour Party, she defected to form Change UK. Coffey resigned from th ...
, Scottish social worker and politician * 1946 –
Jerome Corsi Jerome Robert Corsi (born August 31, 1946) is an American politcal scientist and author critical of the left wing. His two ''New York Times'' best-selling books, '' Unfit for Command'' (2004) and ''The Obama Nation'' (2008), attacked Democrat ...
, American conspiracy theorist and author * 1946 –
Tom Coughlin Thomas Richard Coughlin ( ; born August 31, 1946) is a former American football coach and executive. He was the head coach for the New York Giants from 2004 to 2015. He led the Giants to victory in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI, both time ...
, American football player and coach *
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo Luca Cordero di Montezemolo (; born 31 August 1947) is an Italian businessman, former Chairman of Ferrari, and formerly Chairman of Fiat S.p.A. and President of Confindustria and FIEG. He comes from an aristocratic family from the region of Piedmo ...
, Italian businessman * 1947 – Yumiko Ōshima, Japanese author and illustrator * 1947 –
Somchai Wongsawat Somchai Wongsawat ( th, สมชาย วงศ์สวัสดิ์, ; born 31 August 1947) is a Thai politician who was the prime minister of Thailand in 2008 and a former executive member of the People's Power Party (Thailand), People ...
, Thai lawyer and politician, 26th
Prime Minister of Thailand The prime minister of Thailand ( th, นายกรัฐมนตรี, , ; literally 'chief minister of state') is the head of government of Thailand. The prime minister is also the chair of the Cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed si ...
* 1948Harald Ertl, Austrian race car driver and journalist (d. 1982) * 1948 –
Lowell Ganz Lowell Ganz (born August 31, 1948 in New York City) is an American screenwriter, television writer, and television producer. He is the long-time writing partner of Babaloo Mandel. Ganz grew up in Queens, New York, attending Martin Van Buren High ...
, American screenwriter and producer * 1948 – Ken McMullen, English director, producer, and screenwriter * 1948 –
Holger Osieck Holger Osieck (born 31 August 1948) is a German football manager who last managed the Australia national team. Prior to the Australian role, he most recently managed J. League club Urawa Red Diamonds, where he won the 2007 AFC Champions League ...
, German footballer and manager * 1948 –
Rudolf Schenker Rudolf Schenker (born 31 August 1948) is a German guitarist and founder of the hard rock band Scorpions. He is the rhythm guitarist, primary songwriter and longest-serving original member of the band. He is also the CEO/owner-manager of the Sco ...
, German guitarist and songwriter * 1949
Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...
, American actor and producer * 1949 –
Hugh David Politzer Hugh David Politzer (; born August 31, 1949) is an American theoretical physicist and the Richard Chace Tolman Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology. He shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics with David Gro ...
, American physicist and academic,
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
laureate * 1949 – Rick Roberts, American country-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist *
1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...
Grant Batty Grant Bernard Batty (born 31 August 1951 in Greytown, New Zealand) is a former rugby union footballer. A diminutive but effective wing for the All Blacks, Batty played domestically for Wellington and Bay of Plenty. After retiring, he coached Ya ...
, New Zealand rugby player * 1951 – Sirje Tamul, Estonian historian, author, and academic * 1952
Kim Kashkashian Kim Kashkashian (born August 31, 1952) is an American violist. She is recognized as one of the world's top violists. She has spent her career in the US and Europe and collaborated with many major contemporary composers. In 2013 she won a Grammy ...
, American viola player and educator * 1952 –
Herbert Reul Herbert Reul (born, 31 August 1952) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who has been serving as State Minister for Internal Affairs in the government of successive Ministers-President Armin Laschet (2017–2021) and He ...
, German politician * 1953
Miguel Ángel Guerra Miguel Ángel Guerra (born 31 August 1953 in Buenos Aires) is a former racing driver from Argentina. He participated in four Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 15 March 1981. He qualified for only one of these, the 1981 San Marino Grand Prix, ...
, Argentinian race car driver * 1953 – György Károly, Hungarian poet and author (d. 2018) * 1953 –
Pavel Vinogradov Pavel Vladimirovich Vinogradov (russian: Павел Владимирович Виноградов; born 31 August 1953 in Magadan, USSR) is a cosmonaut and former commander of the International Space Station. As of January 2023, he has flown in ...
, Russian astronaut and engineer *
1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
Julie Brown Julie Ann Brown (born August 31, 1958) is an American actress, comedian, screen/television writer, singer-songwriter, and television director. Brown is known for her work in the 1980s, where she often played a quintessential valley girl charac ...
, American actress and screenwriter *
1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
Aleksander Krupa Aleksander Krupa (born 18 March 1947), often credited as Olek Krupa, is a Polish actor, active in film and television roles and best known for playing villains and/or criminals, such as in ''Eraser'', ''Blue Streak'', ''Home Alone 3'' as Peter B ...
, Polish-American actor * 1955 –
Julie Maxton Dame Julie Katharine Maxton (born 31 August 1955) is a British barrister, legal scholar, and academic administrator. Since 2011, she has been executive director of the Royal Society. She spent most of her career working at the University of A ...
, Scottish lawyer and academic * 1955 –
Edwin Moses Edwin Corley Moses (born August 31, 1955) is an American former track and field athlete who won gold medals in the 400 m hurdles at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics. Between 1977 and 1987, Moses won 107 consecutive finals (122 consecutive races) and ...
, American hurdler * 1955 –
Anthony Thistlethwaite Anthony "Anto" Thistlethwaite (born 31 August 1955, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, England) is a British multi-instrumentalist best known as a founding member (with guitarist Mike Scott) of the folk rock group, The Waterboys and later as a long ...
, English saxophonist and bass player * 1955 –
Gary Webb Gary Stephen Webb (August 31, 1955 – December 10, 2004) was an American investigative journalist. He began his career working for newspapers in Kentucky and Ohio, winning numerous awards, and building a strong reputation for investigative ...
, American journalist and author (d. 2004) * 1956Mária Balážová, Slovak painter and illustrator * 1956 –
Masashi Tashiro (born August 31, 1956) is a Japanese former television performer and a founding member of the band Rats & Star. Tashiro was a tenor singer for Rats & Star and later made a name for himself as a TV entertainer in Japan. He also directed a movie ...
, Japanese singer, actor, and director * 1956 –
Tsai Ing-wen Tsai Ing-wen (; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician serving as president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) since 2016. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Tsai is the first female president of Taiwan. She served as ...
, Taiwanese politician and the
President of the Republic of China The president of the Republic of China, now often referred to as the president of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Republic of China (ROC), as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces. The position once had aut ...
*
1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...
Colm O'Rourke Colm O'Rourke (born 31 August 1957) is a Gaelic football manager, former player, retired secondary school principal, sports broadcaster and columnist. He has been manager of the Meath county team since 2022. O'Rourke's league and championship ...
, Irish footballer and sportscaster * 1957 –
Gina Schock Regina Ann Schock (born August 31, 1957) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band The Go-Go's. Schock was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October 2021 as a member of The Go-Go's. Career Schock's ...
, American drummer * 1957 –
Glenn Tilbrook Glenn Martin Tilbrook (born 31 August 1957) is the lead singer and guitarist of the English band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid-1970s who broke through in the new wave era at the decade's end. He generally wrote the music for Squeeze's son ...
, English singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1958
Serge Blanco Serge Blanco (born 31 August 1958) is a former rugby union footballer who played fullback for Biarritz Olympique and the French national side, gaining 93 caps, 81 of them at fullback. His alternative position was wing. He was generally nicknamed ...
, Venezuelan-French rugby player and businessman * 1958 – Stephen Cottrell, English bishop *
1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
– Ralph Krueger, Canadian ice hockey player and coach * 1959 – Jessica Upshaw, American lawyer and politician (d. 2013) *1960 – Vali Ionescu, Romanian long jumper * 1960 – Chris Whitley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005) * 1960 – Hassan Nasrallah, Lebanese politician, 3rd Secretary-General of Hezbollah *1961 – Kieran Crowley, New Zealand rugby player * 1961 – Magnus Ilmjärv, Estonian historian and author * 1962 – Dee Bradley Baker, American voice actor *
1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
– Reb Beach, American guitarist * 1963 – Rituparno Ghosh, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2013) * 1963 – Sonny Silooy, Dutch footballer and manager *1964 – Raymond P. Hammond, American poet and critic *1965 – Zsolt Borkai, Hungarian gymnast and politician * 1965 – Susan Gritton, English soprano and actress *1966 – Lyuboslav Penev, Bulgarian footballer and manager *1967 – Gene Hoglan, American drummer * 1967 – Anita Moen, Norwegian skier *1968 – Valdon Dowiyogo, Nauruan politician (d. 2016) * 1968 – Hideo Nomo, Japanese-American baseball player * 1968 – Jolene Watanabe, American tennis player (d. 2019) *1969 – Nathalie Bouvier, French skier * 1969 – Jonathan LaPaglia, Australian actor and physician * 1969 – Javagal Srinath, Indian cricketer and referee *1970 – Debbie Gibson, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress * 1970 – Nikola Gruevski, Macedonian economist and politician, 6th Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia * 1970 – Greg Mulholland, English politician * 1970 – Queen Rania of Jordan * 1970 – Arie van Lent, Dutch-German footballer and manager * 1970 – Zack Ward, Canadian actor and producer *1971 – Kirstie Allsopp, British TV presenter * 1971 – Pádraig Harrington, Irish golfer * 1971 – Vadim Repin, Belgian-Russian violinist * 1971 – Chris Tucker, American comedian and actor *1973 – Scott Niedermayer, Canadian ice hockey player and coach *1974 – Andriy Medvedev, Ukrainian-Monégasque tennis player *1975 – Craig Cumming, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster * 1975 – John Grahame, American ice hockey player and coach * 1975 – Sara Ramirez, Mexican musician *1976 – Vincent Delerm, French singer-songwriter and pianist * 1976 – Roque Júnior, Brazilian footballer and manager * 1976 – Radek Martínek, Czech ice hockey player *1977 – Jeff Hardy, American wrestler and singer * 1977 – Ian Harte, Irish footballer * 1977 – Craig Nicholls, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1977 – Arzu Yanardağ, Turkish actress and model *1978 – Philippe Christanval, French footballer * 1978 – Ido Pariente, Israeli mixed martial artist and trainer * 1978 – Craig Stapleton (rugby league), Craig Stapleton, Australian rugby league player * 1978 – Sandis Valters, Latvian basketball player * 1978 – Morten Qvenild, Norwegian pianist and composer *1979 – Clay Hensley, American baseball player * 1979 – Mark Johnston (swimmer), Mark Johnston, Canadian swimmer * 1979 – Simon Neil, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer * 1979 – Yuvan Shankar Raja, Indian Tamils, Tamil singer-songwriter and producer * 1979 – Ramón Santiago, Dominican baseball player * 1979 – Mickie James, American wrestler *1980 – Joe Budden, American rapper *1981 – Ahmad Al Harthy, Omani race car driver * 1981 – Dwayne Peel, Welsh rugby player * 1981 – Steve Saviano, American ice hockey player *1982 – Ian Crocker, American swimmer * 1982 – Chris Duhon, American basketball player * 1982 – Lien Huyghebaert, Belgian sprinter * 1982 – Christopher Katongo, Zambian footballer * 1982 – Josh Kroeger, American baseball player * 1982 – Alexei Mikhnov, Ukrainian-Russian ice hockey player * 1982 – Pepe Reina, Spanish footballer * 1982 – Michele Rugolo, Italian race car driver * 1982 – G. Willow Wilson, American journalist and author *1983 – Deniz Aydoğdu, German-Turkish footballer * 1983 – Milan Biševac, Serbian footballer * 1983 – Larry Fitzgerald, American football player *1984 – Matti Breschel, Danish cyclist * 1984 – Ryan Kesler, American ice hockey player * 1984 – Ted Ligety, American skier * 1984 – Charl Schwartzel, South African golfer *1985 – Rolando (footballer), Rolando, Portuguese footballer * 1985 – Andrew Foster (footballer), Andrew Foster, Australian footballer * 1985 – Mabel Matiz, Turkish singer * 1985 – Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia *
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
– Xavi Annunziata, Spanish footballer * 1987 – Petros Kravaritis, Greek footballer * 1987 – Ondřej Pavelec, Czech ice hockey player *
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
– Trent Hodkinson, Australian rugby league player * 1988 – David Ospina, Colombian footballer * 1988 – Ember Moon, Professional Wrestler *1989 – Dezmon Briscoe, American football player *1990 – Tadeja Majerič, Slovenian tennis player *
1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
– António Félix da Costa, Portuguese race car driver * 1991 – Cédric Soares, Portuguese footballer *1992 – Holly Earl, British actress * 1992 – Tyler Randell (rugby league), Tyler Randell, Australian rugby league player * 1993 – Pablo Marí, Spanish football player * 1993 – Ilnur Alshin, Russian football player * 1993 – Anna Karnaukh, Russian water polo player *
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
– Alex Harris (footballer), Alex Harris, Scottish footballer * 1994 – Can Aktav, Turkish football player *2001 – Amanda Anisimova, American tennis player


Deaths


Pre-1600

* 318 – Liu Cong (Han Zhao), Liu Cong, emperor of the Xiongnu state * 577 – John Scholasticus, Byzantine patriarch and saint * 651 – Aidan of Lindisfarne, Irish bishop and saint * 731 – Ōtomo no Tabito, Japanese poet (b. 665) * 894 – Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Ta'i, Muslim governor *1054 – Kunigunde of Altdorf, Frankish noblewoman (b. c. 1020) * 1056 – Theodora (11th century), Theodora, Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire (b. 981) *1158 – Sancho III of Castile (b. 1134) *1234 – Emperor Go-Horikawa of Japan (b. 1212) *1287 – Konrad von Würzburg, German poet *1324 – Henry II of Jerusalem (b. 1271) *1372 – Ralph de Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford, English soldier (b. 1301) * 1422
Henry V of England Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the ...
(b. 1386) *1450 – Isabella of Navarre, Countess of Armagnac (b. 1395) *1502 – Thomas Wode, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas *1528 – Matthias Grünewald, German artist (b. 1470)


1601–1900

*1645 – Francesco Bracciolini, Italian poet (b. 1566) *1654 – Ole Worm, Danish physician and historian (b. 1588) *1688 – John Bunyan, English preacher, theologian, and author (b. 1628) *1730 – Gottfried Finger, Czech-German viol player and composer (b. 1660) *
1741 Events January–March * January 13 – Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township. * February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, popularizes the term "the balance of power" in a spe ...
– Johann Gottlieb Heineccius, German academic and jurist (b. 1681) *1772 – William Borlase, English geologist and historian (b. 1695) * 1795 – François-André Danican Philidor, French-English chess player and composer (b. 1726) *1799 – Nicolas-Henri Jardin, French architect and academic, designed the Bernstorff Palace and Marienlyst Castle (b. 1720) *1811 – Louis Antoine de Bougainville, French admiral and explorer (b. 1729) *1814 – Arthur Phillip, English admiral and politician, 1st Governor of New South Wales (b. 1738) *1817 – Sir John Duckworth, 1st Baronet, English admiral and politician, 39th List of lieutenant governors of Newfoundland and Labrador, Commodore Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1747) *1818 – Robert Calder, Scottish admiral (b. 1745) *1858 – Chief Oshkosh, Menominee chief (b. 1795) *1867 – Charles Baudelaire, French poet and critic (b. 1821) *1869 – Mary Ward (scientist), Mary Ward, Irish astronomer and entomologist (b. 1827) * 1884 – Robert Richard Torrens, Robert Torrens, Irish-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of South Australia (b. 1814)


1901–present

* 1908 – Leslie Green, English architect (b. 1875) *1910 – Emīls Dārziņš, Latvian composer, conductor, and music critic (b. 1875) *1912 – Jean, duc Decazes, French sailor (b. 1864) * 1920 – Wilhelm Wundt, German physician, psychologist, and philosopher (b. 1832) * 1924 – Todor Aleksandrov, Bulgarian soldier (b. 1881) *1927 – Andranik, Armenian general (b. 1865) * 1937 – Ruth Baldwin (died 1937), Ruth Baldwin, British socialite (b. 1905) * 1940 – Georges Gauthier, Canadian archbishop (b. 1871) *
1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...
– Thomas Bavin, New Zealand-Australian politician, 24th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1874) * 1941 – Marina Tsvetaeva, Russian poet and author (b. 1892) * 1948 – Andrei Zhdanov, Russian civil servant and politician (b. 1896) *
1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...
– Paul Demel, Czech actor (b. 1903) * 1952 – Henri Bourassa, Canadian publisher and politician (b. 1868) *
1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
– Elsa Barker, American author and poet (b. 1869) *
1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
– Georges Braque, French painter and sculptor (b. 1882) *1965 – E. E. Smith, American engineer and author (b. 1890) *1967 – Ilya Ehrenburg, Russian journalist and author (b. 1891) *1968 – John Hartle, English motorcycle racer (b. 1933) *1969 – Rocky Marciano, American boxer (b. 1923) *1973 – John Ford, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1894) *1974 – William Pershing Benedict, American soldier and pilot (b. 1918) * 1974 – Norman Kirk, New Zealand engineer and politician, 29th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1923) *1978 – John Wrathall, Rhodesian accountant and politician, 2nd President of Rhodesia (b. 1913) *1979 – Sally Rand, American actress and dancer (b. 1904) * 1979 – Tiger Smith, English cricketer and coach (b. 1886) *1984 – Audrey Wagner, American baseball player, obstetrician, and gynecologist (b. 1927) *1985 – Frank Macfarlane Burnet, Australian virologist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899) *
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...
– Elizabeth Coatsworth, American author and poet (b. 1893) * 1986 – Urho Kekkonen, Finnish journalist, lawyer, and politician, 8th President of Finland (b. 1900) * 1986 – Henry Moore, English sculptor and illustrator (b. 1898) *1990 – Nathaniel Clifton, American basketball player and coach (b. 1922) *
1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
– Cliff Lumsdon, Canadian swimmer and coach (b. 1931) *
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
(b. 1961) * 1997 –
Dodi Fayed Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Mena'em Fayed (; arz, عماد الدين محمد عبد المنعم الفايد, ʿImād ed-Dīn Muḥammad ʿAbd el-Munʿim el-Fāyid , 17 April 1955 – 31 August 1997), better known as Dodi Fayed ( ar, دودى ...
, Egyptian film producer (b. 1955) *2000 – Lucille Fletcher, American screenwriter (b. 1912) * 2000 – Dolores Moore, American baseball player and educator (b. 1932) *
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
– Lionel Hampton, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1908) * 2002 – Farhad Mehrad, Persian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and pianist (b. 1944) * 2002 – George Porter, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1920) *
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
– Joseph Rotblat, Polish-English physicist and academic, Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908) *
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
– Mohamed Abdelwahab, Egyptian footballer (b. 1983) * 2006 – Tom Delaney (racing driver), Tom Delaney, English race car driver and businessman (b. 1911) *2007 – Gay Brewer, American golfer (b. 1932) * 2007 – Jean Jacques Paradis, Canadian general (b. 1928) * 2007 – Sulev Vahtre, Estonian historian and academic (b. 1926) *2008 – Ken Campbell, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1941) * 2008 – Ike Pappas, American journalist (b. 1933) * 2008 – Victor Yates (rugby), Victor Yates, New Zealand rugby player (b. 1939) *2010 – Laurent Fignon, French cyclist (b. 1960) *2011 – Wade Belak, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1976) *2012 – Max Bygraves, English actor (b. 1922) * 2012 – Joe Lewis (martial artist), Joe Lewis, American martial artist and actor (b. 1944) * 2012 – Carlo Maria Martini, Italian cardinal (b. 1927) * 2012 – Kashiram Rana, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1938) * 2012 – John C. Shabaz, American judge and politician (b. 1931) * 2012 – Sergey Sokolov (commander), Sergey Sokolov, Russian commander and politician, 6th Minister of Defence (Soviet Union), Minister of Defence for The Soviet Union (b. 1911) *2013 – Alan Carrington, English chemist and academic (b. 1934) * 2013 – David Frost, English journalist and game show host (b. 1939) * 2013 – Jimmy Greenhalgh, English footballer and manager (b. 1923) * 2013 – Jan Camiel Willems, Belgian mathematician and theorist (b. 1939) *2014 – Bapu (director), Bapu, Indian director and screenwriter (b. 1933) * 2014 – Ștefan Andrei, Romanian politician, 87th Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Romania), Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1931) * 2014 – Stan Goldberg, American illustrator (b. 1932) * 2014 – Carol Vadnais, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1945) *2015 – Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, English politician, founded the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, National Motor Museum (b. 1926) * 2015 – Tom Scott (linebacker), Tom Scott, American football player (b. 1930) *2018 – Carole Shelley, British-American actress (b. 1939) * 2018 – Jennifer Ramírez Rivero, Venezuelan model and businesswoman (b. 1978) *
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
– Anthoine Hubert, French race car driver (b. 1996) * 2019 – Alec Holowka, Canadian game developer (b. 1983) *2020 – Pranab Mukherjee, Former President of India (b. 1935) * 2020 – Tom Seaver, American baseball player (b. 1944) *2021 – Mahal (actress), Mahal, Filipino comedian and actress (b. 1974) * 2021 – Francesco Morini, Italian footballer (b. 1944) * 2021 – Michael Constantine, Greek-American actor (b. 1927) * 2021 – Geronimo (alpaca), Geronimo, British alpaca (b. 2013)


Holidays and observances

* Baloch-Pakhtun Unity Day (Baloch people, Balochs and Pashtuns, International observance) * Christian feast day: ** Aidan of Lindisfarne ** Aristides of Athens ** Cuthburh ** Dominguito del Val ** Joseph of Arimathea ** Nicodemus ** Paulinus of Trier ** Raymond Nonnatus ** Wala of Corbie ** Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria ** August 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) * Day of Solidarity and Freedom (Poland) * Independence Day (Kyrgyzstan), Independence Day, celebrates the independence of
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...
from the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
in 1991. * Independence Day (Malaysia), Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Federation of Malaya, Malaya from the United Kingdom in 1957. * Public holidays in Trinidad and Tobago, Independence Day, celebrates the independence of
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
from the United Kingdom in 1962. * Romanian Language Day (Romania) ** Limba noastră (public holiday), Our Language (Moldova) * North Borneo Self-government Day (
Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...
, Borneo)


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:August 31 Days of the year August