May 31 in recent years
2009 (Sunday)
2008 (Saturday)
2007 (Thursday)
2006 (Wednesday)
2005 (Tuesday)
2004 (Monday)
2003 (Saturday)
2002 (Friday)
2001 (Thursday)
2000 (Wednesday)
May 31 leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are 213 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events [ ] 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great) (19th dynasty) becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt .1223 - Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River - Mongol armies of Genghis Khan lead by Subutai defeat Kievan Rus and Cumans .1578 - Martin Frobisher sails from Harwich , England to Frobisher Bay , Canada , eventually to mine fool's gold , used to pave streets in London .1669 - Citing poor eyesight, Samuel Pepys records the last event in his diary .1678 - The Godiva procession through Coventry begins.1759 - The Province of Pennsylvania bans all theater productions.1775 - American Revolutionary War : The Mecklenburg Resolutions adopted urging the American Colonies to declare independence from Great Britain .1790 - Alferez Manuel Quimper explores the Strait of Juan de Fuca .1790 - The United States enacts its first copyright statute , the Copyright Act of 1790 .
1813 - In Australia , Lawson , Blaxland and Wentworth , reached Mount Blaxland, effectively marking the end of a route across the Blue Mountains .1862 - American Civil War Peninsula Campaign : Battle of Seven Pines or (Battle of Fair Oaks) - Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston & G. W. Smith engage Union forces under George B. McClellan outside Richmond, Virginia.1864 - American Civil War Overland Campaign : Battle of Cold Harbor - The Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee engages the Army of the Potomac under Ulysses S. Grant & George G. Meade .1866 - In the Fenian Invasion of Canada , John O'Neill leads 850 Fenian raiders across the Niagara River at Buffalo /Fort Erie , as part of an effort to free Ireland from the English . Canadian militia and British regulars repulse the invaders in over the next three days, at a cost of 9 dead and 38 wounded to the Fenian 's 19 dead and about 17 wounded.1884 - John Harvey Kellogg patents corn flakes .1889 - Johnstown Flood : Over 2,200 people die after a dam break sends a 60-foot (18-meter) wall of water over the town of Johnstown .1902 - Second Boer War : The Treaty of Vereeniging ends the war and ensures British control of South Africa .1910 - Creation of the Union of South Africa .1911 - R.M.S. Titanic launched.1916 - World War I : Battle of Jutland - The British Grand Fleet under the command of Sir John Jellicoe & Sir David Beatty engage the Kaiserliche Marine under the command of Reinhard Scheer & Franz von Hipper in the largest naval battle of the war, which proves indecisive.1921 - Tulsa Race Riot : A civil unrest in Tulsa , USA , the official death toll is 39, but recent investigations suggest the actual toll may be much higher.1921 - Comedian Buster Keaton marries actress Natalie Talmadge .
1924 - The Soviet Union signs an agreement with the Peking government, referring to Outer Mongolia as an "integral part of the Republic of China ", whose "sovereignty" therein the Soviet Union promises to respect.1927 - The last Ford Model T rolls off the assembly line after a production run of 15,007,003 vehicles.1931 - 7.1 magnitude Earthquake destroys Quetta in modern-day Pakistan : 40,000 dead.1942 - World War II : Imperial Japanese Navy midget submarines begin a series of attacks on Sydney , Australia .1952 - Dwight D. Eisenhower retires from active service in the United States Army .1961 - Republic of South Africa created.1962 - The West Indies Federation dissolves.1970 - The Ancash earthquake causes a landslide that buries the town of Yungay ; more than 47,000 people are killed.1971 - In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1968 , observation of Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday in May for the first time, rather than on the traditional Memorial Day of May 30 .1973 - The United States Senate votes to cut off funding for the bombing of Khmer Rouge targets within Cambodia , hastening the end of the Cambodian Civil War .1977 - The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System completed.1985 - United States-Canadian Outbreak : Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio , Pennsylvania , New York , and Ontario , leaving 76 dead.1985 - Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) became a Schedule I drug in the United States.
1987 - Athena 98.4 FM , the first legal private radio station starts broadcasting in Greece .1990 - The pilot episode of Seinfeld premieres.1991 - "These Are the Days of Our Lives ", the last Queen video with Freddie Mercury , is shot.1997 - The Confederation Bridge opens, linking Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick .2002 - The United States Secretary of the Navy issued Instruction 10520.6 directing all United States Navy ships to fly the First Navy Jack in honor of those killed in the September 11 . The ensign will be flown for the duration of the War on Terrorism .
2002 - A series of major storms blew through Western Pennsylvania, killing 1 person when the Whip pavilion at Kennywood collapses.
2003 - 1996 Atlanta Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph is captured in Murphy .2004 - A foul-up during routine software update at the Royal Bank of Canada leads to a three-day misplacement of 10 million account balances.2005 - W. Mark Felt admits in the magazine Vanity Fair Deep Throat in the Watergate scandal .Births [ ] 1048 - Omar Khayyám , Persian philosopher (d. 1131 )1443 - Lady Margaret Beaufort , mother of Henry VII of England (d. 1509 )1469 - Manuel I of Portugal (d. 1521 )1522 - Guido de Bres , Belgian theologian (d. 1587 )1535 - Alessandro Allori , Italian painter (d. 1607 )1557 - Feodor I of Russia (d. 1598 )1613 - John George II (d. 1680 )1640 - Michał Wiśniowiecki (d. 1673 )1656 - Marin Marais , French composer (d. 1728 )1753 - Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud , French revolutionary (d. 1793 )1754 - Andrea Appiani , Italian painter (d. 1817 )1773 - Ludwig Tieck , German writer (d. 1853 )1801 - Johann Georg Baiter , Swiss philologist (d. 1887 )1819 - Walt Whitman , American poet (d. 1892 )1838 - Henry Sidgwick , English philosopher (d. 1900 )1852 - Francisco Moreno , Argentine explorer (d. 1919 )1857 - Pope Pius XI (d. 1939 )1860 - Walter Sickert , English painter (d. 1942 )1863 - Francis Younghusband , British explorer (d. 1942 )1872 - Heath Robinson , English cartoonist (d. 1944 )1882 - Sándor Graf Festetics , Hungarian politician (d. 1956 )1883 - Lauri Kristian Relander , 2nd President of Finland (d. 1942 )1885 - Alois Hudal , bishop, helped Nazis escape trial (d. 1963 )1887 - Saint-John Perse , French diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975 )1892 - Michel Kikoine , Belarus painter (d. 1968 )1892 - Konstantin Georgiyevich Paustovsky , Russian writer (d. 1968 )
1894 - Fred Allen , American comedian (d. 1956 )1898 - Dr. Norman Vincent Peale , American clergyman (d. 1993 )1901 - Alfredo Antonini , American conductor and composer (d. 1983 )1905 - Florence Desmond , English actress and comedian (d. 1993 )1908 - Don Ameche , American actor (d. 1993 )1908 - Nils Poppe , Swedish actor (d. 2000 )
1909 - Aurore Gagnon , French Canadian victim of child abuse (d. 1920 )1911 - Maurice Allais , French economist, Nobel Prize laureate 1912 - Alfred Deller , English countertenor (d. 1979 )1916 - Bert Haanstra , Dutch filmmaker (d. 1997 )1921 - Alida Valli , Italian actress (d. 2006 )1922 - Denholm Elliott , English actor (d. 1992 )1923 - Rainier III (d. 2005 )1930 - Clint Eastwood , American film director and actor1931 - John Robert Schrieffer , American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate 1931 - Shirley Verrett , American soprano
1932 - Jay Miner , American microchip designer (d. 1994 )1935 - Jim Bolger , 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand 1938 - Johnny Paycheck , American singer (d. 2003 )1938 - John Prescott , Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
1938 - Peter Yarrow , American folk singer (Peter )
1939 - Terry Waite , British humanitarian1940 - Gilbert Shelton , American underground comics illustrator (Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers , Fat Freddy's Cat )1941 - Louis J. Ignarro , American pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate 1943 - Sharon Gless , American actress1943 - Joe Namath , American football player
1945 - Rainer Werner Fassbinder , German film director (d. 1982 )1946 - Ted Baehr , American media critic1948 - John Bonham , British musician (Led Zeppelin ) (d. 1980 )1949 - Tom Berenger , American actor1949 - Nancy Shade , American soprano
1950 - Gregory Harrison , American television actor1952 - Karl Bartos , German musician (Kraftwerk , Electronic )1953 - Pirkka-Pekka Petelius , Finnish actor1954 - Vicki Sue Robinson , American singer (d. 2000 )1954 - Thomas Mavros , Greek footballer
1956 - Fritz Hilpert , German musician and sound engineer (Kraftwerk )1957 - Jim Craig , American hockey player1959 - Andrea de Cesaris , Italian racing driver1960 - Greg C. Adams , Canadian ice hockey player1960 - Chris Elliott , American comedian
1961 - Ray Cote , Canadian ice hockey player1961 - Lea Thompson , American actress
1962 - Corey Hart , Canadian musician1962 - Sebastian Koch , German actor
1963 - Teresa Cheung , Hong Kong socialite & actress1963 - Hugh Dillon , Canadian musician and actor
1963 - Viktor Orbán , Hungarian politician, prime minister (1998-2002)
1963 - Wesley Willis , American musician (d. 2003 )
1964 - Leonard Asper , Canadian businessman1964 - Scotti Hill , American rock guitarist
1964 - Darryl McDaniels , American musician (Run-D.M.C. )
1965 - Brooke Shields , American model1966 - Jeremy Hotz , Canadian stand-up comedian1966 - Nick Scotti , American actor and singer
1967 - Sandrine Bonnaire , French actress1967 - Phil Keoghan , New Zealand television personality
1967 - Kenny Lofton , American baseball player
1967 - Vampiro , Canadian professional wrestler
1972 - Frode Estil , Norwegian cross-country skier1972 - Sarah Murdoch , English model
1972 - Karl Geary , Irish actor
1972 - Dave Roberts , American baseball player
1974 - Chad Campbell , American golfer1974 - Zsolt Erdei , Hungarian light heavyweight boxer
1974 - Adrian Tomine , American cartoonist
1975 - Sienna Guillory , English actress1976 - Colin Farrell , Irish actor1977 - Theodoros Baev , Bulgarian-born Greek volleyball player1977 - Debbie King , English TV presenter
1977 - Scott Klopfenstein , American musician (Reel Big Fish )
1980 - Andy Hurley , American musician (Fall Out Boy )1981 - Jake Peavy , American baseball player1983 - Dustin Wells , New Zealand footballer1983 - Reggie Yates , English television presenter
1984 - Jason Smith , Australian actor1985 - Ian Vouyoukas , Greek basketball player1986 - Sopho Khalvashi , Georgian musical artist1986 - Melissa McIntyre , Canadian actress
1986 - Robert Gesink , Dutch cyclist Deaths [ ] 1246 - Isabella of Angouleme , queen of John of England 1349 - Thomas Wake , English politician (b. 1297 )1408 - Ashikaga Yoshimitsu , Japanese shogun (b. 1358 )1410 - King Martin I of Aragon (b. 1356 )1495 - Cecily Neville , mother of Edward IV of England and Richard III of England , (b. 1415 )1558 - Philip Hoby , English politician (b. 1505 )1594 - Tintoretto , Italian painter (b. 1518 )1680 - Joachim Neander , German clergyman (b. 1650 )1740 - King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia (b. 1688 )1747 - Andrei Osterman , Russian statesman (b. 1686 )1799 - Pierre Lemonnier , French astronomer (b. 1715 )1809 - Joseph Haydn , Austrian composer (b. 1732 )1809 - Jean Lannes , French marshal (b. 1769 )
1831 - Samuel Bentham , British mechanical engineer (b. 1757 )1832 - Évariste Galois , French mathematician (b. 1811 )1837 - Joseph Grimaldi , British clown (b. 1779 )1846 - Philip Marheineke , German clergyman (b. 1780 )1847 - Thomas Chalmers , Scottish pastor (b. 1780 )1848 - Eugénie de Guérin , French writer (b. 1805 )1908 - Louis-Honoré Fréchette , French Canadian poet (b. 1839 )1910 - Elizabeth Blackwell , American physician (b. 1821 )1945 - Odilo Globocnik , Austrian nazi (b. 1904 )1957 - Leopold Staff , Polish poet (b. 1878 )1960 - Willem Elsschot , Flemish writer (b. 1882 )1960 - Walther Funk , Nazi leader (b. 1890 )
1961 - Walter Little , Canadian politician (b. 1877 )1962 - Henry Fountain Ashurst , American politician (b. 1874 )1967 - Billy Strayhorn , American composer, pianist and arranger (b. 1915 )1970 - Terry Sawchuk , hockey player (b. 1929 )1976 - Jacques Monod , French biologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1910 )1977 - William Castle , American director (b. 1914 )1978 - József Bozsik , Hungarian footballer (b. 1925 )1983 - Jack Dempsey , American boxer (b. 1895 )1986 - Jane Frank (Jane Schenthal Frank ), American artist (b. 1918 )1986 - James Rainwater , American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1917 )
1987 - John Abraham , Indian film director1993 - Spuds Mackenzie , American advertisement dog1994 - Herva Nelli , Italian-born soprano (b. 1909 )1996 - Timothy Leary , American professor and LSD advocate (b. 1920 )1997 - James Bennett Griffin , American archaeologist (b. 1905 )1998 - Charles Van Acker , Belgian racing driver (b. 1912 )2000 - Tito Puente , American musician (b. 1923 )2000 - Johnnie Taylor , American singer (b. 1938 )
2001 - Arlene Francis , American television personality (d. 1907 )2004 - Robert Quine , American guitarist (b. 1941 )2004 - Étienne Roda-Gil , French songwriter and screenwriter (b. 1941 )
2006 - Ryan Bennett , broadcast commentator (b. 1970 )2006 - Miguel Berrocal , sculptor (b. 1933 )
2006 - Raymond Davis Jr. , American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914 )
2006 - Lula Mae Hardaway , American songwriter (b. 1930 ), mother of singer Stevie Wonder Holidays and observances [ ] Liturgical Feast days [ ] External links [ ]
135 Familypedia people were born on May 31
166 Familypedia people died on May 31
90 Familypedia people were first married on May 31