August 31 in History
What happened on August 31 in history?
A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on august 31 in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened on august 31 in history.
?>2006
Edvard Munch’s famed painting The Scream recovered by Norwegian police. The artwork had been stolen on Aug. 22, 2004.
1997
Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a Paris car crash along with her companion Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul while fleeing paparazzi.
1997
New York Yankees retire Don Mattingly’s #23 (first baseman, coach, manager).
1994
Last Russian troops leave Estonia and Latvia.
1994
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) announces a “complete cessation of military operations,” opening the way to a political settlement in Ireland for the first time in a quarter of a century.
1990
East and West Germany sign the Treaty of Unification (Einigungsvertrag) to join their legal and political systems.
1990
Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr. become first father and son to play on same team simultaneously in professional baseball (Seattle Mariners).
1987
Longest mine strike in South Africa’s history ends, after 11 people were killed, 500 injured and 400 arrested.
1986
A Russian cargo ship collides with cruise ship Admiral Nakhimov, killing 398.
1985
Police capture Richard Ramirez, dubbed the “Night Stalker” for a string of gruesome murders that stretched from Mission Viejo to San Francisco, Cal.
1980
Polish government forced to sign Gdansk Agreement allowing creation of the trade union Solidarity.
1970
Lonnie McLucas convicted of torturing and murdering fellow Black Panther Party member Alex Rackley in the first of the New Haven Black Panther Trials.
1968
The Dasht-e Bayaz 7.3 earthquake in NE Iran completely destroys five villages and severely damages six others.
1965
US Congress creates Department of Housing & Urban Development.
1961
A concrete wall replaces the barbed wire fence that separates East and West Germany, it will be called the Berlin wall.
1951
The 1st Marine Division begins its attack on Bloody Ridge in Korea. The four-day battle results in 2,700 Marine casualties.
1949
Six of the 16 surviving Union veterans of the Civil War attend the last-ever encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic, held in Indianapolis, Indiana.
1944
The British Eighth Army penetrates the German Gothic Line in Italy.
1942
The British army under General Bernard Law Montgomery defeats Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps in the Battle of Alam Halfa in Egypt.
1940
Joseph Avenol steps down as Secretary-General of the League of Nations.
1928
Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera opens in Berlin.
1919
The Communist Labor Party is founded in Chicago, with the motto, “Workers of the world unite!”
1864
At the Democratic convention in Chicago, General George B. McClellan is nominated for president.
1802
Captain Meriwether Lewis leaves Pittsburgh to meet up with Captain William Clark and begin their trek to the Pacific Ocean.
1756
The British at Fort William Henry, New York, surrender to Louis Montcalm of France.
1303
The War of Vespers in Sicily ends with an agreement between Charles of Valois, who invaded the country, and Frederick, the ruler of Sicily.