May, 31st in History

[Spiritus Temporis]

Events

Tuesday 31, 2005:
W. Mark Felt admits in the magazine Vanity Fair published today that he is the anonymous source Deep Throat in the Watergate scandal. The Washington Post would confirm this on June 1st. Felt was at the time (1972) the number two man at the FBI.

Monday 31, 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.

Saturday 31, 2003:
Bomber Eric Rudolph is captured in Murphy, North Carolina.

Friday 31, 2002:
The 17th Football World Cup, co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, begins with a 1-0 upset of France by Senegal. The tournament ends on June 30, with Brazil winning a record fifth World Cup title.

Saturday 31, 1997:
Canada's Confederation Bridge opens, linking Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick.

Thursday 31, 1990:
The pilot episode of Seinfeld premires

Friday 31, 1985:
The US-Canadian Outbreak: Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead.

Tuesday 31, 1977:
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System is completed.

Friday 31, 1974:
Syria and Israel sign a disengagement agreement to resolve the Yom Kippur War

Wednesday 31, 1972:
AFC Ajax Wins the Europecup 1 (UEFA Champions League) for the 2nd time in a row, making it their 2nd

Sunday 31, 1970:
The Ancash earthquake causes a landslide that buries the town of Yungay, Peru; more than 47,000 people are killed.

Thursday 31, 1962:
The West Indies Federation dissolves

Wednesday 31, 1961:
Creation of the Republic of South Africa.

Saturday 31, 1952:
Dwight D. Eisenhower retires from active service in the United States Army.

Sunday 31, 1942:
World War II: The Luftwaffe bombs Coventry, England

Tuesday 31, 1927:
The last Ford Model T rolls off the assembly line after a production run of 15,007,003 vehicles.

Saturday 31, 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

Tuesday 31, 1921:
Comedian Buster Keaton marries actress Natalie Talmadge.

Wednesday 31, 1916:
World War I: The German and British navies clash in the Battle of Jutland, the largest naval battle of the war.

Saturday 31, 1913:
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, authorizing direct election of United States Senators, is declared ratified.

Tuesday 31, 1910:
Creation of the Union of South Africa.

Saturday 31, 1902:
Second Boer War: The last Afrikaner resistance forces sign a peace treaty with the British at Pretoria, ending the war, and ensuring British control of South Africa.

Friday 31, 1889:
Johnstown Flood: Over 2200 people die after a dam break sends a 60-foot (18-meter) wall of water over the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Saturday 31, 1884:
John Harvey Kellogg patents corn flakes.

Thursday 31, 1866:
In the Fenian Invasion of Canada, John O'Neill leads 850 Fenian raiders across the Niagara River at Buffalo, New York/Fort Erie, Ontario, as part of an effort to free Ireland from the English. Canadian militia and British regulars repulse the invaders in over the next three days, at a cost of 9 dead and 38 wounded to the Fenian's 19 dead and about 17 wounded.

Tuesday 31, 1864:
American Civil War: The Battle of Cold Harbor begins.

Saturday 31, 1862:
American Civil War: The Battle of Seven Pines.

Monday 31, 1790:
Alferez Manuel Quimper explores the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Wednesday 31, 1775:
Patriots in Charlotte, North Carolina adopt the Mecklenburg Resolutions urging the American Colonies to declare independence from Great Britain.

Thursday 31, 1759:
The Province of Pennsylvania bans all theater productions.

Tuesday 31, 1678:
The Godiva procession through Coventry begins.

Friday 31, 1669:
Citing poor eyesight, Samuel Pepys records the last event in his diary.

Wednesday 31, 1578:
Martin Frobisher sails from Harwich, England to Frobisher Bay, Canada, eventually to mine fool's gold, used to pave streets in London.

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/31-may/on-this-day.html


People born on May 31

1984:
Jason Smith, Australian actor (b: May 31, 1984) (Biography of Jason Smith (actor))

1976:
Colin Farrell, Irish actor (b: May 31, 1976) (Biography of Colin Farrell)

1967:
Kenny Lofton, baseball player (b: May 31, 1967) (Biography of Kenny Lofton)

1965:
Brooke Shields, American model and actress (b: May 31, 1965) (Biography of Brooke Shields)

1963:
Wesley Willis, American musician (b: May 31, 1963 ; d: August 21, 2003) (Biography of Wesley Willis)

1962:
Corey Hart, Canadian singer and songwriter (b: May 31, 1962) (Biography of Corey Hart)

1961:
Lea Thompson, American actress (b: May 31, 1961) (Biography of Lea Thompson)

1960:
Chris Elliott, American comedian (b: May 31, 1960) (Biography of Chris Elliott)

1957:
Jim Craig, American hockey player (b: May 31, 1957) (Biography of Jim Craig)

1950:
Gregory Harrison, American actor (b: May 31, 1950) (Biography of Gregory Harrison)

1949:
Tom Berenger, American actor (b: May 31, 1949) (Biography of Tom Berenger)

1948:
John Bonham, British musician (Led Zeppelin) (b: May 31, 1948 ; d: September 25, 1980) (Biography of John Bonham)

1945:
Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German film director (b: May 31, 1945 ; d: June 10, 1982) (Biography of Rainer Werner Fassbinder)

1943:
Sharon Gless, American actress (b: May 31, 1943) (Biography of Sharon Gless)
Joe Namath, American football player (b: May 31, 1943) (Biography of Joe Namath)

1939:
Terry Waite, British humanitarian (b: May 31, 1939) (Biography of Terry Waite)

1938:
Johnny PayCheck, American singer (b: May 31, 1938 ; d: February 19, 2003) (Biography of Johnny PayCheck)
John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b: May 31, 1938) (Biography of John Prescott)
Peter Yarrow, American folk singer (Peter, Paul and Mary) (b: May 31, 1938) (Biography of Peter Yarrow)

1935:
Jim Bolger, Prime Minister of New Zealand (b: May 31, 1935) (Biography of Jim Bolger)

1932:
Jay Miner, American microchip designer (b: May 31, 1932) (Biography of Jay Miner)

1931:
John Robert Schrieffer, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b: May 31, 1931) (Biography of John Robert Schrieffer)
Shirley Verrett, American soprano (b: May 31, 1931) (Biography of Shirley Verrett)

1930:
Clint Eastwood, American actor, director, and producer (b: May 31, 1930) (Biography of Clint Eastwood)

1923:
Prince Rainier III of Monaco (b: May 31, 1923 ; d: April 6, 2005) (Biography of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco)

1922:
Denholm Elliott, English actor (b: May 31, 1922 ; d: October 6, 1992) (Biography of Denholm Elliott)

1912:
Alfred Deller, English countertenor (b: May 31, 1912 ; d: July 16, 1979) (Biography of Alfred Deller)

1908:
Don Ameche, American actor (b: May 31, 1908 ; d: December 6, 1993) (Biography of Don Ameche)

1898:
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, American clergyman (b: May 31, 1898 ; d: December 24, 1993) (Biography of Norman Vincent Peale)

1894:
Fred Allen, American comedian (b: May 31, 1894 ; d: March 17, 1956) (Biography of Fred Allen)

1892:
Michel Kikoine, Belarus painter (b: May 31, 1892 ; d: November 4, 1968) (Biography of Michel Kikoine)

1887:
Saint-John Perse, French diplomat and poet (b: May 31, 1887 ; d: September 20, 1975) (Biography of Saint-John Perse)

1883:
Lauri Kristian Relander, President of Finland (b: May 31, 1883) (Biography of Lauri Kristian Relander)

1872:
Heath Robinson, English cartoonist (b: May 31, 1872) (Biography of Heath Robinson)

1863:
Francis Younghusband, British explorer (b: May 31, 1863) (Biography of Francis Younghusband)

1860:
Walter Sickert, English painter (b: May 31, 1860) (Biography of Walter Sickert)

1857:
Pope Pius XI (b: May 31, 1857 ; d: February 10, 1939) (Biography of Pope Pius XI)

1838:
Henry Sidgwick, English philosopher (b: May 31, 1838 ; d: August 28, 1900) (Biography of Henry Sidgwick)

1819:
Walt Whitman, American poet (b: May 31, 1819 ; d: March 26, 1892) (Biography of Walt Whitman)

1801:
Johann Georg Baiter, Swiss philologist (b: May 31, 1801) (Biography of Johann Georg Baiter)

1773:
Ludwig Tieck, German poet and writer (b: May 31, 1773 ; d: April 28, 1853) (Biography of Ludwig Tieck)

1753:
Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud, French Revolutionary (b: May 31, 1753) (Biography of Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud)

1656:
Marin Marais, French composer and viol player (b: May 31, 1656 ; d: August 15, 1728) (Biography of Marin Marais)

1640:
Micha? Wi?niowiecki, King of Poland (b: May 31, 1640 ; d: November 10, 1673) (Biography of Micha? Wi?niowiecki, King of Poland)

1613:
John George II, Elector of Saxony (b: May 31, 1613 ; d: August 22, 1680) (Biography of John George II, Elector of Saxony)

1557:
Feodor I, Tsar of Russia (b: May 31, 1557) (Biography of Feodor I)

1535:
Alessandro Allori, Italian painter (b: May 31, 1535 ; d: September 22, 1607) (Biography of Alessandro Allori)

1469:
King Manuel I of Portugal (b: May 31, 1469 ; d: December 13, 1521) (Biography of Manuel I of Portugal)

1443:
Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII of England (b: May 31, 1443 ; d: June 29, 1509) (Biography of Margaret Beaufort)

1048:
Omar Khayyám, Persian poet, astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (b: May 31, 1048 ; d: December 4, 1123) (Biography of Omar Khayyám)

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/31-may/births.html

[Spiritus Temporis]

People who died on May 31

2004:
Robert Quine (d: May 31, 2004) (Biography of Robert Quine)

2000:
Tito Puente, American musician (b: April 20, 1925 ; d: May 31, 2000) (Biography of Tito Puente)
Johnnie Taylor (d: May 31, 2000) (Biography of Johnnie Taylor)

1996:
Paul Peter Piech, American artist (b: February 11, 1920 ; d: May 31, 1996) (Biography of Paul Peter Piech)
Timothy Leary, American writer and professor (b: October 22, 1920 ; d: May 31, 1996) (Biography of Timothy Leary)

1986:
James Rainwater, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b: December 9, 1917 ; d: May 31, 1986) (Biography of James Rainwater)
Dora Black (d: May 31, 1986) (Biography of Dora Black)

1983:
Jack Dempsey, American boxer (b: June 24, 1895 ; d: May 31, 1983) (Biography of Jack Dempsey)

1977:
William Castle, American film director and producer (b: April 24, 1907 ; d: May 31, 1977) (Biography of William Castle)

1962:
Adolf Eichmann, Nazi official (b: March 19, 1906 ; d: May 31, 1962) (Biography of Adolf Eichmann)

1960:
Willem Elsschot, Flemish writer (b: May 7, 1882 ; d: May 31, 1960) (Biography of Willem Elsschot)
Walther Funk, German Nazi politician (b: August 18, 1890 ; d: May 31, 1960) (Biography of Walther Funk)

1957:
Leopold Staff, Polish poet (b: November 14, 1878 ; d: May 31, 1957) (Biography of Leopold Staff)

1910:
Elizabeth Blackwell, American physician (b: February 3, 1821 ; d: May 31, 1910) (Biography of Elizabeth Blackwell)

1848:
Eugénie de Guérin (d: May 31, 1848) (Biography of Eugénie de Guérin)

1847:
Thomas Chalmers, Scottish pastor, social reformer, author, and scientist (b: March 17, 1780 ; d: May 31, 1847) (Biography of Thomas Chalmers)

1846:
Philip Marheineke (d: May 31, 1846) (Biography of Philip Marheineke)

1832:
Evariste Galois, French mathematician (b: October 25, 1811 ; d: May 31, 1832) (Biography of Evariste Galois)

1831:
Samuel Bentham, English mechanical engineer (b: January 11, 1757 ; d: May 31, 1831) (Biography of Samuel Bentham)

1809:
Jean Lannes, French marshal (b: April 11, 1769 ; d: May 31, 1809) (Biography of Jean Lannes)
Joseph Haydn (d: May 31, 1809) (Biography of Joseph Haydn)

1799:
Pierre Lemonnier (d: May 31, 1799) (Biography of Pierre Lemonnier)

1747:
Andrei Osterman, Russian statesman (b: June 9, 1686 ; d: May 31, 1747) (Biography of Andrei Osterman)

1740:
Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia (d: May 31, 1740) (Biography of Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia)

1680:
Joachim Neander (d: May 31, 1680) (Biography of Joachim Neander)

1594:
Tintoretto (d: May 31, 1594) (Biography of Tintoretto)

1558:
Philip Hoby (d: May 31, 1558) (Biography of Philip Hoby)

1495:
Cecily Neville, mother of Edward IV of England and Richard III of England (b: May 3, 1415 ; d: May 31, 1495) (Biography of Cecily Neville)

1408:
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Japanese shogun (b. 1408) (b: September 25, 1358 ; d: May 31, 1408) (Biography of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu)

1349:
Thomas Wake (d: May 31, 1349) (Biography of Thomas Wake)

1246:
Isabella of Angouleme (d: May 31, 1246) (Biography of Isabella of Angouleme)

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/31-may/deaths.html