August 31 facts for kids

August 31 is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 122 days remain until the end of the year.

Welcome to the page for August 31st! Every day has its own special history, filled with exciting events, famous birthdays, and important holidays. Let's explore what makes August 31st a memorable date around the world.

Historic Events on August 31st

Early Times (Before 1600)

• 1056 – Empress Theodora of the Byzantine Empire passed away. She was the last ruler of a powerful family called the Macedonian dynasty.
• 1314 – King Haakon V of Norway decided to move Norway's capital city from Bergen to Oslo.
• 1420 – A massive earthquake hit Chile, causing huge ocean waves that traveled all the way to Hawaii and Japan!
• 1422 – King Henry V of England died in France. His son, Henry VI, became King when he was only nine months old.
• 1535 – Pope Paul III removed King Henry VIII of England from the Catholic Church. This was a very serious step called excommunication.

Later Years (1601–1900)

• 1776 – William Livingston started his first term as the very first Governor of New Jersey in the United States.
• 1798 – During the Irish Rebellion, Irish rebels, with help from France, created a short-lived country called the Republic of Connacht.
• 1864 – In the American Civil War, Union General William T. Sherman led an attack on Atlanta.
• 1886 – A strong earthquake shook Charleston, South Carolina, causing a lot of damage and sadly, many deaths.
• 1895 – German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin received a patent for his amazing invention, the navigable balloon, which was a type of airship.

Modern Era (1901–Present)

• 1907 – Russia and the United Kingdom signed an agreement called the Anglo-Russian Convention, which helped define their areas of influence in parts of Asia.
• 1918 – During World War I, the Australian Corps launched a successful attack in the Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin.
• 1935 – The United States passed the first of its Neutrality Acts. These laws were meant to keep the U.S. out of growing conflicts in Europe and Asia.
• 1939 – Nazi Germany staged a fake attack on a radio station, known as the Gleiwitz incident. This was used as an excuse to invade Poland the next day, starting World War II in Europe.
• 1943 – The USS Harmon was launched. It was the first U.S. Navy ship named after a black person.
• 1957 – The Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia) gained its independence from the United Kingdom.
• 1962 – Trinidad and Tobago became an independent country.
• 1986 – A Soviet passenger ship, the Admiral Nakhimov, sank in the Black Sea after hitting another ship, leading to many lives lost.
• 1991 – Kyrgyzstan declared its independence from the Soviet Union.
• 1997 – Diana, Princess of Wales, her friend Dodi Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul tragically died in a car crash in Paris.
• 2005 – A terrible stampede on a bridge in Baghdad resulted in the deaths of many people.
• 2006 – The famous painting The Scream by Edvard Munch, which had been stolen two years earlier, was found by Norwegian police.
• 2016 – Dilma Rousseff, the President of Brazil, was removed from office.

Famous Birthdays on August 31st

Born Before 1900

• 12 – Caligula, a Roman emperor.
• 161 – Commodus, another Roman emperor.
• 1018 – Jeongjong II, a Korean ruler.
• 1569 – Jahangir, a powerful Mughal emperor.
• 1821 – Hermann von Helmholtz, a German scientist who made important discoveries in physics and medicine.
• 1870 – Maria Montessori, an Italian doctor and educator who created the famous Montessori method of teaching children.
• 1879 – Taishō, the Emperor of Japan.
• 1880 – Wilhelmina, who was the Queen of the Netherlands for many years.
• 1897 – Fredric March, a well-known American actor.

Born After 1900

• 1903 – Arthur Godfrey, a popular American radio and television host.
• 1907 – Ramon Magsaysay, who became the 7th President of the Philippines.
• 1908 – William Saroyan, an American writer known for his novels and plays.
• 1924 – Buddy Hackett, a funny American actor and singer.
• 1928 – James Coburn, a famous American actor.
• 1935 – Frank Robinson, a legendary American baseball player and manager.
• 1945 – Van Morrison, a famous singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland.
• 1945 – Itzhak Perlman, an amazing Israeli-American violinist.
• 1949 – Richard Gere, a popular American actor and producer.
• 1949 – Hugh David Politzer, an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics.
• 1955 – Edwin Moses, an American hurdler who won multiple Olympic gold medals.
• 1956 – Tsai Ing-wen, a Taiwanese politician who became the President of the Republic of China.
• 1962 – Dee Bradley Baker, an American voice actor known for many cartoon characters.
• 1970 – Debbie Gibson, an American singer-songwriter and actress.
• 1970 – Queen Rania of Jordan.
• 1971 – Chris Tucker, an American comedian and actor.
• 1973 – Scott Niedermayer, a Canadian ice hockey player who won many championships.
• 1975 – Sara Ramirez, a Mexican-American actor and musician.
• 1977 – Jeff Hardy, a well-known American professional wrestler.
• 1982 – Pepe Reina, a Spanish football (soccer) player.
• 1983 – Larry Fitzgerald, a famous American football player.
• 1985 – Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
• 1996 – Jalen Brunson, an American basketball player.
• 2004 – Jang Won-young, a South Korean singer and model.

Notable Deaths on August 31st

Died Before 1900

• 651 – Aidan of Lindisfarne, an Irish bishop and saint.
• 1056 – Theodora, Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire.
• 1422 – Henry V of England, the King of England.
• 1528 – Matthias Grünewald, a German artist.
• 1688 – John Bunyan, an English preacher and author.
• 1811 – Louis Antoine de Bougainville, a French admiral and explorer.
• 1814 – Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales in Australia.
• 1867 – Charles Baudelaire, a famous French poet.

Died After 1900

• 1920 – Wilhelm Wundt, a German scientist often called the "father of psychology."
• 1963 – Georges Braque, a French painter and sculptor.
• 1969 – Rocky Marciano, an undefeated American boxer.
• 1973 – John Ford, a highly respected American film director.
• 1985 – Frank Macfarlane Burnet, an Australian scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
• 1986 – Urho Kekkonen, who was the 8th President of Finland.
• 1986 – Henry Moore, a famous English sculptor.
• 1997 – Diana, Princess of Wales.
• 2002 – Lionel Hampton, an American jazz musician.
• 2002 – George Porter, an English chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
• 2005 – Joseph Rotblat, a Polish-English physicist and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
• 2013 – David Frost, a well-known English journalist and TV host.
• 2020 – Pranab Mukherjee, a former President of India.
• 2020 – Tom Seaver, a legendary American baseball player.

Holidays and Observances

• Baloch-Pakhtun Unity Day (celebrated by Balochs and Pashtuns)
• Christian feast day:
  • Aidan of Lindisfarne
  • Joseph of Arimathea
  • Nicodemus
  • Raymond Nonnatus
• Day of Solidarity and Freedom (Poland)
• Independence Day, celebrating Kyrgyzstan's freedom from the Soviet Union in 1991.
• Independence Day, celebrating Malaya's freedom from the United Kingdom in 1957.
• Independence Day, celebrating Trinidad and Tobago's freedom from the United Kingdom in 1962.
• Romanian Language Day (Romania, Moldova)
• North Borneo Self-government Day (Sabah, Borneo)

See also

In Spanish: 31 de agosto para niños