Date·Lore

On This Day · The 31st day of the year

January 31

January 31 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 314 and 2023. Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades.

♒ZodiacAquarius ◈BirthstoneGarnet ❀Birth flowerCarnation

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on January 31?

January 31 is the 31st day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 314 and 2023. Famous people born on January 31 include Theodor Heuss, Rodolphe Töpffer and Franz Schubert.

The shape of the day

Few dates reach as far back as January 31: its recorded history runs unusually deep, stretching to 314. Its center of gravity is the 21st century, and conflict is a recurring thread.

Aquarius is the sign for January 31 — read more on the Aquarius page, or see January's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on January 31

Movies, games, albums & shows

2025

  • Game Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
  • Game Foundation

2023

  • Game 8-Bit Adventures 2
  • Game Season: A Letter to the Future

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 314

    Pope Sylvester I

    Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades.

  2. 1578

    Eighty Years' War

    Eighty Years' War and Anglo-Spanish War: The Battle of Gembloux is a victory for Spanish forces led by Don John of Austria over a rebel army of Dutch, Flemish, English, Scottish, German, French and Walloons.

  3. 1900

    Mat Salleh Rebellion

    Datu Muhammad Salleh is killed in Kampung Teboh, Tambunan, ending the Mat Salleh Rebellion.

  4. 1919

    Battle of George Square

    The Battle of George Square takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, during a campaign for shorter working hours.

  5. 1988

    Doug Williams (quarterback)

    Doug Williams becomes the first African American quarterback to play in a Super Bowl and leads the Washington Redskins to victory in Super Bowl XXII.

  6. 2000

    Alaska Airlines Flight 261

    Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crash: An MD-83, experiencing horizontal stabilizer problems, crashes in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Point Mugu, California, killing all 88 aboard.

  7. 2007

    Aqua Teen Hunger Force

    Emergency officials in Boston mistakenly identify battery-powered LED placards depicting characters from Aqua Teen Hunger Force as Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), causing a panic.

  8. 2009

    Kenya

    At least 113 people are killed in Kenya and over 200 injured following an oil spillage ignition in Molo, days after a massive fire at a Nakumatt supermarket in Nairobi killed at least 25 people.

  9. 2020

    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom's membership within the European Union ceases in accordance with Article 50, after 47 years of being a member state.

  10. 2023

    Boeing 747

    The last Boeing 747, the first wide-body airliner, is delivered to Atlas Air and operated for ApexLogistics. The aircraft was registered as N863GT and named "Empower".

Famous birthday twins

Born on January 31

Theodor Heuss

b. 1884

German journalist and politician, 1st President of the Federal Republic of Germany

Rodolphe Töpffer

b. 1799

Swiss teacher, author, painter, cartoonist, and caricaturist

Franz Schubert

b. 1797

Austrian pianist and composer

Walter Dix

b. 1986

American sprinter

Daniel Tammet

b. 1979

English author and educator

Irma Wyman

b. 1928

American computer scientist and engineer

Cro (musician)

b. 1990

German rapper

Marcus Mumford

b. 1987

American-English singer-songwriter

Deaths

  • 2015Richard von Weizsäcker
  • 1990Rashad Khalifa
  • 1966Arthur Percival
  • 185611th Dalai Lama
  • 1606Guy Fawkes
  • 1435Xuande Emperor

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Domitius (Domice) of Amiens
  • —Christian feast day: Francis Xavier Bianchi
  • —Christian feast day: Geminianus
  • —Christian feast day: John Bosco
  • —Christian feast day: Julius of Novara
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Ludovica
  • —Christian feast day: Máedóc (Mogue, Aiden)
  • —Christian feast day: Marcella of Marseille

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

Born on this day?

Make your birthday card.

Drop in your birth year and we'll work out your exact age, the day of the week you were born, your Chinese zodiac, your generation, and the countdown to your next candle.