Date·Lore

On This Day · The 31st day of the year

January 31

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.

♒ZodiacAquarius ◈BirthstoneGarnet ❀Birth flowerCarnation

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

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed September 6, 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.

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

  2. 1578

    Eighty Years' War

  3. 1900

    Mat Salleh Rebellion

  4. 1919

    Battle of George Square

  5. 1988

    Doug Williams (quarterback)

  6. 2000

    Alaska Airlines Flight 261

  7. 2007

    Aqua Teen Hunger Force

  8. 2009

    Kenya

  9. 2020

    United Kingdom

  10. 2023

    Boeing 747

Famous birthday twins

Born on January 31

Theodor Heuss

b. 1884

Rodolphe Töpffer

b. 1799

Franz Schubert

b. 1797

Walter Dix

b. 1986

Daniel Tammet

b. 1979

Irma Wyman

b. 1928

Cro (musician)

b. 1990

Marcus Mumford

b. 1987

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

The factual record above — event titles, dates, names, and observances — is drawn 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.

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