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On This Day · The 151st day of the year

May 31

A look at May 31 through the almanac — historic events, famous birthdays including Susie Essman and Pope Pius XI, and the day's notable deaths and observances.

♊ZodiacGemini ◈BirthstoneEmerald ❀Birth flowerLily of the Valley
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Events

10 notable moments
  1. 2019

    2019 Virginia Beach shooting

    A shooting occurs inside a municipal building at Virginia Beach, Virginia, leaving 13 people dead, including the shooter, and four others injured.

    Mass shooting in Virginia,
  2. 2017

    May 2017 Kabul bombing

    A car bomb explodes in a crowded intersection in Kabul near the German embassy during rush hour, killing over 90 and injuring 463.

    Car bomb explosion in
  3. 2013

    2013 El Reno tornado

    A record breaking 2.6 mile wide tornado strikes near El Reno, Oklahoma, United States, causing eight fatalities (including three storm chasers) and over 150 injuries.

    2013 EF3 tornado in
  4. 1942

    World War II

    World War II: Imperial Japanese Navy midget submarines begin a series of attacks on Sydney, Australia.

    1939–1945 global conflict
  5. 1935

    1935 Quetta earthquake

    A 7.7 Mw earthquake destroys Quetta in modern-day Pakistan killing 40,000.

    Magnitude 7.7 earthquake in
  6. 1916

    World War I

    World War I: Battle of Jutland: The British Grand Fleet engages the High Seas Fleet in the largest naval battle of the war, which proves indecisive.

    1914–1918 global conflict
  7. 1902

    Second Boer War

    Second Boer War: The Treaty of Vereeniging ends the war and ensures British control of South Africa.

    1899–1902 war in South
  8. 1862

    American Civil War

    American Civil War: Peninsula Campaign: Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston and G.W. Smith engage Union forces under George B. McClellan outside the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.

    1861–1865 conflict in the
  9. 1775

    American Revolution

    American Revolution: The Mecklenburg Resolves are adopted in the Province of North Carolina.

    Founding of the United
  10. 455

    Petronius Maximus

    Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome.

    Western Roman emperor in
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Famous birthday twins

Born on May 31

Susie Essman

b. 1955

American actress, comedian, and screenwriter

Pope Pius XI

b. 1857

Head of the Catholic Church from 1922 to 1939

Clint Eastwood

b. 1930

American actor, director, musician, and producer

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

b. 1945

German actor, director, and screenwriter

Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki

b. 1640

King of Poland

Ludwig Tieck

b. 1773

German poet, author, and critic

Viktor Orbán

b. 1963

Hungarian politician, 38th Prime Minister of Hungary

Julius Richard Petri

b. 1852

German microbiologist, invented the Petri dish

Deaths

  • 2011Pauline Betz, American tennis player
  • 2009George Tiller, American physician
  • 1832Évariste Galois, French mathematician and theorist
  • 1809Joseph Haydn, Austrian pianist and composer
  • 1594Tintoretto, Italian painter and educator
  • 455Petronius Maximus, Roman emperor

Holidays & observances

  • —Anniversary of Royal Brunei Malay Regiment (Brunei)
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Camilla Battista da Varano
  • —Christian feast day: Cantius, Cantianus, and Cantianilla
  • —Christian feast day: Hermias
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Mariano da Roccacasale
  • —Christian feast day: Petronella
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Robert Thorpe
  • —Christian feast day: Visitation of Mary (Western Christianity)

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