Date·Lore

On This Day · The 151st day of the year

May 31

May 31 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 455 and 2019. Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome.

♊ZodiacGemini ◈BirthstoneEmerald ❀Birth flowerLily of the Valley

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on May 31?

May 31 is the 151st day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 455 and 2019. Famous people born on May 31 include Susie Essman, Pope Pius XI and Clint Eastwood.

The shape of the day

May 31 carries an unusually long memory — its events reach back as far as 455. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

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

Released on May 31

Movies, games, albums & shows

2026

  • TV Torn Apart

2024

  • Game F1 24
  • Game Panicore

2023

  • Movie Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
  • TV Fake Profile

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 455

    Petronius Maximus

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

  2. 1775

    American Revolution

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

  3. 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.

  4. 1902

    Second Boer War

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

  5. 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.

  6. 1935

    1935 Quetta earthquake

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

  7. 1942

    World War II

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

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

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
  • 2009George Tiller
  • 1832Évariste Galois
  • 1809Joseph Haydn
  • 1594Tintoretto
  • 455Petronius Maximus

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)

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.

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