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August 31st Major News Events

  1. 1997 Diana The Princess of Wales killed in a car crash
  2. 1888 UK Jack the Ripper first attributed victim
  3. 1934 United Kingdom $5.00 to the Pound
  4. 1992 Germany Anti Immigrant Violence
  5. 2005 Curfew Placed On New Orleans
  6. 2008 Mexico Countrywide Protests

Find More Details for What happened 31st August This Day in History on your birthday

31 Aug, 1997 France Princess Diana

1997 : Diana The Princess of Wales and her constant companion Dodi Fayed are killed in a car crash in Paris as was the driver Henri Paul who was drunk at the time, the driver was trying to escape from Paparazzi photographers. The Princess had divorced from Prince Charles in 1996. Diana was known affectionately as (The People's Princess) because of her winning smile and caring attitude and her willingness to work for charities close to her heart including Aids and campaigning against the use of Land Mines. Find More What happened in 1997.

31 Aug, 1888 UK Jack the Ripper

1888 : The first attributed to victim of Jack the Ripper "Mary Ann Nichols" a prostitute from London's East End was found mutilated and murdered in London's East End close to Whitechapel Rd because of this and other murders in the area the police file was called "the Whitechapel Murders." Jack the Ripper is thought to have murdered 11 prostitutes from 1885 to 1891 but as he was never caught , it is possible some of the murders were committed by others. "Mary Ann Nichols" and four others were definitely identified as the work of a single serial killer.

31 Aug, 1928 U.S.A. New Service

1928 : A new service connecting Chicago and the twin cities of St Paul and Minneapolis will begin tomorrow with an integrated rail and Air service from Northwest Airways connecting with express trains to the cities, the new service will cut 8 hrs off the current travel time saving a whole day of travelling.

31 Aug, 1934 United Kingdom $5.00 to the Pound

1934 : The value of the pound sterling has dropped below the $5.00 mark for the first time since devaluation.

31 Aug, 1945 Japanese Prisoners of War

1945 : As Japanese prisoners of war are reaching rescue ships more and more stories of Japanese Brutality and many had spent months in solitary confinement, every single prisoner is suffering from malnutrition.

From Our 1960s Shoes and Hats Fashion Accessories page

1966 Bubble Beret Bubble Beret
Price: $5.97
Description Bubble beret of wool jersey, fluff it up, down or to the side... ties in back. Fits all. Choose from camel tan, black or light gray.

1967 Sparkle Party Shoes Sparkle Party Shoes
Price: $7.87
Description You'll sparkle in these elegant party shoes with gold or silver-color uppers of glittery cloth and vinyl. Or choose a sophisticated black with its upper glitter cloth and rayon peau de soie two and a quarter inch heel.

31 Aug, 1954 U.S.A. Hurricane Carol

1954 : Hurricane Carol makes landfall on Long Island and Connecticut, resulting in nearly 70 deaths and millions of dollars in damage.

31 Aug, 1957 Malaya Independence

1957 : The hand over of power from Britain to the country of Malaya has now taken place making Malaya an independent nation but will continue to be a member of the British Commonwealth. In 1963, Malaya united several other regions to become Malaysia.

31 Aug, 1959 President Dwight Eisenhower Visits UK

1959 : The British prime minister Harold Macmillan and the American President Dwight Eisenhower discuss the threat of Communism to the free world, world peace and global poverty during an historic live television broadcast from Downing Street.

31 Aug, 1978 Switzerland Climate Change

1978 : 400 of the worlds top climatologists are meeting in Geneva to discuss climate change and if changes in Climate is influenced by pollution.

31 Aug, 1989 England Princess Anne Separation

1989 : Princess Anne the only daughter of the Queen of England announced her separation from her husband Mark Phillips, but they have stated they do not intend to get divorced.

31 Aug, 1992 Germany Anti Immigrant Violence

1992 : A new unhealthy movement is gaining ground in Germany which seeks to blame Immigrants for the current economic downturn, this same movement is creating a surge of racist violence aimed at poor immigrant families.

31 Aug, 1992 U.S.A. Randy Weaver

1992 : After a stand off siege of Randy Weaver's property in the mountains in Naples, Idaho, with several hundred federal agents surrounding the house for 11 days, during which his wife and one of his sons is killed. A deputy U.S. marshal is also killed during the standoff. Randy Weaver agrees to abandon the stand-off and surrender, He was then charged with murder and multiple firearms charges. He was acquitted of murder when his attorney argued successfully that Weaver's actions were justifiable as self-defense. He was eventually sentenced to 18 months in prison for the failure to appear charge relating to the original firearms charges.

31 Aug, 1998 Dow Drops 512 Points

August 31st, 1998 : Dow Jones index drops 512 points in a single day, finishing at 7539.1. This brings the drop to close to 20% lower since highs on July 17th when the Dow stood at 9337. The fall has been blamed on problems with the Russia financial markets and worry over the latest US economic figures which indicate a slowdown in the US economy.

31 Aug, 1999 Argentina Plane Crash

1999 : A Boeing 737 Flight 3142 belonging to Lineas Aereas Privadas Argentinas (Lapa) airlines crashes in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires shortly after take off killing 69 of the 90 passengers and crew.

31 Aug, 2000 Authorities Blame Firestone Tires

August 31st, 2000 : US authorities have issued a new report increasing the number of fatalities from 62 to 88 caused through faulty Bridgestone/Firestone tires fitted to Ford's Explorer range of vehicles.

Born This Day In History August 31st

Celebrating Birthdays Today

James Coburn

Born: 31st August 1928 Laurel, Nebraska, U.S.

Born: November 18th 2002 Beverly Hills, California, U.S.

Known For : James Coburn American actor who appeared in many great movies including The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, Our Man Flint, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, The Nutty Professor and as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He also appeared in hundreds of TV Shows and series beginning way back in 1959. He appeared in Perry Mason, Cheyenne, Bonanza, Rawhide, The Twilight Zone, The Muppet Show and Murder She Wrote just to name a few.

Celebrating Birthdays Today

Richard Gere

Born: Richard Tiffany Gere 3August 1 1949 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Known For : Richard Gere American actor who began his career in 1977 and got his big break and public recognition in the movie American Gigolo (1980) followed by An Officer and a Gentleman, Pretty Woman, Primal Fear, Mr. Jones, Chicago and The Hunting Party. In his private life he is a strong advocate and supporter for human rights in Tibet running the The Gere Foundation which is involved and supports the struggle for Tibetans to regain their freedom and keep their culture intact. He campaigns for ecological causes and AIDS awareness.

31 Aug, 2002 South Korea Typhoon Rusa

2002 : Typhoon Rusa strikes the South Korea peninsula leaving over 100 dead and the eastern port city of Kangnung nearly fully submerged, with water reaching the roofs of houses.

31 Aug, 2005 US to Release More Oil

2005 : US authorities are to release additional oil from the country's emergency stocks to provide some relief from the damage Hurricane Katrina did to oil rigs and oil platforms based in the Gulf of Mexico. Concerns over the supply of oil had forced the price of a barrel of oil to new highs of $70.85 a barrel.

31 Aug, 2005 Curfew Placed On New Orleans

2005 : Following the looting and lawlessness in the city a curfew is Imposed on city of New Orleans, the US Coast Guard continues finding survivors and flying them to safety. Due to lack of clean water a public health emergency is declared for the area following Hurricane Katrina.

31 Aug, 2006 India Execution Sentence Upheld

August 31st, 2006 : The Indian Supreme Court has upheld the decision to allow the execution of two Indian Women to continue . The women had been found guilty kidnapping, using the children as young as 2 years old to beg and steal and then murdered the children.

31 Aug, 2007 Germany Synagogue Re-Opened

2007 : The largest synagogue in Germany reopened after undergoing a three year restoration on this day. The synagogue in Berlin survived Nazi and Communist rule but fell into disrepair.

31 Aug, 2008 Mexico Countrywide Protests

2008 : Many hundreds of thousands of people across Mexico held protests on this day. The protests were held in a reaction to the continued and increased violence in the country related to gang activities and drugs. The protesters felt that the federal and local governments have not made any major efforts to curb the violence.

31 Aug, 2011 German City Installs Tax Meters for Prostitutes

2011 : The German city of Bonn installed a meter to tax prostitutes. The meter would tax prostitutes for soliciting on the streets at a rate of six euros per night and was installed near an industrial area frequented by prostitutes and their clients.

31 Aug, 2012 Wyoming Gray Wolves Lose Federal Protection

2012 : Gray wolves in the US state of Wyoming were dropped from the US government's list of endangered species after a successful twenty year program to repopulate the species. New rules have stated the Wyoming needs to maintain at least ten pairs of breeding wolves and cannot have less than one-hundred of the animals, but citizens can shoot wolves on sight in most areas of the state. The changes came after ranchers complained that the wolves were killing their livestock and posing a threat on their properties.

31 Aug, 2013 Chemical Leak in Shanghai

2013 : A chemical leak in the Chinese city of Shanghai killed fifteen people and injured another twenty-six people. The deaths were caused by the leakage of liquid ammonia in a cold storage unit owned by a seafood company.