January 31st Major News Events
- 1953 Europe The Great Storm
- 1942 Car Production Stops
- 1953 Princess Victoria car ferry Sinks
- 1983 New Seatbelt Law
- 1996 Sri Lanka Terrorist Bombs
Find More Details for What happened 31st January This Day in History on your birthday
1961 Chimp in Space
1961 : A chimpanzee named Ham sent into space by the United States has been recovered alive and well. The test was one of many planned to ensure that a human being could survive space flight, think clearly and perform useful functions outside the Earth's atmosphere.
2000 Dr Harold Shipman
Family GP Dr Harold Shipman is jailed for life for murdering 15 of his patients, he was also suspected of killing more than 100 other patients but did not confess to them. Dr Harold Shipman is now Britain's most prolific convicted serial killer
1953 Europe The Great Storm
A major storm with winds in excess of 100 MPH caused flooding in 3 countries with North Sea coastal areas killing a total of more than 2,000 people in the Netherlands Great Britain and Belgium.
1917 Submarine Warfare
Germany restarts unlimited submarine warfare in the Atlantic, and German torpedo armed submarines announce they will attack any and all ships, including civilian passenger ships.
1929 - Sunday Sports
1929 : Sunday sports were to be permitted in Boston as of this day. Therefore, the Boston Braves and the Boston Red Sox were allowed to play on Sundays after Mayor Malcolm E. Nichols had signed an ordinance regarding this matter.
This permission did not come without cost, however. The Braves were to be required to pay $2,500 for a permit and the Red Sox were required to pay $1,000.
The reason why they were required to pay different rates was because of the difference in renting capacity of the parks each of these two teams would play in. Apparently the Braves playing field was bigger than the Red Sox playing field.
1942 Car Production Stops
No longer were civilian vehicles made as of this date by companies such as Chevrolet or DeSoto. From this time on until the end of the war only military vehicles were produced.
1945 World War II Burma Route Opened
A main route was created from India to China for the purpose of transporting Allied military troops (troops opposing Hitler and his army). This path was established via the country of Burma, which provided the link from the two above-mentioned countries. The Bridge on the River Kwai was part of that route.
1945 Private Eddie Slovik
Private Eddie Slovik is executed by firing squad near the village of Ste-Marie aux Mines, France after being court martial for desertion to avoid hazardous duty and became the only U.S. soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion.
1949 These Are My Children
1949 : The first daytime soap opera "These Are My Children," was broadcast by the NBC station in Chicago Soap Operas got the name because they were targeted at mothers and the soap manufacturers such as Procter and Gamble, were major sponsors ( Advertisers ) .
1950 Hydrogen Bomb
President Truman approved U.S. construction of the hydrogen bomb, a weapon potentially 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb
1953 Princess Victoria car ferry Sinks
The British Railways, Princess Victoria car ferry has sunk in the Irish Sea in one of the worst gales in living memory claiming the lives of more than 130 passengers and crew.
Born This Day In History January 31st
Celebrating Birthdays Today
Justin Timberlake
Born: 31st January 1981 Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Known For : American pop singer-songwriter, who has won six Grammy Awards as well as an Emmy Award. He has a number of top ten singles both in the US and around the world including "Cry Me a River", "My Love", "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around" and "Rock Your Body". He was at one time dating fellow pop singer Britney Spears, but is still single and has not confirmed any long term relationships.
Carol Channing
Born: 31st January 1921 Seattle, Washington
Known For : American actress and singer best known for Thoroughly Modern Millie, Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and as Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly!.
1957 Plane Crash
A Jet and a Douglas DC-7B transport plane collide before the wreckage dropped onto three schools in California killing 3 children in the playground at Pacoima Junior High School.
1961 Americans Jailed for Bringing Arms
Six Americans were sentenced to prison for 30 years in Cuba. These prisoners were serving a sentence after being charge with bringing arms to anti-Castro "guerrillas."
The Americans that were arrested and tried guilty said they had stolen a boat to use to defend the Castro revolution. Minister Fidel Castro himself was said to have taken up this case.
1968 Viet Cong Suicide Squad
A 19 man Viet Cong suicide squad seized the U.S. Embassy in Saigon and held it for six hours until an assault force of U.S. paratroopers landed by helicopter on the building's roof and took back control. This signaled the beginning of the Offensive began by Viet Cong forces.
1971 Apollo 14
1971 : Apollo 14, is launched and piloted by astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell, and Stuart A. Roosa, on a manned mission to the moon
1972 Argentina Robbery
On this date, the police hunted for terrorist robbery suspects to no avail. A total of 14 armed terrorists had held up the National Development Bank for over a period of eight hours on the weekend prior to this hunt.
The group that admitted to the terrorist crime described above was the Trotskyite People's Revolutionary Army. According to the press, it is also documented that the Trotskyite Army also confessed to having run off with $450,000 dollars for the purpose of furthering their revolution.
The robbery guerrillas also seemingly bragged about the fact that they stole documents which prove that bourgeois sectors have committed fraud.
1983 New Seatbelt Law
The new seatbelt law comes into force meaning drivers and front seat passengers must wear seat belts at all times, the law has been bought in to improve road safety hoping the compulsory wearing of front seat belts will save 1,000 lives a year.
1990 Mc Donald's in Moscow
On this day in history the first Mc Donald's was opened in Russia, in the city of Moscow. This restaurant had served at least 30,000 people in its first day
1995 US Loans $20 Billion Mexico
Following the devaluation of the Mexican to an all-time low, President Clinton exercised his executive power to authorize the Treasury Department to issue a $20 billion loan through the Exchange Stabilization Fund. This was the first time the fund had been used to help stabilize a foreign currency.
1996 Sri Lanka Terrorist Bombs
Fifty dead in Sri Lanka suicide bombing by Tamil Tigers after a truck loaded with explosives is crashed into the central bank in the heart of Colombo's financial district
Self Build 7 Room Aladdin Dutch Colonial Barn Style property
Price: $1,298Description Dutch Colonial with full ceilings first and second floor with a large living room, large dining room, 3 bedrooms, Kitchen, Bathroom, Linen and a clothes closet
Shoes and Hats From The 1950's
Remember or Imagine you could go shopping for latest fashion clothing in the 1950's
Part of our Collection of shoes and Hats from The 1950's
1950 Dressy HomburgPrice: $3.88
Dressy homburg made with a lustrous rayon satin ribbon band and lavishly gathered rosettes. Novelty plastic ornament. Fine wool felt. Very flattering and easy to wear. Colors include black, cocoa brown, navy blue, dark green, wine red or medium gray.
1951 Cavalier HatPrice: $4.98
The cavalier hat in always-rich rayon velvet is dashing, as flattering as its namesake. Magnificent regal coque feathers... iridescent and lustrous are a fabulous side flourish. A prized accent because it is so feminine. Colors are black, dark brown, navy blue, wine red or dark green.
2003 Australia Train Crashe
2003 : A Tangara inter city train coming from Central Station Sydney leaves Waterfall railway station on route to Port Kembla Station Train Driver suffers a heart attack and the train approaches a curve rated for 37MPH at over 73 mph causing the train to derail, overturn and collide with the rocky walls of the gorge.
2004 Security Terrorism Prevention
Six U.S.-bound flights from England, Scotland and France were canceled because of security concerns
2006 Ben Bernanke
Ben Bernanke is approved as chairman to succeed Alan Greenspan of the Federal Reserve by The Senate and takes over the next day February 1, 2006 ( The position of Chairman of the Board of Governors of the United States Federal Reserve ) is considered to be one of the most powerful people in the world.
2008 India Internet Access
A break in submerged cable systems in the Mediterranean cause India to lose 60% Internet access and international telephone services. Due to the number of call centers located in India a large number of call cent res were also unavailable.
This Day In History For Tomorrow February 1st Day After February 2nd Or You Can Use the link to this Month at the top of the page to find the day or month you are looking for
2011 Burmese Parliament Convenes
The Burmese Parliament met for the first time in over twenty years after elections in 2010. This event marked the end of a fifty year military rule and the creation of a new constitution for the country. Despite these steps forward, critics of the new government stated that the military will still retain a large amount of control.
2012 Several People Die from Freezing Weather in Eastern Europe
Several people had died after a bout of freezing weather hit Eastern Europe and countries like Poland, Ukraine, Serbia, and Bulgaria. Several hundred people were reportedly treated for frostbite in Ukraine as tens of thousands of others looked for shelter in the country.
2013 Commuter Train Crash Near Pretoria
2013 : Two commuter trains crashed near Pretoria, South Africa, injuring nearly three hundred people. None were reported dead but a few of the injured were listed as in critical condition.
2014 Oldest Flamingo Dies
2014 : A flamingo named "Greater" died at the age of eighty-three in the Adelaide Zoo in Australia. The flamingo was believed to be the oldest of its kind still alive on Earth. Greater had been put to sleep after suffering complications from old age. Greater the flamingo was a member of the greater flamingo species, Phoenicopterus roseus.
International Harvester Red Truck
Price: $1,500
When we think of the "International Harvester Company" we automatically think of farm machinery but they manufactured a full range of trucks including this great example. The trucks ranged from this with a 1,500-lb capacity up to a 10,000-lb heavy duty capacity truck.