July 31 in History
What happened on July 31 in history?
A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on july 31 in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened on july 31 in history.
?>2007
The British Army’s longest continual operation, Operation Banner (1969-2007), ends as British troops withdraw from Northern Ireland.
2006
Fidel Castro temporarily hands over power to his brother Raul Castro.
1999
NASA purposely crashes its Discovery Program’s Lunar Prospector into the moon, ending the agency’s mission to detect frozen water on Earth’s moon.
1991
The US and the USSR sign a long-range nuclear weapons reduction pact.
1990
Bosnia-Herzegovina declares independence from Yugoslavia.
1988
Bridge collapse at Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal in Butterworth, Malaysia, kills 32 and injures more than 1,600.
1987
An F4 tornado in Edmonton, Alberta kills 27 and causes $330 million in damages; the day is remembered as “Black Friday.”
1971
Apollo 15 astronauts take a drive on the moon in their land rover.
1962
Federation of Malaysia formally proposed.
1944
The Soviet army takes Kovno, the capital of Lithuania.
1932
Adolf Hitler‘s Nationalist Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazis) doubles its strength in legislative elections.
1917
The third Battle of Ypres commences as the British attack the German lines.
1904
The Trans-Siberian railroad connecting the Ural mountains with Russia’s Pacific coast, is completed.
1891
Great Britain declares territories in Southern Africa up to the Congo to be within its sphere of influence.
1882
Belle and Sam Starr are charged with horse stealing in the Indian territory.
1875
Former president Andrew Johnson dies at the age of 66.
1790
The U.S. Patent Office opens.
1760
Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, drives the French army back to the Rhine River.
1703
English novelist Daniel Defoe is made to stand in the pillory as punishment for offending the government and church with his satire The Shortest Way With Dissenters.