On This Day in History – January 31

Major Events

• 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, later becoming associated with major developments in early Christianity under Emperor Constantine.
• 1606 – The Gunpowder Plot conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, are executed in London following their failed attempt to blow up Parliament.
• 1801 – John Marshall is appointed Chief Justice of the United States, greatly strengthening the power of the Supreme Court.
• 1865 – The U.S. House of Representatives passes the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery in the United States.
• 1915 – Germany launches its first large-scale aerial bombing campaign against Britain during World War I.
• 1943 – The Battle of Stalingrad ends with the surrender of the German Sixth Army, a decisive turning point in World War II.
• 1958 – Explorer 1, the first successful U.S. satellite, is launched into orbit.
• 1961 – Ham the chimpanzee is launched into space, paving the way for human spaceflight.
• 1990 – The McMartin Preschool Trial, the longest and most expensive criminal trial in U.S. history at the time, ends with acquittals.
• 2020 – The United Kingdom officially leaves the European Union, completing Brexit.

Famous Birthdays

• 1797 – Franz Schubert, Austrian composer (d. 1828)
• 1865 – Rudyard Kipling, English author (d. 1936)
• 1919 – Jackie Robinson, American baseball player and civil rights pioneer (d. 1972)
• 1921 – Carol Channing, American actress (d. 2019)
• 1935 – Kenzaburō Ōe, Japanese novelist and Nobel laureate (d. 2023)
• 1947 – Nolan Ryan, American baseball pitcher
• 1951 – Phil Manzanera, English musician (Roxy Music)
• 1961 – Kelly Lynch, American actress
• 1981 – Justin Timberlake, American singer and actor

Notable Deaths

• 1606 – Guy Fawkes, English conspirator (b. 1570)
• 1851 – John McLean, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1785)
• 1945 – Anne Frank, German-born diarist (date commonly commemorated; b. 1929)
• 1957 – A. A. Milne, English author (b. 1882)
• 1983 – Lynn Wilson, American musician (b. 1947)
• 1996 – Olof Palme, Swedish Prime Minister (b. 1927)
• 2007 – Sidney Sheldon, American novelist (b. 1917)
• 2019 – Emiliano Sala, Argentine footballer (b. 1990)
• 2023 – Cindy Williams, American actress (b. 1947)

Holidays

• International Zebra Day
• Street Children’s Day – Mexico
• National Backward Day – United States

Fun Facts

• Explorer 1 discovered the Van Allen radiation belts surrounding Earth.
• Ham the chimpanzee safely returned from space before Alan Shepard’s historic flight.
• The Battle of Stalingrad marked one of the deadliest battles in human history.
• Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947.
• Brexit formally ended over 40 years of the UK’s membership in the European Union.
• January 31 has often marked historic endings and major turning points.