Did you know
Notable Deaths on July 31
90 people
54 BC – 2024
July 31 has seen 90 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 54 BC – 2024. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
1875 — Andrew Johnson
American general and politician, 17th President of the United States (born 1808)
Did you know
The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Did you know
Johnson was a War Democrat who ran with Lincoln on the National Union Party ticket in the 1864 presidential election, coming to office as the American Civil War concluded
Did you know
Congress, culminating in his impeachment by the House of Representatives in 1868
Did you know
Johnson favored quick restoration of the seceded states to the Union without protection for the newly freed people who were formerly enslaved, as well as pardoning ex-Confederates
Roman mother of Gaius Julius Caesar (born 120 BC)
Aurelia was the mother of the Roman general and statesman Julius Caesar.
Read More
-54
Italian bishop and saint (born 380)
Peter Chrysologus was an Italian Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Ravenna from about 433 until his death. He is known as the "Doctor of Homilies" for the concise but theologically rich reflections he delivered…
Read More
450
Chinese warlord
Feng Xingxi (馮行襲), courtesy name Zhengchen (正臣), formally Prince Zhongjing of Changle (長樂忠敬王), was a warlord late in the Chinese Tang dynasty who later became a subject of the succeeding Later Liang state. He was tall…
Read More
910
Chinese general (born 898)
Fu Yanqing (符彥卿), né Li Yanqing (李彥卿), courtesy name Guanhou (冠侯), formally the Prince of Wei (魏王), nicknamed Fu Disi, was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms…
Read More
975
2nd Earl of Shrewsbury
Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat and member of the House of Bellême. He was also known as Hugh the Red.
Read More
1098
French rebel leader (born 1302)
Étienne Marcel was provost of the merchants of Paris under King John II of France, called John the Good. He distinguished himself in the defence of the small craftsmen and guildsmen who made up most of the city…
Read More
1358
English archbishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom (born 1342)
William Courtenay was Archbishop of Canterbury (1381–1396), having previously been Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London.
Read More
1396
1508
Spanish priest and theologian, founded the Society of Jesus (born 1491)
Ignatius of Loyola, venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian, who, with six companions, founded the religious order of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and became its first…
Read More
1556
Solicitor-General for Ireland (born 1553)
Sir Roger Wilbraham was a prominent English lawyer who served as Solicitor-General for Ireland, under Elizabeth I and was judged one of her few really competent Law Officers. He held a number of positions at court under…
Read More
1616
German poet (born 1621)
Sibylla Schwarz, also known as Sibylle Schwartz was a German poet of the Baroque era.
Read More
1638
English soldier and politician, 3rd Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony (born 1576)
Thomas Dudley was a New England colonial magistrate who served several terms as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Dudley was the chief founder of Newtowne, later Cambridge, Massachusetts, and built the town's…
Read More
1653
Dutch still life painter (born 1619)
Willem Kalf was one of the most prominent Dutch still-life painters of the 17th century, the Dutch Golden Age. We first get acquainted with Willem Kalf through Arnold Houbraken, in his Groot Schilderboek, who speaks…
Read More
1693
Swiss mathematician and theorist (born 1695)
Nicolaus II Bernoulli was a Swiss mathematician as were his father Johann Bernoulli and one of his brothers, Daniel Bernoulli. He was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family.
Read More
1726
1750
Spanish sailor and commander (born 1711)
Commandant Luis Vicente de Velasco e Isla was a Spanish Navy officer who served in the Anglo-Spanish War. He was killed in action during the British siege of Havana in 1762.
Read More
1762
3rd Earl of Darnley, British parliamentarian (born 1719)
John Bligh, 3rd Earl of Darnley, styled The Honourable John Bligh between 1721 and 1747, lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was a British parliamentarian.
Read More
1781
French philosopher and critic (born 1713)
Denis Diderot was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the Encyclopédie along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominent figure…
Read More
1784
Indian soldier (born 1756)
Dheeran Chinnamalai was a chieftain who ruled the odanilai region of the present day western Tamil Nadu. He fought against the British East India Company, was later captured and hanged by the British. He is also the…
Read More
1805
French publisher (born 1800)
Louis Christophe François Hachette was a French publisher who established a Paris publishing house designed to produce books and other material to improve the system of school instruction. Publications were initially…
Read More
1864
1884
Hungarian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1811)
Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most prolific and…
Read More
1886
Belgian stained glass painter (born 1814)
Jean-Baptiste Capronnier was a Belgian stained glass painter. Born in Brussels in 1814, he had much to do with the modern revival of glass-painting, and first made his reputation by his study of the old methods of…
Read More
1891
British geologist and mining engineer. (born 1850)
John Milne was a British geologist and mining engineer who worked on a horizontal seismograph.
Read More
1913
French journalist and politician (born 1859)
Auguste Marie Joseph Jean Léon Jaurès, commonly referred to as Jean Jaurès, was a French socialist leader. Initially a Moderate Republican, he later became a social democrat and one of the first possibilists and in 1902…
Read More
1914
Irish soldier and poet (born 1881)
Francis Edward Ledwidge was a 20th-century Irish poet. From Slane, County Meath, and sometimes known as the "poet of the blackbirds", he was later also known as a First World War war poet. He befriended the established…
Read More
1917
1917
Greek philosopher and diplomat (born 1878)
Ion Dragoumis was a Greek diplomat, philosopher, writer and revolutionary.
Read More
1920
Indian activist (born 1899)
Udham Singh was an Indian revolutionary belonging to Ghadar Party and HSRA, best known for assassinating Michael O'Dwyer, the former lieutenant governor of the Punjab in India, on 13 March 1940. The assassination was…
Read More
1940
British Army Officer, explorer and spiritual writer (born 1863)
Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband, was a British Army officer, explorer and spiritual writer. He is remembered for his travels in the Far East and Central Asia; especially the 1904 British expedition to…
Read More
1942
English cricketer and soldier (born 1905)
Hedley Verity was a professional cricketer who played for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler, he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 and 144 wickets…
Read More
1943
French pilot and poet (born 1900)
Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, vicomte de Saint-Exupéry, known simply as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was a French writer, poet, journalist and aviator.
Read More
1944
North Korean poet (born 1913)
Cho Ki-chon was a Soviet-born North Korean poet. He is regarded as a national poet and "founding father of North Korean poetry" whose distinct Soviet-influenced style of lyrical epic poetry in the socialist realist…
Read More
1951
American soldier and politician (born 1889)
Robert Alphonso Taft Sr. was an American politician, lawyer, and scion of the Republican Party's Taft family. Taft represented Ohio in the United States Senate, briefly served as Senate majority leader, and was a leader…
Read More
1953
Argentine race car driver (born 1923)
Onofre Agustín Marimón was an Argentine racing driver, who competed in Formula One at 12 Grands Prix between 1951 and 1954.
Read More
1954
Finnish philosopher and psychologist, attendant of the Vienna circle (born 1890)
Eino Sakari Kaila was a Finnish philosopher, critic and teacher. He worked in numerous fields including psychology, physics and theater, and attempted to find unifying principles behind various branches of human and…
Read More
1958
American singer-songwriter (born 1923)
James Travis Reeves was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. One of the earliest pioneers and practitioners of the Nashville sound, he played a central role in the sonic development of country music in the…
Read More
1964
American pianist (born 1924)
Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell was an American jazz pianist and composer. A pioneer in the development of bebop and its associated contributions to jazz theory, Powell's application of complex phrasing to the piano…
Read More
1966
Australian politician, 29th Premier of Queensland (born 1911)
Jack Charles Allan Pizzey was a Queensland Country Party politician. He was Premier of Queensland, in a coalition with the Liberal Party, from 17 January 1968 until his death on 31 July that year. To date, he is the…
Read More
1968
American soldier and activist (born 1923)
Walter Percival Carter was an activist and central figure in Baltimore, Maryland during the Civil Rights Movement. He earned that designation by organizing demonstrations against discrimination throughout Maryland.…
Read More
1971
Belgian politician, 40th Prime Minister of Belgium, 1st President of the United Nations General Assembly (born 1899)
Paul-Henri Charles Spaak was an influential Belgian Socialist politician, diplomat and statesman who thrice served as the prime minister of Belgium and later as the second secretary general of NATO. Nicknamed "Mr.…
Read More
1972
Japanese sumo wrestler, the 40th Yokozuna (born 1921)
Azumafuji Kin'ichi was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Taitō, Tokyo. He was the sport's 40th yokozuna, and later a professional wrestler.
Read More
1973
English actress and director (born 1903)
Beatrix Alice Lehmann was a British actress, theatre director, writer and novelist.
Read More
1979
German physicist, author, and academic (born 1902)
Ernst Pascual Jordan was a German theoretical and mathematical physicist who made significant contributions to quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. He contributed much to the mathematical form of matrix…
Read More
1980
Indian playback singer (born 1924)
Mohammed Rafi was an Indian playback singer. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and range of voice; his songs…
Read More
1980
Panamanian general and politician, Military Leader of Panama (born 1929)
Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera was a Panamanian military officer, politician and revolutionary who was the military leader of Panama, as well as the Commander of the Panamanian National Guard from 1968 to his death in…
Read More
1981
American religious leader (born 1906)
Eugene Carson Blake was an American Presbyterian Church leader.
Read More
1985
Japanese diplomat (born 1900)
Chiune Sugihara was a Japanese diplomat who served as vice-consul for the Japanese Empire in Kaunas, Lithuania. During the Second World War, Sugihara helped thousands of Jews flee Europe by issuing transit visas to…
Read More
1986
American film producer (b, 1905)
Joseph Edward Levine was an American film distributor, financier and producer. At the time of his death, it was said he was involved in one or another capacity with 497 films. Levine was responsible for the American…
Read More
1987
Canadian ice hockey player (born 1902)
Joseph Albert Florimond Leduc was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League from 1925 to 1935. with the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens. He won…
Read More
1990
English captain and pilot (born 1917)
Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire,, was a British Royal Air Force pilot, officer and philanthropist.
Read More
1992
1993
1997
American editor, novelist, short story writer, and essayist (born 1908)
William Keepers Maxwell Jr. was an American editor, novelist, short story writer, essayist, children's author, and memoirist. He served as a fiction editor at The New Yorker from 1936 to 1975. An editor devoted to his…
Read More
2000
Portuguese general and politician, 15th President of Portugal (born 1914)
Francisco da Costa Gomes, ComTE GOA was a Portuguese military officer and politician who was the president of Portugal from 1974 to 1976. Earlier on, he had been deployed to Angola as part of the Portuguese Colonial War.
Read More
2001
Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (born 1910)
Friedrich Franz, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the heir apparent to the throne of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and a member of the Waffen-SS.
Read More
2001
Italian author and illustrator (born 1933)
Guido Crepax, was an Italian comics artist. He is most famous for his character Valentina, created in 1965 and very representative of the spirit of the 1960s. The Valentina series of books and strips became noted for…
Read More
2003
American actress (born 1917)
Virginia Grey was an American actress who appeared in over 100 films and several radio and television shows from the 1930s to the early 1980s. She was romantically involved with Clark Gable for several years, after his…
Read More
2004
Dutch economist and politician, 1st President of the European Central Bank (born 1935)
Willem Frederik "Wim" Duisenberg was a Dutch politician, economist and senior official who served as the first President of the European Central Bank from 1998 to 2003. A member of the Labour Party (PvdA), he previously…
Read More
2005
English footballer and manager (born 1933)
Sir Robert William Robson was an English football player and coach. His career included periods playing for and later managing the England national team and being a UEFA Cup-winning manager at Ipswich Town.
Read More
2009
English-Canadian screenwriter and producer (born 1920)
Harry Alan Towers was a British radio and independent film producer and screenwriter. He wrote numerous screenplays for the films he produced, often under the pseudonym Peter Welbeck. He produced over 80 feature films…
Read More
2009
Scottish author and playwright (born 1922)
Maureen Mollie Hunter McIlwraith was a Scottish writer known as Mollie Hunter. She wrote fantasy for children, historical stories for young adults, and realistic novels for adults. Many of her works are inspired by…
Read More
2012
Brazilian footballer and coach (born 1924)
Alfredo Ramos Castilho, was a Brazilian footballer in the defense role. He was simply known as Alfredo or Polvo by fans.
Read More
2012
American novelist, screenwriter, and critic (born 1925)
Eugene Luther Gore Vidal was an American writer and public intellectual known for his cynical epigrammatic wit. His novels and essays criticized the social and sexual norms he perceived as driving American life. Vidal…
Read More
2012
2012
Syrian-American actor (born 1922)
Michael George Ansara was a Syrian‐American actor. He was often cast in Arab and Native American roles. His work in both film and television spanned several genres, including historical epics, Westerns, and science…
Read More
2013
English-Belgian general and pilot (born 1917)
Michel G. L. "Mike" Donnet, was a Belgian pilot who served in the Belgian Army and British Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He shot down four enemy aircraft confirmed, and achieved the RAF rank of wing…
Read More
2013
American captain and author (born 1920)
John Alexander Graves III was an American writer known for his book Goodbye to a River.
Read More
2013
English businessman, founded Pukka Pies (born 1930)
Trevor Storer was a British businessman and founder of the Pukka Pies company in 1963, which was originally called Trevor Storer's Home Made Pies. He was the author of Bread Salesmanship, which became the training…
Read More
2013
American scholar, author, and academic (born 1925)
Warren Gamaliel Bennis was an American scholar, organizational consultant and author, widely regarded as a pioneer of the contemporary field of Leadership studies.
Bennis was University Professor and Distinguished…
Read More
2014
Indian journalist and author (born 1948)
Nabarun Bhattacharya was an Indian writer who wrote in the Bengali language. He was born at Berhampore, West Bengal. He was the only child of actor and playwright Bijon Bhattacharya and writer and activist Mahashweta…
Read More
2014
English footballer (born 1948)
Jeffrey Albert Bourne was an English footballer who played as a striker. Born in Linton, Derbyshire, he spent most of his early career in the lower English divisions before moving to the United States, where he played…
Read More
2014
American lawyer and judge (born 1920)
Wilfred Feinberg was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and previously was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern…
Read More
2014
American writer and critic (born 1940)
Alan Stuart Cheuse was an American writer, editor, professor of literature, and radio commentator. A longtime NPR book commentator, he was also the author of five novels, five collections of short stories and novellas,…
Read More
2015
American surgeon and academic (born 1910)
Howard Wilbur Jones, Jr. was an American gynecological surgeon and in vitro fertilization (IVF) specialist. Jones and his wife, Georgeanna Seegar Jones, were two of the earliest reproductive medicine specialists in the…
Read More
2015
American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1927)
Walter William Pierce was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball between 1945 and 1964 who played most of his career for the Chicago White Sox. He was the team's star pitcher in the decade from 1952 to…
Read More
2015
Canadian wrestler and actor (born 1954)
Roderick George Toombs, known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor.
Read More
2015
American soldier and politician, 14th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (born 1926)
Richard Schultz Schweiker was an American businessman and politician who served as the 14th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1983. A member of the…
Read More
2015
Japanese sumo wrestler, the 58th Yokozuna (born 1955)
Chiyonofuji Mitsugu , born Mitsugu Akimoto , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler and the 58th yokozuna of the sport.
Read More
2016
South African mathematician (born 1928)
Seymour Aubrey Papert was a South African-born American mathematician, computer scientist, and educator, who spent most of his career teaching and researching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was one of…
Read More
2016
French actress (born 1928)
Jeanne Moreau was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française.
Read More
2017
British sailor & businessman (born 1939)
Tony Bullimore was a British businessman and international yachtsman. During the 1996–97 Vendée Globe solo round-the-world yacht race, his vessel lost its keel and capsized in the Southern Ocean. He survived for four…
Read More
2018
Broadway producer and director, who received more Tony awards than anyone else in history (born 1928)
Harold Smith Prince, commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theater director and producer known for his work in musical theater.
Read More
2019
English filmmaker (born 1944)
Sir Alan William Parker was an English film director, screenwriter and producer. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After about ten years…
Read More
2020
12th President of the Philippines (born 1928)
Fidel Valdez Ramos, popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military officer to reach…
Read More
2022
NBA Hall of Fame player and coach (born 1934)
William Felton Russell was an American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was the centerpiece of the Celtics…
Read More
2022
American actor (born 1998)
Conor Angus Cloud Hickey was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Fezco in the HBO drama series Euphoria (2019–present), and had roles in the films North Hollywood (2021), The Line (2023), Abigail and…
Read More
2023
United States Army Medal of Honor recipient (born 1943)
Paul William Bucha was an American Vietnam War veteran and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. He was a foreign policy adviser to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.
Read More
2024
Palestinian politician, political leader of Hamas (born 1962/1963)
Ismail Haniyeh was a Palestinian politician who served as third chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from May 2017 until his assassination in July 2024. He also served as the prime minister of the Palestinian National…
Read More
2024
Advertisement
Notable deaths
Who died on July 31?
Andrew Johnson — President of the United States from 1865 to 1869
FeaturedAndrew Johnson
Death year1875
Known forThe 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Deaths on this date90 (54 BC – 2024)
Explore July 31
Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.
Also on July 31 in History
2014
Gas explosions in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung kill at least 20 people and injure more than 270. Wikipedia →
2012
Michael Phelps breaks the record set in 1964 by Larisa Latynina for the most medals won at the Olympics. Wikipedia →
2008
See all events on July 31
East Coast Jets Flight 81 crashes near Owatonna Degner Regional Airport in Owatonna, Minnesota, killing all eight people on board. Wikipedia →
Advertisement