# What happened on August 31 in history?

**Date:** August 31  
**Events recorded:** 52  
**Years spanned:** 1056 – 2025  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/august/31/

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## Featured Event

**2016** — Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff is impeached and removed from office.

[Read more on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilma_Rousseff)

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## Events on this date

- **1056** — After a sudden gastric illness, Byzantine Empress Theodora dies childless, thus ending the Macedonian dynasty. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Roman_and_Byzantine_empresses))
- **1218** — Al-Kamil becomes sultan of the Ayyubid dynasty. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Kamil))
- **1314** — King Haakon V moves the capital of Norway from Bergen to Oslo. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haakon_V))
- **1420** — The 8.8–9.4 Caldera earthquake shakes Chile's Atacama Region causing tsunami in Chile, Hawaii, and Japan. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1420_Caldera_earthquake))
- **1422** — King Henry V of England dies of dysentery while in France and his son, Henry VI, becomes king at the age of nine months. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_V_of_England))
- **1483** — Under the influence of the Ottoman government, patriarch Symeon I convenes a synod of the Eastern Orthodox Churches in Constantinople which defines the ritual for admitting Catholics to the Eastern Orthodox Churches and condemns the church union of Ferrara-Florence. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symeon_I_of_Constantinople))
- **1776** — William Livingston, the first Governor of New Jersey, begins serving his first term. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Livingston))
- **1795** — War of the First Coalition: The British capture Trincomalee (present-day Sri Lanka) from the Dutch in order to keep it out of French hands. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_First_Coalition))
- **1798** — Irish Rebellion: Irish rebels, with French assistance, establish the short-lived Republic of Connacht. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Rebellion_of_1798))
- **1813** — Peninsular War: Spanish troops repel a French attack in the Battle of San Marcial. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsular_War))
- **1864** — American Civil War: The Battle of Jonesborough, the culmination of the Atlanta campaign, begins as Union forces under General William T. Sherman clash with Confederate troops under General William J. Hardee south of Atlanta. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War))
- **1876** — Ottoman Sultan Murad V is deposed and succeeded by his brother, Abdul Hamid II. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sultans_of_the_Ottoman_Empire))
- **1886** — The 7.0 Mw  Charleston earthquake strikes southeastern South Carolina with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing 60 people and causing damage worth an estimated at $5 to $6 million. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1886_Charleston_earthquake))
- **1888** — Mary Ann Nichols, the first of Jack the Ripper's confirmed victims, is murdered. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ann_Nichols))
- **1895** — German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin patents his navigable balloon. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_von_Zeppelin))
- **1907** — Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Anglo-Russian Convention, by which the UK recognizes Russian preeminence in northern Persia, while Russia recognizes British preeminence in southeastern Persia and Afghanistan. Both powers pledge not to interfere in Tibet. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Russian_Convention))
- **1918** — World War I: Start of the Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin, a successful assault by the Australian Corps during the Hundred Days Offensive. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I))
- **1920** — Polish–Soviet War: A decisive Polish victory in the Battle of Komarów. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Soviet_War))
- **1933** — The Integral Nationalist Group wins the 1933 Andorran parliamentary election, the first election in Andorra held with universal male suffrage. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1933_Andorran_parliamentary_election))
- **1935** — In an attempt to stay out of the growing tensions concerning Germany and Japan, the United States passes the first of its Neutrality Acts. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutrality_Acts_of_the_1930s))
- **1936** — Radio Prague, now the official international broadcasting station of the Czech Republic, goes on the air. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Prague))
- **1939** — Nazi Germany mounts a false flag attack on the Gleiwitz radio station, creating an excuse to attack Poland the following day, thus starting World War II in Europe. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Germany))
- **1940** — Pennsylvania Central Airlines Trip 19 crashes near Lovettsville, Virginia. The CAB investigation of the accident is the first investigation to be conducted under the Bureau of Air Commerce act of 1938. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovettsville_air_disaster))
- **1941** — World War II: Serbian paramilitary forces defeat Germans in the Battle of Loznica. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II))
- **1943** — USS Harmon, the first U.S. Navy ship to be named after a black person, is commissioned. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Harmon_(DE-678)))
- **1949** — The retreat of the Democratic Army of Greece into Albania after its defeat on Gramos mountain marks the end of the Greek Civil War. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Army_of_Greece))
- **1950** — TWA Flight 903 crashes near Itay El Barud, Egypt, killing all 55 aboard. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWA_Flight_903))
- **1957** — The Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia) gains its independence from the United Kingdom. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation_of_Malaya))
- **1959** — A parcel bomb sent by Ngô Đình Nhu, younger brother and chief adviser of South Vietnamese President Ngô Đình Diệm, fails to kill King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_bomb))
- **1962** — Trinidad and Tobago becomes independent. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidad_and_Tobago))
- **1963** — Crown Colony of North Borneo (now Sabah) achieves self governance. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Colony_of_North_Borneo))
- **1968** — Start of the Congress of Carrara, one of the major 20th century anarchist congresses. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_Carrara))
- **1972** — Aeroflot Flight 558 crashes in the Abzelilovsky District in Bashkortostan, Russia (then the Soviet Union), killing all 102 people aboard. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_558))
- **1986** — Aeroméxico Flight 498 collides with a Piper PA-28 Cherokee over Cerritos, California, killing 67 in the air and 15 on the ground. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerom%C3%A9xico_Flight_498))
- **1986** — The Soviet passenger liner Admiral Nakhimov sinks in the Black Sea after colliding with the bulk carrier Pyotr Vasev, killing 423. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union))
- **1987** — Thai Airways Flight 365 crashes into the ocean near Ko Phuket, Thailand, killing all 83 aboard. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Airways_Flight_365))
- **1988** — Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 crashes during takeoff from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, killing 14. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Air_Lines_Flight_1141))
- **1988** — CAAC Flight 301 overshoots the runway at Kai Tak Airport and crashes into Kowloon Bay, killing seven people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAAC_Flight_301))
- **1991** — Kyrgyzstan declares its independence from the Soviet Union. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrgyzstan))
- **1993** — Russia completes removing its troops from Lithuania. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania))
- **1994** — Russia completes removing its troops from Estonia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonia))
- **1996** — Saddam Hussein's troops seized Irbil after the Kurdish Masoud Barzani appealed for help to defeat his Kurdish rival PUK. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddam_Hussein))
- **1997** — Diana, Princess of Wales, her partner, Dodi Fayed, and driver Henri Paul die in a car crash in Paris. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana%2C_Princess_of_Wales))
- **1999** — The first of a series of bombings in Moscow kills one person and wounds 40 others. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Russian_apartment_bombings))
- **1999** — A LAPA Boeing 737-200 crashes during takeoff from Jorge Newbury Airport in Buenos Aires, killing 65, including two on the ground. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%ADneas_A%C3%A9reas_Privadas_Argentinas))
- **2002** — Typhoon Rusa, the most powerful typhoon to hit South Korea in 43 years, made landfall, killing at least 236 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Rusa))
- **2005** — The 2005 Al-Aaimmah bridge stampede in Baghdad kills 953 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Al-Aimmah_Bridge_disaster))
- **2006** — Edvard Munch's famous painting, The Scream, stolen on August 22, 2004, is recovered in a raid by Norwegian police. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edvard_Munch))
- **2016** — Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff is impeached and removed from office. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilma_Rousseff))
- **2024** — A helicopter crashes in Kamchatka Krai in the Russian Far East, killing all 22 occupants. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Kamchatka_Mil_Mi-8_crash))
- **2025** — A landslide in the Darfur region of Sudan kills over 1000 people. 26 ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Tarasin_landslide))
- **2025** — An earthquake in eastern Afghanistan kills over 1400 people. 25 ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Kunar_earthquake))

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## Notable births on August 31

- **2004** — **Jang Won-young** — South Korean singer and model ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jang_Won-young))
- **2001** — **Amanda Anisimova** — American tennis player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Anisimova))
- **2000** — **Sauce Gardner** — American football player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauce_Gardner))
- **1998** — **BossMan Dlow** — American rapper ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BossMan_Dlow))
- **1997** — **Jaylen Barron** — American actress ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaylen_Barron))
- **1996** — **Jalen Brunson** — American basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalen_Brunson))
- **1995** — **Brittany Mahomes** — American soccer player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittany_Mahomes))
- **1994** — **Alex Harris** — Scottish footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Harris_(Scottish_footballer)))
- **1994** — **Can Aktav** — Turkish football player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can_Aktav))
- **1993** — **Pablo Marí** — Spanish football player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Mar%C3%AD))

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## Notable deaths on August 31

- **2024** — **Sol Bamba** — Ivorian-French footballer (born 1985) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Bamba))
- **2021** — **Mahal** — Filipino comedian and actress (born 1974) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahal_(actress)))
- **2021** — **Francesco Morini** — Italian footballer (born 1944) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Morini))
- **2021** — **Michael Constantine** — Greek-American actor (born 1927) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Constantine))
- **2021** — **Geronimo** — British alpaca (born 2013) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geronimo_(alpaca)))
- **2020** — **Pranab Mukherjee** — Former President of India (born 1935) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pranab_Mukherjee))
- **2020** — **Tom Seaver** — American baseball player (born 1944) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Seaver))
- **2019** — **Anthoine Hubert** — French race car driver (born 1996) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthoine_Hubert))
- **2019** — **Alec Holowka** — Canadian game developer (born 1983) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_Holowka))
- **2018** — **Carole Shelley** — British-American actress (born 1939) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carole_Shelley))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/august/31/](https://thisday.info/events/august/31/).  
Historical data is sourced from [Wikipedia/Wikimedia](https://www.wikipedia.org) under [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).  
Editorial framing and site content © thisday.info.