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What happened in history on this day: May 31?
On May 31 in ...
- 1781 - US Congress declares Continental Currency no longer legal tender.
- 1790 - US copyright law is enacted.
- 1821 - Cathedral of Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary, first US Catholic cathedral, is dedicated in Baltimore, Maryland.
- 1837 - Astor Hotel (most elaborate in US) opens in New York City.
- 1853 - Elisha Kane's Arctic expedition leaves New York aboard the Advance ship.
- 1861 - The Confederate States of America closes down the Charlotte, Dahlonega, and New Orleans Mints.
- 1862 - Robert Hatton, Confederate Brigadier-General, dies in battle at about age 34.
- 1862 - Battle of Seven Pines, Virginia (Fair Oaks); USA defeats CSA.
- 1864 - At a Republican convention in Cleveland, Ohio, General John C. Fremont is nominated for US President.
- 1864 - Raid at Morgan's, Kentucky.
- 1870 - US Congress passes first Enforcement Act (rights of blacks).
- 1878 - US Congress accepts decrease in dollar circulation.
- 1879 - Madison Square Garden opens its doors in New York City.
- 1880 - League of American Wheelmen (first US bicycle association), forms in Newport, Rhode Island.
- 1889 - Johnstown Flood; 2,209 die in Pennsylvania, USA.
- 1897 - In Giles County, Virginia, USA, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurs.
- 1897 - Augustus Saint-Gaudens' Shaw Memorial statue is unveiled opposite Massachusetts State House in Boston. Colonel Robert Shaw and soldiers of Massachusetts 54th Regiment were killed by Confederate soldiers in an assault on Fort Wagner in Charleston Harbor May 28, 1863.
- 1900 - US troops arrive in Peking, China, to help put down Boxer Rebellion.
- 1907 - Taxicabs first begin running in New York City, New York, USA.
- 1909 - First NAACP conference (United Charities Building, New York City).
- 1913 - 17th Amendment (direct election of Senators) declared ratified.
- 1919 - US Navy Curtiss NC-4 aircraft commanded by AC Read completes first crossing of Atlantic (15 days), landing at Plymouth, England.
- 1928 - First aerial cross of the Pacific takes off from Oakland, California.
- 1929 - Birth of first reindeer born in the US.
- 1943 - "Archie" comic strip first broadcast on radio.
- 1943 - Japanese forces are driven from Aleutian Islands, Alaska.
- 1947 - Eastern DC-4 crashes between Port Deposit and Perryville Maryland, kills 53.
- 1955 - US Supreme Court orders school integration "with all deliberate speed".
- 1958 - US performs nuclear test at Bikini Island (atmospheric tests).
- 1961 - Chuck Berry's amusement park Berryland opens in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.
- 1961 - Judge Irving Kaufman orders Board of Education of New Rochelle to integrate.
- 1968 - USS Scorpion nuclear-power submarine is last heard from, 50 miles south of Azores.
- 1977 - Trans-Alaska oil pipeline completed.
- 1979 - Radio City Music Hall (New York City) reopens.
- 1984 - 57th US National Spelling Bee: Daniel Greenblatt wins spelling "luge".
- 1984 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
- 1985 - 41 Tornados in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and Ontario, Canada kill 41 and injure more than 1,000.
- 1988 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan addresses 600 Moscow State University students, during his visit to the Soviet Union.
- 1989 - US Speaker of the House Jim Wright resigns.
- 1990 - 63rd US National Spelling Bee: Amy Marie Dimak wins spelling "fibranne".
- 1990 - New York City's Zodiac killer shoots third victim, Joseph Ponce.
- 1992 - 46th Tony Awards: Dancing at Lughnasa and Crazy For You win.
- 2003 - Eric Rudolph, suspected in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in 1996, is captured in Murphy, North Carolina.
- 2008 - NASA's Discovery space shuttle blasts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a 14-day mission to the International Space Station, delivering a cylinder for Japan's Kibo science lab, and also a new pump to repair the station's toilet.
- 2018 - The U.S. announces that it will extend its tariffs on imported steel (25%) and aluminium (10%) to include the EU, Mexico and Canada, starting at midnight.
Births on May 31
- 1819 - Birth of Walt Whitman in West Hills, New York, USA; poet (Leaves of Grass).
- 1894 - Birth of Fred Allen in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; comedian (Fred Allen Radio Show).
- 1898 - Birth of Norman Vincent in Peale, Ohio, USA; clergyman (Power of Positive Thinking).
- 1908 - Birth of Don Ameche in Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA; actor (Cocoon, Trading Places).
- 1912 - Birth of Barbara Pepper in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Doris Ziffel - Green Acres, Rogue Tavern).
- 1912 - Birth of Dave O'Brien in Big Springs, Texas, USA; actor (Kiss Me Kate, First Aid).
- 1929 - Birth of first reindeer born in the US.
- 1929 - Birth of Elaine Stewart in Montclair, New Jersey, USA; actress (Take the High Ground).
- 1930 - Birth of Clint Eastwood in San Francisco, California, USA; actor (Dirty Harry), mayor (Carmel, California).
- 1931 - Birth of Shirley Verrett in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; American mezzo-soprano (Cassandra - Les Troyens).
- 1938 - Birth of Peter Yarrow in New York City, New York, USA; musician (Peter, Paul and Mary - "Puff the Magic Dragon").
- 1941 - Birth of Gil [Walter] Morgan in Haddock, Georgia, USA; PGA golfer (1990 Kemper Open).
- 1941 - Birth of Johnny Paycheck in Greenfield, Ohio, USA; singer ("Take This Job and Shove It").
- 1941 - Birth of Kenneth Cooper in New York City, New York, USA; harpsichordist/professor (Barnard, Brooklyn).
- 1943 - Birth of Sharon Gless in Los Angeles, California, USA; actress (Chris Cagney - Cagney and Lacey).
- 1946 - Birth of Maeve Kinkead in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Guiding Light).
- 1948 - Birth of Rhea Perlman in Brooklyn, New York, USA; actress (Carla - Cheers, Zena - Taxi).
- 1949 - Birth of Steven Kampmann in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (Kirk - Newhart).
- 1950 - Birth of Gregory Harrison in Catalina, California, USA; actor (Trapper John, Logan's Run).
- 1950 - Birth of Tom Berenger in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actor (Big Chill, Someone to Watch Over Me).
- 1955 - Birth of Laura Baugh in Gainesville, Florida, USA; LPGA golfer (1994 Youngstown Classic-9th).
- 1957 - Birth of Jim Craig in North Easton, Massachusetts, USA; hockey goalie (Olympics-gold-1980).
- 1958 - Birth of Gary George Hallberg in Berwyn, Illinois, USA; PGA golfer (1983 Andy Williams).
- 1958 - Birth of Kyle Secor in Tacoma, Washington, USA; actor (Tim Bayliss - Homicide).
- 1960 - Birth of Chris Elliott in New York City, New York, USA; actor/comedian (Get a Life, David Letterman Show).
- 1961 - Birth of Lea Thompson in Rochester, Minnesota, USA; actress (Back to the Future, Caroline In The City, Casual Sex, Space Camp).
- 1962 - Birth of Joe Orsulak in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, USA; outfielder (Florida Marlins).
- 1964 - Birth of Scotti Hill in Manhasset, New York, USA; rock guitarist (Skid Row - "Psycho Love").
- 1965 - Birth of Annette Renee Peters [nee Hand] in Reno, Nevada, USA; 1500/3000 runner.
- 1965 - Birth of Brooke Shields in New York City, New York, USA; model/actress (Blue Lagoon, Suddenly Susan).
- 1966 - Birth of Jessica Monroe in Palo Alto, California, USA; Canadian rower (Olympics-1996).
- 1967 - Birth of Kenny Lofton in East Chicago, Illinois, USA; outfielder (Cleveland Indians).
- 1972 - Birth of Eileen Richetelli in Milford, Connecticut, USA; diver (Olympics-1996).
- 1973 - Birth of Marty Janzen in Miami, Florida, USA; pitcher (Toronto Blue Jays).
- 1974 - Birth of Jim Carey in Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA; NHL goalie (Washington Capitals).
Deaths on May 31
- 1862 - Robert Hatton, Confederate Brigadier-General, dies in battle at about age 34.
- 1974 - Adelle Davis, US nutrionalist (Let's stay healthy), dies at age 70.
- 1976 - Martha Mitchell, wife of former Attorney General John Mitchell, dies in New York at age 57.
- 1977 - Death of Ben Grauer of heart attack at age 68; American child actor, TV and radio announcer (NBC, 1932-73).
- 1983 - Death of Jack Dempsey, American heavyweight champion boxer (born 1895).
- 1986 - Death of Jane Frank (Jane Schenthal Frank), American artist (born 1918).
- 1986 - Death of James Rainwater, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1917).
- 1989 - Terry Drinkwater, CBS news correspondent, dies at age 53 of cancer.
- 1996 - Timothy Francis Leary, Harvard professor/LSD guru, dies of cancer at age 75 (born 1920).
- 1997 - Death of James Bennett Griffin, American archaeologist (born 1905).
- 1997 - Rosie Will Monroe, World War II icon (Rosie the riveter), dies at age 76.
- 2000 - Death of John Coolidge, son of American President Calvin Coolidge (born 1906).
- 2001 - Death of Arlene Francis at age 93 of Alzheimer's and cancer in San Francisco, California, USA; actress and broadcaster (25 Broadway shows, host of NBC-TV's Home show, panelist on What's My Line 1950-75).
- 2023 - Death of Jacky Oh at age 32 in Miami, Florida, USA; actor (Wild 'N Out).
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