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What happened in history on this day: August 31?
On August 31 in ...
- 1778 - British kill 17 Stockbridge Indians in the Bronx during Revolution.
- 1798 - $162,821 is stolen at night from vaults of the Bank of Pennsylvania, the first bank robbery in the USA.
- 1842 - US Naval Observatory authorized by an act of Congress.
- 1864 - The Democratic Party nominates General George B. McLellan for US President.
- 1864 - Atlanta Campaign - Battle of Jonesborough.
- 1886 - First major earthquake (7.3) recorded in eastern US, at Charleston, South Carolina.
- 1920 - The first news radio program is broadcast in Detroit, Michigan.
- 1935 - US President Franklin Roosevelt signs an act prohibiting export of US arms to belligerents.
- 1954 - US Census Bureau is established.
- 1954 - Hurricane Carol (first major named storm) hits New England, 70 die.
- 1955 - First microwave TV station operated (Lufkin, Texas, USA).
- 1955 - First sun-powered automobile demonstrated, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- 1960 - Agricultural Hall of Fame established.
- 1964 - President Lyndon Johnson signs Food Stamp Act as Public Law 88-525.
- 1965 - US House of Representatives joins Senate in establishing Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- 1965 - The U.S. Forest Service announces it has received six bids to develop a ski resort on Mineral King in California. A proposal from Disney is one of two leading candidates. Disney's US$35 million proposal includes up to 27 chair lifts with capacity for 11,400 seats per hour, hotels for up to 3000 guests, and ten-story underground parking for 3600 cars.
- 1969 - 25,000 attend New Orleans Pop Festival.
- 1969 - Death of Rocco Francis Marchegiano AKA Rocky Marciano in an airplane crash near Newton, Iowa, USA; heavyweight boxing champion (1952-55), 49 professional victories without a loss.
- 1978 - Symbionese Liberation Army founders William and Emily Harris plead guilty to 1974 kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst.
- 1981 - A bomb explodes at the U.S. Air Force base in Ramstein, West Germany, injuring 20 people.
- 1985 - Night Stalker suspect that terrorized South California captured in East Los Angeles.
- 1986 - Aeroméxico Flight 498, a Douglas DC-9, collides with a Piper PA-28 over Cerritos, California, killing 67 on both aircraft and 15 on the ground.
- 1986 - The cargo ship Khian Sea departs from the docks of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, carrying 14,000 tons of toxic waste.
- 1988 - Five-day power blackout of downtown Seattle, Washington, USA begins.
- 1991 - In Noblesville, Indiana, USA a meteorite falls harmlessly to the ground.
- 2009 - Florida governor Charlie Crist signs a gambling pact with the Seminole tribe, lasting 20 years, specifying payment of minimum US$12.5 million per month for the first 30 months for the privilege of running legal slot machines and blackjack at their seven casinos.
Births on August 31
- 1897 - Birth of Frederic March in Wisconsin, USA; actor (Dr Jeckyll - Academy Awards 1932/1946).
- 1914 - Birth of Richard Basehart in Zanesville, Ohio, USA; actor (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea).
- 1928 - Birth of James Coburn in Laurel, Nebraska, USA; actor (Our Man Flint, Magnificent Seven).
- 1930 - Birth of Tiny Little Junior in Worthington, Minnesota, USA; pianist (Lawrence Welk Show).
- 1937 - Birth of Warren Berlinger in Brooklyn, New York, USA; actor (Larry - Joey Bishop Shop, Take Two).
- 1942 - Birth of Carole Wells in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA; actress (Pistols n Petticoats).
- 1949 - Birth of Richard Gere in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (Breathless, Cotton Club, Pretty Woman).
- 1959 - Birth of Rachel Dennison in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; actress (Doralee Rhodes - 9 to 5).
- 1970 - Birth of Debbie Gibson in Brooklyn, New York, USA; singer ("Only in My Dreams").
- 1977 - Birth of Paul Garber; helped establish Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.
Deaths on August 31
- 1879 - Death of William Barber, 6th US Mint Chief Engraver (1844-79).
- 1969 - Death of Rocco Francis Marchegiano AKA Rocky Marciano in an airplane crash near Newton, Iowa, USA; heavyweight boxing champion (1952-55), 49 professional victories without a loss.
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