What are the important events that happened on January 31? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
January 31: Facts & Myths About This Day
January 31 is the 31st day of the year 2020 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 335 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is January 18, 2020 – a Friday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 1,580,428,800 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.
Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘triacontahenagon’ day.
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Aquarius is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Garnet is the modern birthstone for this month. Emerald is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 378 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 2,597 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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January 31 Historical Events
- 1814 –Gervasio Antonio de Posadas becomes Supreme Director of Argentina.
- 1891 –The first attempt at a Portuguese republican revolution breaks out in the northern city of Porto.
- 1917 –World War I: Germany announces that its U-boats will resume unrestricted submarine warfare after a two-year hiatus.
- 1929 –The Soviet Union exiles Leon Trotsky.
- 1944 –World War II: During Anzio campaign 1st Ranger Battalion (Darby’s Rangers) is destroyed behind enemy lines in a heavily outnumbered encounter at Battle of Cisterna, Italy.
- 1958 –Explorer program: Explorer 1 – The first successful launch of an American satellite into orbit.
- 1961 –Project Mercury: Mercury-Redstone 2 – Ham the Chimp travels into outer space.
- 1971 –The Winter Soldier Investigation, organized by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War to publicize war crimes and atrocities by Americans and allies in Vietnam, begin in Detroit, Michigan.
- 2009 –In Kenya, at least 113 people are killed and over 200 injured following an oil spillage ignition in Molo, days after a massive fire at a Nakumatt supermarket in Nairobi killed at least 25 people.
- 2033 –New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Water Ox in Chinese astrology.
Who were born on January 31?
- 1820 –William B. Washburn, American politician and 28th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1887)
- 1902 –Alva Myrdal, Swedish politician, Nobel laureate (d. 1986)
- 1902 –Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (d. 1968)
- 1928 –Chuck Willis, American singer and songwriter (d. 1958)
- 1933 –Bernardo Provenzano, Sicilian organized crime figure
- 1941 –Gerald McDermott, American filmmaker, children’s book author & illustrator
- 1977 –Kate Shindle, American actress
- 1982 –Andreas Görlitz, German football player
- 1982 –Jānis Sprukts, Latvian hockey player
- 1985 –Mario Williams, American football player
Who died on January 31?
- 1580 –King Henry of Portugal (b. 1512)
- 1632 –Joost Bürgi, Swiss clockmaker and mathematician (b. 1552)
- 1665 –Johannes Clauberg, German theologian and philosopher (b. 1622)
- 1729 –Jakob Roggeveen, Dutch explorer (b. 1659)
- 1933 –John Galsworthy, English writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1867)
- 1942 –Henry Larkin, American baseball player (b. 1860)
- 1942 –Rolf Wenkhaus, German actor (b. 1917)
- 2004 –Eleanor Holm, American swimmer (b. 1913)
- 2007 –Lee Bergere, American actor (b. 1924)
- 2008 –Zeltim Odie Peterson, famous pug dog (b. 1997)
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