August 31 is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 122 days remaining until the end of the year. [edit] Events - 1056 – Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill, dying suddenly a few days later, without children to succeed the throne, ending the Macedonian dynasty.
- 1142 – With the aid of Hiawatha and Deganawidah, The Great Peacemaker, the Iroquois tribes establish the Confederation of the Haudenosaunee.
- 1422 – Henry VI becomes King of England at the age of 9 months.
- 1803 – Lewis and Clark start their expedition to the west by leaving Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 11 o clock in the morning.
- 1813 – At the final stage of the Peninsular War British-Portuguese troops capture the town of Donostia-San Sebastian, resulting in a rampage and eventual destruction of the town.
- 1864 – During the American Civil War, Union forces led by General William T. Sherman launch an assault on Atlanta, Georgia.
- 1876 – Ottoman sultan Murat V is deposed and succeeded by his brother Abd-ul-Hamid II.
- 1886 – An earthquake kills 100 in Charleston, South Carolina.
- 1888 – Mary Ann Nichols is murdered. She is the first of Jack the Ripper's known victims.
- 1897 – Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector.
- 1907 – Count Alexander Izvolsky and Sir Arthur Nicolson sign the St. Petersburg Convention, which results in the Triple Entente alliance.
- 1914 – Ecuador becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
- 1915 – Brazil becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
- 1920 – Polish-Bolshevik War: A decisive Polish victory in the Battle of Komarów.
- 1920 – First radio news program broadcast by station 8MK in Detroit, Michigan.
- 1939 – Nazi Germany mounts a staged attack on Gleiwitz radio station, creating an excuse to attack Poland the following day, starting World War II in Europe.
- 1940 – Pennsylvania Central Airlines Trip 19 crashes near Lovettsville, Virginia. The CAB investigation of the accident was the first investigation to be conducted under the Bureau of Air Commerce act of 1938.
- 1943 – The USS Harmon, the first U.S. Navy ship to be named after a black person, is commissioned.
- 1945 – The Liberal Party of Australia is founded by Robert Menzies.
- 1948 – Actor Robert Mitchum is arrested in a Hollywood drug raid. He would later be found guilty of criminal conspiracy to possess marijuana and sentenced to 60 days in prison.
- 1949 – The retreat of the Greek Democratic Army in Albania after its defeat in mountain Grammos marks the end of the Greek Civil War.
- 1957 – The Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia) gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1962 – Trinidad and Tobago becomes independent.
- 1965 – The Aero Spacelines Super Guppy aircraft makes its first flight.
- 1978 – William and Emily Harris, founders of the Symbionese Liberation Army, plead guilty to the 1974 kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst.
- 1980 – Zimbabwe establishes diplomatic relations with Algeria.
- 1986 – Aeroméxico Flight 498 collides with a Piper PA-28 over Cerritos, California, killing 67 in the air and 15 on the ground.
- 1986 – The Soviet passenger liner Admiral Nakhimov sinks in the Black Sea after colliding with the bulk carrier Pyotr Vasev, killing 423.
- 1991 – Kyrgyzstan declares its independence from the Soviet Union.
- 1992 – Pascal Lissouba is inaugurated as the President of the Republic of the Congo .
- 1993 – HMS Mercury closes after 52 years in commission.
- 1994 – The Provisional Irish Republican Army declares a ceasefire.
- 1997 – Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Al-Fayed and driver Henri Paul die in a car crash in Paris.
- 1998 – North Korea reportedly launches Kwangmyongsong, its first satellite.
- 1999 – The first of a series of bombings in Moscow, killing one person and wounding 40 others.
- 1999 – A LAPA Boeing 737-200 crashes during takeoff from Jorge Newbury Airport in Buenos Aires, killing 65, including 2 on the ground.
- 2005 – A stampede on Al-Aaimmah bridge in Baghdad kills 1,199 people.
- 2006 – Stolen on August 22, 2004, Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream is recovered in a raid by Norwegian police.
[edit] Births - 12 – Gaius Caligula, Roman Emperor (d. 41)
- 161 – Commodus, Roman Emperor (d. 192)
- 1569 – Jahangir, Mughal Emperor of India (d. 1627)
- 1602 – Amalia von Solms, countess of Solms-Braunfels (d. 1675)
- 1652 – Ferdinand Charles, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat (d. 1708)
- 1663 – Guillaume Amontons, French physicist and instrument maker (d. 1705)
- 1721 – George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol, British statesman (d. 1775)
- 1741 – Husein Gradaščević, Bosniak general (d. 1834)
- 1741 – Jean Paul Egide Martini, French composer (d. 1816)
- 1767 – Henry Joy McCracken, United Irishman (d. 1798)
- 1821 – Hermann von Helmholtz, German scientist (d. 1894)
- 1822 – Galusha A. Grow, American politician (d. 1907)
- 1834 – Amilcare Ponchielli, Italian composer (d. 1886)
- 1843 – Georg von Hertling, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1919)
- 1870 – Maria Montessori, Italian educator (d. 1952)
- 1871 – James E. Ferguson, Governor of Texas (d. 1944)
- 1878 – Frank Jarvis, American athlete (d. 1933)
- 1879 – Alma Mahler, Austrian socialite, wife of composer Gustav Mahler (d. 1964)
- 1880 – Wilhelmina I of the Netherlands (d. 1962)
- 1885 – DuBose Heyward, American playwright (d. 1940)
- 1893 – Lily Laskine, French harpist (d. 1988)
- 1894 – Albert Facey, Australian writer (d. 1982)
- 1896 – Félix-Antoine Savard, Canadian priest and novelist (d. 1982)
- 1897 – Fredric March, American actor (d. 1975)
- 1900 – Gino Lucetti, Italian anarchist (d. 1943)
- 1903 – Arthur Godfrey, American television host (d. 1983)
- 1903 – Vladimir Jankélévitch, French philosopher (d. 1985)
- 1905 – Sanford Meisner, American actor and teacher (d. 1997)
- 1907 – Augustus F. Hawkins, American politician (d. 2007)
- 1907 – Ramon Magsaysay, 7th President of the Philippines (d. 1957)
- 1907 – William Shawn, American editor (d. 1992)
- 1907 – Altiero Spinelli, Italian advocate of European federalism (d. 1986)
- 1908 – William Saroyan, American novelist (d. 1981)
- 1911 – Edward Brongersma, Dutch politician, writer and political activist. (d. 1998)
- 1913 – Sir Bernard Lovell, English radio astronomer
- 1913 – Helen Levitt, American photographer (d. 2009)
- 1914 – Richard Basehart, American actor (d. 1984)
- 1916 – Daniel Schorr, American journalist
- 1916 – Danny Litwhiler, American baseball player and coach
- 1916 – John S. Wold, American politician
- 1918 – Alan Jay Lerner, American lyricist (d. 1986)
- 1919 – Amrita Preetam, Indian poet and author (d. 2005)
- 1921 – Raymond Williams, Welsh academic (d. 1988)
- 1924 – Buddy Hackett, American actor and comedian (d. 2003)
- 1928 – Jaime Cardinal Sin, Philippine Catholic Church leader and patriot (d. 2005)
- 1928 – James Coburn, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1931 – Jean Béliveau, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1931 – Noble Willingham, American actor (d. 2004)
- 1934 – Nikos Xanthopoulos, Greek actor
- 1935 – Eldridge Cleaver, American political activist (d. 1998)
- 1935 – Frank Robinson, American baseball player and manager
- 1937 – Warren Berlinger, American actor
- 1937 – Bobby Parker, American musician
- 1938 – Martin Bell, British journalist
- 1938 – Murray Gleeson, Chief Justice of Australia
- 1939 – Jerry Allison, American drummer (The Crickets)
- 1940 – Jack Thompson, Australian actor
- 1941 – William DeWitt, Jr., American businessman
- 1943 – Leonid Ivashov, Russian general
- 1944 – Roger Dean, English artist
- 1944 – Clive Lloyd, Guyanese West Indies cricketer
- 1944 – Jos LeDuc, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 1999)
- 1945 – Van Morrison, Northern Irish musician
- 1945 – Itzhak Perlman, Israeli violinist
- 1946 – Jerome Corsi, American writer
- 1947 – Mona Marshall, American voice actress
- 1947 – Luca di Montezemolo, Italian businessman
- 1947 – Yumiko Ōshima, Japanese manga artist
- 1947 – Somchai Wongsawat, 26th Prime Minister of Thailand
- 1948 – Harald Ertl, Austrian racing driver (d. 1982)
- 1948 – Lowell Ganz, American screenwriter
- 1948 – Holger Osieck, German footballer and coach
- 1948 – Rudolf Schenker, German guitarist (Scorpions)
- 1949 – Richard Gere, American actor
- 1949 – H. David Politzer, American physicist, Nobel laureate
- 1952 – Herbert Reul, German politician
- 1953 – Miguel Ángel Guerra, Argentine racing driver
- 1953 – György Károly, Hungarian author
- 1953 – Pavel Vinogradov, Russian cosmonaut
- 1954 – Julie Brown, American actress, singer-songwriter and screenwriter
- 1955 – Edwin Moses, American athlete
- 1955 – Gary Webb, American journalist (d. 2004)
- 1956 – Maria Balazova, Slovak painter
- 1956 – Masashi Tashiro, Japanese television performer
- 1957 – Colm O'Rourke, Irish footballer and commentator
- 1957 – Gina Schock, American drummer (The Go-Go's)
- 1957 – Glenn Tilbrook, English singer and guitarist (Squeeze)
- 1958 – Serge Blanco, French rugby union footballer
- 1959 – Ralph Krueger, Canadian ice hockey coach
- 1960 – Vali Ionescu, Romanian long jumper
- 1960 – Chris Whitley, American musician (d. 2005)
- 1962 – Dee Bradley Baker, American voice actor
- 1963 – Reb Beach, American guitarist (Winger, Whitesnake)
- 1963 – Todd Carty, Irish actor
- 1963 – Sonny Silooy, Dutch footballer
- 1964 – Raymond P. Hammond, American poet and editor
- 1965 – Daniel Bernhardt, Swiss actor
- 1965 – Céline Bonnier, French Canadian actress
- 1965 – Willie Watson, New Zealand cricketer
- 1966 – Jan Einar Thorsen, Norwegian Alpine skier
- 1967 – Jonathan Cake, British actor
- 1967 – Anita Moen, Norwegian Cross-country skier
- 1968 – Valdon Dowiyogo, Nauruan politician and Australian football player
- 1968 – Hideo Nomo, Japanese baseball player
- 1969 – Nathalie Bouvier, French alpine skier
- 1969 – Andrew Cunanan, American spree killer (d. 1997)
- 1969 – Jonathan LaPaglia, Australian actor
- 1969 – Javagal Srinath, Indian cricketer
- 1970 – Deborah Gibson, American singer
- 1970 – Nikola Gruevski, Macedonian Prime Minister
- 1970 – Queen Rania of Jordan
- 1970 – Arie van Lent, Dutch-German footballer
- 1970 – Amy Stein, American photographer
- 1970 – Zack Ward, Canadian actor
- 1971 – Pádraig Harrington, Irish golfer
- 1972 – Chris Tucker, American actor and comedian
- 1973 – Scott Niedermayer, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1974 – Andriy Medvedev, Ukrainian tennis player
- 1975 – Craig Cumming, New Zealand cricketer
- 1975 – John Grahame, American ice hockey player
- 1975 – Daniel Harding, British conductor
- 1975 – Gabe Kapler, American baseball player and manager
- 1975 – Sara Ramírez, American actress
- 1975 – Takahiro Suwa, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1976 – Vincent Delerm, French singer-songwriter, pianist and composer
- 1976 – Roque Júnior, Brazilian footballer
- 1976 – Radek Martínek, Czech ice hockey player
- 1977 – Jeff Hardy, American wrestler
- 1977 – Ian Harte, Irish footballer
- 1977 – Craig Nicholls, Australian musician (The Vines)
- 1978 – Philippe Christanval, French footballer
- 1978 – Phina Oruche, British actress
- 1979 – Clay Hensley, American baseball player
- 1979 – Mickie James, American professional wrestler
- 1979 – Mark Johnston, Canadian swimmer
- 1979 – Simon Neil, Scottish musician (Biffy Clyro)
- 1979 – Yuvan Shankar Raja, Indian film music composer
- 1979 – Ramón Santiago, Dominican baseball player
- 1980 – Joe Budden, American rapper
- 1981 – Dwayne Peel, Welsh rugby union footballer
- 1981 – Steve Saviano, American ice hockey player
- 1982 – Ian Crocker, American swimmer
- 1982 – Lien Huyghebaert, Belgian athlete
- 1982 – Josh Kroeger, American baseball player
- 1982 – Alexei Mikhnov, Ukrainian-born ice hockey player
- 1982 – José Reina, Spanish footballer
- 1982 – Michele Rugolo, Italian racing driver
- 1983 – Larry Fitzgerald, American football player
- 1984 – Matti Breschel, Danish road bicycle racer
- 1984 – Ted Ligety, American alpine skier
- 1984 – Charl Schwartzel, South African golfer
- 1985 – Andrew Foster, Australian rules footballer
- 1986 – Feng Tianwei, Singaporean table tennis player
- 1987 – Petros Kravaritis, Greek footballer
[edit] Deaths - 651 – Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne, Irish bishop and missionary
- 683 – Pacal II ruler of the Maya polity of Palenque (b. 603)
- 1234 – Emperor Go-Horikawa of Japan (b. 1212)
- 1372 – Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford, English soldier (b. 1301)
- 1422 – King Henry V of England (b. 1387)
- 1645 – Francesco Bracciolini, Italian poet (b. 1566)
- 1654 – Ole Worm, Danish physician (b. 1588)
- 1688 – John Bunyan, English writer (b. 1628)
- 1730 – Gottfried Finger, Czech composer
- 1741 – Johann Gottlieb Heineccius, German jurist (b. 1681)
- 1772 – William Borlase, English naturalist (b. 1695)
- 1795 – François-André Danican Philidor, French chess player (b. 1726)
- 1799 – Nicolas-Henri Jardin, French architect (b. 1720)
- 1814 – Arthur Phillip, British admiral, first Governor of New South Wales (b. 1738)
- 1867 – Charles Baudelaire, French poet (b. 1821)
- 1869 – Mary Ward, Irish scientist, first automobile accident victim (b. 1827)
- 1888 – Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, widely believed to be the first victim of Jack the Ripper (b. 1845)
- 1920 – Wilhelm Wundt, German psychologist (b. 1832)
- 1920 – Jens Oliver Lisberg, Faroese law student, designer of the Flag of the Faroe Islands(b. 1896)
- 1924 – Todor Aleksandrov, Bulgarian revolutionaries (b. 1881)
- 1940 – Georges Gauthier, French Canadian Roman Catholic archbishop of Montreal (b. 1871)
- 1941 – Marina Tsvetaeva, Russian poet (b. 1892)
- 1948 – Billy Laughlin, American actor (b. 1932)
- 1952 – Henri Bourassa, French Canadian political leader (b. 1868)
- 1963 – Georges Braque, French painter (b. 1882)
- 1967 – Ilya Ehrenburg, Russian writer (b. 1891)
- 1969 – Rocky Marciano, American boxer (b. 1923)
- 1973 – John Ford, American film director (b. 1894)
- 1974 – William Pershing Benedict, American pilot (b. 1928)
- 1974 – Norman Kirk, New Zealand prime minister (b. 1923)
- 1978 – John Wrathall, President of Rhodesia (b. 1913)
- 1979 – Sally Rand, American dancer and actress (b. 1904)
- 1979 – Tiger Smith, England cricketer (b. 1886)
- 1985 – Frank Macfarlane Burnet, Australian biologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1899)
- 1986 – Henry Moore, English sculptor (b. 1898)
- 1986 – Urho Kekkonen, President of Finland (b. 1900)
- 1997 – Diana, Princess of Wales (b. 1961)
- 1997 – Dodi Al-Fayed, Egyptian film producer (b. 1955)
- 2000 – Patricia Owens, Canadian actress (b. 1925)
- 2000 – Lucille Fletcher, American screenwriter of film, radio, and television (b. 1912)
- 2002 – Lionel Hampton, American vibraphone player (b. 1908)
- 2002 – George Porter, English chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1920)
- 2004 – Carl Wayne, English singer (b. 1943)
- 2005 – Joseph Rotblat, Polish-British physicist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1908)
- 2005 – Michael Sheard, British actor (b. 1940)
- 2006 – Mohamed Abdelwahab, Egyptian footballer (b. 1983)
- 2006 – Tom Delaney, British racing driver (b. 1911)
- 2006 – Derrick Wayne Frazier, American convicted murderer (b. 1977)
- 2007 – Gay Brewer, American golfer (b. 1932)
- 2007 – Karloff Lagarde, Mexican professional wrestler (b. 1928)
- 2008 – Ike Pappas, American news correspondent (b. 1933)
- 2008 – Victor Yates, New Zealand rugby player (b. 1939)
- 2009 – Erano Manalo, Executive Minister of the Iglesia Ni Cristo church (b. 1925)
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