Historical Events on August 31
- 1422: Henry VI becomes King of England at the age of nine months after his father – King Henry V of England – dies of dysentery while in France.
- 1776: The first Governor of New Jersey, William Livingston, begins his first term.
- 1795: During the War of the First Coalition, British forces capture Trincomalee from the Dutch to prevent it from falling into French hands.
- 1798: During the Irish Rebellion of 1798, Irish insurgents establish the Republic of Connacht.
- 1864: General William T. Sherman leads Union forces on an assault on Atlanta.
- 1918: The Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin during World War I begins.
- 1920: The first radio news program is broadcast in Detroit.
- 1939: Germany begins a false-flag attack on the Gleiwitz radio station. This gives them an excuse to invade Poland the following day, hereby starting World War II in Europe.
- 1941: During WWII, Serbian paramilitary forces defeat German forces at the Battle of Loznica.
- 1945: Robert Menzies founds the Liberal Party of Australia.
- 1997: Princess of Wales Diana, Dodi Fayed and Henri Paul die in a car crash in Paris.
- 2012: A 7.6 magnitude earthquake hits Eastern Samar – a province in the Philippines.
Famous Birthdays on August 31
- Roman Emperor Caligula is born in 12 AD
- Roman Emperor Commodus is born in 161
- American physician and politician John Davidson is born in 1924.
- American actor Buddy Hackett is born in 1924.
- French actor and director Maurice Pialat is born in 1925.
- Filipino Cardinal Jaime Sin is born in 1928.
- American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson is born in 1970.
- English politician Greg Mulholland is born in 1970.
- Queen Rania of Jordan is born in 1970.
- American comedian and actor Chris Tucker is born in 1972.
- Canadian ice hockey player and coach Scott Niedermayer is born in 1973.
- Canadian swimmer Mark Johnston is born in 1979.
- Scottish singer-songwriter and producer Simon Neil is born in 1979.
- American rapper Joe Budden is born in 1980.
- Welsh rugby player Dwayne Peel is born in 1981.
- American ice hockey player Steve Saviano is born in 1981.
- American swimmer Ian Crocker is born in 1982.