Major Events
- 1620 Pilgrim Fathers depart Leiden, Netherlands, for England on their way to America
- 1917 World War I: Battle of Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres) begins and lasts until November 6, 1917, causing approximately 500,000 casualties
- 1961 Israel welcomes its one millionth immigrant
- 2007 Operation Banner, the presence of the British Army in Northern Ireland, comes to an end as the longest-running British Army operation ever
Jul 31 in Film & TV
- 1912 The US government censors movies and photos of prizefights; it remains in place until 1940
Jul 31 in Music
- 1959 Cliff Richard and the Shadows have their first British #1 single with “Living Doll,” the best-selling British single of 1959
Jul 31 in Sport
- 1928 Halina Konopacka of Poland hurls a discus world record of 39.62 m to win the first gold medal in women’s Olympic athletics at the Amsterdam Games
Did You Know?
Black Tot Day: the last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy, which started in 1740
Fun Fact About July 31
Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet but is pelted with flowers
Famous Weddings
- 1790 Danish Crown Prince Frederick (Later Frederick VI) marries his cousin Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel at Gottorp Castle
- 1940 Actress Loretta Young (27) weds advertising executive Tom Lewis at the chapel of St. Paul’s Church in Westwood
- 1951 American musician Ray Charles (20) weds Eileen Williams in Georgia; divorce in 1952
Famous Divorces
Articles, Photos and Quiz
Click the Source link for more details
