Historical Events on March 31

  • 1774: The port of Boston is ordered to be closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act by the British before the American Revolutionary War begins.
  • 1822: Soldiers from the Ottoman Empire massacre residents of the Greek island of Chios after an attempted rebellion.
  • 1854: The ports of Hakodate and Shimoda in Japan are opened to American trade when Commodore Matthew Perry and the Tokugawa Shogunate sign the Convention of Kanagawa.
  • 1899: The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France is officially opened to the public.
  • 1899: American forces capture Malolos.
  • 1917: After paying Denmark $25 million USD, the United States takes possession of the Danish West Indies. It’s then renamed to the U.S Virgin Islands.
  • 1918: Daylight Savings Time is initiated in the U.S for the first time.
  • 1921: The Royal Australian Air Force is officially organized.
  • 1930: The Motion Picture Production Code goes into effect. This code would impose strict guidelines on the depiction of crime, religion, violence and sex in the U.S until the late 1960s.
  • 1942: The British possession Christmas Island is invaded by Imperial Japanese forces during World War II.
  • 1945: The world’s first operational jet-powered aircraft is turned over to the United States by a defecting German pilot. This jet is the Messerschmitt Me 262A-1.
  • 1949: The Dominion of Newfoundland becomes the tenth province of Canada.
  • 1951: The first UNIVAC I computer is delivers to the U.S Census Bureau by Remington Rand.
  • 1966: Luna 10 is launched by the Soviet Union; It would later become the first space probe to orbit the moon.
  • 1970: After 12-year in orbit, Explorer 1 re-enters the atmosphere of the Earth.

Famous Birthdays on March 31

  • American actor Christopher Walken is born in 1943.
  • American politician Angus King is born in 1944.
  • American politician, 45th Vice-President of the U.S and Nobel Prize laureate, Al Gore is born in 1948.
  • American actress Rhea Perlman is born in 1948.
  • American actor William McNamara is born in 1965.
  • Scottish actor Ewan McGregor is born in 1971.