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.