31 August in history

6 events that happened on 31 August, from 1422 to 1997.

  1. ✦ Anniversary of the day

    1422 CE 604 years ago

    Henry V of England dies at Vincennes

    Henry V, victor of Agincourt and heir to the French throne, died of dysentery aged 35. His nine-month-old son Henry VI inherited a dual monarchy that soon unravelled.

    England

  2. 1886 CE 140 years ago

    An earthquake devastates Charleston, South Carolina

    A powerful earthquake struck Charleston, damaging most of its buildings and killing about 60 people. It remains the strongest recorded earthquake in the south-eastern United States.

    United States

  3. 1888 CE 138 years ago

    Mary Ann Nichols is murdered in Whitechapel

    The body of Mary Ann Nichols was found in Buck's Row, the first of five victims generally attributed to 'Jack the Ripper'. The killer was never identified.

  4. 1939 CE 87 years ago

    SS men stage a fake Polish attack at Gleiwitz

    SS operatives seized the German radio station at Gleiwitz and broadcast an anti-German message, posing as Polish raiders. Hitler used such incidents to justify invading Poland the next morning.

  5. 1962 CE 64 years ago

    Trinidad and Tobago becomes independent

    Trinidad and Tobago gained independence from Britain, with Eric Williams as prime minister. Oil and gas wealth made it one of the most prosperous nations in the Caribbean.

    Caribbean

  6. 1997 CE 29 years ago

    Diana, Princess of Wales dies in a Paris car crash

    Diana was fatally injured when her car crashed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel while pursued by photographers. Her death provoked an extraordinary outpouring of public grief in Britain and beyond.

    Paris

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