This Day in History
31 Jan 1504
By treaty of Lyons French cede Naples to Ferdinand of Aragon
31 Jan 1531
King Ferdinand of Austria and King John Zapolya of Hungary offically recognise each other
31 Jan 1578
Battle of Gembloux (Gembloers) Spanish forces win decisive victor over coalition rebel forces
31 Jan 1675
CorneliaDina Olfaarts found not guilty of witchcraft
More History
The death of Guy Fawkes
At Westminster in London Guy Fawkes a chief conspirator in the plot to blow up the British Parliament building jumps to his death moments before his executio...
Truman announces development of H-bomb
U.S. President Harry S. Truman publicly announces his decision to support the development of the hydrogen bomb a weapon theorized to be hundreds of times more ...
Apollo 14 departs for the moon
Apollo 14 piloted by astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr. Edgar D. Mitchell and Stuart A. Roosa is successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Florida on a manned...
Viet Cong attack U.S. Embassy
On this day in 1968 as part of the Tet Offensive a squad of Viet Cong guerillas attacks the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. The soldiers seized the embassy and held i...
The execution of Pvt. Slovik
On this day Pvt. Eddie Slovik becomes the first American soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion-and the only one who suffered such a fate dur...
Germans unleash U-boats
On this day in 1917 Germany announces the renewal of unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic as German torpedo-armed submarines prepare to attack any an...
Viet Cong attack U.S. Embassy
As part of the Tet Offensive Viet Cong soldiers attack the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. A 19-man suicide squad seized the U.S. Embassy and held it for six hours unt...
North Vietnam presents nine-point peace proposal
In a communiqu charging President Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger with unilaterally divulging the substance of the secret talks creating th...
Doug Williams leads Redskins to Super Bowl victory
On January 31 1988 in San Diego California Doug Williams of the Washington Redskins becomes the first African-American quarterback to play in a Super Bowl ...
Clinton authorizes loan to Mexico
On this day in 1995 President Bill Clinton authorizes a 20 billion loan to Mexico. As the value of the peso hit an all-time low Clinton sidestepped Congress...
Author Zane Grey is born
Zane Grey author of Riders of the Purple Sage is born in Zanesville Ohio.The son of a successful dentist Grey enjoyed a happy and solid upper-middle-class c...
Norman Mailer is born
Novelist Norman Mailer is born in Long Branch New Jersey on this day in 1923. Mailer grew up in Brooklyn and attended Harvard. During World War II he joined ...
American composer Phillip Glass is born
Phillip Glass a vital force in postmodern music is born in Baltimore Maryland on this day in 1937.The description most often used to describe the music of A...
Samuel Goldwyn dies
On this day in 1974 the pioneering movie producer Samuel Goldwyn dies in his sleep at the age of 91 at his home in Los Angeles.Born Schmuel Gelbfisz in Warsaw...
Flood wreaks havoc in Europe
On this day in 1953 flooding in the North Sea kills more than 1500 people in the Netherlands and destroys 1 million acres of farmland. The storm also caused d...
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