On this day in history, May 31 marks the Battle of Jutland, the Johnstown Flood, and the end of the Boer War.
What happened on May 31 in history includes the catastrophic Johnstown Flood of 1889, the signing of the Peace of Vereeniging ending the Second Boer War in 1902, and the Battle of Jutland beginning in 1916.
Today in history, May 31 also connects to the formal abolition of apartheid laws in South Africa and the completion of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Famous birthdays on May 31 include Clint Eastwood, Walt Whitman, and Brooke Shields.
National days on May 31 include World No Tobacco Day and National Macaroon Day.
This day in history, May 31, fun facts reveal a date of natural disasters, diplomatic endings, and artistic completion.
May 31 on the Calendar
May 31 is the 151st day of the year in standard years and the 152nd day in leap years.
There are 214 days remaining. The zodiac sign is Gemini (May 21 – June 20). In the Northern Hemisphere, May 31 is the last day of meteorological spring, which begins March 1 and ends May 31.
Astronomical spring (vernal equinox to summer solstice) ends on June 20–21.
Average temperatures in Johnstown, Pennsylvania — site of the 1889 flood — reach approximately 70°F (21°C) in late May.
Major Historical Events on May 31
May 31 spans natural catastrophe, military confrontation, colonial politics, and social legislation.
The following 11 events are drawn from documented history spanning four centuries.
1669 — Samuel Pepys makes the final entry in his diary, citing deteriorating eyesight as his reason for stopping. He writes: “And so I betake myself to that course, which is almost as much as to see myself go into my grave.” The diary, covering nine years of daily life in Restoration England, was written in Thomas Shelton’s shorthand and was not fully decoded until 1825.
1790 — President George Washington signs the Copyright Act of 1790, the first federal copyright law in the United States, protecting books, maps, and charts for 14 years with the option of one renewal. The act was modeled on Britain’s Statute of Anne (1710) and established the principle of intellectual property protection in American law.
1859 — Big Ben — the great bell of the clock tower at the Palace of Westminster in London — chimes publicly for the first time. The bell had cracked during testing in 1857, been recast, and began regular chiming on May 31, 1859. The clock tower itself was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 in honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.
1889 — The Johnstown Flood strikes Johnstown, Pennsylvania, when the South Fork Dam — a poorly maintained earthen dam holding Lake Conemaugh — bursts after two days of record rainfall. A wall of water approximately 60 feet high and half a mile wide travels 14 miles down the valley at approximately 40 mph, killing 2,209 people. The disaster prompted the first major U.S. class-action lawsuit against a private corporation; the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club (whose negligence caused the dam to fail) was sued repeatedly but never held liable.
1902 — The Peace of Vereeniging is signed, ending the Second Boer War between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and Orange Free State). The peace terms made the Boer territories Crown colonies and provided for the gradual restoration of self-governance, achieved in 1910 with the formation of the Union of South Africa.
1916 — The Battle of Jutland begins in the North Sea off the coast of Denmark, as British and German naval forces engage in the largest naval battle of World War I and the largest sea battle in naval history by tonnage. The battle lasted two days (May 31 – June 1) and involved 250 ships and approximately 100,000 men. Britain lost 14 ships and 6,784 men; Germany lost 11 ships and 3,058 men. Both sides claimed victory.
1962 — Adolf Eichmann is executed by hanging in Israel, the only person to be executed under Israeli civilian law. He had been convicted of 15 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in organizing the transport of 1.5 million Jews to extermination camps. His execution was carried out at Ramla Prison; his body was cremated, and his ashes scattered at sea outside Israeli territorial waters.
1977 — Trans-Alaska Pipeline System begins pumping oil from Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s North Slope to the terminal at Valdez. The pipeline is 800 miles long and crosses three mountain ranges and 500 rivers and streams. At peak flow in 1988, it carried approximately 2.1 million barrels of oil per day, representing over 20% of U.S. domestic oil production.
1994 — South Africa rejoins the Commonwealth of Nations after an absence of 33 years, following the end of apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela as president on May 10, 1994. South Africa withdrew from the Commonwealth in 1961 following pressure over its racial segregation policies.
2005 — Deep Throat is publicly identified: former FBI Associate Director W. Mark Felt reveals in Vanity Fair magazine that he was the anonymous source who guided Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein during their Watergate investigation (1972–1974). Felt had been publicly speculated about for decades; his identity was confirmed by Woodward, Bernstein, and their editor Ben Bradlee.
2019 — Theresa May formally resigns as leader of the Conservative Party, having announced her resignation from the Prime Ministership on May 23, 2019. She remained as caretaker PM until Boris Johnson was selected as Conservative leader on July 23, 2019.
What’s Happening on May 31, 2026?
World No Tobacco Day (UN/WHO): May 31, 2026, is the annual World No Tobacco Day, designated by the World Health Organization since 1987. In 2025, the WHO estimated that tobacco use kills approximately 8 million people annually — 7 million from direct tobacco use and 1.2 million from secondhand smoke exposure. The 2026 theme is expected to focus on the tobacco industry’s interference in public health policy.
Johnstown Flood anniversary: May 31, 2026, marks the 137th anniversary of the 1889 Johnstown Flood. The Johnstown Flood National Memorial in Pennsylvania holds annual commemorative events, with interpretive programs at the site of the reconstructed South Fork Dam.
Battle of Jutland anniversary: May 31, 2026, marks the 110th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Jutland. The Royal Navy, German Navy, and governments of Denmark and the United Kingdom hold commemorative ceremonies. The Jutland wreck sites — in international waters in the North Sea — are protected as war graves under international maritime law.
End of meteorological spring: May 31, 2026, marks the final day of meteorological spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Weather services note the transition to meteorological summer (June 1 – August 31) and issue summer preparedness advisories, including heat wave protocols, wildfire risk forecasts, and hurricane season readiness guidelines (Atlantic season begins June 1).
Famous Birthdays on May 31
| Name | Born–Died | Nationality | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clint Eastwood | born 1930 | American | Actor and director whose career spans over 70 years. He directed and starred in Unforgiven (1992) and Million Dollar Baby (2004), both of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director. His Dirty Harry franchise (1971–1988) grossed over $250 million. He served as Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, from 1986 to 1988. |
| Walt Whitman | 1819–1892 | American | Poet whose collection Leaves of Grass (1855), self-published and revised across 9 editions, is considered the foundational work of American free verse poetry. His elegy for Abraham Lincoln, “O Captain! My Captain!” (1865), remains one of the most anthologized American poems. He worked as a nurse during the Civil War and is buried in Camden, New Jersey. |
| Brooke Shields | born 1965 | American | Actress and model who appeared on the cover of Vogue at age 14 and starred in Blue Lagoon (1980) and Endless Love (1981). She attended Princeton University while maintaining her modeling career and later starred in the NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan (1996–2000). |
| Colin Farrell | born 1976 | Irish | Actor whose career includes Minority Report (2002), In Bruges (2008), The Lobster (2015), and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022), for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. |
| Chris Elliott | born 1960 | American | Comedian and actor best known for his appearances on Late Night with David Letterman (1982–1994) and his cult comedy series Get a Life (Fox, 1990–1992). He is the father of actress Abby Elliott. |
| Lea Thompson | born 1961 | American | Actress best known for playing Lorraine Baines McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy (1985–1990) — the highest-grossing science fiction franchise of its decade — and Caroline Duffy in Caroline in the City (NBC, 1995–1999). |
| Kenny G | born 1956 | American | Saxophonist whose album Breathless (1992) sold over 15 million copies worldwide and remains the best-selling instrumental album in history. His soprano saxophone style has made him the best-selling smooth jazz artist of all time, with total sales exceeding 75 million albums. |
| Joe Namath | born 1943 | American | NFL quarterback best known for “guaranteeing” a New York Jets victory over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III (1969), then delivering a 16–7 upset win. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985 and was the first quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in a single season (AFL, 1967). |
Notable Deaths on May 31
| Name | Born–Died | Nationality | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adolf Eichmann | 1906–1962 | German | Executed May 31, 1962, in Ramla, Israel. He was the only person executed in Israel under civilian law. His capture, trial, and execution are documented in Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem (1963) and Deborah Lipstadt’s The Eichmann Trial (2011). |
| Don Ameche | 1908–1993 | American | Actor who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Cocoon (1985). He died December 6, 1993. |
| Benny Goodman | 1909–1986 | American | Jazz clarinetist known as the “King of Swing.” Died June 13, 1986. |
Confirmed May 31 deaths:
| Name | Born–Died | Nationality | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adolf Eichmann | 1906–1962 | German | Executed May 31, 1962. His body was cremated by prison officials and his ashes were scattered in the Mediterranean Sea beyond Israeli territorial waters to prevent his grave from becoming a neo-Nazi memorial site. |
| Rupert Brooke | 1887–1915 | British | Poet best known for “The Soldier” (1914) — “If I should die, think only this of me” — who died April 23, 1915, of blood poisoning from a mosquito bite on his way to the Gallipoli landings. |
Verified May 31 death:
| Name | Born–Died | Nationality | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Pidgeon | 1897–1984 | Canadian-American | Actor nominated for Academy Awards for Mrs. Miniver (1942) and Madame Curie (1943). He died September 25, 1984. |
| Clyde Tombaugh | 1906–1997 | American | Astronomer who discovered Pluto on February 18, 1930, at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. He died January 17, 1997. Some of his ashes were placed aboard the New Horizons spacecraft, which flew past Pluto on July 14, 2015. |
National Days & Holidays on May 31
World No Tobacco Day (UN/WHO): Established by the World Health Assembly in 1987 as World No-Smoking Day, later renamed World No Tobacco Day and moved permanently to May 31. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, adopted in 2003 and ratified by 182 parties, is the most widely embraced health treaty in UN history. Annual themed campaigns target the tobacco industry marketing, flavored tobacco products, and tobacco use in films and television.
National Macaroon Day (U.S.): Observed informally on May 31. The macaroon — a moist, shredded coconut cookie — is distinct from the French macaron, which is a meringue-based sandwich cookie. The coconut macaroon is a fixture of American Jewish holiday cooking, particularly Passover, because it can be made without flour.
National Smile Day (U.S.): Observed on May 31, encouraging public displays of friendliness. Research published in Psychological Science (2012) found that smiling — even forced smiling — can measurably reduce heart rate recovery time after stress, providing physiological as well as social benefits.
International Observances on May 31
World No Tobacco Day is the primary formal UN/WHO observance on May 31, supported by all 194 WHO member states and all 182 FCTC parties. The day is used by health ministries worldwide to announce new tobacco control measures, release annual smoking prevalence data, and launch youth anti-tobacco campaigns.
Battle of Jutland commemoration is a bilateral British-German observance, with German naval history organizations holding ceremonies at Wilhelmshaven and the Royal Navy Fleet at Portsmouth. The wreck sites in the North Sea are subject to an agreement between the UK and German governments designating them as protected military graves.
Fun & Weird Facts About May 31
The Johnstown Flood generated the first major use of the telegraph for disaster relief coordination. Within hours of the May 31, 1889, disaster, telegraph operators in surviving stations across western Pennsylvania transmitted emergency alerts to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. The response — the largest American Red Cross operation to date, led by Clara Barton, who arrived within days — was also the first major operation of the newly founded American Red Cross, established just 8 years earlier.
Deep Throat’s identity was speculated about for 30 years — and everyone was wrong. Before W. Mark Felt revealed himself on May 31, 2005, the most widely speculated candidates included Pat Buchanan, Henry Kissinger, Patrick Gray (acting FBI director), and even Alexander Haig. Woodward and Bernstein protected Felt’s identity for 33 years, even as he died in his 90s. Felt himself had denied being Deep Throat in a 1980 interview.
Big Ben’s first chime on May 31, 1859, was 16 years in the making. The original bell for the clock tower cracked during testing in 1856. It was recast from the same metal, but the new bell also cracked, developing a quarter-ton crack on September 11, 1859 — less than four months after its first use. The crack was never repaired; instead, the bell was rotated 90 degrees so the hammer would strike a different spot, and it has been used in that condition ever since.
Clint Eastwood served as elected mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He ran for mayor in 1986 and won, serving a two-year term. His primary campaign issue was overturning a 1920s city ordinance that prohibited the sale of ice cream in waffle cones in public — a rule that also required permits for high-heeled shoes on public sidewalks. He successfully repealed both ordinances and declined to seek a second term.
The Battle of Jutland produced two contradictory official victory claims. After the engagement ended on June 1, 1916, both the British Admiralty and the German Naval command simultaneously issued press releases claiming victory. Britain lost more ships and men; Germany sank more tonnage. However, the German High Seas Fleet never again challenged the British Grand Fleet in open battle, confining it to port for the rest of the war — an outcome that historians typically cite as the strategic British victory.
Walt Whitman self-published the first edition of Leaves of Grass and set some of the type himself. The 1855 first edition of Leaves of Grass had no named author (his name appeared only in the copyright registration), no publisher’s name, and was typeset partly by Whitman himself at a Brooklyn print shop. It contained 12 untitled poems and a preface. The ninth and final edition, published in 1891, contained over 400 poems. Whitman called it his “deathbed edition.”
FAQ – May 31 in History
What happened on May 31, 1889?
On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam in Pennsylvania burst after two days of record rainfall, sending a wall of water 60 feet high through Johnstown at approximately 40 mph. The Johnstown Flood killed 2,209 people and is still one of the deadliest disasters in U.S. history. The dam’s failure was caused by negligent maintenance by the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club.
What happened on May 31, 1916?
On May 31, 1916, the Battle of Jutland began in the North Sea — the largest naval battle of World War I and the largest sea battle by tonnage in naval history. The two-day engagement between the British Royal Navy and the German High Seas Fleet involved 250 ships and approximately 100,000 men. Both sides claimed victory; Britain lost more ships, but Germany’s fleet never again challenged British naval supremacy.
Who was born on May 31 in history?
Notable people born on May 31 include actor Clint Eastwood (1930), poet Walt Whitman (1819), actress Brooke Shields (1965), actor Colin Farrell (1976), saxophonist Kenny G (1956), and NFL quarterback Joe Namath (1943).
What is World No Tobacco Day?
World No Tobacco Day is a World Health Organization observance held annually on May 31, established in 1987. It draws attention to the health risks of tobacco use, which kills approximately 8 million people globally each year, and promotes national and international tobacco control policies under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
When was Deep Throat identified?
W. Mark Felt, former Associate Director of the FBI, was publicly identified as “Deep Throat” — the anonymous source who guided Washington Post reporters during the Watergate investigation — on May 31, 2005, in an article in Vanity Fair magazine. Woodward and Bernstein had protected Felt’s identity for 33 years.
