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Today March 31st 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Maximian.
1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII is present, and joins the Crusade.
1492 – Queen Isabella of Castille issues the Alhambra decree , ordering her 150,000 Jewish subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.
1717 – A sermon on The Nature of the Kingdom of Christ by Benjamin Hoadly, the Bishop of Bangor, provoked the Bangorian Controversy.
1774 – American Revolutionary War: The Kingdom of Great Britain orders the port of Boston, Massachusetts closed in the Boston Port Act.
1822 – The massacre of the population of the Greek island of Chios by soldiers of the Ottoman Empire following a rebellion attempt, depicted by the French artist Eugène Delacroix.
1854 – Commodore Matthew Perry signs the Treaty of Kanagawa with the Japanese government, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade.
1866 – The Spanish Navy bombs the harbor of Valparaíso, Chile.
1877 – The family with samurai antecedents who responded to the Saigo army in Oita Nakatsu rebels.
1885 – The United Kingdom establishes a protectorate over Bechuanaland.
1889 – The Eiffel Tower is inaugurated.
1903 – Richard Pearse allegedly makes a powered flight in an early aircraft.
1906 – The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (later National Collegiate Athletic Association) is established to set rules for amateur sports in the United States.
1909 – Serbia accepts Austrian control over Bosnia-Herzegovina.
1917 – The United States takes possession of the Danish West Indies after paying $25 million to Denmark, and renames the territory the United States Virgin Islands.
1918 – Daylight saving time goes into effect in the United States for the first time.
1921 – The Royal Australian Air Force is formed.
1930 – The Motion Pictures Production Code is instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film for the next thirty eight years.
1931 – An earthquake destroys Managua, Nicaragua, killing 2,000.
1933 – The Civilian Conservation Corps is established with the mission to relieve rampant unemployment.
1942 -World War II: Japanese forces invade Christmas Island, then of British possession.
1942 – Holocaust in Ivano-Frankivsk (then called Stanislawow), western Ukraine. German Gestapo organize the first deportation of 5,000 Jews from Stanislawow ghetto to Belzec death camp. It was one of the biggest transports to Belzec in the first phase of the camp.
1946 – The first election is held in Greece after World War II.
1949 – The Dominion of Newfoundland joins Confederation and becomes the 10th Province of Canada.
1951 – The first commercial United States made computer, the UNIVAC I, is delivered to the United States Census Bureau.
1957 – Elections to the Territorial Assembly of the French colony Upper Volta. After the elections PDU and MDV form a government.
1959 – The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, crosses the border into India and is granted political asylum.
1964 – The Dictatorship in Brazil, under the aegis of general Castello Branco, begins.
1965 – Iberia Airlines Convair 440, crashed into the sea on approach to Tangier killing 47 of 51 occupants.
1966 – The Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first spaceprobe to enter orbit around the Moon.
1968 – President Lyndon B. Johnson announces he will not run for re-election.
1970 – Explorer 1 re-enters the Earth s atmosphere (after 12 years in orbit).
1970 – Nine terrorists from the Japanese Red Army hijacked Japan Airlines Flight 351 at Tokyo International Airport, wielding samurai swords and carrying a bomb.
1979 – The last British soldier leaves the Maltese Islands. Malta declares its Freedom Day (Jum il-Helsien).
1980 – The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad operates its final train after being ordered to liquidate its assets due to bankruptcy and debt owed to creditors.
1986 – A Mexicana Boeing 727 en route to Puerto Vallarta erupts in flames and crashes in the mountains northwest of Mexico City, killing 166.
1986 – Six metropolitan county councils are abolished in England.
1990 – 200,000 protestors took to the streets of London to protest against the newly introduced Poll Tax.
1991 – The Establishment of Islamic Constitutional Movement – Hadas in Kuwait.
1991 – Georgian independence referendum, 1991: nearly 99 percent of the voters support the country s independence from the Soviet Union.
1992 – The USS Missouri (BB-63), the last active United States Navy Battleship, is decommissioned in Long Beach, California.
1994 – Human evolution: The journal Nature reports the finding in Ethiopia of the first complete Australopithecus afarensis skull.
1995 – In Corpus Christi, Texas, Latin superstar Selena Quintanilla Perez is shot and killed by Yolanda Saldivar, the president of her own fan club.
1998 – Netscape releases the code base of its browser under an open-source license agreement; the project is given the code name Mozilla and would eventually be spun off into the non-profit Mozilla Foundation.
2004 – In Fallujah, Iraq, 4 American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed and their bodies mutilated after being ambushed.
2007 – In Sydney, Australia, 2.2 million people take part in the first Earth Hour.
2008 – Aloha Airlines, a bankrupt airline, permanently ends passenger service
Births
250 – Constantius Chlorus, Roman Emperor (d. 306)
1360 – Philippa of Lancaster, queen of Portugal (d. 1415)
1425 – Bianca Maria Visconti, Duchess of Milan (d. 1468)
1499 – Pope Pius IV (d. 1565)
1504 – Guru Angad Dev, second Sikh guru (d. 1552)
1519 – King Henry II of France (d. 1559)
1536 – Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Japanese shogun (d. 1565)
1576 – Louise Juliana of Nassau, Regent of Bohemia (d. 644)
1596 – René Descartes, French mathematician (d. 1650)
1621 – Andrew Marvell, English poet (d. 1678)
1651 – Karl II, Elector Palatine (d. 1685)
1675 – Pope Benedict XIV (d. 1758)
1718 – Marianne Victoria of Borbón, queen regent of Portugal (d. 1781)
1723 – King Frederick V of Denmark (d. 1766)
1730 – Étienne Bézout, French mathematician (d. 1783)
1732 – Joseph Haydn, Austrian composer (d. 1809)
1777 – Charles Cagniard de la Tour, French physicist (d. 1859)
1778 – Coenraad Jacob Temminck, Dutch zoologist (d. 1858)
1794 – Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan, American politician (d. 1852)
1809 – Edward FitzGerald, English poet (d. 1883)
1809 – Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol, Ukrainian-born Russian writer and satirist (d. 1852)
1811 – Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, German chemist and inventor (d. 1899)
1819 – Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1901)
1847 – Yegor Ivanovich Zolotarev, Russian mathematician (d. 1878)
1855 – Alfred E. Hunt, founder of Alcoa (d. 1899)
1871 – Arthur Griffith, President of Ireland (d. 1922)
1872 – Alexandra Kollontai, Russian ambassador to Norway (d. 1952)
1872 – Serge Diaghilev, Russian ballet impresario (Ballets Russes) (d. 1929)
1876 – Borisav Bora Stankovic, Serbian writer (d. 1927)
1878 – Jack Johnson, American boxer (d. 1946)
1884 – Adriaan van Maanen, Dutch-American astronomer (d. 1946)
1885 – Pascin, Bulgarian painter (d. 1930)
1890 – William Lawrence Bragg, English physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1971)
1891 – Victor Varconi, Hungarian film actor (d. 1976)
1893 – Clemens Krauss, Austrian conductor (d. 1954)
1906 – Shin ichiro Tomonaga, Japanese physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1979)
1907 – Eddie Quillan, American actor (d. 1990)
1908 – Red Norvo, American jazz vibraphonist (d. 1999)
1911 – Elisabeth Grümmer, German soprano (d. 1986)
1914 – Octavio Paz, Mexican diplomat and writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1998)
1915 – Albert Hourani, English historian (d. 1993)
1915 – Shoichi Yokoi, Japanese military man (d. 1997)
1916 – Lucille Bliss, American voice actress
1916 – John H. Wood, Jr., American federal judge (d. 1979)
1919 – Frank Akins, American football player (d. 1993)
1920 – Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, English Duchess, now Dowager Duchess
1922 – Richard Kiley, American actor and singer (d. 1999)
1924 – Leo Buscaglia, American author (d. 1998)
1924 – Charles Guggenheim, American film director/producer (d. 2002)
1925 – Jean Coutu, French Canadian actor (d. 1999)
1926 – John Fowles, English author (d. 2005)
1927 – César Chávez, American labor activist (d. 1993)
1927 – William Daniels, American actor
1928 – Lefty Frizzell, American singer and songwriter (d. 1975)
1928 – Gordie Howe, Canadian ice hockey player
1929 – Liz Claiborne, Belgian-born American fashion designer (d. 2007)
1929 – Bertram Fields, American lawyer
1931 – Miller Barber, American golfer
1932 – Nagisa Oshima, Japanese film director
1933 – Nichita Stanescu, Romanian poet (d. 1983)
1934 – Richard Chamberlain, American actor
1934 – Shirley Jones, American singer and actress
1934 – Carlo Rubbia, Italian physicist, Nobel laureate
1934 – John D. Loudermilk, American singer and songwriter
1935 – Herb Alpert, American trumpeter and band leader
1935 – Judith Rossner, American author
1936 – Bob Pulford, Canadian ice hockey player
1936 – Marge Piercy, American writer
1936 – Dokumamushi Sandayu, Japanese actor
1938 – Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi
1938 – Bill Hicke, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2005)
1938 – Michiko Nomura, Japanese voice actor
1938 – Arthur B. Rubinstein, American composer
1938 – David Steel, Scottish politician
1939 – Zviad Gamsakhurdia, first President of Georgia (d. 1993)
1939 – Volker Schlöndorff, German film director
1940 – Barney Frank, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts
1940 – Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senator from Vermont
1942 – Michael Savage, American talk radio host and commentator
1942 – Ulla Hoffmann, Swedish politician
1943 – Christopher Walken, American actor
1944 – Pascal Danel, French singer and songwriter
1944 – Mick Ralphs, English guitarist (Mott the Hoople, Bad Company)
1945 – Valerie Curtin, American actress, writer, and producer
1945 – Gabe Kaplan, American actor and comedian
1946 – Gonzalo Márquez, Venezuelan baseball player (d. 1984)
1947 – César Gaviria Trujillo, President of Colombia
1948 – Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
1948 – Rhea Perlman, American actress
1948 – Gustaaf Van Cauter, Belgian cyclist
1950 – Ed Marinaro, American football player and actor
1950 – András Adorján, Hungarian chess player
1955 – Angus Young, Scottish-born Australian guitarist (AC/DC)
1955 – Robert Vance, New Zealand cricketer
1957 – Marc McClure, American actor
1957 – Alan Duncan, British politician
1958 – Tony Cox, American actor
1959 – Ali McMordie, Irish bassist (Stiff Little Fingers)
1962 – John Taylor, American football player
1962 – Mark Begich, American politician
1963 – Paul Mercurio, Australian actor/dancer
1964 – Paul Wong Koon-Chung, Hong Kong musician (Beyond)
1965 – Tom Barrasso, American ice hockey player
1965 – Jean-Christophe Lafaille, French mountaineer (d. 2006)
1965 – Steven T. Seagle, American comic-book writer
1966 – Roger Black, English athlete
1968 – Naoya Ogawa, Japanese professional wrestler
1968 – Celine Dion, French Canadien singer
1969 – Samantha Brown, American television host
1969 – Steve Smith, American basketball player
1969 – Nyamko Sabuni, Swedish politician
1971 – Pavel Bure, Russian ice hockey player
1971 – Ewan McGregor, Scottish actor
1972 – Alejandro Amenábar, Spanish film director
1972 – Andrew Bowen, American actor
1972 – Hristos Polihroniou, Greek hammer thrower
1973 – Bold Forbes, Puerto Rican/American thoroughbred racehorse (d. 2000)
1974 – Stefan Olsdal, Swedish bassist (Placebo)
1974 – Benjamin Eicher, Swiss film director
1975 – Adam Green, American film director
1976 – Josh Saviano, American actor
1976 – Ashton Moore, American porn actress
1977 – Toshiya, Japanese musician (Dir en grey)
1977 – Garth Tander, Australian racing driver
1978 – Stephen Clemence, English footballer
1978 – Jérôme Rothen, French footballer
1978 – Tony Yayo, American rapper
1979 – Josh Kinney, American baseball player
1979 – Amey Date, Indian playback singer
1980 – Chien-Ming Wang, Taiwanese baseball player
1980 – Maaya Sakamoto, Japanese voice actor
1980 – Michael Ryder, Canadian ice hockey player
1981 – Maarten van der Weijden, Dutch swimmer
1982 – Tal Ben Haim, Israeli footballer
1982 – Philippe Mexès, French footballer
1982 – Lennon Murphy, American rock singer/songwriter
1983 – Paddy McCarthy, Irish footballer
1983 – Vlasios Maras, Greek gymnast
1984 – James Jones, American football player
1984 – David Clarkson (ice hockey), Canadian Ice Hockey Player
1986 – Cveta Majtanovic, Serbian singer, winner of Pop Idol.
1987 – Humpy Koneru, Indian chess grandmaster
1988 – Hogan Ephraim, English Footballer
Deaths
1074 – Regency Yorimichi Fujiwara of Japan (b. 992)
1204 – Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of France and England (b. 1121)
1340 – Ivan I of Russia, Prince of Moscow (b. 1288)
1547 – Francis I of France (b. 1494)
1567 – Philipp I of Hesse (b. 1504)
1621 – Philip III of Spain (b. 1578)
1631 – John Donne, English writer and prelate (b. 1572)
1671 – Anne Hyde, wife of James II of England (b. 1637)
1703 – Johann Christoph Bach, German composer (b. 1642)
1723 – Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon, British-born American statesman (b. 1661)
1727 – Sir Isaac Newton, English mathematician and physicist (b. 1643)
1741 – Pieter Burmann the Elder, Dutch classical scholar (b. 1668)
1783 – Nikita Ivanovich Panin, Russian statesman (b. 1718)
1837 – John Constable, English painter (b. 1776)
1850 – John C. Calhoun, 7th Vice President of the United States (b. 1782)
1855 – Charlotte Brontë, English author (b. 1816)
1877 – Antoine Augustin Cournot, French mathematician (b. 1801)
1880 – Henryk Wieniawski, Polish composer (b. 1835)
1885 – Franz Wilhelm Abt, German composer (b. 1819)
1913 – John Pierpont Morgan, American financier (b. 1837)
1917 – Emil Adolf von Behring, German physician, Nobel laureate (b. 1854)
1915 – Wyndham Halswelle, Scottish athlete (b. 1882)
1927 – Borisav Bora Stankovic, Serbian writer (b. 1875)
1931 – Knute Rockne, American football coach (b. 1888)
1935 – Georges V. Matchabelli, Perfumer (b. 1885)
1944 – Mineichi Koga, Japanese admiral (b. 1885)
1945 – Hans Fischer, German chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1881)
1945 – Anne Frank, German-born diarist (b. 1929)
1952 – Wallace H. White, Jr., American politician (b. 1877)
1956 – Ralph DePalma, Italian-American race car driver (b. 1884)
1968 – Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player (b. 1885)
1972 – Meena Kumari, Indian actress (b. 1932)
1976 – Paul Strand, American photographer (b. 1890)
1978 – Charles Best, Canadian medical scientist (b. 1899)
1980 – Vladimír Holan, Czech poet (b. 1905)
1980 – Jesse Owens, American athlete (b. 1913)
1981 – Enid Bagnold, British playwright (b. 1889)
1983 – Christina Stead, Australian writer (b. 1902)
1984 – Ronald Clark O Bryan, American murderer (b. 1944)
1985 – Jeanine Deckers, Belgian nun (b. 1933)
1986 – O Kelly Isley, Jr., American singer (The Isley Brothers) (b. 1937)
1986 – Jerry Paris, American actor (b. 1925)
1988 – William McMahon, 20th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1908)
1993 – Brandon Lee, American actor (b. 1965)
1993 – Mitchell Parish, American lyricist (b. 1900)
1993 – Chichay, Filipino actress (b. 1918)
1995 – Selena, Mexican-American singer (b. 1971)
1996 – Jeffrey Lee Pierce, American singer, songwriter and guitarist (The Gun Club) (b. 1958)
1998 – Bella Abzug, American politician (b. 1920)
1998 – Tim Flock, American race car driver (b. 1924)
1999 – Yuri Knorozov, Russian linguist (b. 1922)
2001 – Clifford Shull, American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1915)
2002 – Barry Took, British comedian (b. 1928)
2003 – H.S.M. Coxeter, English-born geometer (b. 1907)
2003 – Tommy Seebach, Danish singer (b. 1949)
2003 – Anne Gwynne, American film actress (b. 1918)
2005 – Stanley J. Korsmeyer, American oncologist (b. 1951)
2005 – Frank Perdue, American poultry farmer (b. 1920)
2005 – Terri Schiavo, American figure in right to die case (b. 1963)
2005 – Justiniano Montano, Filipino politician (b. 1905)
2006 – Jackie McLean, American jazz saxophonist
2006 – Angela Devi, American adult model (b. 1975)
2007 – Paul Watzlawick, Communications & Constructivism Theorist (b. 1921)
2008 – Jules Dassin, American film director (b. 1911)
2008 – Bill Keightley, Mr. Wildcat. University of Kentucky basketball equipment manger 1962-2008 (b. 1926)
Holidays and observances
New Jersey – Thomas Mundy Peterson Day
Freedom Day (Malta)
Abdas of Susa
Anesius and companions
César Chávez Day
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