On This Day: 31 August

31 August in world history

• 2025An earthquake in eastern Afghanistan kills over 1400 people.
• 2002Typhoon Rusa made landfall in Goheung as the most powerful typhoon to hit South Korea in 43 years, killing at least 236 people.
• 1999A LAPA Boeing 737-200 crashes during takeoff from Jorge Newbury Airport in Buenos Aires, killing 65, including two on the ground.
• 1994Argentina abolishes conscription after months of social backlash over the murder of a conscript.
• 1988Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 crashes during takeoff from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, killing 14.
• 1986The Soviet passenger liner Admiral Nakhimov sinks in the Black Sea after colliding with the bulk carrier Pyotr Vasev, killing 423.
• 1959A parcel bomb sent by Ngô Đình Nhu, younger brother and chief adviser of South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm, failed to kill Norodom Sihanouk, Prime Minister of Cambodia.
• 1949The retreat of the Democratic Army of Greece into Albania after its defeat on Gramos mountain marks the end of the Greek Civil War.
• 1942The Matagorda hurricane, the most intense and costliest tropical cyclone of the 1942 Atlantic hurricane season, dissipated after causing $26.5 million in damages and eight deaths.
• 1941World War II: A detachment of Chetniks captured the town of Loznica in German-occupied Serbia.
• 1940Second World War: Two Royal navy destroyers were lost to mines and two other vessels damaged off Texel, Netherlands, killing around 300 men.
• 1940Pennsylvania Central Airlines Trip 19 crashes near Lovettsville, Virginia. The CAB investigation of the accident is the first investigation to be conducted under the Bureau of Air Commerce act of 1938.
• 1939Nazi Germany mounts a false flag attack on the Gleiwitz radio station, creating an excuse to attack Poland the following day, thus starting World War II in Europe.
• 1876Sultan Murad V of the Ottoman Empire was deposed after a reign of 93 days on grounds of mental illness.* 1888 – The body of Mary Ann Nichols, the alleged first victim of an unidentified serial killer known as Jack the Ripper, was found in Buck's Row
• 1864American Civil War: The Battle of Jonesborough, the culmination of the Atlanta campaign, begins as Union forces under General William T. Sherman clash with Confederate troops under General William J. Hardee south of Atlanta.
• 1814War of 1812: American militia forces repelled a British force at the Battle of Caulk's Field, killing 41 people including Captain Peter Parker of the Royal Navy.
• 1420The 8.8–9.4 Caldera earthquake shakes Chile's Atacama Region causing tsunami in Chile, Hawaii, and Japan.
• 1302Frederick III of Aragon and Charles, Count of Valois sign the Peace of Caltabellotta, which ends the War of the Sicilian Vespers and divides the old Kingdom of Sicily into an island portion and a peninsular portion.

Born on 31 August

• 1979Yuvan Shankar Raja, Indian Tamil singer-songwriter and producerIndia
• 1979Mark Johnston, Canadian swimmer
• 1969Javagal Srinath, Indian cricketer and refereeIndia
• 1963Rituparno Ghosh, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter (died 2013)India
• 1948Ken McMullen, English director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1907Ramon Magsaysay, Filipino captain, engineer, and politician, 7th President of the Philippines (died 1957)

Died on 31 August

• 2020Pranab Mukherjee, Former President of India (born 1935)India
• 2014Bapu, Indian director and screenwriter (born 1933)India
• 1952Henri Bourassa, Canadian publisher and politician (born 1868)
• 1941Thomas Bavin, New Zealand-Australian politician, 24th Premier of New South Wales (born 1874)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 31 August in history?

2025: An earthquake in eastern Afghanistan kills over 1400 people. 2002: Typhoon Rusa made landfall in Goheung as the most powerful typhoon to hit South Korea in 43 years, killing at least 236 people. 1999: A LAPA Boeing 737-200 crashes during takeoff from Jorge Newbury Airport in Buenos Aires, killing 65, including two on the ground. 1994: Argentina abolishes conscription after months of social backlash over the murder of a conscript.

Which famous people were born on 31 August?

Yuvan Shankar Raja, Indian Tamil singer-songwriter and producer (1979); Mark Johnston, Canadian swimmer (1979); Javagal Srinath, Indian cricketer and referee (1969); Rituparno Ghosh, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter (died 2013) (1963).

Which day is observed on 31 August?

Baloch-Pakhtun Unity Day (Balochs and Pashtuns, International observance); Day of Solidarity and Freedom (Poland); Departure Day, celebrates the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan; Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Kyrgyzstan from the Soviet Union in 1991.; Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Malaya from the United Kingdom in 1957..