On This Day: 31 July

31 July in Indian history

• 2012The largest power outage in history occurred across 22 Indian states, affecting more than 620 million people, or about 9 percent of the world's population.India
• 1658Aurangzeb is proclaimed Mughal emperor of India.India

31 July in world history

• 2020A De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver and Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser collide over Soldotna, Alaska, killing all seven people on board both aircraft, including state representative Gary Knopp.
• 2012Michael Phelps breaks the record set in 1964 by Larisa Latynina for the most medals won at the Olympics.
• 2008East Coast Jets Flight 81 crashes near Owatonna Degner Regional Airport in Owatonna, Minnesota, killing all eight people on board.
• 2007The Troubles: Operation Banner, the British Armed Forces' operation in Northern Ireland, ended after 38 years with a military stalemate and ceasefire.
• 1992Space Shuttle program: Atlantis is launched on STS-46 to deploy the European Retrievable Carrier and the Tethered Satellite System.
• 1975The Troubles: In a botched paramilitary attack, three members of the popular Miami Showband and two Ulster Volunteer Force gunmen were killed in County Down, Northern Ireland.
• 1972The Troubles: Hours after the British Army's Operation Motorman brought an end to the self-declared autonomous area of Free Derry in Northern Ireland, three car bombs exploded in the village of Claudy.
• 1964Ranger program: Ranger 7 sends back the first close-up photographs of the moon, with images 1,000 times clearer than anything ever seen from earth-bound telescopes.
• 1941The Holocaust: Under instructions from Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring authorised SS officer Reinhard Heydrich to handle preparations for the "Final Solution of the Jewish question".
• 1938Bulgaria signs a non-aggression pact with Greece and other states of Balkan Antanti (Turkey, Romania, Yugoslavia).
• 1932The NSDAP (Nazi Party) wins more than 38% of the vote in German elections.
• 1924A private senator's bill by Herbert Payne to introduce compulsory voting in Australia became law.
• 1917First World War: The Battle of Passchendaele began near Ypres, Belgium, with the Allies aiming to force German troops to withdraw from the Channel Ports.
• 1856Christchurch, New Zealand, is chartered as a city.
• 1777The Second Continental Congress passed a resolution commissioning the Marquis de Lafayette as a major general in the American revolutionary forces.
• 1715Seven days after a Spanish treasure fleet of 12 ships left Havana, Cuba for Spain, 11 of them sink in a storm off the coast of Florida. A few centuries later, treasure is salvaged from these wrecks.

Born on 31 July

• 1962Troy Murray, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2026)
• 1947Mumtaz, Indian actressIndia
• 1941Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician, 8th Chief Minister of Gujarat (died 2004)India
• 1919Hemu Adhikari, Indian cricketer (died 2003)India
• 1912Milton Friedman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2006)
• 1886Larry Doyle, American baseball player (died 1974)

Died on 31 July

• 1980Mohammed Rafi, Indian playback singer (born 1924)India
• 1940Udham Singh, Indian activist (born 1899)India
• 1914Jean Jaurès, French journalist and politician (born 1859)
• 1875Andrew Johnson, American general and politician, 17th President of the United States (born 1808)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 31 July in history?

2020: A De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver and Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser collide over Soldotna, Alaska, killing all seven people on board both aircraft, including state representative Gary Knopp. 2012: The largest power outage in history occurred across 22 Indian states, affecting more than 620 million people, or about 9 percent of the world's population. 2012: Michael Phelps breaks the record set in 1964 by Larisa Latynina for the most medals won at the Olympics. 2008: East Coast Jets Flight 81 crashes near Owatonna Degner Regional Airport in Owatonna, Minnesota, killing all eight people on board.

What happened on 31 July in Indian history?

2012: The largest power outage in history occurred across 22 Indian states, affecting more than 620 million people, or about 9 percent of the world's population. 1658: Aurangzeb is proclaimed Mughal emperor of India.

Which famous people were born on 31 July?

Troy Murray, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2026) (1962); Mumtaz, Indian actress (1947); Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician, 8th Chief Minister of Gujarat (died 2004) (1941); Hemu Adhikari, Indian cricketer (died 2003) (1919).

Which day is observed on 31 July?

Earliest day on which the Feast of Kamál (Perfection) can fall, while August 1 is the latest; observed on the first day of the eighth month ; End of the Trinity term (sitting of the High Court of Justice of England); Lā Hae Hawaiʻi Day (Hawaii, United States), and its related observance: Sovereignty Restoration Day (Hawaiian sovereignty movement); Martyrdom Day of Shahid Udham Singh (Haryana and Punjab, India); Treasury Day (Poland).