On This Day: 31 March

31 March in Indian history

• 1959After a two-week escape journey from Tibet, the 14th Dalai Lama reached the Tawang Monastery in Arunachal Pradesh in India.India
• 1942Second World War: Because of a mutiny by Indian soldiers against their British officers, Japanese troops captured Christmas Island without any resistance.India

31 March in world history

• 2023A historic tornado outbreak occurs in the American Midwest and South.
• 2016NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko return to Earth after a yearlong mission at the International Space Station.
• 2004Iraq War in Anbar Province: In Fallujah, Iraq, four American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed after being ambushed.
• 1995American singer-songwriter Selena, known as the "queen of Tejano music", was murdered by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldívar, in Corpus Christi, Texas, deeply affecting the Latino community.
• 1966The Labour Party under Harold Wilson wins the 1966 United Kingdom general election.
• 1966The Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon.
• 1958In the Canadian federal election, the Progressive Conservatives, led by John Diefenbaker, win the largest percentage of seats in Canadian history, with 208 seats of 265.
• 1945World War II: A defecting German pilot delivers a Messerschmitt Me 262A-1, the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft, to the Americans, the first to fall into Allied hands.
• 1913The Vienna Concert Society rioted during a performance of modernist music by Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Alexander von Zemlinsky, and Anton von Webern, causing a premature end to the concert due to violence; this concert became known as the Skandalkonzert.
• 1899Philippine–American War: Malolos, capital of the First Philippine Republic, was captured by American forces.
• 1854U.S. Navy Commodore Matthew C. Perry and the Tokugawa shogunate signed the Convention of Kanagawa, forcing the opening of Japanese ports to American trade.
• 1800After fighting through the night, the French Navy ship of the line Guillaume Tell surrendered to a British squadron in the Malta Channel.
• 1774American Revolution: The Kingdom of Great Britain orders the port of Boston, Massachusetts closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act.
• 1706The last session of history of the Catalan Courts, the parliament of the Principality of Catalonia, ends. Catalonia's constitutional modernisation passed by the Courts aims to improve the guarantee of individual, political and economic rights (such as the secr
• 1492Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile sign the Alhambra Decree, ordering all Jews to convert to Christianity or be expelled from the country.
• 1174A conspiracy against Saladin, aiming to restore the Fatimid Caliphate, was revealed in Cairo.

Born on 31 March

• 1987Humpy Koneru, Indian chess playerIndia
• 1980Maaya Sakamoto, Japanese actress, voice actress and singer
• 1942Michael Savage, American far-right radio host and author
• 1938Sheila Dikshit, Indian politician, 22nd Governor of Kerala (died 2019)India
• 1934Kamala Surayya, Indian poet and author (died 2009)India
• 1922Richard Kiley, American actor and singer (died 1999)

Died on 31 March

• 2009Choor Singh, Indian-Singaporean lawyer and judge (born 1911)India
• 2005Stanley J. Korsmeyer, American oncologist and academic (born 1951)
• 2002Moturu Udayam, Indian activist and politician (born 1924)India
• 1850John C. Calhoun, American lawyer and politician, 7th Vice President of the United States (born 1782)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 31 March in history?

2023: A historic tornado outbreak occurs in the American Midwest and South. 2016: NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko return to Earth after a yearlong mission at the International Space Station. 2004: Iraq War in Anbar Province: In Fallujah, Iraq, four American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed after being ambushed. 1995: American singer-songwriter Selena, known as the "queen of Tejano music", was murdered by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldívar, in Corpus Christi, Texas, deeply affecting the Latino community.

What happened on 31 March in Indian history?

1959: After a two-week escape journey from Tibet, the 14th Dalai Lama reached the Tawang Monastery in Arunachal Pradesh in India. 1942: Second World War: Because of a mutiny by Indian soldiers against their British officers, Japanese troops captured Christmas Island without any resistance.

Which famous people were born on 31 March?

Humpy Koneru, Indian chess player (1987); Maaya Sakamoto, Japanese actress, voice actress and singer (1980); Michael Savage, American far-right radio host and author (1942); Sheila Dikshit, Indian politician, 22nd Governor of Kerala (died 2019) (1938).

Which day is observed on 31 March?

Cesar Chavez Day (California, Washington (state)); Freedom Day (Malta); International Transgender Day of Visibility; King Nangklao Memorial Day (Thailand); Thomas Mundy Peterson Day (New Jersey, United States).