This Day in History – January 31

History is created every single day humans have existed. To appreciate what is coming in the future we must always have a hindsight that can teach us many lessons. From wars, truces, treaties, births, deaths, discoveries, breakthroughs, and much more, let’s recall the events that happened through the years on this day in history, January 31.

876: Charles became the King
Charles the Fat becomes the king of Italy.

1504: Treaty of Lyon
French King Louis XII gave up Naples to Ferdinand II of Aragon after his defeat in the Italian War of 1499 – 1504.

1627: Spanish Government in Debt
Spanish Government went bankrupt.

1747: First Venereal Diseases Clinic Opened
The first venereal diseases clinic opened at London Lock Hospital, London.

1814: Die Ahnfrau premiered
Franz Grillparzer “Die Ahnfrau” premiered in Vienna on January 31, 1814.

1862: FIrst observation of Sirius B
Astronomer Alvan Graham Clark made the first observation of Sirius B in Massachusetts while testing his new telescope.

1865: General Robert E. Lee became Commander-in-Chief of the Confederate Armies
General Robert E. Lee was named Commander-in-Chief of Confederate Armies during the US Civil War.

1891: First Potuguese Revolution
The first Portuguese Revolution broke out in Porto.

1893: Westminster Gazette released
Westminster Gazette began publishing.

1901: Three Sisters premiered
Chekov’s Three Sisters opened at Moscow Art Theatre on January 31, 1901.

1905: 1st automobile to reach 100 mph
Arthur MacDonald rode the first car to reach 100 mph (161 km).

1905: First Commissioner of Labor, USA
Carroll Wright became the 1st Commissioner of Labor, USA.

1906: Strongest Earthquake Ever Recorded
The strongest earthquake ever to be recorded struck Colombia. It was 8.6 Richter.

1915: German’s Poison Gas Attack on Russia
The first poison gas attack by Germany against Russians took place.

1920: 1st Ukrainian daily newspaper in the USA (NYC) 
The 1st Ukrainian daily newspaper in the USA (NYC) began publication on January 31, 1920.

1930: 1st US Glider flight from a dirigible
First US Glider flight from a dirigible, Lakehurst, New Jersey took place. 

1932: US railway unions accepted wage reduction
US Railway union accepted a 10% wage reduction.

1933: Adolf Hitler promised a parliamentary democracy
Adolf Hitler promised a parliamentary democracy. 

1936: Green Hornet was on WXYZ Radio in Detroit
Green Hornet radio show was first heard on WXYZ Radio in Detroit.

1944: U-592 sank
U-592 sank off Ireland on January 31, 1944.

1948: First Magnetic tape recorder
First Magnetic tape recorder developed by Wireway.

1966: USSR launched Luna 9
USSR’s Luna 9 launched towards the Moon.

1999: Family Guy launched on Fox
Family Guy first aired on Fox on January 31, 1999.

2015: Youngest Golfer became World No. 1
Lydia Ko of New Zealand became the youngest golfer in the world to be ranked number.

Famous Birthdays

• Josh Richards, a TikTok Star
• Justin Timberlake, a Pop Singer
• Nikita Dragun, a Youtube Star
• Kerry Washington, an Actress
• Erin Bloomer, a Pop Singer
• Amy Jackson, a Model
• Preity Zinta, an Actress

These were the most historical events that happened in world history on January 31. Stay tuned to Leverage Edu and follow us on Instagram, Youtube, LinkedIn, Quora, Facebook for more educational content.