2026 Namhkam Township explosion
An explosion at a Ta'ang National Liberation Army base kills 46 people.
What happened on May 31
32 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 6 observances. From 455 to 2026.
Standout on May 31
2016
Syrian civil war
Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launch the Manbij offensive, in order to capture the city of Manbij from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
About May 31
May 31 is the 151st day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 151 of 365 (152 in leap years)214 days left in the year (214 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Sunday in 2026, Monday in 2027, Wednesday in 2028, Thursday in 2029, Friday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 22 of 2026 · Q2
- Zodiac sign
- ♊ Gemini (May 21 – June 20)
- Season
- Spring in the north · Autumn in the south
- May birthstone
- Emeraldrebirth, love and wisdom
- May birth flower
- Lily of the valley / Hawthornsweetness, humility and hope
- Next occurrence
- In 216 days
- Roman numerals
- XXXI.Vday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 40thAriane 21986
- 40thRobert Gesink1986
- 40thWaka Flocka Flame1986
- 30thBrandon Smith (rugby league)1996
- 30thNormani1996
- 25thBreece Hall2001
- 25thIga Świątek2001
- 10thCarla Lane2016
May 31 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Syrian civil war · Carla Lane · Rupert Neudeck
- 25 years ago2001
- Breece Hall · Iga Świątek
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on May 31 — ages this year
- 2001Breece Hallturns 25
- 2001Iga Świątekturns 25
- 2000Gable Stevesonturns 26
- 1998Santino Ferrucciturns 28
- 1997Woo Jin-youngturns 29
- 1997Jeong Se-woonturns 29
Historical events 32
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
2019 Virginia Beach shooting
A shooting at a municipal building in Virginia Beach, United States, left 13 people dead, including the gunman, and injured four others.
May 2017 Kabul bombing
A car bomb exploded near the German embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing more than 90 people and injuring 463 others.
Syrian civil war
Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launch the Manbij offensive, in order to capture the city of Manbij from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
2013 El Reno tornado
An extremely large, powerful, and erratic tornado struck Central Oklahoma, killing eight people and injuring more than 150 others.
Asteroid
The asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon make their closest approach to Earth for the next two centuries.
Shayetet 13
Israeli Shayetet 13 commandos board the Gaza Freedom Flotilla while still in international waters trying to break the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip; nine Turkish citizens on the flotilla were killed in the ensuing violent affray.
George Tiller
American physician George Tiller, one of the few doctors in the country who performed late-term abortions, was shot and killed by Scott Roeder, an anti-abortion activist.
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-124 carrying the second portion of the Japanese Kibō module to the International Space Station.
Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt breaks the world record in the 100m sprint, with a wind-legal (+1.7 m/s) 9.72 seconds.
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair reveals that Mark Felt was "Deep Throat".
Air France
Air France retires its fleet of Concorde aircraft.
Confederation Bridge
The Confederation Bridge opens, linking Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick.
Bicesse Accords
Bicesse Accords in Angola lay out a transition to multi-party democracy under the supervision of the United Nations' UNAVEM II peacekeeping mission.
Ariane 2
The Ariane 2 rocket is launched on its maiden flight, carrying Intelsat VA F-14, but the mission ends in failure.
1985 United States–Canada tornado outbreak
United States–Canada tornado outbreak: Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead.
Sinhalese people
An organized mob of police and government-sponsored Sinhalese paramilitary forces began three days of attacks that led to the burning of the Jaffna Public Library (renovated building pictured) in Sri Lanka, destroying more than 97,000 items in one of the most violent 20th-century examples of ethnic biblioclasm.
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System is completed.
United States Senate
The United States Senate votes to cut off funding for the bombing of Khmer Rouge targets within Cambodia, hastening the end of the Cambodian Civil War.
Indian Airlines Flight 440
Indian Airlines Flight 440 crashes near Palam Airport in Delhi, killing 48.
Uniform Monday Holiday Act
In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1968, observation of Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday in May for the first time, rather than on the traditional Memorial Day of May 30.
1970 Ancash earthquake
The 7.9 Mw Ancash earthquake shakes Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) and a landslide buries the town of Yungay, Peru. Between 66,794 and 70,000 were killed and 50,000 were injured.
World War II
World War II: German forces dropped four bombs on neutral Ireland, killing 28 people and damaging Áras an Uachtaráin, the residence of the President of Ireland.
1935 Quetta earthquake
A magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck Balochistan in British India, now part of Pakistan, killing between 30,000 and 60,000 people
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War came to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging in Pretoria, South Africa.
American Civil War
American Civil War: Confederate troops under Joseph E. Johnston and G. W. Smith engaged Union forces under George B. McClellan at the Battle of Seven Pines outside Richmond, Virginia.
American Revolution
American Revolution: The Committee of Safety of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, adopted the Mecklenburg Resolves, which annulled and vacated all laws originating from the authority of the king or the Parliament of Great Britain.
Bessarion
Cardinal Bessarion announced his donation of 746 Greek and Latin codices to the Republic of Venice, forming the Biblioteca Marciana.
Majapahit
Majapahit forces under Raden Wijaya won a major victory in the Mongol invasion of Java, now considered to be the founding date of the Indonesian city of Surabaya.
Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'
Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus': Mongol forces defeated a Kievan Rus' army at the Battle of the Kalka River in present-day Ukraine.
Mongol Empire
A Mongol army under Genghis Khan captured Zhongdu (modern Beijing), the capital of the Jin dynasty of China.
Petronius Maximus
Petronius Maximus, the ruler of the Western Roman Empire, was stoned to death by a mob as he fled Rome before Vandal forces arrived and sacked the city.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela
Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, Colombian drug lord (born 1939)
Mohamed Abdelaziz (Sahrawi politician)
Mohamed Abdelaziz, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (1976–2016) (born 1947)
Jan Crouch
Jan Crouch, American televangelist, co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (born 1938)
Holidays & observances 6
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Cantius, Cantianus, and Cantianilla
Christian feast day: Cantius, Cantianus, and Cantianilla
Royal Brunei Land Force
Anniversary of Royal Brunei Malay Regiment (Brunei)
Saint Hermias
Christian feast day: Hermias
Visitation (Christianity)
Christian feast day: Visitation of Mary (Western Christianity)
Beatification
Christian feast day: Blessed Camilla Battista da Varano
Saint Petronilla
Christian feast day: Petronella
Spread across the centuries
- 5th century1
- 13th century3
- 15th century1
- 18th century1
- 19th century1
- 20th century31
- 21st century34
Earliest: Petronius Maximus (455). Most recent: 2026 Namhkam Township explosion (2026).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about May 31
What day of the year is May 31?
May 31 is the 151st day of the year, with 214 days left after it.
What star sign is May 31?
May 31 falls under Gemini (May 21 – June 20), a air sign ruled by Mercury. The birthstone for the month is Emerald.
How many things happened on May 31?
We record 78 entries for May 31: 32 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 6 observances. From 455 to 2026.
Who was born on May 31?
Breece Hall (2001) is among the notable births on May 31. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the May 31 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like May 31
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.