Harry S Truman

1950

Truman announces development of H-bomb

Born on This Day

Carol Channing Modeling a Hat

Carol Channing

1921 - 2019

Actress and singer best known for her unique voice and personality as star of "Hello Dolly."

Norman Mailer

Norman Mailer

1923 - 2007

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer known for his pugnacious style in "The Naked and the Dead" and "The Executioner's Song."

Composer Philip Glass

Philip Glass

1937 -

Composer known for minimalist masterpieces, such as "Einstein on the Beach" and "Koyaanisqatsi."

Carol Channing

Bettmann Archive

Norman Mailer

Getty Images

Philip Glass

Getty Images

1961

JAN

31

Ham the astrochimp' becomes the first hominid in space, after enduring a 16-½-minute suborbital flight—and all the related physical and mental stresses. His success paved the way for the first human in space three months later.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on January 31st

1606

The death of Guy Fawkes

At Westminster in London, Guy Fawkes, a chief conspirator in the plot to blow up the British Parliament building, jumps to his death moments before his execution for treason. On the eve of a general parliamentary session scheduled for November 5, 1605, Sir Thomas Knyvet, a justice of the peace, found Guy Fawkes lurking in […]

1865

House passes the 13th Amendment

On January 31, 1865, the U.S. House of Representatives passes the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery in America. The amendment read, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude…shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” When the Civil War began, President Abraham Lincoln’s professed goal was the restoration of the […]

The 13th Amendment, bearing Lincoln's signature

1917

Germans unleash U-boats

On January 31, 1917, Germany announces the renewal of unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic as German torpedo-armed submarines prepare to attack any and all ships, including civilian passenger carriers, said to be sighted in war-zone waters. When World War I erupted in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson pledged neutrality for the United States, a position […]

3:38m read read

1944

D-Day is postponed

June 6, 1944 is considered one of the most pivotal moments in modern history. Better known by its codename, D-Day, the Allied assault on five beaches in Nazi-occupied France was the result of over a year of planning and jockeying amongst various military and political leaders. On January 31, 1944, several key leaders agreed to […]

1945

The execution of Pvt. Slovik

Pvt. Eddie Slovik becomes the first American soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion—and the only one who suffered such a fate during World War II. Pvt. Eddie Slovik was a draftee. Originally classified 4-F because of a prison record (grand theft auto), he was reclassified 1-A when draft standards were lowered […]

2:58m read read

1968

Viet Cong attack U.S. Embassy

On this day in 1968, as part of the Tet Offensive, a squad of Viet Cong guerillas attacks the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. The soldiers seized the embassy and held it for six hours until an assault force of U.S. paratroopers landed by helicopter on the building’s roof and routed the Viet Cong. The Tet […]

2:20m read read

1971

Apollo 14 departs for the moon

Apollo 14, piloted by astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell and Stuart A. Roosa, is successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a manned mission to the moon. On February 5, after suffering some initial problems in docking the lunar and command modules, Shepard and Mitchell descended to the lunar surface on the […]

0:52m read read

1988

Doug Williams leads Redskins to Super Bowl victory

On January 31, 1988, in San Diego, California, Doug Williams of the Washington Redskins—now known as the Washington Commanders—becomes the first African American quarterback to play in a Super Bowl, scoring four of Washington’s five touchdowns in an upset 42-10 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII. Denver was favored to win the game, and […]

2:02m read read

1990

First McDonald’s opens in Soviet Union

The Soviet Union’s first McDonald’s fast food restaurant opens in Moscow. Throngs of people line up to pay the equivalent of several days’ wages for Big Macs, shakes and french fries. The appearance of this notorious symbol of capitalism and the enthusiastic reception it received from the Russian people were signs that times were changing […]

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