On this day | March 31st

On this day: March 31st

Credit/Source: Wikipedia

307 After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine the Great marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian.

1146 Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII of France is present, and joins the Crusade.

1174 A pro-Fatimid conspiracy against Saladin against Saladin, aiming to restore the Fatimid Caliphate, is revealed in Cairo, involving senior figures of the former Fatimid regime and the poet Umara al-Yamani. Modern historians doubt the extent and danger of the conspiracy reported in official sources, but its ringleaders will be publicly executed over the following weeks.

1492 Queen Isabella I of Castile issues the Alhambra Decree, ordering her 150,000 Spanish and Portuguese Jews and Moors subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.

1521 Ferdinand Magellan and Magellan's circumnavigation came ashore to present-day Limasawa to participate in the First Mass in the Philippines.

1657 The Long Parliament presents the Humble Petition and Advice offering Oliver Cromwell the British throne, which he eventually declines.

1706 The last session of history of the Catalan Courts, the parliamentary body of the Principality of Catalonia, ends. Catalonia's Catalan constitutions modernisation passed by the Courts aims to improve the guarantee of individual, political and economic rights (among them, the secrecy of correspondence).

1717 A sermon on "The Nature of the Kingdom of Christ" by Benjamin Hoadly, the Bishop of Bangor, preached in the presence of King George I of Great Britain, provokes the Bangorian Controversy.

1761 The 1761 Lisbon earthquake strikes off the Iberian Peninsula with an estimated Richter magnitude scale of 8.5, six years after another quake destroyed the city.

1774 American Revolution: The Kingdom of Great Britain orders the port of Boston, Massachusetts closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act.

1814 The War of the Sixth Coalition Battle of Paris (1814) after Napoleon's Grande Armée capitulates.

1854 Commodore (United States) Matthew C. Perry signs the Convention of Kanagawa with the Tokugawa shogunate, opening the ports of Shimoda, Shizuoka and Hakodate to American trade.

1885 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland establishes the Bechuanaland Protectorate.

1889 The Eiffel Tower is officially opened.

1899 Malolos, capital of the First Philippine Republic, Capture of Malolos.

1901 ''Rusalka (opera)'' by Antonín Dvořák premieres at the National Opera House in Prague.

1905 Wilhelm II, German Emperor declares his support for Moroccan independence in Tangier, beginning the First Moroccan Crisis.

1906 The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (later the National Collegiate Athletic Association) is established to set rules for college sports in the United States.

1909 Serbia formally withdraws its opposition to Austro-Hungarian actions in the Bosnian Crisis.

1913 The Vienna Concert Society rioted during a performance of Modernism (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.

1917 According to the terms of the Treaty of the Danish West Indies, the islands become American possessions.

1918 March Days is committed by allied armed groups of Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Bolsheviks. Nearly 12,000 Azerbaijanis Muslims are killed.

1918 Daylight saving time goes into effect in the United States for the first time.

1921 The Royal Australian Air Force is formed.

1930 The Motion Picture Production Code is instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film, in the U.S., for the next thirty-eight years.

1931 An 1931 Nicaragua earthquake destroys Managua; killing 2,000.

1931 A 1931 Transcontinental & Western Air Fokker F-10 crash near Bazaar, Kansas, killing eight, including University of Notre Dame head football coach Knute Rockne.

1933 The Civilian Conservation Corps is established with the mission of relieving rampant unemployment in the United States.

1939 Events preceding World War II in Europe: Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain pledges British military support to the Second Polish Republic in the event of an invasion by Nazi Germany.

1942 World War II: Battle of Christmas Island, then a British possession.

1945 World War II: A defecting Nazi Germany pilot delivers a Messerschmitt Me 262A-1, the world's first operational Turbojet fighter aircraft, to the Americans, the first to fall into Allied hands.

1949 The Dominion of Newfoundland joins the Canadian Confederation and becomes the 10th Provinces and territories of Canada.

1951 Remington Rand delivers the first UNIVAC I computer to the United States Census Bureau.

1957 1957 Upper Voltan Territorial Assembly election of the French colony French Upper Volta are held. After the elections Unified Democratic Party and Voltaic Democratic Movement form a government.

1958 In the 1958 Canadian federal election, the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, led by John Diefenbaker, win the largest percentage of seats in Canadian history, with 208 seats of 265.

1959 The 14th Dalai Lama, crosses the border into India and is granted political asylum.

1964 Brazilian General Olímpio Mourão Filho orders his troops to Operation Popeye (Brazil), beginning the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état and 21 years of Military dictatorship in Brazil.

1966 The Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon.

1966 The Labour Party (UK) under Harold Wilson wins the 1966 United Kingdom general election.

1968 American President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson speaks to the nation of "Steps to Limit the War in Vietnam" in a television address. Withdrawal of Lyndon B. Johnson from the 1968 United States presidential election, he announces: "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President."

1970 Explorer 1 re-enters the Atmosphere of Earth after 12 years in orbit.

1980 The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operates its final train after being ordered to Liquidation its assets because of bankruptcy and debts owed to creditors.

1986 Mexicana de Aviación Flight 940 crashes into the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range near the Mexican town of Maravatío, killing 167.

1990 Approximately Poll Tax Riots to protest against the newly introduced Poll tax (Great Britain).

1991 1991 Georgian independence referendum: Nearly 99 percent of the voters support the country's independence from the Soviet Union.

1991 The Warsaw Pact formally disbands.

1992 The , the last active United States Navy battleship, is decommissioned in Long Beach, California.

1992 The Treaty of Federation is signed in Moscow.

1993 The Macao Basic Law is adopted by the 8th National People's Congress to take effect December 20, 1999. [https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/ziliao_665539/3602_665543/3604_665547/t18052.shtml Resumption by China of the Exercise of Sovereignty over Macao]

1995 Selena is Murder of Selena by her fan club president Yolanda Saldívar at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas.

1995 TAROM Flight 371, an Airbus A310, crashes near Balotești, Romania, killing all 60 people on board.

1998 Netscape releases Mozilla source code under an open source license.

2004 Iraq War in Anbar Province: In Fallujah, Iraq, four American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed after being 2004 Fallujah ambush.

2005 The dwarf planet Makemake is discovered by a team led by astronomer Michael E. Brown at the Palomar Observatory.

2016 NASA astronaut Scott Kelly (astronaut) and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko return to Earth after a ISS year-long mission at the International Space Station.

2018 Start of the 2018 Armenian revolution.

2023 A Tornado outbreak of March 31 – April 1, 2023 occurs in the American Midwest and its northern South.

1360 Philippa of Lancaster (d. 1415)

1499 Pope Pius IV (d. 1565)

1504 Guru Angad, Indian religious leader (d. 1552)

1519 Henry II of France (d. 1559)

1536 Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Japanese shōgun (d. 1565)

1596 René Descartes, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1650)

1601 Jakov Mikalja, Italian linguist and lexicographer (d. 1654)

1621 Andrew Marvell, English poet and politician (d. 1678)

1651 Charles II, Elector Palatine, German husband of Princess Wilhelmine Ernestine of Denmark (d. 1685)

1675 Pope Benedict XIV (d. 1758)

1685 Johann Sebastian Bach, German composer (d. 1750)

1718 Mariana Victoria of Spain (d. 1781)

1723 Frederick V of Denmark (d. 1766)

1730 Étienne Bézout, French mathematician and theorist (d. 1783)

1732 Joseph Haydn, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1809)

1740 Panoutsos Notaras, Greek politician (d. 1849)

1747 Johann Abraham Peter Schulz, German pianist and composer (d. 1800)

1777 Charles Cagniard de la Tour, French physicist and engineer (d. 1859)

1778 Coenraad Jacob Temminck, Dutch zoologist and ornithologist (d. 1858)

1794 Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan, American lawyer and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1852)

1809 Edward FitzGerald (poet), English poet and translator (d. 1883)

1809 Otto Lindblad, Swedish composer (d. 1864)

1813 Félix María Zuloaga, Mexican general and unconstitutional interim president (1858 and 1860–1862) (d. 1898)

1819 Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (d. 1901)

1823 Mary Boykin Chesnut, American author (d. 1886)

1833 Mary Abigail Dodge, American writer and essayist (d. 1896)

1835 John La Farge, American artist (d. 1910)

1847 Hermann de Pourtalès, Swiss sailor (d. 1904)

1847 Yegor Ivanovich Zolotarev, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1878)

1851 Francis Bell (New Zealand politician), New Zealand lawyer and politician, 20th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1936)

1855 Alfred E. Hunt, American businessman (d. 1899)

1859 Emil Fenyvessy, Hungarian actor and screenwriter (d. 1924)

1865 Anandi Gopal Joshi, Indian physician (d. 1887)

1871 Arthur Griffith, Irish journalist and politician, 3rd President of Dáil Éireann (d. 1922)

1872 Sergei Diaghilev, Russian ballet manager and critic, founded the Ballets Russes (d. 1929)

1874 Benjamín G. Hill, Mexican revolutionary general, governor of Sonora (d. 1920)

1874 Henri Marteau, French violinist and composer (d. 1934)

1876 Borisav Stanković, Serbian author (d. 1927)

1878 Jack Johnson (boxer), American boxer (d. 1946)

1884 Adriaan van Maanen, Dutch-American astronomer and academic (d. 1946)

1885 Pascin, Bulgarian-American painter and illustrator (d. 1930)

1890 Ben Adams (track and field), American jumper (d. 1961)

1890 William Lawrence Bragg, Australian-English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physics laureate (d. 1971)

1891 Victor Varconi, Hungarian-American actor and director (d. 1976)

1893 Clemens Krauss, Austrian conductor and manager (d. 1954)

1893 Herbert Meinhard Mühlpfordt, German physician and historian (d. 1982)

1895 Vardis Fisher, American author and academic (d. 1968)

1900 Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (d. 1974)

1905 Robert Stevenson (director), English director and screenwriter (d. 1986)

1905 George Treweek, Australian rugby league player (d. 1991)

1906 Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Japanese physicist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physics laureate (d. 1979)

1908 Red Norvo, American vibraphone player and composer (d. 1999)

1911 Freddie Green, American guitarist (d. 1987)

1911 Elisabeth Grümmer, German soprano (d. 1986)

1912 William Lederer, American soldier and author (d. 2009)

1913 Etta Baker, African-American singer and guitarist (d. 2006)

1914 Octavio Paz, Mexican poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize in Literature laureate (d. 1998)

1914 Dagmar Lange, Swedish author (d. 1991)

1915 Albert Hourani, English historian and author (d. 1993)

1915 Shoichi Yokoi, Japanese sergeant (d. 1997)

1916 Lucille Bliss, American voice actress (d. 2012)

1916 Tommy Bolt, American golfer (d. 2008)

1916 John H. Wood, Jr., American lawyer and judge (d. 1979)

1917 Dorothy DeLay, American violinist and educator (d. 2002)

1918 Ted Post, American director (d. 2013)

1919 Frank Akins, American football player (d. 1993)

1920 Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, British aristocrat, socialite and author (d. 2014)

1921 Lowell Fulson, African-American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)

1921 Peggy Rea, American actress and casting director (d. 2011)

1921 John Ugelstad, Norwegian chemical engineer and inventor (d. 1997)

1922 Richard Kiley, American actor and singer (d. 1999)

1922 Patrick Magee (actor), Irish actor (d. 1982)

1923 Don Barksdale, American basketball player (d. 1993)

1923 François Sermon, Belgian footballer (d. 2013)

1924 Leo Buscaglia, American author and academic (d. 1998)

1924 Charles Guggenheim, American director and producer (d. 2002)

1925 Jean Coutu (actor), Canadian actor and director (d. 1999)

1926 John Fowles, English novelist (d. 2005)

1926 Beni Montresor, Italian director, set designer, author, and illustrator (d. 2001)

1926 Rocco Petrone, American colonel and engineer (d. 2006)

1927 Cesar Chavez, American labor union leader and activist (d. 1993)

1927 William Daniels, American actor

1927 Eduardo Martínez Somalo, Spanish cardinal (d. 2021)

1927 Vladimir Ilyushin, Russian pilot (d. 2010)

1927 Elmer Diedtrich, American businessman and politician (d. 2013)

1927 Bud MacPherson, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1988)

1928 Lefty Frizzell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)

1928 Gordie Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2016)

1929 Liz Claiborne (fashion designer), Belgian-American fashion designer, founded Liz Claiborne Inc. (d. 2007)

1929 Bert Fields, American lawyer and author (d. 2022)

1930 Yehuda Nir, Polish-American psychiatrist (d. 2014)

1930 Jim Mutscheller, American football player and coach (d. 2015)

1931 Miller Barber, American golfer (d. 2013)

1931 Tamara Tyshkevich, Belarusian shot putter (d. 1997)

1932 John Jakes, American author (d. 2023)

1932 Nagisa Oshima, Japanese director and screenwriter (d. 2013)

1933 Anita Carter, American singer-songwriter and bassist (d. 1999)

1933 Nichita Stănescu, Romanian poet (d. 1983)

1934 Richard Chamberlain, American actor (d. 2025)

1934 Shirley Jones, American actress and singer

1934 John D. Loudermilk, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)

1934 Grigory Nelyubov, Soviet pilot and cosmonaut (d. 1966)

1934 Carlo Rubbia, Italian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physics laureate

1934 Kamala Surayya, Indian poet and author (d. 2009)

1935 Herb Alpert, American singer-songwriter, trumpet player, and producer

1935 Judith Rossner, American author (d. 2005)

1936 Marge Piercy, American poet and novelist

1936 Walter E. Williams, American economist and academic (d. 2020)

1938 Patrick Bateson, English biologist and academic (d. 2017)

1938 Sheila Dikshit, Indian politician, 22nd List of Governors of Kerala (d. 2019)

1938 Antje Gleichfeld, German runner

1938 Bill Hicke, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 2005)

1938 Jimmy Johnson (cornerback), American football player (d. 2024)

1938 Tõnno Lepmets, Estonian basketball player (d. 2005)

1938 Arthur B. Rubinstein, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2018)

1938 David Steel, Scottish academic and politician

1939 Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Georgian anthropologist and politician, 1st President of Georgia (d. 1993)

1939 Israel Horovitz, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2020)

1939 Walker David Miller, American lawyer and judge (d. 2013)

1939 Volker Schlöndorff, German director and producer

1939 Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, German footballer (d. 2024)

1940 Brian Ackland-Snow, English production designer and art director (d. 2013)

1940 Barney Frank, American lawyer and politician

1940 Patrick Leahy, American lawyer and politician

1941 Franco Bonvicini, Italian author and illustrator (d. 1995)

1941 Faith Leech, Australian swimmer (d. 2013)

1942 Ulla Hoffmann, Swedish politician

1942 Hugh McCracken, American guitarist and producer (d. 2013)

1942 Michael Savage, American far-right radio host and author

1943 Roy Andersson, Swedish director and screenwriter

1943 Deirdre Clancy, English costume designer

1943 Christopher Walken, American actor

1944 Pascal Danel, French singer-songwriter

1944 Angus King, American politician

1944 Mick Ralphs, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

1945 Edwin Catmull, American computer scientist and engineer

1945 Gabe Kaplan, American actor and comedian

1945 Myfanwy Talog, Welsh actress (d. 1995)

1946 Gonzalo Márquez, Venezuelan baseball player (d. 1984)

1946 Bob Russell (British politician), English politician

1947 Augustin Banyaga, Rwandan-American mathematician and academic

1947 Wendy Overton, American tennis player

1947 Kristian Blak, Danish-Faroese pianist, composer, and producer

1947 Don Foster (politician), English academic and politician

1947 César Gaviria, Colombian economist and politician, 36th President of Colombia

1947 Eliyahu M. Goldratt, Israeli physicist and economist (d. 2011)

1948 Gary Doer, Canadian politician and diplomat, 20th Premier of Manitoba

1948 Al Gore, American soldier and politician, 45th Vice President of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize laureate

1948 Rhea Perlman, American actress

1948 Gustaaf Van Cauter, Belgian cyclist

1949 Gilles Gilbert, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2023)

1950 András Adorján, Hungarian chess player and author (d. 2023)

1950 Ed Marinaro, American football player and actor

1950 Sandra Morgen, American anthropologist and academic (d. 2016)

1953 Dennis Kamakahi, American guitarist and composer (d. 2014)

1955 Svetozar Marović, President of Serbia and Montenegro

1955 Angus Young, Scottish-Australian guitarist and songwriter

1957 Alan Duncan, English businessman and politician, former Shadow Leader of the House of Commons

1958 Andrea Kuntzl, Austrian politician

1959 Markus Hediger, Swiss poet and translator

1961 Ron Brown (wide receiver), American sprinter and football player

1961 Howard Gordon, American screenwriter and producer

1962 Olli Rehn, Finnish footballer and politician

1962 Georgios Stefanopoulos, Greek boxer

1963 Paul Mercurio, Australian actor and dancer

1964 Mark Hoban, English accountant and politician

1965 Tom Barrasso, American ice hockey player and coach

1965 Patty Fendick, American tennis player and coach

1965 Jean-Christophe Lafaille, French mountaineer (d. 2006)

1965 William McNamara, American actor and producer

1965 Steven T. Seagle, American author and screenwriter

1966 Roger Black, English runner and journalist

1966 Nick Firestone, American race car driver

1968 César Sampaio, Brazilian footballer

1969 Nyamko Sabuni, Burundian-Swedish politician

1969 Steve Smith (basketball), American basketball player and sportscaster

1970 Alenka Bratušek, Slovenian politician, 7th Prime Minister of Slovenia

1970 Linn Skåber, Norwegian actress and writer

1971 Demetris Assiotis, Cypriot footballer

1971 Martin Atkinson, English footballer and referee

1971 Pavel Bure, Russian ice hockey player

1971 Craig McCracken, American animator, producer, and screenwriter

1971 Ewan McGregor, Scottish actor

1972 Alejandro Amenábar, Chilean-Spanish director and screenwriter

1972 Andrew Bowen, American actor, producer, and screenwriter

1972 Luca Gentili (footballer born 1972), Italian footballer and coach

1972 Hristos Polihroniou, Greek hammer thrower

1972 Evan Williams (Internet entrepreneur), American businessman, co-founded Twitter and Pyra Labs

1973 Christopher Hampson, English ballet dancer and choreographer

1974 Benjamin Eicher, German director, producer, and screenwriter

1974 Natali (singer), Russian singer, composer and songwriter

1974 Stefan Olsdal, Swedish bass player

1974 Jani Sievinen, Finnish swimmer

1975 Makis Dreliozis, Greek basketball player

1975 Adam Green (filmmaker), American director, producer, and screenwriter

1975 Nathan Grey (rugby union), Australian rugby player and coach

1975 Cameron Murray (rugby union), Scottish rugby player

1975 Ryan Rupe, American baseball player

1976 Howard Frier, American basketball player

1976 Igors Sļesarčuks, Latvian-Russian footballer

1976 Graeme Smith (swimmer), Scottish swimmer

1977 Toshiya (musician), Japanese bass player, songwriter, and producer

1977 Garth Tander, Australian race car driver

1978 Michael Clark (sportsman), Australian cricketer and footballer

1978 Stephen Clemence, English footballer and manager

1978 Jarrod Cooper, American football player

1978 Jérôme Rothen, French footballer

1979 Omri Afek, Israeli footballer

1979 Euan Burton, Scottish martial artist and coach

1979 Alexis Ferrero, Argentinian footballer

1979 Charlie Manning, American baseball player

1979 Jonna Mendes, American skier

1979 Rhys Wesser, Australian rugby league player

1980 Martin Albrechtsen, Danish footballer

1980 Karolina Lassbo, Swedish lawyer and blogger

1980 Matias Concha, Swedish footballer

1980 Kate Micucci, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress

1980 Michael Ryder, Canadian ice hockey player

1980 Maaya Sakamoto, Japanese actress, voice actress and singer

1981 Ryan Bingham, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1981 Thomas Chatelle, Belgian footballer

1981 Han Tae-you, South Korean footballer

1981 Pa Dembo Touray, Gambian footballer

1981 Maarten van der Weijden, Dutch swimmer

1982 Tal Ben Haim, Israeli footballer

1982 Mira Bellwether, American author, artist, and sex educator

1982 Bam Childress, American football player

1982 Brian Tyree Henry, American actor

1982 Audrey Kawasaki, American painter

1982 Chien-Ming Wang, Taiwanese baseball player

1983 Hashim Amla, South African cricketer

1983 Ashleigh Ball, Canadian voice actress and musician

1983 Sophie Hunger, Swiss-German musician

1983 Vlasios Maras, Greek gymnast

1983 Nigel Plum, Australian rugby league player

1984 David Clarkson (ice hockey), Canadian ice hockey player

1984 Eddie Johnson (American soccer), American soccer player

1984 James Jones (wide receiver), American football player

1984 Martins Dukurs, Latvian sled racer

1984 Kaie Kand, Estonian heptathlete

1984 Alberto Junior Rodríguez, Peruvian footballer

1984 Ed Williamson (rugby union), English rugby player

1985 Steve Bernier, Canadian ice hockey player

1985 Jo-Lonn Dunbar, American football player

1985 Jesper Hansen (footballer, born 1985), Danish footballer

1985 Ivan Mishyn, Ukrainian race car driver

1985 Kory Sheets, American football player

1985 Jalmar Sjöberg, Swedish wrestler

1986 Andreas Dober, Austrian footballer

1986 James King (Scottish rugby union player), Scottish rugby player

1986 Paulo Machado, Portuguese footballer

1987 Nordin Amrabat, Dutch footballer

1987 Hugo Ayala, Mexican footballer

1987 Amaury Bischoff, Portuguese footballer

1987 Humpy Koneru, Indian chess player

1987 Kirill Starkov, Danish ice hockey player

1987 Nelli Zhiganshina, Russian figure skater

1988 Thomas De Corte, Belgian footballer

1988 Conrad Sewell, Australian singer and songwriter

1988 Dorin Dickerson, American football player

1988 DeAndre Liggins, American basketball player

1988 Louis van der Westhuizen, Namibian cricketer

1989 Alberto Martín Romo García Adámez, Spanish footballer

1989 Nejc Vidmar, Slovenian footballer

1989 Liu Zige, Chinese swimmer

1990 George Iloka, American football player

1990 Lyra McKee, Irish journalist (d. 2019)

1990 Sandra Roma, Swedish tennis player

1991 Milan Milanović, Serbian footballer

1991 Rodney Sneijder, Dutch footballer

1992 Stijn de Looijer, Dutch footballer

1992 Adam Zampa, Australian cricketer

1993 Mikael Ishak, Swedish footballer

1994 Samira Asghari, Afghan member of the International Olympic Committee

1994 Tyler Wright (surfer), Australian surfer

1994 Mads Würtz Schmidt, Danish road cyclist

1995 Fiona Brown (footballer), footballer

1996 Liza Koshy, American actress, comedian, and television host

1998 Jakob Chychrun, American-born Canadian ice hockey player

1999 Japhet Tanganga, English footballer

1999 Brooke Scullion, Irish Singer

1999 Jens Odgaard, Danish professional footballer

1999 Denys Strekalin, Ukrainian-born pair skater

1999 Adam Chrzanowski, Polish professional footballer

1999 Santiago Chocobares, Argentine rugby union player

1999 Ballou Tabla, Canadian professional soccer player

1999 Elžbieta Kropa, Lithuanian figure skater

1999 Edon Zhegrova, German born professional footballer

1999 Shiann Salmon, Jamaican track and field athlete

1999 Ben Williams (footballer, born 1999), Welsh professional footballer

1999 Luca Pizzul, Italian professional footballer

1999 Sander Raieste, Estonian professional basketball player

1999 Jonas Røndbjerg, Danish ice hockey player

1999 Adele Tan, Singaporean Shooting sport

1999 Nuno Pina, Portuguese football player

1999 Tereza Jančová, Slovakian skier

1999 Maren Lutz, German female Canoeing

1999 Shehana Vithana, Sri Lankan-Australian professional squash player

1999 Providence Cowdrill, English cricketer

1999 Ricardo Felipe, Brazilian footballer

1999 Dimitris Dalakouras, Greek professional footballer

2004 Samson Baidoo, Austrian professional footballer

2004 Mateo Sanabria, Argentine professional footballer

2004 Alex Luna (footballer), Argentine professional footballer

2005 Reed Baker-Whiting, American professional footballer

32 BC Titus Pomponius Atticus, Roman nobleman of the Equestrian order (b. 109 BC)

528 Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei, emperor of Northern Wei (b. 510)

963 Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn Muhammad, Saffarid emir (b. 906)

1241 Pousa, son of Sólyom, voivode of Transylvania

1251 William of Modena, Italian bishop and diplomat

1340 Ivan I of Moscow, Russian Grand Duke (b. 1288)

1342 Dionigi di Borgo San Sepolcro, Italian Augustinians friar

1462 Isidore II of Constantinople, patriarch of Constantinople

1491 Bonaventura Tornielli, Italian Roman Catholic priest (b. 1411)

1547 Francis I of France, French king (b. 1494)

1567 Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (b. 1504)

1621 Philip III of Spain, Spanish king (b. 1578)

1622 Gonzalo Méndez de Canço, Royal Governor of La Florida (b. 1554)

1631 John Donne, English lawyer and poet (b. 1572)

1671 Anne Hyde, wife of James II of England (b. 1637)

1723 Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon, English soldier and politician, 14th List of colonial governors of New York (b. 1661)

1741 Pieter Burman the Elder, Dutch scholar and author (b. 1668)

1751 Frederick, Prince of Wales, Hanoverian-born heir to the British throne (b. 1707)

1797 Olaudah Equiano, Nigerian merchant, author, and activist (b. 1745)

1837 John Constable, English painter and educator (b. 1776)

1850 John C. Calhoun, American lawyer and politician, 7th Vice President of the United States (b. 1782)

1855 Charlotte Brontë, English novelist and poet (b. 1816)

1877 Antoine Augustin Cournot, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1801)

1880 Henryk Wieniawski, Polish violinist and composer (b. 1835)

1885 Franz Abt, German composer and conductor (b. 1819)

1907 Galusha A. Grow, American lawyer and politician, 28th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1823)

1910 Jean Moréas, Greek poet, essayist and art critic (b. 1856)

1913 J. P. Morgan, American banker and financier (b. 1837)

1915 Wyndham Halswelle, English-Scottish runner and captain (b. 1882)

1917 Emil von Behring, German physiologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (b. 1854)

1920 Abdul Hamid Madarshahi, Bengali Islamic scholar and author (b. 1869)

1924 George Charles Haité, English painter and illustrator (b. 1855)

1927 Kang Youwei, Chinese scholar and political reformer (b. 1858)

1930 Ludwig Schüler, German politician, List of mayors of Marburg (b. 1836)

1931 Knute Rockne, American football player and coach (b. 1888)

1935 Georges V. Matchabelli, Georgian-American businessman and diplomat, founded Prince Matchabelli (b. 1885)

1939 Ioannis Tsangaridis, Greek general (b. 1887)

1944 Mineichi Koga, Japanese admiral (b. 1885)

1945 Frank Findlay, New Zealand banker and politician (b. 1884)

1945 Hans Fischer, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate (b. 1881)

1950 Robert Natus, Estonian architect (b. 1890)

1952 Wallace H. White, Jr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1877)

1956 Ralph DePalma, Italian-American race car driver and actor (b. 1884)

1956 Nellah Massey Bailey, American politician and librarian (b. 1893)

1961 Pyrros Spyromilios, officer of the Greek Navy and director of the Greek Radio Orchestra (b. 1913)

1968 Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player (b. 1885)

1970 Semyon Timoshenko, Soviet Commander during the Winter War and the Eastern Front (World War II) of World War II (b. 1894)

1975 Percy Alliss, English golfer (b. 1897)

1976 Paul Strand, American photographer and director (b. 1890)

1978 Astrid Allwyn, American actress (b. 1905)

1978 Charles Best (medical scientist), American-Canadian physiologist and biochemist, co-discovered Insulin (b. 1899)

1980 Vladimír Holan, Czech poet and author (b. 1905)

1980 Jesse Owens, American sprinter and long jumper (b. 1913)

1981 Enid Bagnold, English author and playwright (b. 1889)

1983 Christina Stead, Australian author and academic (b. 1902)

1986 Jerry Paris, American actor and director (b. 1925)

1988 William McMahon, Australian lawyer and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1908)

1991 Theofylaktos Papakonstantinou, Greek columnist, political and social analyst and historian (b. 1905)

1993 Brandon Lee, American actor and martial artist (b. 1965)

1993 Mitchell Parish, Lithuanian-American songwriter (b. 1900)

1995 Selena, American singer-songwriter (b. 1971)

1996 Dante Giacosa, Italian automobile designer and engineer (b. 1905)

1996 Jeffrey Lee Pierce, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1958)

1997 Stephen Kalong Ningkan, first Chief Minister of Sarawak, Malaysia.

1998 Bella Abzug, American lawyer, activist, and politician (b. 1920)

1998 Tim Flock, American race car driver (b. 1924)

1998 Joel Ryce-Menuhin, American pianist (b. 1933)

1999 Yuri Knorozov, Russian linguist and ethnographer (b. 1922)

2000 Gisèle Freund, German-born French photographer and photojournalist (b. 1908)

2000 Adrian Fisher (musician), English guitarist and member of the band Toby (b. 1952)

2001 David Rocastle, English footballer (b. 1967)

2001 Clifford Shull, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physics laureate (b. 1915)

2002 Barry Took, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1928)

2002 Moturu Udayam, Indian activist and politician (b. 1924)

2002 Carlos J. Gradin, Argentine Archaeologist (b. 1913)

2003 Harold Scott MacDonald Coxeter, English-Canadian mathematician and academic (b. 1907)

2003 Anne Gwynne, American actress (b. 1918)

2003 Tommy Seebach, Danish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1949)

2004 Scott Helvenston, American soldier (b. 1965)

2005 Stanley J. Korsmeyer, American oncologist and academic (b. 1951)

2005 Justiniano Montano, Filipino lawyer and politician (b. 1905)

2005 Frank Perdue, American businessman (b. 1920)

2006 Jackie McLean, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1931)

2007 Paul Watzlawick, Austrian-American psychologist and philosopher (b. 1921)

2008 Jules Dassin, American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor (b. 1911)

2008 Bill Keightley, American equipment manager (b. 1926)

2009 Raúl Alfonsín, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 46th President of Argentina (b. 1927)

2009 Choor Singh, Indian-Singaporean lawyer and judge (b. 1911)

2010 Jerald terHorst, American journalist (b. 1922)

2010 Roger Addison, Welsh rugby union player (b. 1945)

2011 Gil Clancy, American boxer and trainer (b. 1922)

2011 Alan Fitzgerald (satirist), Australian journalist and author (b. 1935)

2011 Mary Greyeyes, the first First Nations in Canada woman to join the Canadian Armed Forces (b. 1920)

2011 Oddvar Hansen, Norwegian footballer and coach (b. 1921)

2011 Ishbel MacAskill, Scottish singer and actress (b. 1941)

2011 Henry Taub, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1927)

2012 Judith Adams, New Zealand-Australian nurse and politician (b. 1943)

2012 Dale R. Corson, American physicist and academic (b. 1914)

2012 Bernard O. Gruenke, American stained glass artist (b. 1914)

2012 Jerry Lynch, American baseball player (b. 1930)

2012 Alberto Sughi, Italian painter (b. 1928)

2012 Halbert White, American economist and academic (b. 1950)

2013 Charles Amarin Brand, French archbishop (b. 1920)

2013 Ernie Bridge, Australian singer and politician (b. 1936)

2013 Bob Clarke (illustrator), American illustrator (b. 1926)

2013 Ahmad Sayyed Javadi, Iranian lawyer and politician, Ministry of Interior (Iran) (b. 1917)

2013 Dmitri Uchaykin, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1980)

2014 Gonzalo Anes, Spanish economist, historian, and academic (b. 1931)

2014 Roger Somville, Belgian painter (b. 1923)

2015 Betty Churcher, Australian painter, historian, and curator (b. 1931)

2015 Cocoa Fujiwara, Japanese author and illustrator (b. 1983)

2015 Carlos Gaviria Díaz, Colombian lawyer and politician (b. 1937)

2015 Dalibor Vesely, Czech-English historian, author, and academic (b. 1934)

2016 Ronnie Corbett, Scottish comedian, actor and screenwriter (b. 1930)

2016 Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German politician (b. 1927)

2016 Zaha Hadid, Iraqi-born English architect and academic, designed the Bridge Pavilion (b. 1950)

2016 Imre Kertész, Hungarian author, Nobel Prize in Literature laureate (b. 1929)

2016 Denise Robertson, British writer and television broadcaster (b. 1932)

2017 Gilbert Baker (artist), American artist and LGBT rights activist (b. 1951)

2017 James Rosenquist, American artist (b. 1933)

2018 Nick Newton, inventor of the Newton Starting Blocks (b. 1933)

2019 Nipsey Hussle, American rapper (b. 1985)

2020 Gita Ramjee, Ugandan-South African scientist and researcher (b. 1956)

2021 Ken Reitz, American baseball player (b. 1951)

2021 Muhammad Wakkas, Bangladeshi teacher and parliamentarian (b. 1952)

2022 Shirley Burkovich, former American All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (All-American Girls Professional Baseball League) player (b. 1933)

2022 Patrick Demarchelier, French fashion photographer (b. 1943)

2022 Moana Jackson, New Zealand lawyer specialising in constitutional law (b. 1945)

2024 Barbara Rush, American actress (b. 1927)

Cesar Chavez Day (United States)

Christian feast day

- Abdas of Susa

- Acathius of Melitene (Eastern Orthodox Church)

- Anesius and companions

- Saint Benjamin the Deacon and Martyr

- Saint Balbina

- John Donne (Anglican Communion, Lutheran)

- March 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Freedom Day (Malta)

International Transgender Day of Visibility

King Nangklao Memorial Day (Thailand)

Thomas Mundy Peterson Day (New Jersey, United States)

Transfer Day (United States Virgin Islands)

World Backup Day

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/31 BBC: On This Day]

[https://www.onthisday.com/events/march/31 Historical Events on March 31]