What happened on 31 May?

Look at what happened on this day, 31 May in history. From various achievements and milestones throughout human history to groundbreaking inventions and events that shaped the world we live in today.

Here is a look at some of the most notable events that happened on this day

ON THIS DAY: 31 May

1985 | A tornado outbreak involving the United States and Canada killed 76 people when 41 tornadoes struck Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario.

1989 | When Sam Tshabalala won the Pietermaritzburg-Durban Comrades Marathon, he set up history as the first black athlete to do so.

2003 | Air France retires its fleet of Concorde aircraft.

2013 | The asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon made their closest approach to Earth for the next two centuries.

2016 | Syrian Civil War: To capture Manbij from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began the Manbij operation.

ALSO READ: What happened on 30 May?

BIRTHDAYS

1938 | American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer, Peter Yarrow. 

1943 | American football player, sportscaster, and actor, Joe Namath. 

1958 | South African Activist, Mkhuseli Jack. 

1960 | American actor, comedian, and screenwriter, Chris Elliott. 

1973 | South African hammer thrower, Chris Harmse. 

DEATHS

2004 | Sri Lankan journalist, Aiyathurai Nadesan, 50.

2006 | Spanish sculptor, Miguel Ortiz Berrocal, 73.

2010 | English photographer and producer, Brian Duffy, 77.

2013 | American physicist and academic, Gerald E. Brown, 87.

2022 | English cricketer, Jim Parks, 91. 

SPORTS

2017 | Wolves appointed Nuno Espirito Santo as their new club head coach on this day. 

ENTERTAINMENT 

2016 | On this day, Alicia Keys announced that she will no longer wear makeup.

AFRICA FACT

Lake Victoria, which borders Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, is the second-largest lake in the world.