May 31 birthdays & history

Famous people born on May 31

• 1819Walt Whitman, American poet, essayist, and journalist
• 1930Clint Eastwood, American actor, director, musician, and producer
• 1948Svetlana Alexievich, Belarusian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1857Pope Pius XI, Head of the Catholic Church from 1922 to 1939
• 1963Viktor Orbán, Hungarian politician, 38th Prime Minister of Hungary
• 1887Saint-John Perse, French poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1989Marco Reus, German footballer
• 1965Brooke Shields, American model, actress, and producer
• 1976Colin Farrell, Irish actor
• 1911Maurice Allais, French economist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate

What happened on May 31

• 1468Cardinal Bessarion announced his donation of 746 Greek and Latin codices to the Republic of Venice, forming the Biblioteca Marciana.
• 1775American 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.
• 1813In Australia, William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth reach Mount Blaxland, effectively marking the end of a route across the Blue Mountains.
• 1847Qajar Iran and the Ottoman Empire determine their international boundary in the second treaty of Erzurum.
• 1859The Great Clock at the Houses of Parliament (now known as the Elizabeth Tower) starts keeping time.
• 1879Gilmore's Garden in New York City is renamed Madison Square Garden by William Henry Vanderbilt and is opened to the public at 26th Street and Madison Avenue.
• 1884The arrival at Plymouth of Tāwhiao, King of Maoris, to claim the protection of Queen Victoria.
• 1909The National Negro Committee, forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), convenes for the first time.
• 1910The South Africa Act comes into force, establishing the Union of South Africa.
• 1911The President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz flees the country during the Mexican Revolution.
• 1962The West Indies Federation dissolves.
• 1971In 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.

Also observed on May 31

• Kaamatan, harvest festival in the state of Sabah and the federal territory of Labuan (Malaysia)
• World No Tobacco Day (International)
• Borobi Day (Australia)