August 31
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Baloch-Pakhtun Unity Day(BalochsandPashtuns,International observance)
Annual observance to celebrate solidarity between the Baloch and Pashtun peoples in South Asia.
Christianfeast day:
Aidan of Lindisfarne, Amatus of Nusco, Aristides of Athens, Cuthburh, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, Paulinus of Trier, Raymond Nonnatus, Wala of Corbie, Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria, August 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Liturgical feast commemorating multiple early Christian saints in the Eastern Orthodox and Western traditions.
Day of Solidarity and Freedom(Poland)
Poland’s national day honoring the Gdańsk shipyard strikes that led to the Solidarity movement in 1980.
Independence Day, celebrates the independence ofKyrgyzstanfrom theSoviet Unionin 1991.
Kyrgyzstan’s Independence Day marking the country’s secession from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Independence Day, celebrates the independence ofMalayafrom theUnited Kingdomin 1957.
Malaya’s Hari Merdeka, celebrating independence from British colonial rule on August 31, 1957.
Independence Day, celebrates the independence ofTrinidad and Tobagofrom theUnited Kingdomin 1962.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Independence Day marking secession from the United Kingdom in 1962.
Romanian Language Day(Romania,Moldova)
Annual celebration in Romania and Moldova promoting the heritage and unity of the Romanian language.
Sabah Day(Sabah,Borneo)
State holiday in Sabah commemorating its accession to the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.
Aidan of Lindisfarne
Feast day honoring Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne, revered for establishing Christianity in Northumbria.
Events
After a sudden illness a few days previously, Byzantine Empress Theodora dies childless, thus ending the Macedonian dynasty.
Byzantine Empress Theodora died on August 31, 1056, ending the long-standing Macedonian dynasty.
Abdication of Byzantine Emperor Michael VI Bringas after just one year.
Emperor Michael VI Bringas abdicated on August 31, 1057, after a turbulent single-year reign.
Al-Kamil becomes sultan of the Ayyubid dynasty.
Al-Kamil ascended as Sultan of the Ayyubid dynasty in 1218, succeeding his brother as ruler of Egypt and Syria.
King Haakon V of Norway moves the capital from Bergen to Oslo.
In 1314 King Haakon V transferred Norway’s capital from Bergen to Oslo to consolidate royal authority.
The 8.8–9.4 Caldera earthquake shakes Chile's Atacama Region causing tsunami in Chile, Hawaii, and Japan.
A massive 8.8–9.4 magnitude earthquake struck Chile’s Atacama Region on August 31, 1420, triggering a Pacific-wide tsunami.
King Henry V of England dies of dysentery while in France. His son, Henry VI, becomes King of England at the age of nine months.
King Henry V of England died of dysentery on August 31, 1422, and was succeeded by his infant son Henry VI.
Under the influence of the Ottoman government, patriarch Symeon I convenes a synod of the Eastern Orthodox Churches in Constantinople. The council defines the ritual for admitting Catholics to the Eastern Orthodox Churches and condemns the church union of Ferrara-Florence.
In 1483 Patriarch Symeon I held a synod in Constantinople, setting Orthodox rituals and rejecting the Ferrara-Florence union.
Pope Paul III excommunicates English King Henry VIII from the church. He drew up a papal bull of excommunication which began Eius qui immobilis.
On August 31, 1535, Pope Paul III issued the bull Eius qui immobilis, formally excommunicating Henry VIII.
William Livingston, the first Governor of New Jersey, begins serving his first term.
William Livingston took office as the first Governor of New Jersey on August 31, 1776, amid the American Revolution.
Births
Caligula
Caligula, born Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, was Roman emperor from AD 37 to 41, notorious for his extravagant and often tyrannical rule.
Commodus
Commodus, son of Marcus Aurelius, ruled as Roman emperor from 180 to 192 AD and became infamous for his gladiatorial spectacles and autocratic rule.
Jeongjong II
Jeongjong II was the 11th monarch of Korea's Goryeo dynasty, ruling from 1034 until his death in 1046.
Zhang Zong
Emperor Zhang Zong was the sixth ruler of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in China, reigning from 1189 to 1208.
Isabella de' Medici
Isabella de' Medici was an Italian noblewoman of the powerful Medici family, celebrated for her patronage of the arts during the Renaissance.
Jahangir
Jahangir was the fourth Mughal emperor of India, ruling from 1605 until 1627 and renowned for his patronage of the arts and strong governance.
Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga
Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga was an Italian nobleman who served as Duke of Mantua and Montferrat in the 17th century, noted for his cultural patronage and diplomatic endeavors.
Guillaume Amontons
Guillaume Amontons was a French physicist and instrument maker, famous for his pioneering work on friction and thermodynamics.
George Hervey
George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol, was an English soldier, diplomat, and politician who served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the 18th century.
Deaths
Liu Cong
Liu Cong was the emperor of the Xiongnu-led Former Zhao state from 310 until his death in 318.
John Scholasticus
John Scholasticus was a 6th-century Byzantine patriarch renowned for his legal scholarship and church leadership.
Aidan of Lindisfarne
Aidan of Lindisfarne was an Irish monk who became the first bishop of Lindisfarne and spread Christianity across Northumbria.
Ōtomo no Tabito
Ōtomo no Tabito was a celebrated Japanese court poet of the Nara period, known for his contributions to the Man'yōshū anthology.
Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Ta'i
Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Ta'i was a 9th-century Abbasid governor noted for his administrative service during a turbulent period of the Caliphate.
Kunigunde of Altdorf
Kunigunde of Altdorf was a Frankish noblewoman from the influential Elder House of Welf in the 11th century.
Theodora
Theodora was the Byzantine empress who ruled jointly with her brother Constantine VIII during the mid-11th century.
Turgot of Durham was an 11th-century Scottish monk and church leader known for his roles in both Durham and St Andrews.
Sancho III of Castile was a 12th-century king who led his kingdom during the Reconquista and maintained stability in Iberia.