May 31: Holidays, Historical Events, Famous Birthdays & Zodiac Sign
On May 31, 1859, the Great Clock at the Houses of Parliament—now beloved as Big Ben—started keeping time for the very first time.
About May 31
World No Tobacco Day lands on May 31 each year, but the date also resonates with breakthroughs and turning points across centuries. In 1578, King Henry III laid the founding stone of the Pont Neuf, which paradoxically remains the oldest standing bridge in Paris. Exactly 281 years later, the United States passed its very first copyright statute, giving creators legal protection over their work for the first time in the young nation's history.
Engineering and ambition loom large on this date. The Great Clock at Westminster began ticking in 1859, and in 1911 Belfast shipyards launched the RMS Titanic into the water for the first time. That very same day, Mexican President Porfirio Díaz fled his country amid revolutionary upheaval. In 1977, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was completed, stretching 800 miles across rugged terrain. Two decades later, in 1997, the Confederation Bridge opened, finally connecting Prince Edward Island to the Canadian mainland.
May 31 has also witnessed powerful cultural and scientific milestones. Samuel Pepys wrote his final diary entry in 1669, citing failing eyesight. Usain Bolt smashed the 100-meter world record in 2008 with a time of 9.72 seconds. And among the famous faces born on this day are Walt Whitman, Clint Eastwood, and Brooke Shields—Geminis who have each shaped the cultural landscape in their own distinctive way.
Holidays & Observances on May 31
- Anniversary of Royal Brunei Malay Regiment (Brunei)
- Kaamatan, harvest festival in the state of Sabah and the federal territory of Labuan (Malaysia)
- World No Tobacco Day (International)
- Borobi Day (Australia)
Fun & National Days on May 31
- National Smile Day — Flash those pearly whites at strangers today; it costs nothing and might just make someone's week.
- National Macaroon Day — Treat yourself to a chewy, coconutty macaroon—life's too short to skip the good cookies.
- National Meditation Day — Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and let the world's noise fade away for a few quiet minutes.
- Save Your Hearing Day — Turn down the volume a notch—your future self will thank you for protecting those precious eardrums.
- Infidelity Hurts Awareness Day
- National Autonomous Vehicle Day
- Necrotizing Fasciitis Awareness Day
- Speak in Complete Sentences Day
- Trinity Sunday
- What You Think Upon Grows Day
On This Day in History
- 1215 — Mongol forces under Genghis Khan captured Zhongdu—modern-day Beijing—ending the Battle of Zhongdu and toppling Jurchen rule.
- 1578 — King Henry III laid the founding stone of the Pont Neuf, which despite its name became the oldest surviving bridge in Paris.
- 1669 — Citing deteriorating eyesight, Samuel Pepys wrote the final entry in his legendary diary, closing one of history's great firsthand records.
- 1790 — The United States enacted its first copyright statute, giving American creators legal protection over their intellectual property.
- 1859 — The Great Clock at the Houses of Parliament—now known as the Elizabeth Tower—began keeping time for the first time.
- 1909 — The National Negro Committee, which would soon become the NAACP, held its inaugural meeting to advocate for civil rights.
- 1911 — The RMS Titanic was launched from Belfast's shipyards into the River Lagan for the first time, beginning her short-lived career.
- 1921 — The Tulsa race massacre erupted in Oklahoma's Greenwood district, killing dozens to possibly hundreds of Black residents.
- 1977 — The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was completed, stretching roughly 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez across challenging terrain.
- 1997 — The Confederation Bridge officially opened, linking Prince Edward Island to mainland New Brunswick via a 13-kilometer span.
- 2005 — Vanity Fair revealed that former FBI official Mark Felt had been 'Deep Throat,' the secret Watergate source.
- 2008 — Usain Bolt broke the 100-meter sprint world record with a wind-legal time of 9.72 seconds at a meet in New York.
Famous Birthdays on May 31
- 1819 — Walt Whitman, The trailblazing American poet and essayist whose free-verse masterpiece Leaves of Grass reshaped the literary landscape.
- 1852 — Julius Richard Petri, German microbiologist who invented the shallow glass dish that became an indispensable tool in laboratories worldwide.
- 1912 — Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American experimental physicist whose groundbreaking work on beta decay earned her the nickname 'First Lady of Physics.'
- 1914 — Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer best known for his iconic Godzilla film scores, blending Western orchestration with traditional folk elements.
- 1930 — Clint Eastwood, Legendary American actor, director, and producer whose career spans from spaghetti westerns to acclaimed Oscar-winning films.
- 1948 — Svetlana Alexievich, Belarusian journalist and author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature for her deeply moving oral histories of Soviet life.
- 1949 — Tom Berenger, American actor known for intense, memorable roles in Platoon, Major League, and Sniper.
- 1965 — Brooke Shields, American model and actress who became a household name as a teenager and built a lasting career on screen.
- 1976 — Colin Farrell, Irish actor celebrated for his versatile performances in films like In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin.
- 2001 — Iga Świątek, Polish tennis sensation who rocketed to world number one, capturing multiple Grand Slam titles while still in her twenties.