Calendar date · May
What happened on May 31
On May 31, 455: Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome.
Events
55
across history
Notable births
50
Notable deaths
50
Zodiac
Gemini
Featured moment · 455
Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome.
Petronius Maximus was Roman emperor of the West for two and a half months in 455. A wealthy senator and a prominent aristocrat, he was instrumental in the murders of the Western Roman magister militum, Aëtius, and the Western Roman emperor, Valentinian III.
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455 Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome. Western Roman emperor in 455
Petronius Maximus was Roman emperor of the West for two and a half months in 455. A wealthy senator and a prominent aristocrat, he was instrumental in the murders of the Western Roman magister militum, Aëtius, and the Western Roman emperor, Valentinian III.
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1215 Zhongdu (now Beijing), then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Zhongdu. Capital of the Jin dynasty (1153–1214)
Zhongdu, also called Daxing City, was a capital city of the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) of China, located in modern-day Beijing, in the southwestern part of Xicheng District. It served as the Jin capital from 1153 to 1214.
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1223 Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River: Mongol armies of Genghis Khan led by Subutai defeat Kievan Rus' and Cumans. 1223 battle where the Mongols fought against Rus' princes and Cumans
The Battle of the Kalka River was fought between the Mongol Empire, whose armies were led by Jebe and Subutai, and a coalition of several Rus' principalities, including Kiev and Galicia-Volhynia, and the Cumans under Köten. They were under the joint command of Mstislav the Bold and Mstislav III of Kiev. The battle was fought on May 31, 1223 on the banks of the Kalka River in present-day Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, and ended in a decisive Mongol victory.
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1293 Mongols depart Java after the failed Mongol invasion against King Kertanegara of Singhasari. East Asian ethnic group
The Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia and China, as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of Mongolic peoples. The Oirats and the Buryats are classified either as distinct ethno-linguistic groups or as subgroups of Mongols.
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1578 King Henry III lays the first stone of the Pont Neuf (New Bridge), the oldest bridge of Paris, France. King of France from 1574 to 1589
Henry III of France was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589 and, as Henry of Valois, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575. Before he came to these thrones, he was known as the Duke of Angoulême and Duke of Orléans from 1560, then as Duke of Anjou from 1566.
- 1610 The pageant London's Love to Prince Henry on the River Thames celebrates the creation of Prince Henry as Prince of Wales.
- 1669 Citing poor eyesight as a reason, Samuel Pepys records the last event in his diary.
- 1775 American Revolution: The Mecklenburg Resolves are adopted in the Province of North Carolina.
- 1790 Manuel Quimper explores the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
- 1790 The United States enacts its first copyright statute, the Copyright Act of 1790.
- 1795 French Revolution: The Revolutionary Tribunal is suppressed.
- 1805 French and Spanish forces begin the assault against British forces occupying Diamond Rock, Martinique.
- 1813 In Australia, William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth reach Mount Blaxland, effectively marking the end of a route across the Blue Mountains.
- 1859 The clock tower at the Houses of Parliament, which houses Big Ben, starts keeping time.
- 1862 American Civil War: Peninsula Campaign: Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston and G.W. Smith engage Union forces under George B. McClellan outside the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.
Show 15 earlier entries from May 31
- 1864 American Civil War: Overland Campaign: Battle of Cold Harbor: The Army of Northern Virginia engages the Army of the Potomac.
- 1879 Gilmore'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.
- 1884 The arrival at Plymouth of Tāwhiao, King of Maoris, to claim the protection of Queen Victoria.
- 1889 Johnstown Flood: Over 2,200 people die after a dam fails and sends a 60-foot (18-meter) wall of water over the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
- 1902 Second Boer War: The Treaty of Vereeniging ends the war and ensures British control of South Africa.
- 1906 The attempted regicide of Spanish King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenie on their wedding day instead kills 24
- 1909 The National Negro Committee, forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), convenes for the first time.
- 1910 The South Africa Act comes into force, establishing the Union of South Africa.
- 1911 The RMS Titanic is launched in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- 1911 The President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz flees the country during the Mexican Revolution.
- 1916 World War I: Battle of Jutland: The British Grand Fleet engages the High Seas Fleet in the largest naval battle of the war, which proves indecisive.
- 1921 The Tulsa race massacre kills at least 39, but other estimates of black fatalities vary from 55 to about 300.
- 1924 Hope Development School fire kills 24 people, mostly disabled children.
- 1935 A 7.7 Mw earthquake destroys Quetta in modern-day Pakistan killing 40,000.
- 1941 Anglo-Iraqi War: The United Kingdom completes the re-occupation of Iraq and returns 'Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for Faisal II.
Around the world
Holidays on May 31
- Anniversary of Royal Brunei Malay Regiment (Brunei)
- Christian feast day: Camilla Battista da Varano
- Christian feast day: Hermias
- Christian feast day: Petronella
- Christian feast day: Visitation of Mary (Western Christianity)
- Christian feast day: May 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Kaamatan, harvest festival in the state of Sabah and the federal territory of Labuan (Malaysia)
- World No Tobacco Day (International)
- Borobi Day (Australia)
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