A Day in the Past

On this day: 31 August

135 things happened on 31 August, from AD 12 to 2020. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 4

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

1907 119 years ago

UK story

Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Anglo-Russian Convention, by which the UK recognizes Russian preeminence in northern Persia, while Russia recognizes British preeminence in southeastern Persia and Afghanistan. Both powers pledge not to interfere in Tibet.

Laws & government Find out more: Anglo-Russian Convention (Wikipedia)

Around the world 30

1483 543 years ago

Under the influence of the Ottoman government, patriarch Symeon I convenes a synod of the Eastern Orthodox Churches in Constantinople which defines the ritual for admitting Catholics to the Eastern Orthodox Churches and condemns the church union of Ferrara-Florence.

Laws & government Find out more: Symeon I of Constantinople (Wikipedia)
1864 162 years ago

American Civil War: The Battle of Jonesborough, the culmination of the Atlanta campaign, begins as Union forces under General William T. Sherman clash with Confederate troops under General William J. Hardee south of Atlanta.

War & peace Find out more: American Civil War (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “The last episode of The Bill, the longest-running police drama in British”?

    1. 1913
    2. 2010
    3. 1979
    Show the answer

    B: 2010. 2010 — that’s 16 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “War of the First Coalition: The British capture Trincomalee (present-day Sri”?

    1. 1897
    2. 2010
    3. 1795
    Show the answer

    C: 1795. 1795 — that’s 231 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. War of the First Coalition: The British capture Trincomalee (present-day Sri
    2. Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Anglo-Russian Convention, by which the
    3. The last episode of The Bill, the longest-running police drama in British
    Show the answer

    A: War of the First Coalition: The British capture Trincomalee (present-day Sri. 1795: War of the First Coalition: The British capture Trincomalee (present-day Sri · 1907: Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Anglo-Russian Convention, by which the · 2010: The last episode of The Bill, the longest-running police drama in British Find it on the page

  4. “Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Anglo-Russian Convention, by which the” happened in 1907. How many years ago was that?

    1. 129 years
    2. 109 years
    3. 119 years
    Show the answer

    C: 119 years. 2026 − 1907 = 119. Find it on the page

Born on this day 32

Famous people whose birthday is 31 August.

Remembering 21

Well-known people who died on 31 August.

Special days 16

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 31 August somewhere in the world.

For older readers 32 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.

Where these facts come from

Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “August 31” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.