July 31
1498 - Christopher Columbus arrived at the island of Trinidad.
1715 - A fleet of Spanish ships carrying gold, silver and jewelry sank during a hurricane off the east coast of Florida; of the more than 2,500 crew members on board, more than 1,000 died.
1777 - Nineteen-year-old Marquis de Lafayette became a major-general in the American Continental Army.
1790 - The first patent in the United States was issued to Samuel Hopkins of Vermont for a process of making fertilizer.
1875 - Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, died in Tennessee.
1919 - Germany's Weimar Constitution was adopted by the republic's National Assembly.
1945 - Pierre Laval, premier of the pro-Nazi Vichy government in France, surrendered to U.S. authorities in Austria; he was turned over to France, which later tried and executed him.
1954 - Mount Godwin-Austen (K2), the world's second-tallest peak, was climbed for the first time, by an Italian team led by Ardito Desio.
1957 - The Distant Early Warning Line, as system of radar stations designed to detect Soviet Union bombers approaching North America, went into operation.
1964 - The American space probe Ranger 7 transmitted pictures of the Moon's surface back to Earth.
1971 - Apollo 15 crew members David Scott and James Irwin became the first astronauts to use a lunar rover on the surface of the moon.
1972 - Vice presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton withdrew from the Democratic ticket with George McGovern following disclosures that Eagleton had received electroshock therapy to treat clinical depression.
1991 - President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) in Moscow.
2020 - A federal appeals court overturned the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, saying the judge who oversaw the case did not adequately screen jurors for potential biases. (The U.S. Supreme Court later reimposed the sentence.)
Birthdays
22 - Abi Carter (singer)
26 - Rico Rodriguez (actor)
32 - Kyle Larson (race car driver)
32 - Kiara Advani (actress)
36 - AJ Green (football player)
42 - DeMarcus Ware (football player)
45 - B.J. Novak (actor)
46 - Zac Brown (singer)
50 - Jonathan Ogden (football player)
53 - Eve Best (actress)
55 - Ben Chaplin (actor)
58 - Jim True-Frost (actor)
58 - Dean Cain (actor)
59 - J.K. Rowling (author)
61 - Fatboy Slim (musician)
62 - Wesley Snipes (actor)
66 - Mark Cuban (entrepreneur)
68 - Michael Biehn (actor)
75 - Susan Bennett (actress)
78 - Gary Lewis (singer)
80 - Geraldine Chaplin (actress)
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Today in Sports History - July 31
1932 - Enzo Ferrari retired from racing. In 1950 he launched a series of cars under his name.
1961 - The first tie in All-Star Game major league baseball history was recorded when it was stopped in the 9th inning due to rain at Boston's Fenway Park.
1972 - Dick Allen of the Chicago White Sox becomes just the seventh player in MLB history to hit two inside-the-park home runs in a game in a contest against the Minnesota Twins.
1981 - The seven-week baseball players’ strike came to an end when the players and owners agreed on the issue of free agent compensation.
1983 - Brooks Robinson, Juan Marichal, George Kell and Walter Alston are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1988 - Willie Stargell is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1990 - Nolan Ryan becomes the 20th pitcher in MLB history to reach 300 career wins.
1994 - Phil Rizzuto and Steve Carlton are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1997 - The Oakland Athletics trade Mark McGwire, the American League's season home run leader, to the St. Louis Cardinals.
1997 - College football's all-time winningest coach Eddie Robinson and his Grambling State University program are placed on two-years probation for rules violations, including recruiting and academic violations.
2001 - Korey Stringer (Minnesota Vikings) collapsed during practice. The 27-year-old died the next day of multiple organ failure due to heatstroke.
2007 - The Boston Celtics obtain former league MVP and 10-time All-Star Kevin Garnett in a 7-for-1 deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, which was a then-record for the NBA's biggest trade ever for one player.
2012 - At the Summer Olympic Games in London, American swimmer Michael Phelps won his 19th Olympic medal, becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time. (He would finish his career with 28 total Olympic medals, 23 of them gold.)
1498 - Christopher Columbus arrived at the island of Trinidad.
1715 - A fleet of Spanish ships carrying gold, silver and jewelry sank during a hurricane off the east coast of Florida; of the more than 2,500 crew members on board, more than 1,000 died.
1777 - Nineteen-year-old Marquis de Lafayette became a major-general in the American Continental Army.
1790 - The first patent in the United States was issued to Samuel Hopkins of Vermont for a process of making fertilizer.
1875 - Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, died in Tennessee.
1919 - Germany's Weimar Constitution was adopted by the republic's National Assembly.
1945 - Pierre Laval, premier of the pro-Nazi Vichy government in France, surrendered to U.S. authorities in Austria; he was turned over to France, which later tried and executed him.
1954 - Mount Godwin-Austen (K2), the world's second-tallest peak, was climbed for the first time, by an Italian team led by Ardito Desio.
1957 - The Distant Early Warning Line, as system of radar stations designed to detect Soviet Union bombers approaching North America, went into operation.
1964 - The American space probe Ranger 7 transmitted pictures of the Moon's surface back to Earth.
1971 - Apollo 15 crew members David Scott and James Irwin became the first astronauts to use a lunar rover on the surface of the moon.
1972 - Vice presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton withdrew from the Democratic ticket with George McGovern following disclosures that Eagleton had received electroshock therapy to treat clinical depression.
1991 - President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) in Moscow.
2020 - A federal appeals court overturned the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, saying the judge who oversaw the case did not adequately screen jurors for potential biases. (The U.S. Supreme Court later reimposed the sentence.)
Birthdays
22 - Abi Carter (singer)
26 - Rico Rodriguez (actor)
32 - Kyle Larson (race car driver)
32 - Kiara Advani (actress)
36 - AJ Green (football player)
42 - DeMarcus Ware (football player)
45 - B.J. Novak (actor)
46 - Zac Brown (singer)
50 - Jonathan Ogden (football player)
53 - Eve Best (actress)
55 - Ben Chaplin (actor)
58 - Jim True-Frost (actor)
58 - Dean Cain (actor)
59 - J.K. Rowling (author)
61 - Fatboy Slim (musician)
62 - Wesley Snipes (actor)
66 - Mark Cuban (entrepreneur)
68 - Michael Biehn (actor)
75 - Susan Bennett (actress)
78 - Gary Lewis (singer)
80 - Geraldine Chaplin (actress)
====================================
Today in Sports History - July 31
1932 - Enzo Ferrari retired from racing. In 1950 he launched a series of cars under his name.
1961 - The first tie in All-Star Game major league baseball history was recorded when it was stopped in the 9th inning due to rain at Boston's Fenway Park.
1972 - Dick Allen of the Chicago White Sox becomes just the seventh player in MLB history to hit two inside-the-park home runs in a game in a contest against the Minnesota Twins.
1981 - The seven-week baseball players’ strike came to an end when the players and owners agreed on the issue of free agent compensation.
1983 - Brooks Robinson, Juan Marichal, George Kell and Walter Alston are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1988 - Willie Stargell is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1990 - Nolan Ryan becomes the 20th pitcher in MLB history to reach 300 career wins.
1994 - Phil Rizzuto and Steve Carlton are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1997 - The Oakland Athletics trade Mark McGwire, the American League's season home run leader, to the St. Louis Cardinals.
1997 - College football's all-time winningest coach Eddie Robinson and his Grambling State University program are placed on two-years probation for rules violations, including recruiting and academic violations.
2001 - Korey Stringer (Minnesota Vikings) collapsed during practice. The 27-year-old died the next day of multiple organ failure due to heatstroke.
2007 - The Boston Celtics obtain former league MVP and 10-time All-Star Kevin Garnett in a 7-for-1 deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, which was a then-record for the NBA's biggest trade ever for one player.
2012 - At the Summer Olympic Games in London, American swimmer Michael Phelps won his 19th Olympic medal, becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time. (He would finish his career with 28 total Olympic medals, 23 of them gold.)
