Summary of the Day ✨ 31 January (31/01)
A tragic aviation accident occurred as Med Jets Flight 056 crashed in Philadelphia claiming 8 lives while the aviation industry marked an era’s end with the delivery of the final Boeing 747 to Atlas Air. In the United Kingdom, Sue Gray published her initial report on the Downing Street Partygate controversy as the country officially ended its 47-year EU membership, while Malaysia welcomed Abdullah of Pahang as its 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Historical Events 📜
- 2025: Med Jets Flight 056 crashes near Roosevelt Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, killing 8 people and injuring 23.
- 2023: The last Boeing 747, the first wide-body airliner, is delivered to Atlas Air and operated for ApexLogistics. The aircraft was registered as N863GT and named “Empower”.
- 2022: Sue Gray, a senior civil servant in the United Kingdom, publishes an initial version of her report on the Downing Street Partygate controversy.
- 2020: The United Kingdom’s membership within the European Union ceases in accordance with Article 50, after 47 years of being a member state.
- 2019: Abdullah of Pahang is sworn in as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
- 2009: At least 113 people are killed in Kenya and over 200 injured following an oil spillage ignition in Molo, days after a massive fire at a Nakumatt supermarket in Nairobi killed at least 25 people.
- 2007: Emergency officials in Boston mistakenly identify battery-powered LED placards depicting characters from Aqua Teen Hunger Force as Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), causing a panic.
- 2003: The Waterfall rail accident occurs near Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia.
- 2001: In the Netherlands, a Scottish court convicts Libyan Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and acquits another Libyan citizen for their part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.
- 2001: Two Japan Airlines planes nearly collide over Suruga Bay in Japan.
- 2000: Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crash: An MD-83, experiencing horizontal stabilizer problems, crashes in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Point Mugu, California, killing all 88 aboard.
- 1996: An explosives-filled truck rams into the gates of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in Colombo, killing at least 86 people and injuring 1,400.
- 1988: Doug Williams becomes the first African American quarterback to play in a Super Bowl and leads the Washington Redskins to victory in Super Bowl XXII.
- 1978: The Crown of St. Stephen (also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary) goes on public display after being returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held after World War II.
- 1971: Apollo program: Apollo 14: Astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell, aboard a Saturn V, lift off for a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon.
Famous Births 👶
- 2006: Sára Bejlek, Czech tennis player
- 2006: Gianluca Prestianni, Argentine footballer
- 2002: Hong Ye-ji, South Korean actress
- 2002: Beñat Turrientes, Spanish footballer
- 2000: Julián Alvarez, Argentine footballer
- 1998: Beto, Portuguese and Bissau-Guinean footballer
- 1998: Jalen McDaniels, American basketball player
- 1997: Arnaut Danjuma, Dutch footballer
- 1997: Donte DiVincenzo, American basketball player
- 1997: Miyeon, South Korean singer and actress
- 1996: Joel Courtney, American actor
- 1996: Nikita Dragun, American YouTuber
- 1994: Kenneth Zohore, Danish footballer
- 1993: Qiu Bo, Chinese diver
- 1992: Tyler Seguin, Canadian ice hockey player
Notable Deaths 🕊️
- 2018: Rasual Butler, American professional basketball player (born 1979)
- 2018: Leah LaBelle, American singer (born 1986)
- 2017: Rob Stewart, Canadian filmmaker (born 1979)
- 2016: Terry Wogan, Irish radio and television host (born 1938)
- 2015: Vic Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1929)
- 2015: Udo Lattek, German footballer, coach and journalist (born 1935)
- 2015: Lizabeth Scott, American actress (born 1922)
- 2015: Richard von Weizsäcker, German captain and politician, 6th President of Germany (born 1920)
- 2014: Anna Gordy Gaye, American songwriter and producer, co-founded Anna Records (born 1922)
- 2014: Abdirizak Haji Hussein, Somalian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Somalia (born 1924)
- 2014: Miklós Jancsó, Hungarian director and screenwriter (born 1921)
- 2013: Rubén Bonifaz Nuño, Mexican poet and scholar (born 1923)
- 2013: Hassan Habibi, Iranian lawyer and politician, 1st Vice President of Iran (born 1937)
- 2012: Mani Ram Bagri, Indian lawyer and politician (born 1920)
- 2012: Dorothea Tanning, American painter and sculptor (born 1910)
Holidays & Observances 🎉
- Christian feast day:
Domitius (Domice) of Amiens - Christian feast day:
Francis Xavier Bianchi - Christian feast day:
Geminianus - Christian feast day:
John Bosco - Christian feast day:
Julius of Novara - Christian feast day:
Blessed Ludovica - Christian feast day:
Máedóc (Mogue, Aiden) - Christian feast day:
Marcella of Marseille - Christian feast day:
Marcella of Rome - Christian feast day:
Samuel Shoemaker (Episcopal Church (USA)) - Christian feast day:
Tysul - Christian feast day:
Ulphia - Christian feast day:
Wilgils - Christian feast day:
January 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) - Amartithi (Meherabad, India, followers of Meher Baba)