What Happened On This Day – January 31
2011 Myanmar's first elected parliament in half a century convenes
The event underlined a general move towards democracy in the country.
2000 Alaska Airlines flight 261 crashes into the sea
The MD-83 experienced horizontal stabilizer problems before descending into the Pacific Ocean, killing all 88 on board.
1996 A suicide bombing in Sri Lanka kills 91 people
Separatist Tamil Tigers detonated a truck loaded with explosives in front of the central bank in Colombo.
1961 Ham the Chimp travels into outer space
The chimpanzee survived the US Mercury Program test flight with just a bruised nose.
1865 The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is passed
The Amendment, which officially abolished slavery, was adopted on December 6, 1865.
Births On This Day – January 31
1982 Elena Paparizou
Greek/Swedish singer-songwriter
1975 Preity Zinta
Indian actress
1937 Philip Glass
American composer
1919 Jackie Robinson
American baseball player
1797 Franz Schubert
Austrian composer
Deaths On This Day – January 31
1969 Meher Baba
Indian mystic
1956 A. A. Milne
English author
1954 Edwin Armstrong
American engineer, invented FM radio
1888 John Bosco
Italian priest, educator
1606 Guy Fawkes
English soldier, planned the Gunpowder Plot