What Happened on May 31?

May 31 is World No-Tobacco Day — and the date Congress passed the first U.S. Copyright Act in 1790, the Titanic slid into the water in 1911, and the Great Johnstown Flood devastated Pennsylvania in 1889.

• 1666 — Samuel Pepys records rising fears of fire in London's crowded streets

  In May 1666, diarist Samuel Pepys noted London's dry weather and wooden buildings — weeks before the Great Fire that would destroy much of the city starting September 2. Read the full story →

• 1790 — President Washington signs the first U.S. Copyright Act

  On May 31, 1790, George Washington signed the Copyright Act — giving American authors and mapmakers exclusive rights to their work for fourteen years, renewable once. Read the full story →

• 1889 — The Johnstown Flood kills more than 2,200 people in Pennsylvania

  On May 31, 1889, a dam failed above Johnstown, Pennsylvania, sending a forty-foot wall of water through the industrial valley — one of America's deadliest disasters. Read the full story →

• 1911 — The RMS Titanic is launched into the River Lagan

  On May 31, 1911, the hull of the RMS Titanic slid from Belfast's Harland and Wolff shipyard into the water — the largest ship afloat at the time, before its tragic 1912 maiden voyage. Read the full story →

• 1970 — A massive earthquake strikes northern Peru

  On May 31, 1970, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake rocked Peru's Ancash region — triggering avalanches that buried the town of Yungay and killing tens of thousands. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Walt Whitman (1819–1892) · Brooke Shields (1965) · Colin Farrell (1976) · Joe Namath (1943)

Days & observances

World No Tobacco Day · National Macaroon Day · National Smile Day · National Autonomous Vehicle Day