Historical Events  - May 31

1910 : South African independence.

1929 : For the first time Mickey Mouse’s speaking cartoon Carnival Kid was released.

1942 : World War II – Japanese submarines began a series of attacks on Sydney.

1952 : Establishment of Sangeet Natak Academy in India.

1961 : South Africa became a republic.

1970 : A magnitude 7.9 earthquake shook Peru, killing at least 70,000 people and injuring 50,000 others.

1990 : Lenin International Peace Prize awarded to Nelson Mandela.

Famous Birthdays  - May 31

1683: Jean-Pierre Christin, a French physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and musician.

1725: Ahilyabai Holkar, the hereditary noble Sardar of the Maratha Empire.

1921: Suresh Hariprasad Joshi, an Indian novelist, short-story writer, literary critic, poet, translator, editor, and academic in the Gujarati language.

1979: Vir Das is an Indian comedian, actor, and comedy musician.

Death Anniversaries -  May 31

455: Roman Emperor Petronius Maximus was stoned to death by an angry mob.

1910: Elizabeth Blackwell, a British physician, notable as the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States.

1994: Pandit Samta Prasad, an Indian classical musician, and tabla player.

2003: Anil Biswas, an Indian film music director, and playback singer.