August 31

Today in History
• 1422 - Henry VI becomes King of England at the age of 9 months
• 1778 - British kill 17 Stockbridge indians in Bronx during Revolution
• 1842 - Micah Rugg patents a nuts and bolts machine
• 1842 - US Naval Observatory authorized by an act of Congress
• 1881 - 1st US men's single tennis championships (Newport, Rhode Island)
• 1886 - 1st major earthquake recorded in eastern US, at Charleston, South Carolina, 110 die
• 1895 - 1st pro football game (QB John Brallier paid $10 and won 12-0)
• 1920 - Detroit radio station 8MK (now WWJ, 950AM) is 1st to broadcast a news program on the air


Holidays - Traditional and Obscure
• Eat Outside Day
• Independence Day
• Kyrgyzstan Independence Day
• La Tomatina
• National Diatomaceous Earth Day
• National South Carolina Day
• National Zoo Awareness Day
• World Distance Learning Day

Birthdays
• 12-41 AD - Caligula, 3rd Roman Emperor (37-41 AD) who was known for his eccentricity
• 161-192 AD - Commodus, Emperor of Rome (180-192)
• 1569 - Jahangir, 4th Mughal Emperor of India (1605-27)
• 1721 - George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol
• 1843 - Georg von Hertling, Chancellor of Germany (1917-18)
• 1879 - Yoshihito [Taisho], 123rd Emperor of Japan (1912-26)
• 1880 - Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands (1890-1948)
• 1899 - Paul E Garber, American founder/1st curator of National Air and Space Museum