May 31

Today in History
• 0070 - Rome captures 1st wall of the city of Jerusalem
• 1223 - Battle of the Kalka River: Mongol force defeat a Russian alliance
• 1279 - BC Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great becomes Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt
• 1621 - Sir Francis Bacon imprisoned in the Tower of London for 1 night
• 1634 - U.S. colony Massachusetts Bay annexes Maine colony
• 1678 - Lady Godiva rode naked through Coventry in a protest of taxes
• 1759 - The Province of Pennsylvania bans all theater productions
• 1790 - U.S. copyright law enacted


Holidays - Traditional and Obscure
• Autonomous Vehicle Day
• National Fisherfolks Day
• National Senior Health and Fitness Day
• National Smile Day
• National Utah Day
• Scripps National Spelling Bee
• Web Designer Day
• World No Tobacco Day

Birthdays
• 1443 - Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII and paternal grandmother of King Henry VIII
• 1469 - Manuel I, King of Portugal, 1495-1521, during era of exploration
• 1640 - Michal Wisniowiecki, King of Poland (1669-73)
• 1699 - Alexander Cruden "Alexander the Corrector", Scottish biblical scholar and eccentric
• 1810 - Horatio Seymour, American politician (18th Governor of New York)
• 1818 - John Albion Andrew, American politician (25th Governor of Massachusetts)
• 1857 - Pius XI, Ambrogio DA Ratti, Italy, 259th Pope, 1922-39
• 1861 - Emily Bissell, American welfare worker and founder of Christmas Seals