Circa 540 BCE, January
Leonidas I, King of Sparta, is born. Son of King Anaxandrides II and a member of the Agiad dynasty.
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What Happened Today in History on January 31
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on January 31st. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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The Battle of Gembloux sees Spanish forces defeat the rebel States Army during the Eighty Years' War.
Treaty of Neah Bay: Makah Reservation established in US Territory of Washington for Makah nation, preserving tribal rights but ceding over 300,000 acres to the US government. More
The United States Congress passes the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery and sends it to the States for ratification. The amendment passed 119 to 56, barely above the required two-thirds majority. Ratification from the States was received on December 1865, ending the institution of slavery in the U.S. with a final constitutional solution. More
U.S. President Harry Truman publicly announces his decision to continue and intensify research and production of thermonuclear weapons.(Hydrogen Bomb), a weapon theorized at that time to be hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan during World War II. Five months earlier, the Soviet Union successfully detonated an atomic bomb. Then, several weeks after that, British and U.S. intelligence came to the staggering conclusion that German-born Klaus Fuchs, a top-ranking scientist in the U.S. nuclear program, was a spy for the Soviet Union. More
The United States enters the space age by launching its first satellite, Explorer 1.
The first McDonald's restaurant in the Soviet Union opens in Moscow's Pushkin Square.
At 11 p.m. GMT (midnight Central European Time), the UK formally withdraws its membership from the European Union (EU). An 11-month transition period begins immediately during which the UK was out of the EU but continued to follow most EU rules and trade arrangements. On January 1, 2021, the transition period ended and the UK officially left the EU's single market and customs union.