History for January 31

History for January 31 - On-This-Day.com:
Franz Schubert 1797, Zane Grey 1872, Jackie Robinson 1919


Norman Mailer 1929 - Author, Ernie Banks 1931 - Baseball player, Suzanne Pleshette 1937


1606 - Guy Fawkes was executed after being convicted for his role in the "Gunpowder Plot" against the English Parliament and King James I.


1865 - In America, General Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of the Confederate armies.


1865 - The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. It was ratified by the necessary number of states on December 6, 1865. The amendment abolished slavery in the United States.


1893 - The trademark "Coca-Cola" was first registered in the United States Patent Office.


1945 - Private Eddie Slovik became the only U.S. soldier since the U.S. Civil War to be executed for desertion.


1950 - U.S. President Truman announced that he had ordered development of the hydrogen bomb.


1958 - Explorer I was put into orbit around the earth. It was the first U.S. earth satellite.


1990 - McDonald's Corp. opened its first fast-food restaurant in Moscow, Russia.