31 March Events that Happened in History

The Eiffel Tower’s Grand Opening (1889): On this day, Paris officially unveiled the “Iron Lady.” It was the tallest thing humans had ever built at the time, serving as the massive front door for the 1889 World’s Fair.
The Dalai Lama’s Long Walk (1959): This is a huge piece of history for our region. After the Tibetan Uprising, the 14th Dalai Lama finally crossed the border into India today. He was granted asylum, which started his lifelong exile in Dharamshala.
The Alhambra Decree (1492): Going way back, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain signed an edict today that basically gave Jewish people a choice: convert to Christianity or leave the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon immediately.
Daylight Saving Time Begins (1918): Love it or hate it, the U.S. started the whole “spring forward” thing on this day during World War I to try and save on fuel.
The Warsaw Pact Folds (1991): This was a massive “end of an era” moment. The military alliance between the Soviet Union and its Eastern Bloc buddies officially broke up, which was a clear sign the Cold War was wrapping up.

Dr. Anandi Gopal Joshi (1865): We celebrate her birthday today. She was a total trailblazer—the very first Indian woman to earn a degree in Western medicine (MD) all the way over in the U.S.
Guru Angad Dev (1504): Today is the birth anniversary of the second Sikh Guru. He’s the one we have to thank for developing the Gurmukhi script.
The Loss of Meena Kumari (1972): The legendary “Tragedy Queen” of Bollywood passed away today at just 38. It’s particularly heavy because her masterpiece, Pakeezah, had only been out for a few weeks.

René Descartes (1596): The French philosopher who gave us “I think, therefore I am” was born today.
Christopher Walken (1943) & Ewan McGregor (1971): Two acting heavyweights share a birthday today. One gave us some of the most unique performances in cinema, and the other gave us Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Isaac Newton (1727): The man who basically figured out gravity and the laws of motion took his last breath on this day.
Jesse Owens (1980): The track legend who famously won four gold medals right in front of Hitler at the 1936 Berlin Olympics passed away today.
Brandon Lee (1993): Bruce Lee’s son died in that tragic, freak accident on the set of The Crow today. It’s still one of the saddest stories in Hollywood.

The Matrix (1999): It’s hard to believe it’s been this long, but the movie that gave us “bullet time” and made everyone question reality hit theaters today.
Makemake (2005): Out in the Kuiper belt, astronomers discovered a dwarf planet named Makemake today. It’s actually one of the biggest objects we know of out there.

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