25 fun facts for March, 31

Discover dozens of fun facts for this special day. Read the summary for a quick recap on what happened.
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Summary
March 31st has played host to various significant events around the world, such as the opening of the Eiffel Tower and the first Starbucks store. Well-known personalities like Selena Quintanilla-Pérez and Sir Isaac Newton share this date with important cultural milestones, like the premiere of Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" and the birth of Starbucks.
25 Fun facts
  1. March 31st, 1889: The Eiffel Tower was officially opened to the public in Paris, France. This iconic symbol of France was designed by engineer Gustave Eiffel and was the tallest structure in the world at the time, standing at 324 meters tall.
  2. March 31st, 1971: The first Starbucks store was opened by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker in Seattle, Washington. The first store only sold coffee beans and coffee-making equipment, and Starbucks has since grown into the global coffee giant that it is today.
  3. March 31st, 1995: American singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was tragically murdered at the age of 23. Known simply as Selena, she was the "Queen of Tejano music" and a talented singer, songwriter, actress, and fashion designer. Her life story inspired the 1997 biographical film "Selena," starring Jennifer Lopez.
  4. March 31st, 1985: The first WrestleMania event was held by the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) in Madison Square Garden, New York City. The event, created by WWE owner Vince McMahon, has grown into an annual spectacle and is considered the "grandest stage" of professional wrestling.
  5. March 31st is the International Transgender Day of Visibility. Created in 2009 by activist Rachel Crandall, the day celebrates the accomplishments and contributions of transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals and raises awareness of the challenges they face.
  6. March 31st, 1968: President Lyndon B. Johnson surprisingly announced that he would not seek re-election. Addressing the nation on television, he explained that he wanted to focus on bringing peace to Vietnam, and his decision to not run for re-election shook American politics.
  7. March 31st, 1774: Britain passed the Coercive Acts in response to the Boston Tea Party. The acts were designed to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their protest against taxes on tea, but eventually fueled growing resentment and helped spark the American Revolution.
  8. March 31st, 1945: Tennessee Williams' play "The Glass Menagerie" premiered on Broadway. The semi-autobiographical play, often considered a modern classic, tells the emotional story of a struggling family in St. Louis and is still widely performed today.
  9. March 31st is the annual National Crayon Day in the United States. The day celebrates the invention and popularity of crayons, which have been a treasured art tool and toy for children across generations.
  10. March 31st, 1906: The Montreal Wanderers won the first-ever Stanley Cup, signifying the beginning of hockey's modern era. The Stanley Cup, named after Lord Stanley of Preston, is the oldest professional sports trophy in North America.
  11. March 31st, 2005: Terri Schiavo, an American woman in a persistent vegetative state, died after her feeding tube was removed. The case sparked a national debate on right-to-die and end-of-life issues, as well as extensive legal battles between her family members.
  12. March 31st, 1918: Daylight Saving Time first went into effect in the United States as an energy-saving measure during World War I. Nowadays, it's observed in many countries, although some opt out, to make better use of sunlight during longer days.
  13. March 31st, 1966: The Soviet Union's Luna 10 spacecraft became the first to orbit the Moon, marking a significant milestone in space exploration. It stayed in lunar orbit for 56 days and sent back valuable data to Earth.
  14. March 31st, 1930: The Motion Pictures Production Code, also known as the Hays Code, was instituted in Hollywood. The Code established moral guidelines for films and remained in effect until the late 1960s, when it was replaced by the current film rating system.
  15. March 31st, 2004: Google announced Gmail, its free email service. Since its launch, Gmail has become one of the world's most popular email services, boasting over 1.8 billion users.
  16. March 31st, 1854: The Treaty of Kanagawa was signed between the United States and Japan. Commodore Matthew Perry signed the treaty on behalf of the U.S., opening two Japanese ports to American ships and ending Japan's 200-year-old policy of seclusion.
  17. March 31st, 1935: The Hoover Dam was completed. Built on the Colorado River, the massive project's primary goals were to control floods, provide irrigation water, and produce hydroelectric power. The Hoover Dam was the largest concrete structure of its time and remains a marvel of engineering.
  18. March 31st is César Chávez Day, a holiday honoring the influential labor leader and civil rights activist. Chávez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (later known as United Farm Workers) and fought for better working conditions, wages, and rights for farm workers.
  19. March 31st, 1931: American actress and singer Annette Funicello was born. She rose to fame as a child performer in Disney's "The Mickey Mouse Club" and later starred in various beach party films throughout the 1960s.
  20. March 31st, 1811: Poet and playwright Robert Bunsen was born in Germany. Bunsen is best known for his invention of the Bunsen burner, a common piece of laboratory equipment still used today for conducting various heating techniques.
  21. March 31st, 1998: Netscape Communications released the source code of its browser, Netscape Communicator, spurring the creation of the Mozilla Foundation, which has since developed popular open-source products such as Firefox and Thunderbird.
  22. March 31st, 1964: Brazil's political landscape was upended as a military coup overthrew President João Goulart. After the coup, Brazil remained under military rule for more than two decades.
  23. March 31st, 1939: Britain and France promised military aid to Poland in response to the German aggression, but this guarantee did not deter Germany from invading Poland later that year. This eventually led to the beginning of World War II.
  24. March 31st, 1992: The USS Missouri, the last operational battleship in the United States Navy, was decommissioned after 48 years of service. Over its years of service, the "Mighty Mo" played important roles in various military conflicts, including World War II, the Korean War, and the Gulf War.
  25. March 31st, 1727: German-born mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, and physicist, Sir Isaac Newton, passed away at the age of 84. Known for his groundbreaking work in physics, including his laws of motion and universal gravitation, Newton is considered one of the most influential scientists in history.

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