Gmail launched on April Fool's Day with 1GB of free storage
Google's timing and the seemingly impossible storage offer led many to dismiss it as an elaborate prank. Competitors like Hotmail offered only 2-4MB a...
March 31 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2004
1990
A massive anti-poll tax riot erupted in London's Trafalgar Square
MajorOver 200,000 protesters clashed with police in one of the worst riots of the 20th century in Britain. The chaos contributed to Margaret Thatcher's res...
1986
A fire at Hampton Court Palace caused £2 million in damages to King William III's apartments
The blaze destroyed priceless historical rooms in the 16th-century royal palace. Investigators suspected it started from a spotlight left on overnight...
1970
Explorer 1, America's first satellite, reentered Earth's atmosphere and burned up
The satellite that discovered the Van Allen radiation belts met a fiery end after 12 years in orbit. It had been launched in 1958 in response to the S...
1968
President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he would not seek reelection
MajorIn a stunning televised address, LBJ shocked the nation by declaring he wouldn't run for another term amid growing opposition to the Vietnam War. The...
1963
The Los Angeles Lakers relocated from Minneapolis, officially ending the team's lake connection
Despite Los Angeles having zero natural lakes, the team kept the "Lakers" name from Minnesota, the "Land of 10,000 Lakes." This created one of sports'...
1959
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet and crossed into India seeking asylum
MajorThe 23-year-old spiritual leader escaped Lhasa disguised as a soldier during the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. His two-week journey through t...
1918
The first daylight saving time went into effect in the United States
Clocks were set forward one hour as a wartime measure to conserve fuel during World War I. The change was so unpopular that it was repealed after the...
1906
The Intercollegiate Athletic Association was established, later becoming the NCAA
Founded in response to President Theodore Roosevelt's demand to make football safer after 18 deaths in 1905. The organization that now governs college...
1889
The Eiffel Tower officially opened to the public in Paris
MajorGustave Eiffel climbed the 1,710 steps to the top to plant a French flag, as the elevators weren't yet operational. Initially criticized as an eyesore...
1854
Commodore Matthew Perry signed the Treaty of Kanagawa with Japan
MajorThis agreement opened Japanese ports to American trade for the first time, ending over 200 years of Japan's self-imposed isolation. Perry's "black shi...
1596
René Descartes was born in France
The philosopher who would famously declare "I think, therefore I am" entered the world. Ironically for someone who valued systematic doubt, legends cl...
1492
Queen Isabella of Spain ordered the expulsion of all Jews from the country
The Alhambra Decree gave Jews four months to convert to Christianity or leave. An estimated 200,000 people were forced into exile, devastating Spain's...