A man in Arizona was arrested for stealing a refrigerator by wearing it as a disguise
The suspect attempted to walk out of a Lowe's store with a refrigerator box covering his entire body, apparently believing this made him invisible to...
August 31 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2012
2006
A Norwegian man won the world championship for throwing mobile phones
Steffen Warias hurled an old Nokia handset 94.97 meters (311 feet) to claim the title at the inaugural Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships. The...
1986
A Soviet passenger ship collided with a freighter in the Black Sea, killing 398 people
The Admiral Nakhimov sank in just eight minutes after being struck by the bulk carrier Pyotr Vasev near Novorossiysk. Despite calm weather and good vi...
1980
Poland's Solidarity trade union was founded, the first independent labor movement in a Soviet bloc country
MajorLed by electrician Lech Wałęsa, the Solidarity movement united over 10 million members and challenged Communist Party authority. The union's existence...
1968
A dentist in Pennsylvania accidentally drilled through a patient's skull during a root canal
The drill penetrated the thin bone at the roof of the patient's mouth and entered the brain cavity during what should have been a routine procedure. R...
1962
Trinidad and Tobago gained independence from the United Kingdom
After 165 years of British colonial rule, the Caribbean nation became a sovereign state within the Commonwealth. The midnight ceremony featured the lo...
1935
The first episode of "The Adventures of Dick Tracy" aired on radio
The square-jawed detective made his radio debut, bringing Chester Gould's popular comic strip to life with sound effects and dramatic performances. Th...
1920
The first news radio program was broadcast in Detroit
Station 8MK (later WWJ) aired what is considered the first radio news broadcast in history, reporting local election results. The groundbreaking trans...
1907
England and Russia signed a treaty dividing Persia, Afghanistan, and Tibet into spheres of influence
The Anglo-Russian Convention resolved decades of tensions between the two empires in Central Asia, essentially carving up these nations without their...
1879
Thomas Edison tested the first successful light bulb that burned for 13.5 hours
MajorUsing a carbonized cotton thread as a filament in his Menlo Park laboratory, Edison created a practical incandescent light that wouldn't burn out imme...
Fun Facts from August 31
1994Science
A 17-year-old Eagle Scout in Michigan built a homemade neutron source in his backyard shed after teaching himself nuclear physics. David Hahn collected radioactive materials from household items—americium from smoke detectors, thorium from lantern mantles, and radium from antique clocks—and his experiments triggered a federal Superfund cleanup.