January 31 in History

• 1943

  January 31, 1943:

  Friedrich Paulus, a German Field Marshall surrenders to the Soviet Red Army in Stalingrad during World War II.

• 1958

  January 31, 1958:

  The United States sends its first artificial satellite, the Explorer 1 into space.

• 1961

  January 31, 1961:

  “The Misfits”, starring Marilyn Munroe and Clark Gable is released worldwide.

• 1966

  January 31, 1966:

  The Luna 9 from the Soviet Union is launched, becoming the first spacecraft to make a soft landing on the moon.

• 1977

  January 31, 1977:

  France opens its national cultural center, the Pompidou Centre in Paris.

• 1988

  January 31, 1988:

  The Washington Redskins, led by the first African-American quarterback to play in the Super Bowl, Doug Williams, defeat the Denver Broncos to become the Super Bowl XXII champions.

• 1990

  January 31, 1990:

  Moscow becomes home to the Soviet Union’s first McDonald’s restaurant.

• 2001

  January 31, 2001:

  Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, a Libyan terrorist gets convicted for his role in the Pan Am flight 103 bombing of 1988.

• 2015

  January 31, 2015:

  Korean-born New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko becomes the world’s female number one golfer at 17 years old, making her the youngest number one-ranked golfer of either gender in the history of the sport.

• 2020

  January 31, 2020:

  The United Kingdom officially exits the European Union.