August 31st, 1803: Lewis and Clark left Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on their westward expedition.
August 31st, 1888: The first of Jack the Ripper’s confirmed victims, Mary Ann Nichols, was murdered.
August 31st, 1897: Thomas Edison received his patent for the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector.
August 31st, 1942: The character Barnyard Dawg (later George P. Dog) debuted in the Warner Bros. cartoon Walky Talky Hawky.
August 31st, 1997: Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Fayed, and driver Henri Paul died in a car crash in Paris.
August 31st, 2006: Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream, stolen on August 22, 2004, was recovered in a raid by Norwegian police.
Actor Richard Gere turns 71 years old.
Voice actor Dee Bradley Baker turns 58 years old.
Singer Deborah (Debbie) Gibson turns 50 years old.
Actor Chris Tucker turns 48 years old.
Professional wrestler Jeff Hardy turns 43 years old.
Professional wrestler Mickie James turns 41 years old.
Comic book writer G. Willow Wilson turns 38 years old.
Monday, August 31st is National Trail Mix Day.
