Famous people born on August 31 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is August 31, you share it with Maria Montessori, Van Morrison, Richard Gere — and you were born under Virgo, the sign of the thoughtful, precise, and quietly indispensable.
Birthday basics for August 31
Virgo ♍
Zodiac sign
Peridot
Birthstone
Gladiolus
Birth flower
243rd
Day of the year
August 31 is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years), with 122 days still to come.
Famous people born on August 31
Maria Montessori — Italian physician and educator who created the Montessori teaching method (born 1870).
Van Morrison — Northern Irish singer-songwriter known for 'Brown Eyed Girl' (born 1945).
Richard Gere — American actor who starred in Pretty Woman (born 1949).
Also sharing the day:
James Coburn (b. 1928) — American actor of The Magnificent Seven and an Oscar winner for Affliction.
Itzhak Perlman (b. 1945) — Israeli-American virtuoso violinist with 16 Grammy Awards.
Chris Tucker (b. 1971) — American comedian and star of the Rush Hour films.
August 31 in history
1897 — Thomas Edison received a patent for the Kinetoscope, an early motion picture device.
1920 — Detroit station 8MK aired the first radio news broadcast in the United States.
1955 — General Motors demonstrated the Sunmobile, the world's first solar-powered car model.
1957 — The Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia) declared independence, celebrated as Merdeka Day.
1962 — Trinidad and Tobago gained independence from the United Kingdom.
1994 — The IRA announced a historic ceasefire, paving the way toward peace in Northern Ireland.
August 31 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is August 31?
Anyone born on August 31 is a Virgo — thoughtful, precise, and quietly indispensable.
What is the birthstone for August 31?
The birthstone for a August 31 birthday is Peridot, and the birth flower is the Gladiolus.
Who is the most famous person born on August 31?
Maria Montessori is among the best known — Italian physician and educator who created the Montessori teaching method (born 1870).
What happened on August 31?
In 1897, Thomas Edison received a patent for the Kinetoscope, an early motion picture device.
What day of the year is August 31?
August 31 is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years), with 122 days still to come.
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on August 31? See the full story of their exact birthday — the headlines, the #1 song, what things cost — and turn it into a personalized front-page newspaper they can keep.