January 31: Independence Day in Nauru (1968)Rnin portraits by Utagawa Yoshitora1703 Forty-seven rnin (depicted) attacked the home of Kira Yoshinaka and killed him in an act of revenge for Asano Naganori, their dead feudal lord.1850 Ute Wars: On behalf of Utah territorial governor Brigham Young, militia leader Daniel H. Wells drafted an order for the Utah Territorial Militia to exterminate Timpanogos men deemed hostile, leading to the Provo River Massacre.1900 Datu Muhammad Salleh, leader of a series of major disturbances in North Borneo, was shot dead in Tambunan, but his followers did not give up for five more years.2000 Alaska Airlines Flight261, experiencing problems with its horizontal stabilizer system, crashed in the Pacific Ocean off Anacapa Island, California, killing all 88 people on board.2010 James Cameron's Avatar became the first film to earn over US$2billion worldwide.James G. Blaine (b.1830)Preity Zinta (b.1975)Moira Shearer (d.2006)Lizabeth Scott (d.2015)More anniversaries: January 30January 31February 1ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout