Princess Diana Dies in Paris Crash on August 31

Today is Saturday, Aug. 31, the 244th day of 2024. There are 122 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 31, 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, was tragically killed as the car she was in crashed on the Pont de l’Alma bridge in Paris. Her partner, Dodi Fayed, and the driver, Henri Paul, who was later found to be intoxicated, also lost their lives in the accident.

Also on this date:

In 1881, the first U.S. tennis championships, only for men, began in Newport, Rhode Island.

In 1886, an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of up to 7.3 devastated Charleston, South Carolina, causing at least 60 deaths.

In 1962, the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago gained independence from British colonial rule.

In 1980, Poland’s Solidarity labor movement was born with an agreement signed in Gdansk that ended a 17-day-old strike.

In 1992, white separatist Randy Weaver surrendered to authorities in Naples, Idaho, ending an 11-day siege by federal agents. The confrontation took the lives of Weaver’s wife, son, and a deputy U.S. marshal.

In 1994, Russia officially concluded its military presence in former East Germany and the Baltics, marking the end of a half-century of military occupation.

In 2006, Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream” was recovered by Norwegian authorities after being stolen nine days earlier.

In 2010, President Barack Obama announced the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq. Declaring no victory after seven years of conflict, he urged a divided nation and world to “turn the page.”

In 2019, a gunman executed a shooting rampage that extended ten miles between Midland and Odessa in Texas. The attack left seven people dead before police killed the assailant outside a movie theater in Odessa.

Today’s Birthdays: World Golf Hall of Famer Isao Aoki is 82. Violinist Itzhak Perlman is 79. Singer Van Morrison is 79. Rock musician Rudolf Schenker of The Scorpions is 76. Actor Richard Gere is 75. Actor Stephen McKinley Henderson is 75. Attorney and author Marcia Clark is 71. Olympic gold medal hurdler Edwin Moses is 69. Rock singer Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze is 67. Rock musician Gina Schock of The Go-Go’s is 67. Singer-composer Deborah Gibson is 54. Queen Rania of Jordan is 54. Golfer Padraig Harrington is 53. Actor Chris Tucker is 53. Actor Sara Ramirez is 49. Former NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is 41. NBA All-Star Jalen Brunson is 28.

Source: Associated Press