On This Day for July 31 - Lunar Roving Vehicle first used on the Moon, Milton Friedman is featured, and more

Created: 2020-07-31 10:03 Updated: 2020-07-31 10:03 Notebook: On this Day in History

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July 31

FEATURED BIOGRAPHY

Milton Friedman

FEATURED EVENT

1971

Lunar Roving Vehicle first used on the Moon

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MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY

2019: American theatrical producer and director Harold Prince—the recipient of a record-setting 21 Tony Awards, including one for lifetime achievement—died at age 91. [Take our theatre quiz.]

2012: At the Summer Games in London, American swimmer Michael Phelps captured an unprecedented 19th career Olympic medal when he helped the U.S. team win the 4 × 200-metre freestyle relay; he surpassed the record set by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina. [Sort fact from fiction in our swimming quiz.]

2012: American novelist, playwright, and essayist Gore Vidal, who was noted for his irreverent and intellectually adroit novels, died at age 86. [Name the novelist in our quiz.]

2006: Because of health problems, longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro handed over provisional power to his brother Raúl; the latter served as the country's acting president until officially assuming the post in 2008. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about the Caribbean.]

1965: British author J.K. Rowling, creator of the immensely popular Harry Potter series, was born. [Test your knowledge of famous authors.]

1921: Whitney M. Young, Jr., who spearheaded the drive for equal opportunity for African Americans in industry and U.S. government service while he was head of the National Urban League (1961–71), was born in Lincoln Ridge, Kentucky.

SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY

ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY

1965

J.K. Rowling
British author

1962

Wesley Snipes
American actor

1912

Milton Friedman
American economist

1880

Premchand
Indian author

1919

Primo Levi
Italian writer and chemist