On This Day for August 31 - Confederates evacuated from Atlanta, Diana, princess of Wales is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. August 31 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Diana, princess of Wales READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1864 Confederates evacuated from Atlanta READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2016: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was impeached and removed from office after the country 's Senate found her guilty of having used state bank funds to cover up a budget deficit in the run-up to her reelection in 2014. [ Test your knowledge of Latin American history.] 1992: An 11-day standoff in Ruby Ridge , Idaho, between government officials and an armed family headed by self-proclaimed white separatist Randy Weaver ended with his surrender; three people—Weaver's wife, Vicki, his 14-year-old son, Sammy, and U.S. Marshal William Degan—had been killed during the siege. 1991: Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan declared independence from the Soviet Union. [ Take our history buff quiz.] 1980: Polish labour activist Lech Wałęsa and Mieczysław Jagielski, Poland's first deputy premier, signed an agreement that conceded to workers the right to organize freely and independently. 1966: The Harrier "jump-jet" fighter-bomber made its first flight. [ Test your knowledge of aircraft and aviation.] 1888: The mutilated body of Mary Ann Nichols was discovered in the Whitechapel district of London's East End, and many believe she was the first victim of Jack the Ripper. [ Read about seven of history's most notorious serial killers, including Jack the Ripper.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1949 Richard Gere American actor and humanitarian 12 Caligula Roman emperor 1945 Van Morrison Irish singer-songwriter 1970 Rania al-Abdullah queen of Jordan 1569 Jahāngīr emperor of India 161 Commodus Roman emperor SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2020 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help