On this day: March 31
First U.S. Automobile Fatality Recorded, March 31, 1899
On March 31, 1899, businessman Henry H. Bliss is widely reported as the first person in the United States to be fatally injured in an automobile accident after being struck by an electric taxicab in New York City; contemporary sources and later historians treat the claim with some caution about earlier, less-documented incidents.
Massachusetts Dissolves Special Court That Tried Salem Witch Cases
On March 31, 1693, the special court established to try accused witches during the Salem witchcraft crisis was dissolved, ending the formal legal mechanism that prosecuted many of the trials begun in 1692.
Eiffel Tower Opens to the Public in Paris, 1889
On March 31, 1889, Gustave Eiffel's 300-meter iron tower opened to visitors during the Exposition Universelle, quickly becoming a focal point of engineering achievement and public controversy in Paris.
Court Suspends Salem Witch Trials Proceedings, March 1693
In late March 1693, colonial authorities suspended the Salem witch trials' court proceedings, effectively ending the formal legal prosecutions that had led to executions and widespread arrests the previous year.
Eiffel Tower Opens to the Public in Paris, 1889
Gustave Eiffel’s iron tower opened to visitors during the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris; its inauguration marked a technological and architectural milestone even as it provoked debate among artists and the public.
RMS Titanic Completed at Harland & Wolff Shipyard
The ocean liner RMS Titanic was completed at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast on March 31; intended as the pinnacle of early 20th-century passenger ship design, she set sail on her maiden voyage weeks later. The completion marked the end of a multi-year construction program by Harland & Wolff for White Star Line.
Demonstration of the First Indoor Electric Lighting System, 1879
On March 31, 1879, Thomas Edison demonstrated a complete indoor electric lighting system in Menlo Park, New Jersey, marking a pivotal step toward practical electric illumination for buildings and homes.
Court Suspends Proceedings in Salem Witch Trials, March 1693
On March 31, 1693, the special court handling the Salem witchcraft cases effectively disbanded as officials stopped convening prosecutions and Governor William Phips later pardoned many accused; the episode marked the collapse of formal legal action in the colony's witchcraft panic.
States Begin Issuing Modern Automobile License Plates, 1903
On March 31, 1903, U.S. jurisdictions began issuing the first standardized automobile license plates—numerical metal plates tied to vehicle registration—marking an early step in regulating motor vehicles as they spread in the early 20th century.
RMS Titanic Completed at Harland & Wolff Shipyard
On 31 March 1912 the White Star liner RMS Titanic was formally completed at Harland & Wolff’s shipyard in Belfast and prepared for sea trials and its maiden voyage scheduled for April 1912.