So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

August 31st


- Christian Feast Day:
- Day of Solidarity and Freedom (Poland)
- Day of Our Language or Limba Noastra (Moldova)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Kyrgyzstan from the Soviet Union in 1991
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Malaysia from the United Kingdom in 1957.
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Trinidad and Tobago from the United Kingdom in 1962.

August 31st


- 2006 - Stolen on August 22, 2004, Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream is recovered in a raid by Norwegian police.
- 2005 - A stampede on Al-Aaimmah bridge in Baghdad kills 1,199 people.
- 1999 - The first of a series of bombings in Moscow kills one person and wounds 40 others.
- 1999 - A LAPA Boeing 737-200 crashes during takeoff from Jorge Newbury Airport in Buenos Aires, killing 65, including 2 on the ground.
- 1998 - North Korea reportedly launches Kwangmy?ngs?ng, its first satellite.
- 1997 - Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Al-Fayed and driver Henri Paul die in a car crash in Paris.
- 1994 - The Provisional Irish Republican Army declares a ceasefire.
- 1993 - HMS Mercury closes after 52 years in commission.
- 1992 - Pascal Lissouba is inaugurated as the President of the Republic of the Congo .
- 1991 - Kyrgyzstan declares its independence from the Soviet Union.
- 1986 - Aeroméxico Flight 498 collides with a Piper PA-28 over Cerritos, California, killing 67 in the air and 15 on the ground.
- 1986 - The Soviet passenger liner Admiral Nakhimov sinks in the Black Sea after colliding with the bulk carrier Pyotr Vasev, killing 423.
- 1980 - Zimbabwe establishes diplomatic relations with Algeria.
- 1978 - William and Emily Harris, founders of the Symbionese Liberation Army, plead guilty to the 1974 kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst.
- 1965 - The Aero Spacelines Super Guppy aircraft makes its first flight.
- 1963 - Sarawak, North Borneo and Singapore achieve technical independence pending accession to the Federation of Malaysia
- 1962 - Trinidad and Tobago becomes independent.
- 1958 - A parcel bomb sent by Ngo Dinh Nhu, younger brother and chief adviser of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, fails to kill King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia.
- 1957 - The Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia) gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1949 - The retreat of the Democratic Army of Greece in Albania after its defeat on Gramos mountain marks the end of the Greek Civil War.
- 1948 - Actor Robert Mitchum is arrested in a Hollywood drug raid. He would later be found guilty of criminal conspiracy to possess marijuana and sentenced to 60 days in prison.
- 1945 - The Liberal Party of Australia is founded by Robert Menzies.
- 1943 - The USS Harmon, the first U.S. Navy ship to be named after a black person, is commissioned.
- 1940 - Pennsylvania Central Airlines Trip 19 crashes near Lovettsville, Virginia. The CAB investigation of the accident was the first investigation to be conducted under the Bureau of Air Commerce act of 1938.
- 1939 - Nazi Germany mounts a staged attack on the Gleiwitz radio station, creating an excuse to attack Poland the following day thus starting World War II in Europe.
- 1920 - Polish-Bolshevik War: a decisive Polish victory in the Battle of Komarów.
- 1920 - The first radio news program is broadcast by 8MK in Detroit, Michigan.
- 1907 - Count Alexander Izvolsky and Sir Arthur Nicolson sign the St. Petersburg Convention, which results in the Triple Entente alliance.
- 1897 - Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector.
- 1888 - Mary Ann Nichols is murdered. She is the first of Jack the Ripper's confirmed victims.
- 1886 - An earthquake kills 100 in Charleston, South Carolina.
- 1876 - Ottoman sultan Murat V is deposed and succeeded by his brother Abd-ul-Hamid II.
- 1864 - During the American Civil War, Union forces led by General William T. Sherman launch an assault on Atlanta, Georgia.
- 1813 - At the final stage of the Peninsular War British-Portuguese troops capture the town of Donostia (now San Sebastián), resulting in a rampage and eventual destruction of the town.
- 1803 - Lewis and Clark start their expedition to the west by leaving Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 11 in the morning.
- 1422 - King Henry V of England dies of dysentery while in France.
- 1422 - Henry VI becomes King of England at the age of 9 months.
- 1314 - King Hĺkon V Magnusson moves the capital of Norway from Bergen to Oslo.
- 1218 - Al-Kamil becomes Sultan of Egypt, Syria and northern Mesopotamia on the death of his father Al-Adil.
- 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill, dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the throne, thus ending the Macedonian dynasty.

August 31st


- 1987 - Petros Kravaritis, Greek footballer
- 1987 - Ond?ej Pavelec, Czech ice hockey player
- 1986 - Feng Tianwei, Singaporean table tennis player
- 1985 - Andrew Foster, Australian rules footballer
- 1984 - Matti Breschel, Danish road bicycle racer
- 1984 - Ted Ligety, American alpine skier
- 1984 - Charl Schwartzel, South African golfer
- 1983 - Larry Fitzgerald, American football player
- 1982 - Ian Crocker, American swimmer
- 1982 - Chris Duhon, American basketball player
- 1982 - Lien Huyghebaert, Belgian sprinter
- 1982 - Josh Kroeger, American baseball player
- 1982 - Alexei Mikhnov, Ukrainian-born Russian ice hockey player
- 1982 - José Manuel Reina, Spanish footballer
- 1982 - Michele Rugolo, Italian racing driver
- 1981 - Dwayne Peel, Welsh rugby union footballer
- 1981 - Steve Saviano, American ice hockey player
- 1980 - Joe Budden, American rapper
- 1979 - Clay Hensley, American baseball player
- 1979 - Mickie James, American professional wrestler
- 1979 - Mark Johnston, Canadian swimmer
- 1979 - Simon Neil, Scottish singer and guitarist (Biffy Clyro)
- 1979 - Yuvan Shankar Raja, Indian film music composer
- 1979 - Ramón Santiago, Dominican baseball player
- 1978 - Philippe Christanval, French footballer
- 1977 - Jeff Hardy, American wrestler
- 1977 - Ian Harte, Irish footballer
- 1977 - Craig Nicholls, Australian singer and guitarist (The Vines)
- 1976 - Vincent Delerm, French singer-songwriter, pianist and composer
- 1976 - Roque Júnior, Brazilian footballer
- 1976 - Radek Martínek, Czech ice hockey player
- 1975 - Craig Cumming, New Zealand cricketer
- 1975 - John Grahame, American ice hockey player
- 1975 - Daniel Harding, British conductor
- 1975 - Sara Ramírez, American actress
- 1975 - Takahiro Suwa, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1974 - Andriy Medvedev, Ukrainian tennis player
- 1973 - Scott Niedermayer, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 - Chris Tucker, American actor and comedian
- 1971 - Pádraig Harrington, Irish golfer
- 1970 - Deborah Gibson, American singer
- 1970 - Nikola Gruevski, 6th Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia
- 1970 - Queen Rania of Jordan
- 1970 - Arie van Lent, Dutch-born German footballer
- 1970 - Amy Stein, American photographer
- 1970 - Zack Ward, Canadian actor
- 1969 - Nathalie Bouvier, French alpine skier
- 1969 - Andrew Cunanan, American spree killer (d. 1997)
- 1969 - Jonathan LaPaglia, Australian actor
- 1969 - Javagal Srinath, Indian cricketer
- 1968 - Valdon Dowiyogo, Nauruan politician and Australian football player
- 1968 - Hideo Nomo, Japanese baseball player
- 1967 - Nigel Avery, New Zealand weightlifter
- 1967 - Jonathan Cake, British actor
- 1967 - Gene Hoglan, American drummer (Devin Townsend, Strapping Young Lad, Testament, Fear Factory)
- 1967 - Anita Moen, Norwegian cross-country skier
- 1966 - Jan Einar Thorsen, Norwegian alpine skier
- 1965 - Daniel Bernhardt, Swiss actor
- 1965 - Céline Bonnier, French-Canadian actress
- 1965 - Willie Watson, New Zealand cricketer
- 1964 - Raymond P. Hammond, American poet and editor
- 1963 - Reb Beach, American guitarist (Winger, Whitesnake)
- 1963 - Todd Carty, Irish actor
- 1963 - Sonny Silooy, Dutch footballer
- 1962 - Dee Bradley Baker, American voice actor
- 1960 - Vali Ionescu, Romanian long jumper
- 1960 - Chris Whitley, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
- 1959 - Ralph Krueger, Canadian ice hockey coach
- 1958 - Serge Blanco, French rugby union footballer
- 1957 - Colm O'Rourke, Irish footballer and commentator
- 1957 - Gina Schock, American drummer (The Go-Go's)
- 1957 - Glenn Tilbrook, English singer and guitarist (Squeeze)
- 1956 - Maria Balazova, Slovak painter
- 1956 - Masashi Tashiro, Japanese television performer
- 1955 - Edwin Moses, American hurdler
- 1955 - Gary Webb, American journalist (d. 2004)
- 1955 - Olek Krupa, Polish actor
- 1954 - Julie Brown, American actress, singer-songwriter and screenwriter
- 1953 - Miguel Ángel Guerra, Argentine racing driver
- 1953 - György Károly, Hungarian author
- 1953 - Pavel Vinogradov, Russian cosmonaut
- 1952 - Herbert Reul, German politician
- 1949 - Richard Gere, American actor
- 1949 - H. David Politzer, American physicist, Nobel laureate
- 1948 - Harald Ertl, Austrian racing driver (d. 1982)
- 1948 - Lowell Ganz, American screenwriter
- 1948 - Ken McMullen, English film director
- 1948 - Holger Osieck, German footballer and coach
- 1948 - Rudolf Schenker, German guitarist (Scorpions)
- 1947 - Mona Marshall, American voice actress
- 1947 - Luca di Montezemolo, Italian businessman
- 1947 - Yumiko ?shima, Japanese manga artist
- 1947 - Somchai Wongsawat, 26th Prime Minister of Thailand
- 1946 - Jerome Corsi, American writer
- 1945 - Van Morrison, Northern Irish singer-songwriter
- 1945 - Itzhak Perlman, Israeli violinist
- 1944 - Roger Dean, English artist
- 1944 - Clive Lloyd, Guyanese West Indies cricketer
- 1944 - Jos LeDuc, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 1999)
- 1943 - Leonid Ivashov, Russian general
- 1941 - William DeWitt, Jr., American businessman
- 1940 - Jack Thompson, Australian actor
- 1940 - Roger Newman, British-born American television actor and writer (d. 2010)
- 1939 - Jerry Allison, American drummer (The Crickets)
- 1938 - Martin Bell, British journalist
- 1938 - Murray Gleeson, Chief Justice of Australia
- 1937 - Warren Berlinger, American actor
- 1937 - Bobby Parker, American blues-rock guitarist
- 1935 - Eldridge Cleaver, American political activist (d. 1998)
- 1935 - Frank Robinson, American baseball player and manager
- 1934 - Nikos Xanthopoulos, Greek actor
- 1931 - Jean Béliveau, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1931 - Noble Willingham, American actor (d. 2004)
- 1928 - Jaime Sin, Philippine cardinal and patriot (d. 2005)
- 1928 - James Coburn, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1924 - Buddy Hackett, American actor and comedian (d. 2003)
- 1921 - Raymond Williams, Welsh academic (d. 1988)
- 1920 - Gustavo Adolfo Palma, Guatemalan singer (d. 2010)
- 1920 - G. D. Spradlin, American actor
- 1919 - Amrita Preetam, Indian poet and author (d. 2005)
- 1918 - Alan Jay Lerner, American lyricist (d. 1986)
- 1916 - Daniel Schorr, American journalist (d. 2010)
- 1916 - Danny Litwhiler, American baseball player and coach
- 1916 - John S. Wold, American politician
- 1914 - Richard Basehart, American actor (d. 1984)
- 1913 - Sir Bernard Lovell, English radio astronomer
- 1913 - Helen Levitt, American photographer (d. 2009)
- 1911 - Edward Brongersma, Dutch politician, writer and political activist (d. 1998)
- 1908 - William Saroyan, American novelist (d. 1981)
- 1907 - Ramon Magsaysay, 7th President of the Philippines (d. 1957)
- 1907 - William Shawn, American editor (d. 1992)
- 1907 - Altiero Spinelli, Italian advocate of European federalism (d. 1986)
- 1907 - Augustus F. Hawkins, American politician (d. 2007)
- 1905 - Sanford Meisner, American actor and teacher (d. 1997)
- 1903 - Arthur Godfrey, American television host (d. 1983)
- 1903 - Vladimir Jankélévitch, French philosopher (d. 1985)
- 1900 - Gino Lucetti, Italian anarchist (d. 1943)
- 1897 - Fredric March, American actor (d. 1975)
- 1896 - Félix-Antoine Savard, Canadian priest and novelist (d. 1982)
- 1894 - Albert Facey, Australian writer (d. 1982)
- 1893 - Lily Laskine, French harpist (d. 1988)
- 1885 - DuBose Heyward, American playwright (d. 1940)
- 1880 - Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands (d. 1962)
- 1879 - Alma Mahler, Austrian socialite, wife of composer Gustav Mahler (d. 1964)
- 1879 - Emperor Taisho of Japan (d. 1926)
- 1878 - Frank Jarvis, American sprinter (d. 1933)
- 1871 - James E. Ferguson, American politician, 26th Governor of Texas (d. 1944)
- 1870 - Maria Montessori, Italian educator (d. 1952)
- 1843 - Georg von Hertling, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1919)
- 1842 - Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, American publisher, journalist, suffragist and civil rights leader (d. 1924)
- 1834 - Amilcare Ponchielli, Italian composer (d. 1886)
- 1822 - Galusha A. Grow, American politician (d. 1907)
- 1821 - Hermann von Helmholtz, German scientist (d. 1894)
- 1802 - Husein Grada?evi?, Bosnian general (d. 1834)
- 1767 - Henry Joy McCracken, Irish political activist, founder of the Society of United Irishmen (d. 1798)
- 1741 - Jean Paul Egide Martini, French composer (d. 1816)
- 1721 - George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol, British statesman (d. 1775)
- 1663 - Guillaume Amontons, French physicist and instrument maker (d. 1705)
- 1652 - Ferdinand Charles, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat (d. 1708)
- 1602 - Countess Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, wife of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (d. 1675)
- 1569 - Jahangir, Mughal Emperor of India (d. 1627)
- 161 - Commodus, Roman Emperor (d. 192)
- 12 - Gaius Caligula, Roman Emperor (d. 41)