Today
Monday August 31 2026
- Day of the year
- 243/ 365
- Week
- 362,026
- Days left
- 12267%
- Moon
- 87%Waning gibbous
Today is Monday, August 31, 2026. It is day 243 of 2026, a year of 365 days: 122 remain, and 67% of the year has gone. Under ISO 8601 this date falls in week 36.
What's celebrated on this date
No United Nations international day falls on this date.
Coming up
- September 5International Day of Charity
- September 8International Literacy Day
- September 15International Day of Democracy
Saints and name days
Saints whose feast falls on this date, most widely known first.
- NicodemusPharisee, biblical figure appearing in the Gospel of John
- Aristidis of AthensGreek Christian author
- Aidan of LindisfarneBishop of Lindisfarne; Saint
- John ScholasticusPatriarch of Constantinople
- Raymond Nonnatussaint from Catalonia in Spain
Sources : Wikidata (P841) · CC0 1.0
Astronomy
New York
- Sunrise
- 06:22
- Sunset
- 19:30
- Length of day
- 13h 8m−3 min vs yesterday
- Solar noon
- 12:56
Times shown for America/New_York
Season
Summer
began on June 21, 2026
Next season
Autumn — 22 days, September 22, 2026 (September equinox)
Public holidays — United States
Not a public holiday in the United States.
Next public holiday : Labor Day — September 7, 2026
National holidays only. Regions, provinces and Länder add their own.
Moon
Waning gibbous
Illumination : 87%
Moon age : 18.9 days
- Next full moon
- September 26, 2026
- Next new moon
- September 11, 2026
Astrology
Today's zodiac sign
Virgo
until September 23, 2026 — Libra
Zodiac dates are an astrological convention, not the Sun's actual position among the constellations. The astronomy above is measured; this is not.
On this day in history
1056
After a sudden gastric illness, Byzantine Empress Theodora dies childless, thus ending the Macedonian dynasty. Wikipedia
1888
Mary Ann Nichols, the first of Jack the Ripper's confirmed victims, is murdered. Wikipedia
1939
Nazi Germany mounts a false flag attack on the Gleiwitz radio station, creating an excuse to attack Poland the following day, thus starting World War II in Europe. Wikipedia
1957
The Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia) gains its independence from the United Kingdom. Wikipedia
1962
Trinidad and Tobago becomes independent. Wikipedia
1986
The Soviet passenger liner Admiral Nakhimov sinks in the Black Sea after colliding with the bulk carrier Pyotr Vasev, killing 423. Wikipedia
Show more (4)
1991
Kyrgyzstan declares its independence from the Soviet Union. Wikipedia
1997
Diana, Princess of Wales, her partner, Dodi Fayed, and driver Henri Paul die in a car crash in Paris. Wikipedia
2006
Edvard Munch's famous painting, The Scream, stolen on August 22, 2004, is recovered in a raid by Norwegian police. Wikipedia
2016
Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff is impeached and removed from office. Wikipedia
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
Births and deaths
Born on this day August 31
- 1663Guillaume Amontons, French physicist and instrument maker (died 1705)
- 1821Hermann von Helmholtz, German physician and physicist (died 1894)
- 1870Maria Montessori, Italian physician and educator (died 1952)
- 1878Frank Jarvis, American sprinter and lawyer (died 1933)
- 1879Alma Mahler, Austrian-American composer and author (died 1964)
- 1880Wilhelmina, queen of the Netherlands (died 1962)
- 1897Fredric March, American actor (died 1975)
- 1928James Coburn, American actor (died 2002)
Died on this day August 31
- 1422Henry V of England (born 1386)aged 36 years
- 1795François-André Danican Philidor, French-English chess player and composer (born 1726)aged 69 years
- 1867Charles Baudelaire, French poet and critic (born 1821)aged 46 years
- 1920Wilhelm Wundt, German physician, psychologist, and philosopher (born 1832)aged 88 years
- 1963Georges Braque, French painter and sculptor (born 1882)aged 81 years
- 1969Rocky Marciano, American boxer (born 1923)aged 46 years
- 1973John Ford, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1894)aged 79 years
- 1997Diana, Princess of Wales (born 1961)aged 36 years
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
The day in words
In New York the sun rises at 06:22 and sets at 19:30, giving 13h 8m of daylight — 3 minutes less than yesterday. It has been summer since June 21, 2026; autumn opens in 22 days, on September 22, 2026 (September equinox).
The moon is waning gibbous, 87% illuminated. The next full moon falls on September 26, 2026 and the next new moon on September 11, 2026.
The saints' calendar attaches August 31 to Nicodemus, Aristidis of Athens and Aidan of Lindisfarne.
No United Nations international day falls on August 31. The next one on the calendar is International Day of Charity, on September 5.
It is not a public holiday in the United States.
On this day in history: After a sudden gastric illness, Byzantine Empress Theodora dies childless, thus ending the Macedonian dynasty (1056); Mary Ann Nichols, the first of Jack the Ripper's confirmed victims, is murdered (1888). English Wikipedia records 10 events for this date.
Guillaume Amontons was born on August 31, 1663; Henry V of England died on August 31, 1422.
116 days remain until Christmas and 123 until New Year's Day.
In astrology — kept separate from the measured astronomy above, deliberately — August 31 falls under the sign of Virgo.
Calendar
By the numbers
- 67%
- of the year elapsed
- 116
- until Christmas
- 123
- until New Year
- 547
- until the next 29 February
2026 — Common year (365 days)
Work with dates
Sources
Every block on this page names where its data comes from. Nothing here is generated when the source is silent.
- United Nations — International Days— What's celebrated today
- Wikidata (P841)— Saints and name days · CC0 1.0
- Wikipedia (en)— On this day in history · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26