Today
Saturday January 31 2026
- Day of the year
- 31/ 365
- Week
- 52,026
- Days left
- 3348%
- Moon
- 98%Waxing gibbous
Today is Saturday, January 31, 2026. It is day 31 of 2026, a year of 365 days: 334 remain, and 8% of the year has gone. Under ISO 8601 this date falls in week 5.
What's celebrated on this date
No United Nations international day falls on this date.
Coming up
- February 2World Wetlands Day
- February 4World Cancer Day
- February 6International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation
Saints and name days
Saints whose feast falls on this date, most widely known first.
- Athanasius of AlexandriaPope of Alexandria from 328 to 373 (296–373)
- John BoscoItalian Roman Catholic priest, educator, writer (1815–1888)
- Maria Cristina of Savoy, Queen of the Two SiciliesQueen Consort of the Two Sicilies (1812-1836) and Blessed
- Saint MarcellaChristian saint
- GeminianusBishop of Modena (d. 396/397)
Sources : Wikidata (P841) · CC0 1.0
Astronomy
New York
- Sunrise
- 07:07
- Sunset
- 17:12
- Length of day
- 10h 6m+2 min vs yesterday
- Solar noon
- 12:09
Times shown for America/New_York
Season
Winter
began on December 21, 2025
Next season
Spring — 48 days, March 20, 2026 (March equinox)
Public holidays — United States
Not a public holiday in the United States.
Next public holiday : Washington's Birthday — February 16, 2026
National holidays only. Regions, provinces and Länder add their own.
Moon
Waxing gibbous
Illumination : 98%
Moon age : 12.9 days
- Next full moon
- February 1, 2026
- Next new moon
- February 17, 2026
Astrology
Today's zodiac sign
Aquarius
until February 19, 2026 — Pisces
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
1606
Gunpowder Plot: Four of the conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, are executed for treason by hanging, drawing and quartering, for plotting against Parliament and King James. Wikipedia
1814
Gervasio Antonio de Posadas becomes Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (present-day Argentina). Wikipedia
1944
World War II: American forces land on Kwajalein Atoll and other islands in the Japanese-held Marshall Islands. Wikipedia
1946
Cold War: Yugoslavia's new constitution, modeling that of the Soviet Union, establishes six constituent republics (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia). Wikipedia
1958
Cold War: Space Race: The Explorer 1, the first successful American satellite, detects the Van Allen radiation belt. Wikipedia
1961
Project Mercury: Mercury-Redstone 2: The chimpanzee Ham travels into outer space. Wikipedia
Show more (4)
1966
The Soviet Union launches the unmanned Luna 9 spacecraft as part of the Luna program. Wikipedia
1968
Vietnam War: Viet Cong guerrillas attack the United States embassy in Saigon, and other attacks, in the early morning hours, later grouped together as the Tet Offensive. Wikipedia
1971
Apollo program: Apollo 14: Astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell, aboard a Saturn V, lift off for a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon. Wikipedia
2020
The United Kingdom's membership within the European Union ceases in accordance with Article 50, after 47 years of being a member state. Wikipedia
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
Births and deaths
Born on this day January 31
- 1512Henry, King of Portugal (died 1580)
- 1673Louis de Montfort, French priest and saint (died 1716)
- 1797Franz Schubert, Austrian pianist and composer (died 1828)
- 1799Rodolphe Töpffer, Swiss teacher, author, painter, cartoonist, and caricaturist (died 1846)
- 1868Theodore William Richards, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1928)
- 1872Zane Grey, American author (died 1939)
- 1881Irving Langmuir, American chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1957)
- 1902Alva Myrdal, Swedish sociologist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1986)
Died on this day January 31
- 1561Menno Simons, Dutch minister and theologian (born 1496)aged 65 years
- 1580Henry, King of Portugal (born 1512)aged 68 years
- 1888John Bosco, Italian priest and educator, founded the Salesian Society (born 1815)aged 73 years
- 1933John Galsworthy, English novelist and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1867)aged 66 years
- 1955John Mott, American activist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1865)aged 90 years
- 1956A. A. Milne, English author, poet and playwright, created Winnie-the-Pooh (born 1882)aged 74 years
- 1973Ragnar Frisch, Norwegian economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1895)aged 78 years
- 1974Samuel Goldwyn, Polish American film producer, co-founded Goldwyn Pictures (born 1882)aged 92 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 07:07 and sets at 17:12, giving 10h 6m of daylight — 2 minutes more than yesterday. It has been winter since December 21, 2025; spring opens in 48 days, on March 20, 2026 (March equinox).
The moon is waxing gibbous, 98% illuminated. The next full moon falls on February 1, 2026 and the next new moon on February 17, 2026.
The saints' calendar attaches January 31 to Athanasius of Alexandria, John Bosco and Maria Cristina of Savoy, Queen of the Two Sicilies.
No United Nations international day falls on January 31. The next one on the calendar is World Wetlands Day, on February 2.
It is not a public holiday in the United States.
On this day in history: Gunpowder Plot: Four of the conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, are executed for treason by hanging, drawing and quartering, for plotting against Parliament and King James (1606); Gervasio Antonio de Posadas becomes Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (present-day Argentina) (1814). English Wikipedia records 10 events for this date.
Henry was born on January 31, 1512; Menno Simons died on January 31, 1561.
328 days remain until Christmas and 335 until New Year's Day.
In astrology — kept separate from the measured astronomy above, deliberately — January 31 falls under the sign of Aquarius.
Calendar
By the numbers
- 8%
- of the year elapsed
- 328
- until Christmas
- 335
- until New Year
- 759
- 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