About the day » Thursday January 31, 1861Calender converter

• Adrianus (Adriaan) SMIT, Uitgeest, Noord-Holland, Nederland († 1933)
• Aagje Nierop, den Helder, prov. Noord Holland
• Albert Broekhuis, Nijkerk († 1884)
• Aanen Owen Olson Hausken, Nydal, Hausken, Rennesøy, Rogaland, Norway († 1945)
• Adriana van den Brink, Jutphaas, Utrecht, NL († 1941)
• Bonnema, Marsum, Groningen, Nederland
• Caffa († 1861)
• Aartje Blanken, Nieuwaal
• Adriaan de Haan, Weesp, Noord-Holland, Nederland († 1933)
• Albertus Boom, Vriezenveen, in de 4e wijk († 1929)

• Anje Jacobs Elema (59), Stedum
• Alexandrina Smit (11), Baarn
• Anne Cornélie Marie Tergau (10), Arnhem
• Aafke Ekkes Drijfholt (75), Slochteren, Nederland
• Antonia Penterman (73), Ruurlo
• Barbara DE JONG (4), Blaricum, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
• Anna Willems de Roos (0), Baarderadeel
• Adriana van Delft (66), Hedikhuizen
• Antonius de Bakker (51), Bergen op Zoom
• * Andries (1) Baars (5), Rhenen, Utrecht, NL

• 1835 » Lunalilo of Hawaii († 1874)
• 1854 » David Emmanuel, Romanian mathematician and academic († 1941)
• 1865 » Henri Desgrange, French cyclist and journalist († 1940)
• 1865 » Shastriji Maharaj, Indian spiritual leader, founded BAPS († 1951)
• 1868 » Theodore William Richards, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate († 1928)
• 1872 » Zane Grey, American author († 1939)
• 1881 » Irving Langmuir, American chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate († 1957)
• 1884 » Mammad Amin Rasulzade, Azerbaijani scholar and politician, 1st President of The Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan († 1955)
• 1884 » Theodor Heuss, German journalist and politician, 1st President of the Federal Republic of Germany († 1963)
• 1889 » Frank Foster, English cricketer († 1958)

• 1815 » José Félix Ribas, Venezuelan soldier (b. 1775)
• 1828 » Alexander Ypsilantis, Greek general (b. 1792)
• 1836 » John Cheyne, English physician and author (b. 1777)
• 1844 » Henri Gatien Bertrand, French general (b. 1773)
• 1856 » 11th Dalai Lama (b. 1838)
• 1870 » Cilibi Moise, Moldavian-Romanian journalist and author (b. 1812)
• 1888 » John Bosco, Italian priest and educator, founded the Salesian Society (b. 1815)
• 1892 » Charles Spurgeon, English pastor and author (b. 1834)
• 1900 » John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry, Scottish nobleman (b. 1844)
• 1907 » Timothy Eaton, Canadian businessman, founded Eaton's (b. 1834)

• Koning Willem III (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from 1849 till 1890 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
• From February 23, 1860 till March 14, 1861 the Netherlands had a cabinet Van Hall - Van Heemstra with the prime ministers Mr. F.A. baron Van Hall (conservatief-liberaal) and Mr. S. baron Van Heemstra (liberaal).
• From March 14, 1861 till January 31, 1862 the Netherlands had a cabinet Van Zuijlen van Nijevelt - Loudon with the prime ministers Mr. J.P.P. baron Van Zuijlen van Nijevelt (conservatief-liberaal) and Mr. J. Loudon (liberaal).
• The Netherlands had about 3.6 million citizens.
• March 10 » El Hadj Umar Tall seizes the city of Ségou, destroying the Bamana Empire of Mali.
• May 6 » American Civil War: Arkansas secedes from the Union.
• May 13 » The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.
• August 28 » American Civil War: Union forces attack Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in the Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries which lasts for two days.
• October 24 » The first transcontinental telegraph line across the United States is completed.
• December 9 » American Civil War: The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War is established by the U.S. Congress.

The temperature on January 31, 1861 was about 1.6 °C. The air pressure was 0.5 kgf/m² and came mainly from the southwest. The airpressure was 77 cm mercury. The atmospheric humidity was 98%.