Events on 31th July

1917 Battle of Passchendaele during World War I

1948 Airport renamed as New York International Airport (later became John F Kennedy Airport

1965 Cigarette advertising banned on British TV

1965 Author J. K. Rowling was born

1970 The tradition of the daily rum ration ended in the Royal Navy

1971 Lunar Roving Vehicle first used on the Moon

1988 The last Playboy Club closes

2006 Fidel Castro, Cuban leader handed over power to his brother Raul

2007 The British Army ceases operations in Northern Ireland

2012 American swimmer Michael Phelps gained his 19th Olympic medal at the London Games

2012 American novelist, playwright, and essayist Gore Vidal died aged 86

2019 American theatrical producer and director Harold Prince died aged 91