What happened on 31 August?

9 events from the Ever-When timeline, ranked by how much they mattered.

1. 1854 Cholera epidemic of 1854 / John Snow Dr John Snow traces a London cholera outbreak to the Broad Street pump; landmark in epidemiology.
2. 1997 Death of Princess Diana Car crash in Paris kills the Princess of Wales, sparking an unprecedented outpouring of public grief.
3. 1848 Public Health Act 1848 Edwin Chadwick's act creates local boards of health; first major British public-health legislation; sewers, sanitation, clean water.
4. 1907 Anglo-Russian Convention completes the Triple Entente UK and Russia settle Central Asian disputes, completing the diplomatic alignment of Entente powers.
5. 1888 Jack the Ripper murders Series of unsolved murders in Whitechapel, London; defines the late-Victorian fascination with sensational crime.
6. 1994 The IRA declares a ceasefire After secret talks and the Downing Street Declaration, the Provisional IRA announces 'a complete cessation of military operations' — the loyalist paramilitaries follow six weeks la
7. 1957 Malayan independence (Merdeka) Tunku Abdul Rahman proclaims Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur — Britain's richest colony leaves at the height of the Emergency's defeat of the insurgency.
8. 1907 Anglo-Russian Convention Britain and Russia divide Persia into spheres and settle Afghanistan and Tibet — the Great Game ends at a table, freeing both to face Germany.
9. 1827 Lord Goderich's premiership Goderich never faces parliament and resigns in tears without ever winning a vote.