Deaths on May 31

Gaston Rébuffat

Died on May 31, 1985

Gaston Rébuffat, French mountaineer and author (b. 1921)

Gaston Rébuffat (7 May 1921, Marseille – 31 May 1985, Paris) was a French alpinist, mountain guide, and author. He is well known as a member of the first expedition to summit Annapurna 1 in 1950 and the first man to climb all six of the great north faces of the Alps. In 1984, he was made an officer in the French Legion of Honour for his service as a mountaineering instructor for the French military. At the age of 64, Gaston Rébuffat died of cancer in Paris, France. The climbing technique Gaston was named after him. A photo of Rébuffat atop the Aiguille du Roc in the French Alps can be found on the Voyager Golden Records.

References

Gaston Rébuffat

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Events on 1985

10 Jan

Daniel Ortega
Sandinista Daniel Ortega becomes president of Nicaragua and vows to continue the transformation to socialism and alliance with the Soviet Union and Cuba; American policy continues to support the Contras in their revolt against the Nicaraguan government.
13 May

Philadelphia
Police release a bomb on MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia to end a stand-off, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents.
25 May

Tropical cyclone
Bangladesh is hit by a tropical cyclone and storm surge, which kills approximately 10,000 people.
6 Jun

Auschwitz concentration camp
The grave of "Wolfgang Gerhard" is opened in Embu, Brazil; the exhumed remains are later proven to be those of Josef Mengele, Auschwitz's "Angel of Death"; Mengele is thought to have drowned while swimming in February 1979.
13 Sep

Super Mario
Super Mario Bros. is released in Japan for the NES, which starts the Super Mario series of platforming games.

Deaths on May 31

Gaston Rébuffat

Died on May 31, 1985

References

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Events on 1985

Daniel Ortega

Philadelphia

Tropical cyclone

Auschwitz concentration camp

Super Mario