Births on May 31

William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie

Born on May 31, 1847

William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, Canadian-Irish businessman and politician, Lord Mayor of Belfast (d. 1924)

William James Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, KP, PC, PC (Ire) (31 May 1847 – 7 June 1924) was a leading British shipbuilder and businessman. He was chairman of Harland and Wolff, shipbuilders, between 1895 and 1924, and also served as Lord Mayor of Belfast between 1896 and 1898. He was ennobled as Baron Pirrie in 1906, appointed a Knight of the Order of St Patrick in 1908 and made Viscount Pirrie in 1921. In the months leading up to the 1912 Titanic disaster, Lord Pirrie was questioned about the number of life boats aboard the Olympic-class ships. He responded that the great ships were unsinkable and the rafts were to save others. This would haunt him forever. In Belfast he was, on other grounds, already a controversial figure: a Protestant employer associated as a leading Liberal with a policy of Home Rule for Ireland.

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Events on 1847

22 Feb

Battle of Buena Vista
Mexican-American War: The Battle of Buena Vista: Five thousand American troops defeat 15,000 Mexicans troops.
23 Feb

Battle of Buena Vista
Mexican-American War: Battle of Buena Vista: In Mexico, American troops under future president General Zachary Taylor defeat Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
9 Mar

Siege of Veracruz
Mexican-American War: The first large-scale amphibious assault in U.S. history is launched in the Siege of Veracruz.
12 Sep

Battle of Chapultepec
Mexican-American War: the Battle of Chapultepec begins.
13 Sep

Battle of Chapultepec
Mexican-American War: Six teenage military cadets known as Niños Héroes die defending Chapultepec Castle in the Battle of Chapultepec. American troops under General Winfield Scott capture Mexico City in the Mexican-American War.