1498
Columbus arrived at the island of Trinidad.
1777
The Marquis de Lafayette became a major-general in the American Continental Army.
1790
The first U.S. patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins of Vermont for a process of making fertilizer.
1875
Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, died in Tennessee.
1954
Mount Godwin-Austen (K2), the world's second-highest peak, was climbed for the first time, by an Italian team led by Ardito Desio.
1964
The U.S. space probe Ranger 7 transmitted pictures of the Moon’s surface.
Read more: This Day in History: July 31 — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory/#ixzz22CNYtgS5