Events for May 31

May 31, 1889

Helen Waddell, Irish scholar, translator and novelist, is born in Tokyo

May 31, 1962

Gaumont cinema in Edinburgh destroyed by fire.

May 31, 1430

Charges are made against Thomas Foster, Archdeacon of Glendalough, that he has sold the lands of the dignity, has kept concubines, has had offspring, is ignorant of letters and does not know the language of the country

May 31, 1922

The Royal Ulster Constabulary is established

The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). At its peak the force had around 8500 officers with a further 4500 reservists, officially members of the RUC Reserve, but in practice members of the RUC, unlike the earlier Ulster Special Constabulary which was a force in its own right, with its own rank structure. It was renamed as the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in 2001.