1. In 1714, the first ferry service between Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn began operation on July 31. It was operated by a man named Cornelius Dircksen, who charged one penny per person for each trip.

2. On July 31, 1858, the Great New York City Fire began which destroyed over 800 buildings in a 24 hour period. The fire was caused by a misplaced ash falling on a pile of singed paper on Morgan's Wharf on the East River. It was said that the flames were so intense that they could be seen from New Jersey.

3. In 1873, a large riot broke out on July 31 when the Brooklyn Police Department tried to arrest a group of gamblers in a local bar. The melee resulted in the deaths of two police officers and two civilians.

4. On July 31, 1917, the first naval convoy from the United States to Europe departed from New York Harbor. It consisted of 14 transport ships and four destroyers, and was headed to France to aid the Allied war effort during WWI.

5. In 1971, the first McDonald's restaurant in New York City opened on July 31. It was located on Fordham Road in the Bronx and was the largest McDonald's in the world at the time, with a seating capacity of over 500 people. Today, it is one of over 250 McDonald's restaurants in the five boroughs.