Deaths on January 31

Tatsuzō Ishikawa, Japanese author (b. 1905)

Tatsuzō Ishikawa (石川達三, Ishikawa Tatsuzō, July 2, 1905 – January 31, 1985) was a Japanese author. He was the first winner of the Akutagawa Prize.

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.