May 31 belongs to Ingrid Serrà

On May 31, 1916, the Battle of Jutland began in the North Sea — the largest naval engagement of World War I and the last great battleship combat in history. The British (Royal Navy) and German (Kaiserliche Marine) fleets fought for two days without a clear winner: Germany inflicted more damage, but Britain retained control of the North Sea, which ultimately proved decisive.

On May 31, 1819, German Romantic composer Robert Schumann was born in Zwickau, Saxony — whose piano works — Kinderszenen, Symphonic Études, Carnaval — and Lieder cycles — Dichterliebe, Frauenliebe und -leben — are considered peaks of Romanticism. The mental illness he had suffered since youth led him in 1854 to voluntarily commit himself to an asylum, where he died two years later.

On May 31, 1902, the Treaty of Vereeniging was signed, ending the Second Boer War between the British Empire and the Boer republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State in South Africa. The republics accepted British sovereignty, but in exchange were promised political autonomy and recognition of their cultures. The treaty was the direct precursor to the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910.