Portal:University of Oxford/On this day/July 31

Births
 * 1673 – Sir Roger Mostyn, 3rd Baronet (Jesus), politician
 * 1841 – Robert Holford Macdowall Bosanquet (Balliol and St John's), music theorist
 * 1909 – David Garnsey (New College), Bishop of Gippsland 1959–74
 * 1911 – Ronald Hilton, British-American academic on Latin America
 * 1916 – Brian Inglis (Magdalen), Irish journalist and historian
 * 1915 – Robert Walter Steel (Jesus and St Peter's Hall), geographer
 * 1920 – Peter Thomas, Baron Thomas of Gwydir (Jesus), Secretary of State for Wales 1970–74
 * 1921 – Peter Benenson (Balliol), co-founder of Amnesty International
 * 1928 – Christopher Raeburn, record producer
 * 1929 – Martin Stevens (Trinity), Conservative politician
 * 1932 – John Searle, American philosopher
 * 1942 – James Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of Douglas (Balliol), Conservative politician
 * 1945 – Humfrey Malins (Brasenose), Conservative politician
 * 1945 – William Weld (University), Governor of Massachusetts 1991–97
 * 1957 – Mark Thompson (Merton), Director-General of the BBC since 2004
 * 1971 – Eve Best (Lincoln), actress
 * 1974 – Emilia Fox, actress

Deaths
 * 1396 – William Courtenay (Stapledon Hall), Chancellor of the University of Oxford 1367–69 and Archbishop of Canterbury 1381–96
 * 1874 – Cosmo Innes (Balliol), Scottish historian
 * 1915 – Billy Geen, Welsh rugby international player
 * 1961 – H. J. Rose (Balliol and Exeter), classicist
 * 1970 – Wilfrid Kent Hughes (Christ Church), Australian politician and Olympic games organiser
 * 2001 – A. G. Dickens (Magdalen), historian
 * 2007 – Norman Cohn (Christ Church), historian
 * 2009 – David Hawkes (All Souls), sinologist