On This Day

Historical Events in October 1931

  • Oct 1 Spanish Cortes accept general female suffrage
  • Oct 1 Philadelphia Athletics seek 3rd straight World Series baseball title; beat St. Louis Cardinals, 6-2 in opener at Sportsman's Park; lose series, 4-3
  • Oct 1 The second (and current) Waldorf-Astoria Hotel is opened in New York.

BeatificationCatholic Encyclical

Oct 2 Pope Pius XI encyclical On economic crisis

259th Pope Pius XI
259th Pope
Pius XI
  • Oct 4 Dick Tracy comic strip by Chester Gould debuts
  • Oct 4 Juan Esteban Montero becomes President of Chile
  • Oct 5 1st nonstop transpacific flight, Japan to Wash (Herndon & Pangborn)
  • Oct 5 Paul Green's "House of Connelly" premieres in NYC
  • Oct 6 Joris van Severen forms Verdinaso (Union of Flemish National Solidarists)
  • Oct 7 1st infra-red photograph, Rochester, NY
  • Oct 10 A J Bennett hits H Garbarino for 1st scoring pass in Canada's Big 4
  • Oct 10 St Louis Cards beat Philadelphia A's, 4 games to 3 in 28th World Series
  • Oct 10 William Waltons "Belshazzar's Feast" premieres in Leeds
  • Oct 11 100,000 extreme-right Germans form "Harzburger Front"
  • Oct 12 1st International Conference on Calendar Reform

BrazilChrist the Redeemer

Oct 12 Christ the Redeemer statue opens standing 30 meters high (98 ft) on top of Mount Corcovado overlooking Rio de Janeiro, built by engineer Heitor da Silva Costa

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Christ the Redeemer statue, Brazil
Christ the Redeemer statue, Brazil
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  • Oct 13 Musical "Everybody's Welcome" with T/J Dorsey premieres in NYC

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Oct 13 Noël Coward's "Cavalcade" premieres in London

Playwright, Director and Singer Noël Coward
Playwright, Director and Singer
Noël Coward
  • Oct 14 1st broadcast of Dutch Radio Peoples University
  • Oct 14 Spanish Cortes agrees to separation of Church & State
  • Oct 16 US trunk murderess Winnie Ruth Judd murders two friends then dismembers one of them in Phoenix

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Oct 18 American gangster Al Capone convicted of tax evasion

Gangster Al Capone
Gangster
Al Capone
  • Oct 20 Frankie Frisch of the Cards named MVP
  • Oct 24 George Washington Bridge linking New York City and New Jersey dedicated, opens the next day
  • Oct 24 Gangster Al Capone is sentenced to 11 years for tax evasion

Music releaseTheater Premiere

Oct 26 Eugene O'Neill's play cycle "Mourning Becomes Electra" premieres in NYC

Playwright Eugene O'Neill
Playwright
Eugene O'Neill
  • Oct 27 Chuhei Numbu of Japan, sets then long jump record at 26' 2½"
  • Oct 29 Lefty Grove, A's pitcher who won 31 games, is named the AL's MVP
  • Oct 30 W2XB TV channel 1 in NYC, NY (NBC) begins broadcasting

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