On This Day

Historical Events in 1931 (Part 2)

  • Sep 30 Start of "Die Voortrekkers" youth movement for Afrikaners in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
  • 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
  • Nov 1 Dupont introduces synthetic rubber
  • Nov 2 Warren, Dixon and Young's musical "Laugh Parade" premieres in NYC
  • Nov 3 First commercially produced synthetic rubber manufactured

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Nov 4 Jean Genet's "Judith" premieres in Paris

Novelist and Playwright Jean Genet
Novelist and Playwright
Jean Genet

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Nov 7 Chinese People's Republic proclaimed by Mao Zedong

Chinese Revolutionary and Chairman of the Communist Party Mao Zedong
Chinese Revolutionary and Chairman of the Communist Party
Mao Zedong

Film tv awardsAcademy Awards

Nov 10 4th Academy Awards: "Cimarron", Lionel Barrymore & Marie Dressler win

Actor Lionel Barrymore
Actor
Lionel Barrymore
Actress Marie Dressler
Actress
Marie Dressler

  • Nov 11 Cornerstones laid for Opera House & Veteran's Building in San Francisco
  • Nov 12 Maple Leaf Gardens opens in Toronto - Chic Blackhawks beat Leafs, 2-1

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Nov 12 Jean Sibelius and Ashton's ballet "Lady of Shalott" premieres in London

Composer Jean Sibelius
Composer
Jean Sibelius
  • Nov 13 Hattie Caraway (D-AK) appointed first US woman senator
  • Nov 14 Ottawa Mint Act is proclaimed in Britain

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Nov 17 Charles Lindbergh inaugurates Pan Am service from Cuba to South America in the Sikorsky flying boat "American Clipper"

Aviator Charles Lindbergh
Aviator
Charles Lindbergh
  • Nov 20 Commercial teletype service begins (AT&T)

Film release premierFilm Release

Nov 21 Horror film "Frankenstein" is released, starring Boris Karloff as the monster, directed by James Whale and based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus"

Actor Boris Karloff
Actor
Boris Karloff
Frankenstein Author Mary Shelley
Frankenstein Author
Mary Shelley
  • Nov 22 1st performance of Ferde Grofé's "Grand Canyon Suite" given by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra at Studebaker Theater, Chicago
  • Nov 23 Nationally Crisis Committee forms in Hague

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Nov 28 Australian cricket master batsman Don Bradman scores 226 in his first Test appearance v South Africa in 1st Test in Brisbane

Cricket Legend Donald Bradman
Cricket Legend
Donald Bradman
  • Nov 30 His Master's Voice and Columbia Records merge into EMI
  • Dec 1 Ottawa branch of Royal Mint begins operation as Royal Canadian Mint
  • Dec 3 Alka Seltzer goes on sale
  • Dec 5 CFL Grey Cup, Molson Stadium, Montreal: Montreal AAA Winged Wheelers shutout Regina Roughriders, 22-0 for their first title
  • Dec 7 After scoring 226 in 1st Test in Brisbane, Don Bradman belts 219 for NSW against the visiting South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground
  • Dec 8 Coaxial cable patented
  • Dec 9 Benn W Levy's "Springtime for Henry" premieres in NYC
  • Dec 9 Japanese army attacks Chinese province of Jehol
  • Dec 9 Spain becomes a republic
  • Dec 9 Baseball cuts squad from 25 to 23 players & NL continues to prohibit uniform numbers

Nobel prizeNobel Prize

Dec 10 Jane Addams (1st US woman) named co-recipient of Nobel Peace Prize

Social Worker and Nobel Laureate Jane Addams
Social Worker and Nobel Laureate
Jane Addams

Electoral defeatElection of Interest

Dec 10 Manuel Azaña becomes Prime Minister of Spain with Niceto Zamora as President

President of the Spanish Republic Manuel Azaña
President of the Spanish Republic
Manuel Azaña
  • Dec 11 Japan leaves the Gold Standard
  • Dec 11 Statute of Westminster gives complete legislative independence to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland (Free State), and Newfoundland (not then part of Canada)
  • Dec 12 Japanese government of Imukai forms
  • Dec 13 National Football League Championship: Green Bay Packers (12-2-0) win 3rd straight first past the post title
  • Dec 14 1st assembly of Anton Musserts NSB in Utrecht
  • Dec 16 German SPD begins Iron Front against fascism
  • Dec 19 Joseph A Lyons (C) becomes premier of Australia

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Dec 22 Retrospective show of Mexican artist Diego Rivera opens at The Museum of Modern Art in New York

Painter Diego Rivera
Painter
Diego Rivera
  • Dec 25 Albert Lonergan scores 137 SA v Qld at Adelaide before 5,697
  • Dec 25 Fleetwood-Smith takes 5-69 Victoria v Tas at Hobart
  • Dec 25 NY's Metropolitan Opera broadcasts an entire opera over radio

Music releaseTheater Premiere

Dec 26 Pulitzer Prize-winning musical play "Of Thee I Sing" by George and Ira Gershwin premieres on Broadway, New York City

Composer and Pianist George Gershwin
Composer and Pianist
George Gershwin

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Dec 28 Lin-Sen succeeds Chiang Kai-shek as President of Nanjing-China

Chinese Military and Political Leader Chiang Kai-shek
Chinese Military and Political Leader
Chiang Kai-shek
  • Dec 29 Identification of heavy water publicly announced, HC Urey
  • Dec 29 Victoria score 7 for 435 in second innings to beat NSW

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