What Happened in 1931

Frida Kahlo Paints "Frieda and Diego Rivera"

In 1931, while in San Francisco, Frida painted "Frieda and Diego Rivera", a folkloric style double-portrait that may have been based on a wedding... Read more

Jane Addams and Nicholas Murray Butler Win the Nobel Peace Prize

Born in Cedarville, Illinois, Jane Addams was the youngest of six children born into a prosperous, loving family. Although she was the eighth... Read more

Hoover Dam Constructed

Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US ... Read more

Gerald Ford Attends the University of Michigan

1931-1935 Ford attends the University of Michigan and graduates with a B.A. in Economics. He joins the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and is a... Read more

Frida Kahlo Paints "Los Tres Amigos"

As a token of their friendship, and to repay him for his service, Kahlo painted a portrait of Dr. Eloesser in 1931 at his home on Leavenworth... Read more

Agatha Christie publishes The Sittaford Mystery

The Sittaford Mystery is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1931 under the... Read more

'The Pocket Book of Boners' is Published

The Pocket Book of Boners is a book illustrated by Dr. Seuss, originally published as four separate books in 1931 by The Viking Press. In 1941,... Read more

Ronald Reagan Wins Award for Performance in "Aria da Capo"

His mother taught him to read before entering elementary school. He was a good student in high school and a star athlete, playing on the football,... Read more

Hawke's Bay Earthquake

The 7.9 earthquake struck at 10.46 on the morning of February 3, 1931, the first day of the school year, a beautiful summer’s day. It was felt as... Read more

"City Lights" (film) is Released

City Lights is a 1931 American silent romantic comedy film starring, written and directed by Charlie Chaplin. It also stars Virginia Cherrill and... Read more

Amelia Earhart marries George Putnam

For a while she was engaged to Samuel Chapman, a chemical engineer from Boston, breaking off her engagement on November 23, 1928. During the same... Read more

'Sanctuary' Is Published

Sanctuary is a novel by the American author William Faulkner. It is considered one of his more controversial, given its theme of rape. First... Read more

"Dracula" Is Released

Dracula is a 1931 United States horror film directed by Tod Browning and starring Béla Lugosi as the title character. The film was produced by... Read more

Lord Irwin, Viceroy of India, Signs the Gandhi-Irwin Pact

Gandhi–Irwin Pact refers to a political agreement signed by Mahatma Gandhi and the then Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin on 5th March 1931. before... Read more

Theo van Doesburg Dies

Van Doesburg stayed active in art groups such as Cercle et Carré, Art Concret and Abstraction-Création, which he founded in 1931. At the end of... Read more

Australian National Airways Southern Cloud Crashes into Snowy Moutains, Killing 8

On 21 March 1931, the Southern Cloud departed at 8:10 AM from Sydney for Melbourne. Onboard were six passengers and two crewmembers, including... Read more

Transcontinental & Western Air Flight 599 Crashes, Killing 8

Transcontinental and Western Air Flight 599 was a Fokker F.10 Trimotor en route from Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California, on March... Read more

Montreal Canadiens win Stanley Cup

The 1931 Stanley Cup Finals was played between between the Montreal Canadiens and the Chicago Black Hawks, making their first Stanley Cup final... Read more

"The Public Enemy" Is Released

The Public Enemy is a 1931 pre-Code American crime drama film starring James Cagney and directed by William A. Wellman. The movie relates the story... Read more

Empire State Building Opens

On May 1, 1931, with the press of a ceremonial button in Washington, D.C., President Herbert Hoover turned on the lights of the Empire State... Read more

"M" Is Released

M (German: M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder) is a 1931 German drama-thriller directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and his wife Thea von... Read more

Sieghardt Rupp Is Born

Sieghardt Rupp (June 14, 1931 in Bregenz, Vorarlberg, Austria) is an Austrian actor who has performed in film and television and later... Read more

James Joyce and Nora Barnacle are Married

On 4 July 1931 - a date chosen as his father’s birthday - Joyce married Nora, though offering a circumstantial story of a previous marriage between... Read more

Nikola Tesla Appears on the Cover of Time Magazine

On Nikola Tesla's birthday in mid-July, the electrical term which his name has become is regenerated as a tall, meagre, eagle-headed man. Reporters... Read more

Jay W. Jensen Is Born

Jay W. Jensen was a Miami Beach, Florida drama teacher known as "The Teacher to the Stars". Jensen is credited with inspiring the acting talents of... Read more