January 30 – Charlie Chaplin comedy drama film City Lights receives its public premiere at the Los Angeles Theater with Albert Einstein as guest of honor. Contrary to the current trend in cinema, it is a silent film, but with a score by Chaplin. Critically and commercially successful from the start, it will place consistently in lists of films considered the best of all time.
February 4 – Soviet leader Joseph Stalin gives a speech calling for rapid industrialization, arguing that only strong industrialized countries will win wars, while "weak" nations are "beaten". Stalin states: "We are fifty or a hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make good this distance in ten years. Either we do it, or they will crush us." The first five-year plan in the Soviet Union is intensified, for the industrialization and collectivization of agriculture.
February 10 – Official inauguration ceremonies for New Delhi as the capital of India begin.
April 15 – Assassination of Giuseppe (Joe the Boss) Masseria, New York City Mafia boss.
April 17 – After the negotiations between the republican ministers of Spain and Catalonia, the Catalan Republic becomes the Generalitat of Catalonia, a Catalan autonomous government inside the Spanish Republic.
May 5 – İsmet İnönü forms a new government in Turkey (7th government).
May 11 – The Creditanstalt, Austria's largest bank, goes bankrupt, beginning the banking collapse in Central Europe that causes a worldwide financial meltdown.
June–November – 1931 China flood: the Yangtze and Huai Rivers flood in a populous region, leaving an estimated 422,000 dead (150,000 drowned) with many more dying of consequential starvation and disease in the aftermath.
German Chancellor Heinrich Brüning visits London, where he warns British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald that the collapse of the Austrian banking system, caused by the bankruptcy of the Creditanstalt, has left the entire German banking system on the verge of collapse.
Anti-Chinese rioting occurs in Pyongyang. Approximately 127 Chinese people are killed, 393 wounded, and a considerable number of properties are destroyed by Korean residents.
June 14 – Saint-Philibert disaster: The overloaded pleasure craft Saint-Philibert, carrying trippers home to Nantes from the Île de Noirmoutier, sinks at the mouth of the River Loire in France; over 450 drown.
In an attempt to stop the banking crisis in Central Europe from causing a worldwide financial meltdown, U.S. President Herbert Hoover issues the Hoover Moratorium.
August 9 – A referendum in Prussia for dissolving the Landtag ends with the "yes" side winning 37% of the vote, which is insufficient for calling the early elections. The elections are intended to remove the Social Democratic Party (SPD) government of Otto Braun. Supporting the "yes" side were the NSDAP, the DNVP and the Communist Party (KPD), while supporting the "no" side were the SPD and Zentrum.
October 11 – A rally in Bad Harzburg, Germany leads to the Harzburg Front being founded, uniting the NSDAP, the DNVP, the Stahlhelm and various other right-wing factions.
December 8 – Carl Friedrich Goerdeler is appointed Reich Price Commissioner, in Germany to enforce the deflationary policies of the Brüning government.
December 19 – The UAP/CountryCoalition, led by Joseph Lyons, defeats the Australian LaborGovernment, led by Prime MinisterJames Scullin. Coming in the aftermath of two splits in the Labor Party, the election comes about due to the defeat of the Scullin government on the floor of the House of Representatives – to date, it is the last federal election where a one-term government was defeated. Lyons will be sworn in January 6th the following year, but not before disbanding the Coalition, after the UAP wins enough seats to form a government in its own right.
1931: Births
Births
January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December
"New Delhi: The Inaugural Ceremony". The Times. No. 45744. London. February 11, 1931. p. 12.
Courtney, Chris (2018). The Nature of Disaster in China The 1931 Yangzi River Flood. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108278362. ISBN 9781108278362 - Buy this book.
Em, Henry (2013). The Great Enterprise: Sovereignty and Historiography in Modern Korea, Part 2. Durham: Duke University Press. p. 125. ISBN 978-0822353720 - Buy this book 2017.
"Wiley Post". centennialofflight.gov
BBC History, July 2011, p12.
"J&K observes Martyrs' day: CM Omar pays tributes". Zee News. July 13, 2011 2011.
Sara Rector Smith (1970). The Manchurian Crisis, 1931-1932: A Tragedy in International Relations. Greenwood Press. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-8371-3344-7 - Buy this book.
Kanti Singh (January 1, 1987). The Great Depression and Agrarian Economy: A Study of an Underdeveloped Region of India. Mittal Publications. p. 63.
"Pangborn-Herndon Memorial Site". Aviation: From Sand Dunes To Sonic Booms. National Park Service 2012.
Jing, Xu; Dengfeng, Wang (2018). "Dual Identity and Multiple Tasks: Contemporary Chinese Party Media's Involvement in Political Communication". LCM Journal. 5 (2).
Briton Hadden (1935). Time. Time Incorporated. p. 54.
"Mona Hammond obituary". the Guardian. July 5, 2022.
Japan Report. Japan Information Center, Consulate General of Japan. 1989. p. 71.
Roger East (1998). Whitaker's Almanack World Heads of State, 1998. Stationery Office. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-11-702204-1 - Buy this book.
Raph Uwechue (1991). Africa Who's who. Africa Journal Limited. p. 1177. ISBN 978-0-903274-17-3 - Buy this book.
Chase's Calendar of Events 2019 : the ultimate go -to guide for special days, weeks and months. Bernan Press. 2018. p. 73. ISBN 9781641432641 - Buy this book.
Current Biography Yearbook. H. W. Wilson Company. 1978. p. 80.
Verdi, Bob (January 5, 1988). "A no-frills coach for Team USA". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. D1.; Verdi, Bob (January 5, 1988). "Verdi (Continued from Page 1)". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. D5.
Joel Shatzky; Michael Taub; Emmanuel Sampath Nelson (1997). Contemporary Jewish-American Novelists: A Bio-critical Sourcebook. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-313-29462-4 - Buy this book.
Jancik, Wayne (1998). The Billboard book of one-hit wonders. New York: Billboard Books. p. 6. ISBN 9780823076222 - Buy this book.
"David Lee". Nobel Prize 2022.
Bobby Womack; Robert Ashton (2006). Midnight Mover: My Autobiography: the True Story of the Greatest Soul Singer in the World. John Blake. p. 269. ISBN 978-1-84454-148-5 - Buy this book.
Flaherty, Mike (September 2, 2015). "Dean Jones, Affable Star in 'Love Bug' and a Disney Fixture, Dies at 84". The New York Times. p. B19.
Reinhold Kramer (March 20, 2008). Mordecai Richler: Leaving St Urbain. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-7735-7477-9 - Buy this book.
John Morrison (1991). Boris Yeltsin: From Bolshevik to Democrat. Dutton. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-452-26906-4 - Buy this book.
Robert Parker (May 31, 2015). "Walter Burkert: Classical scholar whose fascinating books on Greek mythology and religion were packed with fresh insight". The Independent 2021.
1940 United States Census, United States census, 1940; Sioux City, Iowa; page 480, line 13, enumeration district 97-61B
Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History: A Publication of the Indiana Historical Society. The Society. 1989. p. 7.
"Obituary: Toni Morrison". BBC News. August 6, 2019 2019.
"Former Pres. Chun Doo-hwan Dies at 90". world.kbs.co.kr.
Wolfgang Saxon (October 9, 2003). "Neil Postman, 72, Mass Media Critic, Dies". The New York Times 2022.
Contemporary authors. New Revision series. Detroit, Mich: Gale Research. 1981. p. 123. ISBN 9780810319929 - Buy this book.
Allan T. Duffin; Paul Matheis (2005). The 12 O'Clock High Logbook: The Unofficial History of the Novel, Motion Picture, and TV Series. BearManor Media. p. 271. ISBN 978-1-59393-033-2 - Buy this book.
CHASE'S CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2019 : the ultimate go -to guide for special days, weeks and months. Place of publication not identified: BERNAN Press. 2018. p. 191. ISBN 9781641432641 - Buy this book.
Michael Coveney (May 25, 2020). "Rolf Hochhuth Obituary". The Guardian 2021.
Brown, Andrew (March 26, 2015). "Swedish Nobel laureate Tomas Tranströmer dies aged 83". The Guardian 2015.
"Igor Oistrakh, celebrated Soviet violinist who with his father David walked a political tightrope during the Cold War – obituary". The Telegraph. September 1, 2021 2021.
John Clute (April 29, 2019). "Gene Wolfe Obituary". The Guardian 2021.
Rafael Fermoselle (1992). Cuban Leadership After Castro: Biographies of Cuba's Top Commanders. North-South Center, University of Miami, Research Institute for Cuban Studies. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-935501-35-3 - Buy this book.
"Lindy Remigino, Olympic Champion Runner, Is Dead at 87". The New York Times. July 12, 2018 2020.
"MP profile". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
"Billy Casper: Golfer who won prolifically but who became unfairly". The Independent. February 11, 2015 2021.
Williamson, Marcus (December 8, 2013). "Colin Wilson: Author (Obituary)". The Independent 2014.
Ek, Torbjörn (September 10, 2017). "Hans Alfredson är död". Aftonbladet (in Swedish) 2017.
"Local actor's 'Fantastic Voyage'". Antrim Guardian. April 18, 2020 2020.
Hallvard Dahlie (1984). Alice Munro and Her Works. ECW Press. p. 1. ISBN 9780920802694 - Buy this book.
Cain, Sian (February 26, 2020). "Clive Cussler, bestselling adventure novelist, dies aged 88". The Guardian 2020.
Abbott, Derek (2008). Quantum aspects of life. London: Imperial College Press. p. x. ISBN 9781848162532 - Buy this book.
"Hamilton O. Smith". Nobel Prize 2022.
1931 at National-Football-Teams.com
"Gabriel "Javier Solis" Siria Levario". familysearch (in Spanish) 2022.
"Acta de registro oficial". familysearch (in Spanish) 2022.
"Syukuro Manabe". Nobel Prize 2022.
"Dame Elizabeth Blackadder obituary". The Guardian. August 25, 2021 2021.
G. Ramamurthy (2005). Biographical Dictionary of Great Astronomers. Sura Books. p. 81. ISBN 978-81-7478-697-5 - Buy this book.
Homberger, Eric (December 14, 2020). "John le Carré obituary". The Guardian 2020.
"Nawal El Saadawi obituary". The Guardian. March 22, 2021 2021.
"Falleció el Arzobispo Emérito, Sergio Obeso Rivera" [Archbishop Emeritus, Sergio Obeso Rivera passes away], El Diario de Morelos (in Spanish), Cuernavaca, August 11, 2019 2019
"Mike Nichols – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. November 20, 2014 2014.
James Murdoch (1972). Australia's Contemporary Composers. Macmillan. p. 205. ISBN 978-0-333-13913-4 - Buy this book.
Gray, Charlotte (1986). Klaus Rifbjerg. New York: Greenwood Press. p. 3. ISBN 9780313250989 - Buy this book.
Cowell, Alan (May 31, 2022). "Walter Abish, Daring Writer Who Pondered Germany, Dies at 90". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
Serge Lifar (1959). The Three Graces: Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, Olga Spessivtzeva: The Legends and the Truth. Cassell. p. 111.
Lady Gregory (1978). Lady Gregory's Journals. Oxford University Press. p. 704. ISBN 978-0-19-520067-6 - Buy this book.
Arnold Bennett (1966). Letters of Arnold Bennett. Oxford University Press. p. 618. ISBN 978-0-19-212207-0 - Buy this book.
Chase's Editors; Contemporary Books (September 2002). Chase's Calendar of Events 2003. McGraw-Hill. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-07-139098-9 - Buy this book.
Kahlil Gibran (June 1, 2017). Delphi Collected Poetical Works of Kahlil Gibran (Illustrated). Delphi Classics. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-78656-214-2 - Buy this book.
Critchley, David (2008). The Origin of Organized Crime in America: The New York City Mafia, 1891-1931. New York City: Routledge. pp. 156, 155–57. ISBN 978-0-415-99030-1 - Buy this book.
Rahel Bluwstein October 29, 1890–April 16, 1931
Geller, Judith (1998). Titanic: women and children first. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens. p. 22. ISBN 9781852605940 - Buy this book.
"George Herbert Mead | Symbolic Interactionism, Social Behaviorism, Pragmatism | Britannica". www.britannica.com 2025.
The New International Year Book. Dodd, Mead and Company. 1932. p. 533.
A Case of Melancholia
John Stokes (March 14, 1996). Oscar Wilde: Myths, Miracles and Imitations. Cambridge University Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-521-47537-2 - Buy this book.
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) (1937). Biographical Memoirs. National Academy of Sciences. p. 258.
Reinhard Urbach (1973). Arthur Schnitzler. Frederick Ungar A Book. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-8044-2936-8 - Buy this book.
Clark Kenschaft, Patricia (1987). "Charlotte Angas Scott". In Grinstein, Louise S.; Campbell, Paul J. (eds.). Women of Mathematics: a Biobibliographic Sourcebook. New York: Greenwood Press. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-3132-4849-8 - Buy this book.
Masters, Edgar Lee (1935). Vachel Lindsay : A Poet in America. Biblo & Tannen Publishers. p. 361. ISBN 978-0819602398 - Buy this book. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Miriam Drake (2003). Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, Second Edition - Volume II. Taylor & Francis. p. 848.
1931: External links
The 1930s Timeline: 1931 – from American Studies Programs at The University of Virginia
1931: A Glance at the Twentieth Century by Henry Hartshorne