Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift.

Historical Events in October 1931

  • 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 Spanish Cortes accept general female suffrage
  • Oct 1 The second (and current) Waldorf-Astoria Hotel is opened in New York.

On economic crisis

Oct 2 Pope Pius XI encyclical On economic crisis

  • 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 play "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 Baseball World Series: St Louis Cardinals beat Philadelphia A's, 4-2 at Sportsman's Park for a 4 games to 3 series win
  • 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

Christ 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

  • Oct 13 Musical "Everybody's Welcome" with Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey premieres in NYC

Cavalcade

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

  • 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

Al Capone Convicted

Oct 18 Gangster Al Capone is convicted on five of the 23 counts of tax evasion against him, later fined $50,000 and sentenced to 11 years in jail

MVP Frankie Frisch

Oct 20 Frankie Frisch of the Cards named MVP

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

Mourning Becomes Electra

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

  • 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

Eugene Ormandy Debut

Oct 30 Eugene Ormandy makes his debut leading the Philadelphia Orchestra, substituting for an ailing Arturo Toscanini

  • Oct 30 W2XB TV channel 1 in NYC, NY (NBC) begins broadcasting