The 1930s

1931 95 years ago

The stand-off between criminal Francis Crowley and 300 members of the New York Police Department takes place in his fift

Francis Crowley was an American murderer. His crime spree lasted nearly three months, ending in a two-hour shootout with the New York City Police Department on May 7, 1931, that wa…

The stand-off between criminal Francis Crowley and 300 members of the New York Police Department takes place in his fift

1931 95 years ago

A deadly tornado strikes Birmingham, England, damaging 2,221 homes and businesses

On the evening of June 14, 1931, a deadly F3 tornado moved through the southern and eastern suburbs of Birmingham, England, killing 1 person and injuring at least 10 others. The to…

A deadly tornado strikes Birmingham, England, damaging 2,221 homes and businesses

1931 95 years ago

Resignation of the United Kingdom's Second Labour Government. Formation of the UK National Government.

The second MacDonald ministry was formed by Ramsay MacDonald on his reappointment as prime minister of the United Kingdom by King George V on 5 June 1929. It was the second time th…

Resignation of the United Kingdom's Second Labour Government. Formation of the UK National Government.

1931 95 years ago

Clara Campoamor persuades the Constituent Cortes to enfranchise women in Spain's new constitution.

Clara Campoamor Rodríguez was a Spanish politician, lawyer and writer, considered by some the mother of the Spanish feminist movement. She was one of the main promoters for women's…

Clara Campoamor persuades the Constituent Cortes to enfranchise women in Spain's new constitution.

1931 95 years ago

Al Capone is convicted of income tax evasion.

Alphonse Gabriel Capone, sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder an…

Al Capone is convicted of income tax evasion.

1931 95 years ago

Wiley Post and Harold Gatty take off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island in an attempt to circumnavigate the world in a si

Wiley Hardeman Post was an American aviator during the interwar period and the first pilot to fly solo around the world. Known for his work in high-altitude flying, he helped devel…

Wiley Post and Harold Gatty take off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island in an attempt to circumnavigate the world in a si

1931 95 years ago

United Airlines begins service (as Boeing Air Transport).

United Airlines, Inc. is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the Unite…

United Airlines begins service (as Boeing Air Transport).

1931 95 years ago

Wiley Post and Harold Gatty become the first people to circumnavigate the globe in a single-engined monoplane aircraft.

Wiley Hardeman Post was an American aviator during the interwar period and the first pilot to fly solo around the world. Known for his work in high-altitude flying, he helped devel…

Wiley Post and Harold Gatty become the first people to circumnavigate the globe in a single-engined monoplane aircraft.

1931 95 years ago

Emperor Haile Selassie signs the first constitution of Ethiopia.

The emperor of Ethiopia, also known as the Atse, was the hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century until the abolition of the monarchy in 1975. The e…

Emperor Haile Selassie signs the first constitution of Ethiopia.

1931 95 years ago

Judge and Nazi Party member Werner Best drews the Boxheim Documents, which described a violent takeover of the…

The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party, was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideo…

Judge and Nazi Party member Werner Best drews the Boxheim Documents, which described a violent takeover of the…

1931 95 years ago

John Barrett, English tennis player and sportscaster

John Edward Barrett, is a British retired tennis player, television commentator and author.

John Barrett, English tennis player and sportscaster

1931 95 years ago

Malcolm Browne, American journalist and photographer (died 2012)

Malcolm Wilde Browne was an American journalist and photographer, best known for his award-winning photograph of the self-immolation of Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức in 1963.

Malcolm Browne, American journalist and photographer (died 2012)

1931 95 years ago

Bill Miles, American director and producer (died 2013)

William Miles was an American filmmaker. Born in Harlem, New York, he used his deep knowledge and experience of that iconic neighborhood to produce films that tell unique and ofte…

Bill Miles, American director and producer (died 2013)

1931 95 years ago

Walter Stewart, Canadian journalist and author (died 2004)

Walter Douglas Stewart was an outspoken Canadian writer, editor and journalism educator, a veteran of newspapers and magazines and author of more than twenty books, several of them…

Walter Stewart, Canadian journalist and author (died 2004)

1931 95 years ago

Imperial Japan instigates the Mukden incident as a pretext to invade and occupy Manchuria.

The Mukden incident was a false flag event staged by Japanese military personnel as a pretext for the 1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria. On September 18, 1931, Lieutenant Suemori…

Imperial Japan instigates the Mukden incident as a pretext to invade and occupy Manchuria.

1931 95 years ago

The George Washington Bridge in the United States is opened, linking New Jersey and New York.

The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee in Bergen County, New Jersey, with the Washington Heights neighborh…

The George Washington Bridge in the United States is opened, linking New Jersey and New York.

1931 95 years ago

Clyde Edward Pangborn and Hugh Herndon, Jr. make the first nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean in the plane Miss…

Clyde Edward Pangborn, nicknamed "Upside-Down Pangborn", was an American aviator and barnstormer who performed aerial stunts in the 1920s for the Gates Flying Circus. He was its ha…

Clyde Edward Pangborn and Hugh Herndon, Jr. make the first nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean in the plane Miss…

1931 95 years ago

A secret society in the Imperial Japanese Army launches an abortive coup d'état attempt.

The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan's rapid modernization during the Meiji p…

A secret society in the Imperial Japanese Army launches an abortive coup d'état attempt.

1931 95 years ago

The George Washington Bridge opens to public traffic over the Hudson River.

The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee in Bergen County, New Jersey, with the Washington Heights neighborh…

The George Washington Bridge opens to public traffic over the Hudson River.

1931 95 years ago

Michael Allenby, 3rd Viscount Allenby, English lieutenant and politician (died 2014)

Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Jaffray Hynman Allenby, 3rd Viscount Allenby was a British politician, hereditary peer, and horse welfare advocate.

Michael Allenby, 3rd Viscount Allenby, English lieutenant and politician (died 2014)

1931 95 years ago

John Eccles, 2nd Viscount Eccles, English businessman and politician

John Dawson Eccles, 2nd Viscount Eccles,, is a British Conservative peer and businessman. He is one of the ninety-two hereditary peers elected to remain in the House of Lords after…

John Eccles, 2nd Viscount Eccles, English businessman and politician

1931 95 years ago

Morgan Wootten, American high school basketball coach (died 2020)

Morgan Bayard Wootten was an American high school basketball coach for 46 seasons at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He led the Stags to five national champi…

Morgan Wootten, American high school basketball coach (died 2020)

1931 95 years ago

Julian Carroll, American politician, 54th Governor of Kentucky (died 2023)

Julian Morton Carroll was an American lawyer and politician from the state of Kentucky. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 54th governor of Kentucky from 1974 to 19…

Julian Carroll, American politician, 54th Governor of Kentucky (died 2023)

1931 95 years ago

Bill Ramsey, American jazz and pop singer, journalist and actor (died 2021)

William McCreery Ramsey was an American-German jazz and pop singer, journalist and actor famous for his German-language hits. He returned to Germany a year after he had served comp…

Bill Ramsey, American jazz and pop singer, journalist and actor (died 2021)