WORLD HISTORY · 1931 日本語
Events of 1931Showa 6 (Japan) · Year of the Goat
What happened in 1931?
In 1931, a bombing of a railway line at Liutiaohu in Manchuria, sparked the Manchurian Incident. Haneda Airport opened, Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi's cabinet reimposed the gold export ban, and Britain also abandoned the gold standard.
- Spain abolishes its monarchyEurope
- Empire State Building completedNorth America
- Hoover Moratorium declaredNorth America
- Haneda Airport opensAsia
- Shimizu Tunnel completes Joetsu rail lineAsia
- Manchurian Incident beginsAsia
- Britain abandons gold standardEurope
- Inukai cabinet formed, reimposes gold export banAsia
Tap an event to jump to it in the timeline below.
1931 at a glance
| Japanese era | Showa 6 |
|---|---|
| Chinese zodiac | Year of the Goat |
| Age of people born in 1931 | Turn 95 in 2026 |
| Previous / next year | 1930 (Showa 5) ／ 1932 (Showa 7) |
| Events | 38 |
| AP World History | Unit 7 (Global Conflict) |
| AP U.S. History | Period 7 |
Famous people born in 1931
Our birthday pages list 566 people born in 1931. Here are some of them.
- Sam CookeBorn January 22 · turns 95 this year · American singer and songwriter who helped create soul music with hits like You…
- Toni MorrisonBorn February 18 · turns 95 this year · American novelist, author of Beloved and Song of Solomon, who won the Nobel Pri…
- Mikhail GorbachevBorn March 2 · turns 95 this year · Last leader of the Soviet Union, known for glasnost and perestroika reforms and…
- Rupert MurdochBorn March 11 · turns 95 this year · Australian-born American media executive who built News Corporation and launche…
- William ShatnerBorn March 22 · turns 95 this year · Canadian actor best known as Captain James T. Kirk on the original Star Trek te…
- Willie MaysBorn May 6 · turns 95 this year · Hall of Fame center fielder for the Giants, known as the "Say Hey Kid" and fame…
- Barbara EdenBorn August 23 · turns 95 this year · American actress beloved for playing the genie Jeannie in the 1960s sitcom I Dr…
- Anne BancroftBorn September 17 · turns 95 this year · American actress who won an Oscar for The Miracle Worker and played Mrs. Robins…
- Desmond TutuBorn October 7 · turns 95 this year · South African Anglican archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner who opposed apar…
- John le CarréBorn October 19 · turns 95 this year · British novelist known for realistic Cold War spy thrillers such as Tinker, Tai…
- Mickey MantleBorn October 20 · turns 95 this year · New York Yankees slugger and switch-hitter who won the 1956 Triple Crown and se…
- Rita MorenoBorn December 11 · turns 95 this year · Puerto Rican-born American actress, singer, and dancer who won an Oscar for pla…
Show 28 more
- Shintaro KatsuBorn November 29 · turns 95 this year
- Robert DuvallBorn January 5 · turns 95 this year
- Toshiki KaifuBorn January 2 · turns 95 this year
- Nora IugaBorn January 4 · turns 95 this year
- William DeaneBorn January 4 · turns 95 this year
- Alfred BrendelBorn January 5 · turns 95 this year
- Alvin AileyBorn January 5 · turns 95 this year
- Walt DavisBorn January 5 · turns 95 this year
- E. L. DoctorowBorn January 6 · turns 95 this year
- Mirja HietamiesBorn January 7 · turns 95 this year
- Bill GrahamBorn January 8 · turns 95 this year
- Clarence Benjamin JonesBorn January 8 · turns 95 this year
- Algis BudrysBorn January 9 · turns 95 this year
- Nik Abdul Aziz Nik MatBorn January 10 · turns 95 this year
- Peter BarnesBorn January 10 · turns 95 this year
- Rosalind Howells, Baroness Howells of St DavidsBorn January 10 · turns 95 this year
- Betty ChurcherBorn January 11 · turns 95 this year
- Mary RodgersBorn January 11 · turns 95 this year
- Charles Nelson ReillyBorn January 13 · turns 95 this year
- Chris WigginsBorn January 13 · turns 95 this year
- Ian HendryBorn January 13 · turns 95 this year
- Rip TaylorBorn January 13 · turns 95 this year
- Caterina ValenteBorn January 14 · turns 95 this year
- Frank CostiganBorn January 14 · turns 95 this year
- Martin HoldgateBorn January 14 · turns 95 this year
- Derek MeddingsBorn January 15 · turns 95 this year
- Lee BontecouBorn January 15 · turns 95 this year
- Johannes RauBorn January 16 · turns 95 this year
Events of 1931 (timeline · 38)
Tip: the PC view is best for studying
On a computer, each region has its own vertical line, so you can follow the flow of events and see what was happening in different parts of the world at the same time.
Guy Menzies flies the first solo non-stop trans-Tasman flight (from Australia to New Zealand) in 11 hours and 45 minutes, crash-landing on New Zealand's west coast.
Sir Isaac Isaacs is sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia.
The U.S. Congress approves the construction of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge by the state of California.
An anarchist uprising in Encarnación, Paraguay briefly transforms the city into a revolutionary commune.
Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar are hanged for the killing of a deputy superintendent of police during the Indian independence movement.
A Transcontinental & Western Air airliner crashes near Bazaar, Kansas, killing eight, including University of Notre Dame head football coach Knute Rockne.
The Second Spanish Republic is proclaimed and King Alfonso XIII goes into exile. Meanwhile, in Barcelona, Francesc Macià proclaims the Catalan Republic.
After negotiations between Catalan and Spanish provisional governments, the Catalan Republic proclaimed in April 14 becomes the Generalitat de Catalunya, the autonomous government of Catalonia within the Spanish Republic.
The stand-off between criminal Francis Crowley and 300 members of the New York Police Department takes place in his fifth-floor apartment on West 91st Street, New York City.
Five unarmed civilians are killed in the Ådalen shootings, as the Swedish military is called in to deal with protesting workers.
Michele Schirru, a citizen of the United States, is executed by a Royal Italian Army firing squad for intent to kill Benito Mussolini.
A deadly tornado strikes Birmingham, England, damaging 2,221 homes and businesses.
Wiley Post and Harold Gatty take off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island in an attempt to circumnavigate the world in a single-engine plane.
Wiley Post and Harold Gatty become the first people to circumnavigate the globe in a single-engined monoplane aircraft (a Lockheed Vega).
Judge and Nazi Party member Werner Best drafts the Boxheim Documents, which described a violent takeover of the government by the NSDAP.
Resignation of the United Kingdom's Second Labour Government. Formation of the UK National Government.
Imperial Japan instigates the Mukden incident as a pretext to invade and occupy Manchuria.
The George Washington Bridge in the United States is opened, linking New Jersey and New York.
Clara Campoamor persuades the Constituent Cortes to enfranchise women in Spain's new constitution.
Clyde Edward Pangborn and Hugh Herndon, Jr. make the first nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean in the plane Miss Veedol.
A secret society in the Imperial Japanese Army launches an abortive coup d'état attempt.
The Chinese Soviet Republic is proclaimed on the anniversary of the October Revolution.
Wilhelm Schäfer leaves the Nazi Party and hands over the Boxheim Documents to the Frankfurt police.
The Constituent Cortes approves a constitution which establishes the Second Spanish Republic.
Statute of Westminster 1931: The British Parliament establishes legislative equality between the UK and the Dominions of the Commonwealth—Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand, South Africa, and Ireland.
Source: Wikipedia date pages ("January 1" … "December 31") / CC BY-SA 4.0. Regions are assigned by the site editors.
FAQ
What year was 1931 in the Japanese calendar?
1931 was Showa 6 in the Japanese era system.
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1931?
1931 is the Year of the Goat.
How old is someone born in 1931?
They turn 95 on their birthday in 2026.
What happened in 1931?
In 1931, a bombing of a railway line at Liutiaohu in Manchuria, sparked the Manchurian Incident. Haneda Airport opened, Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi's cabinet reimposed the gold export ban, and Britain also abandoned the gold standard.
Dates and events are based on Wikipedia and other references. Summaries and regions are written by the site editors.