January 1931

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January 4, 1931: CBS Radio ban of Father Charles Coughlin from broadcast attracts 200,000 angry letters
January 7, 1931: Two million French mourners watch funeral procession for Marshal Joseph Joffre in Paris
January 26, 1931: Gandhi released from prison by British India government

The following events occurred in January 1931:

Thursday, January 1, 1931[edit]

  • The Road Traffic Act came into effect in the United Kingdom and abolished all speed limits on automobiles. With the removal of restrictions on speed, the Act also made driving while intoxicated a criminal offense, along with reckless driving; required vehicle operators to carry liability insurance; and introduced a drivers' licensing test for certain people, specifically those with a disability.[1][2]
  • The Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0-0) and the Washington State Cougars (9-0-0), both unbeaten and untied in American college football, faced each other in Pasadena, California, in the 17th annual Rose Bowl. Alabama won, 24 to 0. Notre Dame, which finished 10-0-0 and defeated unbeaten Northwestern and Army as well as once-beaten USC (which had lost to Washington State), did not compete in a postseason game.
  • A group of 150,000 coal miners went on strike in South Wales, following up on the walkout of 75,000 miners in Scotland on December 1.[3]
  • The kidnapping of Adolphus Busch Orthwein, the 13-year-old grandson of Anheuser-Busch CEO August Anheuser Busch, Sr., ended after 20 hours. The Busch family said no ransom had been demanded or paid, and that the father of the kidnapper had returned their son to them.[4][5]
  • Italian dictator Benito Mussolini made an English-language radio address to the United States, offering a message of friendship and saying that Italy did not want war. "I should like to contradict many rumors spread abroad on the attitude taken by Fascism and the danger it is supposed to represent for the peace of the world", Mussolini said. "Neither I nor my government nor the Italian people desire to bring about war."[6]
  • In a lecture in Cleveland, sociology professor William Fielding Ogburn predicted that the society of the future would eradicate poverty, greatly increase education and control its birth rate based on demand.[7]

Friday, January 2, 1931[edit]

Saturday, January 3, 1931[edit]

Marshal Joffre

Sunday, January 4, 1931[edit]

  • Father Coughlin's weekly radio sermon was banned from broadcast over CBS. The sermon for the week was titled "Prosperity" and discussed unemployment. The ban came after the network asked Coughlin to moderate his attacks on the Hoover Administration's economic policies.[11]
  • Died:
    • Roger Connor, 73, American baseball player whose 138 career home runs had been the major league record for 23 years until he was superseded by Babe Ruth in 1920
    • Princess Louise of the United Kingdom, 63, eldest daughter of the last King Edward VII and younger sister of King George V
    • Art Acord, 40, American silent film star who had been unable to make the transition to sound films, committed suicide by taking poison

Monday, January 5, 1931[edit]

Ernst Röhm

Tuesday, January 6, 1931[edit]

Wednesday, January 7, 1931[edit]

Thursday, January 8, 1931[edit]

  • Lita Grey, the ex-wife of Charlie Chaplin, was kidnapped and robbed along with retired boxer Georges Carpentier as the couple left a theater in New York. After being held at gunpoint by four armed robbers, the two were driven more than a mile and then dumped out. Ms. Grey reported being robbed of $14,000 in jewelry.[16]
  • Germany's total of unemployed was estimated at 4.5 million.[17]
  • Born: Bill Graham, German-born American concert promoter; as Wulf Wolodia Grajonca in Berlin (killed in helicopter crash, 1991)

Friday, January 9, 1931[edit]

  • The Spanish Air Corps was temporarily abolished for one month by King Alfonso XIII as punishment for the failed December 15 revolt. When the month was up the department was to be completely reorganized with less autonomy.[18]
  • Died: Jean Schopfer, 62, Swiss-born French tennis player

Saturday, January 10, 1931[edit]

  • A three-member arbitration court in Germany cut the wages of 300,000 Ruhr miners by 6 percent.[19][20]
  • Born: Peter Barnes, English playwright and screenwriter, in Bow, London (d. 2004)

Sunday, January 11, 1931[edit]

  • Four Catholic priests and nine students were arrested in Lithuania on charges of disseminating anti-government propaganda.[21]
  • After a week of negative publicity and an estimated 200,000 angry letters from listeners, CBS relented and allowed Father Coughlin's "Prosperity" sermon to be broadcast.[11]
  • Chicago gangster James Belcastro was shot five times by would-be assassins, but survived.[22]
  • Died: Nathan Straus, 82, Bavarian-born American department store merchant and philanthropist for whom the Israeli city of Netanya is named

Monday, January 12, 1931[edit]

  • Agricultural experts from 26 countries met in Geneva to discuss the world's grain production problem.[23]
  • Born: Roland Alphonso, Cuban-born Jamaican saxophonist, in Havana (d. 1998)

Tuesday, January 13, 1931[edit]

Wednesday, January 14, 1931[edit]

  • Chicago mobster Terry Druggan was sentenced to a year in prison for contempt of court, but his attorneys immediately secured a writ of habeas corpus that got him freed on $5,000 bail.[26]
  • Born: Caterina Valente, French-born Italian guitarist, dancer and actress, in Paris
  • Died: Hardy Richardson, 75, American baseball player and 1886 National League home run leader

Thursday, January 15, 1931[edit]

  • An earthquake killed 114 people in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.
  • Eleven Italian seaplanes led by Italo Balbo touched down at Botafogo Bay in Brazil, ending a 6,000 mile flight from Italy that began on December 17. The pilots were greeted by Brazilian president Getúlio Vargas.[27]

Friday, January 16, 1931[edit]

Panama's President Alfaro

Saturday, January 17, 1931[edit]

  • Almost 250,000 weavers in the Lancashire cotton mills were locked out by the mill owners.[28]
  • A special U.S. House of Representatives investigative subcommittee recommended legislation to check the activities of American communists.[29]
  • Born: James Earl Jones, American stage and film actor, winner of two Tony Awards, an Academy Award, an Emmy Award and a Grammy Award; in Arkabutla, Mississippi

Sunday, January 18, 1931[edit]

Monday, January 19, 1931[edit]

  • The first London Round Table Conference on India broke up with the Indian delegates having secured a pledge from Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald to allow India to advance towards self-government.[31]
  • During an address in Philadelphia, Major General Smedley Butler recounted a story which he claimed to have been told by a friend who supposedly witnessed Benito Mussolini run over and kill a child while driving recklessly in Italy. Butler claimed that when his unnamed friend riding in the car screamed, Mussolini continued driving and said, "What is one life in the affairs of a state?" Butler's remarks led to a diplomatic row between Italy and the United States.[32]
  • Born:
  • Robert MacNeil, Canadian-born American novelist, news anchor and journalist who created and co-anchored The MacNeil/Lehrer Report from 1975 to 1995; in Montreal
  • Jazeh Tabatabai, Iranian avant-garde painter, poet, and sculptor, died from heart failure (d. 2008)

Tuesday, January 20, 1931[edit]

Wednesday, January 21, 1931[edit]

  • German Foreign Minister Julius Curtius spoke before the council of the League of Nations, accusing Poland of persecuting German minorities and reaffirming Germany's hopes to someday recover the territory lost to Poland in the Treaty of Versailles.[34]
  • British MPs defeated the Education Bill, which would have raised the minimum age for dropping out of school from 14 to 15.[2]
  • Died: Alma Rubens, 33, American film and stage actress, died from lobar pneumonia and bronchitis shortly after her release on bond for possession of cocaine

Thursday, January 22, 1931[edit]

Friday, January 23, 1931[edit]

Saturday, January 24, 1931[edit]

Sunday, January 25, 1931[edit]

  • Germany's Chancellor Brüning told the German people to forget about reparations revisions and concentrate on putting public and private finances in order. "It is not only through reparations burdens that we have fallen into financial misfortune", he said, "but to a very large measure through letting ourselves imagine that despite a lost war, despite huge sacrifices in blood and treasure, both state and individual could live better than in pre-war times."[39]

Monday, January 26, 1931[edit]

Tuesday, January 27, 1931[edit]

Wednesday, January 28, 1931[edit]

Thursday, January 29, 1931[edit]

Friday, January 30, 1931[edit]

Saturday, January 31, 1931[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "UK speed limits: everything you need to know", by Dean Gibson, AutoExpress.Co.UK, April 30, 2021
  2. ^ a b Mercer, Derrik (1989). Chronicle of the 20th Century. London: Chronicle Communications Ltd. p. 400. ISBN 978-0-582-03919-3.
  3. ^ "Fail to Attain Peace in British Coal Mine Row". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 13, 1931. p. 8.
  4. ^ O'Neil, Tim (December 28, 2013). "A Look Back – Busch family heir kidnapped on New Year's Eve in 1930". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  5. ^ Donnelly, Shannon (November 27, 2013). "Orthwein, Anheuser-Busch heir, dies at 96". Palm Beach Daily News. Palm Beach, Florida. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  6. ^ "Italy Doesn't Itch for War: Duce to U.S.". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 2, 1931. p. 1.
  7. ^ Kinsley, Philip (January 2, 1931). "Scientist Sees Poverty's End; Fewer Babies". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1.
  8. ^ Martin, Gerald (January 3, 1931). "Panama Rebels Make Envoy to U.S. President". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1.
  9. ^ Smith, Josh (February 13, 2013). "Fastest Two Goals in NHL History: Prospal and Letestu Make Their Mark". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  10. ^ Aliperti, Cliff (August 14, 2012). "Smart Money (1931) Starring Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney". Immortal Ephemera. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  11. ^ a b Benjamin, Louise M. (2009). The NBC Advisory Council and Radio Programming, 1926–1945. Southern Illinois University. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-8093-8674-1.
  12. ^ "Tageseinträge für 5. Januar 1931". chroniknet. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  13. ^ "Hoover Speaks Word of Cheer to Auto Makers". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 7, 1931. p. 2.
  14. ^ "Norway Grants Trotsky, Red Exile, Lecture Permit". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 7, 1931. p. 9.
  15. ^ "2 Million Defy Cold at Funeral of Joffre". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 7, 1931. pp. 1, 11.
  16. ^ "Two Film Stars Figure in Hold-Up". Montreal Gazette. Montreal: 15. January 9, 1931.
  17. ^ "German Jobless Total 4,357,000 at End of Year". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 9, 1931. p. 5.
  18. ^ Allen, Jay (January 9, 1931). "Spain's Air Corps Abolished; Army to Take it Over". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 5.
  19. ^ "German Arbiter Decrees 6% Wage Cut for 300,000 Miners". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 11, 1931. p. 4.
  20. ^ "Tageseinträge für 10. Januar 1931". chroniknet. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  21. ^ "Tageseinträge für 11. Januar 1931". chroniknet. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  22. ^ a b "Public Enemy's Citizenship is Revoked by U. S.". Chicago Daily Tribune. February 1, 1931. p. 2.
  23. ^ "26 Nations Meet to Study World Grain Problem". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 13, 1931. p. 5.
  24. ^ "Woman Poisoners of Husband Dies on the Gallows". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 14, 1931. p. 13.
  25. ^ "Tomorrow and Tomorrow". PlaybillVault. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  26. ^ "Terry Druggan Sent to Jail, But Stays Only for Brief Time". The Palm Beach Post. Palm Beach, Florida: 1. January 15, 1931.
  27. ^ "Air Fleet Roars into Rio; 6,000 Mile Flight Ends". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 16, 1931. p. 12.
  28. ^ "250,000 British Cotton Weavers are Locked Out". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 18, 1931. p. 7.
  29. ^ "Communists a Threat to U.S., Probers Find". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 18, 1931. p. 1.
  30. ^ Schultz, Sigrid (January 19, 1931). "Von Hindenburg Stirs Old Timers in Oath of Unity". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 8.
  31. ^ a b Gilbert, Martin (2012). Winston Churchill – the Wilderness Years. London: I.B. Tauris. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-85772-108-2.
  32. ^ a b ""My Auto Never Killed a Child", Duce Declares". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 28, 1931. p. 3.
  33. ^ Kyvig, David (1979). "Repealing National Prohibition – Chapter 6". Shaffer Library of Drug Policy. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  34. ^ Wales, Henry (January 22, 1931). "Germany Tells League it Wants Land Lost in War". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 7.
  35. ^ "French Cabinet Falls on Plan to Stabilize Wheat". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 23, 1931. p. 5.
  36. ^ "1931". Grauman's Chinese. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  37. ^ "German Police Save Chancellor from Angry Mob". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 24, 1931. p. 6.
  38. ^ "Estimates U. S. has 4 1/2 Millin Without Jobs". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 25, 1931. p. 6.
  39. ^ "Stop Spending, Bruening Warns German Nation". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 26, 1931. p. 2.
  40. ^ "Bombay Wild with Joy; 'Holy Man' Arrives". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 27, 1931. p. 1.
  41. ^ Holston, Kim R. (2013). Movie Roadshows: A History and Filmography of Reserved-Seat Limited Showings, 1911–1973. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-7864-6062-5.
  42. ^ "Duce's Cable Revealed". Chicago Daily Tribune. February 1, 1931. p. 1.
  43. ^ Kauffman, Peter. "Linton, Indiana, 1931: The Little Betty Coal Mine Explosion". Indiana Disasters. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  44. ^ Steele, John (January 30, 1931). "Churchill Quits Shadow Cabinet of British Tories". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 8.
  45. ^ "Butler Arrested; Will Fight". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 30, 1931. p. 1.
  46. ^ "Prime Minister of Canada Calls at White House". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 31, 1931. p. 8.
  47. ^ Vance, Jeffrey. "City Lights" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved 2021-01-09.