What Happened in May 1931

Historical Events

Quadragesimo Anno

May 15 Pope Pius XI publishes encyclical Quadragesimo anno

May 16 57th Kentucky Derby: Charley Kurtsinger on Twenty Grand wins 2:01.8
May 19 Cruiser Deutschland launched in Kiel
May 22 1931 George End introduces “Genuine Diamondback Rattlesnake with Supreme Sauce” in a can, by his Florida Products Corporation; the popular item ceases production in 1944 after when the owner dies, a victim of one snake's revenge [1]
May 23 Whipsnade Zoo opens in Bedfordshire, England
May 24 1st air-conditioned train installed-B&O Railroad
May 27 1st full scale wind tunnel for testing airplane at Langley Field, Virginia
May 27 Swiss Auguste Piccard and Paul Kipfer make 1st flight into stratosphere, by balloon from Augsburg, Germany
May 30 Indianapolis 500: Defending champion Billy Arnold leads for 155 laps before axle trouble; Louis Schneider leads final 34 laps accompanied by riding mechanic Jigger Johnson
May 30 Phillies Chuck Klein homers off Ben Cantwell (Braves) in both ends DH

36th French Championships

May 31 36th French Championship Women's Tennis: Cilly Aussem of Germany beats England's Betty Nuthall 8-6, 6-1 for the first of 2 major titles in 1931

36th French Championships

May 31 36th French Championships Men's Tennis: Jean Borotra wins his only home title; beats fellow Frenchman Christian Boussus 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4

Events in 1931

Famous Birthdays

May 2 Phil Bruns, American actor and writer (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman - "George Shumway"), born in Pipestone, Minnesota (d. 2012)
May 2 Richard "Groove" Holmes, American jazz organist ("Misty"), born in Camden, New Jersey (d. 1991)
May 3 Joe Layton, American director and choreographer, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1994)
May 3 Thomas Sutherland, American hostage (Lebanon) and academic, born in Falkirk, Scotland (d. 2016)
May 4 Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Russian conductor (Bolshoi Theatre, 1951-61; USSR State Radio, 1961-74; USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony, 1983-91), born in Moscow, Russia, USSR (d. 2018)
May 4 Thomas Stuttaford, British doctor and medical columnist (The Times), born in Norfolk, England
May 5 Greg [Michel Régnier], Belgian comic-book writer (Achille Talon), born in Ixelles, Belgium (d. 1999)
May 6 Hasaan Ibn Ali [William Henry Langford, Jr], American jazz pianist and composer (Max Roach Trio), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1980)
May 6 Marvin Leath, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 11th district), born in Henderson, Texas (d. 2000)

Willie Mays (92 years old)

May 6 American Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder (24 x MLB All Star; 12 x Gold Glove Award; 660 career HRs, NL MVP 1954, 65; SF Giants, NY Mets), born in Westfield, Alabama

May 7 Gene Wolfe, American sci-fi author (Soldier of Arete), born in New York City
May 7 Nel Ginjaar-Maas, Dutch under-secretary of Education (VVD), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 2012)
May 7 Teresa Brewer, American pop and jazz singer ("Put Another Nickel In"), born in Toledo, Ohio (d. 2007)
May 8 Charles M. Wilson, Canadian organist and composer (The Angels Of The Earth), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2019)
May 9 Alistair MacFarlane, Engineer and principal (Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland)
May 9 Vance DeVoe Brand, American USN officer and aviator, and NASA astronaut (Apollo 18; STS-5, -41-B & -35), born in Longmont, Colorado
May 10 Ettore Scola, Italian director and screenwriter (A Special Day), born in Trevico, Campania (d. 2016)
May 10 Lord Michael Mustill, of Pateley Bridge, Lord Justice of Appeal
May 10 Yūzō Toyama, Japanese composer and conductor, born in Tokyo, Japan
May 11 Stephen Smalley, rev/dean (Chester)
May 12 Johan Fleerackers, Flemish vice-president of Dutch One
May 13 Eileen Diss, British theatrical designer (August, Secret Places, Betrayal), born in London, England

Jim Jones (1931-1978)

May 13 American pastor and leader of the Peoples Temple cult (Jonestown Massacre), born in Randolph County, Indiana

May 13 Sydney Lipworth, South African born lawyer and businessman (head of UK Monopolies & Mergers Commission), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
May 14 Alvin Lucier, American composer of experimental music (I Am Sitting In A Room; Music On A Long Thin Wire), born in Nashua, New Hampshire
May 15 F Korthals Altes, Dutch minister of Justice (VVD)
May 15 James Mitchell, American session baritone saxophone (The Memphis Horns; Stax Records), born in Memphis, Tennesee (d. 2000)
May 15 Ken Venturi, American golfer, broadcaster (US Open 1964), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2013)
May 16 Denise Filiatrault, French Canadian actress and director (The Plouffe Family), born in Montreal, Quebec
May 16 Donald James Martino, American classical composer (Notturno - Pulitzer Prize, 1974), born in Plainfield, New Jersey (d. 2005)
May 16 Hana Brady, Jewish Czech Holocaust victim (Hanna's Suitcase), born in Prague (d. 1944)
May 16 Jack Dodson, American actor (Howard Sprage- "The Andy Griffith Show"), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1994)
May 16 Lowell P Weicker, American politician (US Senator from Connecticut (R), 1971-88): Governor of Connecticut, 1991-95), born in Paris, France (d. 2023) [1]
May 16 Natwar Singh, Indian politician
May 16 Peter Levi, poet/writer
May 17 Marshall Applewhite, American cult leader (Heaven's Gate), born in Spur, Texas (d. 1997)
May 17 Stan Albeck, American basketball coach (Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls), born in Chenoa, Illinois (d. 2021)
May 17 [Walter] Dewey Redman, American jazz saxophonist, born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 2006)
May 18 Don Martin, American cartoonist "Mad's Maddest Artist", born in Paterson, New Jersey (d. 2000)
May 18 Robert Morse, American Tony and Emmy Award-winning stage and screen singer and actor (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; Mad Men), born in Newton, Massachusetts (d. 2022)
May 19 Bob Anderson, British racing driver (d. 1967)
May 19 Eric Davidson, comedy scriptwriter
May 19 Éric Tappy, Swiss operatic tenor, born in Lausanne, Switzerland
May 19 Ruben Radica, Croatian classical and electronic music composer (Towards A), and educator, born in Split, Yugoslavia (d. 2021)
May 19 Trevor Peacock, British stage and screen actor (The Vicar of Dibley - "Jim Trott"), screenwriter, and songwriter ("Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter"), born in Edmonton, Middlesex, England (d. 2021)
May 20 Chiharu Igaya, Japan, slalom (Olympic silver 1956)
May 20 Ken Boyer, American baseball player (d. 1982)
May 21 Desmond Wilcox, English broadcaster (BBC, ITV), born in Welwyn Garden City, England (d. 2000)
May 21 George Vassiliou, Cypriot politician, President of Cyprus (1988-93), born in Famagusta, Cyprus
May 23 Barbara Barrie [Berman], American actress and author (Breaking Away, Barney Miller), born in Chicago, Illinois
May 24 Aili Jõgi, Estonian freedom fighter, born in Tallinn, Estonia (d. 2017)
May 24 Donald Phelps, American actor (Ghost Ship), born in Indiana (d. 1993)
May 24 Michael Lonsdale, French actor (The Day of the Jackal, Moonraker), born in Paris, France (d. 2020)
May 25 John Gabriel [Jack Monkarsh], American stage and screen actor (Ryan's Hope), singer, lyricist, and producer, born in Niagara Falls, New York (d. 2021)
May 26 Jim Frey, American MLB manager (Kansas City Royals, American League C'ship 1980; Chicago Cubs), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2020)
May 27 Florence Sharples, director (British YWCA)
May 27 James Wilson, American criminologist ('Zero Tolerance' policing), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2012)
May 27 John Chapple, British chief of General Staff
May 27 Kenny Price, American country singer ("Walking on New Grass"; "Happy Tracks"), born in Florence, Kentucky (d. 1987)
May 27 Philip Kotler, American economist, educator, and author considered the "Father of Modern Marketing", born in Chicago, Illinois
May 27 Věroslav Neumann, Czech composer and music educator, born in Citoliby, Czechoslovakia (d. 2006)
May 28 Carroll Baker, American actress (Andy Warhol's Bad, Babydoll, Harlow), born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
May 28 Peter Talbot Westergaard, American composer and educator, born in Champaign, Illinois (d. 2019)
May 28 Raymond Miquel, chairman (Scottish Sports Council)
May 28 Stephen Birmingham, American author (Real Lace: America's Irish Rich), born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 2015)
May 29 Osvaldo Héctor Cruz, Argentine soccer forward (22 caps; Independiente 235 games), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 2023)
May 31 Huby Heard, American singer-songwriter (The God Squad), born in Hamilton, Ohio (d. 2004)
May 31 John Robert Schrieffer, American physicist (Nobel Prize for Physics 1972 for BCS theory), born in Oak Park, Illinois (d. 2019)
May 31 Shirley Verrett, American mezzo-soprano (Berlioz'z Les Troyens - "Cassabdra"; Verdi's MacBeth - "Lady MacBeth"), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 2010) [1]
May 31 Steve Horn, American politician (Rep-R-California 1993-2003), born in San Juan Bautista, California (d. 2011)

Born in 1931

Famous Deaths

May 3 Frank Hoyt Losey, American composer, arranger of band and orchestral music, and advisor to Edison Phonograph Company, dies at 59 [1]
May 3 Otto Winter-Hjelm, Norwegian musician and composer, dies at 93
May 5 Glen Kidston, British aviator and racing driver (b. 1899)
May 9 Albert A. Michelson, American physicist (1907 Nobel Prize), dies at 78
May 12 Eugène Ysaÿe, Belgian violin virtuoso (Caesar Franck's sonata), composer (Six Sonatas for Solo Violin, op. 27), educator (Brussels Conservatoire, 1881-98), and conductor (Cincinnati Symphony, 1918-22), dies pf complications from diabetes at 72
May 13 Josif Marinković, Serbian composer, dies at 79
May 14 David Belasco, American theatrical producer (b. 1853)
May 14 Denys Finch Hatton, English big-game hunter, dies at 44
May 17 Johan [Eliza J] de Master, art critic/writer, dies
May 17 Timothy Cole, American wood engraver, dies at about 71
May 31 Felix-Raymond-Marie Rouleau, French Canadian cardinal, archbishop of Quebec (b. 1866)

What Happened in 1931

Hawke's Bay Earthquake
February 3, 1931

On This Day

What Happened in May 1931

Historical Events

Quadragesimo Anno

36th French Championships

36th French Championships

Famous Birthdays

Willie Mays (92 years old)

Jim Jones (1931-1978)

Famous Deaths

What Happened in 1931

Hawke's Bay Earthquake

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