Year 1931 Fun Facts, Trivia, and History Events

This quick read presents a collection of fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 1931. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, sports facts, historic firsts, entertainment news, and much more.

Take a journey through history in just minutes.

1. In 1931, Thomas Edison, Jane Addams, and Jean Harlow were all on center stage. Grilled cheese sandwiches and water pie were crowd-pleasers, and Donald and Doris were two of the most popular baby names.
2. A Philco radio cost $69.50, an RCA Victrola was $86.75, and Marlboro cigarettes were 17 cents a pack.
3. Herbert Hoover (R-California) was the president of the United States, and Charles Curtis (R-Kansas) was the nation’s vice president.
4. America was still in the very early stages of the Great Depression (1929-39), which was "the deepest and longest-lasting economic downturn in the history of the Western industrialized world up to that time." The GDP was -6.4 percent, inflation was -8.98 percent, and unemployment was 16.3 percent. Over four million Americans were looking for work and could not find a job.
5. Between 1921 and 1929, an average of 600 U.S. banks failed each year. In 1931, however, 2,393 U.S. banks collapsed, sending shockwaves throughout the American economy. (Just so you know, FDIC-insured banks did not exist until the Banking Act of 1933, "which authorized the FDIC to pay up to $2,500 to depositors in insured banks that failed.")
6. American companies and brands established in 1931 included the Allstate Corporation, Baxter International, Clairol, Giant Eagle (grocery store chain), Maurices, and Turkey Hill.
7. Consumer products launched during the year were Alka-Seltzer, Bisquick, the IBM 601, Pablum processed cereal, and Wyler's drink mixes.
8. The Dust Bowl began in 1930 and lasted for nearly a decade. During that period, the Midwestern and Southern plains experienced severe drought, massive dust storms, and soil erosion that devastated farms. In the end, the U.S. government planted 220 million trees to stabilize the land.
9. January 6: American inventor Thomas Edison submitted his last patent application.
10. In February, food riots broke out in Minneapolis, "where men and women, working and unemployed, smashed windows of grocery stores and stole food in order to feed their starving families."
11. February 14: Dracula, a horror film starring Bela Lugosi, was released in the United States. Bela Lugosi portrays Count Dracula, "a vampire who emigrates from Transylvania to England and preys upon the blood of living victims, including a young man's fiancee."
12. March 3: The Star-Spangled Banner was adopted as the national anthem of the United States.
13. March 18: Schick’s first electric razors went on sale in New York City.
14. March 19: In Nevada, Assembly Bill 98 was signed into law by Governor Fred Balzar, which legalized gambling in the state.
15. May 1: The Empire State Building—located at 20 West 34th Street in New York City—formally opened.
16. May 20: Construction on Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks was completed. With a surface area of 54,000 acres, "the lake was the largest man-made lake in the United States at the time of its completion and one of the largest man-made lakes in the world."
17. In July, inventor John Haven Emerson of Massachusetts unveiled the "Emerson iron lung," just in time for a growing polio epidemic in the U.S. It was first used at the Providence City Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.
18. July 25: In Pittsburgh's Garfield neighborhood, a fire at the Little Sisters of the Poor home for the aged claimed the lives of 31 elderly people and injured 150 others.
19. In September, construction began on Rockefeller Center in New York City.
20. October 1: The upscale Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, located at 301 Park Avenue in New York City, opened to guests. It had 47 stories and over 1,400 rooms and suites and was the first hotel in the world to provide room service for its guests. It was also the only hotel in New York City at the time to enforce a strict dress code.
21. On October 18, Thomas Edison, a prolific American inventor and businessman, passed away. Edison is credited with inventing the light bulb, phonograph, and picture camera, and for improving the telephone and telegraph. During his lifetime, he was awarded 1,093 U.S. patents across numerous technologies.
22. October 24: The George Washington Bridge, which connects New York City and New Jersey, opened to vehicular traffic.
23. November 10: At the 4th Academy Awards, the Wild West film, Cimarron, won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Production Design. Norman Taurog (Skippy) won an Oscar for Best Director, Lionel Barrymore (A Free Soul) won an Oscar for Best Actor, and Marie Dressler (Min and Bill) won an Oscar for Best Actress.
24. November 13: Hattie Caraway of Arkansas became the first female United States senator.
25. November 21: Frankenstein, a horror film starring Boris Karloff, was released by Universal Pictures. The movie is based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel by the same name. JaysClassicMovieBlog.com remarks that Frankenstein "is arguably the most famous and significant horror film ever made."
26. December 10: Jane Addams became the first American woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize.
27. December 25: The Metropolitan Opera began broadcasting its regular Saturday afternoon performances on the NBC Blue Network.
28. In 1931, there were 15 experimental television stations on the air, but very few Americans could afford a TV receiver. As a result, the nation's loyalty still belonged to radio. There were over 600 radio stations across the United States, and over 12 million Americans owned a radio.
29. The Good Earth was a best-selling book, City Lights was a top-grossing film, and Dream a Little Dream of Me was a popular song.
30. The three most popular evening radio shows were Amos 'n' Andy (NBC Blue), Fleischmann's Yeast Hour (NBC Red), and The Atwater-Kent Hour (NBC Red).
31. The three most popular daytime radio shows were Cheerio (NBC Red), Gene & Glen (NBC Red), and The National Farm & Home Hour (NBC Blue).
32. Jean Harlow was probably the hottest new movie star. She co-starred with James Cagney in the 1931 film, The Public Enemy.
33. In 1931, Harry MacElhone created the sidecar cocktail.
34. Ruth Wakefield invented the chocolate chip cookie.
35. Laszlo Biro developed the ballpoint pen.
36. Famous people born in 1931 included Angie Dickinson, Ann Bancroft, Dan Rather, Della Reese, James Dean, Mickey Mantle, Rita Moreno, Rupert Murdoch, Toni Morrison, and Willie Mays.
37. Here are some sports facts from 1931: The Green Bay Packers were the NFL champs, the Montreal Canadiens clinched the Stanley Cup, and the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series. In addition, James Henigan won the 35th Boston Marathon.
38. In 1931 as well, the words "account executive," "black market," "cliffhanger," "double date," "epic simile," "free spirit," "gemologist," and "hairstyling" all appeared in print for the first time.

References:

1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1931
2. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1931
3. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1931
4. https://www.mclib.info/Research/Local-History-Genealogy/Historic-Prices/Historic-Prices-1930s/Historic-Prices-1931
5. https://www.mocentral.org/News/Now-Then-A-Lot-Has-Changed-Since-1931
6. https:/https://www.thefamouspeople.com/died-1931.php
7. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/died-1931.php
8. https://onetuberadio.com/2021/08/03/1931-grocery-prices/
9. https://the-soulful-dreamer.medium.com/incredible-slang-words-of-the-1930s-we-need-to-bring-back-today-4245c307cbdf
10. https://www.anfotimes.com/article/Top_10_Highest_Grossing_Hollywood_Movies_In_1931
11. https://www.historic-newspapers.com/blogs/article/1931-events#january
12. https://www.lifeslittlesweets.com/great-depression-recipes/
13. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-history-1930.html
14. https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/depression-era-recipes/

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor