February 1932

February 1, 1932 (Monday)

Japanese warships bombarded the city of Nanjing.

The Aldous Huxley novel Brave New World was published.

Born: John Nott, politician, in Bideford, England

February 2, 1932 (Tuesday)

In Geneva, a disarmament conference attended by representatives of 60 nations opened.

Chicago mobster Terry Druggan was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison and fined $5,000 for tax fraud.

Duke Ellington and his orchestra first recorded the jazz tune "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)".

World War flying ace Wop May was hired to assist in the manhunt for the fugitive Albert Johnson in Northern Canada. It was the first time a plane had ever been used in Canadian law enforcement.

The film Shanghai Express starring Marlene Dietrich was released.

February 3, 1932 (Wednesday)

It came to light that Adolf Hitler may be a German citizen after all, which would make him eligible to run for president. It was revealed that in 1930, Thuringian Interior Minister Wilhelm Frick had appointed Hitler as police commissioner of the town of Hildburghausen. According to law, a German official automatically became a citizen. Hitler downplayed the revelation, saying he had refused the appointment and that "these are not the means by which I expect to become a German citizen."

Born: Peggy Ann Garner, actress, in Canton, Ohio (d. 1984)

February 4, 1932 (Thursday)

Chancellor of the Exchequer Neville Chamberlain introduced the Import Duties Bill, a 10% tariff on imports, with exceptions for concessions for the Empire.

The III Olympic Winter Games opened in Lake Placid, New York with seventeen nations participating.

Born: Gordon Brown, footballer, in Dunfermline, Scotland (d. 1999)

February 5, 1932 (Friday)

Latvia and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact.

Mahatma Gandhi's spinning wheel, along with a few other items, were seized by the government for nonpayment of taxes.

In Indian River, Florida, Garfield Wood set a new boat speed record of 111.72 mph in the Miss America IX.

Died: Barney Dreyfuss, 66, American baseball executive

February 6, 1932 (Saturday)

American soldiers arrived in Shanghai.

The comedy film The Passionate Plumber starring Buster Keaton and Jimmy Durante was released.

Born: François Truffaut, film director, in Paris, France (d. 1984)

Died: Augusto B. Leguía, 68, Peruvian politician

February 7, 1932 (Sunday)

Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands signed the Oslo Convention, an economic cooperation plan.

Al Smith announced he was running for President of the United States again.

Born: Gay Talese, author, in Ocean City, New Jersey

February 8, 1932 (Monday)

The Bulgarian government officially announced that it would not make any more war reparations payments.

The jury in the Winnie Ruth Judd case found her guilty of first degree murder and voted for the death penalty.

Born: Jean Saunders, romance novelist, in London, England (d. 2011); John Williams, composer and conductor, in Floral Park, New York

Died: Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll, 23, American gangster (assassinated); Yordan Milanov, 64, Bulgarian architect

February 9, 1932 (Tuesday)

League of Blood Incident: a member of a group of Japanese extremists known as the League of Blood gunned down former Finance Minister Junnosuke Inoue.

The right-wing Army Comrades Association, more commonly referred to as the Blueshirts, formed in Ireland.

Born: Gerhard Richter, artist, in Dresden, Germany

Died: Junnosuke Inoue, 62, Japanese businessman and banker (assassinated)

February 10, 1932 (Wednesday)

Winter Legends for piano and orchestra by Arnold Bax was performed for the first time, at Queen's Hall in London.

Died: Edgar Wallace, 56, English writer

February 11, 1932 (Thursday)

On a holiday marking the third anniversary of the Lateran Treaty, Benito Mussolini went to the Vatican and met with Pope Pius XI for the first time. The visit was only expected to last for a few minutes but the two spoke for an hour.

Born: Margit Carlqvist, actress, in Stockholm, Sweden; Jerome Lowenthal, pianist, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Dennis Skinner, politician, in Clay Cross, England

February 12, 1932 (Friday)

Pope Pius XI marked the tenth anniversary of his coronation with a speech before thousands in St. Peter's Basilica. He said he hoped that all would with him in prayers that "the Supreme Lord of all things earthly should cause peace to return to the earth."

Born: Julian Simon, economist and author, in Chevy Chase, Maryland (d. 1998)

February 13, 1932 (Saturday)

Mount Hinks, Mount Marsden and the Rouse Islands were discovered in Antarctica by the British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition led by Sir Douglas Mawson.

Born: Susan Oliver, actress, in New York City (d. 1990)

February 14, 1932 (Sunday)

Irish politician Patrick Reynolds knocked on a door campaigning for votes in Tuesday's election. He got into an argument with the occupant of the house, a former Royal Irish Constabulary officer, who produced a double-barreled gun and shot both Reynolds and a Garda Síochána detective who was on protective duty with Reynolds. The detective was fatally wounded and Reynolds also died a month later.

Born: Alexander Kluge, author and film director, in Halberstadt, Germany

February 15, 1932 (Monday)

84-year-old Paul von Hindenburg agreed to run again for President of Germany in the March 13 election. "The appeal to stand for re-election came to me not from a party but from the broad masses of people", Hindenburg said. "Therefore, I recognize it as my duty to stand."

The Winter Olympics in Lake Placid closed. The United States won the medal count with 6 gold medals and 12 overall.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided Blackmer v. United States.

Died: Minnie Maddern Fiske, 66, American actress

February 16, 1932 (Tuesday)

Fianna Fáil led by Éamon de Valera won the Irish general election.

Born: Harry Goz, American musical theater actor (d. 2003); Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, third President of Sierra Leone, in Pendembu (d. 2014); Antonio Ordóñez, bullfighter, in Ronda, Spain (d. 1998); Gretchen Wyler, actress, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (d. 2007)

Died: Ferdinand Buisson, 90, French academic, pacifist and politician; Edgar Speyer, 69, American-born financier and philanthropist

February 17, 1932 (Wednesday)

Over a month after the manhunt for Albert Johnson began, the posse caught up to him and finally killed him in a shooutout. An officer was seriously wounded, but survived. The case thrilled the public and popularized the saying "the Mounties always get their man".

Died: Albert Johnson, criminal (killed in shooutout with Canadian law enforcement)

February 18, 1932 (Thursday)

Japan created the puppet state of Manchukuo out of the three historic provinces of Manchuria.

Born: Miloš Forman, film director, in Čáslav, Czecheslovakia

Died: Frederick Augustus III of Saxony, 66, last king of Saxony

February 19, 1932 (Friday)

The British government established an emergency "council of action" with full powers to take any measures deemed necessary to protect British interests in Shanghai.

Symphonic Ode by Aaron Copland was performed for the first time in Boston's Symphony Hall.

February 20, 1932 (Saturday)

The 18th General Election of Japan was held. The Rikken Seiyūkai won a decisive victory.

Agustín Pedro Justo became President of Argentina.

The controversial horror film Freaks was released.

Born: Adrian Cristobal, writer, in the Philippines (d. 2007)

February 21, 1932 (Sunday)

André Tardieu became Prime Minister of France for the third time.

Leon Trotsky and 36 others were officially banished from the Soviet Union "for all time".

February 22, 1932 (Monday)

The Bicentennial of George Washington's Birthday was observed in the United States. President Herbert Hoover addressed a joint session of Congress opening celebrations that were to continue through Thanksgiving Day. "The true eulogy of Washington is this mighty Nation", Hoover said. "He contributed more to its origins than any other man. The influence of his character and of his accomplishments has contributed to the building of human freedom and ordered liberty, not alone upon this continent but upon all continents." John Philip Sousa conducted the combined band of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps in front of the United States Capitol in the first performance of Sousa's George Washington Bicentennial March. The George Washington Memorial Bridge in Seattle was dedicated.

Joseph Goebbels announced the candidacy of Adolf Hitler for President of Germany at a Nazi rally in the Berlin Sportpalast. Hitler, who was not present at the rally, still needed to establish German citizenship before the March 13 election.

Born: Ted Kennedy, politician, in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2009); Robert Opron, automotive designer, in France

Died: Johanna Gadski, 60, German soprano (car accident)

February 23, 1932 (Tuesday)

In Germany, Danatbank, which had collapsed in July 1931, was taken over by Dresdner Bank.

The National Police Gazette went into bakruptcy. Three months later it was purchased and publication resumed under different ownership.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided Crowell v. Benson.

Born: Majel Barrett, actress and producer, in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2008); Bill Bonds, news anchor and reporter, in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2014)

February 24, 1932 (Wednesday)

Brazil gave women the right to vote.

Sir Malcolm Campbell broke his own land speed world record, attaining 253.96 miles per hour in his Blue Bird at Daytona Beach.

Born: Michel Legrand, composer, in Bécon les Bruyères, France

February 25, 1932 (Thursday)

Adolf Hitler was appointed a senior executive officer in the Free State of Brunswick by Interior Minister Dietrich Klagges, therefore making him a German citizen and eligible to run for president.

The Shanghai Expeditionary Army was raised.

Born: Faron Young, country singer and songwriter, in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 1996)

Died: Julieta Lanteri, 58, Italian Argentine physician and feminist

February 26, 1932 (Friday)

The Nazi Party and DNVP once again tried to bring down the government of Chancellor Heinrich Brüning on a motion of no confidence in the Reichstag, but were again defeated by a vote of 289-264.

After the Nazis walked out of parliament, the Communist Party introduced a motion stopping payment of federal subsidies to Brunswick for "plotting against the republic with the Nazis." The motion passed.

The Spanish Cortes Generales passed a bill on second reading allowing divorce.

Born: Johnny Cash, country singer and songwriter, in Kingsland, Arkansas (d. 2003)

February 27, 1932 (Saturday)

Al Capone lost the appeal of his tax fraud conviction.

In Washington, John Philip Sousa conducted the U.S. Marine Band in his "Hands Across the Sea" march. It proved to be Sousa's final performance.

Born: Elizabeth Taylor, actress, in Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, England (d. 2011)

February 28, 1932 (Sunday)

Clarence Darrow agreed to come out of retirement to represent the defendants in the Massie case.

Born: Don Francks, actor and jazz musician, in Vancouver, British Columbia

February 29, 1932 (Monday)

Mäntsälä rebellion: Finnish government troops clashed with about 5,000 members of the Lapua Movement who were trying to march on Helsinki. The government passed an emergency decree giving Pehr Evind Svinhufvud broad powers to deal with the rebellion.

The George Bernard Shaw play Too True to Be Good premiered at the Colonial Theatre in Boston.

Died: Giuseppe Vitali, 56, Italian mathematician