Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1900
January 1
* First date in John dos Passos' USA trilogy (The 42nd Parallel). [1]
* British protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria established. [1]
* Compulsory education in Netherlands goes into effect. [1]
January 2
January 3
January 6
January 10
January 12
January 14
January 18
January 20
1
* John Ruskin English writer/critic (Dearest Mama Talbot), dies of influenza at age 81.
[1]
* R D Blackmore English novelist (Lorna Doone), dies at age 74. [1]
* Richard D Blackmore English novelist (Lorna Doone), dies at age 74. [1]
January 24
January 26
January 27
* Social Democrat Party of America (Debs' party) holds first convention. [1]
January 29
* Boers under Joubert beat English at Spionkop Natal, 2,000 killed. [1]
January 30
* Vittorio Bersezio [Carlo Nugelli], Italian playwright, dies at age 71. [1]
February 2
February 3
February 5
* The United States and the United Kingdom signed a treaty for Panama Canal. [5]
* British troops under General Buller occupy Vaal Krantz, Natal. [1]
February 6
February 7
2
February 14
February 15
February 16
* First Chinese daily newspaper in US publishes first issue (Chung Sai Yat Po-San
Francisco). [1]
* George Labram US mine engineer in South Africa, dies in battle. [1]
February 18
February 19
February 22
* Battle at Wynne's Hill, South Africa (Boers versus British army). [1]
* Hawaii became a US territory. [1]
February 23
* Battle at Hart's Hill, South Africa (Boers versus British army). [1]
* Steamer "Rio de Janeiro" sinks in San Francisco Bay. [1]
* William Butterfield architect of the Gothic revival, dies. [1]
February 27
February 28
March 3
3
* US Steel Corporation organizes. [1]
March 5
March 6
March 7
March 8
* The Union Castle Steamship Co. Ltd. is registered in England, a merger of Castle
Line and Union Line. [152.18]
March 10
March 12
March 13
March 14
March 16
March 18
* António Nobre Portuguese poet (Só [Lonely]), dies at age 32. [1]
4
March 25
March 26
March 27
* Pieter J Joubert [Smart Piet] South African General, dies at age 69. [1]
March 30
March 31
April 1
April 2
April 4
April 5
April 11
April 14
5
* President Loubet opens International Fairs in Paris France. [1]
* Veteran's Hospital at Fort Miley is established. [1]
April 15
* An early 50 mile race is won by an electric car in over two hours. [1]
* International Exposition opens in Paris France. [1]
April 16
April 17
April 19
* Highest scoring opening game, Philadelphia Phillies beat Braves 19-17 in 10. [1]
* Ivan K Aïvazovski Russian painter (harbor scenes), dies at age 82. [1]
April 20
April 21
April 23
April 24
* George J D Campbell British minister of Indies (1868-74, 80-85), dies at age 76. [1]
* Passing of Andrew Halliday, cable car pioneer. [1]
April 26
April 30
* John Luther [Casey] Jones dies in Cannonball Express train wreck. [1]
6
* USA annexes Hawaii. [1]
May 1
* Mihály von Munkácsy [Michael von Lieb], German painter, dies at age 56. [1]
* Premature blast collapses mine tunnel killing 200 at Scofield UT. [1]
May 2
* George Bernard Shaws "You Never Can Tell" premieres in London. [1]
May 5
May 7
May 8
May 12
May 17
May 18
May 19
May 20
May 22
7
* Associated Press organizes in New York City as non-profit news cooperative. [1]
* Edwin S Votey patents pneumatic piano player. [1]
May 23
May 24
May 26
* British troops under Ian Hamilton attack the Vaal in South Africa. [1]
May 27
May 28
* Britain annexes Orange Free State (as Orange River Colony). [1]
* Solar eclipse occurs. [1]
May 29
May 31
June 4
June 12
* German Navy Law calls for massive increase in sea power. [1]
June 13
8
* China's Boxer Rebellion against foreigners and Christians. [1]
June 14
June 26
June 30
* Four German liners burn at Hobokon Docks, New Jersey, 326 die. [1]
July 2
July 12
* 114 degrees F (46 degrees C), Basin, Wyoming (state record). [1]
July 13
July 21
July 23
July 24
July 28
July 29
9
August 3
August 5
* James Augustine Healy black Roman Catholic bishop, dies at age 80. [1]
August 12
August 14
August 23
August 25
September 3
September 5
September 8
* 6,000 killed when a hurricane and tidal wave destroys Galveston, Texas, most deadly
in US history. [1]
September 19
* Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid commit their first robbery together. [5]
October 3
* Birth of Jay Irving New York City, cartoonist (Draw Me a Laugh). [1]
10
October 7
October 25
November 3
* First national automobile show opens at Madison Square Garden (New York City).
[1]
November 6
November 8
November 20
November 30
December 1
December 2
December 7
* Max Planck discovers the law of black body emission in his house just outside
Berlin. [5]
December 8
11
* Henry Russell composer, dies at age 87. [1]
December 9
* Dutch President Paul Kruger and Queen Wilhelmina have a triumphant procession.
[1]
December 12
* National Negro Anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" is composed. [1]
December 13
December 14
* Jean B A Kessler director of oil on Dutch Indies, dies at age 46. [1]
December 16
December 17
December 20
December 21
December 24
December 25
December 27
12
* Carrie Nation's first public smashing of a bar (Hotel Carry Annex Bar, Wichita
Kansas). [1]
December 29
1901
January 1
January 9
January 10
January 11
January 13
January 14
January 16
January 17
13
January 18
January 21
* Clyde Fitch's "Climbers" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 22
* After 63 years England stops sale of Queen Victoria postage stamps series and begins
King Edward VII series. [1]
* Victoria [Alexandrine], Britain's Queen (1837-1901), dies at age 81. [1]
January 24
January 27
January 31
* Boer General John Smuts and De la Rey conqueror Mud river Transvaal. [1]
* Chekhov's "Three Sisters" opens at the Moscow Art Theater. [1]
February 2
February 3
* Dutch troops under General Van Heutsz conquer Batu Ilië on Sumatra. [1]
February 5
February 7
14
February 11
February 12
February 14
February 17
February 18
February 20
February 25
* George Cohan's musical "Governor's Son" premieres in New York City, New York.
[1]
* Jose Rogel composer, dies at age 71. [1]
* US Steel Corp organizes under directorship of J P Morgan. [1]
February 26
March 1
March 2
March 3
15
* US Congress creates National Bureau of Standards, in Department of Commerce. [1]
March 4
March 8
* Karl Freiherr von Stumm-Halberg German politician, dies at age 64. [1]
* Peter Benoit Flemish composer/conductor (High Mass), dies at age 66. [1]
March 10
March 13
* Benjamin Harrison 23rd President (1889-1893), dies in Indianapolis at age 67. [1]
March 14
March 15
* Horse racing is banned in San Francisco, last race March 16th. [1]
March 17
* Franz Melde German physicist (Melde Test), dies at age 69. [1]
* Free thinking-Democratic Union forms in Netherlands. [1]
March 23
* Dame Nellie Melba, reveals secret of her now famous toast. [1]
March 25
March 31
16
April 1
* François M Raoult Fren physicist/chemist (Law of Raoult), dies at age 70. [1]
April 3
* Richard D'Oyly Carte promotor (Gilbert and Sullivan operas), dies. [1]
April 7
April 11
April 15
April 22
April 25
* New York becomes first U.S. state requiring automobile license plates ($1 fee). [1]
[5]
April 27
April 29
May 1
May 3
17
May 9
May 12
May 19
* Marthinus Wessels Pretorius first President Republic South Africa, dies at age 81. [1]
May 23
May 28
May 30
June 7
June 11
June 17
* The American College Board introduces its first standardized test, the forerunner to
the SAT. [5]
June 24
July 11
18
August 1
August 14
* Gustave Whitehead claims to have achieved the first powered flight, in his Number
21. [5]
August 15
* Arch Rock, danger to Bay shipping, blasted with 30 tons of nitro. [1]
August 25
* Clara Maass army nurse sacrificied her life at age 25 to prove that. [1]
September 2
* Vice President Theodore Roosevelt advises, "Speak softly and carry a big stick". [1]
September 6
September 12
September 14
September 30
October 19
October 24
19
* Annie Edson Taylor, a 63-year-old schoolteacher, becomes the first person to take the
plunge over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Taylor reaches the shore alive, about 20 minutes
after being let loose in her barrel from a small boat. [1] [129]
October 29
November 16
* Three autos race on Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, fastest speed achieved by Henry
Fournier who drives a mile in 51 4/5 seconds. [1]
November 20
November 27
November 29
December 2
December 4
* Anne Russell's "Girl and The Judge" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
December 10
* First Nobel Peace Prizes (to Jean Henri Dunant, Frederic Passy). [1] [7]
December 11
December 12
December 15
20
* Elias Alvares Lobo composer, dies at age 67. [1]
December 25
21
1902
January 1
January 9
January 10
January 11
January 13
January 14
January 17
January 18
January 24
January 25
January 27
* Five workers killed on explosion during IRT subway construction (New York City
New York). [1]
22
January 28
February 1
February 2
February 3
* Isaac Fransen van der Putten Dutch Prime Minister (1866), dies. [1]
February 6
* Young Women's Hebrew Association organized in New York City, New York. [1]
February 10
February 11
February 15
February 18
* The opera "Le Jongleur (Hunchback) de Notre Dame" is produced (Monte Carlo). [1]
February 20
* Heavy surf breaks over Seal Rocks and damages Sutro Baths, San Francisco. [1]
February 21
23
* Dr Harvey Cushing, first US brain surgeon, does his first brain operation. [1]
February 23
* Samuel R Gardiner British historian (Oliver Cromwell), dies at age 72. [1]
February 24
February 25
February 28
March 3
* Isaac D France van de Putte Dutch premier (1866), dies at age 79. [1]
March 4
March 6
March 7
March 8
March 9
March 10
24
March 12
* John Peter Altgeld German/US Governor of Illinois, dies at age 54. [1]
March 17
March 18
March 23
March 25
March 26
* Cecil Rhodes Prime Minister of Cape Colony (1890-96) dies at age 48. [1]
March 28
April 2
April 4
April 5
* Maurice Ravel's "Pavane pour une infante defunte", premieres in Paris France. [1]
April 7
April 8
25
* Sipyagain Russian minister of interior/headed Secret Service, assassinated. [1]
April 11
April 13
April 14
* Marie and Pierre Curie isolate the radioactive element radium. [1]
April 15
* Pope Leo XIII encyclical "On the Church in the US". [1]
April 18
April 20
April 27
* Julius Sterling Morton who started Arbor Day, dies at age 72. [1]
April 30
May 1
* John Glover English chemist (production sulfuric acid), dies at age 85. [1]
May 2
* The first science fiction film, "A Trip To The Moon", is released. [1]
May 3
26
* David R Capriles Curaçaos director of psychiatric, dies at age 64. [1]
May 5
May 6
May 7
May 8
* Mount Pelée erupts, wipes out Saint Pierre, Martinique, kills 30,000. [1]
May 15
May 19
May 20
May 24
May 27
May 29
May 31
27
* Boer War Ends; Treaty of Vereeniging signed, Britain annexes Transvaal. [1]
June 2
June 9
June 10
June 26
June 28
June 30
July 9
August 9
* Edward VII of England crowned after death of his mother Victoria. [1]
August 22
August 31
* Split skirt first worn by Mrs Adolph Landeburg (horse rider). [1]
September 29
28
* Impresario David Belasco opened his first Broadway theater. [1]
December 5
December 7
December 8
December 11
December 14
* The Commercial Pacific Cable Company lays the first Pacific telegraph cable, from
Ocean Beach, San Francisco to Honolulu, Hawaii. [5]
December 17
December 22
December 25
* Clyde Fitch' "Girl with Green Eyes" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
December 26
* Most knock downs in a fight, Oscar Nelson (5) and Christy Williams (42). [1]
December 28
December 31
29
1903
January 2
* President T Roosevelt shuts down post office in Indianola Michigan, for refusing to
accept its appointed postmistress because she was black. [1]
January 4
January 5
January 6
January 7
January 9
January 12
January 19
January 21
January 28
30
* Jean Robert Planquette composer, dies at age 54. [1]
January 29
February 1
* George G Stokes British physicist/presidential Royal Society, dies at age 83. [1]
February 3
February 11
February 14
February 15
* First Teddy Bear introduced in America, made by Morris and Rose Michtom. [1]
* Julie Verstraete-Lacquet Flemish actress, dies at age 69. [1]
February 16
* -59 degrees F (-51 degrees C), Pokegama Dam Minnesota (state record). [1]
February 17
February 18
February 21
February 22
31
* Due to drought the US side of Niagara Falls runs short of water. [1]
* Frederick William Farrar writer/dean (Canterbury 1895-1903), dies. [1]
* Hugo Filipp Jakob Wolf Austrian composer (Corregidor), dies at age 42. [1]
February 23
February 24
February 26
February 28
* Barney Dreyfuss and James Potter buys Philadelphia Phillies for $170,000. [1]
* Girolamo/Jeromin de Rada Albanian poet, dies at age 88. [1]
March 2
* Martha Washington Hotel, catering to women only, opens in New York City, New
York. [1]
March 3
March 4
* Joseph H Shorthouse English writer (John Inglesant), dies at age 68. [1]
March 5
March 10
March 13
32
* Nicolas Beets [Hildebrand] Dutch writer (Camera Obscura), dies at age 88. [1]
March 14
March 15
March 22
March 23
March 26
March 31
* Richard Pearse flies monoplane several hundred yards (New Zealand). [1]
April 6
April 11
April 13
April 14
* Dr Harry Plotz discovers vaccine against typhoid (New York City, New York). [1]
April 22
33
* American Power Boat Association forms. [1]
April 27
April 29
April 30
May 1
May 8
May 9
May 14
May 16
* First transcontinental motorcycle trip begins at San Francisco (George Wymann). [1]
* Eduard Rappoldi composer, dies at age 72. [1]
May 23
* First automobile trip across US from San Francisco to New York, ended April 1. [1]
* First direct primary election law in US adopted, by Wisconsin. [1]
May 27
June 10
34
* King Alexander I and Queen Dragia of Serbia are assassinated. [1]
June 12
June 16
June 18
* First transcontinental auto trip begins in SF; arrives New York three months later. [1]
June 21
June 23
July 4
* Pacific Cable (San Francisco, Hawaii, Guam, Phil) opens, President TR sends
message. [1]
July 6
* George Wyman arrives in New York City by motorcycle 51 days out of San
Francisco. [1]
July 20
July 25
August 1
35
August 2
August 14
* In Great Britain, the Motor Car Act introduces driving licenses. Minimum age is 17
for cars, 14 for motorcycles. [55.51]
August 31
September 7
September 18
September 22
* Italo Marchiony granted patent for the ice cream cone. [1]
October 9
October 20
* US wins disputed boundary between the District of Alaska and Canada. [1]
October 23
* Francis Ellingwood Abbot theologian (Scientific Theism), dies at age 66. [1]
October 24
* First trotter to run a mile under two minutes (Lou Dillon 1:58.1). [1]
* George Sutton becomes billiard champ. [1]
October 25
36
October 26
* Yerba Buena is first Key System ferry to cross San Francisco Bay. [1]
November 3
November 18
November 19
November 23
* Enrico Caruso US debut (Metropolitan Opera House, New York) in "Rigoletto". [1]
November 24
* Clyde Coleman of New York City patents automobile electric starter. [1]
November 27
December 1
* "The Great Train Robbery", the first Western film, released. [1]
December 2
December 3
December 6
December 8
37
* Herbert Spencer British engineer/philosopher, dies at age 83. [1]
December 9
December 10
December 11
* British forces under MacDonald and Young march into Tibet. [1]
December 12
December 13
* Italo Marcioni patents the ice cream cone (New Jersey). [1]
* Wright Brothers make first flight at Kittyhawk. [1]
December 14
December 16
* Majestic Theater, New York City, New York, becomes first in US to employ women
ushers. [1]
December 17
* At 10:35 AM, the first sustained, controlled, powered aircraft flight is made by
Orville Wright in 12hp Flyer I at Kill Devil Hills, Kittyhawk, North Carolina. The flight
lasts 12 seconds. [1] [55.10]
December 19
December 20
38
December 25
December 27
December 28
* Clyde Fitch's "Glad of It" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Electric lamp sets fire to Iroquois theater in Chicago; 602 die. [1]
* George [Robert] Gissing English novelist, dies at age 46. [1]
December 29
* French Equatorial Africa separates into Gabon, Chad and Ubangi-Shari. [1]
December 30
* 602 die as flames swept through Iroquois Theater in Chicago Illinois. [1]
* American Political Science Association founded at New Orleans Louisiana. [1]
1904
January 1
* In Great Britain, the Motor Car Act comes into effect (requires driving licenses).
[55.51]
* Netherlands Indies colony begins opium production. [1]
January 2
January 4
* US Supreme Court rules Puerto Ricans cannot be denied admission to US. [1]
January 5
* -34 degrees F (-36.7 degrees C), River Vale New Jersey (state record). [1]
* -42 degrees F (-41.1 degrees C), Smethport Pennsylvania (state record). [1]
* England beat Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Rhodes 7-56 and 8-68. [1]
* Karl A von Zittel German geologist/paleontologist (Libya), dies at age 64. [1]
39
January 7
* Marconi Company establishes "CQD" as first international radio distress signal. [1]
January 8
* Birth of Peter Arno New York City, New York, cartoonist (New Yorker). [1]
* Pope Pius X banned low cut dresses in the presence of churchmen. [1]
January 11
* Herero people of South West Africa, now Namibia, begin uprising. [1]
January 12
January 15
January 17
* Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" opens at the Moscow Art Theater. [1]
January 21
January 24
January 25
January 26
January 27
40
January 31
February 1
February 2
February 4
February 5
February 6
February 7
February 8
February 9
February 10
* Japan and Russia declares war after Japan's surprise attack on Russian fleet at Port
Arthur disabled 7 Russian warships. [1]
February 17
41
February 20
February 21
February 23
February 25
* J M Synge's "Riders to the Sea" opens at Irish National Theatre Society. [1]
February 28
February 29
March 2
March 5
* Alfred von Waldersee Prussian field marshal/chief-staff, dies at age 71. [1]
March 12
* First main line electric train in United Kingdom (Liverpool to Southport). [1]
* Andrew Carnegie establishes Carnegie Hero Fund. [1]
March 13
March 18
April 8
42
* Great Britain and France sign Cordial Entente concerning colonial matter. [1]
* Longacre Square in Midtown Manhattan is renamed Times Square (after The New
York Times). [5]
April 9
April 13
April 14
April 18
April 19
April 20
April 21
* Ty Cobb makes his pro debut for Augusta (South Atlantic League). [1]
April 23
April 24
April 26
43
* Bell Telephone Company of Antwerp Belgium forms. [1]
April 30
May 1
* Antonín Dvorak Czechoslovakia, composer (Slavic Dancing), dies at age 62. [1]
May 4
May 5
* Cy Young of Boston pitches perfect game against Philadelphia Athletics (3-0). [1]
May 6
May 7
May 8
May 9
* The steam locomotive City of Truro becomes the first steam engine to exceed
100mph. [5]
May 10
May 11
May 13
44
* Jan Boissevain ship owner/politician, dies. [1]
May 14
May 16
May 17
May 18
June 6
June 15
* Side-wheeler "General Slocum" burns in New York's East River (1,031 die). [1]
June 16
July 7
July 15
July 16
July 18
45
July 21
* Camille Jenatzy sets world auto speed record at 65.79 MPH. [1]
July 23
* Ice cream cone created by Charles E Menches during La Purchase Expo. [1]
August 23
September 15
September 26
October 3
* Mary McLeod Bethune opens Daytona Normal and Industrial School. [1]
October 4
October 8
* First Vanderbilt Cup auto race (Hicksville, Long Island, New York). [1]
October 17
October 27
* New York City Mayor George McClellan operates the inaugural run of the city's new
subway rapid transit system. The line, operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit
Company, travels 9.1 miles through 28 stations, running from lower Manhattan to
Harlem. In the evening, the subway opens to the general public, at a cost of a nickel each.
[1] [129]
October 28
46
* Saint Louis police try a new investigation method-fingerprints. [1]
October 29
* First intercity trucking service (Colorado City and Snyder, Texas). [1]
November 2
November 8
November 9
November 16
December 6
December 10
December 12
* CMS McClellans "Leah Kleschna" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
December 24
December 25
* Per Jonas Fredrik Vilhelm Svedbom composer, dies at age 61. [1]
December 27
47
* Duke of York Theatre opens in London (first musical Peter Pan). [1]
* W B Yeats/Lady Gregory's "On Baile's Strand" premieres in Dublin. [1]
December 28
48
1905
January 1
January 2
January 5
January 9
January 14
* Death of Ernst Abbe in Jena, Germany, at age 64; physicist in optical theory and
microscope design. [1] [37]
* Hubbell, Shubert and Smith's musical "Fontana" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
January 17
January 18
January 20
January 22
January 26
49
* Han Yong-woon [Bongwan, Manhae] (1879-1944) ordained a monk in Korea. [1]
* World's largest diamond, the 3,106-carat Cullinan, is found in South Africa. [1]
January 27
January 31
* First auto to exceed 100 mph (161 kph), A G MacDonald, Daytona Beach. [1]
* Carroll Wright appointed first US Commissioner of Labor. [1]
February 1
February 7
* Dominican Republic signs treaty turning over customs collection to US. [1]
* Oklahoma admitted to statehood. [1]
February 8
* Cyclone hit Tahiti and adjacent islands, killing some 10,000 people. [1]
February 10
February 11
February 12
February 13
* -29 degrees F (-34 degrees C) Pond Arkansas, USA, (state record). [1]
* -40 degrees F (-40 degrees C) Lebanon Kansas (state record). [1]
* -40 degrees F (-40 degrees C) Warsaw Missouri (state record). [1]
February 15
50
* First race meet at Oaklawn Park (Hot Springs Arkansas). [1]
* Lewis Wallace US diplomat/writer (Ben Hur), dies at age 77. [1]
February 16
February 17
* Frances Willard becomes first woman honored in National Statuary Hall. [1]
* Serge Alexandrovich Governor-General Moscow, murdered. [1]
February 18
* Frank Wedekind's "Hidada, oder Sein und Haben" premieres in Munich. [1]
* Jules de Geyter Belgian poet (International), dies at age 75. [1]
February 23
February 24
February 25
February 28
March 3
March 4
March 6
* Birth of Bob Wills Kosse Texas; actor (Lone Prairie, Tornado in the Saddle). [1]
March 10
51
* Japanese Army captures Mukden (Shenyang). [1]
March 12
March 15
* Arnold Kerdijk Dutch liberal/founder (Social Weekly), dies at age 60. [1]
* B Amalie Skram-Alver Norwegian author (Paa Saint Jørgen), dies at age 58. [1]
March 17
March 19
March 24
* Jules Verne sci-fi author (Around the World in 80 Days), dies at age 77. [1]
March 25
* Rebel battle flags captured during war are returned to South. [1]
March 28
March 31
April 1
April 2
April 4
52
* Constantin Meunier Belgian painter/sculptor, dies at age 73. [1]
* Earthquake in Kangra India, kills 370,000. [1]
April 5
April 12
April 17
April 18
* Juan Valera bon Alcalá Galiano Sp author (Pepita Jiménez), dies at age 80. [1]
April 22
April 23
April 25
April 27
April 29
May 2
53
May 5
May 9
May 15
* A land auction is held in Las Vegas, Nevada. In two days, 2000 lots are sold for
US$265,000. [1] [80.303]
* Pierre de Brazza reaches Leopoldville. [1]
May 19
* Italian King Victor Emmanuel and Swiss President open world's longest railroad
tunnel (Simplon) links Iselle Italy and Brig Switzerland. [1]
May 22
May 23
May 26
May 27
* Japanese fleet destroys Russian East Sea fleet in Straits of Tushima. [1]
May 29
May 31
54
June 1
June 7
June 10
* First forest fire lookout tower placed in operation, Greenville, Maine. [1]
June 11
June 17
June 28
July 7
* 127 degrees F (53 degrees C), Parker, Arizona (state record). [1]
July 8
July 11
July 22
* Philadelphia Athletic's Weldon Henley no-hits Saint Louis Browns, 6-0. [1]
July 26
55
* P Gotz discovers asteroid #568 Cheruskia. [1]
July 27
July 30
August 13
September 1
* Alberta and Saskatchewan become 8th and 9th Canadian provinces. [1]
September 5
September 6
September 22
* Race riot in Atlanta Georgia (10 blacks and two whites killed). [1]
September 27
* First published blues composition goes on sale, WC Handy Memphis Blues. [1]
October 5
October 20
October 26
56
* By the Karlstad Convention, the Union of Norway and Sweden is formally dissolved.
King Oskar renounces the Norwegian throne, and declines to elect a prince of his to the
throne. [7]
October 30
November 18
November 23
December 4
December 5
December 9
* French Assembly National votes for separation of church and state. [1]
* Henry Holmes composer, dies at age 66. [1]
* Richard Strauss' opera "Salome" premieres in Dresden. [1]
December 11
* 120 degrees F (49 degrees C), Rivadavia, Argentina (South American record). [1]
* British government of Campbell-Bannerman forms. [1]
December 16
December 25
* V Herbert/H Blossoms musical "Mlle Modiste" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
57
1906
January 1
January 6
January 8
* Jacob C van Marken peanut butter maker (Calvé-Delft), dies at age 60. [1]
January 12
January 13
* First radio set advertised (Telimco for $7.50 in Scientific American) claimed to
receive signals up to one mile. [1]
January 16
January 18
January 19
January 25
January 29
58
January 31
February 1
February 2
February 9
February 10
* Britain's first modern and largest battleship "HMS Dreadnought" launched. [1]
* State of siege proclaimed in Zululand. [1]
February 12
* George M Cohans musical "George Washington" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
February 15
February 17
February 18
February 19
* W K Kellogg and Charles D Bolin incorporate Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake
Company, Battle Creek Michigan. [1]
59
February 22
February 23
February 25
February 26
February 27
February 28
March 1
* José M de Pereda y Sánchez the Porrúa Spanish writer, dies at age 73. [1]
* Moriz Heyne German germanist (German Wörterbuch), dies at age 68. [1]
March 3
March 6
March 7
March 10
60
* Coal dust explosion kills 1,060 at Courrieres France. [1]
* Eugen Richter German Member of Parliament (Liberal), dies at age 67. [1]
* London Underground opens Bakeroo line (Baker Street to Waterloo Line). [1]
March 12
March 13
March 15
* Alfred Gilpin Jones Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia (1900-06), dies at age 81.
[1]
* Brits Rolls, Royce and Johnson form Rolls Royce Ltd. [1]
March 17
* Carlos Calvo Argentina diplomat (Calvo Clause), dies at age 82. [1]
* President Theodore Roosevelt uses term "muckraker". [1]
March 18
* Traian Vuia flies a self-propelled heavier-than-air aircraft, taking off without help of
a catapult. [5]
March 19
March 20
March 22
March 24
* "Census of the British Empire" shows England rules 1/5 of the world. [1]
March 30
61
* Betsy Perk [Christina E], journalist/writer/feminist, dies at age 73. [1]
March 31
April 2
April 5
* Saint Pius X encyclical "On the Mariavites or Mystic Priests of Poland". [1]
April 6
April 7
* Act of Algeciras drawn between Moroccan police and banking business. [1]
April 11
April 13
April 14
April 18
April 19
62
* Belgian naval education ship Comte The Stain de Naeyer sets sail. [1]
* Pierre Curie French physicist/chemist (Nobel Prize 1903), dies. [1]
April 20
* Australian wombat oldest known marsupial, dies in London Zoo at age 26. [1]
April 25
April 26
May 3
May 6
* "Temporary" permit to erect overhead wires on Market Steet San Francisco. [1]
May 10
May 13
May 19
May 21
* Louis H Perlman patents a demountable tire carrying rim for cars. [1]
May 22
May 23
63
* Henrik Johan Ibsen Norwegian playwright (Doll House), dies at age 78. [1]
May 26
May 27
May 28
* Shields/Cobbs musical "His honor, the Mayor" premieres in New York City. [1]
May 30
May 31
* Attack on King Alfonso XIII and Victoria von Battenberg in Madrid. [1]
* Hermann Schell German theologist (Gott und Geist), dies at age 56. [1]
* King Alfonso XIII assassinated in Madrid. [1]
* Victoria von Battenberg assassinated in Madrid. [1]
June 14
June 26
* Alexander Muir poet (The Maple Leaf Forever), dies at age 76. [1]
June 30
* Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act adopted. [1]
July 12
August 1
* Brooklyn Dodger Harry McIntire no-hits Pittsburgh for 10 2/3 loses in 13th. [1]
64
August 13
August 15
August 22
August 30
* Hal Chase became first Yank to hit three triples in a game. [1]
September 1
September 13
September 16
September 25
* In the presence of the king and before a great crowd, Leonardo Torres Quevedo
successfully demonstrates the invention of the Telekino in the port of Bilbao, guiding a
boat from the shore, in what is considered the birth of the remote control. [5]
September 28
October 4
* Chicago Cubs win their 116th game (116-36) of the year. [1]
October 8
* Karl Nessler demonstrates first 'permanent wave' for hair, in London. [1]
65
October 20
October 22
November 6
* Charles Evans Hughes (Republican) elected New York governor beats William
Randolph Hearst. [1]
November 14
November 22
* International Radio Telecommunications Com adopts "SOS" as new call for help. [1]
December 1
December 5
December 9
* New York American reports Belgian King Leopold II bribed US Senate commission
on the Congo. [1]
December 10
* First American awarded Nobel Peace Prize - President Theodore Roosevelt. [1]
December 11
December 12
66
* Oscar Straus, first Jewish cabinet member, appointed Secretary of Commerce. [1]
December 13
December 14
December 20
December 21
December 24
December 27
* First annual meeting of American Sociological Society, Providence Rhode Island. [1]
December 28
December 30
December 31
1907
January 1
67
January 3
January 4
January 6
January 7
January 8
January 12
January 14
January 15
January 23
January 25
* Julia Ward Howe is first woman elected to National Institute of Arts and Letters. [1]
January 26
68
* J M Synge's "Playboy of the Western World" opens; police are called. [1]
February 2
* Dmitri I Mendelejev Russian chemist (Periodic Table), dies at age 72. [1]
February 5
February 8
February 11
February 13
* English suffragettes storm British Parliament and 60 women are arrested. [1]
* Marcel Bertrand French mine engineer, dies at age 59. [1]
February 14
* First US fox hound association forms in New York City, New York. [1]
February 16
February 17
* Henry Steel Olcott US co-founder (Theosophist Society-Madras), dies at age 74. [1]
February 20
* [Ferdinand-Frederic-]Henri Moissan chemist (Nobel Prize 1906), dies at age 54. [1]
February 21
* SS Berlin sinks off Hoek van Holland Netherlands (142 dead). [1]
69
February 22
February 24
February 25
February 26
* Royal Oil and Shell merge to form British Petroleum (BP). [1]
* US Congress raised their own salaries to $7500. [1]
February 28
* Birth of Milton Caniff Hillsboro Ohio, Dutch cartoonist (Terry and the Pirates). [1]
March 2
March 5
March 7
March 9
March 11
March 15
70
* Finland is first European country to give women the right to vote. [1]
March 19
March 21
March 23
March 28
March 30
March 31
April 5
* Anton G van Hamel founder (Roman philosphy in Netherlands), dies at age 65. [1]
April 12
April 17
April 18
71
April 26
May 1
May 2
May 7
* Charles Collier wins first Isle of Man TT Race (38.22 mph). [1]
May 8
May 10
* Paul Dukas' opera "Ariane et Barbe Bleue" premieres in Paris France. [1]
May 11
May 12
May 22
May 27
May 31
72
June 1
* -27 degrees F (-33 degrees C), Sarmiento, Argentina (South American record). [1]
June 9
June 13
* Lowest temp ever in 48 US states for June, 2 degrees F in Tamarack California. [1]
June 15
June 20
July 8
* Florenz Ziegfeld staged first 'Follies' on New York Theater roof. [1]
July 15
July 19
August 1
* Bank of Italy opens first branch at 3433 Mission Street, San Francisco. [1]
August 10
* Prince Scipone Borchesi wins Peking to Paris, 7,500 mile auto rally. [1]
August 13
73
August 26
August 28
August 31
September 7
September 26
September 29
October 2
November 7
November 13
November 15
* The daily comic strip "Mr. A. Mutt" by Bud Fisher begins in San Francisco
Chronicle. [55.42]
November 16
74
November 30
December 3
* George Cohan's musical "Talk of the Town" premieres in New York City, New York.
[1]
December 6
December 8
* On the death of Sweden's King Oskar II, Prince Gustav is proclaimed King Gustav V.
[1] [7]
December 9
December 10
December 13
December 16
* Eugene H Farrar is first to sing on radio (Brooklyn Navy Yard New York). [1]
* Great White Fleet sails from Hampton Downs on its World Cruise. [1]
December 17
* Kelvin of Largs [William Thomson] British physicist (Kelvin), dies at age 83. [1]
* Ugyen Wangchuck became first hereditary king of Bhutan. [1]
December 19
* 239 workers die in a coal mine explosion in Jacobs Creek Pennsylvania. [1]
* Gas explosion at Jacobs Creek Pennsylvania coal mine kills 239. [1]
75
December 20
December 21
December 22
December 23
December 24
* Isidor Feinstein "Izzy" Stone journalist (IF Stone's Weekly), dies. [1]
December 31
76
1908
January 2
* Canadian Governor General Earl Grey formally opens the Ottawa branch of the
British Royal Mint. He strikes the first coin minted in Canada, a 50-cent piece. Countess
of Grey strikes the first bronze cent. 1000 specimen sets are struck to mark the occasion.
[3]
* Dom Joâo G da Câmara Portuguese journalist/playwright, dies at age 55. [1]
January 4
* Antony Winkler Prins writer (Groiller Encyclopaedia), dies at age 70. [1]
January 9
* Abraham Goldfaden US Yiddish stage performer (Shulamis), dies at age 67. [1]
* Frans Schollaert succeeds De Trooz as premier of Belgium. [1]
* Muir Woods National Monument, California established. [1]
* Death of Wilhelm Busch in Mechtshausen bei Seesen, Germany; humorous writer,
painter and poet, Max und Moritz (The Katzenjammer Kids) and Die fromme Helene,
forerunner to the comic strip. [1] [37]
January 10
* Anna S Barbiers Dutch actress (Klaasje Zevenster), dies at age 65. [1]
January 13
January 14
January 16
January 17
January 18
77
* Frederick Delius' "Brigg Fair" premieres. [1]
January 21
January 23
* Edward Alexander MacDowell US composer (Indian Suite), dies at age 47. [1]
* US and Great Britain demand end of abuses in Congo. [1]
January 24
January 25
January 27
January 29
February 1
February 3
* US Supreme Court rules a union boycott violates Sherman Antitrust Act. [1]
February 7
* Connie Mack sells hurler Rube Waddell to Saint Louis Browns for $5,000. [1]
February 11
February 12
78
* Anna Jeanes bequeathes $1,000,000 to Swarthmore to become all female. [1]
* New York to Paris auto race (via Alaska and Siberia) begins in New York NY;
George Schuster wins after 88 days behind the wheel. [1]
February 14
February 17
February 18
February 24
February 25
* First tunnel under the Hudson River (railway tunnel) opens. [1]
February 27
February 28
February 29
March 4
March 5
79
March 7
* Cincinnati Mayor Mark Breith stood before city council and announced that,
"women are not physically fit to operate automobiles". [1]
March 8
* Collingwood Elementary (Cleveland) burns, kills 173 kids and two teachers. [1]
* Dutch utopist Frederick of Eden speaks in Carnegie Hall, New York. [1]
March 11
March 12
* Edmondo de Amicis Italian writer (L'idioma Gentile), dies at age 61. [1]
March 15
March 28
March 29
* Daily newspaper comic strip Mr. A. Mutt adds character Jeff, creating popular Mutt
& Jeff. [55.42]
April 4
April 5
April 8
April 12
80
* Fire makes 17,000 homeless in Chelsea Massachusetts. [1]
April 13
April 16
April 21
April 22
April 23
* Denmark, Germany, England, France, Netherlands and Sweden signs North Sea
accord. [1]
April 24
* Mr and Mrs Jacob Murdock become the first to travel across the US by car, they
leave Los Angeles in a Packard and arrive in New York City in 32 days-5 hours-25
minutes. [1]
May 1
* World's most intense rain shower (2.47" in 3 minutes) at Portobelo Panamá. [1]
May 5
May 6
* Jean Réville French vicar (Le Prophétisme Hébreu), dies at age 53. [1]
May 9
81
May 10
May 12
May 14
May 21
* First horror movie (Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) premieres in Chicago. [1]
* Bill Burns has no-hitter broken up with two outs in 9th. [1]
May 23
* Dirigible explodes over San Francisco Bay, 16 passengers fall, none die. [1]
* François Coppée French poet, dies. [1]
* Part of the Great White Fleet arrives in Puget Sound Washington. [1]
May 24
May 25
* The Teatro Colón opera house opens in Buenos Aires, Argentina. [223.48]
May 26
* Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Indies theologist (Ahmadiyya motion), dies at age 69. [1]
May 27
May 30
82
* Aldrich Vineland Currency Act forerunner to Federal Reserve System. [1]
* Paris advocate E Archdeacon is first passenger in a airplane. [1]
* US Assay Office in Salt Lake City UT authorized. [1]
May 31
June 10
June 24
June 30
* Boston's Cy Young's second no-hitter, beats New York Highlanders, 8-0. [1]
* Giant fireball impacts in Central Siberia (Tunguska Event). [1]
July 6
* Robert Peary's expedition sails from New York City for the north pole. [1]
July 7
July 22
July 23
July 26
July 27
83
July 29
* Saint Louis Browns Rube Waddell strikes out 16 Philadelphia Athletics. [1]
July 30
August 12
August 14
August 17
August 20
August 25
August 29
* New York gives a ticker tape parade to returning US Olympians from London. [1]
September 5
September 9
* Orville Wright makes first one-hr airplane flight, Fort Myer, Virginia. [1]
September 16
September 17
84
* Thomas Selfridge becomes first fatality of powered flight. [1]
* Thomas Selfridge earlier aviator, dies in an air crash. [1]
September 18
September 23
October 1
October 2
* Addie Joss perfect game stops Ed Walsh 1-0 who won 40 in a row. [1]
October 5
October 6
October 7
October 18
November 3
* William Howard Taft (Republican) elected 27th President over William Jennings
Bryan. [1]
November 14
November 16
85
* Arturo Tuscanini begins conducting New York's Metropolitan Opera. [1]
November 28
December 2
December 3
December 4
* Haiti's President General Alexis Nord flees from military coup. [1]
December 11
December 16
December 22
* Marie Jungius Dutch teacher/fairy tale writer, dies at age 44. [1]
December 23
December 24
December 28
December 29
86
1909
January 2
January 5
January 9
January 14
January 15
January 16
January 19
* Eugene Walter's "Easiest Way" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 22
January 23
January 25
87
January 28
February 1
February 2
February 3
February 8
February 9
February 12
February 16
* First subway car with side doors goes into service (New York City, New York). [1]
* Serbia mobilizes against Austria-Hungary. [1]
February 21
February 22
88
* Great White Fleet, first US fleet to circle the globe, returns to Virginia. [1]
February 23
February 26
March 1
March 2
* Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy ask Serbia to set no territorial demands. [1]
March 4
March 6
March 10
* Jack Johnson fights Victor McLaglen to no decision in six for box title. [1]
March 12
* Johanna "Lena" Bakker Dutch actress/wife of Bruno Gerlach, dies at age 34. [1]
March 14
March 16
March 18
89
* Einar Dessau of Denmark uses a short-wave radio transmitter, becoming the first
radio broadcaster. [1] [5]
March 22
March 24
March 25
March 26
March 30
March 31
* In Belfast, Ireland, the keel of the Titanic is laid down at Harland and Wolff
Shipyard. [117.39]
* Gustav Mahler conducts New York Philharmonic for his first time. [1]
April 3
April 6
April 9
April 10
90
April 12
April 13
April 14
April 15
* Mien Wenneker, Dutch prince Henry's lover, weds Uncle Cornelis Abbo. [1]
April 18
April 19
April 24
* Harry Hillman and Lawson Robertson run 100 metre 3-legged race in 11 seconds. [1]
April 27
May 1
May 5
May 7
* Construction begins on first 100 houses in Ahuzat Bayit (Tel Aviv). [1]
91
May 8
May 10
May 13
May
* Cape Colony, Natal, Orange Free State, and Transvaal unite as Union of South
Africa. [152.18]
May 17
May 18
* George Meredith English poet/writer (Diana of Crossways), dies at age 81. [1]
* Isaac M F Albéniz Spanish pianist/composer, dies at age 48. [1]
May 22
May 24
May 30
May 31
* First NAACP conference (United Charities Building, New York City). [1]
June 1
92
June 7
June 16
June 17
June 28
July 11
July 12
July 23
July 25
* Louis Blériot of France makes the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-
than-air machine (Calais to Dover) in 37 minutes. [1] [5]
July 27
July 30
August 2
93
* Army Air Corps formed as Army takes first delivery from Wright Brothers. [1]
August 11
* SOS first used by an American ship, Arapahoe, off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
[1]
August 19
August 24
* Workers start pouring concrete for the Gatun locks of the Panama Canal. [1] [150.61]
August 29
September 6
* Word received, Adm Peary discovers North Pole five months earlier. [1]
September 7
September 25
September 28
October 13
October 18
October 26
94
* Prince Ito of Japan is assassinated by a Korean. [1]
November 4
November 7
* Knights and Ladies of Saint Peter Claver organizes in Mobile Alabama. [1]
November 13
* 259 miners die in a fire at Saint Paul Mine at Cherry Illinois. [1]
November 18
November 23
December 1
* First Christmas Club payment made, to Carlisle Trust Company, Pennsylvania. [1]
* First Israeli kibbutz founded, Deganya Alef. [1]
December 4
* Paul-Albert Besnard French painter/graphic artist (Elle), dies at age 60. [1]
December 7
* Leo Baekeland, Yonkers New York, patents first thermosetting plastic (Bakelite). [1]
December 8
December 9
* First US monoplane flown (Henry W Walden, Long Island New York). [1]
December 10
95
December 11
* Colored moving pictures demonstrated at Madison Square Garden, New York City,
New York. [1]
December 13
December 14
December 15
December 16
* US pressure forces Nicaraguan President José Santos Zelaya from office. [1]
December 17
December 20
December 21
December 23
December 24
96
1910
January 1
January 2
January 3
January 4
January 10
January 12
January 13
January 17
January 19
January 21
97
January 22
* The opera "Germania" is first performed in New York City, New York. [1]
January 25
January 26
January 28
January 29
* Edouard Rod French/Swiss writer (Mishel' Tes'e), dies at age 52. [1]
February 1
February 7
February 8
February 15
February 16
February 19
98
February 20
February 21
February 23
February 25
March 1
* Three passenger trains buried at Steven's Pass in Cascade Range: 118 die; Worst
snowslide in US history. [1]
March 2
* Two trains crash in snow storm in Wellington Washington, 118 die. [1]
March 5
* Ramon Inclan's "La Farsa Infantil de la Cabeza del Dragon" premieres. [1]
March 8
* Baroness Raymonde de Laroche of Paris France becomes first licensed female pilot.
[1]
March 10
March 16
* Barney Oldfield sets land speed record of 131.7 mph at Daytona. [1]
99
* Eduard FW Pflüger German physiologist, dies at age 80. [1]
March 17
March 18
* First opera by an US composer (Converse) performed at the Met, New York City,
New York. [1]
March 20
March 23
March 24
March 25
* Kálmán Mikszáth Hungarian author (Szent Péter Esernyöje), dies at age 63. [1]
March 26
March 27
March 28
* Henri Fabre becomes the first person to fly a seaplane (the Fabre Hydravion) after
taking off from a water runway near Martigues, France. [1] [5]
* Edouard [Judas] Colonne French violinist/conductor, dies. [1]
March 30
100
April 1
April 2
* Boyd Alexander English explorer (Niger to the Nile), murdered at age 37. [1]
* Friedrich von Bodelschwingh German theologist, dies at age 79. [1]
April 3
April 12
April 13
April 19
* Halley's comet seen by naked eye first time this trip (Curacao). [1]
April 20
* Halley's Comet passes 29th recorded perihelion at 87.9 million km. [1]
April 21
April 23
April 24
April 26
101
* Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Norwegian writer (Mary, Nobel Prize 1903), dies at age 77.
[1]
April 27
* Belgian parliament rejects socialist motion for general voting rights. [1]
April 28
April 29
May 4
May 6
May 10
May 11
May 12
May 14
102
May 16
May 17
* Canada sets the designs for the 1- through 50-cent coins. [1]
May 18
May 20
May 22
* Jules Renard French writer (Le plaisir the rompre), dies at age 46. [1]
May 27
May 29
* Mili Alexeyevich Balakirev Russian composer (Islamej), dies at age 73. [1]
* Pope's encyclical on Editae Saepe, against church reformers. [1]
May 31
* Cape of Good Hope becomes part of the Union of South Africa. [1]
* Elizabeth Blackwell first woman physician, dies at age 89. [1]
* Glenn Curtiss flies from Albany to New York City. [1]
June 2
* First roundtrip flight over the English Channel (C.S. Rolls, England). [1]
* Pygmies discovered in Dutch New Guinea. [1]
June 5
103
June 13
* Pilot Charles Hamilton makes first one-day round-trip from New York to
Philadelphia. [1]
* William D Crum, a South Carolina physician, appointed minister to Liberia. [1]
June 19
June 20
* "Krazy Kat" comic strip by George Herriman debuts in New York Journal. [1]
June 22
July 1
July 9
* Walter Brookins becomes first to pilot an airplane to one mile altitude. [1]
July 10
July 12
July 16
August 14
August 22
104
* Japan annexes Korea. [1]
September 10
September 11
September 27
October 1
* Berkshire Cattle Fair held in Pittsfield Mass (first state fair). [1]
October 2
October 4
October 5
October 6
October 17
* Julia Ward Howe composer (Battle Hymn of the Republic), dies at age 91. [1]
October 23
* Blanche Scott became first woman solo a public airplane flight. [1]
November 1
105
November 7
* The first air freight shipment (from Dayton to Columbus, Ohio) is undertaken by the
Wright Brothers and department store owner Max Moorehouse. [5]
November 8
November 12
* First movie stunt: man jumps into Hudson river from a burning balloon. [1]
November 14
* First airplane take-off from a naval vessel equipped with a flight-deck, a 50hp Curtiss
pusher biplane, from US light cruiser Birmingham at Chesapeake Bay in Norfolk,
Virginia, USA. [1] [55.12]
November 20
* Leo Tolstoy Russia, author (Anna Karenina), dies at age 82. [1]
* Revolution broke out in Mexico, led by Francisco I Madero. [1]
November 27
* New York's Pennsylvania Station opens as world's largest railway terminal. [1]
December 3
December 9
December 10
December 19
* First city ordinance requiring white and black residential areas (Baltimore). [1]
* Rayon first commercially produced, Marcus Hook Pennsylvania. [1]
106
December 21
* Explosion in coal mine in Hulton England, 344 mine workers dies. [1]
December 22
December 24
December 28
* The opera "Königskinder" is produced (New York City, New York). [1]
December 31
1911
January 1
January 3
January 5
January 7
January 9
107
January 10
January 13
January 15
January 16
* Pandora becomes first two-man sailboat to round Cape Horn west to east. [1]
January 17
January 18
* First aircraft landing on deck of ship, a Curtiss aircraft on armored cruiser USS
Pennsylvania in San Francisco Bay, California. [1] [55.12]
January 24
January 26
* Charles Wentworth Dilke English undersecretary of State, dies at age 67. [1]
* Glenn Curtiss pilots first successful hydroplane, San Diego California. [1]
* Richard Strauss's opera "Die Rosenkavalier" premieres, Dresden. [1]
January 28
January 30
108
* First rescue of an air passenger by a ship, near Havana, Cuba. [1]
January 31
* US Congress names San Francisco as Panamá Canal opening celebration site. [1]
February 4
* Peter A "Piet" Cronje South Africa Boer General, dies at about age 75. [1]
February 5
February 6
February 8
February 11
February 17
* First amphibian flight to and from a ship, by Glenn Curtiss, San Diego. [1]
February 20
February 21
February 25
109
March 1
* Jacobus H van 't Hoff Dutch chemist/physicist (Nobel Prize 1901), dies at age 58. [1]
March 3
* First US federal cemetery with Union and Rebel graves opens, Missouri. [1]
March 4
March 7
* Antonio Fogazzarro Italian writer/poet (Il Santo, Leila), dies at age 68. [1]
* US sent 20,000 troops to Mexican border. [1]
* Willis Farnsworth, Petaluma California, patents coin-operated locker. [1]
March 8
March 13
* Ivan Caryll's musical "Pink Lady" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Jacob M van Bemmelen Dutch physicist/chemist, dies at age 80. [1]
March 18
March 20
March 25
* 146 die in a fire at Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City, New York. [1]
* L D Swamikannu publishes "Manual of Indian Chronology" in Bombay. [1]
March 29
110
March 30
April 3
* Harry James Smith' "Mrs Bumsted-Leigh", premieres in New York City. [1]
April 5
April 10
April 12
April 13
April 15
April 19
April 30
May 2
May 9
111
May 15
May 16
May 18
* Gustav Mahler Austrian composer (Children's Death Songs), dies at age 50. [1]
* President/dictator José Porfirio Diaz of México term ends. [1]
May 19
May 23
* New York Public Library building at 5th Avenue dedicated by President Taft. [1] [5]
May 25
May 28
May 29
* William Schwenck Gilbert England, writer (Gilbert and Sullivan), dies at age 74. [1]
May 31
* The Titanic first enters the water, with no christening ceremony. [117.39]
June 1
June 6
112
* Nicaragua signs treaty turning over customs to US (not ratified). [1]
June 20
June 22
June 26
June 30
July 3
* Ty Cobb hits in his 40th straight game. Does not get a hit next day. [1]
July 4
July 8
* Nan Aspinwall is first woman to make solo transcontin. trip by horse. [1]
July 14
July 15
July 30
August 10
113
August 21
* In Paris, France, the Mona Lisa painting is stolen by former Louvre employee
Vincenzo Perugia, by hiding it under his coat. His intention is to sell it to an Italian
museum. (The painting is recovered in 1914.) [5] [66.9] (August 22 [1])
September 1
September 4
September 9
September 14
September 17
September 18
September 22
* Cy Young at age 44, wins his 511th and final game. [1]
September 25
October 10
October
* At the British Royal Mint, trial strikings are made of a Canadian 1911 silver $1 coin.
These pieces later become Canada's most valuable coins, though not truly coins. [3]
114
October 20
October 23
October 24
* Robert Scott's expedition leaves Cape Evans for South Pole. [1]
October 29
November 1
* First air raid, Italian pilot drops a 4.5-pound bomb on Turkish position at Ain Zara.
[55.8]
November 5
November 6
November 18
November 23
* Post Hospital at Presidio, San Francisco renamed Letterman General Hospital. [1]
December 7
* Leslie J Stuart's musical "Betsy" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
115
December 10
December 11
December 14
December 18
December 23
* Frank Wedekind's "Oaha, die Satire der Satire" premieres in Munich. [1]
* Karl L Hoschna composer, dies at age 34. [1]
* The opera "I Giojelli Della Madonna" is produced (Berlin). [1]
December 25
December 29
December 30
December 31
116
1912
January 1
* First running of San Francisco's famed "Bay to Breakers" race (7.63 miles/12.3 km).
[1]
* Sun Yat-sen forms Chinese Republic. [1]
January 2
* Death of Felix Dahn in Hamburg, Germany, age 77; professor of law, writer. [37]
(January 3 [1])
January 3
* Southern Pacific Railroad offers to bring Liberty Bell to Exposition, free. [1]
January 4
January 6
January 7
January 9
January 10
January 12
* -47 degrees F (-44 degrees C), Washta Iowa (state record). [1]
January 13
* -40 degrees F (-40 degrees C), Oakland Maryland (state record). [1]
117
January 14
* Otto Liebmann German philosopher (Kant and Epigones), dies at age 71. [1]
* Raymond Poincaré becomes premier of France. [1]
January 16
January 18
* British explorer Robert Falcon Scott arrives at the South Pole only to find that
Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had preceded them by just over a month. [5]
(January 17 [1])
January 29
February 2
* Frederick R Law, parachutes from Statue of Liberty (stunt for Pathe). [1]
February 7
February 8
February 10
* Joseph Lister first Baron Lister, surgeon (pioneer of antiseptic), dies. [1]
February 12
February 14
118
February 15
* Fram reaches latitude 78 degrees 41' S, farthest south ever by ship. [1]
February 16
February 17
* Aloys von Aerenthal foreign minister (Austria-Hungary), dies at age 57. [1]
* L Oates British explorer (Antarctica), dies. [1]
February 22
* J Vedrines makes first airplane flight over 100 mph-161.29 kph. [1]
* Richard Andree German geographer (Andree's Handatlas), dies at age 76. [1]
February 26
February 27
March 1
March 5
* Spanish steamer "Principe de Asturias" sinks northeast of Spain, 500 die. [1]
March 7
March 12
* Captain Albert Berry performs first parachute jump from an airplane. [1]
* Girl Guides (Girl Scouts) founded in Savannah, by Juliette Gordon Low. [1]
* Helen Hayes Theater opens at 238 W 44th Steet New York City. [1]
119
March 13
March 14
* King Vittorio Emanuel III of Rome injured during assassination attempt. [1]
March 16
* Mrs William Howard Taft plants first cherry tree in Washington DC. [1]
March 17
* Camp Fire Girls organization announced by Mrs Luther Halsey Gulick. [1]
March 23
March 27
March 29
* Captain Robert Scott, blizzard-bound in a tent 18 km from the South Pole, makes last
entry in his diary "the end cannot be far". [1]
* Robert F Scott British pole explorer (Antarctica), dies. [1]
March 30
April 1
* Greek athlete Konstantinos Tsiklitiras breaks the world record in standing long jump
with a 3.47-metres jump. [5]
April 2
120
April 4
April 6
April 8
April 9
April 10
* RMS Titanic sets sail from Southampton, England for its first (and last) voyage, with
2207 passengers and crew. [1] [117.40] [260.92]
April 11
April 12
* Clara Barton organized American Red Cross, dies at age 90. [1]
* The Titanic departs Queenstown, Ireland with final passengers and mail, now 1316
passengers, 885 crew, headed for New York. [117.40]
April 13
April 14
April 15
121
* (00:05 AM) Captain Smith of the Titanic orders lifeboats to be uncovered, and for
passengers to be assembled to abandon ship. [117.41]
* (00:15 AM) Telegraph operator aboard the Titanic sends a constant distress call
"CQD" and Titanic's call letters "MGY"; then sends out "SOS". Carpathia answers the
call. [117.41]
* (00:25 AM) Captain Smith of the Titanic orders women and children into lifeboats.
[117.42]
* (00:45 AM) The first lifeboat from the Titanic is lowered to the sea, with 28 people,
of a capacity of 65. [117.42]
* (2:27 AM) Titanic sinks at in North Atlantic. An estimated 1522 people die. [1]
[260.92]
* (4:00+ AM) Carpathia rescues 712 survivors from the Titanic. 1490-1523 die.
[117.43]
April 16
* Harriet Quimby becomes first woman pilot to cross the English Channel. [1]
April 17
* First unofficial gold record (Al Jolson's "Ragging The Baby To Sleep"). [1]
April 20
April 24
April 27
April 29
* 108 degrees F (42 degrees C), Tuguegarao Philippines (Oceania record). [1]
* Frank Wedekind's "Tod und Teufel", premieres in Berlin. [1]
April 30
May 1
122
* Beverly Hills Hotel opens. [1]
May 2
May 4
May 5
May 7
* Columbia University approves plans for awarding the Pulitzer Prize in several
categories The award is established by Joseph Pulitzer. [1]
May 13
May 14
May 15
* Ty Cobb rushes a heckler at a New York Highlander game and is suspended. [1]
May
* The Ottawa branch mint strikes Canada's first $5 and $10 gold coins. [3]
May 18
May 26
* Jan Blockx Belgian opera composer (Bride of the Sea), dies at age 61. [1]
May 29
123
* Fifteen young women fired by Curtis Publishing for dancing the "Turkey Trot"
during their lunch break. [1]
May 30
May 31
June 4
June 5
June 6
June 7
July 4
* Detroit Tiger George Mullen no-hits Saint Louis Browns, 7-0. [1]
July 12
* First foreign feature film exhibited in US-"Queen Elizabeth"-New York City. [1]
July 15
July 16
124
July 20
* Philadelphia Phillies Sherry Magee steals home twice in one game. [1]
July 25
July 31
August 5
August 7
* Progressive (Bull Moose) Party nominates Theodore Roosevelt for president. [1]
August 14
August 20
August 21
August 24
* New York City ticker tape parade for Jim Thorpe and victorious US olympians. [1]
* Territory of Alaska organized. [1]
* US passes Anti-gag law, federal employees right to petition the government. [1]
August 25
August 27
125
September 3
* World's first cannery opens in England to supply food to the navy. [1]
September 9
* J Verdrines becomes first to fly over 100 mph (107 mph/172 kph). [1]
September 11
* Philadelphia Athletics Eddie Collins steals six bases in one game. [1]
September 22
* Eddie Collins steals six bases in a game, for second time in 11 days. [1]
September 23
September 28
October 4
October 8
October 9
October 14
October 18
126
October 19
November 3
* First pilot shot down: Bulgarian pilot while making reconnaissance flight over
Adrianople. [55.8]
November 5
November 18
November 25
November 27
December 3
December 6
December 7
December 12
127
December 16
* First US postage stamp picturing an airplane, 20-cent parcel post, issued. [1]
* Austria-Hungary engage in conflict with Serbia. [1]
December 20
* J Hartley Manners' "Peg O' My Heart" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Paul Claudels "L'Annonce Faite à Marie" premieres in Paris. [1]
December 21
December 23
December 24
December 28
December 30
* Alfred von Kiderlen-Waechter German foreign minister, dies at age 60. [1]
128
1913
January 1
January 2
* Léon P Teisserenc de Bort French meteorologist (stratosphere), dies at age 57. [1]
* National Woman's Party forms. [1]
January 4
* Death of Alfred Graf von Schlieffen in Berlin, Germany, at age 79; Prussian General-
field marshal, developed "Schlieffen Plan" used in World War I. [1] [37]
January 7
January 11
* First sedan-type car (Hudson) goes on display at 13th Auto Show (New York City,
New York). [1]
* Bread and Roses Strike begins. [1]
January 13
* Thomas P Krag Norwegian author/novelist (Jon Graeff, Ulf Ran), dies at age 44. [1]
January 16
January 17
January 18
January 19
129
* David Emlyn Evans composer, dies at age 69. [1]
* Raymond Poincaré installed as President of France. [1]
January 21
January 22
* Ferdinand van der Haeghen Flemish librarian/bibliographer, dies at age 82. [1]
January 23
January 24
January 29
January 30
February 1
* New York City's Grand Central Terminal opens as the world's largest train station. [5]
(February 2 [1])
February 3
February 4
February 9
130
* Ten Day Tragedy of Mexico-City; 3,000 die. [1]
February 10
* Edward Sheldons "Romance" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
February 15
* First avant-garde art show in America opens in New York City, New York. [1]
* Birth of Willy Vandersteen Belgian cartoonist (Suske and Wiske). [1]
February 16
February 17
February 18
February 19
February 22
February 25
February 26
131
February 27
February 28
* 6.8-m, 4000-kg elephant seal killed, South Georgia (South Atlantic). [1]
March 1
* First state law requiring bonding of officers and state employees, North Dakota. [1]
* Federal income tax takes effect (16th amendment). [1]
March 3
March 4
March 8
* Internal Revenue Service begins to levy and collect income taxes. [1]
March 9
March 10
March 12
March 13
132
March 14
March 15
March 18
March 19
March 20
March 21
March 24
March 25
March 26
* Construction work on the Panama Canal peaks with 44,733 workers on site. [150.62]
* Bulgaria captures Adrianople, ending the first Balkan War. [1]
* Dayton Ohio almost destroyed when Scioto, Miami, and Muskingum River reach
flood stage simultaneously. [1]
March 31
* John Pierpont Morgan US banker/CEO (US Steel Corp), dies at age 75. [1]
133
April 3
April 6
April 8
April 14
April 21
April 22
April 26
April 29
May 1
* Longacre Theater opens at 220 W 48th Steet New York City, New York. [1]
May 6
134
May 7
May 9
May 13
* First four engine aircraft built and flown (Igor Sikorsky-Russia). [1]
May 14
May 18
May 19
* Webb Alien Land-Holding Bill passes, forbidding Japs from owning land. [1]
May 26
May 27
May 28
May 30
May 31
135
June 2
June 6
* Rabbit Maranville, is thrown out trying to steal home three times. [1]
June 7
* Hudson Stuck, an Alaskan missionary, leads the first successful ascent of the south
peak of Mount McKinley, the highest point on the American continent at 20,320 feet.
Companions Harry Karstens, Walter Harper, and Robert Tatum follow Stuck to the
summit. [129]
June 12
June 21
June 29
June 30
July 3
* Common tern banded in Maine; found dead in 1919 in Africa (first bird. [1]
July 10
* 134 degrees F (57 degrees C), Greenland Ranch, California (US record). [1]
July 19
July 30
136
* Conclusion of the second Balkan War. [1]
August 10
August 20
August 25
August 27
September 6
September 9
* Association for Study of Negro Life and History organizes in Chicago. [1]
September 10
September 15
September 21
September 22
September 29
137
* Washington Senator Walter Johnson wins his 36th game. [1]
October 3
October 10
October 31
* The Lincoln Highway, the first automobile road across America, is dedicated. [5]
November 5
November 6
* Mohandas K Gandhi arrested for leading Indian miners march in South Africa. [1]
November 9
November 17
November 18
November 25
December 1
138
December 2
December 8
December 10
December 12
* "Mona Lisa", recovered after being stolen from the Louvre Museum in 1911. [1]
* Hebrew language officially used to teach in Palestinian schools. [1]
December 13
December 14
December 16
* Charlie Chaplin began his film career at Keystone for $150 a week. [1]
December 17
December 21
December 22
December 23
* President Woodrow Wilson signs Federal Reserve Act into law. [1]
139
December 29
140
1914
January 1
January 2
January 3
* Kelman/Cushing/Heath' musical "Sari" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Stephane Raoul Pugno composer, dies at age 62. [1]
January 4
January 5
* James Cox of Ford Motor Company announces wages will jump from $2.40/9-hour
day to $5.00/8-hour day. [1]
January 6
January 7
January 10
* First edition of Hague's Post under San Francisco van Oss, published. [1]
January 11
January 13
141
* Bernardus H Heldt Dutch Member of Parliament, dies at age 72. [1]
* IWW-leader/songwriter Joe Hill arrested "Girl from Utah" East-Prussia. [1]
* Valentin de Zubiaurre y Unionbarrenechea composer, dies 76. [1]
January 14
January 16
January 17
January 20
January 22
January 24
* The opera "Madeleine" is produced (New York City New York). [1]
January 26
January 28
February 1
February 2
142
* James Royce Shannon's musical "Shameen Dhu" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
February 4
February 6
* J Albert Neuhuys Dutch painter (Hague School), dies at age 69. [1]
February 7
* Charlie Chaplin debuts "The Tramp" in "Kid Auto Races at Venice". [1]
* Steel work completed on Exposition (Civic) Auditorium, San Francisco. [1]
February 8
February 13
February 14
February 16
* First airplane flight from to Los Angeles from San Francisco. [1]
February 19
February 21
February 24
143
February 25
* John Tenniel British illustrator (Alice in Wonderland), dies at age 93. [1]
February 26
February 28
* Construction begins on Tower of Jewels for the Exposition (San Francisco). [1]
March 1
March 7
March 9
March 10
March 12
March 14
March 16
* Gaston Calmette editor (Le Figaro), killed by Madame Caillaux at age 55. [1]
* Sir John Murray piloted HMS Challenger to Christmas Island, dies. [1]
March 18
144
March 22
* World's first airline, Saint Petersburg Tampa Airboat Line, begins. [1]
March 23
March 25
March 27
March 28
March 31
April 4
* "The Perils of Pauline" shown for first time in Los Angeles California. [1]
April 8
* Jakub Arbes Czechoslovakia, author (Andél Miru), dies at age 73. [1]
* US and Colombia sign a treaty concerning the Panamá Canal Zone. [1]
April 9
* First full color film shown "The World, The Flesh and the Devil" (London). [1]
* Tampico incident - US ship crew arrested in México. [1]
April 11
April 12
145
April 14
April 16
April 19
April 20
April 21
April 22
April 28
May 1
May 6
May 7
May 9
146
* President Wilson proclaims Mother's Day. [1]
May 14
* Chicago's Jim Scott no-hits Cleveland, gives up two hits in 10th and loses 1-0. [1]
May 15
* Henri Rabauds opera "Marouf, Savetier de Caire" premieres in Paris France. [1]
May 16
May 17
May 21
May 25
May 27
May 28
May 29
May 30
147
* Cunard ocean liner RMS Aquitania, largest at 45,647 tons, sails on her maiden
voyage from Liverpool, England to New York City. [5]
June 2
June 6
* First air flight out of the sight of land (Scotland to Norway). [1]
June 15
June 24
June 27
June 28
* Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie are shot to death by
Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip during an official visit to the Bosnian capital of
Sarajevo. [1] [129]
June 29
June 30
* Mahatma Gandhi's first arrest, campaigning for Indian rights in South Africa. [1]
July 4
July 9
* First US duplicate auction bridge championship held, Lake Placid, New York. [1]
July 14
148
* First patent for liquid-fueled rocket design granted (Dr R Goddard). [1]
* Robert Hutchins Goddard patents a liquid-fuel rocket motor. [1]
July 18
* US army air service first comes into being, in the Signal Corps. [1]
July 23
July 28
July 29
* First transcontinental phone link made between New York City and San Francisco.
[1]
* Austro-Hungarian forces begin to shell the Serbian capital, Belgrade. Russia, Serbia's
ally, orders a troop mobilization against Austria-Hungary. [129]
July 30
* The New York Stock Exchange closes (stays closed for the next four months). [227]
* Jean Jaurés leading socialist, assassinated in Paris. [1]
August 1
August 3
* Germany invades Belgium and declares war on France; France declares war on
Germany. [1] [129]
August 4
August 5
149
* First electric traffic light is installed, at Euclid Ave. and East 105th Street, Cleveland,
Ohio, USA. [1] [5]
* US, Nicaragua sign treaty granting canal rights to US. [1]
August 6
August 8
August 11
August 15
August 18
August 20
August 23
August 26
August 29
* Arizonan is first vessel to arrive in San Francisco via Panama Canal. [1]
September 1
150
* Saint Petersburg, Russia changes name to Petrograd. [1]
September 3
September 5
September 6
September 7
September 9
September 15
September 18
September 26
September 28
October 10
October 15
151
October 28
November 5
November 16
November 20
December 2
December 3
December 6
December 8
December 10
December 11
December 12
152
* Watkins Lewis black man lynched in Shreveport Louisiana. [1]
* The New York Stock Exchange re-opens (was closed four months). The Dow Jones
Industrial Average drops from 71.42 to 54, a drop of 24 percent. [227]
December 14
December 15
* American Radio Relay League (organization for hams) founded by Hiram Percy
Maxim. [1]
* Battle of Lódz ends; Russians retreat toward Moscow. [1]
* British fleet forfeits chance to destroy German fleet in North Sea. [1]
* Swedish troops over run Belgrade in Austria-Hungary. [1]
December 16
December 17
December 19
* Johann F Ritter von Schulte German catholic lawyer, dies at age 87. [1]
December 21
December 24
December 25
153
1915
January 1
January 2
* Karl Goldmark Austria-Hungarian composer (Queen of Saba), dies at age 84. [1]
January 3
January 4
* First elected Jewish Governor, Moses Alexander, takes office in Idaho. [1]
* Trans-Caucausus Russian defeat Turkish troops. [1]
January 9
January 12
* House of Representatives rejects proposal to give women the right to vote. [1]
January 13
January 15
January 16
* US Congress authorizes $1 and $50 Panamá-Pacific International Expo gold coin. [1]
January 17
154
* Antoni van Leeuwenhoek's Hospital in Amsterdam opens. [1]
* Russia occupies Bukovina and Western Ukraine. [1]
January 18
January 19
* First German Zeppelin L3s make bombing attack over Great Britain, four die in
Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. [1] [152.34]
* Neon Tube sign patented by George Claude. [1]
January 21
January 24
January 25
* Giordano, Sardou and Moreau's opera "Madame Sans Gêne" premieres in New York
City, New York. [1]
* Transcontinental telephone service inaugurated (New York to San Francisco). [1]
January 26
January 27
January 28
* First US ship lost in WWI, William P Frye (carrying wheat to United Kingdom). [1]
* US Coast Guard created from Life Saving and Revenue Cutter services. [1]
* US President Wilson refuses to prohibit immigration of illiterates. [1]
January 30
January 31
155
* First (German) poison gas attack, against Russians. [1]
February 3
February 4
February 7
* First wireless message sent from a moving train to a station received. [1]
* Second Battle of Masurian Lakes German armies surrounded a Russian army. [1]
* Wladyslaw Gorski composer, dies at age 68. [1]
February 10
* Albert J-BJ Thijs Belgian Colonial pioneer (Congo), dies at age 65. [1]
February 12
February 16
February 17
February 18
February 19
February 20
156
February 21
February 22
February 23
* Germany sinks US ships Carib and Evelyn and torpedoes Norwegian ship Regin. [1]
* Nevada enforces convenient divorce law. [1]
* Robert Smalls Reconstruction congressman, dies at age 75 in South Carolina. [1]
February 25
February 26
March 2
March 3
March 6
March 8
March 10
March 13
157
* Sergei J Witte Dutch count/premier of Russia, dies at age 65. [1]
March 14
March 15
* Netherlands merchant ship Tubantia torpedoed and sinks in North Sea. [1]
March 16
* British battle cruisers Inflexible and Irresistible hit mines in Dardanelle. [1]
* Federal Trade Commission organizes. [1]
March 17
March 18
March 19
* Pluto photographed for first time (although unknown at the time). [1]
March 22
March 23
March 25
* First submarine disaster; a US F-4 sank off Hawaii, killing 21. [1]
* German U boat torpedoes Netherlands merchant ship Medea. [1]
April 1
158
April 5
April 14
* Oakland Athletics Herb Pennock is within one out of pitching first Opening Day no-
hitter. [1]
* Dutch merchant navy ship Katwijk sunk by Germany torpedo. [1]
* James Hutton Brew "Pioneer of West African Journalism", dies. [1]
April 15
April 17
* Johannes P Kelly [Kellij] Dutch actor/operetta writer, dies at age 60. [1]
April 22
April 23
April 24
April 25
April 26
* Italy secretly signes Pact of London with Britain, France and Russia. [1]
159
April 27
May 1
May 2
May 4
May 5
May 6
May 7
* Cunard Line's RMS Lusitania passenger liner is sunk by German submarine in the
Atlantic; 1198 lives lost. One crewmember survives, who also survived the Empress of
Ireland and Titanic. [1] [118.9] [260.96]
* Alfred G Vanderbilt US millionaire, dies aboard Lusitania. [1]
* Alfred Scott Witherbee Jr US Lusitania officer, dies. [1]
* Charles Frohman dies aboard Lusitania. [1]
May 8
* Henry McNeal Turner 1 US black army chaplain, dies at age 82. [1]
May 9
May 10
160
* Albert Weisgerber German painter/graphic artist, dies in battle. [1]
* Zeppelin drops hundred of bombs on Southend-on-Sea. [1]
May 12
May 17
* Chicago Cubs George "Zip" Zabel relieves with two outs in first and winds up with
4-3 19-inning win over Brooklyn in longest relief job ever. [1]
* Last liberal British Government of Asquith falls. [1]
* National Baptist Convention chartered. [1]
May 20
May 22
* Local train collides with troop train killing 226 (Gretna Scotland). [1]
May 23
May 24
May 25
May 26
May 28
May 31
161
* An LZ-38 Zeppelin makes an air raid on London. [1]
June 1
June 8
June 15
* US government mints first $50 gold pieces, for Panama Pacific Expo. [1]
June 24
June 27
* 100 degrees F (38 degrees C), Fort Yukon, Alaska (state record). [1]
July 1
July 9
July 24
July 28
* 10,000 blacks march on 5th Ave (New York City) protesting lynchings. [1]
* US forces invade Haiti, stays until 1924. [1]
July 29
August 12
162
* "Of Human Bondage," by William Somerset Maugham, published. [1]
August 17
* Mob lynches Jewish businessman Leo Frank in Cobb County, Georgia after death
sentence for murder of 13-year-old girl commuted to life. [1]
* Hurricane kills 275 in Galveston, Texas with $50 million damage. [1] [245.4]
August 20
September 11
* The Pennsylvania Railroad began electrified commuter rail service between Paoli
and Philadelphia. [5]
September 16
September 21
* Anthony Comstock anti-vice crusader, dies at age 71 in New York City. [1]
* Stones at Stonehenge, England, sold at auction for £6,600. [1]
September 22
* Southern Methodist University (Dallas Texas) holds its first class. [1]
September 29
October 12
* English nurse Edith Cavell executed by Germans in Belgium (WW II). [1]
* Theodore Roosevelt criticizes US citzens with dual nationalities. [1]
October 21
October 23
163
* 25,000 women march in New York City, demanding right to vote. [1]
October 25
November 2
November 9
November 12
November 14
November 19
December 2
December 4
December 8
December 10
164
* President Woodrow Wilson marries Edith Galt. [1]
December 12
* First all-metal aircraft (Junkers J.1) test flown at Dessau Germany. [1]
* Aristide Briand forms French war government. [1]
* Russian troops overrun Hamadan, Persia. [1]
December 16
December 18
* President Wilson, widowed the year before, marries Edith Bolling Galt. [1]
* Èdouard Vaillant French socialist politician/communard, dies at age 75. [1]
December 19
December 20
December 21
December 23
* J Kern/S Greene's musical "Very Good Eddie" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
* Roland Leighton dies at age 20. [1]
December 28
* Gerrit Jan van Heek Dutch textile manufacturer/politician, dies at age 78. [1]
* San Francisco City Hall dedicated by Mayor James Rolph. [1]
December 29
December 30
165
* Cromarty Harbour, Scottish-British cruiser Natal explodes: 405 die. [1]
166
1916
January 1
January 5
January 7
January 10
January 11
January 12
* Britain proclaims Gilbert and Ellice Island colony in the Pacific. [1]
January 14
January 16
* Arnold Aletrino Dutch physician-criminologist (From Death), dies at age 57. [1]
January 22
January 23
* Temp falls from 44 degrees F (7 degrees C) to -56 degrees F (49 degrees C) night of
23-24, Browning MT. [1]
January 25
167
* Montenegro surrenders to Austria-Hungary. [1]
January 27
January 28
January 29
January 31
February 1
February 3
February 5
* Enrico Caruso recorded "O Sole Mio" for the Victor Talking Machine Company. [1]
February 6
February 8
* French cruiser "Admiral Charner" torpedoed off Syrian coast, kills 374. [1]
February 9
168
February 10
February 11
February 12
February 14
February 15
February 16
February 17
February 19
February 20
* Klas Pontus Arnoldson Swedish politician (Nobel Prize 1908), dies at age 71. [1]
February 21
169
February 23
February 25
February 26
* Germans sink French transport ship Provence II, killing 930. [1]
* Mutual signs Charlie Chaplin to a film contract. [1]
* Russian troops conquer Kermansjah Persia. [1]
February 28
* Henry James US/British writer (Bostonians), dies in London at age 72. [1]
February 29
March 1
March 2
March 4
* Franz Marc German painter/co-founder (Blaue Reiter), killed at age 36. [1]
March 8
* US invades Cuba for third time, this to end corrupt Menocal regime. [1]
March 9
* General Francisco "Pancho" Villa leads Mexican band raid on Columbus, New
Mexico (17 killed). [1]
* Germany declares war against Portugal. [1]
170
March 12
March 14
March 15
* General Pershing, 15,000 troops chasing Villa into Mexico, stays 10-months. [1]
* University of Gent goes under Dutch control. [1]
March 16
March 20
March 21
March 24
* Enrique y Campina Granados Sp opera composer (Goyescas), drowns at age 48. [1]
March 26
March 31
April 1
April 2
171
* German troops overtake Bois de Caillette. [1]
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 8
April 9
April 11
April 15
April 19
April 20
April 22
April 23
172
* Lord Dunsany's "Night at an Inn", premieres in New York City. [1]
April 24
April 29
May 2
* Second Ave and Bronx Terrace renamed Bronx Boulevard; Seward Place renamed
Sycamore Ave; Herald Ave renamed Dickinson Ave; Monroe and Selwyn Avenue named.
[1]
* US President Wilson signs Harrison Drug Act. [1]
May 3
May 4
May 5
May 6
May 8
May 9
May 10
173
* Disastrous fire in Ellendale ND. [1]
* Historic Shipport Museum opens in Amsterdam. [1]
May 11
May 13
May 15
* Asiago Italy falls when Austrian troops attack the Italian front. [1]
May 17
May 18
May 19
May 20
* Codell Kansas hit by tornado (also on same date in 1917 and 1918). [1]
* The Saturday Evening Post publishes its first cover with a Norman Rockwell
painting. [1] [5]
May 21
May 22
May 23
174
* Heavy battles at Fort Douaumont Verdun. [1]
May 24
May 27
May 29
May 31
* (to June 1) Battle of Jutland: British-German sea battle off Denmark (10,000 dead).
British battle cruiser Invincible explodes, killing all aboard but six. [1] [118.9]
* Horace Hood British spy (Battle of Jutland), dies in battle. [1]
June 3
June 5
June 10
June 16
* Boston Brave's Tom Hughes second no-hitter beats Pitts, 2-0. [1]
June 29
175
July 1
July 3
* First of three fatal shark attacks occurred near New Jersey shore (4 die). [1]
July 9
* First cargo submarine to cross the Atlantic arrives in US from Germany. [1]
July 11
July 15
July 22
* A bomb goes off during a Preparedness Day parade in San Francisco killing 10. [1]
July 25
July 30
August 1
August 4
* US agrees to buy Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million. [1]
August 25
August 26
176
* Philadelphia Athletics Bullet Joe Bush no-hits Cleve, 5-0. [1]
August 28
August 29
* Steamer 'Hsin Iu' sinks off China coast, 1,000 drown. [1]
August 30
September 1
September 3
September 14
September 15
* First tank used in war, "Little Willies" at Battle of Flors, France. [1]
October 4
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average expands from 12 to 20 stocks. The index removes
National Lead, Peoples Gas, General Motors and U.S. Steel pfd., and adds American Beet
Sugar, American Can, American Locomotive, American Smelting, American Telephone
& Telegraph, Baldwin Locomotive, Goodrich, Republic Iron & Steel, Studebaker, Texas
Company, Utah Copper, Westinghouse, and Western Union. [228]
* Market Street's "Path of Gold" lit for first time. [1]
October 16
* Margaret Sanger opens first birth control clinic (46 Amboy Street, Brooklyn). [1]
October 26
177
* Margaret Sanger arrested for obscenity (advocating birth control). [1]
October 27
November 3
November 7
November 21
* Britannic passenger liner strikes a mine and sinks off the coast of Greece; 30 dead.
[117.44]
* Franz Josef of Austria, dies. [1]
November 29
December 1
December 2
December 5
December 6
December 7
178
* David Lloyd George replaces resigning H H Asquith as British Prime Minister. [1]
December 9
* P Paul Leroy-Beaulieu French economist (Economist France), dies at age 73. [1]
December 11
December 13
* Avalanche kills 10,000 Austrian and Italian troops in 24 hours in Tyrol. [1]
* Esme Stuart Lennox Robinsons premieres in Dublin. [1]
* French chief of staff Joffre replaced by Nivelle. [1]
December 15
December 16
* Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin a powerful Russian monk is murdered at age 45. [1]
December 19
December 20
December 26
December 27
December 28
* Eduard Strauss Austrian composer (318 dances), dies at age 81. [1]
179
December 31
180
1917
January 2
January 6
January 8
January 10
* Buffalo Bill Cody army scout and Indian fighter, dies. [1]
January 11
* Guy Bolton and PG Wodehouse's "Have a Heart" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
January 16
* The German minister, Arthur Zimmermann, sends a telegram through the German
ambassador in Washington to the German ambassador in Mexico offering Mexico an
alliance against the United States. He proposes that Mexico will be assisted in retaking
Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. The telegram is intercepted and decoded by British
intelligence and given to President Woodrow Wilson. The telegram becomes instrumental
in forming American public opinion against Germany and for entering the war as Wilson
gives it to the press in March. [37]
January 17
January 19
January 29
181
* Evelyn Baring Earl Cromer English consul-General in Egypt, dies at age 75. [1]
January 30
January 31
* Germany notifies US that U-boats will attack neutral merchant ship. [1]
February 1
February 3
February 4
February 5
February 6
February 10
February 13
February 15
182
* San Francisco Public Library (Main Branch at Civic center) dedicated. [1]
February 16
February 17
* Edmund Bishop English Secretary of Thomas Carlyle, dies at age 70. [1]
February 18
February 20
February 21
February 22
February 23
February 24
* German plan to get Mexican help in WWI exposed (Zimmerman telegram). [1]
* Russian revolution breaks out. [1]
February 26
February 28
* AP reports México and Japan will ally with Germany if US enters WWI. [1]
* Russian Duma sets up Provisional Committee; workers set up Soviets. [1]
183
March 1
March 2
March 3
March 4
March 5
March 6
* Jules HPFX Vandenpeereboom premier of Belgium (1899), dies at age 73. [1]
March 7
* First jazz record "Dixie Jazz Band One Step", recorded by Nick LaRocca Original
Dixieland Jazz Band, released by RCA Victor in Camden New Jersey. [1]
March 8
* Ferdinand von Zeppelin Dutch count/air pioneer, dies at age 78. [1]
* Russian revolution breaks out (in Petrograd/St Petersburg). [1]
* US invades Cuba for third time. [1]
March 11
March 12
184
* Stalin, Kamenev and Muranov arrive in Saint Petersburg. [1]
March 15
March 17
March 19
* US Supreme Court upheld 8-hour work day for railroad employees (Adamson Act).
[1]
March 21
March 23
March 28
* Jews are expelled from Tel Aviv and Jaffa by Turkish authorities. [1]
* Puccini's "La Rondine" premieres in Monte Carlo. [1]
March 29
March 31
* US purchases Danish West Indies for $25M and renames them Virgin Islands. [1]
April 1
April 2
April 3
185
* Lenin leaves Switzerland for Petrograd. [1]
April 6
April 7
April 9
April 10
April 12
* Bijou Theater opens at 222 W 45th Steet New York City, New York (Demolished in
1982). [1]
* Domenico Scarlatti and Jean Cocteau's ballet premieres in Rome. [1]
April 14
* Lew [Lejzer L] Zamenhof Polish doc/linguist (Esperanto), dies at age 57. [1]
April 16
April 18
April 20
186
April 24
May 1
May 3
May 4
May 10
May 11
May 13
May 18
May 20
* Turkish Government authorizes Jews to return to Tel Aviv and Jaffa. [1]
May 21
May 23
187
May 25
* Leon Felix Augustin Joseph Vasseur composer, dies at age 72. [1]
May 27
* Race riot in East Saint Louis Illinois, one black killed. [1]
May 31
June 5
June 8
June 12
June 14
* General Pershing and his headquarters staff arrived in Paris during WW I. [1]
June 16
June 19
* After WW I King George V ordered members of British royal family to. [1]
June 21
June 26
July 1
188
* Race riots in East Saint Louis Illinois (40 to 200 reported killed). [1]
July 9
July 10
July 13
July 17
* British Royal family changes its name from Hanover to Windsor. [1]
July 20
July 22
August 1
August 7
* Squadron Commander E.H. Dunning dies. He was the first pilot to land his aircraft
on a moving ship. [5]
August 14
August 23
* Race riot in Houston Texas (two blacks and 11 whites killed). [1]
August 28
189
* Ten suffragists arrested as they picket the White House. [1]
September 3
September 14
September 15
October 15
* Mata Hari Dutch dancer/German spy executed by firing squad in Paris. [1]
October 19
October 21
October 26
November 2
November 3
November 5
* General Pershing and US troops see action on Western Front for first time. [1]
* US Supreme Court decision (Buchanan v Warley) strikes down Lousiville Kentucky
ordinance requiring blacks and whites to live in separate areas. [1]
190
November 6
* Bolshevik revolution begins with the capture of the Winter Palace. [1]
November 7
November 8
November 10
November 17
November 20
December 1
* Boys Town founded by Father Edward Flanagan, west of Omaha Nebraska. [1]
December 2
December 6
December 7
191
December 9
December 11
* Thirteen black soldiers hanged for alleged participation in Houston riot. [1]
* German-occupied Lithuania proclaims independence from Russia. [1]
December 12
* Reverend Edward Flanagan founds Boys Town outside Omaha Nebraska. [1]
* Worst train disaster (derailment near mouth of Mount Cenis tunnel) ever (Modane
France-543 French troops killed). [1]
December 14
December 15
December 18
December 20
December 22
December 23
December 25
* "Why Marry", first drama to win Pulitzer Prize, premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
* Hirsch/Harbach's musical "Going Up" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
192
December 26
* Federal government took over operation of American railroad for duration of WWI.
[1]
* Louise J Gautier French poetess/daughter of Théophile G, dies at age 71. [1]
December 30
* -32 degrees F (-36 degrees C) in Mountain City Tennessee (state record). [1]
* -37 degrees F (-38 degrees C) in Lewisburg West Virginia (state record). [1]
December 31
Year
* Global mean surface temperature at lowest point since 1880, and never again (to at
least 2007). [58]
193
1918
January 1
January 2
January 3
January 5
January 6
January 7
January 8
January 14
January 19
January 22
194
January 25
January 26
* US food administrator Hoover calls for "wheatless" and "meatless" days for war
effort. [1]
January 27
* "Tarzan of the Apes", first Tarzan film, premieres at Broadway Theater. [1]
January 28
January 31
February 1
* Franz Lehárs opera "Wo die Lerche singt" premieres in Budapest. [1]
* Kern, Bolton and Wodehouse's musical premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
February 3
* Twin Peaks Tunnel longest (11,920 feet) streetcar tunnel begins service. [1]
February 5
February 6
February 7
195
February 8
* "Stars and Stripes", weekly US armed forces newspaper, first published. [1]
February 9
February 10
* Abdül-Hamid II 34th sultan of Turkey (lost Serbia/Egypt), dies at age 65. [1]
February 14
* H Atteridge and S Rombergs musical "Sinbad" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
* Russia adopts New Style (Gregorian) calendar. [1]
February 15
* First WWI US army troop ship torpedoed and sunk by Germany, off Ireland. [1]
* Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania adopt the Gregorian calendar. [1]
February 16
* Lithuania declares independence from Russia and Germany (National Day). [1]
February 17
February 21
February 22
* Germany claims Baltic states, Finland and Ukraine from Russia. [1]
February 24
February 26
196
* Stands at Hong Kong Jockey Club collapse and burn, killing 604. [1] [187.219]
March 1
March 2
March 3
March 4
March 6
March 7
* H Carroll and J McCarthy's musical "Oh, Look!" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
* President Wilson authorizes US Army's Distinguished Service Medal. [1]
March 9
March 11
March 13
197
* American Red Magen David (Jewish Red Cross) forms. [1]
* Karel Stecker composer, dies at age 57. [1]
* William Courtleigh actor (Susie Snowflake), dies at age 26. [1]
March 14
* First concrete ship to cross the Atlantic (Faith) is launched, San Francisco. [1]
March 15
* Jose Silvestre de los Dolores White Lafitte composer, dies at age 82. [1]
* Juliette Marie Olga Lili Boulanger composer, dies at age 24. [1]
* Lili Boulanger composer, dies at age 24. [1]
March 16
March 18
March 19
* US Congress authorizes time zones and approves daylight saving time. [1]
* S Potter becomes first US pilot to shoot down a German seaplane. [1]
* Willem H de Beaufort Dutch historian/liberal politician, dies at age 73. [1]
March 21
March 23
March 24
March 25
198
* Claude A Debussy French composer (Iberia/La mer), dies in Paris France at age 55.
[1]
March 26
March 31
April 1
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 9
April 13
April 14
* Douglas Campbell is first US ace pilot (shooting down 5th German plane). [1]
April 15
199
April 21
* "Red Baron" [Manfred von Richtofen] shot down in WWI at age 25. [1]
April 23
April 29
* Gavrilo Princip Bosnian murderer of arch duke Ferdinand, dies at age 22. [1]
May 2
May 10
May 13
May 15
* First regular airmail service (between New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC)
inaugurated. [1]
* Greek troops lands at Smyrna. [1]
May 16
May 18
May 20
200
* First electrically propelled warship (the New Mexico). [1]
May 21
May 23
May 26
May 27
May 28
May 30
June 3
June 4
June 6
June 8
* Nova Aquila, brightest nova since Kepler's nova of 1604, discovered. [1]
June 12
201
June 15
June 22
June 27
* German submarine U84 torpedoes and sinks Union Castle Line's passenger liner
Llandovery Castle between Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, to Liverpool, England. The
ship was serving as a hospital ship for Canadian forces. [152.18]
June 28
July 4
July 9
* 101 killed and 171 injured in worst US train wreck, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. [1]
* US Army's Distinguished Service Cross authorized. [1]
July 10
July 11
July 15
July 16
* Nicholas II Russian tsar, his tsarina and their five kids executed. [1]
July 18
202
* US and French forces launch Aisne-Marne offensive in WW I. [1]
July 19
* German armies retreat across Marne River in France (WW I). [1]
July 22
July 25
* Annette Adams sworn in as first woman district attorney of US, California. [1]
* Race riot in Chester Pennsylvania (three blacks and two whites killed). [1]
July 26
* Race riot in Philadelphia (three whites and one black killed). [1]
July 27
* Socony 200, first concrete barge in US, launched to carry oil, New York. [1]
August 8
* Six US soldiers are surrounded by Germans in France, Alvin York is given command
and shoots 20 Germans and captures 132 more. [1]
August 11
August 15
August 17
August 20
203
August 27
September 1
September 3
* Five soldiers hanged for alleged participation in Houston riot of 1917. [1]
September 4
September 12
September 26
September 29
October 3
October 8
* Sgt Alvin York single-handedly kills 25, captures 132 Germans. [1]
October 12
October 17
October 21
204
* Margaret Owen sets world typing speed record of 170 wpm for one min. [1]
October 25
* Canadian steamship "Princess Sophia" hit a reef off Alaska, 398 die. [1]
October 28
October 30
October 31
November 1
November 3
November 6
November 7
November 9
November 10
205
November 11
* (0500 hours) Germany signs an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car
outside Compiegne, France. [129]
* (1100 hours) The Great War ends, after Germany, the last of the Central Powers,
surrenders to the Allies. [1] [129]
November 12
November 14
November 16
November 18
December 1
December 2
December 4
December 5
December 9
206
December 11
* Ivan Cankar Slavic author (Hlapec Jernej), dies at age 42. [1]
December 13
December 14
* Giacomo Puccini's opera "Il Trittico" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Sidonio Pais prince of Portugal, murdered. [1]
December 15
December 16
December 18
December 19
* Robert Ripley began his "Believe It or Not" column (New York Globe). [1]
December 20
* Eugene O'Neill's "Moon of the Caribees" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
December 22
December 26
December 28
207
December 30
208
1919
January 1
January 2
January 5
January 6
* Theodore Roosevelt 26th President (1901-09), dies at his home in Oyster Bay New
York at age 60. [1]
January 8
January 11
January 15
* Two million gallons of molasses "Tidal wave" Boston Massachusetts, drowning 21.
[1]
* Frank Wedekind's "Die letzten Tage der Menschheit" premieres. [1]
* In Germany, Marxist revolutionaries Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht are
murdered. [1] [37]
* Pianist and statesman Ignace Paderewski becomes first premier of Poland. [1]
* Semana Tragica (Tragic Week) Bloodbath in Buenos Aires. [1]
* W Collison and O Harbach's "Up in Mabel's Room" premieres in New York City,
New York. [1]
209
January 16
January 18
January 19
* "Tidal wave" of molasses 15 metres high x 25 metres wide kills dozens, Boston. [1]
January 21
January 25
January 27
* Endre Ady Hungarian poet (Margita élni akar), dies at age 41. [1]
January 29
January 31
February 2
February 3
* Herbert/Blossom's musical "Velvet Lady" premieres in New York City, New York.
[1]
* League of Nations first meeting (Paris). [1]
* Socialist conference convenes (Berne Switzerland). [1]
210
February 4
February 5
February 6
February 11
February 14
February 15
February 19
February 20
February 21
February 23
211
February 24
February 25
February 26
* Acadia National Park established (as Lafayette National Park), Maine. [1]
* US Congress established Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. [1]
February 27
March 1
March 2
March 3
* First international air mail service from US, Seattle WA-Victoria British Columbia,
Canada. [1]
* Communist Party in Germany announces a general strike. [1]
March 5
March 8
March 11
212
* General strike in Germany, crushed. [1]
* Harald Fryklof composer, dies at age 36. [1]
March 12
March 15
March 16
March 17
* Dutch steel workers strike for 8 hour day and minimum wages. [1]
March 18
March 23
March 30
March 31
* French Marshal Ferdinand Foch says to leaders of Great Britain and the USA that
without the Rhine frontier in French possession, the Versailles settlement would be no
more than "the armistice for twenty years". [10]
* Strike against Ruhrgebied government of Scheidemann. [1]
213
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 10
April 12
* British Parliament passes a 48-hour work week with minimum wages. [1]
April 13
April 18
* Enny Vrede [Maria M Müller] Dutch actress, drowns at age 35. [1]
April 19
214
* André Messager 's opera "Monsieur Beaucaire" is produced (London). [1]
* French assembly decides on 8 hour work day. [1]
* Leslie Irvin of US makes first parachute jump and free fall. [1]
April 20
April 22
* Protocols for an alliance among France, Great Britain, and the USA are agreed on:
Great Britain and USA make guarantees to France in the event of German aggression.
The Rhineland is to be under Allied occupation for fifteen years. The document is signed
by US President Woodrow Wilson and British Prime Minister David Lloyd George. [10]
April 28
* First jump with Army Air Corp (rip-cord type) parachute (Les Irvin). [1]
May 1
* Mount Kelud (Indonesia) erupts, boiling crater lake which broke through crater wall
killing 5,000 people in 104 small villages. [1]
May 2
May 3
May 4
* Protests in China against the humiliation of China by the Versailles treaty which gave
German territories in China to Japan. [148.13]
May 6
* Frank Lyman Baum, author (The Wizard of Oz), dies at age 62. [1] [5]
* Paris Peace Conference disposes of German colonies; German East Africa is
assigned to Britain and France, German Southwest Africa to South Africa. [1]
May 8
215
* First transatlantic flight take-off by a navy seaplane. [1]
May 10
May 14
May 16
* The US Navy aircraft NC-4 commanded by Albert Cushing Read leaves Trepassey,
Newfoundland, for Lisbon via the Azores on the first transatlantic flight. [5]
May 17
May 20
May 21
May 24
* Amado Nervo [Juan C Ruiz de Nervo] Mexican poet, dies at age 48. [1]
May 25
May 27
* The US Navy NC-4 aircraft arrives in Lisbon, Portugal, after completing the first
transatlantic flight (11 days). [1] [5]
* Charles Strite patents pop-up toaster. [1]
May 28
216
May 29
May 30
* Lord John Raleigh British physicist (Nobel Prize 1904), dies. [1]
May 31
June 3
June 4
June 11
* Sir Barton becomes first horse to win the Triple Crown. [1]
June 14
* First nonstop air crossing of Atlantic (Alcock and Brown) leaves Newfoundland. [1]
June 15
* First nonstop Atlantic flight (Alcock and Brown) lands in Ireland. [1]
June 17
June 20
* Roy W. Allen opens his first root beer stand, in Lodi, California. His root beer sells
for 5c a glass. (In a few years, he and partner Frank Wright form the A&W Root Beer
company.) [2]
217
June 21
June 25
June 26
June 28
July 4
July 6
* The British dirigible R34 land in New York, completing the first crossing of the
Atlantic by an airship (108 hours). [1] [5]
July 8
* President Wilson returns to New York City from Versailles Peace Conference. [1]
July 10
July 13
* The British airship R34 lands in Norfolk, England after 182 hours of flight,
completing the first airship return journey across the Atlantic. [5]
* Race riots in Longview and Gregg counties Texas. [1]
218
July 21
July 24
July 27
* Chicago race riot (15 whites and 23 blacks killed, 500 injured). [1]
August 6
* First air flight over a major body of water in Australia (Harry Butler). [1]
August 8
August 10
August 13
August 23
August 25
August 31
September 2
September 9
219
* Birth of Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder gambler/sportscaster (lay you 5 to 1). [1]
* Boston's police force goes on strike. [1]
September 10
* New York City welcomes home General John J Pershing and 25,000 WW I soldiers.
[1]
September 11
September 16
September 18
* Hurricane tides 16 feet above normal drown 280 along Gulf Coast. [1]
September 22
September 25
* President Wilson becomes seriously ill and collapses after a speech. [1]
September 27
October 1
* World Series #16 begins as a best of 9 affair, Chicago White Sox intentionally throw
this series to satisfy gamblers (The Black Sox Scandal). [1]
October 2
October 7
220
October 11
October 13
October 15
* Fourteen horses begin 300-mile race from Vt to Mass for $1000 prize money. [1]
October 17
October 19
October 27
October 28
* Volstead Act passed byUS Congress, start prohibition over Wilson's veto. [1]
November 10
November 12
* Ross and Smith start a one month flight from London to Australia. [1]
November 15
November 19
November 20
221
* First municipally owned airport in US opens in Tucson, Az. [1]
November 28
* US-born Lady Astor elected first female member of British Parliament. [1]
December 1
December 2
* Henry Clay Frick built largest coke and steel operation, dies at age 69. [1]
December 3
December 11
December 13
December 15
* Edna Saint Vincent Millay's "Aria da Capo" premieres in New York City, New York.
[1]
* Fiume (Rijeka) declares its Independence. [1]
December 17
December 18
December 19
222
* American Meteorological Society found. [1]
December 20
* Canadian National Railways established (North America's longest, 50,000 KM). [1]
* US House of Representatives restricts immigration. [1]
December 21
December 22
December 23
* First hospital ship built to move wounded naval personnel launched. [1]
* Alice H Parker patents gas heating furnace. [1]
December 27
223
1920
January 1
* Paul Adam French writer (L'enfant d'Austerlitz), dies at age 57. [1]
January 2
January 3
January 4
January 10
January 11
* French passenger ship Afrique sinks near La Rochelle; 553 die. [1]
January 13
* New York Times editorial (falsely) reports rockets can never fly. [1]
January 16
* 18th Amendment, prohibition, becomes the law of the land - one year after
ratification; it is repealed in 1933. [1]
* First assembly of League of Nations (Paris). [1]
* Georgia declares independence. [1]
* Reginald De Koven composer, dies at age 60. [1]
January 17
January 19
224
* Alexandre Millerand forms French government. [1]
* US Senate votes against membership in League of Nations. [1]
January 20
January 23
* Dutch government refuses to turn over ex-Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany to the allies.
[1]
January 25
January 26
January 29
* Walt Disney starts first job as an artist; $40 week with Kansas City Slide Co. [1]
January 31
* First Ukrainian daily newspaper in US (New York City New York) begins
publication. [1]
* Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, at Howard University, incorporates. [1]
February 1
February 2
February 4
* First flight from London to South Africa takes-off (1.5 months). [1]
225
February 6
February 7
February 8
February 9
February 12
February 13
February 14
February 19
February 20
* Robert E Peary US pole explorer (North Pole, 6/4/1909), dies at age 63. [1]
February 21
* Darius Milhaud and Jean Cocteau's ballet, "Le Train Bleu" premieres in Paris. [1]
226
February 22
* In Emeryville, New York, the first dog race track to employ an imitation rabbit
opens. [1] [5]
February 23
February 24
February 25
February 26
February 27
February 28
March 1
March 2
March 4
March 8
227
* Rafael Obligado Argentine writer (Santos Vega), dies at age 69. [1]
March 13
March 14
March 16
* 1 Acre Park also known as Baby Park in the Bronx renamed Melrose Park. [1]
March 18
March 19
* US Senate rejects Treaty of Versailles for second time refusing to ratify League of
Nations' covenant (maintaining isolation policy). [1]
March 20
* First flight from London to South Africa lands (1.5 months). [1]
* Venustiano Carranza President of Mexico (1915-20), murdered at age 60. [1]
March 21
* Federigo Tozzi Ital writer/journalist (Torre, Tre Croci), dies at age 37. [1]
March 23
March 24
* First US coast guard air station established (Morehead City North Carolina). [1]
March 25
March 27
228
* Film stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks wed. [1]
* Hermann Müller becomes German chancellor (SPD). [1]
* Johan G Danser Dutch poet (Meetings), dies at age 26. [1]
March 28
March 31
April 1
April 3
April 4
April 6
April 8
* Charles Tomlinson Griffes US composer (White Peacock), dies at age 35. [1]
April 10
April 13
April 14
229
April 15
* Jacob van Stolk Azn art collector, dies at age 74. [1]
* The size of the Canadian 1-cent coin is reduced to a 3/4-inch diameter, similar to the
American cent. [3]
April 16
April 20
April 21
April 23
April 24
* British Mandate over Palestine goes into effect (lasts 28 years). [1]
* Polish troops attack Ukraine. [1]
April 26
April 27
April 28
May 1
230
May 5
May 7
May 10
May 11
May 16
May 17
May 18
* Birth of Karol Jozef Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland; ordained priest (1946), auxiliary
bishop of Krakow (1958), cardinal (1967), Pope John Paul II (1978). [129]
May 20
* Policemen raid the Chicago Cubs' bleachers and arrest 24 fans for gambling. [1]
* Montreal, Quebec station XWA broadcasts the first regularly scheduled radio
programming in North America. [5]
May 23
May 27
231
* Tatar ASSR is established in Russian SFSR. [1]
June 5
June 11
June 12
June 24
July 3
July 12
* Lithuania and USSR sign peace treaty, Lithuuania becomes independent rep. [1]
July 16
* General Amos Fries appointed first US army chemical warfare chief. [1]
July 23
July 25
July 29
* First transcontinental airmail flight from New York to San Francisco. [1]
August 16
232
August 18
August 20
* First US commercial radio, 8MK (WWJ), Detroit began daily broadcasting. [1]
* Allen Woodring wins Oympic 200 m dash wearing borrowed shoes. [1]
August 26
August 31
September 4
September 6
September 8
October 10
* Hudson Stuck dies in Alaska; first to climb to peak of Mount McKinley, highest
point in North America. [129]
October 12
October 14
October 27
233
November 2
* KDKA (Pittsburgh) goes on the air as first commercial radio station. [1]
* Warren G Harding elected President. [1]
November 3
November 13
November 15
November 16
* Qantas (Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited), the national
airline of Australia, registers as an aerial carrier. [5]
* Postage meter first used in US in lieu of postage stamps. [1]
December 3
December 6
December 7
* New South Wales make 802 against South Australia, then Mailey takes 8-81. [1]
* USPD-KPD parties merge into Vereinigte Communist Party of Germany. [1]
December 10
December 12
234
* Paul Lacome composer, dies at age 82. [1]
December 13
December 16
* Ma Mua-Ming-Hsin the Benovelent, Chinese Muslim rebel (holy war), dies. [1]
* Over 180,000 die when 8.6 earthquake destroys 15,000 square miles (Kansu China).
[1]
December 17
December 18
* First US postage stamps printed without the words United States or US. [1]
December 20
December 21
* Jerome Kern/BG DeSylva's musical "Sally" premieres in New York City, New York.
[1]
December 23
* Ireland divided into two parts, each with its own parliament. [1]
* King George V signs Home Rule Act. [1]
December 24
* Enrico Caruso gives his last public performance (New York City, New York). [1]
December 29
235
December 30
December 31
1921
January 2
January 3
January 4
* Eugene O'Neill's "Diff'rent" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 7
* Benno Erdmann German philosopher (Logik I), dies at age 69. [1]
January 8
January 18
January 19
* Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador sign Pact of Union. [1]
January 20
236
* British submarine K5 leaves with man and mouse. [1]
* Dagestan ASSR forms in RSFSR. [1]
* Mountain Autonomous Republic established in RSFSR. [1]
* Turkey declared in remnants of the Ottoman Empire. [1]
January 23
January 25
January 29
January 30
February 2
February 3
February 4
February 6
* "The Kid", starring Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan, released. [1]
February 8
February 11
* Ambassador Theater opens at 215 W 49th Steet New York City. [1]
237
February 12
February 13
February 14
February 15
February 17
February 18
February 20
February 21
* France and Poland make a secret military agreement, specifying that if Germany
attacks either nation, the other will assist in defence. If Poland is attacked by Soviet
Russia, France is to hold Germany in check on land and at sea. [10]
February 23
* First US transcontinental air mail flight arrives in New York City, New York from
San Francisco California. [1]
February 24
February 25
238
* Georgian SSR proclaimed. [1]
February 26
March 1
* Nicholas Petrovic Njegos King of Montenegro (1910-18), dies at age 79. [1]
* Rwanda ceded to England. [1]
* Sailors revolt in Kronstadt Russia. [1]
March 3
March 4
March 6
March 7
March 11
March 13
March 17
* Dr Marie Stopes opens Britain's first birth control clinic (London). [1]
* Lenin proclaims New Economic Politics. [1]
* Sailors revolt in Kronstadt (thousands die). [1]
March 18
239
* Second Peace of Riga, Poland enlarged. [1]
* Steamer "Hong Kong" runs aground off Swatow China killing 1,000. [1]
March 21
March 24
March 31
* Albert Einstein lectures in New York on his new theory of relativity. [1]
* British coal miners goes on strike. [1]
April 2
* Professor Albert Einstein lectures in New York City on his new theory of relativity.
[1]
April 5
April 8
April 11
April 14
April 15
240
April 16
April 18
April 19
April 24
April 27
April 30
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 5
241
May 8
May 10
May 11
May 12
* Emilia Pardo Bazan Spanish writer (La sirena negra), dies. [1]
* National Hospital Day first observed. [1]
May 14
May 17
May 19
May 21
* Oldest radio station west of Mississippi River licensed in Greeley Colorado. [1]
May 22
May 24
May 27
242
* After 84 years of British control, Afghanistan achieves sovereignty. [1]
May 28
May 30
May 31
* Suffy McInnis (first base) begins an errorless string of 1,700 chances. [1]
June 1
* Race riot in Tusla Okla (21 whites and 60 blacks killed). [1]
June 3
June 20
July 11
July 14
* Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti convicted in Dedham Massachusetts, of. [1]
July 20
* Air mail service begins between New York City and San Francisco. [5]
July 27
August 3
243
* First aerial cropdusting, on six-acre catalpa grove infested with leaf caterpillars, at
Troy, Ohio. Two days later, found to be 99 percent effective. [1] [55.7]
August 6
* Clason Point, Bronx to College Point, Queens municipal ferry system begins. [1]
August 10
August 25
August 28
September 8
September 15
September 21
October 5
October 9
* Babe Ruth's first World Series homer; only Sunday game ever pitched by Carl Mays.
[1]
October 26
October 29
244
* Birth of William Henry Mauldin US, political cartoonist (Pulitzer-1945, 59). [1]
November 9
* Albert Einstein is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work with the
photoelectric effect. [5]
November 11
November 12
November 13
November 15
November 28
December 1
December 3
December 6
December 7
245
December 8
December 10
December 12
December 16
* Charles Camille Saint-Saens French composer (Carnival of the Animals), dies at age
86. [1]
December 21
December 25
December 29
December 31
246
1922
January 1
* Vancouver British Columbia, Canada starts driving on the right side of road. [1]
January 3
* Canadian Governor General Julian Byng strikes the first two nickel 5c coins of
Canada, at the mint in Ottawa. [3]
* First living person identified on a US coin (Thomas E Kirby) on the Alabama
Centennial half-dollar. [1]
* Death of Berthold Delbruck in Jena, Germany; linguist, initiated study of Indo-
European languages. [37]
* Death of Wilhelm Herrmann in Marburg, Germany; Protestant theologian. [37]
January 5
* Sir Ernest Shackleton Antarctic explorer (Endurance), dies aboard his ship at age 47.
[1]
January 6
January 7
January 8
January 9
January 11
* Insulin first used in a human patient to treat diabetes (Leonard Thompson, 14, of
Canada). [1] [5]
January 13
247
* Conference of Cannes concerning German retribution payments ended. [1]
* WHA-AM in Madison WI begins radio transmissions. [1]
January 15
* Irish Free State forms; Michael Collins becomes first premier. [1]
* John Kirk Barry Dr/explorer David Livingstone's companion, dies at age 89. [1]
January 18
* Irish author Liam O'Flaherty and others occupy the Rotunda in Dublin. [1]
January 19
January 20
January 21
January 22
* Benedictus XV [Giacomo Markies D Chiesa], pope (1914-22), dies at age 67. [1]
January 24
January 26
January 27
* Giovanni Verga Italian writer (I Mala Voglia), dies at age 81. [1]
January 29
248
January 30
* Ted McDonald takes 8-58 in big Victorian win over New South Wales. [1]
* World Law Day, first celebrated. [1]
January 31
February 1
* William Desmond Taylor director/actor (Broken Coin), dies at age 49. [1]
February 2
February 3
* Christiaan R de Wet South African Boer General, dies at age 67. [1]
February 4
February 5
* Christiaan R de Wet South African Boer General, dies at age 67. [1]
* James William Tate composer, dies at age 46. [1]
* Reader's Digest magazine first published. [1]
February 6
February 7
* John Willard's "Cat and the Canary" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
February 8
* President Warren G. Harding introduces the first radio in the White House. [1] [5]
249
February 9
February 11
February 15
February 18
February 19
February 20
* Marc Connelly and George Kaufman's "To the Ladies" premieres in New York City,
New York. [1]
* Vilnius, Lithuania, agrees to separate from Poland. [1]
* WOR-AM in New York City, New York begins radio transmissions. [1]
February 21
February 22
February 23
250
February 24
* Alfred Espinas French sociologist (Sociétes Animales), dies at age 77. [1]
* Dmitri B Shostakovich father of Russian composer Dmitri D S, dies. [1]
February 27
* Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover convenes first National Radio Conference. [1]
* G B Shaw's "Back to Methusaleh I/II" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* US Supreme Court unanimously upheld 19th amend woman's right to vote. [1]
February 28
* Egypt regains independence from Britain, but British troops remain. [1]
* English princess Mary marries viscount Lascelles. [1]
* KHQ-AM in Spokane Washington begins radio transmissions. [1]
* Vicente Lleo composer, dies at age 51. [1]
March 2
March 3
March 4
* Bert Williams famous black, dies at age 46, in New York City, New York. [1]
March 5
March 6
* George Bernard Shaw's "Back to Methusaleh III/IV" premieres in New York City,
New York. [1]
March 9
* Eugene O'Neill's "Hairy Ape" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* KJR-AM in Seattle Washington begins radio transmissions. [1]
251
March 10
March 13
* George Bernard Shaw's "Back to Methusaleh V" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
* WRR-AM in Dallas Texas begins radio transmissions. [1]
March 14
March 15
* First southern radio station begins radio transmissions (WSB-AM, Atlanta Georgia).
[1]
March 16
March 18
March 20
March 21
March 22
252
* British court sentences Mahatma Gandhi to six years in prison. [1]
* Louis A Ranvier French anatomist/historian, dies at age 86. [1]
March 23
March 24
* Grand National at Aintree sees only three horses out of 32 starters finish. [1]
March 27
March 28
March 30
March 31
April 1
April 3
April 4
* WAAB (Baton Rouge Louisiana) becomes first US radio station with "W" calls. [1]
April 5
253
* KOB-AM in Albuquerque New Mexico begins radio transmissions. [1]
* WDZ-AM in Decatur Illinois begins radio transmissions. [1]
April 7
April 12
April 14
April 15
April 16
* Annie Oakley sets record by breaking 100 clay targets in a row. [1]
* German-Russia treaty signed in Italy, Soviet Union recognized. [1]
April 22
April 24
April 26
April 27
April 28
* WOI (Ames Iowa) country's first licensed educational radio station. [1]
April 30
254
* David M Chumaceiro Curaçaos poet, dies. [1]
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 4
May 10
May 16
* White Star Line Majestic completes 5.5 day maiden voyage. [1]
May 18
* Dutch second Chamber agrees to 48 hour work week (was 45 hours). [1]
May 19
* Heinrich I Quincke German internist (postural drainage), dies at age 79. [1]
May 20
* "Egypt" sinks off Ushant after colliding with "Seine" killing 90. [1]
* Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel, suspended on October 16, 1921, by Judge Kennesaw
Mountain Landis, return to the New York lineup and go hitless. [1]
May 21
* "On the Road to Moscow" is first cartoon to receive a Pulitzer Prize. [1]
* Pulitzer prize awarded to Eugene O'Neill (Anna Christie). [1]
255
May 23
May 24
May 26
May 28
May 29
May 30
* David Mendes Chumaceiro Curaçaos poet (Adelfas), dies at age 45. [1]
* Latvia and Vatican sign accord. [1]
* In Washington, D.C., the Lincoln Memorial is dedicated. [1] [5]
June 2
* Suffy McInnis (first base) ends an errorless string of 1,700 chances. [1]
June 16
June 22
June 24
256
* Dr Walter Rathenau German foreign minister killed by anti-semites. [1]
June 27
* The American Library Association awards the first Newbery Medal, honoring the
year's best children's book, to The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon. [1]
[129]
June 29
July 15
* First duck-billed platypus publicly exhibited in US, at New York zoo. [1]
July 20
July 30
July 31
* 18-year-old Ralph Samuelson rides world's first water skis (Minn). [1]
August 22
August 24
August 28
* WEAF in New York City airs first radio commercial (Queensboro Realty-$100 for 10
mins). [1]
September 1
* New York City law requires all "pool" rooms to change name to "billards". [1]
257
September 11
September 13
* 136.4 degrees F (58 degrees C), El Aziziyah, Libya in shade (world record). [1]
September 17
September 21
September 28
October 3
* First facsimile photo send over city telephone lines, Washington, DC. [1]
October 11
October 14
October 18
October 20
October 22
258
October 27
October 28
October 30
October 31
November 1
November 4
* In Egypt's Valley of the Kings, Howard Carter and workers uncover a stone stairway
leading to an ancient tomb, with seals intact. (The tomb is later determined to be that of
King Tutankhamen.) [1] [66.25]
November 11
* Largest US flag displayed (150' X 90 feet) expanded in 1939 (270' X 90 feet). [1]
November 14
* The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) begins radio service from Marconi
House in the United Kingdom. [1] [5]
November 22
November 26
* At a burial tomb (of King Tutankhamen) in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, Howard
Carter views inside a second doorway into the burial chamber, seeing "everywhere the
glint of gold". [66.27]
259
November 28
* Captain Cyril Turner (RAF) gave first skywriting exhibition (New York City). Turner
spelled out "Hello USA. Call Vanderbilt 7200." 47,000 called. [1]
November 30
* The Japanese navy's Honsho aircraft carrier is launched for sea trials. This is the
world's first designed and completed aircraft carrier. The ship can carry 21 aircraft, and
can travel at a speed of 25 knots. [55.13]
December 1
December 3
* First successful technicolor movie (Tall of the Sea), shown in New York City, New
York. [1]
December 4
* Lucille Atcherson, becomes first woman legation secretary-US foreign service. [1]
December 5
December 6
December 9
December 10
* Nobel awarded to Fridtjof Nansen, Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein. [1]
December 15
260
December 16
December 17
December 19
* Mrs Theres Vaughn, 24, confessed in court to being married 62 times. [1]
December 20
December 22
December 23
December 24
* BBC sends first British radio play "Truth about Father Christmas". [1]
* London Coloseum opens. [1]
December 25
December 28
* Birth of Stan Lee, comics artist/creator (Spiderman, Incredible Hulk). [1] [5]
December 29
261
December 30
262
1923
January 1
January 2
* Ku Klux Klan surprise attack on black residential area Rosewood Florida, 8 killed
(compensation awarded in 1995). [1]
* Sam Carter black resident of Rosewood Florida, lynched by KKK. [1]
January 3
* Jaroslav Hasek Czech writer (Good Soldier Schweyk), dies at age 39. [1]
January 4
* First broadcast of "Barn Dance Show" (WBAP - Fort Worth Texas). [1]
* Lenin's "Political Testament" calls for removal of Stalin. [1]
January 7
January 8
January 9
January 10
January 11
* First Dutch Dada-evening (Theo Van Doesburg and Kurt Schwitters). [1]
* Constantine I king of Greece (1913-17, 20-22), dies at age 54. [1]
* French and Belgian troops occupy Ruhr to collect reparations. In protest, Berlin
ceases payment of all reparations. [1] [37]
263
January 15
January 17
January 18
* First radio telegraph message from Netherlands to Dutch East Indies. [1]
January 19
January 22
* Max Nordau [Südfeld], German physician/zionists leader, dies at age 73. [1]
January 23
January 24
January 25
January 28
January 29
February 1
264
* Fascists Voluntary Militia forms in Italy under Mussolini. [1]
* Noël Coward's "Young Idea" premieres in London. [1]
February 2
February 5
February 6
* Edward E Barnard US astronomer (5th moon Jupiter), dies at age 65. [1]
February 8
February 9
February 10
* Ink paste manufactured for first time by Standard Ink Company. [1]
* Owen Davis' "Icebound" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* SDAP speaks out against allied occupation of Ruhrgebied. [1]
* Wilhelm Konrad von Rontgen physicist (Nobel Prize 1901), dies at age 77. [1]
February 15
February 16
February 18
February 19
265
* Jean Sibelius' 6th Symphony, premieres. [1]
* Jeronimo Gimenez y Bellido composer, dies at age 68. [1]
* Philip Barry's "You and I" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
February 20
February 21
February 22
February 23
February 24
February 25
February 26
February 27
February 28
March 1
266
* Allies occupy Ruhrgebied; killing railroad striker. [1]
March 2
March 3
March 4
March 5
* Montana and Nevada become first states to enact old age pension laws. [1]
March 8
* Johannes S van der Waals Dutch physicist (Nobel Prize 1910), dies at age 85. [1]
March 9
March 13
* Lee de Forest demonstrates his sound-on-film moving pictures (New York City, New
York). [1]
March 14
March 15
March 16
267
* Hugo von Hofmannsthal's "Der Unbestechliche" premieres in Vienna. [1]
March 20
March 21
March 22
March 23
* Frank Silver and Irving Conn release "Yes, We Have No Bananas". [1]
March 25
March 26
* Sarah Bernhardt [Henriette-Rosine Bernard] actress (Qn Elizabeth), dies at age 77.
[1]
March 30
* Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, formed at Howard University in 1920, incorporates. [1]
March 31
* First dance marathon-New York City-Alma Cummings sets record of 27 hours. [1]
* French soldiers fire on workers at Krupp factory in Essen; 13 die. [1]
April 1
* First sound short films shown in New York's Rivoli Theatre. [242.4]
April 4
April 5
268
* Firestone Company puts their inflatable tires into production. [1]
* George Edward Stanhope Molyneúx Herbert 5th Earl of Carnarvon/egyptologist,
dies at age 56. [1]
April 7
* First brain tumor operation under local anesthetic performed (Beth Israel Hospital in
New York City) by Dr K Winfield Ney. [1]
* Workers Party of America (New York City) becomes official communist party. [1]
April 9
April 10
April 14
April 15
April 18
* 74,000 (62,281 paid) on hand for opening of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New
York. [1] [5]
* Poland annexes Central Lithuania. [1]
April 19
* New Egyptian law allows suffrage for men, except soldiers. [1]
* Thomas Paine Westendorf composer, dies at age 75. [1]
April 24
April 26
269
* English prince Albert (George VI) marries lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. [1]
April 27
May 3
May 4
* Bloody street battles between Nazis, socialist and police in Vienna. [1]
* New York state revokes Prohibition law. [1]
May 7
May 10
May 13
May 15
May 17
* Fire during closing day ceremonies at Grover Cleveland School (South Carolina). [1]
May 19
May 20
May 22
270
* Stanley Baldwin succeeds Andrew Bonar Law as British premier. [1]
May 23
May 25
May 26
May 28
* Attorney General says it is legal for women to wear trousers anywhere. [1]
* US unemployment has nearly ended. [1]
May 29
May 30
May 31
June 8
June 12
June 14
271
June 21
* Marcus Garvey sentenced to five years for using the mail to defraud. [1]
June 27
* Birth of Paul F Conrad Cedar Rapids Iowa, cartoonist (Pulitzer 1964, 1971, 1984).
[1]
* Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter perform the first ever aerial refueling
in a DH-4B biplane. [5]
June 29
June 30
July 6
July 7
* University of Delaware invents the "junior year abroad" (at Sorbonne). [1]
July 8
July 10
July 12
July 13
July 19
272
* WRC-AM in Washington DC begins radio transmissions. [1]
July 21
* Philadelphia Phillies score 12 in 6th and beat Chicago Cubs 17-4. [1]
July 24
July 30
August 2
August 5
August 9
August 12
August 13
September 1
September 3
September 4
* The first U.S. airship, the USS Shenandoah, makes its maiden flight. [5]
273
September 5
* Flyweights Gene LaRue and Kid Pancho KO each other simultaneously. [1]
September 11
* The ZR-1 (biggest active dirigible) flies over New York's tallest skyscraper, the
Woolworth Tower. [1]
September 12
* Britain takes over Southern Rhodesia from British South Africa Co. [1]
September 14
September 22
* Marquess of Ripon game hunter, dies, after shooting 52nd grouse. [1]
September 27
September 29
October 5
October 6
October 11
October 16
* Walt and Roy Disney, as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, sign a contract with
M.J. Winkler Productions, a New York film distributor, to produce six Alice Comedy
274
short films, for US$1500 each, with an option for six more. (This date is considered the
beginning of the Disney studio.) [6]
October 21
October 27
* Birth of Roy Lichtenstein US, Pop art painter; painted comic book panels. [1]
October 29
November 3
* Swedish Crown Prince Gustav Adolf marries Lady Louise Mountbatten in the Chapel
Royal at St. James' Palace in England, hosted by King George V. [7]
November 6
November 9
November 22
December 2
December 3
* First Congressional open session broadcast via radio (Washington DC). [1]
December 4
275
December 6
December 8
December 10
December 12
* Raymond Radiguet French journalist/writer (Ball du Comte), dies at age 20. [1]
December 14
December 16
December 17
December 18
December 21
December 22
276
December 25
* Imperial Theater opens at 249 W 45th Steet New York City. [1]
December 27
December 28
December 31
277
1924
January 1
January 3
January 6
January 12
January 13
* Georg H Quincke German physicist (Test of Quincke), dies at age 89. [1]
* Nationalist Wafd-party wins Egyptian parliament elections. [1]
January 14
January 15
January 21
* Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov Lenin Russian leader, dies of a stroke at age 54. [1]
January 22
January 23
278
* Ramsey MacDonald forms first Labour government in Britain. [1]
January 24
January 27
January 28
* Simon Abramsz Dutch writer (Artist book), dies at age 56. [1]
January 29
* Ice cream cone rolling machine patented by Carl Taylor, Cleveland. [1]
* Joseph Ludwig composer, dies at age 79. [1]
February 1
February 2
February 3
February 4
* George Kelly's "Show-Off" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
February 5
279
February 7
February 8
* First coast-to-coast radio hookup: General John Joseph Carty speech in Chicago. [1]
* Gee John US mobster (first executed in gas chamber-Nevada), dies. [1]
February 9
February 12
* George Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" premieres at Carnegie Hall (New York City,
New York). [1]
* George Kaufman's "Beggar on Horseback" premieres in New York City, New York.
[1]
* Calvin Coolidge becomes the first President of the United States to deliver a political
speech on radio. [1] [5]
February 13
February 14
February 15
* Lionel Monckton English composer (Country Girl), dies at age 62. [1]
February 17
February 18
* US, Minister of Marine Edwin Denby ends term due to Teapot Dome-scandal. [1]
February 21
280
* Salvatore Auteri Manzocchi composer, dies at age 78. [1]
February 22
February 23
February 24
* Edmond Picard French/Belgian writer (Ambidextre journalist), dies at age 87. [1]
* Greek parliament proclaims republic. [1]
* Mahatma Gandhi released from jail. [1]
February 26
February 27
February 28
March 1
March 3
March 5
March 6
281
* Meyer E van Beem actor (Moittige Janus), dies at age 85. [1]
March 8
March 9
March 11
March 12
March 13
March 17
* Eugene O'Neill's "Welded" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Netherlands and USSR begin talks over USSR recognition. [1]
* Sweden and USSR exchange diplomats. [1]
March 18
March 19
March 20
March 21
* First foreign language course broadcast on US radio (WJZ, New York City, New
York). [1]
282
* Mass Investors Trust becomes first mutual fund set up in US. [1]
March 22
March 24
March 25
March 26
March 27
March 28
March 29
March 31
* Croydon Airport; first British air company merger - Imperial Airways Ltd
established. [1]
* London public transport strike ends. [1]
April 1
* Crown takes over Northern Rhodesia from British South Africa Co. [1]
* Hitler sentenced to five years labor but General Ludendorff acquitted. [1]
* Imperial Airways is formed in Britain. [1]
283
April 6
April 11
April 13
April 14
* Louis H Sullivan architect (Wainwright building Saint Louis), dies at age 67. [1]
* Roland Napoleon Bonaparte French officer/explorer (Surinam), dies at age 65. [1]
April 15
April 16
April 17
* Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B Mayer Company merged to form
MGM. [1]
April 18
April 19
April 21
284
* Eleanora Duse Italian actress (La Gioconda, La Locandiera), dies at age 64. [1]
April 22
April 23
April 26
April 28
May 1
May 2
May 4
May 5
May 6
* Carel S Adama van Scheltema poet/writer (socialism), dies at age 47. [1]
May 7
May 8
285
* Arthur Honegger's "Pacifica 231" premieres. [1]
* Lev N Lunts Russian writer (Outside the Law), dies at age 23. [1]
* Memel territories given to Lithuania. [1]
* Workers at Werkspoor in Amsterdam strike against third wage cut. [1]
May 10
May 11
May 12
May 15
May 16
May 21
May 22
* In Chicago, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb kidnap Robert Franks. [1]
May 25
May 26
286
May 29
May 30
June 2
June 3
June 6
June 7
June 10
June 15
June 23
June 25
June 26
287
June 28
* Tornado strikes Sandusky Ohio and Lorain Ohio, killing 93. [1]
July 1
* Through regular transcontinental airmail service established, New York City-SF. [1]
July 6
July 7
July 24
August 5
August 23
August 25
* Washington Senator Walter Johnson second no-hitter beats Browns, 2-0 in 7 inn. [1]
September 2
* Rudolf Friml's "Rose Marie" opens to rave reviews in New York City. [1]
September 8
September 10
September 25
288
* Malcolm Campbell sets world auto speed record at 146.16 MPH. [1]
September 28
* Two US Army planes end around-world flight, Seattle to Seattle, 57 stops. [1]
October 7
* 160 consecutive days of 100 degrees at Marble Bar, Australia begins. [1]
October 12
October 18
* Notre Dame beats Army 13-7, New York Herald Tribune dubs them (4 Horsemen).
[1]
October 25
October 27
October 29
November 4
November 6
November 9
* Miriam (Ma) Ferguson becomes first elected woman governor (of Texas). [1]
November 11
289
* Palace of Legion of Honor dedicated (San Francisco). [1]
November 22
November 26
November 29
November 30
December 1
December 2
December 7
December 8
December 9
* Bernard Zweers Dutch composer (Gisbertus of Aemstel), dies at age 70. [1]
* Dutch and Hungary trade treaty signed. [1]
* Michael Hainisch re-elected Austrian President. [1]
December 10
290
December 13
December 14
December 16
December 17
* First US diesel electric locomotive enters service, Bronx New York. [1]
December 20
December 22
* Philip Barry's "Youngest" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
December 24
December 26
* Judy Garland, age 2.5, billed as Baby Frances, show business debut. [1]
December 27
* William Archer Scottish critic/playwright (Green Goddess), dies at age 68. [1]
291
1925
January 1
* American astronomer Edwin Hubble announces the discovery of galaxies outside the
Milky Way. (December 31, 1924 [1]) [5]
* Norway's capital Christiania changes name to Oslo. [1] [88.22]
January 2
January 3
January 4
* French psychologist Emil Coué brings his self-esteem therapy to US "Every day in
every way I am getting better and better". [1]
January 5
* James Gleason and Richard Tabers "Is zat so?" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
* Nellie Taylor Ross became Governor of Wyoming, first woman governor in USA. [1]
* Under Polish control, Danzig establishes Port Gdansk post office. [1]
January 7
* Musical "Big Boy" with Al Jolson premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 8
January 9
January 10
292
January 11
January 12
* John Howard Lawson's "Processional" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Oskar Brefeld German botanist, dies at age 85. [1]
January 14
January 15
January 16
January 19
* -48 degrees F (-44 degrees C), Van Buren Maine (state record). [1]
January 20
* USSR and Japan sign treaty of Peking, Seychelles back to USSR. [1]
January 21
January 22
January 24
* Moving picture of a solar eclipse taken from dirigible over Long Island. [1]
* Sandler follows Branting as premier of Sweden. [1]
January 28
293
* -46 degrees F (-43 degrees C), Pittsburgh New Hampshire (state record). [1]
January 29
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 2
February 8
* Kaufman and Berlin's "Coconuts" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Marcus Garvey enters federal prison in Atlanta Georgia. [1]
February 9
February 10
* First waterless gas storage tank put into service, Michigan City Indiana. [1]
February 12
294
February 13
February 14
February 17
February 18
* James Lane Allen US writer (Choir Invisible), dies at age 75. [1]
February 21
February 22
February 24
* Thermit explosive first used to break up ice jam, Waddington New York. [1]
February 25
February 26
February 27
February 28
295
* "Tea For Two" by Marion Harris hit #1. [1]
* US Congress authorizes a special handling stamp. [1]
* Friedrich Ebert Social-Democrat president of Germany, dies. [1]
* Longest win streak in Toronto Maple Leaf history (9 games). [1]
* Theater Museum of Amsterdam forms. [1]
March 2
March 4
March 6
March 7
March 10
March 11
March 12
March 13
March 18
296
* (8) 60-MPH tornadoes speed through Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and
Tennessee killing 689. [1]
March 19
March 20
* George N Curzon British Foreign minister (1919-22), dies at age 66. [1]
March 21
March 23
March 24
March 27
March 30
March 31
April 1
April 3
297
* Netherlands and Belgium sign accord of Westerschelde. [1]
April 5
April 6
April 9
April 10
April 11
April 13
* Virginia Theater (ANTA, Guild) opens at 245 W 52nd Steet New York City, New
York. [1]
April 14
April 15
April 17
April 18
298
April 21
April 23
April 24
April 25
April 26
April 28
April 29
May 1
* Oakland Athletics Jimmie Foxx, 17, first game; he pinch-hits a single. [1]
* Cyprus becomes a British Crown Colony. [1]
May 3
* Clément Ader French engineer (steam engine airplane), dies at age 84. [1]
May 4
* League of Nations conference on arms control and poison gas usage. [1]
299
May 5
May 8
May 9
May 11
May 12
* Alfred Milner British Governor (Cape Colony)/minister, dies at age 71. [1]
* Amy Lowell writer, dies at age 51. [1]
* Artur Napoleao dos Santos composer, dies at age 82. [1]
* Uzbekistan and Kirgizistan become autonomous Soviet republics. [1]
May 13
May 14
May 17
May 21
May 22
* John [Denton Pinkstone] French British field marshall (WWI), dies at age 72. [1]
300
May 26
* Babe Ruth is finally out of bed, five weeks after ulcer surgery. [1]
May 30
June 3
* Goodyear airship "Pilgrim" makes first flight (first with enclosed cabin). [1]
June 6
June 15
June 22
June 23
* Landslides create 3-mile long "Slide Lake" (Gros Ventre Wyoming). [1]
July 1
July 4
July 10
* In Dayton, Tennessee, the "Monkey Trial" begins with John Thomas Scopes, a high
school science teacher, accused of teaching evolution in violation of a Tennessee state
law. [1] [129]
* USSR's official news agency TASS established. [1]
July 13
301
* Walt Disney marries Lillian Bounds at her brother's house, in Lewiston, Idaho. [6]
July 19
July 21
July 26
* Death of William Jennings Bryan, Christian fundamentalist, five days after public
humiliation at the "Monkey Trial" of John Scopes. [1] [129]
July 31
August 4
August 9
* Only time Babe Ruth pinch-hit for, Bobby Veach flies out. [1]
August 12
August 14
* The original Hetch Hetchy Moccasin Powerhouse is completed and goes on line. [5]
August 20
August 25
302
September 3
September 5
* 112 degrees F (44 degrees C), Centerville, Alabama (state record). [1]
September 22
September 26
* Italian submarine "Sebastiano Veniero" lost off Sicily with 54 dead. [1]
October 5
October 16
October 27
October 30
November 11
* Louis Armstrong records first of Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings. [1]
* Robert Millikan announces discovery of cosmic rays. [1]
303
November 16
* American Association for the Advancement of Atheism formed in New York. [1]
November 21
* Red Grange plays final Univ of Illinois game, signs with Chicago Bears. [1]
November 22
* Red Grange signs with Chicago Bears directly out of college. [1]
December 1
December 2
December 5
December 6
December 7
* Biltmore Theater opens at 261 W 47th Steet New York City. [1]
* Noel Coward's "Easy Virtue" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
December 9
December 10
December 11
304
December 12
* Arthur Heinman coins term "motel", opens Motel Inn, San Luis Obispo. [1]
* Cossack officer/ex-premier Reza Chan becomes shah of Persia. [1]
* Last Qajar Shah of Iran deposed; Rexa Shah Pahlavi takes over. [1]
December 15
December 17
December 19
December 20
* Birth of Bob de Moor Flemish comic strip artist (Kuifje, Lion of Flanders). [1]
December 21
December 23
December 25
December 26
* New York's Jake Forbes makes 67 saves, Pittsburgh's Ray Waters makes 70. [1]
* Turkey adopts Gregorian calendar. [1]
December 27
305
December 28
* George/Ira Gershwin's musical "Tip-Toes" premieres in New York City, New York.
[1]
December 29
* Félix E Vallotton Swiss painter/writer (Chaste Susanne), dies at age 60. [1]
December 30
* New South Wales score 705 against Victoria, go from 8-475 to 9-701. [1]
December 31
306
1926
January 1
January 3
January 4
January 6
January 8
* Abdul-Aziz ibn Sa'ud becomes king of Hejaz; renames it Saudi Arabia. [1]
* Emile Paladilhe composer, dies at age 81. [1]
January 15
January 17
January 20
January 21
January 22
307
January 23
January 26
January 27
February 1
February 2
February 4
February 5
February 8
February 9
February 11
308
February 15
* Brooks Atkinson Theater opens at 256 W 47th Steet New York City. [1]
* Contract air mail service begins in US. [1]
February 17
February 21
* Heike Kamerlingh Onnes Dutch physicist (Nobel Prize 1913), dies at age 72. [1]
February 25
February 26
March 1
* Camilo d'Almeida Pessanha Portuguese poet (China), dies at age 58. [1]
March 3
March 4
March 6
March 7
309
March 9
March 10
March 11
March 12
March 15
March 16
* Robert Goddard launches first liquid fuel rocket, goes 184' (56 metre). [1]
March 17
March 24
March 26
March 30
310
March 31
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 6
April 7
* Forest fire burns 900 acres and kills two (San Luis Obispo California). [1]
* Mussolini's Irish wife breaks his nose. [1]
April 11
April 12
April 13
April 16
* Book of the Month Club sends out its first selections "Lolly Willowes" and "Loving
Huntsman" by Sylvia Townsend Warner. [1]
April 19
311
* Squire Bancroft [Butterfield] actor/manager (Haymarket), dies at age 84. [1]
April 20
* First check sent by radio facsimile transmission across the Atlantic. [1]
April 22
April 23
April 24
* Germany and the Soviet Union sign the Treaty of Berlin. If one country is attacked,
the other is to remain neutral. [10]
April 25
* Ellen K S Key Swedish author/feminist (Century of the Child), dies at age 76. [1]
* Giacomo Puccini's opera "Turandot", premieres in Milan. [1]
* Persian cossack officer Reza Chan crowns himself Shah Palawi. [1]
April 26
April 29
May 1
May 2
May 3
312
* British general strike-3 million workers support miners. [1]
* Napoleon V Bonaparte French pretender to the throne, dies at age 63. [1]
* Pulitzer prize awarded to Sinclair Lewis (Arrowsmith). [1]
* US marines land in Nicaragua (9-months after leaving), stay until 1933. [1]
May 4
May 5
May 8
May 9
May 11
* Airship Norge leaves Spitsbergen for first air crossing of Arctic Ocean. [1]
May 12
May 13
May 15
May 16
313
* Mehmed VI Vahideddin (Mohammed Osman) last sultan of Turkey, dies. [1]
May 17
May 18
May 19
May 20
May 21
May 22
* "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue" by Gene Austin hits #1. [1]
* Chiang Kai-shek replaces communists in Guomindang China. [1]
* Dutch Communist Party expels David Wijnkoop. [1]
May 23
May 25
May 26
314
* Lebanon adopts constitution. [1]
* S V Petlura Ukrainain ataman, assassinated by Shalom Schwarzbard. [1]
May 28
May 31
July 2
July 10
* Lake Denmark, New Jersey arsenal explodes, kills 21, $75m damage. [1]
July 16
July 22
* 105 degrees F (41 degrees C), Waterbury, Connecticut (state record). [1]
* 108 degrees F (42 degrees C), Troy, New York (state record). [1]
July 26
August 5
August 6
* New York's Gertrude Ederle becomes first woman to swim the English Channel. [1]
* Warner Bros premieres Vitaphone sound-on-disc movie system (New York), Don
Juan with John Barrymore shown. [1]
August 11
315
* Cleveland Indian Tris Speaker hits his 700th double. [1]
August 22
* Charles William Elliot President of Harvard (1869-1909), dies at age 92. [1]
August 23
September 9
September 11
September 18
September 25
October 4
October 16
October 22
October 24
316
October 25
October 31
* Erich Weiss, better known as magician Harry Houdini, dies in Detroit, Michigan,
USA. [1] [5] [194.24]
November 3
November 10
November 15
November 18
November 24
November 27
December 1
December 3
December 5
317
* Sergei Eisenstein's "Battleship Potemkin" debuts. [1]
December 6
* Claude [Oscar] Monet French painter (impressionist), dies at age 86. [1]
December 7
December 8
December 10
December 11
December 12
* Jean Richepin French poet/writer (Contes sans morale), dies at age 77. [1]
* Leningrad: premiere of Dmitri Shostakovich's first Pianoconcert. [1]
December 14
December 15
December 16
December 17
318
* KYA-AM in San Francisco California begins radio transmissions. [1]
* Lithuanian military state under General Augustine Woldemaras. [1]
December 20
* Sidney Howard's "Silver Cord" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
December 23
December 25
December 26
December 27
December 28
December 29
* Rainer M Rilke Austrias songwriter/writer (Wise Queen), dies at age 51. [1]
* Vatican puts French fascist Charles Maurras' work on the index. [1]
December 30
* Paul Eliot Greens "In Abraham's Bosom" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
319
1927
January 1
January 5
January 6
January 7
January 9
January 10
January 11
* Royale Theater (Golden, CBS Radio Playhouse) opens at 242 W 45th New York
City, New York. [1]
January 13
January 19
January 21
320
* First national opera broadcast from a US opera house (Faust, Chicago). [1]
* Floris H Verster Dutch painter/cartoonist/etcher, dies at age 65. [1]
January 26
* Maxwell Anderson's "Saturday's Children" premieres in New York City, New York.
[1]
January 28
January 29
January 30
January 31
February 2
* Harry Tierney/Joseph McCarthy's "Rio Rita" premieres in New York City, New York.
[1]
* Ziegfeld Theater (Loew's Ziegfeld) opens at 6th Ave and 54th Steet New York City,
New York. [1]
February 3
February 4
February 5
February 6
321
* Daniël F Scheurleer Dutch musicologist/banker, dies at age 71. [1]
February 8
February 10
February 12
February 13
February 16
February 18
February 19
February 21
February 22
February 23
322
* President Coolidge creates Federal Radio Commission (US Federal Communications
Commission predecessor). [1]
* Sveinbjorn Sveinbjornsson composer, dies at age 79. [1]
February 24
* John Golden Theater (Theatre Masque) opens at 252 W 45th Steet New York City.
[1]
February 25
* Gdansk and Polish accord concerning traffic through Polish corridor. [1]
March 1
March 5
March 7
March 8
March 10
March 11
March 17
March 19
323
* Bloody battles between communists and Nazis in Berlin. [1]
March 21
March 22
March 24
* Cuban chess champion, Jose Capablanca wins 33-day Grand Chess Tournie. [1]
* Dutch first Chamber condemns Belgian and Netherlands' Wielingen Treaty. [1]
March 26
March 28
March 29
* Henry O D Segrave races his Sunbeam to a record 203.79 mph at Daytona; first auto
to exceed 200 mph (322 kph). [1]
April 1
April 3
April 7
* Using phone lines TV is sent from Washington DC to New York City, New York. [1]
April 9
* Italy and US anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti given death sentences. [1]
324
April 11
April 12
April 14
* In Sweden, Volvo produces its first production line car, the Jakob, in Göteborg. The
car has a 28-hp 4-cylinder engine, and costs 4800 kronor. About 200 are produced. The
company name was chosen because it means "I roll" in Latin. [7] (April 11 [5])
April 15
* Francesco Gaeta Italian poet (Di Giacomo), dies at age 47. [1]
* Switzerland and USSR agree to diplomatic relations. [1]
April 17
April 18
April 19
April 22
April 25
April 29
April 30
325
* Princess Juliana gets seat in Dutch Council of State. [1]
May 1
May 2
May 4
* First balloon flight over 40,000 feet (Scott Field Illinois). [1]
* Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences forms. [1]
* Nicaragua agrees to a US supervised presidential election in 1928. [1]
May 5
May 7
May 9
May 11
* General Henry Martyn Robert (Robert's Rules of Order), dies at age 90. [1]
* Juan Gris Spanish cubist painter, dies at age 40. [1]
* Louis B Mayer forms Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. [1]
May 13
May 14
* "Ain't She Sweet?" hits #1 on the pop singles chart by Ben Bernie. [1]
May 16
326
* US Supreme Court ruled bootleggers must pay income tax. [1]
May 18
May 20
* At 7:40 AM, Lindbergh takes off from New York to cross Atlantic for Paris. [1]
* Saudi Arabia becomes independent of Great Britain (Treaty of Jedda). [1]
May 21
* Lindbergh lands in Paris France, after first solo air crossing of Atlantic. [1]
May 22
May 25
* Henry Ford stops producing Model T car (begins Model A). [1]
May 26
May 27
* The Ford Motor Company ceases manufacturing the Model T and begins retooling
plants to make Model A's. [5]
* Japanese military intervention in Chinese civil war. [1]
* Thomas Masaryk elected Czechoslovakian president. [1]
May 28
May 31
* Ford Motor Company produces last "Tin Lizzie" (begins Model A). [1]
June 13
327
* A ticker-tape parade down 5th Avenue in New York City is held for aviator Charles
Lindbergh. [1] [5]
June 29
June 30
July 4
July 7
July 9
July 10
July 16
July 18
July 19
August 4
328
August 7
August 21
August 22
August 23
August 27
September 4
September 5
* Universal Pictures releases the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit film Trolley Troubles to
theaters in the USA. This is the first Oswald film release, a series created by the Walt
Disney film studio. [5] [6]
September 7
* The first fully electronic television system is achieved by Philo Taylor Farnsworth.
[1] [5]
September 11
September 14
* Isadora Duncan dies as her scarf became entangled in her car's wheel. [1]
September 17
329
September 18
* Columbia Broadcasting System goes on the air (16 radio stations). [1] [5]
September 29
October 6
* Warner Brothers releases The Jazz Singer to theaters in New York City, the first
motion picture with sound. [1] [6]
October 12
* Hermann Gorner of Germany raises 24 men weighing 4,123 pounds on a plank with
the soles of his feet. [1]
October 23
November 1
November 3
November 9
November 12
* Notre Dame's Fighting Irish changes blue jerseys for green. [1]
* Trotsky expelled from Soviet CP; Stalin becomes undisputed dictator. [1]
November 13
* The Holland Tunnel opens to traffic as the first Hudson River vehicular tunnel
linking New Jersey to New York City. [1] [5]
November 17
330
* Tornado hit Washington DC. [1]
December 2
December 4
December 10
* Grand Ole Opry makes its first radio broadcast, in Nashville Tennessee. [1]
December 12
December 14
* Iraq gains independence from Britain, but British troops remain. [1]
December 15
December 16
December 17
December 25
* Sergei D Sazonov Russian Foreign minister (1910-16), dies at age 66. [1]
December 27
* Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II's "Show Boat" premieres at the Ziegfeld Theater
(New York City, New York). [1]
* Philip Barry's "Paris Bound" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
331
* Stalin's faction wins All-Union Congress in USSR, Trotsky expelled. [1]
December 28
* George Kaufman and Moss Hart's "Royal Family" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
December 30
* Japan dedicates first subway in the Orient (route under two miles long). [1]
332
1928
January 1
January 6
January 8
January 9
* Eugene O'Neill's "Marco Millions" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 10
January 11
* Thomas Hardy novelist (Maddening Crowd), dies at his home near Dorchester at age
87. [1]
January 12
* Philip Barry and Elmer Rice's "Cock Robin" premieres in New York City, New York.
[1]
* Ruth Snyder first woman to die in electric chair. [1]
January 13
January 17
January 23
333
* "Abenteuer of brave Soldier Schwejk" premieres in Berlin. [1]
January 27
January 28
January 29
* Douglas Haig first Earl Haig/field marshal (WWI), dies at age 66. [1]
January 30
January 31
February 4
* Hendrik A Lorentz physicist (L transformation-Nobel Prize 1902), dies at age 74. [1]
February 7
* First solo England to Australia flight takes off (Bert Hinkler). [1]
February 8
February 15
* Hubert H Asquith premier Great Britain (1908-16), dies at age 75. [1]
February 22
334
February 29
March 1
March 3
* Jan [Jean] T Toorop Dutch graphic artist (3 Brides), dies at age 69. [1]
March 4
* "Bunion Run" race from Los Angeles California to New York City begins; It is won
by Andy Payne. [1]
March 5
March 13
March 15
March 18
* Paul van Ostaijen Flemish writer (Outlawed), dies at age 32. [1]
March 19
* "Amos and Andy" debuts on radio (NBC Blue Network-WMAQ Chicago). [1]
March 21
* Charles Lindbergh is presented the US Congressional Medal of Honor for his first
trans-Atlantic flight. [5]
335
March 22
March 27
March 28
March 29
* Yeshiva College (now University) chartered (New York City, New York). [1]
March 31
April 1
April 2
* Theodore Richards US chemist (atomic weight, Nobel Prize 1914), dies. [1]
April 5
April 9
April 12
April 13
336
* First trans atlantic flight Europe-US (Fitzmaurice-von Hünefeld-Köhl). [1]
* Luis Iruarrizaga Aguirre composer, dies at age 36. [1]
April 14
* Maddus Airlines starts first regular passenger flights between San Francisco and Los
Angeles. [1]
April 15
April 18
April 19
April 24
April 25
* Buddy, a German Shepherd, becomes first guide dog for the blind. [1]
* Pjotr N Wrangel Russian baron General, dies at age 49. [1]
April 26
April 29
* Henrich Federer Switzerland, writer (I Switch Off The Light), dies at age 61. [1]
April 30
May 1
337
* Birth of Raoul Servais Belgian cartoonist/president (l'ASIFA). [1]
* Drunken fascist Erich Wichman attacks VARA-radio transmitter. [1]
* Lei Day begun (a Hawaiian celebration). [1]
* Pitcairn Airlines (later Eastern) begins service. [1]
May 2
May 4
* Barry E Odell Pain English writer (Punch), dies at age 63. [1]
May 7
May 9
May 11
May 12
May 14
* John McGraw is knocked down by a taxicab and suffers a broken leg. [1]
May 15
* Walt Disney's first silent film featuring Mickey Mouse, Plane Crazy premieres as a
sneak preview at a theatre on Sunset Boulevard, in Los Angeles, California. [1] [6]
May 16
May 19
338
* "Firedamp" explodes in Mather Pennsylvania coal mine killing 195 of 273 miners.
[1]
* 51 frogs enter first annual "Frog Jumping Jubilee" (Angel's Camp California). [1]
* Henry Franklin Belknap Gilbert composer, dies at age 59. [1]
* Max Scheler German philosopher, dies at age 53. [1]
May 22
May 23
May 24
May 25
* Amelia Earhart (as a passenger) is first woman to fly Atlantic Ocean. [1]
May 28
May 29
* Fritz von Opel reaches 200 kph in experimental rocket car. [1]
May 31
* First aerial cross of the Pacific takes off from Oakland. [1]
* Ludwig Enneccerus German leader, dies at age 85. [1]
* Manuel de Oliveira Lima Brazilian historian, dies at age 60. [1]
June 8
June 9
339
June 14
* Republican National Convention, met in Kansas City, nominated Herbert Hoover. [1]
June 17
* Amelia Earhart leaves Newfoundland to become first woman to fly the Atlantic. [1]
June 18
June 28
June 30
* Radio Service Bulletin lists radio stations call signs that are. [1]
July 3
July 6
* First all-talking motion picture shown, in New York (Lights of New York). [1]
* World's largest hailstones 1.5 pounds (17 inch diameter) fall in Potter, Nebraska,
USA. [1] [5]
July 10
July 17
July 19
July 21
340
* H E Wood discovers asteroid #1096 Reunerta. [1]
July 30
August 27
* Sixteen die in a New York City subway's second worst accident. [1]
* The Pact of Paris (Kellogg-Briand Pact) is signed by the USA, Belgium,
Czechoslovakia, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Poland. The countries
condemn recourse to war, renouncing it as an instrument of national policy in relations
with one another. [10]
September 1
September 11
September 12
September 13
September 17
September 27
September 28
* Juan de la Cierva makes first helicopter flight over English Channel. [1]
October 1
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average is expanded from 20 stocks to 30. A divisor is
introduced to adjust for extraneous changes to a stock, such as a split. The initial divisor
341
is 16.67. The index removes American Car & Foundry, American Locomotive, American
Telephone & Telegraph, American Tobacco, Paramount Famous Lasky, United Drug,
U.S. Rubber, and Western Union, and adds American Tobacco B, Atlantic Refining,
Bethlehem Steel, Chrysler, General Railway Signal, Goodrich, International Nickel, Nash
Motors, North American, Paramount Publix, Postum Incorporated, Radio Corporation,
Standard Oil (N.J.), Texas Gulf Sulphur, Union Carbide, Victor Talking Machine,
Westinghouse Electric, and Wright Aeronautical. [227] [228]
October 3
October 6
October 12
* An iron lung respirator is used for the first time at Children's Hospital, Boston. [5]
October 15
October 22
November 1
November 3
November 6
* Herbert Hoover (Republican) beats Alfred E Smith (Democrat) for President. [1]
November 10
November 11
342
* KXO-AM in El Centro California begins radio transmissions. [1]
* WGL-AM in Fort Wayne IN begins radio transmissions. [1]
* WMT-AM in Cedar Rapids Iowa begins radio transmissions. [1]
* WOL-AM in Washington DC begins radio transmissions. [1]
November 12
* British steamer "Vestris" capsizes and sinks off Virginia, kills 110. [1]
November 18
* The Colony Theater in New York debuts Disney's Mickey Mouse film Steamboat
Willie. This is the sound debut of Mickey Mouse, with Minnie Mouse (unnamed) as co-
star. The film is the first cartoon to feature synchronized sound. [1] [6]
November 20
November 22
December 1
December 4
* Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn's musical "Whoopee" premieres in New York City,
New York. [1]
December 5
* Johannes F "Johan" Bakker Sr actor/husband of Truus Soete, dies at age 61. [1]
* MW Miklas elected President of Austria. [1]
December 11
December 12
* Nichols/Brownes "Wings over Europe" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
343
December 13
December 14
* Theodore Roberts actor (Roaring Road, 10 Commandments), dies at age 77. [1]
December 18
December 19
December 20
* First international dogsled mail leaves Minot Maine for Montréal, Québec. [1]
* Ethel Barrymore Theater opens at 243 W 47th Steet New York City. [1]
December 21
* Luigi Cadorna Italian fieldmarshal (WWI, Caporetto), dies at age 78. [1]
December 23
December 24
* George Abbott Theater (Adelphi, 54 St) opens at 152 W 54th Steet New York City.
[1]
December 25
* New South Wales (v Victoria) go from 8-74 to 9-113 to be 9-367 at stumps. [1]
December 28
December 30
344
* The Mark Strand Theater in New York City premieres the second released Mickey
Mouse film Gallopin' Gaucho, with a soundtrack. [6]
345
1929
January 2
January 3
January 5
January 6
January 7
January 8
January 9
* BG DeSylva and Lew Brown's musical "Follow Thru" premieres in New York City,
New York. [1]
* Heiner Müller writer, dies. [1]
* KDB-AM in Santa Barbara California begins radio transmissions. [1]
January 10
* Elmer Rice's "Street Scene" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 11
* Julio Antonio Mella Cuban revolutionary, murdered at about age 28. [1]
346
January 12
* Dietrich Schäfer German historian (Mein Leben), dies at age 83. [1]
* Seatrain (railroad cars on ships) service begins, New Orleans-Havana. [1]
January 13
January 14
January 17
January 18
* "New York Daily Mirror" columnist Walter Winchell debuts on radio. [1]
* Stalin proposes to ban Trotsky from the Politburo. [1]
January 19
January 20
* First feature talking motion picture taken outdoors, "In Old Arizona". [1]
January 21
January 24
January 26
* Birth of Jules Feiffer New York City, New York, cartoonist (Passionella) author
(Little Murders). [1]
* Indian National Congress proclaims goal for India's independence. [1]
347
January 29
January 31
* Erich Maria Remarque publishes "Im West nieces Neues" in Berlin. [1]
* Leon Trotsky expelled from Russia to Turkey. [1]
February 1
* First clean and jerk of 400 pounds (182 kg), Charles Rigoulet, 402.5 pounds. [1]
* August Otto Halm composer, dies at age 59. [1]
February 2
February 3
February 5
* Jimmy Hatlo's "They'll Do It Every Time" cartoon debuts in San Francisco. [1]
* Siegfried Ochs composer, dies at age 70. [1]
February 6
February 8
February 9
February 11
* Eugene O'Neill's "Dynamo" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Vatican City (world's smallest country) made an enclave of Rome. [1]
348
February 12
* Freiherr Albert von Schrenk-Notzing German para-psychologist, dies at age 66. [1]
* Karst Leemburg wins Dutch 11 cities skate (11:30). [1]
February 13
* Cruiser Act OKs construction of 19 new cruisers and an aircraft carrier. [1]
* Vladimir Mayakofsky's "Klop" premieres in Moscow. [1]
February 14
February 15
February 16
February 19
February 20
February 24
February 26
February 27
February 28
349
* Clemens Freiherr von Pirquet Austrian artist (React of P), dies at age 54. [1]
* John Ebenezer West composer, dies at age 65. [1]
March 2
March 4
March 6
March 8
March 9
March 15
* Pine-Top Smith jazz pianist (Boogie Woogie Piano), dies at age 24. [1]
March 16
March 17
March 18
March 20
350
* Ferdinand Foch Marshal of France (WWI), dies at age 77. [1]
March 22
March 23
March 27
March 28
April 1
April 3
April 4
* Karl Friedrich Benz, automobile engineer (Mercedes), dies at age 84. [1] [5]
April 5
April 10
351
April 11
April 15
April 16
* Abraham van Stolk Jzn art collector, dies at age 57. [1]
April 18
April 22
April 23
April 24
April 26
April 30
May 1
* Brooklyn's Johnny Finn sets 100 yard sack race in 14.4 seconds. [1]
* Farm workers strike begins in East-Groningen. [1]
* Police kill 19 Mayday demonstrators in Berlin. [1]
May 3
352
* Prussia bans anti-fascists. [1]
May 4
May 6
May 7
May 8
* Jan Mayen island, 500 km NNE of Iceland, incorporated into Norway. [1]
May 9
May 11
May 12
May 15
* Fire in X-ray film stock kills 125 at Crile Clinic (Cleveland Ohio). [1]
May 16
* The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hands out its first awards, at a
dinner party held in the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California. Host of the ceremony
is actor Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.
o Best Picture: Wings,
o Best Actor: Emil Jannings,
o Best Actress: Janet Gaynor,
353
o Special honorary award: Charlie Chaplin.
[129] [1] [5] [12]
* Lilli Lehmann soprano, dies. [1]
May 19
* General Feng Yu-Xiang of China declares war on Chiang Kai-Shek Government. [1]
May 21
* Automatic electric stock quotation board installed, New York City. [1]
* Sergei Prokoviev's ballet "Prodigal Son" premieres in Paris France. [1]
May 23
* The first talking cartoon of Mickey Mouse (The Karnival Kid) is released. [5]
May 28
* First all color talking picture "On With the Show" exhibited (New York City). [1]
May 31
June 3
* First trade show at Atlantic City Convention Center (electric light). [1]
* Border dispute between Peru and Chile resolved. [1]
June 4
* George Eastman demonstrates first technicolor movie (Rochester New York). [1]
June 7
June 11
June 15
* First time New York curb stock exchange transacts more business than New York
Exch. [1]
354
June 25
June 27
June 29
* First high-speed jet wind tunnel completed Langley Field California. [1]
July 4
July 5
July 10
July 15
July 24
* New York to San Francisco footrace ends (2.5 months) winner is 60-year-old
Monteverde. [1]
* The Treaty of Paris becomes effective, with 31 more countries signing compliance.
[10]
* President Hoover proclaims Kellogg-Briand Pact which renounces war. [1]
August 8
* First airship flight around the Earth flying eastward begins. [1]
* German airship Graf Zeppelin begins a round-the-world flight. [1]
* Salem Oregon airport dedicated. [1]
August 11
355
* Babe Ruth becomes first to hit 500 homers. [1]
August 19
* Sergei P Diaghilev Russia, dance master (Imperial Ballet), dies at age 57. [1]
August 20
* First airship flight around the Earth flying eastward completed. [1]
August 25
* Graf Zeppelin passes over San Francisco for Los Angeles after trans-Pacific voyage.
[1]
August 29
September 3
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average hits a high point of 381.17. (This pre-crash high is
not surpassed until 1954, adjusted for inflation.) [227]
September 11
* San Francisco Mayor Rolph inaugurates new pedestrian traffic light system. [1]
September 25
* Lieutenant Jimmy Doolittle performs the first blind flight at Mitchell Field in New
York, proving that full Instrument Flying from take off to landing is possible. [5]
(September 24 [1])
September 30
* First manned rocket plane flight (by auto maker Fritz von Opel). [1]
October 3
October 20
356
October 23
* The first North American transcontinental air service begins between New York City
and Los Angeles, California. [5]
October 24
* Song "Happy Days are Here Again" is published in the USA. [247.42]
* "Black Thursday," beginning of stock market crash. [1]
October 25
* Former Interior Secretary Albert Fall convicted of accepting $100,000 bribe. [1]
October 29
October 30
November 1
* Lundy, part of the British Isles, issue their own stamps. [1]
November 18
November 28
November 29
December 1
December 2
* First skull of Peking man found, 50 km out of Peking at Tsjoe Koe Tien. [1]
357
December 5
* First US nudist organization (American League for Physical Culture, New York City,
New York). [1]
December 6
December 13
December 14
December 15
December 20
* Emile Loubet French premier (1892)/President (1899-1906), dies at age 90. [1]
* Mount Davidson dedicated as a San Francisco city park. [1]
December 21
December 29
December 30
* Cole Porter's musical "Wake Up and Dream" premieres in New York City, New York.
[1]
* Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority incorporates. [1]
December 31
358
1930
January 1
January 5
* Mao Tse-tung writes "A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire". [1]
January 6
* First diesel engine automobile trip (in a Packard sedan) completed. [1]
January 7
* Edwin Justus Mayer's "Children of Darkness" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
* Rudolf Häpke historian (Entstehung Holländ Wirtschaft), dies at age 45. [1]
January 8
January 9
* Edward W Buck Dutch/US editor (Ladies Home Journal), dies at age 66. [1]
January 10
January 11
* At 12:00 PM, the first official theater-based Mickey Mouse Club begins, at the Fox
Dome Theater in Ocean Park, California. [6]
January 13
* The first Mickey Mouse comic strip is published, in the New York Mirror newspaper
in the USA. The strip is initially written by Walt Disney, and drawn by Ub Iwerks. [1] [6]
* C-E Auguste Rateau French inventor (R-steam turbine), dies at age 66. [1]
January 18
359
* -27 degrees F (-33 degrees C), Watts Oklahoma (state record). [1]
* Dmitri Shostakovich's opera "The Nose" premieres in Leningrad. [1]
January 20
January 22
* -35 degrees F (-37 degrees C), Mount Carroll Illinois (state record). [1]
January 23
January 26
January 27
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 3
February 4
February 5
360
* 5th Aliyah to Israel begins. [1]
February 6
February 8
* "Happy Days Are Here Again" by Benny Mereoff hits #1. [1]
February 10
February 17
February 18
* Cow flown and milked, milk sealed in paper containers and parachuted. [1]
* Luigi Pirandello's "Come Tu Mi Vuoi" premieres in Milan. [1]
* Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's "Simple Simon" premieres in New York City,
New York. [1]
* US astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto. [1]
February 21
* Marc Connelly's "Green Pastures" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
February 22
* Godfried van Daalen Dutch General/governor of Atjeh, dies at age 66. [1]
February 23
* Horst Wessel German Nazi lyricist (Fahne Hoch), dies at age 22. [1]
* Mabel Normand actress/director (Extra Girl), dies at age 35. [1]
February 24
* Jacobus van Looy Dutch writer/painter (Night Cactus), dies at age 74. [1]
February 25
361
February 26
February 27
March 1
* Aloïs Walgrave Flemish writer/pastor (Peace on Earth), dies at age 54. [1]
March 2
March 4
March 6
* Brooklyn's Clarence Birdseye develops a method for quick freezing food. [1]
March 8
March 11
March 12
* Mohandas Gandhi begins 200 mile (321 km) march protesting British salt tax. [1]
March 13
362
March 15
March 16
* Miguel Primo de Riveray Orbaneja Sp dictator (1923-30), dies at age 60. [1]
* USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) floated out to become a national shrine. [1]
March 18
March 19
March 20
* Clessie Cummins sets diesel engine speed record of 129.39 kph. [1]
March 24
* First religious services telecast in US (W2XBS, New York City, New York). [1]
* Planet Pluto named. [1]
March 26
March 27
March 28
March 29
363
March 30
April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 6
April 10
April 14
April 17
April 21
* Christine [Elizabeth C] Poolman Dutch actress (Mother), dies at age 79. [1]
* Fire (set as part of an escape attempt) at Ohio State Penitentiary kills 320. [1]
364
* Robert S Bridges poet laureate (Testament of beauty), dies at age 85. [1]
* Vladimir Mayakovsky's "Moskva Golid", premieres in Moscow. [1]
April 22
* Jeppe Aakjær Danish journalist/author/poet (Rugens sange), dies at age 63. [1]
* US, Britain and Japan sign London Naval Treaty to reduce naval forces. [1]
April 29
May 5
* First woman to fly solo from England to Australia takes-off (Amy Johnson). [1]
May 8
May 10
May 12
* Pieter Jelles Troelstra Dutch SDAP leader, dies at age 70. [1]
* Pulitzer prize awarded to Marc Connelly (Green Pastures). [1]
May 13
* Farmer killed by hail in Lubbock Texas; this is the only known fatality due to hail.
[1]
* Fridtjof Nansen diplomat (Nobel Prize 1922), dies. [1]
* Helena Lange German feminist, dies. [1]
May 15
* Ellen Church becomes first airline stewardess, United (San Francisco to Cheyenne).
[1]
May 16
365
May 17
* Herbert David Croly US founder (New Republic), dies at age 61. [1]
May 18
May 19
May 20
May 21
May 24
* First woman to fly from England to Australia solo, lands (Amy Johnson). [1]
May 26
* US Supreme Court rules buying liquor does not violate the Constitution. [1]
May 27
* The Chrysler Building opens to the public in New York. At 1,046 feet tall, it is the
tallest man-made structure in the world. [5]
* Richard Drew invents masking tape. [1]
May 28
May 30
* Bill Arnold wins Indianapolis 500 car race (161.6 kph). [1]
May 31
366
* Building begins on Albert Canal in Belgium. [1]
* Comet 73P/1930 (Schwassmann-Wachmann 3) approaches 0.0617 astronomical units
(AUs) of Earth. [1]
June 2
* Sarah Dickson becomes first woman Presbyterian elder in US, Cincinnati. [1]
June 7
June 13
June 24
June 27
June 30
July 3
July 7
* Construction of the Boulder Dam begins, in Boulder Canyon, Colorado. [1] [129]
July 13
* Sarnoff reports in New York Times "TV would be a theater in every home". [1]
July 18
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average removes American Sugar, American Tobacco B,
Atlantic Refining, General Railway Signal, Goodrich, Nash Motors, and Curtiss-Wright
from its index, replacing them with Borden, Eastman Kodak Company, Goodyear,
367
Liggett & Myers, Standard Oil of California, United Air Transport, and Hudson Motor.
[228]
July 20
July 21
July 22
July 28
* 114 degrees F (46 degrees C), Greensburg, Kentucky (state record). [1]
August 9
* Betty Boop debutes in Max Fleischer's animated cartoon Dizzy Dishes. [1]
August 18
August 20
* Dumont's first TV broadcast for home reception (New York City). [1]
September 2
September 3
September 5
* The Mickey Mouse film The Chain Gang is released to theaters in the USA. This
film debuts Pluto the dog, though he is not named. [6]
September 8
368
* First appearance of the comic strip "Blondie". [1]
* New York City public schools begin teaching Hebrew. [1]
September 10
September 11
* Stomboli volcano (Sicily) throws 2-ton basaltic rocks two miles. [1]
September 14
September 15
* First international Bridge (card game) match is held in London, England. US team
defeats England. [1] [55.28]
September 21
September 28
September 29
October 9
October 20
* British White Paper restricts Jews from buying Arab land. [1]
October 25
October 30
369
* Turkey and Greece sign a treaty of friendship. [1]
November 2
* Ras Tafari crowned Haile Selassie I, 225th emperor of Solmonic Dynasty. [1]
November 3
November 9
November 24
* First woman pilot on a transcontinental air flight Miss Ruth Nichols (Mineola, New
York to California), in a Lockheed-Vega, took 7 days. [1]
November 25
December 1
* Ruth Nichols becomes first woman pilot to cross the continent. [1]
December 3
* Air-borne chemicals combine with fog to kill 60 (Meuse Valley Belgium). [1]
* Otto Ender forms Austrian government. [1]
* Richard Rodgers/L Hart's musical "Evergreen" premieres in London. [1]
December 4
December 6
December 7
370
* In Boston, Massachusetts, the CBS radio orchestra program is broadcast in video and
included the first television commercial in the United States. [5]
December 8
* Broadway Theater opens at 1681 Broadway New York City, New York. [1]
* Cole Porter's musical "NYCers" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
December 11
* Bank of the United States opens in New York City, New York. [1]
* Friedrich von Bernhardi German war theorist/historian, dies at age 81. [1]
December 13
* George Sisler's career ends when Boston Braves release him. [1]
* Theodore Steeg forms French government. [1]
December 17
December 19
December 22
December 23
December 24
* Eduard David German minister (constitution of Weimar), dies at age 67. [1]
* Federico García Lorca's "La Zapatera Prodigiosa" premieres in Madrid. [1]
* Oskar Nedbal composer, dies at age 56. [1]
December 25
371
* First US bobsled run open to the public (Mount Van Hoevenberg bobsled run at Lake
Placid New York). [1]
* Harvey Worthington Loomis composer, dies at age 65. [1]
December 27
* William Courtleigh actor (Madame X, Eyes of Youth), dies at age 63. [1]
December 29
* Fred P Newton completes longest swim ever (1826 miles), when he swam in the
Mississippi River from Ford Dam Minnesota, to New Orleans Louisiana. [1]
December 31
372
1931
January 3
January 4
* Art Acord western actor (Set Free, Spurs and Saddles), dies at age 40. [1]
January 9
* Claude Anet [Jean Schopfer] French writer (La fille perdue), dies. [1]
January 11
January 14
January 21
January 22
January 23
January 26
January 30
January 31
373
* Philip Barry's "Tomorrow and Tomorrow" premieres in New York City, New York.
[1]
February 2
February 3
* Arkansas legislature passes motion to pray for soul of H L Mencken after he calls the
state the "apex of moronia". [1]
* Hans Schardt Swiss geologist, dies at age 72. [1]
February 5
* Maxine Dunlap becomes first US women to earn a glider pilot license. [1]
February 7
February 8
February 10
February 11
* Charles Algernon Parsons British inventor (steam turbine), dies at age 76. [1]
February 14
February 15
374
February 16
February 18
February 20
February 21
February 23
February 26
* Otto Wallach German chemist (Nobel Prize 1910), dies at age 83. [1]
February 28
March 3
March 4
* West Indies beat Australia for the first time, by 30 runs at SCG. [1]
March 5
March 7
375
March 8
March 9
March 10
March 14
* First theater built for rear movie projection (New York City, New York). [1]
March 16
March 17
March 18
March 19
* Nevada legalizes casino gaming and most other forms of gambling. Nevada
Governor Fred Balzar signs into law Assembly Bill 98, allowing faro, monte, roulette,
keno, fan-tan, twenty-one, blackjack, seven-and-a-half, big injun, klondike, craps, stud
poker, draw poker, or any card, dice, machine, at licensed establishments. Licensing fees
for social games is set at US$25 per table per month, $50 for each mercantile game, $10
for each slot machine. Legal gambling age set at 21. [1] [39] [80.303] [86.6] [187.355]
March 20
March 21
376
March 25
* Hal Kemp and his Orchestra record Whistles, with Skinnay Ennis. [1]
March 26
March 27
April 1
April 2
* Teenage girl strikes out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game in
Chattanooga Tennessee. [1]
April 4
April 6
April 8
April 9
* Chicago's Cy Wentworth beats Montreal Canadiens at 13:50 of the 6th period. [1]
* Paul Antonin Vidal composer, dies at age 67. [1]
377
April 12
April 14
April 15
April 20
April 22
April 27
April 29
* Cleveland Indian Wes Ferrell no-hits Saint Louis Browns, 9-0. [1]
April 30
* Disney completes the Mickey Mouse film The Moose Hunt. Pluto also appears, and
is first called by name. Pluto speaks for the first and only time in his career. [6]
May 1
* U.S. President Herbert Hoover officially dedicates New York City's Empire State
Building. At 102 stories and 1,250 feet high it is the world's tallest skyscraper (a record
held until 1972). [1] [129]
* Norway claims Peter I Island. [1]
* Singer Kate Smith begins her long-running radio program on CBS. [1]
May 3
378
May 4
May 8
May 9
* A[lbert] A[braham] Michelson US physicist (1907 Nobel), dies at age 78. [1]
May 10
May 11
May 12
May 13
May 15
May 17
May 19
May 21
379
May 22
May 23
May 24
May 27
* First full scale wind tunnel for testing airplanes, Langley Field Virginia. [1]
* Piccard and Knipfer make first flight into stratosphere, by balloon; first use of
pressurized cabin in a balloon. [1]
June 6
June 9
June 14
* French "St Philbert" overturned off Saint Nazaire France, drowns 450. [1]
June 19
June 23
* Wiley Post and Harold Catty took off for flight around world. [1]
June 29
* 109 degrees F (43 degrees C), Monticello, Florida (state record). [1]
July 1
380
* Ice vending machines introduced in Los Angeles 25 pounds, 15 cents. [1]
* Boeing Air Transport begin service (later called United Airlines). [5]
July 18
July 21
* Reno race track, becomes first in US to use daily double wagering. [1]
July 23
July 28
* US Congress makes "The Star-Spangled Banner" our second national anthem. [1]
August 15
* Ernest Lassy completes longest canoe journey without port (6,102 mi). [1]
* Roy Wilkins joined NAACP as assistant secretary. [1]
September 15
September 21
September 27
* Lou Gehrig completes his 6th straight season, playing in every game. [1]
October 2
October 4
October 5
381
* First nonstop transpacific flight, Japan to Washington (Herndon and Pangborn). [1]
October 7
October 10
* AJ Bennett hits H Garbarino for first scoring pass in Canada's Big 4. [1]
October 12
October 16
October 17
October 18
* Thomas Alva Edison inventor, dies in West Orange, New Jersey, at age 84. [1]
October 24
* George Washington Bridge connecting New York to New Jersey opens. [1]
November 3
November 11
November 13
November 20
382
* Commercial teletype service begins. [1]
December 1
* In Canada, the Ottawa branch of the British Royal Mint begins operation as the
Royal Canadian Mint, under the control of the Canadian Finance Department. [3]
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 8
December 9
* Benn W Levy's "Springtime for Henry" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Japanese army attacks Chinese province of Jehol. [1]
* Spain becomes a republic. [1]
December 10
* Jane Addams (first US woman) named co-recipient of Nobel Peace Prize. [1]
* Manuel Azaña becomes premier/Niceto Zamora President of Spain. [1]
* Max Elskamp Belgian author/poet (Six Chansons), dies at age 69. [1]
December 11
December 12
December 14
383
* First assembly of Anton Musserts NSB in Utrecht. [1]
December 16
December 18
December 19
December 21
December 25
* New York's Metropolitan Opera broadcasts an entire opera over radio. [1]
December 26
December 27
December 28
December 29
December 30
* Tyrone Power Sr actor (Big Trial, Test of Donald Norton), dies at age 62. [1]
384
1932
January 1
January 2
January 4
* British East Indies Viceroy Willingdon arrests Gandhi and Nehru. [1]
* State of siege proclaimed in Honduras. [1]
January 7
* Henri Stroethoff Dutch actor (Bright Paradise), dies at age 60. [1]
January 8
January 10
* The first "Mickey Mouse" color comic page is published in Sunday editions of
newspapers. [1] [6]
* The first "Silly Symphonies" color comic page is published in Sunday editions of
newspapers. The edition is titled "Bucky Bug". [1] [6]
* "Pete the Tramp" cartoon strip by C D Russell debuts. [1]
January 12
January 14
January 15
385
January 16
January 19
* Charlie Conacher becomes first Toronto Maple Leaf to score five goals in a game,
the first coming at 7 seconds of the game. [1]
January 21
* Finland and the Soviet Union sign a five-year Pact of Non-Agression. [10]
* [Giles] Lytton Strachey British biographer/critic, dies at age 51. [1]
January 22
January 23
January 25
January 26
January 28
January 31
February 2
386
* Reconstruction Finance Corp organized. [1]
February 4
February 6
February 8
* Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll mobster, killed by Dutch Schultz gang. [1]
February 9
February 10
* R H Edgar Wallace British writer/journalist (3 Just Men), dies at age 76. [1]
February 11
February 12
February 13
February 15
* George Burns and Gracie Allen debuted as regulars on "Guy Lombardo Show". [1]
* John Van Druten's "There's Always Juliet" premieres in New York City, New York.
[1]
* Minnie Maddern Fiske actress (Henrik Ibsen's plays), dies at age 66. [1]
February 16
* First patent issued for a tree, to James Markham for a peach tree. [1]
387
February 17
* Frans Gailliard Belgian painter/graphic artist (Egina), dies at age 70. [1]
* Irving Berlin's musical "Face the Music" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
February 18
* Frederik Augustus III King of Saxon (1904-18), dies at age 66. [1]
* Japan declares Manchuria Independent. [1]
February 19
February 20
February 21
February 22
February 24
February 25
February 27
February 29
March 1
* Charles Lindbergh Jr (20 months), kidnapped in New Jersey; found dead May 12. [1]
388
* Dino Campana Italian poet (Canti Orfici), dies at age 46. [1]
March 3
March 5
March 6
* John Philip Sousa US composer (Stars and Stripes Forever), dies at age 77. [1]
March 7
* Aristide Briand 11 x premier of France (Nobel Prize 1926), dies at age 69. [1]
* Riots at Ford-factory Dearborn Michigan, kills 4. [1]
March 8
* Jan de Louter Dutch lawyer/tutor of Queen Wilhelmina, dies at age 84. [1]
March 9
March 12
* Ivar Kreuger, Swedish financier, is found shot dead in his Paris apartment,
presumably a suicide. He is estimated to have spent US$400 million of investor money in
15 years. [1] [7] [80.56] [135.115]
March 14
March 17
March 20
389
March 24
* First US radio broadcast from a moving train (Belle Baker, WABC from Maryland).
[1]
March 26
March 29
March 30
* Amelia Earhart is first woman to fly solo cross the Atlantic. [1]
March 31
April 1
* In Canada, the RCMP absorbs provincial police of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,
Manitoba, and Alberta. [242.4]
April 2
* Charles Lindbergh turns over $50,000 as ransom for kidnapped son. [1]
* Hugo Kaun composer, dies at age 69. [1]
April 4
* George Bernard Shaw's "Too True to be Good", premieres in New York City. [1]
* Ottokar T Czernin von und zu Chudenitz Austrian minister, dies at age 59. [1]
* Vitamin C first isolated, C C King, University of Pittsburgh. [1]
* Wilhelm Ostwald physical chemist (Nobel Prize 1909), dies. [1]
April 5
April 7
390
April 9
April 10
* André Baillon Belgian/French author (and sabots), dies at age 56. [1]
* Paul von Hindenburg re-elected President of Germany. [1]
April 12
April 13
* Johannes T de Visser first Dutch minister of Education, dies at age 75 [or 14th]. [1]
April 14
* Bizet, Massine and Miró's "Jeux d'Enfants", premieres in Monte Carlo. [1]
April 17
April 19
April 20
April 23
April 24
April 25
391
* Rose Franken's "Another Language", premieres in New York City. [1]
April 26
April 27
* Harold "Heart" Crane US poet (Bridge), commits suicide by jumping from a steamer
while sailing from México to New York at age 32. [1]
April 28
May 1
May 2
* Jack Benny's first radio show premieres (NBC Blue Network). [1]
* Pulitzer prize awarded to Pearl S Buck (The Good Earth). [1]
May 3
May 4
May 5
May 7
May 8
392
* Albert Thomas French socialist politician. [1]
May 9
May 10
May 12
May 13
May 14
May 15
May 16
May 17
May 20
* Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland (landing in Ireland the next day) to
become the world's first female to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. [1] [5]
* Engelbert Dollfuss becomes chancellor of Austria. [1]
393
May 21
May 22
* Lady Augusta [Isabella Gregory] playwright (Gold Apple), dies at age 80. [1]
May 23
* Sir Hubert Ferdinand Opperman sets 24 hour record of 860 miles, 367 yards. [1]
May 26
May 28
June 6
June 10
June 11
June 16
June 19
394
* Hailstones kill 200 in Hunan Province, China. [1]
June 24
July 1
* New York Governor Franklin Roosevelt nominated for president at the Democratic
Convention in Chicago. [1]
July 2
July 5
July 8
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average hits a low point of 41.22, 90 percent of its pre-
crash peak. [1] [227]
* G Neujmin discovers asteroid #1255 Schilowa. [1]
July 10
* Jack Burnett gets 9 hits, Eddie Rommel relieves in second and continues to. [1]
July 18
July 23
July 25
* Poland and the Soviet Union sign a five-year Non-Aggression Pact. [10]
July 28
395
July 30
August 2
August 10
August 22
August 24
August 25
September 1
* New York City Mayor James J "Gentleman Jimmy" Walker resigns (graft charges).
[1]
September 23
October 10
October 11
* First political telecast (Democratic National Committee) at CBS, New York City. [1]
October 20
396
* Swedish Prince Gustav Adolf marries Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
[7]
October 22
* Anna Dickinson dies just a week shy of her 90th birthday. [1]
October 23
October 29
November 1
* Wernher von Braun named head of German liquid-fuel rocket program. [1]
November 8
* Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Democrat) elected President for first time. [1]
November 9
* Hurricane storm wave sweeps over Santa Cruz del Sur Cuba kills 2,500. [1]
November 15
November 18
* The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards an Honorable Mention
Oscar award to Walt Disney Productions for "Distinctive Achievement", the creation of
Mickey Mouse. [6]
* The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards an Oscar (Short Subjects,
Cartoons) to Disney for the film Flowers and Trees. This is the first Academy Award for a
cartoon. [1] [6]
November 22
November 29
397
* France and the Soviet Union sign a Pact of Non-Aggression. [10]
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 5
December 7
* First gyro-stabilized vessel to cross the Atlantic arrives in New York. [1]
December 10
December 11
December 12
December 14
December 16
398
* Heavy earthquake ravages Kansu China, 70,000 killed. [1]
December 18
December 19
December 21
* Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, first joint movie (Flying Down to Rio). [1]
December 24
December 25
* During King George V Christmas dinner speech, his chair collapes. [1]
December 26
December 27
* Radio City Music Hall opens (New York City, New York). [1]
December 31
* John P O'Brien sworn-in as mayor of New York City, New York. [1]
399
1932
January 1
January 2
January 4
* British East Indies Viceroy Willingdon arrests Gandhi and Nehru. [1]
* State of siege proclaimed in Honduras. [1]
January 7
* Henri Stroethoff Dutch actor (Bright Paradise), dies at age 60. [1]
January 8
January 10
* The first "Mickey Mouse" color comic page is published in Sunday editions of
newspapers. [1] [6]
* The first "Silly Symphonies" color comic page is published in Sunday editions of
newspapers. The edition is titled "Bucky Bug". [1] [6]
* "Pete the Tramp" cartoon strip by C D Russell debuts. [1]
January 12
January 14
January 15
400
January 16
January 19
* Charlie Conacher becomes first Toronto Maple Leaf to score five goals in a game,
the first coming at 7 seconds of the game. [1]
January 21
* Finland and the Soviet Union sign a five-year Pact of Non-Agression. [10]
* [Giles] Lytton Strachey British biographer/critic, dies at age 51. [1]
January 22
January 23
January 25
January 26
January 28
January 31
February 2
401
* Reconstruction Finance Corp organized. [1]
February 4
February 6
February 8
* Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll mobster, killed by Dutch Schultz gang. [1]
February 9
February 10
* R H Edgar Wallace British writer/journalist (3 Just Men), dies at age 76. [1]
February 11
February 12
February 13
February 15
* George Burns and Gracie Allen debuted as regulars on "Guy Lombardo Show". [1]
* John Van Druten's "There's Always Juliet" premieres in New York City, New York.
[1]
* Minnie Maddern Fiske actress (Henrik Ibsen's plays), dies at age 66. [1]
February 16
* First patent issued for a tree, to James Markham for a peach tree. [1]
402
February 17
* Frans Gailliard Belgian painter/graphic artist (Egina), dies at age 70. [1]
* Irving Berlin's musical "Face the Music" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
February 18
* Frederik Augustus III King of Saxon (1904-18), dies at age 66. [1]
* Japan declares Manchuria Independent. [1]
February 19
February 20
February 21
February 22
February 24
February 25
February 27
February 29
March 1
* Charles Lindbergh Jr (20 months), kidnapped in New Jersey; found dead May 12. [1]
403
* Dino Campana Italian poet (Canti Orfici), dies at age 46. [1]
March 3
March 5
March 6
* John Philip Sousa US composer (Stars and Stripes Forever), dies at age 77. [1]
March 7
* Aristide Briand 11 x premier of France (Nobel Prize 1926), dies at age 69. [1]
* Riots at Ford-factory Dearborn Michigan, kills 4. [1]
March 8
* Jan de Louter Dutch lawyer/tutor of Queen Wilhelmina, dies at age 84. [1]
March 9
March 12
* Ivar Kreuger, Swedish financier, is found shot dead in his Paris apartment,
presumably a suicide. He is estimated to have spent US$400 million of investor money in
15 years. [1] [7] [80.56] [135.115]
March 14
March 17
March 20
404
March 24
* First US radio broadcast from a moving train (Belle Baker, WABC from Maryland).
[1]
March 26
March 29
March 30
* Amelia Earhart is first woman to fly solo cross the Atlantic. [1]
March 31
April 1
* In Canada, the RCMP absorbs provincial police of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,
Manitoba, and Alberta. [242.4]
April 2
* Charles Lindbergh turns over $50,000 as ransom for kidnapped son. [1]
* Hugo Kaun composer, dies at age 69. [1]
April 4
* George Bernard Shaw's "Too True to be Good", premieres in New York City. [1]
* Ottokar T Czernin von und zu Chudenitz Austrian minister, dies at age 59. [1]
* Vitamin C first isolated, C C King, University of Pittsburgh. [1]
* Wilhelm Ostwald physical chemist (Nobel Prize 1909), dies. [1]
April 5
April 7
405
April 9
April 10
* André Baillon Belgian/French author (and sabots), dies at age 56. [1]
* Paul von Hindenburg re-elected President of Germany. [1]
April 12
April 13
* Johannes T de Visser first Dutch minister of Education, dies at age 75 [or 14th]. [1]
April 14
* Bizet, Massine and Miró's "Jeux d'Enfants", premieres in Monte Carlo. [1]
April 17
April 19
April 20
April 23
April 24
April 25
406
* Rose Franken's "Another Language", premieres in New York City. [1]
April 26
April 27
* Harold "Heart" Crane US poet (Bridge), commits suicide by jumping from a steamer
while sailing from México to New York at age 32. [1]
April 28
May 1
May 2
* Jack Benny's first radio show premieres (NBC Blue Network). [1]
* Pulitzer prize awarded to Pearl S Buck (The Good Earth). [1]
May 3
May 4
May 5
May 7
May 8
407
* Albert Thomas French socialist politician. [1]
May 9
May 10
May 12
May 13
May 14
May 15
May 16
May 17
May 20
* Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland (landing in Ireland the next day) to
become the world's first female to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. [1] [5]
* Engelbert Dollfuss becomes chancellor of Austria. [1]
408
May 21
May 22
* Lady Augusta [Isabella Gregory] playwright (Gold Apple), dies at age 80. [1]
May 23
* Sir Hubert Ferdinand Opperman sets 24 hour record of 860 miles, 367 yards. [1]
May 26
May 28
June 6
June 10
June 11
June 16
June 19
409
* Hailstones kill 200 in Hunan Province, China. [1]
June 24
July 1
* New York Governor Franklin Roosevelt nominated for president at the Democratic
Convention in Chicago. [1]
July 2
July 5
July 8
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average hits a low point of 41.22, 90 percent of its pre-
crash peak. [1] [227]
* G Neujmin discovers asteroid #1255 Schilowa. [1]
July 10
* Jack Burnett gets 9 hits, Eddie Rommel relieves in second and continues to. [1]
July 18
July 23
July 25
* Poland and the Soviet Union sign a five-year Non-Aggression Pact. [10]
July 28
410
July 30
August 2
August 10
August 22
August 24
August 25
September 1
* New York City Mayor James J "Gentleman Jimmy" Walker resigns (graft charges).
[1]
September 23
October 10
October 11
* First political telecast (Democratic National Committee) at CBS, New York City. [1]
October 20
411
* Swedish Prince Gustav Adolf marries Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
[7]
October 22
* Anna Dickinson dies just a week shy of her 90th birthday. [1]
October 23
October 29
November 1
* Wernher von Braun named head of German liquid-fuel rocket program. [1]
November 8
* Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Democrat) elected President for first time. [1]
November 9
* Hurricane storm wave sweeps over Santa Cruz del Sur Cuba kills 2,500. [1]
November 15
November 18
* The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards an Honorable Mention
Oscar award to Walt Disney Productions for "Distinctive Achievement", the creation of
Mickey Mouse. [6]
* The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards an Oscar (Short Subjects,
Cartoons) to Disney for the film Flowers and Trees. This is the first Academy Award for a
cartoon. [1] [6]
November 22
November 29
412
* France and the Soviet Union sign a Pact of Non-Aggression. [10]
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 5
December 7
* First gyro-stabilized vessel to cross the Atlantic arrives in New York. [1]
December 10
December 11
December 12
December 14
December 16
413
* Heavy earthquake ravages Kansu China, 70,000 killed. [1]
December 18
December 19
December 21
* Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, first joint movie (Flying Down to Rio). [1]
December 24
December 25
* During King George V Christmas dinner speech, his chair collapes. [1]
December 26
December 27
* Radio City Music Hall opens (New York City, New York). [1]
December 31
* John P O'Brien sworn-in as mayor of New York City, New York. [1]
414
1933
January 2
January 3
* Wilhelm Cuno German Reich's chancellor (1922-23), dies at age 56. [1]
January 4
January 5
* French liner L'Atlantique (42,500 tons) burns out in the English Channel, with no
passengers, en route to Le Havre. The ship is a total write-off. [260.98]
* Calvin Coolidge 30th President (1923-29), dies in Northampton Massachusetts at age
60. [1]
* Work on Golden Gate Bridge begins, on Marin County side. [1]
January 7
January 9
January 12
January 16
January 18
415
* White Sands National Monument, New Mexico established. [1]
January 23
January 24
* Noël Coward's "Design for Living" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 27
January 28
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 2
* Two days after becoming chancellor, Adolf Hitler dissolves Parliament. [1]
* Adolf Hitler meets with a group of generals and admirals at the home of General von
Hammerstein. He assures them they could begin a rearmament program, in defiance of
the Versailles Treaty. [10]
416
* Göring bans communist meetings/demonstrations in Germany. [1]
* Ucicky's "Rotten Morning" premieres in Berlin. [1]
February 3
February 4
February 5
February 6
* -90 degrees F (-68 degrees C), Oymyakon, USSR (Asian record). [1]
* 20th Amendment goes into effect; Presidential term begins in Jan not March. [1]
* Highest recorded sea wave (not tsunami), 34 metres (112 feet), in Pacific hurricane
near Manila. [1]
* President von Hindenburg and von Papen end Prussian parliament. [1]
February 7
* Albert György Earl Apponyi Hung minister of Education, dies at age 86. [1]
* Colonial troops in Suriname kill two demonstrators. [1]
* Social-Democrat meeting in Berlin "As thousands cheer" Marxism is dead. [1]
February 8
* -23 degrees F (-31 degrees C), Seminole Texas (state record). [1]
* First flight of all-metal Boeing 247. [1]
February 9
* -63 degrees F (-53 degrees C), Moran Wyoming (state record). [1]
February 10
* -54 degrees F (-48 degrees C), Seneca Oregon (state record). [1]
417
* Delivery of first singing telegram (Postal Telegram Company New York City). [1]
* Dutch sea-plane bombs Dutch ship. [1]
* Hitler proclaims end of Marxism. [1]
* Mutiny on "7 Provinces" ends (began February 4th), 23 killed. [1]
February 12
* German vice-chancellor von Papen demands Catholic aid for Nazis. [1]
* Henri Duparc French composer, dies at age 85. [1]
February 15
February 16
February 17
February 19
February 20
February 22
418
February 24
February 25
February 26
February 27
February 28
March 1
March 2
* "King Kong" premieres at Radio City Music Hall and RKO Roxy New York City. [1]
* Most powerful earthquake in 180 years hit Japan. [1]
March 3
March 4
419
* Franklin Roosevelt inaugrated as 32nd President, pledges to pull US out of
Depression and says "We have nothing to fear but fear itself". [1]
* Frances Perkins becomes Secretary of Labor, first US woman cabinet member. [1]
* Henderson, DeSylva and Brown's "Strike Me Pink" premieres in New York City. [1]
* Willie Walker US jazz singer/guitarist (Dupree Blues), dies at age 36. [1]
March 5
March 6
March 7
March 9
March 10
March 12
March 13
March 14
420
* In the British House of Commons, Winston Churchill urges creation of an air force
adequate to defend the civilian population. [10]
March 15
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes with a record one-day percentage gain of
15.34 percent. [227]
* NAACP begins coordinated attack on segregation and discrimination. [1]
March 16
March 17
March 18
* Luigi A duke of the Abruzzi Italian explorer (Ruwenzori), dies at age 60. [1]
* Radio Clube de Mocambique's, first radio transmission. [1]
March 20
March 21
* Hitler, Göring, Prince Ruprecht, Brüning and top army meet in Berlin. [1]
March 22
* Franklin Roosevelt makes wine and beer with up to 3.2% alcohol legal. [1]
March 23
* Winston Churchill urges the British government not to press for French disarmament
while Germany is busy rearming. [10]
* Enabling Act: German Reichstag grants Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers. [1]
* Kroll Opera in Berlin opens. [1]
March 24
421
* Peter I Island incorporated as a Norwegian dependency. [1]
March 27
March 29
March 31
* First newspaper published on pine pulp paper, "Soperton News" (Georgia). [1]
* US Congress authorizes Civilian Conservation Corps. [1]
* German Republic gives power to Hitler. [1]
April 1
* Frederick Lord Chelmsford viceroy of British-India (1916-21), dies at age 64. [1]
* Heinrich Himmler becomes Police Commander of Germany. [1]
* Nazi Germany begins persecution of Jews boycotting Jewish businesses. [1]
April 3
April 4
April 7
* First two Nazi anti-Jewish laws, bar Jews from legal and public service. [1]
* Jan Erik/Eric Jan Hanussen Berlin astrologist/illusionist, murdered. [1]
* Prohibition ends, Utah becomes 38th state to ratify 21st Amendment. [1]
* University Bridge, Seattle opens for traffic. [1]
April 8
April 9
422
April 11
April 12
April 13
April 19
April 22
April 25
April 26
April 27
* Karl Jansky reports reception of cosmic radio signal in Washington DC. [1]
April 28
April 30
May 2
* Scottish newspaper Inverness Courier reports on a couple's claim to have seen "an
enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface" of Loch Ness. [129]
423
* In Germany, Adolf Hitler bans trade unions. [1]
May 3
May 4
May 6
May 9
May 10
May 12
May 13
May 15
May 18
* Tennessee Valley Act (TVA) Act signed by Franklin Roosevelt, to build dams. [1]
May 21
* John Henry Mackay Scottish/German author (Der Schwimmer), dies at age 69. [1]
424
* Mount Davidson Cross lit by Franklin Roosevelt via telegraph. [1]
May 22
May 24
May 26
May 27
May 30
June 1
June 2
June 3
June 5
June 6
425
* Richard Hollingshead opens the first drive-in cinema, in Camden, New Jersey, on a
10-acre site, with room for 400 cars. The screen is 40x30 feet. [1] [5] [55.39]
* US Employment Service created. [1]
June 13
June 15
June 16
* National Industrial Recovery Act becomes law (later struck down). [1]
* US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) created. [1]
June 21
* First Great Lakes-to-Gulf of Mexico barge trip completed, New Orleans. [1]
June 30
July 1
July 4
July 8
July 9
July 12
426
* US Congress passes first minimum wage law (33 cents per hour). [1]
July 15
* Wiley Post began first solo flight around the world. [1]
July 22
July 24
July 27
July 28
* First singing telegram delivered (to Rudy Vallee), New York City. [1]
August 1
August 11
* Temp reaches 136 degrees F (58 degrees C) at San Luis Potosí, Mexico (world
record). [1]
September 4
* First airplane to exceed 300 mph (483 kph), JR Wendell, Glenview, Il. [1]
September 12
* Leó Szilárd, waiting for a red light on Southampton Row in Bloomsbury, conceives
the idea of the nuclear chain reaction. [5]
September 14
* Two billion board feet of lumber destroyed in Tillamook Oregon fire. [1]
October 8
427
* Coit Tower dedicated in SF, a monument to firefighters. [1]
October 10
October 12
October 14
October 17
* Albert Einstein arrives in the US, a refugee from Nazi Germany. [1]
October 21
* German Chancellor Adolf Hitler withdraws Germany from the League of Nations.
[10]
November 4
* Young Park (1) in the Bronx named in honor of James Young. [1]
November 5
November 7
November 8
November 11
* "Great Black Blizzard" first great dust storm in the Great Plains. [1]
428
November 12
* First known photo of Loch Ness monster (or whatever) is taken. [1]
* Nazis receive 92% of vote in Germany. [1]
November 13
* First modern sit-down strike, Hormel meat packers, Austin, Minnesota. [1]
November 16
November 21
November 25
November 29
December 1
* Rudolf Hess and Earnest Röhm become a minister in Hitler government. [1]
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 5
429
* 21st Amendment ratified, only amendment adopted to repeal an earlier amendment
[18th Amendment (Prohibition)] (5:32 PM EST). [1]
December 6
December 9
December 11
* Emile C Wauters Belgian painter (Van der Goes Klooster), dies at age 87. [1]
December 12
December 14
December 16
December 17
December 19
December 20
December 21
430
* Knud J V Rasmussen Danish Pole explorer (Thule), dies at age 54. [1]
* Newfoundland reverts to being a crown colony. [1]
December 23
December 24
* Paris express train derails and kills 160, injures 300 (France). [1]
December 25
* Belgian Working people's party accept Henry de Mans Plan of Labor. [1]
December 26
December 29
December 30
431
1934
January 1
January 2
January 4
* First Dutch talkie movie, Jan Teunissen's "Willem of Orange" premieres. [1]
January 5
* Fenway Park catches fire for second time (May 8th 1926 also). [1]
January 7
January 8
January 10
* Marinus van der Lubbe Dutch communist, beheaded in Berlin at age 24. [1]
January 13
January 15
432
January 16
January 17
January 18
* Eugene O'Neill's "Days Without End" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 19
January 20
January 22
January 26
January 27
January 28
January 29
* Fritz Haber German chemist (Nobel Prize 1918), dies at age 65. [1]
January 30
433
* First theatrical presentation sponsored by the US government, New York City, New
York. [1]
* Bert Ironmonger ends Sheffield Shield career age 51 years 298 days. [1]
* Hitler proclamation on German unified states. [1]
January 31
* Franklin Roosevelt devalues the dollar in relation to gold at $35 per ounce. [1]
February 1
* Austrian Chancellor Dollfuss dissolves all political parties but his own. [1]
February 2
February 7
February 8
February 9
* -14.3 degrees F (-25.8 degrees C), coldest day in New York City, New York. [1]
* -51 degrees F (-46 degrees C), Vanderbilt Michigan (state record). [1]
* Balkan Entente alliance forms (Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey and Romania). [1]
February 10
* First Jewish immigrant ship to break the English blockade in Palestine. [1]
* Byrd souvenir sheet issued, New York City; first unperforated ungummed US stamp.
[1]
* Howard Hanson's "Merry Mount" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Stalin ends 17th CPSU-congress, says "Life becomes merrier". [1]
* Thomson/Gertrude Stein's opera "Four Saints in Three Acts" premieres in New York
City, New York. [1]
February 12
434
* France hit by a general strike against fascists and royalists. [1]
February 13
February 16
February 17
* First high school auto driving course offered (State College PA). [1]
* Albert I LCMM von Saksen-Coburg king of Belgium (1909-34), dies at age 58. [1]
February 19
February 20
* Virgil Thomson's opera "Four Saints in Three Acts" opens in New York City, New
York. [1]
February 21
February 22
* "It Happened One Night" opens at New York's Radio City Music Hall. [1]
* Willem Kes violinist/composer/conductor, dies at age 78. [1]
February 23
February 25
March 1
435
* Henry Pu Yi crowned emperor Kang Teh of Manchuria. [1]
March 2
March 3
March 4
March 5
March 6
* Sidney Howard and Paul de Kruif's "Yellowjacket" premieres in New York City,
New York. [1]
March 8
* Edwin Hubble photo shows as many galaxies as Milky Way has stars. [1]
March 10
* Longest undefeated streak in Toronto Maple Leaf history (18 games). [1]
March 12
March 13
March 15
436
March 16
March 17
* Dollfuss, Mussolini and Gömbös sign Donau Pact (protocols of Rome). [1]
March 19
March 20
* A Emma W T von Waldeck-Pyrmont Dutch queen (and regent), dies at age 76. [1]
* Test of practical radar apparatus made by Rudolf Kuhnold in Kiel Germany. [1]
March 21
March 22
March 23
March 26
March 29
March 31
* Franz Ehrle German jesuit/head of Vatican library, dies at age 88. [1]
* Netherlands Indies BC Ltd begain radio transmission (Indonesia). [1]
April 1
437
* Bonnie and Clyde kill two police officers. [1]
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 12
* Highest velocity wind ever recorded on Mount Washington New Hampshire, 231
mph. [1]
April 13
April 14
April 18
April 19
* Shirley Temple appears in her first movie, "Stand Up and Cheer". [1]
April 20
438
* Heinrich Himmler becomes inspector Prussian secret state police. [1]
April 28
April 30
May 1
May 2
May 5
* The 1932 non-aggression pact betwen the Soviet Union and Poland is extended to the
end of 1945. [10]
May 7
May 11
* Over two days, the most severe dust storm to date in the USA sweeps an estimated
350 million tons of topsoil from the Great Plains across to the eastern seaboard. [129]
May 12
439
May 13
May 15
* Department of Justice offers $25,000 reward for Dillinger, dead or alive. [1]
* Karlis Ulmanis names himself fascist dictator of Latvia. [1]
May 18
May 19
May 21
May 23
* Texas and Louisiana state police shoot to death notorious criminals Bonnie Parker
and Clyde Barrow near Sailes, Louisiana. The Barrow Gang was believed responsible for
the deaths of 13 people, including nine police officers. [1] [129]
* Wallace Carothers manufactures first nylon (polymeer 66). [1]
May 24
* Colombia and Peru sign accord about harbor city Leticia. [1]
May 25
May 26
440
May 27
May 29
* Eugenie Besserer actress (Anna Christie, Madame X), dies at age 65. [1]
* Heihatjirô Tôjô Japanese Admiral (Russian-Japanese War), dies. [1]
June 3
June 4
June 5
* First formal meeting of The Baker Street Irregulars (New York City). [1]
June 6
June 9
* The Walt Disney Silly Symphony film The Wise Little Hen is released to theaters in
the USA. Donald Duck makes his film debut, with a voice supplied by Clarence Nash. [1]
[6]
June 12
* Black-McKeller Bill passes causes Bill Boeing empire to break up. [1]
June 13
June 14
June 15
441
* Great Smokey Mountains National Park dedicated. [1]
* K Reinmuth discovers asteroid #1322 Coppernicus. [1]
June 18
June 19
June 24
* In Germany, Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, and Reinhard Heydrich begin planning
the murders of opponents to prevent a supposed putsch by the SA. [10]
June 26
* Franklin Roosevelt signs Federal Credit Union Act establishing credit unions. [1]
* W E B Du Bois resigns position at NAACP. [1]
June 27
June 30
* In Germany, two days of officially instigated murders begin. Between 100 and 2000
opponents of Adolf Hitler are killed. Heinrich Himmler's Schutzstaffel (SS) kill mostly
Sturm Abteilung (SA) leaders, including head Ernst Roehm. The period becomes known
as the "Night of the Long Knives". [10]
* French Equitorial Africa constituted a single administrative unit. [1]
July 1
July 3
July 4
* Leo Szilard patents the chain-reaction design for the atomic bomb. [5]
* Chaim Nachman Bialik zionist poet, dies. [1]
442
July 10
July 11
* Franklin Roosevelt became first president to travel through Panama Canal. [1]
July 12
July 14
* 116 degrees F (47 degrees C), Orogrande, New Mexico (state record). [1]
* C Jackson discovers asteroids #1325 Inanda and #1326 Losaka. [1]
July 16
July 20
* 118 degrees F (48 degrees C), Keokuk, Iowa (state record). [1]
July 21
* 113 degrees F (45 degrees C), near Gallipolis, Ohio (state record). [1]
July 22
July 25
July 28
* 118 degrees F (48 degrees C), Orofino, Idaho (state record). [1]
August 2
* First airplane train, plane tows three mail gliders behind it. [1]
443
* In Germany, President Paul von Hindenburg dies. [10]
* In Germany, following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg, Chancellor
Adolf Hitler assumes the office of Reich President as well. The Wehrmacht oath of
allegiance is changed to be directly to Adolf Hitler. [10]
* William Franks twirls an indian club overhead 17,280 times in one hour. [1]
August 6
* US troops leave Haiti, which had been occupied since 1915. [1]
August 7
* US Court of Appeals upheld lower court ruling striking down government's attempt
to ban controversial James Joyce novel "Ulysses". [1]
August 11
August 16
August 19
September 3
September 8
* American luxury liner Morro Castle (11,500 tons) burns off New Jersey, killing 134.
The ship is beyond repair. [1] [260.99]
September 12
September 17
444
September 19
September 21
September 26
September 30
October 8
October 9
October 14
October 17
October 22
November 1
November 2
445
November 11
* WOC-AM in Davenport Iowa splits from WHO-WOC and becomes KICK-AM. [1]
November 17
November 27
November 30
* The steam locomotive Flying Scotsman becomes the first to officially exceed
100mph. [5]
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 7
December 8
December 10
December 13
446
* Mark Hellinger Theater (Warner Brothers) opens at 237 W 51st Steet New York City,
New York. [1]
December 14
December 15
December 19
December 22
December 24
* Grimmett takes 9-180 for South Africa as Queensland make 430. [1]
December 25
* Samson Raphaelson's "Accent on Youth" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
December 27
December 29
December 31
447
1935
January 1
January 2
January 4
* Bob Hope first heard on network radio as part of "The Intimate Revue". [1]
* Fort Jefferson National Monument, Florida established. [1]
January 6
January 7
* Zöe Akins' "Old Maid" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 8
January 10
January 11
* Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo from Hawaii to California. [1]
[5]
January 13
January 14
* The British Cabinet decides the Rhineland is not a vital British interest. [10]
* Oil pipeline Iraq-Mediterranean goes into use. [1]
448
January 15
* 300 Dutch ice cream salesmen protest against Italian competition. [1]
* Clifford Odets' "Waiting for Lefty" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 16
January 19
January 21
January 24
* First canned beer, "Krueger Cream Ale", is sold by Kruger Brewing Company in
Richmond Virginia. [1]
January 28
* Icelandic Law No. 38 legalizes abortion, within first 28 weeks, only if continued
pregnancy poses threat to physical or mental health of woman. First country to allow
abortion on these grounds. [1] [55.7]
* Mikhail Mikhaylovich Ippolitov-Ivanov Russian composer, dies at age 75. [1]
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 2
449
* Lie detector first used in court (Portage Wisconsin). [1]
February 6
February 7
February 8
* Max Liebermann German impressionist painter/graphic artist, dies at age 87. [1]
February 9
February 10
February 11
* -11 degrees F (-24 degrees C), Ifrane, Morocco (African record low). [1]
* First US airplane flight with auto slung beneath the fuselage, New York. [1]
February 12
February 13
* First US surgical operation for relief of angina pectoris, Cleveland Ohio. [1]
* Bruno Hauptmann found guilty of kidnap and murder of Lindbergh's infant. [1]
* Violet Paget British author (Gospels of Anarchy), dies at age 78. [1]
February 19
* Clifford Odets' "Awake and Sing" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
February 20
450
* Karoline Mikkelson is first woman on Antarctica. [1]
February 22
* Airplanes are no longer permitted to fly over the White House. [1]
February 23
* Jan Duiker Dutch architect (Hotel Gooiland), dies at age 44. [1]
February 26
February 28
March 3
March 5
March 7
March 10
March 11
March 12
451
* England establishes 30 MPH speed limit for towns and villages. [1]
March 13
March 14
March 16
March 17
March 20
March 21
March 22
March 24
* Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour goes national on NBC Radio Network. [1]
March 25
March 26
452
March 28
March 29
March 30
April 1
* First radio tube made of metal announced, Schenectady New York. [1]
April 2
April 5
April 6
April 8
April 10
April 12
453
April 14
April 15
* Another massive dust storm in the USA becomes known as "Black Sunday". [129]
April 16
April 17
April 18
* General Sarazen's double eagle on the 15th, wins him his second Masters. [1]
* Ignazio Guidi Italian orientalist/archaeologist, dies at age 90. [1]
* Netherlands election (Musserts NSB wins 8% of vote). [1]
April 20
April 21
April 24
April 27
April 28
April 29
454
April 30
May 1
May 2
* France and the Soviet Union conclude negotiations for a five-year Treaty of Mutual
Assistance. [10]
May 4
May 6
* British King George and Queen Mary celebrates silver jubilee. [1]
* Pulitzer prize awarded to Audrey Wurdemann (Bright Ambush). [1]
May 11
May 12
May 13
May 14
May 16
455
* Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union sign a five-year Treaty of Mutual Assistance.
[10]
May 17
* Paul A Dukas French composer/tutor of Messiaen (Velléda), dies at age 69. [1]
May 19
* Charles Martin Tornow Loeffler French composer, dies at age 74. [1]
* Death of Thomas Edward Shaw [Lawrence], "Lawrence of Arabia", from injuries in
a motorcycle accident. [1] [129]
May 20
* Ivans [Jacob van Schevichaven] lawyer/detective writer, dies at age 68. [1]
May 21
May 23
May 24
* Swedish princess Ingrid marries Danish crown prince Frederik (IX). [1]
May 25
May 27
May 29
456
May 30
May 31
June 3
June 10
* Dr Robert Smith and William Wilson of Akron form Alcoholics Anonymous. [1]
June 14
June 18
* England and Germany sign a naval treaty, limiting the German surface fleet to 35
percent of British tonnage, and submarine fleet to 45 percent. [10]
June 30
July 2
July 5
July 16
July 17
457
July 21
July 22
July 24
July 25
July 28
August 12
August 13
August 14
August 15
* Wiley Post and Will Rogers killed in plane crash in Alaska. [1]
August 31
September 2
458
September 3
* First automobile to exceed 300 mph, Sir Malcolm Campbell (301.337 mph). [1]
September 8
September 15
* Nuremberg Laws deprive German Jews of citizenship and makes the swastika the
official symbol of Nazi Germany. [1]
September 30
October 2
October 6
October 8
October 10
October
* New York gangster Dutch Schultz is killed by an unknown gunman. Schultz was
head of the numbers racket, seldom paying winners. [80.247]
October 24
October 25
459
November 3
November 5
November 6
November 9
November 11
* Explorer 2 balloon sets altitude record of 72,000 feet over South Dakota. [1]
November 14
November 15
November 21
November 22
* China Clipper (flying boat) took off from Alameda, California, carrying 100,000
pieces of mail on first trans-Pacific airmail flight. [1]
December 1
460
* Bernard Schmidt inventor (Schmidt camera), dies. [1]
December 2
December 4
December 5
December 10
* John H Aberson first rector of Landbouw high school, dies at age 78. [1]
December 14
December 15
* Max Euwe becomes world champion chess beating Alexander Aljechin. [1]
December 16
* Thelma Todd actress (Horse Feathers, Bohemian Girl), dies of 30. [1]
December 18
December 20
December 21
* Kurt Tucholsky German journalist/writer (Panter, Tiger and Co), dies at age 45. [1]
461
December 22
December 24
December 26
December 28
December 30
December 31
462
1936
January 1
* First newspaper to microfilm its current issues, New York Herald Tribune. [1]
January 2
* First electron tube to enable night vision described, Saint Louis Missouri. [1]
January 4
January 5
* Ramón M del Valle-Inclán playwright (Tirano banderas), dies at age 66. [1]
January 6
* Barbara Hanley became Canada's first woman mayor (Webbwood, Ontario). [1]
January 9
January 11
January 14
January 15
* The first building to be completely covered in glass is completed in Toledo, Ohio. [1]
[5]
* Non-profit Ford Foundation incorporates. [1]
January 16
* First photo finish camera installed at Hialeah Race track in Hialeah Florida. [1]
* Screen Actors Guild incorporates with King Vidor as president. [1]
463
* Spanish socialists/communists/anarchists form Unidad Popular. [1]
January 18
* Rudyard Kipling author (Gunga Din, Nobel Prize 1907), dies in Burwash England at
age 70. [1]
January 20
January 22
January 23
January 24
* Benny Goodman and orchestra record "Stompin' at the Savoy" on Victor Records. [1]
January 28
January 30
* Fans asked to pick a new name for Boston Braves; they choose "The Bees" it doesn't
catch on and is scrapped by 1940 season. [1]
January 31
* "Green Hornet" radio show is first heard on WXYZ Radio in Detroit. [1]
February 4
February 5
464
February 6
February 7
February 8
February 9
February 11
February 12
* Adolf Hitler decides the time is right for Germany to re-occupy the Rhineland. [10]
February 14
February 15
* -60 degrees F (-51 degrees C), Parshall North Dakota (state record). [1]
* Hitler announces building of Volkswagens (starting slug-bug game). [1]
February 16
February 17
465
February 19
February 20
February 22
February 23
* First rocket air mail flight, Greenwood Lake New York. [1]
February 26
February 27
* Ivan P Pavlov Russian physiologist (reflexes, Nobel Prize 1904), dies at age 86. [1]
* The French chamber ratifies the Franco-Soviet pact. [10]
* French ministers decide that in the event of German violation of the Rhineland Zone,
they would not act alone, but only with co-signatories of the Locarno Pact. [10]
February 28
February 29
March 2
* Adolf Hitler issues final orders for troops to re-occupy their former garrison posts in
Rhineland towns. If French forces take action, the troops are instructed to withdraw. [10]
March 4
466
* Ruben Mattias Liljefors composer, dies at age 64. [1]
March 5
March 6
March 7
* Adolf Hitler denounces the Rhineland provisions of Treaty of Versailles and Locarno
Treaty. 14,500 German troops march in to join with 22,000 local police to re-occupy the
Rhineland. [10]
* German representatives inform foreign ministers and ambassadors of the German re-
occupation of the Rhineland, and outline a peace plan including 25-year non-aggression
pacts for all countries bordering on Germany. [10]
March 8
* Peter H J "Piet" van Doorne director BOVA Red Peppers, executed at age 52. [1]
March 12
* The Soviet Union and the Mongolian People's Republic sign a mutual assistance
pact, allowing Russian troops to be posted at key locations. The Soviet Union commits to
the defence of Mongolia from aggression. [10]
March 14
* Federal Register, first magazine of the US government, publishes first issue. [1]
March 18
* Egon Friedell Austrian journalist (Kleine Portratgalerie), dies at age 58. [1]
March 19
* John Larkin IV actor/writer (Charlie Chan in Panamá), dies at age 63. [1]
March 21
467
* Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov composer (Chopiniana), dies at age 70. [1]
March 22
* Quote by Adolf Hitler, regarding the re-occupation of the Rhineland: "We and all
nations have a sense that we have come to the turning point of an age.". [10]
March 23
March 26
March 27
March 29
* 10,000 watch the 200" mirror blank passing through Indianapolis. [1]
* Nazi propaganda claims 99% of Germans voted for Nazi candidates. [1]
April 1
April 3
April 5
April 6
468
April 10
April 11
April 13
April 17
* Charles J M Ruys de Beerenbrouck Dutch Prime Minister (1918-23, 29-33), dies. [1]
April 18
April 19
April 20
April 23
* Carl Hubbell's first start of season is his 17th straight win. [1]
April 24
April 26
469
* Dmitri Shostakovitch completes his 4th Symphony. [1]
April 27
April 28
April 29
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 4
May 5
* Edward Ravenscroft patents screw-on bottle cap with a pour lip. [1]
* Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa. [1]
May 6
May 8
470
May 9
May 10
May 12
May 13
May 14
May 15
* Amy Johnson arrives in Croydon England from South Africa in record 4 days 16
hours. [1]
May 16
May 18
May 24
May 25
May 26
471
* First Government of Zealand in Belgium ends. [1]
May 27
* RMS Queen Mary leaves Southampton, England, for New York on maiden voyage.
[1] [73.42]
June 2
June 6
June 11
June 12
June 14
June 18
June 22
* Harry Froboess dives 110 m from airship into Bodensee and survives. [1]
* Virgin Islands receives a constution from US (Organic Act). [1]
June 26
June 29
472
June 30
* The book Gone with the Wind is published, written by Margaret Mitchell. [1] [129]
* 40 hour work week law approved (federal). [1]
July 5
* 120 degrees F (49 degrees C), Gannvalley, South Dakota (state record). [1]
July 6
* 114 degrees F (46 degrees C), Moorhead, Minnesota (state record). [1]
* 121 degrees F (49 degrees C), Steele, North Dakota (state record). [1]
July 8
July 10
* 109 degrees F (43 degrees C), Cumberland and Frederick, Maryland (state record).
[1]
* 111 degrees F (44 degrees C), Phoenixville, Pennsylvania (state record). [1]
* New Straits Convention allows Turkish rearmament of Dardanelles. [1]
July 11
July 13
* A Midwestern U.S. heat wave sets the all-time highest temperature records for
Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. [1] [5]
July 16
July 18
* Spanish Civil War begans, General Francisco Franco led uprising. [1]
July 24
* 118 degrees F (48 degrees C), Minden, Nebraska (state record). [1]
473
* 121 degrees F (49 degrees C), near Alton, Kansas (state record). [1]
July 25
July 29
* RCA shows the first real TV program (dancing, film on locomotives). [1]
August 1
August 12
* 120 degrees F (49 degrees C), Seymour, Texas (state record). [1]
August 14
August 18
August 24
September 2
September 7
September 11
* Franklin Roosevelt dedicates Boulder Dam, now known as Hoover Dam. [1]
September 29
474
September 30
October 1
October 2
October 9
* Generators at Boulder Dam begin transmitting electricity from the Colorado River
266 miles to Los Angeles, California. [1] [5]
October 11
October 19
* HR Ekins of "NY World-Telegram" beats two other reporters in a race around the
world on commercial flights, by 18.5 days. [1]
October 22
October 26
* The first electric generator at Hoover Dam goes into full operation. [5]
October 28
November 1
* Italian Premier Benito Mussolini coins the term Axis, when referring to the Rome-
Berlin axis around which European states may work together. [10]
* Rodeo Cowboy's Association founded. [1]
November 2
475
* The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is established. [5]
* The British Broadcasting Corporation initiates the BBC Television Service, the
world's first regular, high-definition (then defined as at least 200 lines) service (renamed
BBC1 in 1964). [1] [5]
November 3
November 6
November 12
November 18
November 23
* First issue of Life, picture magazine created by Henry R Luce. [1] [5] [129]
November 25
* Germany and Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact, to cooperate in defense against
Communistic International. Germany and Japan will share information on Comintern
activities, and invite other states to adopt anti-Comintern defensive measures. Secret
clause: both agree that if one is attacked or threatened, the other would not relieve the
position of the Soviet Union, and both would not conclude political treaties with the
Soviet Union that did not conform with spirit of the pact. The pact is in effect for five
years. [10]
November 30
December 1
476
* EW Brundin and FF Lyon obtain patent on soilless culture of plants. [1]
December 5
* Armenian SSR, Azerbaijan SSR, Georgian SSR, Kazakhstan SSR and Kirghiz SSR
becomes constituent republics of the Soviet Union. [1]
December 8
December 10
* England replaces King Edward VIII stamp series with King George VI. [1]
* King Edward VIII abdicates throne to marry Mrs Wallis Simpson. [1]
* Luigi Pirandello Italian writer (Enrico IV, Nobel Prize 1934), dies at age 69. [1]
* Stockholm: physicist PBJ Debije receives Nobel Prize for chemistry. [1]
December 11
* King Edward VIII abdicates throne to marry Mrs Wallis Simpson; Duke of York
becomes King George VI. [1]
December 12
December 16
* John Monk and Fred Finklehoff's "Brother Rat" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
December 17
* Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and dummy Charlie McCarthy, make their radio debut on
Rudy Vallee's Royal Gelatin Hour. [1]
December 18
* Su-Lin, first giant panda to come to US from China, arrives in San Francisco. [1]
December 20
477
December 21
December 22
December 24
December 25
December 26
December 27
* Hans von Seeckt German general/advisor of Chiang Kai-shek, dies at age 70. [1]
December 30
* United Auto Workers stage first sit-down strike, at Fisher Body Plant. [1]
December 31
* Miguel de Unamuno Jugo Spanish philosopher/poet (Cancionero), dies at age 72. [1]
* William F Ellison Irish clergyman/astronomer, dies at age 72. [1]
478
1937
January 1
January 2
* Ross Alexander actor (Captain Blood, Boulder Dam), dies at age 29. [1]
January 5
January 8
* -50 degrees F (-45.6 degrees C), San Jacinto Nevada (state record). [1]
* John Felix August Korling composer, dies at age 72. [1]
January 9
January 12
January 16
* German cardinals and bishops meet with the ailing Pope, Pius XI seeking help in
withstanding the aggression of the Nazi party. Pius XI agrees to issue an encyclical on the
plight of the Church in Germany. [37]
January 19
January 20
* -45 degrees F (-43 degrees C), Boca California (state record). [1]
* First Inauguration day on January 20th, (held every fourth years thereafter). [1]
January 23
479
* Karl Radek and 16 others go on trial in Stalin's great purge. [1]
January 25
January 30
* Second of Stalin's purge trials; Pyatakov and 16 others sentenced to death. [1]
February 1
February 5
February 6
February 7
* Elihu Root US Minister of War/Foreign affairs (Nobel Prize 1912), dies at age 91. [1]
February 8
* Maxwell Anderson's "Masque of Kings" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Scato Gocko de Vries Dutch paleographer/librarian, dies at age 75. [1]
February 11
February 13
* "Prince Valiant" comic strip appears; known for historical detail. [1]
* C A Bernoulli writer, dies. [1]
480
February 14
February 16
February 20
February 24
February 26
March 1
March 2
March 3
* Australia snatch series against England 3-2 after being 2-0 down. [1]
March 6
March 7
March 8
481
* Albert Verwey Dutch poet/literature historian (Motion), dies at age 71. [1]
March 11
March 12
March 14
* Battle of the Century: Fred Allen and Jack Benny meet on radio. [1]
* Pope Pius XI publishes anti-Nazi-encyclical Mit brennender Sorge. [1]
March 15
March 16
* All but one senior fouls out of a scrimmage game between seniors and sophomores,
but he holds on to win the game 35-32. [1]
* J Austen Chamberlain English Minister of Foreign Affairs (Nobel), dies at age 73. [1]
March 18
March 19
March 20
March 21
March 23
482
* Helge Rode Danish poet/essayist, dies at age 66. [1]
* Los Angeles Railway Company starts using PCC streetcars. [1]
March 24
* Bus blew a tire, going out of control, killing 18 (Salem Illinois). [1]
* Léopold Courouble Belgian writer (Pauline Flatbread), dies at age 76. [1]
* National Gallery of Art established byUS Congress. [1]
March 25
* It's revealed Quaker Oats pays Babe Ruth $25,000 per year for ads. [1]
* Italy and Yugoslavia sign no-attack treaty (Pact of Belgrade). [1]
* John Drinkwater English poet/playwright (Bird in Hand), dies at age 54. [1]
* Washington Daily News is first US newspaper with perfumed advertising page. [1]
March 26
* Joe DiMaggio takes Ty Cobb's advice and replace his 40 with 36 ounce bat. [1]
* Spinach growers of Crystal City Texas, erect statue of Popeye. [1]
March 29
* Karol Szymanowski Polish/Ukraine composer (Stabat Mater), dies at age 54. [1]
April 1
April 2
* Nathan Birnbaum Austria philosopher (Zionism), dies at about age 72. [1]
April 4
April 8
April 10
483
April 15
April 17
* Cartoon characters Daffy Duck, Elmer J Fudd and Petunia Pig, debut. [1]
April 19
April 22
* New York City college students stage fourth annual peace strike. [1]
April 25
* Clem Sohn air show performer dies at age 26 when his chute fails to open. [1]
April 26
April 27
April 28
* First animated cartoon electric sign displayed (New York City, New York). [1]
* First commercial flight across the Pacific, Pan Am. [1]
April 30
May 1
May 2
484
* Arthur Somervell composer, dies at age 73. [1]
May 3
* Margaret Mitchell wins Pulitzer Prize for Gone With the Wind. [1]
May 6
* (1825 hours) Airhsip Hindenburg attempts landing at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in
New Jersey, USA. A sudden explosion and fire destroys the ship, killing 36 people. The
Hindenburg was the largest rigid airship ever built; the largest aircraft of any type ever to
fly. The US Department of Commerce official investigation finds the cause of the
accident to be ignition of hydrogen and air, most likely set off by atmospheric discharge.
[1] [32.17]
May 9
* Walter Mittelholzer Swiss aviation pioneer, dies in crash at age 43. [1]
May 10
May 11
May 12
May 17
May 19
* John Murray/Allen Boretz' "Room Service" premieres in New York City. [1]
May 23
* John Davison Rockfeller industrialist, dies at age 97 in Ormond Beach Florida. [1]
May 25
485
* First airmail letter to circle the globe returns to New York. [1]
* Henry O Tanner artist, dies. [1]
May 26
May 27
* Carl Hubbell wins his 24th consecutive game (since July 17, 1936). [1]
* In California, the Golden Gate Bridge opens to pedestrian traffic. [1] [5]
May 28
* Alfred Adler Austrian psychiatrist (Individual Psychology), dies at age 67. [1]
* Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opens to vehicular traffic. [1]
* Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister of England. [1]
May 30
* Memorial Day Massacre - Chicago police shoot on union marchers at Republic Steel
Plant in Chicago, 10 die. [1]
May 31
June 3
* Duke of Windsor (Edward 8) weds Mrs Wallis Warfield Simpson in France. [1]
June 5
June 8
* World's largest flower blooms in New York Botonical Garden, 12' calla lily. [1]
June 11
June 12
486
* USSR executes 8 army leaders as Stalin's purge continued. [1]
June 16
June 17
* Marx Brothers' "A Day At The Races" opens in New York. [1]
July 2
* Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan disappear over Pacific Ocean. [1]
* C Jackson discovers asteroids #1429 Pemba and #1456 Saldanha. [1]
July 5
* 117 degrees F (47 degrees C), Medicine Lake, Montana (state record). [1]
* C Jackson discovers asteroids #1428 Mombasa and #1430 Somalia. [1]
July 7
* Japanese and Chinese troops clash, which will become WW II. [1]
July 11
* George Gershwin, composer (American in Paris), dies at age 38. [1] [5]
July 15
July 22
July 23
July 28
487
August 8
August 26
August 27
* George E.T. Eyston sets world auto speed record at 345.49 MPH. [1]
August 28
September 15
* WPA extends the L-Taraval streetcar to the San Francisco Zoo (at Sloat Boulevard).
[1]
September 21
September 22
September 26
September 27
September 28
October 1
488
October 2
* Franklin Roosevelt visits Grand Coulee Dam construction site in Washington State.
[1]
October 13
* The German Government pledges to respect the neutrality and territorial integrity of
Belgium. [10]
October 15
* Ernest Hemingway novel "To Have and Have Not" published. [1]
November 5
* The Disney Silly Symphony film The Old Mill is released to theaters in the USA.
This is the first animated film using a multiplane camera. The camera alone cost
US$70,000 to build, and stands 14 feet high. [6]
* Adolf Hitler meets with Minister of War Field Marshal von Blomberg, General von
Fritsch, Admiral Erich Raeder, General Hermann Göring. He speaks of Germany's
objectives in the world, to secure and preserve racial community. He announces his plans
for an expansion of Germany over the next five years, in particular, into Austria and
Czechoslovakia. [10]
November 6
* Italy signs the Anti-Cominterm Pact, joining Germany and Japan. [10]
November 13
* NBC forms first full-sized symphony orchestra exclusively for radio. [1]
November 15
November 17
November 27
* Pro-labor musical revue "Pins and Needles" opens, produced by ILGWU. [1]
December 1
489
* Japan recognizes Franco government. [1]
December 3
December 7
* Dutch Minister Romme proclaims married women are forbidden to work. [1]
* Russian chess player Aljechin recaptures world title from Max Euwe. [1]
December 11
December 12
* Alfred Abel actor (Dr Mabuse, Metropolis), dies at age 57. [1]
* Japanese aircraft shell and sink US gunboat Panay on Yangtze River in China. (Japan
apologized and eventually paid US $2.2 million in reparations). [1]
* NBC and RCA sends first mobile-TV vans onto the streets of New York. [1]
December 14
December 17
December 20
* Bill O'Reilly takes 9-41 for New South Wales against South Australia. [1]
* Erich Ludendorff German general (WWI), dies at age 72. [1]
December 21
* The German General Staff's strategy plan, Plan Green, is completed, anticipating an
aggressive war with Czechoslovakia. [10]
* RKO Radio Pictures world premieres Disney's first full-length animated feature film,
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Hollywood. It is the
industry's first full-length animated movie. The US$1.5 million needed to complete the
film nearly bankrupted the company. Two million drawings make up the 83 minute film.
(Worldwide gross theater ticket sales of the original release: US$8.5 million.) [1] [6]
* Frank Kellog US foreign minister (Nobel Prize 1929), dies at age 80. [1]
490
December 22
* Daito Kokushi Zen founder of Daitokuji, dies in Kyoto at age 55. [1]
* Lincoln Tunnel (New York City, New York) opens to traffic. [1]
December 24
* Dutch government recognizes Italian king Emanuel III as emperor of Abyssinia. [1]
December 25
* Arturo Toscanini conducts first Symphony of the Air over NBC Radio. [1]
December 26
December 27
* Mae West performs Adam and Eve skit that gets her banned from NBC radio. [1]
December 28
December 29
491
1938
January 2
January 3
January 6
January 10
* Eduard van Beinum becomes world's first conductor at Concert Hall. [1]
* Jean Anouilh's "La Sauvage" premieres in Paris. [1]
* Paul Vincent Carroll's "White Seed" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Willem de Vreese Flemish linguist, dies at age 68. [1]
January 11
January 13
* The Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has its New York premiere, at
Radio City Music Hall. [6]
January 14
* National Society for the Legalization of Euthanasia formed (New York). [1]
January 16
* Benny Goodman refuses to play Carnegie Hall when black members of his band
were barred from performing. [1]
* William Pickering pioneer US stellar spectroscopist, dies. [1]
January 17
492
January 19
January 21
January 22
January 25
* Ian Hay's "Bachelor Born" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 28
* Bernd Rosemeyer German race car driver, dies at age 28. [1]
February 3
* Armando Palacio Valdés Spanish writer (El Cuarto Poder), dies at age 84. [1]
* Paul Osborn's "On Borrowed Time" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
February 4
February 6
* Marianne V von Werefkin Russian/German/Swiss house painter, dies at age 77. [1]
February 9
February 10
493
* King Carol II of Romania drives out dictator Goga. [1]
February 11
February 12
February 16
* Otto zur Linde German author (Lieder of the Leids), dies at age 64. [1]
* US Federal Crop Insurance program authorized. [1]
February 17
February 18
February 19
* Soviet arctic ice research station North Pole 1 evacuated, Denmark. [1]
February 20
* United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Eden resigns, says Prime Minister Chamberlain
appeased Germany. [1]
February 21
February 24
February 25
494
* British Lord Halifax becomes Foreign Minister. [1]
February 26
February 27
March 1
* Gabrielle d'Annunzio Italian poet/fascist (Il fuoco), dies at age 74. [1]
March 2
* Landslides and floods cause over 200 deaths (Los Angeles California). [1]
* Trials of Soviet leaders begins in the Soviet Union. [1]
March 3
March 9
March 11
March 12
March 13
* Clarence S Darrow Scopes Monkey Trial attorney, dies in Chicago at age 80. [1]
March 16
495
March 18
March 21
March 24
March 25
March 26
March 27
March 31
* Willem J T Kloos Dutch poet/critic (New Guide), dies at age 78. [1]
April 2
April 5
April 6
April 10
496
* Second government of Blum replaced by Daladier government in France. [1]
* Austria becomes a state of Germany. [1]
* Nana Annor Adjaye Pan-Africanist, dies in West Nzima Ghana. [1]
* New York makes syphilis test mandatory in order to get a marriage license. [1]
April 12
* First US law requiring medical tests for marriage licenses (New York). [1]
* Feodor Chaliapine Russian author (Man and Mark), dies at age 65. [1]
* Serafín Alvarez Quintéro Spanish playwright (Piropos), dies at age 67. [1]
April 13
April 15
* César Vallejo Peru/French poet (Trilce, Russia and 1931), dies at age 46. [1]
* Disney's Donald Duck film Donald's Nephews is released to theaters in the USA.
Huey, Dewey, and Louie make their film debut. [6]
April 16
April 18
April 19
* Henry John Newbolt poet/author (Studies Green and Gray), dies at age 75. [1]
* Marie-Clémentine "Suzanne" Valadon French acrobat/model, dies at age 72. [1]
* Phil Emmett Mueller and Dodger Ernie Koy both homer in their first at bat. [1]
April 21
* Muhammad Iqbal Brt E Indies lawyer/Pakistan national hero, dies at age 65. [1]
April 23
April 25
497
* First use of seeing eye dog. [1]
April 26
April 27
April 28
May 2
May 3
May 4
* Carl von Ossietzky German pacifist/writer (Nobel Prize 1935), dies at age 48. [1]
* Douglas Hyde (a protestant) becomes first president of Eire. [1]
May 6
* Dutch writer Maurits Dekker sentenced to 50 days for "offending a friendly head of
state" (Hitler). [1]
May 7
May 8
May 10
498
* Banning speech on anti-fascism demonstration in Amsterdam. [1]
May 11
* Alfonsina Storni Argentine poet (El dulce daño/suicide), dies at age 45. [1]
* Arnold Sauwen Flemish poet (Hours of Solitude), dies at age 81. [1]
May 12
May 14
May 15
May 16
May 17
* US Congress approves Vinson Naval Act, which funds a two-ocean navy. [1]
* Radio quiz show "Information Please!" debuts on NBC Blue Network. [1]
May 20
* Czech president Eduard Benes orders partial mobilization of the Czech army. [10]
May 23
May 26
May 27
499
May 28
May 30
June 1
June 7
* First play telecast with original Broadway cast, "Susan and God". [1]
* Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat first flown (Eddie Allen). [1]
June 11
* Cincinnati Red Johnny Vander Meer no-hits Boston Braves, 3-0. [1]
June 14
June 19
June 22
June 23
June 24
* A 450 metric ton meteorite strikes the earth in an empty field near Chicora,
Pennsylvania. [5]
500
June 25
* Federal minimum wage law guarantees workers 40 cents per hour. [1]
June 26
July 3
* The Mallard reaches 126 mph in England, setting the steam railway locomotive
world speed record. [5]
July 5
July 10
* Howard Hughes sets a new record by completing a 91-hour airplane flight around the
world. [5]
July 17
* Douglas (Wrong Way) Corrigan leaves New York for LA, wound up in Ireland. [1]
July 18
* Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan arrives in Ireland-left New York for California. [1]
July 23
July 28
July 29
* Japanese forces attack Soviet border guards on the Manchurian side of Broad Drum
Peak, in a disputed area near the Soviet Union. They push several kilometres into Siberia.
[10]
* Olympic National Park established. [1]
July 30
501
* C Jackson discovers asteroid #1467 Mashona. [1]
August 1
* The Japanese-Soviet incident at Broad Drum Peak is resolved, with a return to the
border of July 29. [10]
August 7
August 10
* 119 degrees F (48 degrees C), Pendleton, Oregon (state record). [1]
August 18
August 27
August 28
September 7
September 12
* German Chancellor Adolf Hitler says the Sudeten problem is an internal matter to the
German minority in Bohemia and the Czechoslovak government. [10]
September 14
* Graf Zeppelin II, world's largest airship, makes maiden flight. [1]
502
September 15
* British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain meets with Adolf Hitler in the Berghof
in Germany. Chamberlain agrees to Hitler's demand to annex the Sudetenland. [10]
* John Cobb sets world auto speed record at 350.2 MPH (lasts one day). [1]
September 16
* George E.T. Eyston sets world auto speed record at 357.5 MPH. [1]
September 17
* British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain meets with the Cabinet. He states that
Adolf Hitler appears to be "a man who could be relied upon when he had given his
word". [10]
September 18
September 20
* The Czech government refuses to accept the proposal to give up the Sudetenland.
[10]
September 21
* British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain replies to Czech President Eduard Benes
saying the British-French proposal is the only way to avoid war, the Czech reply places
full responsibility for war on the Czechs, and that Britain would not fight for
Czechoslovakia. The Czech government decides to capitulate. [10]
* Winston Churchill warns of the futility of appeasing Adolf Hitler: "The belief that
security can be obtained by throwing a small state to the wolves is a fatal delusion.". [10]
* Hurricane (winds 183 MPH) in New England kills 700. [1]
September 23
* Time capsule, to be opened in 6939, buried at World's Fair in New York City (capsule
contained a woman's hat, man's pipe and 1,100' of microfilm). [1]
September 26
503
* Adolf Hitler makes speech to the Nazi party in Berlin, saying that once the
Czech/German problem is solved, there would be no more territorial problems for
Germany. And once Czechs settle with minorities peacefully, he will have no more
interest in the Czech state. Quote by Adolf Hitler, on the desire to annex part of
Czechoslovakia: "It is the last territorial claim which I have to make in Europe, but it is
the claim from which I will not recede.". [10]
September 27
September 29
September 30
* (shortly after 0100 hours) The Munich Agreement, allowing Germany to annex the
Sudetenland portion of Czechoslovakia, is signed, by British Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain, French Premier Édouard Daladier, Italian Premier Benito Mussolini, and
German Chancellor Adolf Hitler. [10]
* In Munich, Germany, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and German
Chancellor Adolf Hitler sign a document noting the desire of the two peoples to never go
to war with another again, and resolve to consult each other on issues of concern, and to
contribute to peace in Europe. [10]
October 1
October 7
* Germany demands all Jewish passports stamped with the letter J. [1]
October 10
504
* Germany completed annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. [1]
October 21
* Adolf Hitler instructs the German armed forces to prepare "the liquidation of
Czechoslovakia". [10]
October 22
October 27
* DuPont announces its new synthetic fiber will be called "nylon". [1]
October 30
* Orson Welles broadcasts his radio play of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds,
causing a nationwide (USA) panic. About a million radio listeners believe that a real
Martian invasion is underway. [1] [5] [129]
November 1
November 2
* Babe Ruth applies for the job of Saint Louis Browns' manager. [1]
November 5
November 9
* (evening) Nazis terrorize Jews in Germany and Austria. Jewish homes, businesses,
and synagogues are looted and burned. 91 Jews are killed, and 20,000 are taken to
concentration camps. This becomes known as Reichskristallnacht, Crystal Night, or Night
of Broken Glass. [10]
* Al Capp, cartoonist of Lil' Abner creates Sadie Hawkins Day. [1]
November 10
* Adolf Hitler makes a long speech to several hundred German newspaper editors and
publishers in Berlin. He instructs the press to prepare the public for further moves of
505
expansion. He tells them that Germany has the world's largest single group of any race:
80 million, that Germany was the greatest of Empires, became a small power, but now is
in a period of regeneration. [10]
* Kemal Atarok first President of Turkey, dies. [1]
November 12
November 15
November 17
* Italy passes their own version of the anti-Jewish Nuremberg laws. [1]
November 20
* First documented anti-Semitic remarks over US radio (by Father Coughlin). [1]
November 29
* Flora Disney (Walt Disney's mother) dies of inhaling poison gas fumes from a
defective water heater. [6]
December 1
* School bus and train collide in Salt Lake City UT. [1]
December 3
December 4
December 5
December 6
* 117 Spanish knights under Captain Piet Laros return to Netherlands. [1]
* French/German non-attack treaty drawn (Ribbentrop-Bonnet Pact). [1]
506
December 7
* Philip Barry's "Here Come the Clowns" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* W9XZY broadcasts facsimile of the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch by radio. [1]
December 8
December 10
December 13
December 14
December 15
December 17
December 20
December 23
* Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West costume catches fire in filming of
"Wizard of Oz"; she is severely burned and off the film for over one month. [1]
* Robert Herrick US writer (Chimes), dies at age 70. [1]
December 25
* George Cukor announces Vivien Leigh will play Scarlett O'Hara. [1]
507
* Karel Capek Czechoslovakian author/antifascist (Bílá Nemoc), dies at age 48. [1]
December 27
* Emile Vandervelde Belgian Secretary of State (BWP), dies at age 72. [1]
* O Mandelstam writer, dies. [1]
December 28
* Florence Lawrence silent screen actress (Confidence), dies at age 48. [1]
December 29
December 31
508
1939
January 1
January 3
January 4
January 6
* Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann in Berlin, Germany, announce the discovery of
uranium fission. [37]
January 7
* US worker's union leader Tom Mooney freed (jailed since 1916). [1]
January 9
* Johann Strauss Austrian conductor/Royal ball director, dies at age 72. [1]
January 10
* Jameson Thomas actor (Piccadilly, Farmer's Wife), dies at age 50. [1]
* Julius Bittner Austria composer (Missa Austriaca, Little Violet), dies at age 64. [1]
January 13
* Belgian premier signs Burgos-treaty for trade relations with Franco. [1]
January 14
January 15
* Municipal Railway and Market Steet railroad begin service to Transbay Terminal. [1]
509
January 16
January 19
January 20
January 21
* George Kaufman and Moss Hart's "American Way" premieres in New York City,
New York. [1]
January 22
* Aquatic Park, near Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco California, is dedicated. [1]
* Uranium atom first split, Columbia University. [1]
January 24
January 25
January 26
January 28
* William Butler Yeats Irish poet (Nobel), dies in France at age 73. [1]
January 30
510
* Heavy after shocks destroy some of Chile. [1]
* Adolf Hitler addresses the Reichstag, saying that if Jews lead the world into war, it
would cause the destruction of Jews in Europe. [10]
February 4
February 6
February 9
February 10
* Pius XI [Ambrogio D A Ratti], Italian Pope (1922-39), dies at age 81. [1]
February 11
February 14
* Victor Fleming replaces George Cukor as director of Gone With the Wind. [1]
* The German battleship Bismarck is first launched, at Hamburg. [10] [129]
February 15
February 16
February 18
511
February 21
February 22
February 23
* The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards an Oscar (Special Award)
to Walt Disney for screen innovation for the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Disney is presented one statuette and seven miniature statuettes. [6]
February 24
February 25
February 26
February 27
February 28
March 2
March 6
512
* [Carl L] Ferdinand von Lindemann German mathematician, dies at age 86. [1]
March 7
March 8
* Birth of George William Reed astronomy writer/cartoonist (Dark Sky Legacy). [1]
* Lenore Coffee and William Joyce Cowan's "Family Portrait" premieres. [1]
March 10
March 12
March 14
* England draw with South Africa at Durban on the 10th day. [1]
* Slovakia and Ruthenice declare their independence from the Czech government in
Prague. [10]
March 15
* German troops occupy the Czech parts of Bohemia and Moravia. [10]
* Czech president Emil Hacha accepts Adolf Hitler's demand to surrender the entire
country. [10]
* German troops enter the capital of Czechoslovakia, Prague. Adolf Hitler declares
"Czechoslovakia has ceased to exist". [10]
March 16
March 18
* The Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Maxim Litvinov, suggests to British
Ambassador Sir William Seeds that delegates from the United Kingdom, Soviet Union,
513
France, Poland, and Romania should meet to discuss collective action in the event of war
with Germany. [10]
* American President Franklin Roosevelt imposes punitive tariffs on imports from
Germany. [10]
March 20
March 21
March 22
March 23
March 25
March 27
* Constance Lindsay Skinner author (Rivers of America), dies at age 57. [1]
March 28
March 30
March 31
* Indrið Einarsson Iceland playwright (Skipið Sekkur), dies at age 87. [1]
April 1
514
* German battleship Tirpitz launched at Wilhelmshaven. [10]
* US recognizes Franco government in Spain at end of Spanish civil war Pope Pius XII
congratulates Generalissimo Franco's victory in Spain. [1]
* Canada begins regular transcontinental air passenger service. [242.4]
April 3
* Adolf Hitler issues a directive to the Army High Command to prepare for an attack
on Poland, code named Fall Weiss (Case White), to be ready to implement by September
1. [10]
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9
April 10
* Alfredo Panzini Italian author (Il Bacio de Lesba), dies at age 75. [1]
* Colijn's Dutch government opens camp Westerbork for German Jews. [1]
* Grens mobilization due to Italian invasion in Albania. [1]
515
April 11
April 13
* W Saroyan's "My Heart's in the Highlands", premieres in New York City. [1]
April 14
April 15
April 16
April 17
* Samuel Nathaniel Behrman's "No Time for Comedy", premieres in New York City.
[1]
* Stalin signs British-France-Russian anti-nazi pact. [1]
April 18
April 19
April 20
April 21
516
April 23
April 24
April 28
* Adolf Hitler addresses the Reichstag in the Kroll Opera House in Berlin, Germany.
Hitler denounces the ten-year non-aggression pact with Poland (signed in January 1934),
and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of June 1935. Hitler calls the Anglo-Polish
Agreement an alliance directed exclusively against Germany. Hitler demands the return
of Danzig to Germany. [10]
April 29
April 30
* NBC/RCA first public TV demo with Franklin Roosevelt at opening of New York
World's Fair. [1]
* Tropicana ballet of Havana Cuba, forms. [1]
May 1
May 3
* [Karl Eduard] Wilhelm Groener German general, dies at age 71. [1]
May 4
* Japanese Prime Minister Kiichiro Hiranuma declares to Adolf Hitler that Japan
would support Germany and Italy with political, economic, and military aid if one was
attacked by a power other than the Soviet Union, but not right away. [10]
May 5
May 6
517
* First performance of Honegger/Claudel's "Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher". [1]
* Two warships escort Britain's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on a visit to
Canada. Each ship carries about 15 million Pounds Sterling in gold for safekeeping in
Canada. [10]
May 7
* Germany and Italy announced an alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis. [1]
May 9
* Catholic church beatified the first Native American, Kateri Tekakwitha. [1]
May 11
* The Japanese army attacks Outer Mongolia at Nomonhan (Khalkin Gol). [10]
May 12
May 13
May 16
May 19
May 20
May 22
518
* Willem de Mérode poet (Precious Blood), dies at age 51. [1]
May 23
May 26
May 27
June 1
* British submarine "Thetis" sinks in Liverpool Bay with all 99 aboard. [1]
June 3
* British Winston Churchill writes in Collier's magazine: "Unless some change of heart
or change of regime takes place in Germany she will deem it in her interest to make war,
and this is more likely to happen in the present year than later on." [10]
June 7
* First king and queen of England to visit US, George VI and Elizabeth. [1]
June 11
* King and Queen of England taste first "hot dogs" at Franklin Roosevelt's party. [1]
June 17
June 19
* Grace Abbott social worker (US Children Bureau), dies at age 60. [1]
519
June 20
June 23
June 27
June 30
* Heinkel He. 176 rocket plane flies for first time, at Peenemünde. [1]
July 3
July 5
* The Japanese army retreats from its Soviet conflict with heavy losses. [10]
July 19
* First use of fiberglass sutures, R.P. Scholz, Saint Louis, Mo. [1]
August 2
August 13
* Sabotage suspected in crash of the 'City of San Francisco' which fell into the
Humboldt River killing 24. (Elko, Nevada). [1]
August 15
520
August 16
* Captain Bertrand of the French Signals Intelligence gives to a British Secret Service
Liaison officer a Polish-built copy of the German Enigma coding machine, and much
related material. [10]
* Baron von Weizsaecker, State Secretary in the German Foreign Office, tells Sir
Nevile Henderson, British Ambassador to Berlin, that Russia would give negligible help
to Poland, and would join in sharing the spoils. [10]
August 17
August 18
August 20
August 21
* Adolf Hitler reads a telegram from Josef Stalin, acknowledging agreement on a non-
aggression pact. Hitler responds by banging his fist on the supper table, exclaiming "I
have them! I have them!". [10]
August 23
August 24
August 25
521
August 26
* In Canada, the militia is called to duty to protect coastal defences and vulnerable
industrial points. [10]
August 29
* Chaim Weizmann informs England that Palestine Jews will fight in WW II. [1]
August 30
* Adolf Hitler orders German armed forces to begin an attack on Poland. [10]
August 31
* In Cairo, Egypt, forty cases are packed with the sarcophagus of King Tut-ankh-Amen
and items found in his tombs, and the cases are hidden in bombproof chambers
underground to protect them from possible wartime destruction. [10]
* In England, full army and navy mobilization is commenced, censorship of all
communications to and from the British Isles is imposed, the Stock Exchange is closed,
and civil airplanes are banned from flying over half of Britain. [10]
September 1
* Physical Review publishes first paper to deal with "black holes". [1]
* German planes attack Polish cities of Puck, Gdynia, Cracow, and Katowice. German
battleship Schleswig-Holstein opens fire on Danzig. About one million German soldiers
begin an invasion into Polish territory toward Upper Silesia and Czestochowa. In Danzig,
German Chief of State Albert Forster announces a decree proclaiming the annexation of
the city to the German Reich. [10]
* German Chancellor Adolf Hitler addresses the Reichstag in Berlin, with the audio
broadcast to nations around the world. Some quotes: "I have offered England friendship
and, if necessary, close cooperation. Germany has no interests in the West. The Westwall
is and remains our border on the west.", "Neutral powers have assured us of their
neutrality and we have assured them they will be respected. We mean this.", "Germany
and Russia fought against each other in the World War, and that shall not occur again.".
[10]
* The British House of Commons passes the National Services (Armed Forces) Act,
conscripting all men ages 18 to 41 into the armed forces. [10]
* The Canadian parliament invokes the War Measures Act of 1914, giving the
government extra powers over trade shipping, censorship, and expropriation of private
property. The government declares that "a state of apprehended war exists and has existed
since Aug. 25, 1939.". Militia forces are placed on active service to defend coasts and
vulnerable interior points. [10]
* Norway's King Haakon VI proclaims the neutrality of his country. [10]
522
* The Swiss government orders full mobilization its army as of September 2. [10]
* Portuguese Prime Minister António de Oliveira Salazar declares the neutrality of his
country. [10]
* Cuban President Federico Laredo Bru issues a proclamation declaring the newtral
position of Cuba's government. [10]
* Latvian president Karl Ulmanis issues a declaration of strict neutrality. [10]
* Finland declares strict neutrality. [10]
* Yugoslavia announces a declaration of strict neutrality. [10]
* The government of Bulgaria issues a declaration of strict neutrality, maintaining
close cooperation with Yugoslavia. [10]
* Romania proclaims neutrality. [10]
* Ireland declares it will endevor to remain neutral in the event of a general war. The
immediate mobilization of the army is called for. [10]
* (about 1600 hours) The Italian Council of Ministers decides Italy will remain neutral
unless attacked. [10]
* (sunset) London, England, begins blackout conditions for the duration of the war.
[10]
* (evening) Ambassadors of the British and French governments issue an ultimatum to
the German government to pull out of Poland. [10]
* (evening) The Danish government issues a declaration of neutrality. [10]
September 2
September 3
* (0900 hours London time) Sir Neville Henderson, the British Ambassador in Berlin
informs the German government that if Germans are not withdrawing from Poland by
11:00 AM London time, that a state of war would exist as of that hour. A short time later,
French Ambassador Robert Coulondre delivers a similar ultimatum, with 5:00 PM
deadline. [10]
* Russia informs France and Britain that if they join in the German-Polish conflict,
Russia would be compelled to revise her Western borders. [10]
523
* (1110 hours London time) British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declares the
country is at war with Germany. [10]
* (1117 hours) The British Admiralty issues orders to all ships to open hostilities
against Germany. [10]
* (about 1134 hours Berlin time) Joachim von Ribbentrop reads his government's reply
to the British ultimatum to British Ambassador Sir Nevile Henderson. The written reply,
signed by Adolf Hitler, refuses to accept or fulfill the terms of the ultimatum, and blames
Britain for the conditions in Poland and Germany that lead to the conflict. [10]
* German forces capture Czestochova in Upper Silesia, and Polish forces retreat from
the area. [10]
* The Egyptian government proclaims martial law, in order to deport Germans, impose
censorship, and arrest persons suspected of espionage. [10]
* Polish president Isnaz Moscieki declares Poland is under a state of war with
Germany. [10]
* Denmark issues a declaration of neutrality. [10]
* (1700 hours) France declares a state of war on Germany. [10]
* Spanish Generalissimo Francisco Franco declares the neutrality of his country. [10]
* The Netherlands Government issues a statement declaring strict neutrality. [10]
* (evening London time) Winston Churchill is appointed First Lord of the Admiralty,
and a member of the British Inner War Cabinet. [10]
* (1930 hours) German submarine U-30 torpedoes and sinks Donaldson Line
passenger liner Athenia, 250 miles north of the west coast of Ireland. Of about 1418
passengers, 118 die. Germany denies responsibility, claiming that Great Britain planted a
bomb to bring the US into the war. [10]
* (2030 hours Paris time) Premier Edouard Daladier announces officially by radio that
a state of war exists with Germany. [10]
* (2115 hours Melbourne time) Prime Minister Menzies announces that Australia is at
war with Germany. [10]
* (late evening) Ten Whitley planes from England drop 13.5 tons of leaflets on
northern Germany. The 5.4 million leaflets tell Germans that Adolf Hitler's promises are
worthless, that Germany is near bankruptcy, and weak compared to Allied forces. This is
the start of operation NICKEL. [10]
September 4
524
* (1530 hours) Fifteen Blenheim bombers take off from England to attack the German
pocket battleship Admiral von Scheer sighted at the western end of Kiel Canal, near
Wilhelmshaven. The few bombs that hit do not explode. Five planes and sixteen crew are
lost. [10]
* (evening) Yugoslavia, Romania, and Bulgaria officially declare neutrality unless
attacked. [10]
* The Polish ghetto of Mir is exterminated. [1]
September 5
* The Polish government moves from Warsaw to Lublin, 100 miles south-east, as
German forces advance to with 31 miles of the city. [10]
* German Army Commander-in-Chief Colonel-General von Brauchitsch gives the A-4
rocket project the highest possible priority. [10]
* (afternoon) American President Franklin Roosevelt issues a declaration of neutrality.
[10]
* (evening) Japanese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Renzo Sawada announces that
Japan will maintain neutrality in the European war. [10]
September 6
September 7
September 8
* (0515 hours) First German troops enter Polish capital Warsaw. [10]
* American President Franklin Roosevelt declares a limited national emergency,
issuing orders to substantially increase the army, navy, marine corps, and National Guard.
[10]
* (evening) President Anastasio Somoza declares Nicaragua will maintain strict
neutrality. [10]
September 9
525
* President Jorge Ubico issues a decree proclaiming the neutrality of Guatemala. [10]
* Slovak troops cease their advance into Poland, after occupying all former territory
taken by Poland in 1920, 1928, and 1938. [10]
* French forces complete the capture of a German salient from Saarbruecken to
Saarlautern, taking villages of Karlsbrunn, Lauterbach, Ludweiler, Grossrosseln, and
Saint Nikolaus. [10]
* German forces capture Lodz, Poland. [10]
September 10
* An article in the New York Times newspaper refers to the conflict in Poland as the
"Second World War". [10]
* (1310 hours) In Ottawa, Canada, the Governor-General of Canada, Lord
Tweedsmuir, announces that Parliament has declared war on Germany, as of the start of
the day. [10]
* The US extends its embargo on arms shipments to Canada. [10]
September 11
* The British Ministry of Information announces the British Government would not
conclude peace with a German Government headed by Adolf Hitler. [10]
* President Juan Arosema of Panama proclaims the neutrality of Panama. [10]
September 12
* The official German News Bureau in East Silesia issues a special report saying that
"Removal of the Polish Jewish population from the European domain would ... bring a
solution of the Jewish question in Europe nearer.". [10]
September 13
September 14
* (1015 hours) Polish mayor Skupien surrenders Gydnia city to German General
Magnus Eberhardt. [10]
* German troops complete the encirclement of Warsaw, Poland. [10]
* The Soviet Union calls for one million new recruits for the Red Army. [10]
September 15
* Japan calls for a ceasefire in its local conflict with the Soviet Union at Nomonhan
near the shared border with Mongolia. During the fighting since mid-May, Japan suffered
526
50,000 casualties. Both sides conclude the Soviet tanks were better in quality and
quantity. [10]
* Soviet Russia and Japan agree to an armistice in the war on the Manchukuo - Outer
Mongolia border. [10]
* The government of Paraguay formally declares neutrality. [10]
* The Argentine Minister of Marine announces the entire Argentine naval fleet is
ordered to patrol the coast to protect the country's neutrality. [10]
September 16
September 17
* (0400 hours) Russian armies cross the entire eastern frontier of Poland, claiming the
Polish State no longer exists, and "to protect our own interests and to protect the White
Russian and Ukranian minorities". [10]
* Polish President Ignaz Moscicki and a government party of 57 cross into Rumania.
[10]
* The Germany Army captures the citadel of Brest-Litovsk, Poland, taking 600
prisoners. [10]
* German forces capture the Polish town of Kutno. [10]
* (about 2000 hours) German submarine U-29 torpedoes and sinks the British aircraft
carrier HMS Courageous in the Bristol Channel, with the loss of 518 men. [10]
September 18
* Russian forces reach Vilna and Brest-Litovsk in Poland, and meet with German
forces. A joint German-Soviet military commission meets to draft plans for partition. [10]
September 19
September 20
527
* German Colonel General Walther von Brauchitsch informs the German Army that
"operations in Poland are completed". In twenty of days of war, German forces occupied
100,000 square miles of territory, capturing 400,000 prisoners. [10]
September 21
* France completes a twenty-day general mobilization, with six million men ready for
action. [10]
* (1330 hours) In Bucharest, Rumania, six Iron Guards assassinate Prime Minister
Armand Calinescu. This is intended as a prelude to a Nazi uprising, but is quickly
stopped by police. Nine men are captured and executed before midnight. [10]
September 22
September 23
September 24
* The Soviet Government informs the Finnish Government that passage through
Leningrad via Neva River would now be closed to Finnish vessels. The route was
allowed by agreement of 1923, allowing for closure in case of war danger. [10]
* (2015-2030 hours) Official German radio broadcast declares that with the redrafting
of Poland's frontiers, Germany's war is over. [10]
September 25
* Guns of the French Maginot Line and German Westwall along the 80-mile front from
Lauterbourg to Basle exchange fire for 24 hours. [10]
* Versailles Peace Treaty forgot to include Andorra, so Andorra and Germany finally
sign an official treaty ending WW I. [1]
September 27
* (2010 hours) Warsaw, Poland, surrenders to German troops after a 21-day siege. [10]
* Adolf Hitler announces to the commanders of the three military services that he
intends to attack the West this year crossing Belgium and Holland to attack France and
isolate Great Britain. Despite protests, Adolf Hitler orders that Plan Yellow should be
mounted on November 12. [10]
528
* For the first time, German guns of the Westwall fire over the Maginot line on villages
behind French fortifications. [10]
September 28
* In Moscow, a Pact of Mutual Assistance is signed between the Soviet Union and
Estonia, allowing Soviet military bases in Estonia, and Soviet control of naval bases and
airports. [10]
* Germany and Russia conclude the Treaty of Frontier Regulation and Friendship, to
regulate the partition of Poland. The agreement is signed in Leningrad by German
Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs
Vyadieslav Molotov. Russia gains control of Lithuania, in exchange for extension of the
German area of Poland. [10]
September 30
October 1
* Winston Chruchill refers to Soviet policy as "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an
enigma". [1]
October 2
October 5
* In Moscow, Latvia signs a Pact of Mutual Assistance with the Soviet Union, granting
Soviet bases at Libau and Windau. [10]
October 6
October 8
October 9
529
are ready and favorable weather conditions allow. The purpose of the offensive is to
defeat the French Army, gain territory in Holland, Belgium, and Northern France to serve
as a base against England and protect the Ruhr area. Adolf Hitler fears a delay would lead
to an invasion of Belgium and possibly Holland by Western forces. [10]
October 10
* In Moscow, a Pact of Mutual Assistance is signed between the Soviet Union and
Lithuania, allowing Soviet occupation of stations of military importance. [10]
October 14
October 15
October 16
* Five warships from England arrive in Halifax, Canada, carrying about 10 million
Pounds Sterling in gold from Britain and other Allied nations, for safekeeping during the
war. [10]
* German troops cross the extreme western end of the German frontier to France,
losing twenty tanks in the battle. [10]
October 19
* In Angora, Turkey signs a Treaty of Mutual Assistance with Great Britain and
France. If Turkey enters the war, France and Great Britain commit to providing
assistance. [10]
October 24
October 29
October 30
530
* USSR and Germany agree on partitioning Poland. [1]
November 1
November 4
November 6
* WGY-TV (Schenectady, New York), first commercial TV station, begins service. [1]
November 8
November 11
* Kate Smith first sings Irving Berlin's "God Bless America". [1]
November 12
November 13
* Finnish delegates return to Helsinki from Moscow after negotiations failed to satisfy
Soviet demands for moving the border 30-40 miles and the lease of the Hanko Peninsula
for a naval base to protect the Gulf of Finland. [10]
November 14
* Oil refinery fire kills 500 and destroys Lagunillas Venezuela. [1]
November 15
531
November 26
* Finland rejects the Soviet demand for military bases on her territory. [10]
November 30
* Soviet Union forces attack Finland, commencing with air raids on Helsinki. [1] [7]
[10]
December 1
December 2
* British Imperial Airways and British Airways merge to form BOAC. [1]
* New York's La Guardia Airport began operations as an airliner from Chicago lands,
one minute after midnight. [1]
December 3
December 6
* Cole Porter's musical "Du Barry was a Lady" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
December 7
December 8
December 9
* 27th Grey Cup: Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeats Ottawa Rough Riders, 8-7. [1]
* Russian air raid on Helsinki. [1]
December 10
532
* Vidkun Quisling of Norway meets with Adolf Hitler and many others in Berlin, over
eleven days. They agree that Germany should aid Quisling and his Nazi party to seize
control of Norway at a favorable moment. [10]
* KNVB celebrates 50th anniversary. [1]
* Wilhelm Grosz composer, dies at age 45. [1]
December 11
December 12
* Douglas Fairbanks actor (Zorro, Three Musketeers, Robin Hood), dies at age 56. [1]
* Soviet prison ship Indigirka, carrying 2,500 prisoners capsizes in blizzard off
Japanese coast; 2,470 die. [1]
December 13
* Battle at La Plata - three British cruisers versus German Graf Spee. [1]
December 14
December 15
December 17
* (1952 hours) Off the coast of Montevideo, Uruguay, German sailors open seacocks
on the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, and set off a series of explosions, scuttling
the ship. [10]
December 18
533
* Matthew Brown Journalist, dies at age 51. [1]
December 19
December 20
* Hans Langsdorff, German captain (Admiral Graf Spee), commits suicide. [1] [10]
* Radio Australia begins overseas short-wave service. [1]
December 21
December 22
December 23
* Anthony H G Fokker Dutch airplane builder (Spider), dies at age 49. [1]
* Finnish counter offensive at Summa. [1]
* South Australia score 7-821 against Queensland. [1]
December 25
* Grimmett and Ward rip through Queensland except Bill Brown (156). [1]
* Montgomery Ward introduces Rudolph the 9th reindeer. [1]
December 26
December 27
534
December 28
December 30
* O'Reilly takes 14-45 (8-23 and 6-22) as New South Wales crush Queensland in two
days. [1]
December 31
535
1940
January 3
* WPG-AM in Atlantic City New Jersey consolidates with WBIL and WOV as "new"
WOV. [1]
January 4
* Conrad Weiss German writer/poet (Heart of Words), dies at age 59. [1]
January 5
January 8
January 9
January 11
January 12
January 15
* German U-Boot torpedoes Dutch trade ship Arendskerk (Eagle's Church). [1]
January 18
* Kazimierz P Tetmajer Polish writer/poet (Young Poland), dies at age 74. [1]
January 21
536
* Foreign correspondents in Netherlands under censorship. [1]
January 22
January 23
January 24
January 25
January 26
January 27
* -17 degrees F (-27 degrees C), CCC Camp F-16, Georgia (state record). [1]
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 2
537
* Frank Sinatra's singing debut in Indianapolis (Tommy Dorsey Orchestra). [1]
February 5
February 7
February 8
* Lewis and Hamilton's musical "Two for the Show" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
* Lodtz, first large ghetto established by Nazis in Poland. [1]
February 10
February 11
February 14
February 16
February 17
February 19
* Finns defeat and disperse the Soviet 18th Division northeast of Lake Ladoga. [10]
538
February 20
February 22
February 23
February 24
February 26
* US Air Defense Command established at Mitchell Field, Long Island New York. [1]
February 27
February 28
February 29
March 1
539
* 12th Academy Awards: Gone With the Wind, Robert Donat and Vivien Leigh win.
[1]
* Adolf Hitler issues a Directive for "Case Weser exercise". He orders preparations be
made for the occupation of Denmark and Norway, to secure iron ore from Sweden, and
provide naval and air bases for operations against England. The objective is to occupy by
peaceful means, designed to protect the arms of the neutrality of the Northern countries.
General Nickolaus von Falkenhorst is to be Commander of Group XXI in charge of the
operation. The crossings into Denmark and Norway are to be simultaneous. [10]
* Josef Swickard actor (Lost City, Tale of Two Cities), dies at age 73. [1]
* Richard Wright's novel "Native Son" is published. [1]
March 2
* First intercollegiate track meet telecast, Madison Square Garden, New York City. [1]
* Soviet armies conquer Tuppura Island Finland. [1]
March 3
March 5
* The Finland Government decides to accept peace terms of the Soviet Union. [10]
March 6
* First US telecast from an airplane, New York City, New York. [1]
March 10
* First US opera telecast, W2XBS, New York City, New York, I Pagliacci. [1]
* Louis de Vries Dutch actor (Merchant of Venice), dies at age 68. [1]
March 12
March 14
* 27 killed, 15 injured when truck full of migrant workers collides with a train outside
McAllen Texas. [1]
540
March 15
* Göring says 100-200 church bells enough for Germany, smelt the rest. [1]
March 16
March 18
* Mussolini joins Hitler in Germany's war against France and Britain. [1]
March 19
March 20
March 23
March 25
March 26
* Ernest Hemingway and Benjamin Glazer premiere in New York City, New York. [1]
March 27
March 31
April 2
541
* Walt Disney Productions first offers shares in the company to the public. 155,000
shares of preferred stock are offered at US$25 per share, and 600,000 of common stock
for US$5 per share. US$3.5 million is raised from the stock offering. [6]
April 3
April 4
* R Rodgers/Lorenz Hart's "Higher and Higher", premieres in New York City. [1]
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9
542
April 10
April 12
April 13
April 14
April 15
April 16
April 18
April 19
* "Lake Shore Ltd" derails, killing 34 near Little Falls New York. [1]
* Dutch prime minister De Geer declares state of siege. [1]
April 20
April 21
543
April 22
* Rear Admiral Joseph Taussig testifies before US Senate Naval Affairs Committee
that war with Japan is inevitable (He was right). [1]
April 23
April 26
* Carl Bosch German chemist (BASF, IG Farben, Nobel Prize 1931), dies at age 65.
[1]
April 27
April 28
April 29
May 1
* 140 Palestinian Jews die as German planes bomb their ship. [1]
May 3
* (0215 hours) The Allied Expeditionary Force in Norway completes its withdrawal
from Namsos and Andalsnes. [10]
May 4
May 5
544
May 6
May 10
May 11
May 12
545
* French mariners occupy Saint Maarten. [1]
* German forces break through the Maastricht-Hasselt defence line in Belgium. [10]
* German tanks conquer Moerdijkbrug. [1]
* Nazi blitz conquest of France began by crossing Meuse River. [1]
May 13
May 14
May 15
May 16
546
* Nazis forbid non-professional auto workers. [1]
* Prime Minister Winston Churchill returns to London from Paris. [1]
* German troops enter The Hague and Amsterdam, Netherlands. [10]
May 17
May 18
* The German 18th Army, lead by Georg Küchler, pierce the outer ring of fortresses of
Antwerp, Belgium, in two places, quickly capturing the city. [10]
* The Netherlands commander of the Zeeland Islands offers capitulation to Germany.
[10]
May 19
May 20
* A battalion of German 2nd Panzer Division passes through Noyelles, reaching the sea
near Abbéville, France, splitting Allied forces and trapping much of it in a northern
pocket. This battalion is the first German unit to reach the Atlantic coast, just ten days
after the start of the offensive. [10]
* Igor Sikorsky unveils his helicopter invention. [1]
* Joris [Georges] van Severen Flem fascist/Member of parliament, dies. [1]
* Trailing 7-1 in the 9th to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia wins 8-7. [1]
May 21
May 22
May 23
547
* First great dogfight between Spitfires. [1]
* Andrej N Rimsky-Korssakov Russian musicologist/son of Nikolai, dies. [1]
* Paul Nizan French journalist/writer (Ce Soir/Aden Arabia), dies at age 35. [1]
May 24
May 25
May 26
May 27
* Evacuation of Allied troops begins, from Dunkirk, France, across the English
Channel. [10]
May 28
* Adriaan J Enschedé director (Dutch printers Joh Enschedé), dies at age 50. [1]
* (0400 hours) King Leopold III of Belgium surrenders the army unconditionally to
German forces. [10]
* British-French troops capture Narvik Norway. [1]
* Irving Berlin's musical "Louisiana Purchase" premieres in New York City. [1]
* Randle Ayrton actor (Manx Man), dies at age 70. [1]
* Theodor Streicher composer, dies at age 65. [1]
* Walter Connolly actor (It Happened One Night, Good Earth), dies at age 53. [1]
May 29
May 30
548
May 31
June 4
* Evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk, France, across the English Channel ends.
A total of 338,000 men were evacuated to England, including 120,000 French, on 860
vessels. German Luftwaffe planes sunk six British destroyers, eight transport ships, and
over 200 small craft. [10]
* British Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes his "We shall fight on the beaches ...
we shall never surrender." speech to Parliament. [10]
* German forces enter Paris. [1]
June 5
June 7
June 8
June 9
* Norway falls to German forces. King Haakon VI flees to London, England. [10]
June 10
June 12
June 13
549
* Spain's Generalissimo Francisco Franco changes Spain's status from neutral to
nonbelligerent. [10]
* Paris evacuated before the German advance. [1]
June 14
June 15
June 16
June 17
June 18
June 19
June 22
* France formally surrenders to Germany. The signing ceremony is held in the Forest
de Compiègne, in the same rail car in which Germany had surrendered to France in 1918.
550
General Charles Huntziger signs for France. Field marshal Wilhelm Keitel signs for
Germany. [10]
June 24
June 26
June 27
June 28
June 29
June 30
July 2
July 3
* A British naval group arrives at Oran and Mers-el-Kebir in Algeria, requesting the
surrender of the French fleet. The French refuse, and the British ships open fire.
Battleship Bretagne blows up, Dunquerque is run aground, battleship Provence is
beached, and torpedo cruiser Magador explodes. 1300 French sailors die. [10]
July 5
551
* Diplomatic relations broken between Britain and Vichy government in France. [1]
July 10
* 64 German airplanes fly for Britain. Five squadrons of RAF Fighter Command are
launched to intercept them. Twelve German planes are shot down, at a cost of three
British planes. This is considered the start of the Battle of Britain. [10]
July 14
July 15
July 18
July 19
July 20
July 21
* The People's Assembly of Lithuania declares entry of country into the USSR. [10]
July 23
July 25
* John Sigmund begins swimming for 89 hours 46 mins in the Mississippi R. [1]
July 27
552
* The animated short "A Wild Hare" is released, introducing the character of Bugs
Bunny. [5]
* Billboard magazine starts publishing bestseller charts. [1]
July 31
* Adolf Hitler meets with Wilhelm Keitel, Alfred Jodl, Walther von Brauchitsch, and
Franz Halder. Hitler announces his intention to launch an attack on Russia in the spring of
1941. [10]
August 3
* The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic is officially incorporated into the Soviet
Union. [10]
August 7
* Largest amount paid for a stamp ($45,000 for 1-cent 1856 British Guiana). [1]
August 8
August 13
* Adolf Hitler's "Eagle Day" commences, with 1485 plane sorties against British ports
and airfields, attempting to eliminate British air forces as an obstacle to invasion. [10]
August 17
* US President Franklin Roosevelt and Canadian Prime Minister William King meet at
Ogdensburg, New York for a conference on hemispheric defence. They announce a joint
defence commission on North American defence. [1] [245.4]
August 20
* British Prime Minister Churchill says of the Royal Air Force, "Never in the field of
human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few". [1]
* Leon Trotsky icepicked by Frank Jackson. [1]
August 21
* Leon Trotsky dies of wounds inflicted by an assailant the day before. [1]
August 25
553
* First parachute wedding. [1]
August 27
September 2
* The US and Great Britain sign a deal in which the US will gain the lease of naval and
air bases in Newfoundland, islands of Bermuda, Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Trinidad,
Antigua, and British Guiana, in exchange for fifty naval destroyers. [10]
September 3
September 4
* Adolf Hitler announces that British cities will be bombed night after night, in
retaliation for their bombing of Berlin. [10]
* In Japan, a meeting is held of four principal ministers to establish guidelines for
negotiating joining an alliance with Germany and Italy. They establish that Japan's sphere
of influence would encompass China, Manchuria, former German-mandated islands,
French Indochina and Pacific islands, Siam, British Malaya and Borneo, Netherlands East
Indies, Burma, Australia, New Zealand, and possibly India. [10]
September 7
* German Air Force blitz London for first of 57 consecutive nights. [1]
September 11
September 12
September 13
* The Italian 10th Army of over 200,000 men, commanded by Marshal Graziani,
crosses the Libyan frontier into Egypt, to gain control of the Suez Canal. They venture
554
fifty miles in, and set up defences at Sidi Barrani. This act begins the war in North Africa.
[10]
September 14
September 15
September 16
September 17
* Adolf Hitler gives orders to postpone indefinitely invasion plans of Great Britain.
The invasion fleet and troops are ordered dispersed from the area. [10]
September 18
* Soviet Minister of Defence Marshal S.K. Timoshenko and Chief of General Staff
K.A. Meretskov submit a war plan to Josef Stalin and Prime Minister Vyacheslav
Molotov, proposing an attack on Germany north of the Pripet marshes, with a strong
defence to the south, or vice-versa. [10]
September 19
September 23
* Japanese forces march into northern French Indochina, taking Tonkin Province
quickly. [10]
* British and Free French forces commence a joint operation under Charles de Gaulle
to try to seize Dakar in French West Africa. [10]
September 25
* Operation Menace ends at Dakar in French West Africa, as the occupation force
withdraws at night. [10]
September 27
555
* Floyd Giebells, first game, 2-0 pennant clinching beating Bob Feller. [1]
* In Berlin, Germany, Japanese premier Prince Fumimaro Konoye and Italian and
German officials sign the Tripartite Pact defensive alliance. Each nation pledges mutual
support in the event of attack by a power not presently involved in the European or
Chinese-Japanese conflict. The intent is to keep the United States out of the war. [10]
September 29
October 1
October 2
* British liner Empress loaded with refugees for Canada, sunk. [1]
October 4
* Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini confer at Brenner Pass in the Alps. [1]
October 6
October 8
October 11
* French Marshal Pétain announces his intention of collaborating with Germany. [10]
October 12
October 16
October 24
556
* Adolf Hitler meets with Marshal Pétain at Montoire, France. Pétain agrees to
collaborate against Britain, in return for compensation in Africa and a high place in the
New Europe. [10]
* 40 hour work week goes into effect (Fair Labor Standards of 1938). [1]
October 26
October 28
October 29
* Secretary of War Henry L Stimson drew first number-158-in first peacetime military
draft in US history. [1]
October 31
* Deadline for Warsaw Jews to move into the Warsaw Ghetto. [1]
November 1
November 5
November 7
November 11
November 12
* Blizzard strikes midwest, 154 die (69 on boat on Great Lakes). [1]
557
November 13
* RKO Radio Pictures world premieres Disney's third animated feature film, Fantasia,
at New York's Broadway Theater. The film introduces stereophonic sound to motion
pictures via a special sound system called Fantasound. This is Mickey Mouse' feature
film debut, in the segment The Sorcerer's Apprentice. [6]
November 14
November 15
* First 75,000 men called to armed forces duty during peacetime. [1]
November 18
November 20
* Hungary signs the Tripartite Pact with Germany, Japan, and Italy. [10]
November 23
November 25
November 26
November 30
* First game of only two-game Grey Cup (Ottawa 8, Toronto Balmy Beach 2). [1]
December 5
December 6
558
* Gestapo arrest German resistance fighter/poster artist Helen Ernst. [1]
* Pietro Badoglio resigns as viceroy of Ethiopia. [1]
December 7
December 9
December 10
December 11
December 12
December 15
* British forces drive Italians out of Egypt, and invade Libya. [10]
December 16
December 17
December 20
* Connie Mack acquires controlling interest in the Athletics for $42,000. [1]
December 21
559
* Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, author (Great Gatsby, Zelda), dies of a heart attack in
Hollywood at age 44. [1] [5]
December 22
* Nathanael West [Weinstein] US writer (Cool Million), dies at age 37. [1]
December 23
* John Van Druten's "Old Acquaintance" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
December 25
* Agnes Ayres actress (Johnny Belinda, Sheik), dies at age 42. [1]
* Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's "Pal Joey" premieres in New York City, New
York. [1]
December 26
* JA Fields/J Chodorov's "My Sister Eileen" premieres in New York City, New York.
[1]
December 29
December 30
December 31
560
1941
January 1
January 2
January 3
* Canada and US acquire air bases in Newfoundland (99 year lease). [1]
* British forces assault the Italian army at Bardia, inside the Libyan frontier. They
capture 45,000 troops, 129 tanks, 400 guns, and 706 trucks. [10]
* Italian counter offensive in Albania. [1]
* Sergei Rachmaninov's "Symphonic Dances" premieres in Philadelphia. [1]
January 4
* Henri Bergson French philosopher (Le Rire, Nobel Prize 1928), dies at age 81. [1]
* Resistance fighters counter d'Estienne d'Orves/Jan Doornik, first meet. [1]
* Sergey Rachmaninov's "Symphonie Dances" premieres in Philadelphia. [1]
January 5
January 6
* Franklin Roosevelt's "4 Freedoms" speech (speech, worship, from want and from
fear). [1]
* Franz Hessel writer, dies at age 60. [1]
January 8
January 9
561
January 10
January 11
January 13
* James Joyce novelist (Ulysses), dies in Zürich Switzerland, at age 58. [1]
January 16
January 17
* José Leite de Vasconcelos Portuguese scholar (Etnografia), dies at age 82. [1]
* (morning) French forces with one old light cruiser and four old gunboats, attack
Siam along the Koh-Chang island anchorage. They sink the new battleship Dhonburi,
force the new battleship Ayuthia to run aground, and sink three small destroyers. [10]
January 19
January 20
* Béla Bartók's 6th string quartet, premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 21
562
* British communist newspaper "Daily Worker" banned. [1]
January 22
January 23
January 24
January 27
January 28
January 29
* Greek Prime Minister General Ioannis Metaxas dies unexpectedly. The new Greek
prime minister invites British forces in for protection against Germany and Italy. [1] [10]
January 30
January 31
February 2
February 3
563
* US Supreme Court upheld Federal Wage and Hour law, sets minimum wages and
maximum hours. [1]
February 4
February 5
February 6
February 7
* Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey Orchestra record "Everything Happens to Me". [1]
February 8
February 9
February 10
* First highway post office makes first trip, Washington DC-Harrisonburg, Virginia. [1]
* Anti-Nazi "Het Parool" begins publishing in Netherlands. [1]
February 11
564
* First Gold record presented (Glenn Miller-Chattanooga Choo Choo). [1]
* Lieutenant-General Erwin Rommel arrives in Tripoli. [1]
* Rudolf Hilferding German economist/Minister of Finance (SPD), suicide at age 63.
[1]
* Sicherheitsdienst complains about Dutch anti German sentiments. [1]
February 12
February 13
February 14
February 15
February 19
February 20
February 21
February 22
565
* I G Farben decides building Buna-Werke in Auschwitz Concentration Camp. [1]
* Nazi SS begin rounding up Jews of Amsterdam. [1]
* Paul Creston's first Symphony, premieres. [1]
* Roy Harris' "Ballad of a Railroad Man" premieres. [1]
February 24
February 25
February 26
February 28
March 1
March 3
March 4
566
* Serbian Prince Paul visits Hitler. [1]
* British commandos make a large-scale raid on Lofoten Islands, Norway. The raid is a
complete success, capturing 225 prisoners and evacuating 315 Norwegian volunteers.
[10]
March 5
* Ludwig Quidde German historian/politician (Nobel Prize 1927), dies at age 82. [1]
March 6
* John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum sculptor (Mount Rushmore), dies at age 73. [1]
* Leen Schijvenschuurder Dutch February strike leader, executed. [1]
March 7
* Third largest snowfall in New York City, New York history (18.1"). [1]
* 50,000 British soldiers lands in Greece. [1]
* Arnold Schering German musicologist, dies at age 63. [1]
* British troops invade Abyssinia (Ethiopia). [1]
* Günther Prien German commandant (U-47), dies in battle. [1]
March 8
March 9
March 11
* In the United States, Congress passes "An Act to Promote the Defense of the United
States", known as the Lend-Lease Act, authorizing the President to sell, lease, lend,
transfer, or exchange war supplies to any nation deemed vital to defence of the US. Total
value is US$1.3 billion. [10]
* Walford Davies British organist/composer, dies at age 71. [1]
March 12
March 13
567
* A Bougne forms AGRA (Amis du Grand Reich Allemand). [1]
* A Coenradi Dutch resistance fighter, executed. [1]
* Bernard Ijzerdraat Dutch resistance fighter, executed. [1]
* E Hellendoorn Dutch resistance fighter, executed. [1]
* Isaak E Babel Russian writer (Zakat, Marija), executed at age 46. [1]
* J Eyl Dutch resistance fighter, executed. [1]
March 14
March 15
March 16
March 17
* Isaak Emmanuilovich Babel Russian writer (Crvena Konjica), executed at age 46. [1]
* Joachim Schepke German commandant (U-100), dies in battle. [1]
* National Gallery of Art, Washington DC opens. [1]
March 19
* Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestraestra record "Green Eyes" and "Maria Elena". [1]
March 20
March 21
* Robert Liefmann German economist (Kartelle und Trusts), dies at age 67. [1]
March 22
568
March 24
March 25
March 26
March 27
March 28
* Sea battle at Cape Matapan: British fleet under Cunningham defeats Italy. [1]
* Virginia [Adeline] Woolf-Stephen; author (To Lighthouse), commits suicide at age
59. [1] [5]
March 29
March 30
March 31
569
April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
* (early) Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union sign a treaty of friendship, providing for
"amicable relations" in the event of foreign attack. [10]
* (0500 hours) The first wave of German Stuka bombers cross into Yugoslavia,
beginning a three-day bombardment of Belgrade. [10]
570
* German forces invade Greece. [10]
* British General Gambier-Parry caught in North Africa. [1]
* German bombardment on Piraeus (munitions ship explodes). [1]
* Italian-held Addis Ababa capitulates to British and Ethiopian forces. [1]
April 7
April 8
April 10
April 11
April 12
April 13
* Annie Jump Cannon US astronomer (Henry Draper catalogues), dies at age 77. [1]
* Heavy German assault on Tobruk. [1]
* The Yugoslav capital of Belgrade is occupied by German forces. [10]
* Japan and the Soviet Union sign a five-year non-aggression pact. [10]
April 14
* First massive German raid in Paris France, 3,600 Jews rounded up. [1]
* Jack Edmonson Australian corporal in Tobruk (Victoria Cross), dies. [1]
* King Peter leaves Yugoslavia. [1]
April 15
571
April 16
April 17
April 18
April 19
* Bertolt Brecht's "Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder", premieres in Zürich. [1]
* Bulgarian troops invade Macedonia. [1]
* Johanna Muller-Hermann composer, dies at age 63. [1]
* Milk rationed in Holland. [1]
April 20
April 21
April 23
April 24
April 25
April 26
572
* Jean Demoor Belgian physician/physiologist/educationalist, dies at age 74. [1]
* Potatoes rationed in Holland. [1]
April 27
April 28
April 30
May 1
* "Citizen Kane", directed by and starring Orson Welles, premieres in New York. [1]
* General Mills introduces Cheerios. [1]
* German assault on Tobruk. [1]
* John R Locksmith de Brown vicar/CHU-politician, dies at age 71. [1]
May 2
May 3
May 5
May 6
573
May 7
May 8
May 9
* A peace treaty is signed between Vichy France and Siam, granting large areas of
Cambodia and Laos to Siam. [10]
* English Army breaks German spy codes. [1]
May 10
* (1745 hours) Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler's deputy, leaves in a plane from Augsburg,
landing near Glasgow, Scotland, where he is captured. [10]
* England's House of Commons and Holborn Theater destroyed in a blitz. [1]
* Queen Wilhelmina on Radio Orange warns against treason. [1]
May 11
May 12
May 13
May 14
574
* 3,600 Parisian Jews arrested. [1]
May 15
May 16
* Italian army under Aosta surrenders to Britain at Amba Alagi Ethiopia. [1]
* Last great German air attack on Great Britain (Birmingham). [1]
* Nazis forbid Dutch Organization of Actors (NOT). [1]
May 17
* Pennsylvania declares legal holiday to honor Athletics manager Connie Mack. [1]
May 18
May 19
May 20
* Archer's "The Christian Calendar and the Gregorian Reform" published. [1]
* Former Dutch Prime Minister Colijn says Netherlands Indies not ready for
independence. [1]
* (just after dawn) Operation Mercury is launched, as German gliders and 7th Airborne
Division paratroopers land near principal airports on Crete, with the mission of securing
them for transport of 5th Division troops. Many gliders crash, and many paratroopers are
shot in the air. [10]
May 21
575
* German airforce occupies airport at Maleme Kreta. [1]
* Singer Johan Heesters visits Dachau concentration camp. [1]
May 22
May 23
May 24
* (0601 hours) The fifth shot from the Bismarck hits the Hood, penetrating the deck to
the main ammunition magazine and explodes, destroying the ship. Only three of a crew
of 1422 survive. [10]
* Lancelot Holland British Vice-Admiral ((WWII/Hood), dies in battle. [1]
May 25
May 26
* American Flag House (Betsy Ross' Home) given to city of Philadelphia. [1]
* Ark Royal airplane sights German battleship Bismarck. [1]
* German occupiers begin youth labor. [1]
* Swordfish planes launch torpedo attacks on the Bismarck. Two hits are scored, one
knocking out the steering gear, jamming the rudder at 15 degrees to port. Another torpedo
strikes amidships, doing little damage. [10]
May 27
May 28
576
* British army begins evacuation of Kreta. [1]
May 29
* 293 Disney animators, members of the Screen Cartoonists Guild, stage a strike of the
Disney Studios in the USA. More than 1000 picketers appear in the first hour. [6]
May 30
May 31
June 1
June 3
June 6
June 10
June 14
* Ground broken for Boeing Plant II (ex-AFLC Plant 13) Wichita KS. [1]
June 16
577
* First US federally owned airport opened Washington DC. [1]
June 18
June 22
June 25
June 26
June 29
* Ignace Paderewski Polish statesman pianist, dies in New York at age 80. [1]
1941
July 1
July 2
* DiMaggio breaks Willie Keeler's 44 game hitting streak (45th of 56). [1]
July 4
578
* Howard Florey and Norman Heatley meet for the first time, 11 days later. [1]
July 7
July 10
* Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton pioneer jazz pianist, dies at age 56 in Louisiana. [1]
July 15
* In the Soviet Union, Smolensk falls to German Army Group Centre. [10]
* Florey and Heatley present freeze dried mold cultures (Pencillin). [1]
July 16
July 17
July 19
* First US Army flying school for black cadets dedicted (Tuskegee Ala). [1]
* British Prime Minister Winston Churchill launched his "V for Victory" campaign. [1]
* President Roosevelt appointed FEP Committee. [1]
July 26
July 27
August 1
August 2
579
* Jews are expelled from Hungarian Ruthenia. [1]
August 4
August 7
August 12
* French Marshal Henri Petain gave full support to Nazi Germany. [1]
August 14
August 21
* Adolf Hitler decides against concentrating attacks on Moscow, and orders central
forces south to help capture Kiev. [10]
August 29
* American animator Walter Lantz marries Broadway and screen actress Grace
Stafford. [36.39]
August 30
August 31
* Great Gildersleeve, a spin-off of Fibber McGee and Molly debuts on NBC. [1]
September 1
* Yellow star becomes obligatory for Jews in the Reich to wear. [1]
580
September 5
September 6
* All Jews over age 6 in German territories ordered to wear a star. [1]
* Jews of Vilna Poland are confined to a ghetto. [1]
September 8
September 11
September 12
September 15
* German armored columns meet up at Lokhutsa, 125 miles east of Kiev, surrounding
about 500,000 Soviet forces inside. [10]
* Nazis kill 800 Jewish women at Shkudvil Lithuania. [1]
September 19
* In the Grand Harbor of Gibraltar, the British naval tanker Denbydale, cargo ship
Durham, and tanker Fiona Shell explode from charges attached by midget submarines of
the Italian navy. [10]
* In the Soviet Union, Kiev falls to German Army Group South forces. 665,000 men
are captured, the largest number of prisoners ever captured in one battle, and the largest
single military success in history. Kiev was defended for 72 days. [10]
September 24
September 27
581
* First WW II liberty ship, freighter Patrick Henry, launched. [1]
September 29
* Adolf Hitler issues an order regarding the future of Leningrad. The entire city and all
inhabitants are to be "wiped from the face of the earth". [10]
September 30
* 3,721 Jews are buried alive at Babi Yar ravine (near Kiev) Ukraine. [1]
* Operation Typhoon begins, an attack by German forces on Moscow. Field Marshal
Fedor von Bock commands 70 divisions of Army Group Center with Günther Von
Kluge's 4th Army and Strauss' 9th Army. [10]
October 2
October 5
* Louis D Brandeis first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, dies at age 84. [1]
* Soviet Premier Josef Stalin receives a radio message from spy Richard Sorge in
Tokyo, Japan, that Japan would go to war with the United States soon. Stalin orders
twelve divisions (1700 tanks, 1500 planes, 2,500,000 men) from eastern Siberia and
Outer Mongolia to come to the defense of Moscow. [10]
October 6
* A large pocket of about 100,000 Soviet forces surrender near Kharkov and the
Donets river. [10]
October 12
* Russian government moves from Moscow to Volga as Nazis close in on Moscow. [1]
October 15
* Jews caught outside the Polish Ghetto walls could be put to death. [1]
October 16
* "Gordo" comic strip (by Gus Arriola) first appears in newspapers. [1]
* Germany advances within 60 miles (96 K) of Moscow. [1]
* In Japan, Prince Fumimaro Konoye resigns his cabinet. War minister General Hideki
Tojo becomes new prime minister. [10]
582
October 17
October 20
October 23
* RKO Radio Pictures releases Disney's animated feature film Dumbo to theaters in
the USA. [6]
October 26
October 27
* Chicago Daily Tribune editorialize there will not be war with Japan. [1]
October 31
* German submarine U-562 torpedoes American destroyer USS Reuben James while
escorting a British convoy west of Ireland. 115 Americans die. [10]
* The Mount Rushmore monument is completed. [5]
November 1
* The US extends a lend-lease loan of US$1 billion to the Soviet Union. [10]
November 12
November 13
* (1538 hours) In the Mediterranean, German submarine U-81 fires three torpedoes at
British aircraft carrier Ark Royal. One hits the ship below the superstructure, cutting off
all communication from the bridge. One crewman dies in the blast. [10]
November 14
583
* (0613 hours) British carrier Ark Royal rolls over, and sinks. [10]
November 15
* German forces in Russia make a final push for Moscow before winter sets in. The
German 4th Army makes a frontal assault, while Panzer groups attack toward the north
and south-east. [10]
* Cow Palace opens in San Francisco. [1]
November 18
* British forces in North Africa launch Operation Crusader, a major effort to take
Libya. [10]
November 21
November 26
November 27
* The German Panzer group attacking to the north of Moscow advances within 18
miles of the city. The southern group advances to within 32 miles of Kolomna, sixty
miles south-east of Moscow. The offensive is halted by winter weather and Russian
counterattacks. [10]
* US Secretary of War Stimson, acting for President Franklin Roosevelt, sends a
general war warning to all US commands. US Chief of Naval Operations signals to
Atlantic and Pacific fleet commanders "an aggressive move by Japan is expected within
the next few days". [10]
November 29
November 30
584
* 101-year-old Nyack-Tarrytown (New York) ferry makes its last run. [1]
December 1
December 2
* Largest roller skating rink (outside of New York City) opens in Peekskill New York.
[1]
* Naval Intelligence ceases bugging Japanese consul. [1]
* Yamamoto sends his fleet to Pearl Harbor. [1]
December 3
December 4
December 5
* Patrick Hamilton's "Angel Street" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Russian anti offensive in Moscow drives out nazi army. [1]
* Sister Elizabeth Kenny new treatment for infantile paralysis approved. [1]
* US aircraft carrier Lexington/5 heavy cruisers leave Pearl Harbor. [1]
December 6
* The British government declares war on Finland, Hungary, and Romania. [10]
* Anthony G Kröller entrepreneur/government advisor, dies. [1]
* Dutch and British pilots see Japanese invasion fleet at Singapore. [1]
* King Leopold of Belgium marries Lilian Baels. [1]
* New York City Council agrees to build Idlewild (Kennedy) Airport in Queens. [1]
December 7
585
* Iida Japanese pilot/lieutenant, dies in battle at age 28. [1]
* (before 0800 hours) Japan attacks the United States Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor in
the Hawaiian Islands. [10]
* (0810 hours) In Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona is stuck by a 1760-pound aerial
armor-piercing bomb, which detonates over one million pounds of gunpowder in the
ship's forward deck, killing 1177 crewmen. [10]
* (0945 hours) Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor end. 2403 Americans are dead, with
1178 wounded. Eighteen major fighting ships are sunk, and 188 aircraft are destroyed.
[10]
* Within hours of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the British War Cabinet meets,
and declares war on Japan. [10]
* Canada declares war on Japan. [10]
* Nacht and Nebel Erlass, resistance fighter sent to concentration camps. [1]
December 8
* (0800 hours) Japanese forces begin an assault on Hong Kong. Japanese aircraft
attack the Kai Tak airport on Hong Kong, destroying or damaging all six Royal Air Force
aircraft in the first few minutes. [10]
* Destruction Camp Chelmo opens. [1]
* London: Dutch government declares Japan the war. [1]
* Russian 16th army recaptures Krijukovo. [1]
* San Francisco first blackout, at 6:15 PM. [1]
* American President Roosevelt makes a speech in Congress, declaring December 7 "a
date which will live in infamy". Congress declares war on Japan. [10]
* Japanese bombers and fighters attack Luzon in the Philippine Islands. They destroy
many Curtiss P-40 fighters, B-17 bombers, and one of two operational radar stations. [10]
December 9
* First US WWII bombing mission in the Far East, Luzon, Philippines. [1]
* 300 Montgomery, San Francisco opens as new Bank of America headquarters. [1]
* China declares war on Japan, Germany and Italy. [1]
* Citizen Register reports "Hostile planes reported nearing Westchester". [1]
* Hitler orders US ships torpedoed. [1]
* Leonard "Leo" Polak Dutch philosopher, dies in Sachsenhausen at age 61. [1]
December 10
* Japanese bombers sink British battleships Prince of Wales and Repulse in the Gulf of
Siam. [10]
* Japanese troops land on northern Luzon in the Philippines. [1]
* Japanese forces capture Guam. [10]
December 11
586
* Dutch government in London declares war on Italy. [1]
* In the Reichstag in Germany, Adolf Hitler announces his declaration of war on the
United States. [10]
* Italy declares war on the United States. [10]
* The U.S. Congress declares war on Germany and Italy. [10]
* Japanese attack Wake Island (only failed WWII-landing). [1]
* A peace treaty is signed between Japan and Siam. Japan grants to Siam former
Siamese territories in Laos, part of northern Malaya, and part of Burma. The Japanese
15th Army crosses Siam into Burma. [10]
* Germany, Italy, and Japan sign an agreement on joint prosecution of the war. Each
promises to pursue the war against Great Britain and the United States, and to make
peace only by mutual agreement. [10]
December 12
December 13
December 14
* Prime Minister Winston Churchill travels to US on board HMS Duke of York. [1]
* U-557 torpedoes British cruiser Galatea. [1]
December 15
December 16
December 17
587
* Dutch and Australian troops lands on Portuguese-Timor. [1]
* German submarine U-31 sunk. [1]
* Japanese forces invade Borneo, landing at Sarawak on the north-west coast. [10]
* German troops led by Rommel begin retreating in North Africa. [1]
December 18
December 19
December 20
December 21
December 22
December 23
December 24
588
* First ships of Admiral Nagumo's Pearl Harbor-fleet return to Japan. [1]
* (about 0930 hours) US forces on Wake Island surrender to the Japanese. [10]
December 25
* (1515 hours Hong Kong) Hong Kong, with Canadian and British troops, surrenders
to Japan. Nearly 2000 died in the fight. [10]
* Japanese aircraft carriers Akagi/Kagu back in Kure, Japan. [1]
December 26
* Winston Churchill becomes first British Prime Minister to address a joint meeting of
Congress, warning that the Axis would "stop at nothing". [1]
December 27
* Japan bombs Manila even though it was declared an "open city". [1]
* Siberia: Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 7th Symphony. [1]
December 28
December 29
December 30
December 31
589
1942
January 1
January 2
* The 28 nations at war with the Axis pledge no separate peace. [1] [37]
* German troops in Bardia surrender. [1]
* Japanese troops occupy Manila Philippines. [1]
January 3
January 4
January 5
January 6
January 7
January 8
January 9
590
* US Joint Chiefs of Staff created. [1]
January 10
January 11
January 12
January 13
January 14
January 15
* Chicago Cubs, drop plans to install lights at Wrigley due to WWII. [1]
January 16
* Barbara Lynn [Ozen], US singer (You'll Lose a Good Thing), dies. [1]
* Carole Lombard actress, (Bolero), killed in plane crash (along with her mother and
20 others) at age 32. [1]
* William Knudsen becomes first civilian appointed a General in US army. [1]
January 17
591
January 18
January 19
January 20
January 21
January 22
January 23
January 24
* Musical "Star and Garter" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 25
592
January 26
* First US force in Europe during WWII goes ashore in Northern Ireland. [1]
* Gerard L F Philips Dutch manufacturer (Philips), dies at age 83. [1]
* Italian supreme command demands dismissal of German marshal Rommel. [1]
January 27
* -19 degrees F (-27.4 degrees C), Netherlands' coldest day since 1850. [1]
January 28
January 29
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 2
February 3
593
February 4
February 5
* "Woman of the Year", starring Hepburn and Tracy, opens at Radio City. [1]
February 6
February 7
* First indoor 15' pole vault (Cornelius Warmerdam 15' 3/8"). [1]
February 8
February 9
* In New York harbor, the USS Lafayette (formerly Normandie) is accidentally ignited
by a welding torch during conversion for troopship use. While fighting the fire, too much
water poured into the ship capsizes it, setting it on its side in the harbor. (Salvaging and
pumping out water takes 15 months and US$5 miliion.) [260.99]
* Daylight Savings War Time goes into effect in US. [1]
* Japanese troops land near Makassar, South Celebes. [1]
February 11
February 12
* Three German battle cruisers escape via Channel to Brest N Germany. [1]
* Grant Wood US painter (American Gothic), dies at age 49. [1]
February 13
594
February 14
February 15
February 16
February 18
February 19
* Over 100 Japanese planes attack Darwin, Australia, to destroy its usefulness as a
reinforcement base for the East Indies. [10]
* Dutch actors protest obligatory membership of Culture Chamber. [1]
* Franklin Roosevelt orders detention and internment of all west-coast Japanese-
Americans. [1]
* Japanese troop land on Timor. [1]
* Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra recorded "I'll Take Tallulah". [1]
February 20
February 23
595
February 24
February 25
February 26
February 27
February 28
March 1
* Three day Battle of Java Sea ends, US suffers a major naval defeat. [1]
* J Milton Cage Jr's "Imaginary Landscape No 3" premieres in Chicago. [1]
* Japanese troops occupy Kalidjati airport in Java. [1]
* Suriname camp for NSB people opens to save Jews. [1]
* Tito establishes second Proletarit Brigade in Bosnia. [1]
March 2
* 14th Academy Awards: "How Green was My Valley", Gary Cooper and Joan
Fontaine win. [1]
* Admiral Helfrich departs Java for Ceylon. [1]
March 3
* First combat flight for Canada's Avro Lancaster military plane. [1]
* Amedeo Duke of Aosta, viceroy (Ethiopia), dies at age 43. [1]
596
March 4
March 5
March 7
March 8
March 9
* Dutch colonial authorities surrender the islands of the Netherlands East Indies. All
Allied forces in the Netherlands East Indies surrender unconditionally to Japan. [10]
* Construction of the Alaska Highway began. [1]
March 11
* First deportation train leaves Paris France for Auschewitz Concentration Camp. [1]
* General MacArthur leaves Corregidor (Bataan) for Australia. [1]
* Japanese troop land on North-Sumatra. [1]
March 12
March 13
* Julia Flikke, Nurse Corps, becomes first woman colonel in US army. [1]
March 14
597
* John Bumstead and Orvan Hess become the first in the world to successfully treat a
patient using penicillin. [5]
March 15
* Alexander van Zemlinsky Austrian/US composer (African Dance), dies at age 70. [1]
March 16
* Alexander van Zemlinsky Austrian composer (African Dance), dies at age 69. [1]
March 17
March 18
March 19
* Franklin Roosevelt orders men between 45 and 64 to register for non military duty.
[1]
* Thoroughbred Racing Association of US formed in Chicago. [1]
March 20
March 21
March 22
March 23
598
* Japanese forces occupy Andaman Islands in Indian Ocean. [1]
* US move native-born of Japanese ancestry into detention centers. [1]
March 25
March 26
March 27
* A British commando raid is staged on St. Nazaire, France. A huge dry dock is
destroyed, the only one capable of servicing German battleships on the Atlantic. [10]
* Japan forces Java to use "Tokyo time" 1.5 hour forward. [1]
March 28
* Herman A van Karnebeek Dutch foreign minister (1918-27), dies at age 67. [1]
* Miguel Hernadez Gilabert Spanish poet (Viento del Pueblo), dies at age 31. [1]
* (evening) 234 British aircraft attack Lübeck, Germany. 12 planes are shot down.
One-third of the area is burned, leaving 16,000 homeless. The central power station and
several factories are destroyed. This raid is the first to have a major impact on the
German homeland. The port is closed for three weeks. A week later Joseph Goebbels
writes in his diary: "The damage is enormous. It is horrible." British Deputy Chief of Air
Staff Arthur Harris writes of the attack, ". . . the first German city went up in flames".
[10]
March 29
March 30
April 1
599
* Allied air raid on harbor city Kupang Timor. [1]
* México changes from three time zones to 2. [1]
April 3
April 5
* The Japanese Combined Fleet of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo attacks Colombo,
Ceylon, with 91 bomber and 36 fighter aircraft. They sink armed merchant cruiser Hector
and destroyer Tenedoes in the harbor. They damage the submarine depot vessel Lucia and
merchant ship Benledi. Nineteen Hawker Hurricanes, six Fairey Swordfish, one Fairey
Albacore, and one Consolidated Catalina are destroyed. The Japanese force loses six
Aichi D3A1 dive bombers, and one Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero fighter. Fifteen other aircraft
are damaged. [10]
* (1340 hours) Near Ceylon, 53 D3A1 planes from Japanese carriers Akagi, Soryu, and
Hiryu attack British heavy cruisers Cornwall and Dorsetshire, sinking both in fifteen
minutes. [10]
April 7
April 8
* A Schoenberg and Tudor's ballet "Pillar of Fire", premieres in New York City. [1]
* Alfred Mombert writer, dies. [1]
April 9
April 10
April 11
April 12
600
* Johannes E Akkeringa Dutch painter/etcher, dies at age 80. [1]
April 13
April 14
April 15
* The British George Cross is awarded to the Island Fortress of Malta for their
endurance and defiance against enemy forces. [10]
* Robert Musil Austrian writer (Mann ohne Eigenschaften), dies at age 61. [1]
April 16
April 17
April 18
April 20
April 23
April 24
601
* Luftwaffe bombs Exeter. [1]
April 25
April 26
April 27
April 28
April 29
* Japanese troops march into Lashio, cut off Burma Road. [1]
* Jews forced to wear a Jewish Star in Netherlands and Vichy-France. [1]
April 30
* First submarine built on Great Lakes launched, (Peto), Manitowoc Wisconsin. [1]
* Catherine Murphy Urner composer, dies at age 51. [1]
* J van Hoddis writer, dies at age 54. [1]
May 1
May 2
602
* Japanese troops occupy Mandalay Burma. [1]
May 3
* Japanese troop attack Tulagi, Gavutu and Tanambogo, Solomon Islands. [1]
* Johan H Westerveld Lieutenant-Colonel/leader Order Service, executed. [1]
* Luftwaffe bombs Exeter. [1]
* Nazis execute 72 OD'ers in reprisial in Sachsenhausen, Netherlands. [1]
* Nazis require Dutch Jews to wear a Jewish star. [1]
May 4
* Battle of Coral Sea begun (first sea battle fought solely in air). [1]
* Food first rationed in US. [1]
* German occupiers imprison 450 prominent Dutch as hostages. [1]
* Pulitzer prize awarded to Ellen Glasgow (In this our Life). [1]
May 5
May 6
* Corregidor surrenders to the Japanese, putting all of the Philippines under Japanese
control. [10]
May 7
* (1135 hours) Torpedo planes from US carrier Yorktown put five torpedoes into
Japanese carrier Shoho, sinking it. [10]
* Felix Paul von Weingartner Austria conductor/composer, dies at age 79. [1]
* Nazi decree orders all Jewish pregnant women of Kovno Ghetto executed. [1]
May 8
* Battle of Coral Sea ends; Aircraft carrier Lexington sunk by Japanese air attack. [1]
* German General Erich von Manstein's army launches a thrust into the Kerch
peninsula of the Crimea, shattering three Russian armies, capturing 169,000 prisoners.
[10]
May 10
* Joseph M Weber comedian/singer (Weber and Lewis Fields), dies at age 74. [1]
603
May 11
May 12
May 13
May 14
May 15
May 16
May 17
May 19
* [Nicoline] Magdalene Anchor-Roll Norwegian author (Enken), dies at age 69. [1]
May 20
May 21
604
May 22
May 26
* Great Britain and the Soviet Union conclude an alliance for twenty years. [10]
* Belgian Jews are required by Nazis to wear a Jewish star. [1]
* Tank battle at Bir Hakeim: African corps versus British army. [1]
May 27
* Dorie Miller, awarded navy cross for deeds at Pearl Harbor. [1]
* Italian army begin siege of French western Fort Bir Hachim. [1]
* Jan Kubis and Josef Gabcik, part of a Czechoslovak commando team from England,
make an assassination attempt on Reinhard Heydrich in Prague. Heydrich is wounded by
grenade shrapnel, and later dies of the wound. [10]
May 28
May 29
* Bing Crosby records "White Christmas" greatest selling record to date. [1]
* John Barrymore US actor (Beloved Rogue, Dinner at 8), dies at age 60. [1]
May 30
* Operation Millennium begins, the first British 1000 bomber attack on a German city.
Arthur Harris gambles all available aircraft in his command: front line, reserves, and
much of the training organization. 95 fighters and Blenheim bombers begin with attacks
on airfields, losing three aircraft in the process. Then 1047 bombers attack Cologne,
dropping 915 tons of incendiaries and 840 tons of high explosives. Total loss of British
planes is 41 aircraft. Over 600 acres are devastated, including 328 large factories,
hundreds more smaller factories, some 2500 fires started, 469 people killed, 12,840
buildings destroyed, and 45,132 made homeless. This is the first bombing/reconnaissance
mission of the Mosquito aircraft. [10]
* Reichsführer Himmler arrives in Prague. [1]
* US aircraft carrier Yorktown leaves Pearl Harbor. [1]
May 31
605
June 4
* (1030 hours) American planes pull away from their attack on the Japanese First
Carrier Fleet off Midway Island. They leave carriers Kaga, Akagi, and Soryu burning
uncontrollably. [10] [129]
* Reinhard Heydrich dies of his wounds from an assassination attempt. Adolf Hitler
appoints Karl Herman Frank as new protectorate of Czechoslovakia, and demands the
execution of 10,000 Czechs. [10]
* Capitol Record Company opens for business. [1]
* (1700 hours) Near Midway Island, an American aerial attack by planes from the
Enterprise and Yorktown against Japanese carrier Hiryu leaves it badly damaged. [10]
June 5
* (0900 hours) Japanese carrier Hiryu is scuttled, near Midway Island. [10]
* Elwood Ordnance Plant near Joliet Illinois kills 54. [1]
June 6
June 7
* (morning) The US aircraft carrier Yorktown sinks near Midway Island. [10]
* Losses at the Battle of Midway: US forces: 307 men, one aircraft carrier, one
destroyer, 150 planes; Japanese forces: 2500-3500 men, 4 aircraft carriers, one cruiser,
322 planes. [10] [129]
June 10
* German troops destroy the village of Lidice in Czechoslovakia, in retribution for the
assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. The men are killed, the women taken to internment
camps, and children taken to be raised by German families. The city is burned to the
ground, 400 graves are dug up, and new roads are built. [10]
June 11
June 12
June 13
606
* First V-2 rocket launch, Peenemünde, Germany; reached 1.3 km. [1]
* (evening) George Dasch, Ernest Burger, Heinrich Heinck, and Richard Quirin, all
American citizens of German birth, and members of the German Nazi party, land on the
beach of Long Island, New York, from a small row boat. Their mission is to sabotage
industrial installations producing war material. [10]
June 14
June 17
June 18
June 21
* 129 degrees F (54 degrees C), Tirat Zevi, Israel (Asian record). [1]
* German General Erwin Rommel's army captures Tobruk in Libya, taking 30-35,000
prisoners. [10]
June 25
* British RAF staged a 1,000 bomb raid on Bremen Germany (WW II). [1]
June 27
* FBI captures 8 Nazi saboteurs from a submarine off New York's Long Island. [1]
June 28
June 30
July 6
* In Amsterdam, Holland, 13-year-old Anne Frank and her family take refuge in a
secret sealed-off area of a warehouse. [129]
607
July 17
July 18
* First legal New Jersey horse race in 50 years; Garden State Park track opens. [1]
* German Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe, first jet fighter, takes first flight. [1] [5]
July 20
July 21
* Eight die as coal waste heap slides in river valley near Oakwood, Virginia. [1]
July 22
July 23
July 28
July 29
July 30
* Franklin Roosevelt signs bill creating women's Navy auxiliary agency (WAVES). [1]
* German SS kills 25,000 Jews in Minsk, Belorussia. [1]
August 7
August 8
608
* Six convicted Nazi saboteurs who landed in US executed in Washington DC. [1]
August 9
August 13
* RKO Radio Pictures premieres the Disney film Bambi in the US at Radio City Music
Hall in New York City. [6]
August 15
* The United States 101st Airborne Division is officially activated, at Camp Claiborne,
Louisiana. [10]
August 17
* US bombers staged first independent raid on Europe attack Rouen, France. [1]
August 19
* The Allies launch a major raid on the French port of Dieppe. 5000 of the 6000 troops
are part of the Canadian 2nd Division. Original code name of the operation is Rutter, but
was changed to a different plan code-named Jubilee. Primary objectives are to see if it is
possible to seize and hold a major continental port, obtain intelligence from prisoners,
documents, and equipment, and to see the German reaction to major attack on the French
coast. Secondary objectives are to draw the Luftwaffe into battle, show the USSR that
Britain is seriously trying to help distract the Germans, and to give Canadian forces in
Britain something to do. [10]
* (about 1310 hours) The last Allied troops are evacuated from Dieppe. At the end of
the attack, 4384 Allied officer and soldiers are dead, wounded, or taken prisoner, of
which 3379 are Canadian. 108 British aircraft were shot down; 46 German aircraft were
lost. The British navy lost one destroyer and 13 major landing craft. [10]
* First American offensive in Pacific in WW2, Guadalcanal, Solomon Is. [1]
August 20
August 22
August 24
609
* The Walt Disney animated feature film Saludos Amigos world premieres in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil. [6]
August 26
August 27
* Soviet long-range bombers make an air raid on Berlin, from bases 1000 miles away.
[10]
September 7
September 9
September 13
September 18
September 21
October 1
* Bell P-59 Airacomet fighter, first US jet, makes maiden flight. [1]
October 2
* Queen Mary liner slices cruiser Curacao in half, killing 338. [1]
* First self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction demonstrated, Chicago. [1]
October 3
* German scientists make the first successful test launch of an A-4 (V-2) rocket, from
Peenemünde. Supersonic speed is achieved for the first time by a liquid-propelled rocket.
610
The rocket reaches a height of 60 miles, travelling 120 miles at over 3000 MPH, landing
2.5 miles wide of the target. [10]
October 12
October 16
* Cyclone in Bay of Bengal kills some 40,000 south of Calcutta India. [1]
October 20
October 23
October 26
* US ship Hornet sunk in Battle of Santa Cruz Islands during WW II. [1]
October 28
* Train crashes into bus, killing 16 and injuring 20 (Detroit Michigan). [1]
October 29
November 1
November 2
* Montgomery (Br) defeats Rommel (Ger) in battle of Alamein (WW II). [1]
November 3
November 5
611
* Pro-British Clandestine Radio Diego Suarez's final transmission. [1]
November 7
November 8
* Operation Torch begins, as Allied forces land in Northern Africa. The Western Task
Force with 24,500 Americans under Major General George Patton land at Fedala (15
miles north of Casablanca), Mehdia (55 miles south of Casablanca), and Safi (140 miles
south of Casablanca). The Center Task Force with 18,500 Americans under Major
General Lloyd Fredenall land near Oran. The Eastern Task Force with 9000 British and
9000 Americans and 2000 British Commandos under American Major General Charles
Ryder land at Algiers. [10]
November 11
* Admiral François Darlan, senior French officer in North Africa, signs a cease-fire
ending French fighting in the area. [10]
* Adolf Hitler launches Operation Anton, with German forces occupying the remainder
of France and the island of Corsica. [10]
* Spain mobilizes its army along the French border. [10]
November 13
November 19
* Soviet counteroffensives with one million soldiers north and south of Stalingrad
break through the German and Romanian armies. [10]
November 23
November 27
* French navy at Toulon scuttles ships and subs so Nazis don't take them. [1]
612
November 28
* Nearly 500 die in a fire that destroyed Coconut Grove nightclub in Boston
Massachusetts. [1]
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 5
* Buck Jones Hollywood's last cowboy hero actor (Headin' East), buried. [1]
* Seyss-Inquart orders students in Nazi-Germany to go work. [1]
* West Indies chocolate/coffee drop above Netherlands. [1]
December 6
December 10
December 11
December 12
613
* German offensive in South Western Stalingrad. [1]
December 13
December 14
* Eduard C "Edo" Fimmen Dutch trade union leader, dies at age 61. [1]
December 15
December 16
December 17
December 20
December 21
December 23
December 24
614
December 25
December 26
* Bosinier de la Chapelle French murderer of Admiral Darlan, executed at age 24. [1]
December 27
December 28
December 29
December 31
615
1943
January 1
January 3
* First missing persons telecast (New York City New York). [1]
* Canadian Army troops arrive in North Africa. [1]
January 4
* Thomas Mann completes his tetralogy, "Joseph and His Brothers". [1]
January 5
* George Washington Carver famous black American agricultural scientist dies at age
81. [1]
* Teams agrees to start season later due to WWII. [1]
* William H Hastie, civilian aide to secretary of war, resigns to protest segregation in
armed forces. [1]
January 7
* Nikola Tesla Yugoslavian physicist (tesla motor), dies at age 86. [1]
January 9
January 10
January 11
616
January 12
* Frankfurters replaced by Victory Sausages (mix of meat and soy meal). [1]
* Jan R T Campert Dutch resistance fighter/poet (18 Dead), dies at age 40. [1]
January 13
January 14
January 15
* 1,000 workers complete the air conditioning system for the Pentagon. [1]
* The world's largest office building, The Pentagon, is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia.
[5]
* First transport of Jews from Amsterdam to concentration camp Vught. [1]
* Japanese driven off Guadalcanal. [1]
January 16
* -60 degrees F (-51 degrees C), Island Park Dam ID (state record). [1]
* First US air raid on Ambon. [1]
* Franz Courtens Flemish painter (Sunny Lane), dies at age 88. [1]
* German second SS-Pantzer division evacuates Charkow. [1]
* Red Army recaptures Pitomnik airport at Stalingrad. [1]
January 17
January 18
617
* Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto begin resistance of Nazis. [1]
* Presliced bread sale banned to reduce bakery demand for metal parts. [1]
* Soviets announce they broke the long Nazi siege of Leningrad. [1]
January 19
January 20
January 21
January 22
* Joint Chiefs of Staff determine invasion in Sicily for July 10th. [1]
* Temperature rises 49 degrees F (9 degrees C) in two minutes in Spearfish South
Dakota. [1]
January 23
January 24
January 26
618
* Nikolai Vavilov geneticist, Saratovv labour camp, dies. [1]
January 27
January 29
* New Zealand's Kiwi cruiser collides with Japanese submarine I-1 at Guadalcanal. [1]
* Sidney Kingsley's "Patriots" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 2
* The remainder of the German 6th Army surrenders at Stalingrad. About 150,000 Axis
soldiers died in the battle, another 150,000 were taken prisoner. In total, about 450,000 on
both sides died. [10]
* Chicago Cubs return to original uniform after experimenting with a vest. [1]
February 3
* Four chaplains drown after giving up their life jackets to others. [1]
* Alexander Goode rabbi who surrendered his life jacket, drowns. [1]
619
February 4
* Bertolt Brecht's "Der gute Mensch von Sezuan" premieres in Zürich. [1]
February 5
February 6
* RKO Radio Pictures releases Disney's animated feature film Saludos Amigos to
theaters in the USA. It includes the animated short films: Lake Titicaca (with Donald
Duck), Pedro, El Gaucho Goofy (with Goofy), and Aquarela do Brasil (with Donald
Duck). [6]
* First Spitfire in action above Darwin, Australia, Mu Ki-46 shot down. [1]
* HA Seyffardt Dutch Lieutenant-General/NSB "minister", dies at age 71. [1]
* Singer Frank Sinatra debuts on radio's "Your Hit Parade". [1]
February 7
* Shoe rationing begins in US (may purchase up to three more pairs in 1942). [1]
* Japanese forces evacuate Gualcanal. [10]
February 8
February 9
February 10
620
February 11
February 12
February 13
* German assault on Sidi Bou Zid Tunisia, General Eisenhower visits front. [1]
* William Walraven journalist/writer (Neglected Grouser), dies at age 55. [1]
* Women's Marine Corps created. [1]
February 14
* David Hilbert German mathematician (Hilbert Space), dies at age 81. [1]
* Frieda Reiss French 11 month old baby, murdered in Auschwitz. [1]
* German offensive through de Faid-pass Tunisia. [1]
* Soviets recapture Rostov. [1]
February 15
* Thomas "Fats" Waller US jazz pianist (Hot Chocolate), dies at age 38. [1]
* William Victor Harris composer, dies at age 73. [1]
* Women's camp Tamtui on Ambon (Moluccas) hit by allied air raid. [1]
February 16
* -32 degrees F (-36 degrees C), Falls Village Connecticut (state record). [1]
* British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gets pneumonia. [1]
* Red army conquers Kharkov. [1]
* Sign on Munich facade "Out with Hitler! Long live freedom!" done by "White Rose"
student group. [1]
* Withdrawing Africa Corps reaches Mareth-line in North-Africa. [1]
February 17
February 18
621
* First edition of Dutch resistance newspaper "Trouw". [1]
* Augusto Pinochet Ugarte (Chilean General/dictator) marries Lucia Hiriart. [1]
* Henri Polak Dutch union leader/politician (Social-Democrat), dies at age 74. [1]
* Munich resistance group "White Rose" captured by Nazis. [1]
February 19
* German tanks under Brigadier General Buelowius attack Kasserine Pass Tunesia. [1]
February 20
February 21
February 22
* Christoph Probst German resistance fighter (That Weisse Rose), dies. [1]
* Hans Scholl German resistance fighter (White Rose), beheaded at age 24. [1]
* Sophie Scholl German resistance fighter (Die Weisse Rose), beheaded. [1]
February 23
February 24
February 25
February 26
February 27
* Kostís Palamis Greek poet/scholar (Flogera tou Basília), dies at age 84. [1]
622
February 28
* "Porgy and Bess" opens on Broadway with Anne Brown and Todd Duncan. [1]
* 63 U Boats (359,300 ton) sinks this month. [1]
March 1
March 2
March 3
* Bomb fleeing crowd falls into London shelter; 173 die. [1]
* F Ryerson and Cohn Claues' "Harriet" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* US defeats Japan and wins Battle of Bismark Sea. [1]
March 4
* Nikolaos "Sokrates" Politis Greek foreign minister, dies at age 71. [1]
* Pieter C Boutens Dutch poet (Beatrijs), dies at age 73. [1]
* Transport nr 50 departs with French Jews to Maidanek/Sobibor. [1]
March 5
March 6
March 7
623
March 8
March 9
March 10
* Tully Marshall actor (Let's Go, Red Dust), dies at age 78. [1]
March 11
March 12
March 13
March 15
March 16
March 17
* Aldemarin (Ned) and Fort Cedar Lake (US) torpedoed and sinks. [1]
* F Hugh Herbert's "Kiss and Tell" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
March 18
624
* James Oglethorpe (US) and Terkolei (Netherlands), torpedoed and sinks. [1]
* Red Army evacuates Belgorod. [1]
March 19
March 20
March 21
March 22
March 23
* André Lichtenberger French Sudan writer (Le Petit Roi), dies at age 72. [1]
* German counter attack on US lines in Tunisia. [1]
* Joseph Moiseyevich Schillinger composer, dies at age 47. [1]
March 25
March 26
* First woman to receive air medal (US army nurse Elsie S Ott). [1]
* Battle of Komandorski Islands, Pacific Ocean. [1]
March 27
625
March 28
March 29
* Meat, butter and cheese rationed in US during WWII (784 gram/week, two kilogram
for GI's). [1]
March 30
March 31
April 3
* Conrad Veidt German/US actor (Cabinet of Dr Calgary), dies at age 50. [1]
* Jan Dieters (leader of illegal CPN) arrested. [1]
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
* Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini meet for an Axis conference in Salzburg. [1]
* British/US troops make contact at Wadi Akarit, South-Tunisia. [1]
* Jovan Ducic Serbian poet (Blue Legends), dies at age 72. [1]
* Lieutenant Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg seriously wounded in allied air raid. [1]
626
April 8
April 10
April 11
* Frank Piasecki, Vertol founder, flies his first (single-rotor) craft. [1]
April 12
April 13
April 14
April 15
April 16
April 17
627
* SS-Lieutenant-General Jürgen Stoop arrives in Warsaw. [1]
April 18
* Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is killed when his aircraft is shot down over the Solomon
Islands. [10]
April 19
April 20
* Atlanta Braves manager Casey Stengel is struck by a taxi, fractures a leg. [1]
April 22
April 23
April 24
April 25
April 27
* Lou Jansen and Jan Dieters arrested, lead illegal CPN party in Holland. [1]
* Soviet Union breaks contact with Polish government exiled in London. [1]
April 28
628
* German-Italian counter offensive in North-Africa. [1]
* US 34th Division occupies Djebel el Hara North Tunisia. [1]
April 29
April 30
* Beatrice Potter Webb British writer (My Apprenticeship), dies at age 85. [1]
* Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp for Jews forms. [1]
* Dutch strike against forced labor in Nazi Germany's war industry. [1]
* Etty Hillesum Dutch diarist, dies in Auschwitz. [1]
* Noël Coward's "This Happy Breed", premieres in London. [1]
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 5
May 6
629
May 7
* American and British forces capture Tunis and Bizerte in North Africa. 160,000
German and Italian soldiers surrender at Tunis. [10]
* Dutch men 18-35 obliged to report to labor camps. [1]
* Liberty Ship George Washington Carver, named after scientist, launched. [1]
* US first Armour division occupies Ferryville Tunisia. [1]
* US 9th Infantry division occupies Bizerta/Bensert Tunisia. [1]
May 8
* Admiral Cunningham of British fleet: "Sink, burn and destroy; let nothing pass". [1]
* Mordicai Anielewicz commander of Warsaw ghetto uprising, killed. [1]
May 9
May 10
May 11
May 12
May 13
May 15
630
* Warsaw ghetto uprising ends, in its destruction. [1]
May 16
May 17
May 18
May 19
May 20
May 22
May 23
631
May 24
May 25
May 26
May 27
May 28
May 29
May 30
May 31
632
* "Archie" comic strip first broadcast on radio. [1]
June 2
* 99th Pursuit Squadron flies first combat mission (over Italy). [1]
* Leslie Howard actor killed, when Nazis shot down his plane. [1]
June 9
June 10
June 11
* (evening) 783 British bombers attack Düsseldorf, Germany. 130 acres of the city are
destroyed, in 882 separate fires. 1300 people are killed, and 140,000 made homeless. [10]
June 16
June 18
June 20
June 21
July 1
July 5
633
* German Central Army Group and Southern Army Group, about 900,000 troops,
begin Operation Citadel, an attack around the Kursk salient in the Ukraine. Size of the
opposing forces at the start of the battle: German: 900,000 men, 10,000 cannons, 2000
aircraft, 2000 tanks; Soviet: 1.9 million men, 20,800 cannons, 2000 aircraft, 5100 tanks.
[10]
July 10
* (0245 hours) Operation Husky begins, with an Allied invasion of Sicily. Four British
divisions of the British 8th Army under General Sir Bernard Montgomery land on a 40-
mile stretch on the southeast corner around Syracuse and Cape Passero. Four American
divisions of the United States 7th Army under Lieutenant-General George Patton land on
a 40-mile front to the west, around Scaglitti, Gela, and Licata. (In total, 478,000 troops
land on the island.) [10]
July 12
* In the Kursk battle, German SS Panzer Corp with 400 tanks reaches Prokhorovka
Station. Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army under P.A. Rotmistrov with 800 tanks
counterattacks. By the end of the day, 320 German tanks and over 400 Soviet tanks are
destroyed. (This is the greatest tank battle in history.) [10]
July 17
* United Artists releases Disney's animated and live-action feature film Victory
Through Air Power to theaters. [6]
July 19
July 22
July 25
* In Italy, King Victor Emmanuel III has Premier Benito Mussolini arrested, and
appoints Marshal Pietro Badoglio as premier. [10]
* (0103 hours) The first wave of British bombers arrive at Hamburg, Germany,
dropping 1000- to 8000-pound bombs. Within minutes much of the city is a raging
firestorm. 1346 tons of high explosives and 931 tons of incendiaries are dropped, setting
55 miles of streets ablaze. 1500 are killed, and over 20,000 made homeless. 12 bombers
are shot down. [10]
634
July 26
* 120 degrees F (49 degrees C), Tishmoningo, Oklahoma (state record). [1]
July 28
July 29
* Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels writes in his diary about the destruction
of Hamburg: "A city of one million inhabitants has been destroyed in a manner
unparalleled in history...". [10]
July 30
August 1
August 2
August 16
635
* Sicily is conquered by Allied forces. [10]
August 18
August 19
August 23
August 25
August 30
August 31
* The USS Harmon, the first U.S. Navy ship to be named for an African-American, is
commissioned. [5]
September 3
* Operation Baytown begins, as the British 8th Army begins an assault on Italy, from
Sicily across the Strait of Messina, landing near Reggio di Calabria. (This is the first
Allied landing on the continent with intent to stay since the retreat at Dunkirk in 1940.)
[10]
636
* Near Syracuse, Sicily, Italian Guiseppe Castellano signs capitulation of Italy. General
Dwight Eisenhower's chief of staff Walter Bedell Smith signs on behalf of the Allies. [10]
September 6
* "Congressional Limited" train derails near Frankfort Pennsylvania, kills 79. [1]
September 7
September 8
* (1830 hours) On Algiers radio, General Dwight Eisenhower announces the surrender
of Italy. An hour later, Italian Premier Marshal Badoglio also announces the surrender.
[10]
September 9
September 11
* The Italian Navy surrenders its warships to the Allies at Malta. [10]
September 12
* (1400 hours) Eight German gliders land at Campo Imperiale Hotel in the Abruzzi,
Italy. Seventy parachutists and Waffen-SS commandos take over, and rescue Mussolini.
The operation is over within twenty minutes. [10]
September 13
September 17
September 21
637
* Lynch Triangle (Square) in the Bronx named. [1]
September 22
September 25
September 29
October 1
October 10
October 13
October 14
* 60 B-24 Liberator bombers and 291 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers of the US 8th Air
Force in England begin Mission 115, an attack on ball-bearing plants at Schweinfurt,
Germany. Due to bad weather, none of the Liberators is able to participate. 26 B-17s turn
back due to mechanical difficulties. American P-47 Thunderbolt fighter planes provide
escort protection up to Aachen, Germany. Beyond that, German planes knock out 37
bombers before they reach their target. The remaining planes complete their bombing
successfully. The factories are hit hard, resulting in a loss of 67% of ball-bearing
production. Another 23 bombers are downed on the return trip. 200 bombers return, but
only 60 survive with little damage. Due to the high losses, the day becomes known to the
8th Air Force as Black Thursday. [10]
October 16
638
October 19
October 22
October 24
October 31
* The F4U Corsair accomplishes the first successful radar-guided interception. [5]
November 1
November 6
November 18
November 20
* US forces land on Tarawa and Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Island. [1]
November 22
639
November 23
November 28
December 1
* Franklin Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin agree to Operation Overlord (D-Day). [1]
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 6
640
December 7
December 8
* John Van Druten's "Voice of the Turtle" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
December 10
December 13
December 15
* Thomas W "Fats" Waller jazz pianist, dies in Kansas City Missouri at age 39. [1]
December 16
December 17
December 19
December 20
December 23
* First telecast of a complete opera (Hansel and Gretel), Schenectady New York. [1]
* General Montgomery told he is appointed commandant for D-day. [1]
* Theo[dorus J] Thijssen Dutch writer (Kees de Jongen), dies at age 64. [1]
December 24
641
* Franklin Roosevelt appoints General Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied
forces. [1]
* Terence Rattigan's "While the Sun Shines" premieres in London. [1]
December 25
December 26
December 27
December 28
December 29
December 30
* Hobart Bosworth actor (Woman of Affairs, Big Parade), dies at age 76. [1]
December 31
* New York City's Times Square greets Frank Sinatra at the Paramount Theater. [1]
642
1944
January 1
January 2
January 4
January 5
January 7
* Air Force announces production of first US jet fighter, the Bell P-59. [1]
* J Verleun Dutch resistance fighter, executed. [1]
January 10
January 11
January 12
January 14
* Mohammed Emin Yurdakul Turkish poet, dies at about age 74. [1]
643
* Soviet army begins offensive at Oranienbaum/Wolchow. [1]
January 15
January 16
January 17
January 18
January 19
January 20
January 21
January 22
644
January 23
* Arnold Schoenberg's "Ode to Napoleon" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Edvard Munch Norwegian painter (The Scream), dies at age 80. [1]
January 24
January 27
* Casey Stengel, manager of the Boston Braves since 1938, resigns Lou Perini, Guido
Rugo, and Joseph Maney buy control of Boston Braves. [1]
* Leningrad liberated from Germany in 880 days with 600,000 killed. [1]
January 28
January 29
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 2
645
* Allied troops first set foot on Japanese territory. [1]
* Edward Chodorov's "Decision" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
February 4
February 5
February 7
February 8
February 9
February 10
February 11
February 12
February 14
646
February 15
February 16
February 17
February 18
February 19
February 20
February 21
* The War As It Happens televied news show premieres on NBC (New York City
only). [1]
February 22
* US 8th Air Force bombs Enschede, Arnhem and Nijmegen by mistake/800+ die. [1]
February 23
647
February 24
February 25
February 26
* First female US navy captain, Sue Dauser of nurse corps, appointed. [1]
February 29
March 1
March 2
* 16th Academy Awards: "Casablanca", Jennifer Jones and Paul Lukas win. [1]
* Fumes from locomotive stalled in a tunnel suffocates 521 in Italy. [1]
March 3
March 4
March 5
March 6
648
* (evening) 267 British bombers attack the railway centre at Trappes, south-west of
Paris. Enormous damage is inflicted, with no loss of planes. This is the first attack of the
Allied Transportation Plan, to disrupt German reinforcement routes prior to an
amphibious landing. [10]
* USAF begins daylight bombing of Berlin. [1]
March 7
March 8
March 10
March 11
March 13
March 14
March 15
* Allies launch another attack on Cassino. Over eight hours, 1000 tons of bombs are
dropped, and 190,000 shells are fired on the town. By nightfall, two-thirds of the town is
in Allied hands. [10]
* Otto von Below German commandant (WWI), dies at age 86. [1]
March 16
March 18
* 2,500 women trample guards and floorwalkers to purchase 1,500 alarm clocks
announced for sale in a Chicago Illinois department store. [1]
649
* Benjamin Delmonte theater director/actor, dies at age 79. [1]
March 19
March 20
* Bus falls off bridge into Passaic River New Jersey, killing 16. [1]
* Felix Woyrsch composer, dies at age 83. [1]
* Operation Anvil is cancelled. The plan was for a landing in south France
simultaneously with the landing in north France. [10]
* Mount Vesuvius, Italy explodes. [1]
March 21
March 22
March 23
March 24
March 25
650
* RAF Sergeant Nickolas Alkemade survives a jump from his Lancaster bomber from
18,000 feet without a parachute. [1]
March 26
March 27
* 1,000 Jews leave Drancy France for Auschwitz Concentration Camp. [1]
* 2,000 Jews are murdered in Kaunas Lithuania. [1]
* 40 Jewish policemen in Riga Latvia ghetto are shot by the gestapo. [1]
* Children's Aktion-Nazis collect all the Jewish children of Lovno. [1]
March 28
* Astrid Lindgren sprains ankle and begins writing Pippi Longstocking. [1]
* Rabbi Chayyim Most Maggid of Kovono, killed by Nazis. [1]
* Stephen Butler Leacock writer/economist (Literary Lapses), dies at age 75. [1]
March 30
March 31
April 1
April 2
April 3
651
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 9
April 10
April 11
April 12
April 13
652
April 14
April 18
April 19
April 20
April 22
April 24
April 25
April 26
* First B-29 attacked by Japanese fighters, one fighter shot down. [1]
* Papandreou government in Greece forms. [1]
April 28
653
* Exercise "Tiger" ends with 750 US soldiers dead in D-Day rehearsal after their
convoy ships were attacked by German torpedo boats. [1]
* Stalin meets Polish/US priest S Orlemanski. [1]
April 29
May 1
May 3
May 5
May 6
May 7
May 8
May 9
654
May 10
May 11
May 12
* 900+ 8th Air Force bombers attack Zwikau, Bohlen and Brüx. [1]
* Arthur T Quiller-Couch [Q] British author/critic, dies at age 80. [1]
* Krim purged of Nazi troops. [1]
* Secret Police arrest Gerrit Van de Peat. [1]
May 14
May 15
May 16
May 17
May 18
655
* Expulsion of more than 200,000 Tartars from Crimea by Soviet Union begins, they
are accused of collaborating with the Germans. [1]
* Polish second Army corps captures convent of Monte Cassino Italy. [1]
May 19
May 20
May 21
May 23
May 24
May 25
May 26
* 82nd Airborne division D-day-landing at La Haye du Puits to Ste Mère Eglise. [1]
May 27
May 28
656
May 29
May 30
* Jessie Ralph actress (Good Earth, San Francisco), dies at age 79. [1]
* Transport nr 75 departs with French Jews to Nazi-Germany. [1]
May 31
* In Italy, retreating Germans burn two ships in a special museum near Lake Nemi
outside Rome. The ships had been used in the lake as floating entertainment palaces in
time of Caligula, about year 12-41. [10]
* Allied breakthrough in Italy. [1]
June 4
June 5
* First B-29 bombing raid; one plane lost due to engine failure. [1]
* (evening) 1047 British bombers drop over 5,000 tons of bombs on French coastal
batteries. This is the heaviest bombing of any night to date. Nine of ten main batteries are
knocked out by a combination of American and British air and naval bombardment. [10]
June 6
* (0000-0100 hours) Pathfinders of the United States 101st Airborne Division begin
parachute landing in Normandy to set up the Drop Zones for the following main force.
[10]
* (about 0230 hours) 822 C-47 Dakota aircraft drop the 82nd and 101st Airborne
divisions on Normandy, France. [10]
* (about 0630 hours) 300 men of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry, 4th Division,
US 1st Army, land at Utah Beach, the first company of the Allies to land. They land a
mile south of their target, and encounter little opposition. Twenty-eight of 32 Dual-Drive
tanks reach the beach. (By noon, the beach is cleared at a cost of six men killed, 39
wounded.) [10]
* (about 0630 hours) The first tanks come ashore at Omaha beach, between Pointe de
la Percée and Port-en-Bessin. [10]
* (0720 hours) The British 2nd Army under Lieutenant-General Sir Miles Dempsey
begins landing on the beaches "Gold", "Juno", and "Sword", toward the River Orne. [10]
657
* (1500 hours) A group of British men of the 50th Division cross highway N-13,
running from Caen to Cherbourg. This is the furthest penetration of any Allied unit during
D-Day. [10]
* Alaska Airlines commences operations. [5]
* Theodore Roosevelt Jr receives congressional medal of honor. [1]
* Over 90 km of Normandy coastline during the day, about 155,000 Allied troops
landed, incurring 11,000 casualties (2500 dead). 69,000 British soldiers landed, with
about 2,000 casualties. 14,000 Canadians landed, with about 1,000 casualties, of which
350 are dead. American casualties total about 3,200. [10] [129]
June 10
* In the town of Oradour-sur-Clone near Limoges, France, German SS units lock men
in barns, women and children in a church, fire machine-guns on both, then set fire to
them. About 1000 are killed; only six escape. This was done to deter the population from
helping the Maquis. [10]
June 11
* First Serbian Orthodox cathedral in US, Cathedral of Saint Sava, New York City. [1]
June 12
* (night) Germany launches the first V-1 flying bombs against Britain. From 55 launch
sites, seven are able to launch a total of ten flying bombs during the night, of which three
reach England. One destroys a railway bridge. [10]
June 14
June 15
June 17
June 19
* The Battle of the Philippine Sea takes place, over two days. Allied ships sink three
Japanese aircraft carriers, damage two more, and destroy 426 of 473 planes. [10]
658
June 22
* Franklin Roosevelt signs "GI Bill of Rights" (Servicemen's Readjustment Act). [1]
* Soviet forces launch Operation Bagration, on German Army Group Centre. The
Soviet force comprises about 1.2 million men, 166 rifle divisions, 2715 tanks, 24,000
guns, 5327 aircraft, and 700 heavy bombers. [10]
June 23
June 27
* The German garrison at Cherbourg destroys the port facilities and surrenders. 6000
soldiers are taken prisoner. (This is the first major French city liberated.) [10]
1944
July 1
* Bretton Woods Conference starts, establishing IMF and World Bank. [1]
July 5
* Harry Crosby takes first rocket airplane, MX-324, for maiden flight. [1]
July 6
July 9
July 11
July 12
659
* (evening) Soviet forces commence a great new summer offensive against German
Army Group North, opening a huge gap in the German front line. [10]
July 15
July 17
* Two ammunition ships explodes at Port Chicago, California kills 322. [1]
July 20
July 21
* (0030 hours) In Berlin, on orders from General Erich Fromm, a firing squad shots
and kills Colonel of the General Staff Mertz von Quirnheim, General Friedrich Olbricht,
Colonel Klaus von Stauffenberg, and Lieutenant Wernere von Haeften. [10]
* (0100) Adolf Hitler broadcasts a speech throughout occupied Europe. He tells of the
unsuccessful attempt on his life, naming Klaus von Stauffenberg as the intended assassin.
Hitler appoints Heinrich Himmler Commander-in-Chief of the Replacement Army, and in
charge of punishing the coup conspirators. (As a result of the failed coup, between 600
and 1000 Germans are are killed for their roles in Nazi resistance between now and the
end of the war.) [10]
* American Marines land on Guam. [10]
* Japanese premier Hedeki Tojo resigns. [10]
July 22
July 23
July 25
660
* (0938 hours) In France, Operation Cobra begins, with eight squadrons of the US 8th
Air Force bombers attacking an area south of the St.Lô-Périers highway, in preparation
for a breakout operation by the US 1st Army. 1500 heavy bombers, 380 medium
bombers, and 550 fighter-bombers drop 4000 tons of bombs and napalm. Short bombing
kills 111 Americans, and injures 490. The operation is incredibly effective. [10]
* In France, the U.S. 1st Army breaks through enemy positions near St. Lô. [10]
* First jet fighter used in combat (Messerschmitt 262). [1]
July 27
July 31
* In Warsaw, Poland, the Polish Home Army of about 2500 attempts to seize control of
the city against 15,000 Germans. [10]
August 3
August 4
* Nazi Gestapo discover the hiding place of Anne Frank and family, and others hiding
in the warehouse. They are sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, but
Anne's diary is left behind, undiscovered by the Nazis, later found in 1947. [1] [129]
August 5
* (0200 hours) In Cowra, Australia, over 900 Japanese prisoners-of-war stage a mass
escape. They set their quarters on fire, and rush the barbed wire fences and gun posts. 378
escape, but all are recaptured in following days. In total, 234 are killed, 108 wounded,
and four Australian guards are killed. [10]
August 6
August 7
661
August 10
August 15
* The Allies launch Operation Anvil, as a second Allied invasion force under
Lieutenant-General Jacob Devers lands on the Mediterranean coast of France between
Cannes and Toulon. [10]
August 17
* Canadian army forces in France capture Falaise. A pocket of 100,000 German forces
is nearly surrounded, with only a gap 40 miles long, 11-15 miles wide. [10]
August 20
August 21
August 22
* In Normandy, France, the Falaise Gap is declared officially closed. (About 250,000
to 500,000 trapped Germans were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner.) [10]
* Adolf Hitler issues a directive to the German commander of Paris, France, to destroy
the city. [10]
August 23
August 25
* (1530 hours) German commander of Paris, France, Von Choltitz surrenders the city
to Allied armies. [10]
* Finland requests an armistice with the Soviet Union. [10]
* French General Charles de Gaulle enters liberated Paris. [10]
August 26
662
August 29
* (2000 hours) The Slovak army of 60,000 mutinies against the government. [10]
* 15,000 American troops liberating Paris march down Champs Elysees. [1]
August 30
* In Italy, Canadian forces crosses the Foglia River, and pierce the Gothic Line of
German defences. [10]
* Former Paris Military Governor Colonel-General Karl Heinrich von Stülpnagel is
hanged. [10]
* Soviet troops enter Bucharest Romania. [1]
* Russian forces capture Ploesti, Romania. [10]
September 2
September 3
* The British 2nd Army reaches Brussels, Belgium, liberating the city. [10]
September 4
* The Belgian port of Antwerp falls to the British 2nd Army. (The port is mostly
undamaged, by the narrow approaches remain heavily fortified.) [10]
September 8
* (1845 hours British) The first German A-4 (V-2) rocket hits London, England,
landing on Staveley Road in Chiswick, killing three and injuring 20. The explosion
creates a crater 10-20 feet deep and 40 feet across. The full name of the rocket is
Vergeltungswaffe 2 (Revenge Weapon 2), named by Adolf Hitler. [10]
September 9
September 11
663
* Allied forces on land cross into Germany. [10]
* In Quebec City, Canada, Prime Minister William King hosts a nine-day meeting with
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American President Franklin Roosevelt.
They discuss Germany, European military strategy, and the war against Japan. [10]
September 16
* Adolf Hitler meets with military advisors at Wolfsschanze in East Prussia. Hitler
announces he will launch an offensive through the Ardennes, with objective being
Antwerp, Belgium. The idea is to isolate the British, Canadian, and two American armies
in the north, and force their surrender. The reduced strength of the US might then cause
them to make peace, fearful of communist Soviet Union. [10]
September 17
* British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery launches Operation Market Garden, with
14 divisions. Nearly 2000 American CG-4A and 700 British Horga and Hamilcar gliders
are launched from southern England, carrying the British 2nd Army and the US 101st
Airborne Division. They land along 60 miles of road in Holland, leading into Germany.
The objective is to capture bridges at Grave, Nijmegen, and Arnhem over the Rhine river.
[10]
September 19
* Finland and the Soviet Union sign an armistice, ending the conflict between their
countries. [10]
September 21
* German forces begin a second V-2 rocket offensive, on European targets, mainly
Antwerp, Belgium, plus ten others. [10]
September 22
September 28
September 29
September 30
664
* Calais reoccupied by Allies. [1]
October 1
October 3
October 8
October 9
* In Moscow, Russia, representatives of Great Britian and the Soviet Union meet over
twelve days to discuss Balkan spheres of influence, Poland, and the Soviet entry into the
war against Japan. [10]
October 11
* German Colonel Baron Alexis von Roenne is executed by Nazi authorities for
treason. He was the head of German intelligence, and had convinced Adolf Hitler that the
Allied landing would be in the Pas de Calais. [10]
October 13
October 14
* Erwin Rommel German Field Marshall (WW II-Africa), dies at age 52. [1]
* German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel commits suicide rather than face trial for his
part in an attempt to overthrow Hitler. [1]
* British forces liberate Athens, Greece. [10]
October 18
October 20
665
* 30 blocks of Cleveland Ohio burn after a liquid gas factory explodes. [1]
* Revolution by workers and students in Guatemala. [1]
* US first army wins battle of Aachen. [1]
* American General Douglas MacArthur and 200,000 troops begin amphibious
landings on Leyte in the central Philippines. [10]
October 21
* During WWII, US troops capture Aachen, first large German city to fall. [1]
October 23
October 26
* The Battle of Leyte Gulf ends, as the Japanese fleet withdraws. The Japanese lost 34
ships, including four carriers, three battleships, and forty cruisers. (This is the greatest
battle in the history of modern naval warfare to date.) [10]
October 30
* Anne Frank (of Diary fame) is deported from Auschwitz to Belsen. [1]
November 1
* Japanese begin launching large balloons with bombs destined for the west coast of
North America. The balloons maintain a range of altitude by releasing sandbags or
hydrogen automatically during their flight. The bombs are set to be released when all
sandbags have been dropped. (Over five months, 9300 such balloons are launched, with
only about 300 reaching North America. Due to tight control on North Americam media
reporting, the Japanese believe the balloons are ineffective and stop sending them.) [10]
November 6
* Plutonium is first produced at the Hanford Atomic Facility, subsequently used in the
Fat Man Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. [5]
* Hannah Senesh Jewish poetess, executed by Nazis in Budapest. [1]
November 7
November 8
666
* 25,000 Hungarian Jews are loaned to the Nazis for forced labor. [1]
November 12
November 22
November 24
November 25
* (1225 hours) A German V-2 rocket strikes the crowded Woolworths store on New
Cross Road, in Deptford, central London, England, killing 160, seriously injuring 77, and
injuring 122 others. [10]
November 29
December 1
December 2
* Filippo T Marinetti Italian writer (father of futurism), dies at age 67. [1]
* Charles de Gaulle meets with Josef Stalin in Moscow, over nine days. A military
alliance is signed, against Germany now, and after the war. [10]
* German troops seize Betuwse dikes. [1]
* JW Ummels Dutch resistance fighter (House of Saxon-Nazi), dies. [1]
* US 95th Infantry division occupies bridge at Saar. [1]
December 3
667
* Delfien Vanhaute Flemish pastor/poet (Ark of Noah), dies at age 75. [1]
* Hungarian death march of Jews ends. [1]
* Mussert puts Seyss-Inquart plan for small Nazi-Europe. [1]
* US 5th Armour division occupies Brandenburg Hürtgenwald. [1]
December 4
December 5
December 6
December 7
December 9
* Laird Cregar actor (Charley's Aunt, Hangover Square), dies at age 28. [1]
December 10
December 11
December 13
December 14
668
* US Congress establishes rank of General of the Army (5-star General). [1]
* German occupiers forbid use of electricity in parts of Holland. [1]
December 15
December 16
December 17
* M-Ocean View streetcar resumes service and is extended to Market St. [1]
* Pieter A Roodenburgh student/resistance fighter, dies at age 26. [1]
* US Army announces end of excluding Japanese-Americans from West Coast;
Japanese-Americans are released from detention camps. [1]
* US destroyers sink in storm off Philippines, 790 killed. [1]
December 18
December 20
December 21
669
* RKO Radio Pictures world premieres Disney's animated and live-action feature film
The Three Caballeros in theaters in Mexico City, Mexico. [6]
December 22
December 23
December 24
December 26
* Battle of Bastogne-US General Patton's 4th Pantzers repulse the Germans. [1]
* Budapest surrounded by soviet army. [1]
* Tennessee Williams' play "Glass Menagerie" premieres in Chicago. [1]
December 27
December 28
December 29
December 30
670
December 31
Year
* Global mean surface temperature at peak highest point since accurate measurements
in 1880, beginning of gradual decline. [58]
671
1945
January 1
* (early) The German Luftwaffe launches 1000 sorties of fighter planes in a series of
major raids on 27 Allied airfields in Holland, Belgium, and northwest France. They
destroy over 300 Allied aircraft, but lose nearly 200 of their own. German anti-aircraft
batteries, which were not informed of the raids, shoot down many of their own planes.
(This is the German air force's largest single-day loss of the war.) [10]
* France joins the United Nations. [1]
* Vit Nejedly composer, dies at age 33. [1]
January 2
January 3
January 4
January 5
* Dezsö Szabó Hungarian writer (Wiped-out Village), dies at age 65. [1]
* Pepe LePew debuts in Warner Bros cartoon "Odor-able Kitty". [1]
* Surprise attack on Liese-Aktion-office on Marnix Street, Amsterdam. [1]
January 6
* Future President George Bush marries Barbara Pierce in Rye New York. [1]
672
January 7
January 8
January 9
January 10
* Los Angeles Railway (with five streetcar lines) forced to close. [1]
* Rudolf Borchardt writer, dies at age 67. [1]
January 11
January 12
January 13
January 14
January 15
* "Make Mine Manhattan" opens at Broadhurst Theater New York City, New York for
429 performances. [1]
* Every Amsterdammer gets 3 kg sugar beets. [1]
* Red Army frees Crakow-Plaszow concentration camp. [1]
January 16
* Dennis Donnini British rifleman (Victoria Cross), dies in battle at age 19. [1]
673
* Scottish 52nd land division/1st Commando brigade-assault at Heinsberg. [1]
* US first and third army meet at Houffalise. [1]
* End of the "Battle of the Bulge". The Battle of the Bulge was a last desperate attempt
by German forces to break the Allied front in the west and turn the tide of World War II.
[37]
January 17
January 19
January 20
January 21
January 22
January 23
January 24
674
January 25
* Grand Rapids Michigan becomes first US city to fluoridate its water. [1]
* Japanese occupiers of Batavia arrest Indo-European youths. [1]
* West Africa 82nd division occupies Myohaung, Burma. [1]
January 27
January 28
January 30
* German passenger ship Wilhelm Gustloff is struck by three Soviet torpedoes off
Danzig. The ship quickly capsizes, with the loss of 5200-5400 of estimated 6100 on
board. Worst sea loss ever. [1] [260.102]
* Gottlieb J Haberlandt Hungarian/German botanist, dies at age 90. [1]
* In Malta, British and American representatives meet over five days to discuss
military strategy, Italy, China, and occupation zones in Germany. [10]
* William Busch composer, dies at age 43. [1]
January 31
* (1004 hours) American Private Edward Donald Slovik, age 25, is executed by firing
squad for desertion, the first such execution since the US Civil War. [1] [10]
* US 4th Infantry division occupies Elcherrath. [1]
February 1
* Johan Huizinga Dutch culture historian (Homo Ludens), dies at age 72. [1]
* US Army arrives at Siegfriedlinie. [1]
February 2
675
* Escape attempt at Mauthausen concentration camp. [1]
* Karl F Goerdeler mayor (Leipzig)/"July 20th plot", hanged at age 60. [1]
February 3
* About 1000 American B-17 bombers of the US 8th Air Force attack Berlin, Germany.
A reported 25,000 civilians are killed. [10]
* Jose Rolon composer, dies at age 61. [1]
* Roland Freisler German Nazi judge (July 20th plotter case), dies. [1]
* RKO Radio Pictures releases Disney's animated and live-action feature film The
Three Caballeros to theaters in the US. After a brief initial run, Walt pulls the film from
general release, due to bad press reviews. It includes the animated short films The Cold-
Blooded Penguin, The Flying Gauchito, Baia, and Le Pinata, all with Donald Duck. [6]
February 4
* The Yalta Conference takes place, over eight days, to discuss post-war policies.
Russia asks for an Allied air bombing of Berlin and Leipzig. [10]
February 5
* Big Racket becomes fastest race horse at 69.6 kph (440 yards/20.8 seconds). [1]
* British premier Churchill arrives in Yalta, the Krim. [1]
* US troops under General Douglas MacArthur enter Manilla. [1]
February 6
February 7
February 8
February 9
676
* George J L Maduro resistance fighter (Madurodam), dies in Dachau. [1]
* Germany destroys Ruhrdammen. [1]
* Jan Bakker resistance fighter, executed at age 26. [1]
* WAAF-corporal flies along the tail of a Spitfire. [1]
February 10
February 11
* First gas turbine propeller-driven airplane flight tested, Downey California. [1]
* Al Dubin Swiss songwriter (Tiptoe Thru The Tulips), dies at age 53. [1]
* J S H Lokerman Dutch resistance fighter, dies in Neugengamme. [1]
* At Yalta, representatives of Great Britain, the USA, and the Soviet Union sign a
secret agreement on certain post-war issues. After victory over Japan, the Soviet Union is
to receive the Kurile Islands, and southern Sakhalin and adjacent islands. [10]
February 12
February 13
February 14
* Perú, Paraguay, Chile and Ecuador join the United Nations. [1]
February 16
February 19
677
* 900 Japanese soldiers reportedly killed by crocodiles in two days. [1]
* Brotherhood Day-first celebrated. [1]
* 450 ships with 30,000 men of the US 4th and 5th Marine divisions begin landing on
Iwo Jima to attack Japanese forces. [10]
* Wim Speelman Dutch resistance fighter, executed at age 26. [1]
February 21
February 22
February 23
February 24
February 25
February 26
678
February 27
March 1
March 2
March 3
* Arthur Vanderpoorten Flemish Internal minister (1940), dies at age 61. [1]
* Churchill visits Montgomery's headquarter. [1]
* Koos Speenhoff Dutch singer, killed in bombing raid at age 75. [1]
* RAF bombing error hits The Hague killing 511. [1]
* Roermond/Venlo Netherlands, freed. [1]
* US and Philippine forces recaptures Corregidor. [1]
* US 7th Army occupies last part of Westwall. [1]
March 4
March 5
March 6
679
* Jan Thijssen Dutch resistance fighter, executed at Savage Farm. [1]
* Rudolph Karel composer, dies at age 64. [1]
March 7
March 8
March 9
* 279 American B-29 bombers attack Tokyo, Japan, destroying sixteen square miles of
the city, killing 83,700, injuring 40,000, making over one million homeless. [10]
* Japanese proclaim the "independence" of Indo-China. [1]
March 10
March 11
March 12
680
March 13
March 14
March 15
* 17th Academy Awards: "Going my Way", Bing Cosby and Ingrid Bergman win. [1]
* Billboard publishes its first album chart (King Cole Trio is #1). [1]
* Catholic University of Nijmegen reopens. [1]
* Herman B Wiardi Beckman Dutch Member of Parliament (SDAP), dies at age 41. [1]
March 16
* Pierre Drieu la Rochelle French writer/poet, commits suicide at age 52. [1]
March 17
* American forces complete the capture of Iwo Jima. Americans suffer 26,038
casualties, include 6821 dead. Of the 21,000 Japanese defenders, only 1083 survive. [10]
* Allied ships bomb North-Sumatra. [1]
March 18
March 19
March 20
681
March 21
March 22
March 23
March 24
March 25
March 26
* British premier Churchill looks over at the Rhine (near Ginsberg). [1]
* David Lloyd George British (Liberal) premier (1916-22), dies at age 82. [1]
* Generals Eisenhower/Bradley/Patton attack at Remagen the Rhine. [1]
* Isaack Stouten resistance fighter, shot to death at age 29. [1]
* Japanese resistance ends on Iwo Jima. [1]
* Kamikazes attack US battle fleet near Kerama Retto. [1]
* US 7th Army crosses Rhine at Worms. [1]
682
March 27
March 28
March 29
March 30
March 31
April 1
683
April 2
April 3
* The Canadian 1st Army crosses the Rhine River into Germany, capturing Zevenaar.
[244.4]
* Hengelo freed from nazi control by Canadian army. [1]
* Joseph Weinheber Austria poet/writer (Vienna Verbatim), dies at age 43. [1]
* Nazi's begin evacuation of camp Buchenwald. [1]
* US first army conquers Hofgeismar. [1]
April 4
April 5
April 6
* Benjamin M Telders president (Dutch Liberal States Party), dies at age 42. [1]
* Coevorden freed from Nazi's. [1]
* Japanese giant battleship Yamato heads to Okinawa. [1]
* Massive kamikaze-attack on US battle fleet near Okinawa. [1]
* US marines explore Tsugen Shima near Okinawa. [1]
April 7
April 8
April 9
684
* Battleship Admiral Scheer sinks British aircraft carrier. [1]
* Dietrich Bonhoeffer German theologist/antifascist, hanged. [1]
* Hans Oster German Major-General/spy, "July 20th plot", hanged. [1]
* Hans von Dohnanyi "July 20th plotter", hanged. [1]
* Liberty ship at Bari Italy carrying aerial bombs explodes, kills 360. [1]
* Theodor Haecker German cultural philosopher (Mensch?), dies at age 65. [1]
* Wilhelm Canaris Admiral/headed Germany Abwehr, hanged. [1]
April 10
April 11
April 12
April 13
April 14
* American B-29 incendiary raids on Tokyo and damage the Imperial Palace. [1]
* Arnhem/Zwolle freed from Nazis. [1]
* US forces conquer Motobu peninsula on Okinawa. [1]
* US marines attack Yae Take on Okinawa. [1]
685
April 15
April 16
April 17
April 18
* Clandestine Radio 1212, after broadcasting pro-nazi propoganda for months used
their influence to trap 350,000 German army group B troops. [1]
* Epe freed (by corporal G van Aken). [1]
* Ernest T Pyle British/US newscaster, killed in WWII at age 44. [1] [118.12]
* John Ambrose Fleming electrical engineer, dies. [1]
* About 320,000 German troops in Army Group B surrender in the Ruhr. [10]
April 19
April 20
686
* US 7th Army and allies forces capture Nuremberg and Stuttgart in Germany. [1]
* US forces conquer Motobu peninsula on Okinawa. [1]
April 21
April 22
April 23
April 24
April 25
April 26
April 27
687
* Second Republic of Austria forms. [1]
* Italian partisans capture Mussolini prisoner. [1]
* US 5th army enters Genua. [1]
April 28
April 29
* Operation Manna begins, as British Bomber Command begins dropping food in four
pre-approved drop zones in western Holland. By the end of the day, 239 Lancaster
bombers have dropped 500+ tons of food. (The operation continues for ten days,
delivering 7,000 tons of food. US Army Air Force joins in, with Operation Chowhound,
delivering 4000+ tons of food supplies.) [10]
* Adolf Hitler marries Eva Braun. [1]
* Japanese army evacuates Rangoon. [1]
* (1415 hours) In Caserta, Italy, surrender documents are signed by a German
lieutenant colonel and a major, for all German forces in Italy. [10]
* The last parts of French soil, on the Alpine front, still held by Germans are liberated
by French forces. [10]
* (about 1300 hours) American 42nd and 45th Divisions capture Dachau concentration
camp in Germany, liberating 32,000. [10]
* Venice and Mestre are captured by the Allies. [1]
April 30
* (morning) In Milan, Italy, partisans execute former chief of staff for the Italian Army
Marshal Rodolfo Graziani, following a quick trial. [10]
* "Arthur Godfrey Time" begins a 27 year run on CBS radio. [1]
* (1530 hours) In Berlin, Germany, Adolf Hitler commits suicide in his bunker,
shooting himself in the mouth. [10] [129]
* Concentration camp München-Allag freed. [1]
* Eva Braun mistress/wife of Hitler, commits suicide at age 33. [1]
* Lord Haw-Haw calls for crusade against the bolsheviks. [1]
* Red Army occupies Demmin. [1]
* (2250 hours) The Soviet Red Army troops capture the Reichstag in Berlin, Germany.
[10]
* Russian Army frees Ravensbrück concentration camp. [1]
* US troops attack the Elbe. [1]
May 1
688
* 900 occupiers of Demmin Vorpommeren commit suicide. [1]
* Admiral Karl Doenitz forms German government. [1]
* German president Karl Dönitz commences a progressive total surrender of German
armed forces, by means of local surrenders. [10]
* Australian and Dutch troops lands on Tarakan. [1]
* Desider Antalffy-Zsiross Hungarian organist/composer, dies at age 59. [1]
* General Belgian Labor Union (ABVV) party forms. [1]
* Paul Josef Goebbels Nazi minister on propoganda, commits suicide. [1]
* Radio Budapest, Hungary re-enters shortwave broadcasting after WWII. [1]
* Seys-Inquart flees to Flensburg. [1]
* Soviet army reach Rostock. [1]
May 2
May 3
May 4
* (1825 hours) Near Hamburg, the unconditional surrender of one million troops in
German land, sea, and air forces in Holland, Denmark, and northern Germany facing the
Canadian 1st Army and British 2nd Army is arranged. German General of the Army and
Commander in Chief of the Navy Admiral von Friedeberg, Rear Admiral Wagner,
General Paulik, Major Friedeberg sign the surrender terms for Germany. Field Marshal
Bernard Montgomery signs on behalf of Dwight Eisenhower. [10]
* Soviet troops liberate all of Slovakia. [10]
689
* German leader Karl Dönitz orders all submarine commanders to cease hostilities and
return to home bases. [10]
May 5
May 6
May 7
* (0241 hours French time) At Rheims, France, German armed forces sign
unconditional surrender, effective from 0001 hours on May 9. Signing for Germany is
Chief of Staff of German Army Colonel General Gustaf Jodl. Signing for the Supreme
Allied Commander is Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Walter Smith. Signing for France
is General François Sevez. Signing for the Soviet Union is General Ivan Susloparoff. [10]
* The Soviet Union's Extraordinary State Commission reports that the German
concentration camp of Oswiecim in Poland had systematically killed over four million
citizens of the Soviet Union, Poland, France, Belguim, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia,
Yugoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and others. This is the greatest incidence of mass
murder on recorded history. [10]
* Mauthausen Concentration Camp liberated. [1]
* Princess Irene Brigade moves into the Hague Netherlands. [1]
* Pulitzer prize awarded to John Hersey (Bell for Adano). [1]
* SS open fire on crowd in Amsterdam, killing 22. [1]
May 8
690
* General Von Keitel surrenders to Marshal Zhukov near Berlin. [1]
* (0900 hours US Eastern War Time) In Washington, D.C., US President Harry Truman
officially announces the unconditional surrender of Germany. He then calls on Japan to
surrender unconditionally, or face "utter destruction". [10] [129]
* (1500 hours London time) In London, England, Prime Minister Winston Churchill
formally proclaims an end to war in Europe. [10]
May 9
* (0001 hours French time) The Second World War in Europe officially ends. [10]
* (0015 hours Central European Time) In Karlshorst, Berlin, Germany, a second
signing of the military surrender of Germany is held. Surrender is signed by Field
Marshal General Wilhelm Keitel, General Admiral Hans Georg von Friedeburg, General
Hans Juergen Stumpff, commanders in chief of the German Army, Navy, and Air Force,
respectively. Signing on behalf of the Soviet Commander in Chief of the Red Army is
General Marshal Zhukov. Signing on behalf of General Eisenhower is Air Chief Marshal
Arthur Tedder. [10]
* (0400 hours) Soviet forces capture Prague, Czechoslovakia. [10]
* Czechoslovakia liberated from Nazi occupation (National Day). [1]
* Jersey liberated from Nazis. [1]
* Nazi propagandist Max Blokzijl arrested. [1]
* Norwegian Nazi collaborators Vidkun Quisling arrested. [1]
* The Soviet Union celebrates VE Day. In 1418 days of military operations, 20-26
million Soviets were killed, with another 40 million wounded, leaving 25 million
homeless. On the German-Russian front, 10 million German troops were killed or
wounded. Destruction to the Soviet Union: 70,000 villages, 1700 cities and towns, 84,000
schools, 40,000 hospitals, 43,000 libraries, 32,000 factories, 400 museums, 40,000 miles
of railway, and 45 million horses, cattle, and pigs. [10]
* Victory celebration at Red Square. [1]
May 10
May 11
May 13
May 14
691
* US offensive on Okinawa, Sugar Loaf conquered. [1]
May 15
* Major Courtney US medal of honor marine, dies in battle of Sugar Loaf. [1]
May 16
May 17
May 21
May 22
May 23
May 25
May 26
May 29
692
* US first Marine division conquerors Shuri-castle Okinawa. [1]
May 30
June 5
June 7
* The King of Norway returns home to Oslo from London, England. [10]
June 14
June 15
June 17
June 18
* William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) British radio traitor charged with treason. [1]
June 22
June 26
June 28
June 29
693
* Ruthenia, formerly in Czechoslovakia, becomes part of Ukrainian SSR. [1]
July 2
* The Okinawa campaign is declared over. Total US casualties are 80,000 (dead,
wounded, missing, non-combat sickness). Total Japanese casualties are 120,000. [10]
July 5
July 6
* Nicaragua becomes first nation to formally accept United Nations Charter. [1]
* US President Harry Truman signs executive order establishing Medal of Freedom.
[1]
July 10
July 16
* The United States successfully tests the first plutonium atomic bomb, at the Alamo-
gordo airbase in New Mexico. [10]
July 17
* American President Harry Truman, Soviet leader Josef Stalin, and British Prime
Minister Winston Churchill meet at Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam near Berlin,
Germany, beginning a 17-day conference. Partway through the conference, Chruchill is
replaced by the newly elected British Prime Minister Clement Attlee. Peace terms are
drafted, and discussions are held on Germany, Poland, and Japan. [10]
July 26
July 28
694
* US Senate ratifies United Nations charter 89-2. [1]
August 6
* American Colonel Paul Tibbets and the crew of the Enola Gay flying at 31,600 feet
altitude, drop a 4400 kg uranium-based atomic bomb over Hiroshima, Japan, set to
detonate at 1850 feet above the city. The blast has the impact of a 500-mph wind, leveling
almost everything within a two-mile radius, destroying 70,000 buildings, sixty percent of
the city. 70,000 are killed, and 80,000 wounded. The atomic bomb becomes the largest
man-made explosion in history, and largest single killer in history. (By the end of the
year, a further 60,000 have died from burns, wounds, and radiation sickness.) [10]
August 8
August 9
* (1102 hours) An American plane drops a plutonium-atomic bomb over the Urakami
suburb of Nagasaki, Japan, off-target by three miles. Estimated dead are 38-70,000.
(Preferred targets were Kokura and Nigata, which were passed over due to poor weather
conditions.) [10]
August 10
* The Japanese government requests peace with the United States, but insists on
retaining the Emperor. [10]
* Robert Goddard, father of American rocketry, dies. [1] [5]
August 11
August 13
* 35 Jews sacrifice their lives to blow up Nazi rubber plant in Silesia. [1]
August 14
* (evening) US President Harry Truman announces the end of the Second World War.
[10]
August 15
695
* South Korea liberated from Japanese rule. [1]
* US wartime rationing of gasoline and fuel oil ends. [1]
August 17
* Poland and Russia sign a treaty establishing the Russian-Polish border, basicly the
Curzon Line established after the First World War, with a few deviations in Poland's
favor. [10]
* Indonesia declares independence from Netherlands (National Day). [1]
August 21
August 25
August 27
August 30
September 2
September 3
696
September 4
September 5
* (2030 hours) Igor Gouzenko, a cipher clerk at the Soviet embassy in Ottawa, Canada,
leaves the embassy with 109 top secret documents, seeking political asylum rather than
return to the Soviet Union. (After several days, he is given protective custody, and tells
his story to William Stephenson, head of British secret service operations in North
America. The documents detail Soviet espionage in Canada and the United States,
including atomic bomb secrets, and possible preparations for war with the United States.
His evidence leads to the arrest of 12 Soviet spies, and the start of the "Cold War"
between East and West.) [10]
September 7
September 8
September 9
September 10
September 16
September 17
September 18
* 1000 whites walk out of Gary Indiana schools to protest integration. [1]
September 19
697
* Lord Haw Haw (William Joyce) sentenced to death in London. [1]
September 20
October 3
October 5
* Dr. Leonardo Conti, former chief of health in Germany, hangs himself in Nuremberg
jail. He had authorized a variety of experiments involving killing humans to study the
effects of bacteria and poisons. [10]
* "Meet the Press" premieres on radio. [1]
October 8
* Truman announced atomic bomb secret shared with Britain and Canada. [1]
October 11
* Chinese civil war begins, Chiang Kai-Shek versus Mao Tse-Tung. [1]
October 12
October 15
* Pierre Laval is executed (shot) in the courtyard of Fresnes prison, in France. [10]
October 16
* United Nations's Food and Agriculture Organization comes into existence. [1]
October 17
October 21
698
October 23
October 24
October 25
October 29
* First ball-point pen goes on sale in USA, at Gumbel's of New York, for US$12.50.
Nearly 10,000 are sold on the first day. [1] [55.22]
October 30
November 1
November 6
November 10
November 16
* Yeshiva College (University), chartered in New York, first US Jewish College. [1]
November 17
* New world air speed record 606 mph (975 kph) set by HJ Wilson of RAF. [1]
November 20
* The first war crimes trial opens at Nuremberg, with 22 defendants. (The trial lasts
218 days.) [10]
699
November 21
November 26
November 27
November 29
December 1
December 4
December 5
* Five U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo-bombers with 14 crew from Fort Lauderdale Naval
Air Station in Florida disappear over the Atlantic Ocean, in what becomes known as The
Bermuda Triangle. A search and rescue Mariner aircraft with a 13-man crew also
disappears. [1] [129]
* Special Council of Annulment affirms death sentence of Max Blokzijl. [1]
December 7
December 10
* Preston Tucker reveals plan to produce the Torpedo, a new 150 MPH car. [1]
December 11
December 12
700
* Special Court of justice convicts NSB-leader Mussert to death. [1]
December 13
December 14
December 15
December 16
December 18
December 19
December 20
December 21
701
* Gould/Comden/Green's "Billion Dollar Baby" premieres at Alvin Theater New York
City for 219 performances. [1]
December 22
December 23
December 24
December 27
* Arthur Laurent's "Home of the Brave" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* International Monetary Fund established - World Bank founded. [1]
December 28
December 31
702
1946
January 1
January 3
January 4
January 5
* "Show Boat" opens at Ziegfeld Theater New York City, New York for 417
performances. [1]
* The US resumes diplomatic relationships with Siam. [10]
January 6
January 7
703
* In Budapest, Hungary, the People's Court sentences to death Dr. Vitez Laszlo Endre,
former Under-Secretary of the Interior Ministry, Laszlo Vaky, former chief of gendarmes,
and Andor Jaross, former Minister of the Interior. They were found responsible for the
expulsion or extermination of 600,000 Jews and other crimes. [10]
January 9
* "Would-Be Gentleman" opens at Booth Theater New York City, New York for 77
performances. [1]
* Countee Cullen US poet (Black Christ, One Way to Heaven), dies in New York City,
New York at age 42. [1]
January 10
* United Nations General Assembly convenes for first time (London). [1]
* US Army establishes first radar contact with Moon, Belmar New Jersey. [1]
January 11
* Enver Hoxha declares People's Republic of Albania with himself dictator. [1]
* People's Republic of Albania established. [1]
January 12
* "Polonaise" closes at Alvin Theater New York City, New York after 113
performances. [1]
* Edouardo de Filippo's "Questi Fantasmi!", premieres in Rome. [1]
January 13
* India announces its total expenditure during the war: US$12 billion, with US$1.1
billion directly against Germany. Total casualties: 180,000. [10]
January 14
* The United States announces its total expenditure during the war: US$200 billion.
[10]
* Two jetties collapse in Ganges-160 Hindu pilgrims are crushed. [1]
* The Soviet-Polish border treaty of August 1945 is ratified by the Supreme Council of
the Soviet Union. [10]
January 16
* Johanna HC Albregt actress/wife of Henri Dons (Paradise), dies at age 71. [1]
January 17
704
* Gottfried Rudinger composer, dies at age 59. [1]
* United Nations Security Council holds its first meeting. [1]
* In Niemodlin, Lower Silesia, the bodies of 40,000 murdered Allied prisoners are
found in a mass grave. The prisoners were killed in the Lambinowice concentration
camp. [10]
* In Nikolayev, Russia, seven Germans are hanged for the killing of 105,000 Russians
during the war. Two others are sentenced to twenty years in prison. [10]
January 20
January 21
* "Nellie Bly" opens at Adelphi Theater New York City, New York for 16
performances. [1]
January 22
January 23
* In Paris, France, the Court of Justice condemns Jean Luchaire to death for
collaborating with Germans for personal gain. [10]
* Feliks Nowowiejski composer, dies at age 68. [1]
* Matteo Giulio Bartoli linguist, dies at age 72. [1]
* Rear Admiral Sidney W Souers, USNR, becomes first director of US Central
Intelligence Agency. [1]
January 25
January 29
* Harry L Hopkins US minister of Business (Loan and Lease law), dies at age 55. [1]
* Sidney James Jones composer, dies at age 84. [1]
* In Kiev, a military tribunal senetences twelve German officers and soldiers to
hanging for the murder of Soviets. Four others receive prison sentences of 15-20 years.
[10]
* The government of Canada announces that all German war prisoners in the country
will be moved to Great Britain. [10]
705
January 30
* The Austrian government submits to the European Advisory Council its claims of
reparations from Germany, totaling US$7.65 billion. [10]
* First issue of Franklin Roosevelt dime. [1]
January 31
February 1
February 2
February 4
* Garson Kanin's "Born Yesterday" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
* Margarete Boie writer, dies. [1]
February 5
* George Arliss actor/writer (Dr Syn, Voltaire), dies at age 77. [1]
* The United States recognizes the government of Rumania. [10]
February 6
* "Lute Song" opens at Plymouth Theater New York City for 142 performances. [1]
706
February 7
February 8
February 9
* Soviet Premier Josef Stalin announces a new Five-Year Plan for the Soviet Union to
guarantee the country's future security. Stalin blames World War I and II on the
capitalistic world economy, due to the imbalance of raw materials and markets. [10]
* In London, England, a representative of the Soviet Union presents its reparations
demands on Italy: the equivalent of US$100 million of industrial plants of northern Italy.
[10]
* Greece demands Italian reparations of US$3 billion in sulphur, textiles and
agricultural machinery, automobiles, and reconstruction equipment. [10]
* Dutch Labor Party (Dutch Social Democratic Party) forms. [1]
February 11
* The U.S. Military Tribunal in Japan convicts Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma
of the Japanese Army of ordering the Bataan Death March and condoning other wartime
atrocities. He is sentenced to death by firing squad. [10]
* The secret agreement by the Allies made in Yalta is published publicly. The terms of
the Soviet Union joining the war versus Japan include maintaining the status quo in Outer
Mongolia, the restoration of southern Sakhalin and adjacent islands to the Soviet Union,
and the gain to the Soviet Union of the Kurile Islands. [10]
February 13
* "Duchess Misbehaves" opens at Adelphi Theater New York City for five
performances. [1]
* The first general-purpose electronic computer, ENIAC is announced to the public.
The 30 ton computer is eighty feet long, eight feet high, and consists of 18,000 vacuum
707
tubes, 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, and 1500 relays, to provide twenty words of
memory. It is programmed by 6000 dials and switches. ENIAC stands for Electronic
Numerical Integrator and Computer. The project was initiated in 1943, to improve
calculations of artillery shell trajectories. It was built at the University of Pennsylvania's
Moore School of Engineering in Philadelphia. It cost about US$400,000 to build. [11.58]
(February 15 [5])
February 14
February 15
February 16
* "Duchess Misbehaves" closes at Adelphi Theater New York City after five
performances. [1]
* First commercially designed helicopter tested, Bridgeport Connecticut. [1]
February 17
February 19
* In Canada, a surplus Landing Ship loaded with $2 million worth of liquid mustard
gas is intentionally sunk in the Atlantic Ocean, off Nova Scotia. The gas had been
acquired from the United States in 1942. [10]
* In New York, Prince Albert Carl Johan of Sweden marries Kirstin Wijkmark,
becoming Mr. and Mrs. Carl J. Bernadotte. [7]
February 20
February 21
* A special people's court in Helsinki, Finland, finds former President Rysto Ryti guilty
of leading Finland into war against Russia at the side of Germany. He is sentenced to ten
years of hard labor in prison. Seven other former Government officials are also convicted,
with sentences of 2 to 5 1/2 years. [10]
* Anti-British demonstrations in Egypt. [1]
February 24
708
* Juan Peron elected President of Argentina. [1]
February 26
February 27
* 4th "Road" film, "Road to Utopia" premieres (New York City, New York). [1]
February 28
* Combined Chiefs of Staff reveal that the American, Canadian, and British
Governments had experimented with building ice ships during 1942-43. The Habbakuk
project was to create a two million ton ship made of ice and wood pulp, 2000 feet long,
300 feet wide, as a floating aircraft base. [10]
March 1
* In Budapest, Hungary, former Premier Ferenc Szalasi and six other cabinet ministers
are convicted of war crimes, to be hanged March 4. [10]
* British Govt takes control of Bank of England, after 252 years. [1]
* Panamá accepts its new constitution. [1]
March 2
March 5
March 6
March 7
* British and American governments jointly announce the total score of enemy
submarine kills during the war. Total enemy submarine losses from all causes: 996.
Germany lost 781, Italy lost 85, and Japan lost 130. [10]
* "Three to Make Ready" opens at Adelphi Theater New York City for 323
performances. [1]
709
* Max Frisch' "Santa Cruz" premieres in Zürich. [1]
March 8
* First helicopter licensed for commercial use (New York City, New York). [1]
March 9
March 10
March 12
March 13
* Abraham Bredius Dutch art historian (Rembrandt), dies at age 90. [1]
* Thomas Frederick Dunhill composer, dies at age 69. [1]
* Werner von Blomberg German minister of Reichswehr, dies at age 67. [1]
March 14
March 15
March 16
710
* In The Hague, Netherlands, Maximilien Blokzijl is executed by firing squad, for
betraying the nation as announcer of Nazi radio system in the Netherlands during the
occupation. This is the first execution in the Netherlands since 1854. [10]
* Rudolf Hoess, former commandant of the Oswiecim concentration camp, signs a
statement saying that he gassed two million persons between June 1941 to end of 1943
under orders from Heinrich Himmler. [10]
* Marius HLW "Max" Blokzijl Dutch Nazi propagandist, executed at age 61. [1]
March 19
* Amir Hamzah Indonesian poet (Buah Rindu), dies at age 35. [1]
* French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion become overseas departments.
[1]
* In Budapest, Hungary, three members of Premier Ferenc Szalasy's government of
October 1944 are hanged in the jail courtyard: Deputy Prime Minister Eugen Szoelloesi,
Foreign Minister Baron Gabriel Kemeny, and Regent Council member Sandor Csia. [10]
* In Paris, France, Marcel Bucard, leader of the French Blue Shirt Fascists, is executed
by firing squad. [10]
* Nicolai Schwernik succeeds Kalinin as President of USSR. [1]
March 20
March 21
March 22
* First US rocket to leave the Earth's atmosphere (50 miles up). [1]
* Britain signs treaty granting independence to Jordan. [1]
* Clemens A von Galen bishop of Munster/anti fascist, dies at age 68. [1]
March 23
March 24
* Alexander A Aljechin world chess champion (1927-35, 37-46), dies at age 53. [1]
711
* Gustaf Heintze composer, dies at age 66. [1]
March 25
March 27
March 30
* "St Louis Woman" opens at Martin Beck Theater New York City for 113
performances. [1]
* John S S P V Gort viscount of Limerick/Hamsterley, dies at age 59. [1]
March 31
April 1
April 3
April 5
April 7
April 8
712
* League of Nations assembles for last time. [1]
April 10
April 12
April 13
* Belgian premier Acker proclaims wage and price freeze over. [1]
* William Henry Bell composer, dies at age 72. [1]
April 14
* "Day Before Spring" closes at National Theater New York City after 167
performances. [1]
April 16
* First US launch of captured V-2 rocket, White Sands New Mexico; 8 km altitude. [1]
* NSB mayor of Rotterdam Netherlands, FE Müller sentence to 100 years in jail. [1]
April 17
April 18
* "Call Me Mister" opens at National Theater New York City for 734 performances.
[1]
* League of Nations dissolves (3 months after the United Nations starts). [1]
* Rome/Auerbach/Horwitt's musical "Call Me Mister", premieres in New York City.
[1]
* US recognizes Tito's Yugoslavia government. [1]
April 21
* John M Keynes English economist (How to pay for the war?), dies at age 62. [1]
* SED, Socialistic Einheitspartei Germany forms in East Germany. [1]
713
April 22
* Harlan Fiske Stone Chief Justice Supreme Court (1941-46), dies at age 73. [1]
* Lionel Atwill actor (Captain Blood, Great Waltz), dies at age 61. [1]
* SED, Sozialistic Einheitspartei Deutschlands, party forms. [1]
April 23
April 25
April 26
April 27
April 29
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 4
714
* Five die in a two day riot at Alcatraz prison in San Francisco bay. [1]
* Washington Senator's Cecil Travis gets six straight hits before being stopped. [1]
May 6
May 7
May 9
* First hour long entertainment TV show, NBC's Hour Glass premieres. [1]
* King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy abdicates, replaced by Umberto. [1]
May 10
May 13
May 14
May 16
* Musical "Annie Get Your Gun" starring Ethel Merman premieres in New York City.
[1]
May 17
May 19
May 25
715
* Jordan gains independence from Britain (National Day). [1]
May 26
May 29
May 30
* United flight 521 crashes on takeoff at LaGuardia Airport (New York) 42 die. [1]
June 2
June 4
June 5
* At the Epsom Downs racecourse near London, England, the annual Derby horse race
is held. An American millionaire bets US$6000 on a long shot horse at 50 to 1 odds,
winning US$300,000. [80.185]
* Fire at LaSalle Hotel cocktail lounge kills 61 (Chicago Ill). [1]
June 6
June 9
June 10
June 13
716
* First transcontinental round-trip flight in one-day, California-Maryland. [1]
* Edward Bowes radio host (Major Bowes Amateur Hour), dies at age 71. [1]
June 14
June 17
June 21
June 24
June 28
June 29
July 1
July 2
July 4
July 5
* Louis Reard's bikini swimsuit design debuts at a Paris fashion show, modelled by
Micheline Bernardi. [1] [5] [55.23]
July 7
717
* Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini canonized as first American saint. [1]
July 11
* A war crimes trial convicts Joachim Peiper, Sepp Dietrich, and 71 other former
German SS officers and soldiers. Peiper and 42 others are sentenced to death. (Dietrich is
paroled in 1955, Peiper in 1956. None are ever executed.) [10]
July 15
July 16
* Attempt made to recall Mayor Lapham (first time in San Francisco history). [1]
July 17
July 21
July 22
July 25
July 27
July 30
* First rocket attains 100 mi (167 km) altitude, White Sands, New Mexico, USA. [1]
August 1
718
* US President Harry Truman establishes Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). [1]
August 6
August 7
August 8
August 13
August 15
* RKO Radio Pictures releases Disney's animated feature film Make Mine Music to
theaters. It comprises the following animated short films The Martins and the Coys,
Casey at the Bat, Peter and the Wolf, Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet, and The
Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met. [6]
August 31
* At the Nuremberg Tribunal, defendants make closing statements before the court.
Hermann Göring denies all. Joachim von Ribbentrop hopes America and Great Britain
are more successful versus Bolshevism. Wilhelm Keitel says his loyalty was exploited for
obscure reasons. Albert Speer predicts destruction if technology developments of
previous five years exploited in another war. [10]
September 11
September 16
September 22
September 29
719
* Al Couture knockouts Ralph Walton in Lewiston Maine in 10.5 secs. [1]
October 1
* At the Nuremberg Tribunal, public reading of the findings ends, with verdicts and
sentences announced. Those sentenced to hanging: Hermann Göring, Joachim von
Ribbentrop, Wilhelm Keitel, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Alfred Rosenberg, Hans Frank,
Wilhelm Frick, Julius Streicher, Fritz Sauckel, Alfred Jodl, Martin Boorman, Arthur
Seyss-Inquart. Those sentenced to life imprisonment: Rudolf Hess, Walther Funk, Erich
Raeder. Those sentenced to 20 years imprisonment: Baldur von Schirach, Albert Speer.
Those sentenced to 15 years imprisonment: Constantin von Neurath. Those sentenced to
10 years imprisonment: Karl Dönitz. Those acquitted on all charges: Hjalmar Schacht,
Franz von Papen, Hans Fritzsche. [1] [10]
October 2
October 9
October 15
October 16
* (0000 to 0230 hours) Ten German leaders convicted at the Nuremberg Tribunal are
hanged at Nuremberg. The bodies are cremated. [1] [10]
* Arthur Seyss-Inquart Austrian chancellor (1930s), dies at age 54. [1]
October 23
October 28
October 29
* The Allied Control Council of Germany issues Directive No. 42, closing the border
between the Soviet and Western zones. [10]
720
November 1
November 4
November 5
November 12
November 13
* First artificial snow produced from a natural cloud, Mount Greylock, Massachusetts.
[1]
November 18
November 21
December 3
* US government asks United Nations to order dictator Franco out of Spain. [1]
December 5
December 6
721
December 7
December 8
December 10
* Damon Runyon US journalist/writer (Guys and Dolls), dies at age 66. [1]
December 11
December 12
* Ice plant collapses, shearing a tenement building and burying 38. [1]
* Johannes L "Jan" Walch Dutch literary (Abelard and Heloïse), dies at age 67. [1]
* Tide detergent introduced. [1]
* United Nations accepts six Manhattan blocks as a gift from John D Rockefeller Jr.
[1]
December 13
December 14
* "Three to Make Ready" closes at Adelphi Theater New York City after 323
performances. [1]
* Togo is made a trusteeship territory of the United Nations. [1]
* United Nations General Assembly votes to establish United Nations headquarters in
New York City, New York. [1]
December 15
December 17
722
* Constance [Clara] Garnett Russian-English translator, dies at age 84. [1]
* US V-2 rocket reaches 183 km, White Sands Proving Grounds New Mexico, USA.
[1]
December 18
* TV's first network dramatic serial "Faraway Hill" ends two month run. [1]
December 19
December 20
December 21
* "If the Shoe Fits" closes at Century Theater New York City after 20 performances.
[1]
* Earthquake in South Japan, kills 1,086. [1]
* Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" premieres. [1]
* Morton Gould's "Minstrel Show" premieres in Indianapolis. [1]
December 22
* "Bal Negre" closes at Belasco Theater New York City after 54 performances. [1]
December 23
December 24
December 25
December 26
723
* Gangster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel opens the Flamingo hotel and casino on the
desert highway between Las Vegas and the McCarren airport. The casino initially loses
money, and closes within a month. [1] [80.303] [187.395] (1947 [39])
December 28
* Carrie Jacobs Bond American composer (I Love You Truly), dies at age 85. [1]
December 30
December 31
Year
* Total amount spent on legal betting in the USA: US$500 million. [80.86]
* Total amount spent in Great Britain on greyhound racing: US$1.2 billion. [80.200]
724
1947
January 1
January 2
January 3
January 4
* The first issue of the German news magazine Der Spiegel is published. It starts as a
publication under the authority of the British occupation forces. Former name was Diese
Woche. [37]
* "Park Avenue" closes at Shubert Theater New York City, New York after 72
performances. [1]
* "Show Boat" closes at Ziegfeld Theater New York City, New York after 417
performances. [1]
* Forrest Reid Irish author/critic (Young Tom, Apostate), dies at age 71. [1]
January 8
January 9
* "Street Scene" opens at Adelphi Theater New York City, New York for 148
performances. [1]
* Karl Mannheim sociologist (Diagnosis of Our Time), dies at age 53. [1]
* Lambertus Zijl sculptor (Merchant Exchange-Amsterdam), dies at age 80. [1]
* Roger Sessions' second Symphony, premieres in San Francisco. [1]
January 10
* "Finian's Rainbow" opens at 46th Steet Theater New York City, New York for 725
performances. [1]
* British stop ships Independence and In-Gathering from landing in Israel. [1]
725
* Greek steamer "Himara" strikes a wartime mine in Saronic Gulf south of Athens with
loss of 392 of 637 aboard. [1]
January 12
January 13
* Veit Valentin German/US historian (German People), dies at age 61. [1]
January 16
January 17
January 18
* "Red Mill" closes at Ziegfeld Theater New York City, New York after 831
performances. [1]
* Small river steamer sank on Yangtze River, kills 400. [1]
January 19
January 20
January 21
* "Sweethearts" opens at Shubert Theater New York City, New York for 288
performances. [1]
* Arthur Honegger's 4th Symphony premieres in Basel. [1]
January 22
January 23
726
* Pierre Bonnard French painter/illustrator, dies at age 79. [1]
January 24
* Felix Timmermans writer/painter (Gift from Saint Nicholas), dies at age 60. [1]
January 25
January 26
* Grace Moore US soprano/actress (One Night of Love), dies at age 45. [1]
* Swedish Prince Gustaf Adolf dies in an airplane crash at Kastrup, Sweden. [1] [7]
* KLM Dakota crashes near Copenhagen, 22 die. [1]
January 28
January 29
* Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 30
February 1
February 3
February 5
727
* Bolewet Beirut becomes President of Poland. [1]
* Ganzefles Dutch Nazi spy/Jew hunter, executed. [1]
* Hans Fallada writer, dies at age 53. [1]
February 6
* Albert J Bakker Dutch actor (Teun the night watch), dies at age 82. [1]
* Luigi Russolo composer, dies at age 61. [1]
February 7
February 8
February 9
February 10
February 12
February 15
* "Toplitzky of Notre Dame" closes at Century Theater New York City after 60
performances. [1]
February 16
February 17
728
* Dutch Roman Catholic bishops publish manifest against "godless communism". [1]
* Voice of America begins broadcasting to USSR. [1]
February 18
February 19
February 20
* Chemical mixing error causes explosion that destroys 42 blocks in Los Angeles
California. [1]
* Lord Mountbatten appointed as last viceroy of India. [1]
February 21
February 23
* General Eisenhower opens drive to raise $170 million in aid for European Jews. [1]
February 25
* The Allied Control Council of Germany issues Law No. 46, disbanding Prussia. [10]
* Friedrich Paschen German physicist, dies at age 82. [1]
February 26
* Ben Webster actor (Old Curiosity Shop), dies at age 82. [1]
February 27
February 28
March 1
729
* International Monetary Fund began operations. [1]
* J Boogaard Nazi collaborator, executed. [1]
March 5
* Alfredo Casella Italian composer/conductor (La Giara), dies at age 63. [1]
March 6
March 11
March 12
* "Chocolate Soldier" opens at Century Theater New York City for 69 performances.
[1]
* Belgian government of Huysmans resigns. [1]
* US President Harry Truman introduces Truman-doctrine to fight communism. [1]
March 13
* "Brigadoon" opens at Ziegfeld Theater New York City for 581 performances. [1]
* 19th Academy Awards: "Best Years of Our Lives", Frederic March, Olivia de
Havilland win. [1]
March 16
March 19
March 20
March 21
730
* Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Fulgens radiatur. [1]
* US President Harry Truman signs Executive Order 9835 requiring all federal
employees to have allegiance to the United States. [1]
March 24
March 25
March 28
March 29
* "Beggar's Holiday" closes at Broadway Theater New York City after 111
performances. [1]
April 1
April 2
April 3
* "Barefoot Boy with Cheek" opens at Martin Beck New York City for 108
performances. [1]
April 4
April 6
* First Tony Awards: Arthur Miller, David Wayne and Patricia Neal win. [1]
731
* Vaclav Kapral composer, dies at age 58. [1]
April 8
April 9
April 10
April 12
April 15
April 16
April 19
* French ship explodes in Texas City harbor, kills about 522. [1]
April 20
April 25
April 26
732
* "Bless the Bride" musical opens in London. [1]
April 28
April 29
April 30
May 1
* Lieutenant General Hoyt S Vandenberg, USA, ends term as second head of Central
Intelligence Agency. [1]
* Radar for commercial and private planes first demonstrated. [1]
* Rear Admiral Roscoe H Hillenkoetter, USN, becomes 3th director of the Central
Intelligence Agency. [1]
* Sanner leader of Norger blood bath, executed. [1]
May 2
* Eugene O'Neill's "Moon for the Misbegotten" premieres in New York City. [1]
May 3
May 5
* Mississippi Valley flooding kills 16 and causes $850 million in damage. [1]
* Pulitzer prize awarded to Robert Penn Warren (All the King's Men). [1]
May 6
May 7
733
* Paraguayian Government unleashes contra revolt. [1]
May 11
May 13
* US Senate approves the Taft-Hartley Act limiting the power of unions. [1]
May 14
* John Ray Sinnock, American coin mint chief engraver (1925-47), dies at age 59. [1]
May 22
* "Truman Doctrine" goes into effect, aiding Turkey and Greece. [1]
* First US ballistic missile fired. [1]
May 23
May 25
* Coal dust explosion rocks Centralia Coal Company's Mine #5 killing 111. [1]
May 30
May 31
* Adrienne Ames; actress (Black Sheep, 24 Hours), dies at age 39. [1]
* Communists grab power in Hungary. [1]
* Eastern DC-4 crashes between Port Deposit and Perryville Maryland, kills 53. [1]
* Henri G Casadesus, French altviolist/composer (viola d'amour), dies at age 66. [1]
* Italian Government of Gasperi forms. [1]
June 1
734
June 5
* American Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs George Marshall announces the
European Recovery Program, known as the Marshall Plan. (Over three years, US$13.3
billion is spent on economic assistance to European countries.) [1] [10]
June 10
* Swedish aircraft company Saab introduces its first car, the Saab 92. It features front-
wheel drive, two doors, green paint. [5] [7]
June 11
June 16
June 17
* First round-the-world civil air service leaves New York City. [1]
June 18
June 19
* First plane (F-80) to exceed 600 mph (1004 kph)-Albert Boyd, Muroc, California. [1]
June 20
* Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel, gangster, shot dead in Beverly Hills, California. [1] [5]
[129] [187.395]
* US President Harry Truman vetoes Taft-Hartley Act. [1]
June 23
June 24
* Flying saucers sighted over Mount Rainier, Washington, by pilot Ken Arnold. [1] [5]
735
July 1
July 3
* 252,288 people (record) pass through Grand Central Station, New York City. [1]
July 4
* In the desert outside Roswell, New Mexico, an alien flying craft (supposedly)
crashes. [12.2,10]
July 8
* Demolition begins in New York City for United Nations headquarters in New York
City. [1]
July 10
* 200 die when train derails and falls into a river in Canton, China. [1]
July 17
July 18
July 22
* -8 degrees F (-13 degrees C), Charlotte Pass, New South Wales (Australian record).
[1]
July 23
* First (US Navy) air squadron of jets, Quonset Point, Rhode Island. [1]
July 25
* US Air Force, Navy and War Departments form US Department of Defense. [1]
* US Deptartment of the Army created. [1]
736
July 26
July 29
* Gas leak explodes in a beauty parlor, 10 women die in Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA.
[1]
August 7
* Balsa raft Kon Tiki crashes into a Polynesian archipelago reef. [1]
August 14
August 18
* Naval torpedo and mine factory explodes at Cadiz, Spain, killing 168, injuring 4000.
[1] [250.4]
August 20
* Turner Caldwell in D-558-I sets aircraft speed record, 1131 kph. [1]
September 15
September 16
* John Cobb sets world auto speed record at 394.2 MPH. [1]
September 17
September 20
September 27
737
* RKO Radio Pictures releases Disney's animated feature film Fun and Fancy Free to
theaters. It includes the animated films Bongo, and Mickey and the Beanstalk (with
Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy). [6]
October 1
* First helicopter air mail and express service, Los Angeles, California. [1]
* US control of Haitian customs and governmental revenue ends. [1]
October 2
October 3
October 5
* First Presidential address televised from White House - Harry Truman. [1]
October 9
October 13
* WBKB-TV premieres the Kukla, Fran, and Ollie 15-minute puppet children's TV
show. [1] [179.540]
October 14
* Chuck Yeager in Bell XS-1 makes first supersonic flight (Mach 1.015). [1]
October 20
October 23
* NAACP petition on racism, "An Appeal to the World" presented to United Nations.
[1]
October 24
738
* Series of forest fires burn US$30 million of timber (New England States). [1]
October 26
October 27
* You Bet Your Life, with Groucho Marx, premieres on ABC radio. [1]
October 29
* Frances Cleveland Preston, former first lady (USA), dies in Baltimore, Maryland at
age 83. [1]
November 1
* United Nations trusteeship for Nauru granted to Australia, New Zealand and United
Kingdom. [1]
November 2
* Off California, the Hughes Flying Boat, nicknamed the Spruce Goose for its birch
and spruce construction, the largest aircraft ever built (320-foot wingspan, eight propellor
engines), is piloted by designer Howard Hughes on its first and only flight. The float
plane is flown 70 feet above the water for a mile. [1] [5] [129]
November 6
* Meet The Press makes its television debut in the USA. [5]
November 20
November 24
739
November 25
November 29
* The United Nations votes for the partition of Palestine and the creation of an
independent Jewish state. [1] [129]
November 30
* Day after United Nations decree for Israel, Jewish settlements attacked. [1]
December 1
December 3
* Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire opens on Broadway, New York,
at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. [1] [129]
December 4
December 10
December 11
* Bob Hilliard/Carl Sigman's musical Angel in the Wings premieres at Coronet Theater
in New York City for 308 performances. [1]
December 12
* Júlio A Peixoto, Brazilian writer (Fruta do Mato), dies at age 70. [1]
* United Mine Workers union withdrew from AFL. [1]
December 14
* Franz Zorell, German Roman Catholic lexicographer, dies at age 84. [1]
* Stanley Baldwin; English premier (1923, 1924-29, 1935-37), dies at age 80. [1]
740
December 18
December 20
* St-Georges de Bouchélier, French author (Children's Carnival), dies at age 71. [1]
December 22
December 23
December 25
December 26
* British transfer Heard and McDonald Islands (Indian Ocean) to Australia. [1]
* Heavy snow blankets Northeast USA, buries New York City under 25.8 inches of
snow in 16 hours; the same day, Los Angeles sets a record high of 84 degrees F. [1]
December 27
December 28
* Victor Emmanuel III, king of Italy (1900-46)/Ethiopia, dies at age 78. [1]
December 29
December 30
* Han [Henricus A] van Meegeren, Dutch painter/art forger, dies at age 58. [1]
741
* King Michael of Romania is forced by communists to abdicate his throne. [1]
* Romanian republic proclaimed. [1]
December 31
* Franz X Ritter von Epp, German general (SW Africa), dies at age 79. [1]
742
1948
January 1
January 4
January 7
January 8
January 10
* Call Me Mister play closes at National Theater in New York City, New York after
734 performances. [1]
January 12
January 13
January 14
* Anna "Ans" van Dike, Dutch Jewish Nazi-collaborator, executed at age 42. [1]
743
January 16
January 17
January 18
January 21
January 23
* Huston's film Treasure of Sierra Madre starring Humphrey Bogart opens. [1]
January 24
* Dutch Liberal Party forms - People's party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). [1]
January 26
January 27
January 30
January 31
744
* Magnetic tape recorder developed by Wireway. [1]
February 1
February 2
* US President Harry Truman urges congress to adopt a civil rights program. [1]
February 4
February 5
* The Nature of Things science show premieres on NBC prime time. [1]
* Johann Blaskowitz, German General (surrendered at Wageningen), dies at age 64. [1]
February 6
February 7
February 9
February 10
February 11
February 13
745
* Wright Flyer, first plane to fly, returns to US from England. [1]
February 15
February 16
* First newsreel telecast, 20th Century Fox-Movietone News shown on NBC. [1]
* Miranda, famous moon of Uranus, photographed for first time. [1]
February 20
February 21
February 22
February 25
February 29
March 4
March 5
March 6
March 8
746
* US Supreme Court rules relgious instruction in public schools is unconstitutional. [1]
March 9
March 10
* First civilian to exceed speed of sound - Herb H Hoover, Edwards Air Force Base
California. [1]
* Jan Masaryk, Czechoslovakian Foreign minister, commits suicide or is murdered. [1]
March 11
March 15
* Sixteen nations plus the American, British, and French zones of Germany draft a
convention for economic cooperation. (This leads to the setting up of the Organization for
European Economic Cooperation.) [7]
March 18
March 20
March 21
* Stop the Music with Bert Parks premieres on ABC radio. [1]
March 23
* John Cunningham sets world altitude record (54,492 feet (18,133 metres)). [1]
March 25
* Warren Hymer, actor (Show Them No Mercy), dies at age 42. [1]
747
March 26
* Helen Ernst, German poster artist/resistance fighter, dies at about age 43. [1]
March 27
March 28
March 31
April 3
April 4
* 84-year-old Connie Mack challenges 78-year-old Clark Griffith to a race from home
to first base; it ends in a tie. [1]
April 7
April 8
April 9
April 10
748
April 13
April 14
April 15
April 16
* Organization for European Economic Cooperation (EEC) forms in Paris, France. [1]
April 17
April 18
April 19
April 20
* United Auto Workers president Walter P Reuther shot and wounded at his home in
Detroit, Michigan, USA. [1]
April 21
April 24
749
* Manuel Marua Ponce; Mexican composer (Ferial), dies at age 65. [1]
* Rosita Marstini, actress (I Cover Waterfront, Big Parade), dies at age 54. [1]
April 26
* The XP-86 prototype for the Sabre Jet first "officially" breaks the sound barrier. The
first operational F-86A Sabres enters service in May. [1]
April 27
April 30
* Inside USA play opens at Century Theater in New York City for 339 performances.
[1]
* Organization of American States charter signed at Bogotá, Colombia. [1]
* US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak. [1]
May 1
May 3
May 4
* The Hague Court of Justice convicts Hans Rauter (Nazi SS) to the death penalty. [1]
May 5
May 6
May 7
750
* Nazi collaborator V-Mann Antonius van de Waals sentenced to death. [1]
May 8
May 10
May 11
May 12
May 14
* Britain withdraws from the Palestine territory as its mandate expires. The State of
Israel is proclaimed by Jewish Agency Chairman David Ben Gurion. [1] [129] [240.212]
* US grants Israel de facto recognition. [1]
* Israeli Radio Station Kol Yisrael's first broadcast. [1]
* US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak. [1]
* Jordan's Arab League captures Atarot, north of Jerusalem. [1]
May 15
May 16
May 17
751
* Israel liberates Acre, Nebi Yusha and Telel-Kadi. [1]
* Soviet Union recognizes Israel. [1]
May 18
May 20
* First use of Israeli Air Force and first war victory, defeating Syrian army. [1]
May 22
May 23
May 24
May 25
May 26
May 27
May 28
752
May 29
* May Whitty, actress (Gaslight, Mrs Miniver, Suspicion), dies at age 82. [1]
May 31
June 3
June 8
June 18
June 20
* West German Finance Minister Ludwig Erhard eliminates most price controls and
introduces a new currency, the "Deutsche mark". [46.96] [118.6]
* CBS premieres the Toast of the Town 60-minute variety TV show, hosted by Ed
Sullivan. [1] [5] [179.287]
June 21
June 24
June 26
753
* US denounces Soviet blockade of Berlin. [1]
* U.S. and British pilots begin delivering food and supplies by airplane to West Berlin
after the city is isolated by a Soviet Union blockade. [129]
June 30
July 5
* Britain launches the universal, tax-funded National Health Service. [1] [222.70]
* Carole Landis, actress, dies at age 29. [1]
* E L Johnson discovers asteroid #1618 Dawn. [1]
July 7
* Six female reservists become first women sworn into regular US Navy. [1]
July 12
* First jets to fly across the Atlantic (6 RAF de Havilland Vampires). [1]
July 15
July 17
July 21
July 23
July 26
* US President Harry Truman issues Executive Order No. 9981 directing "equality of
treatment and opportunity" in armed forces. [1]
754
July 28
* I.G. Farben chemical plant explodes in Ludwigshafen, Germany, 182 die. [1]
July 31
* US President Harry Truman dedicates Idlewild Field (Kennedy Airport), New York.
[1]
August 4
August 10
August 15
August 16
August 17
August 20
August 23
September 1
September 4
755
September 6
September 7
September 9
September 11
September 13
September 14
September 15
* F-86 Sabre sets world aircraft speed record of 1080 kph. [1]
September 17
September 18
September 21
* NBC premieres the Texaco Star Theatre 60-minute variety TV show. [1] [179.655]
756
September 24
October 1
* California Supreme Court voids state statute banning interracial marriages. [1]
* Radio Denmark begins transmitting. [1]
October 18
October 21
October 27
October 28
October 30
* 20 die and 6,000 made ill by smog in Donora, Pennsylvania, USA. [1]
November 2
November 12
* In Tokyo, Japan, the International War Crimes Tribunal announces final verdicts. It
sentences former Japanese President Hedeki Tojo and six other Japanese leaders to death.
Sixteen others are sentenced to life in prison. [1] [10]
November 15
757
November 17
November 23
November 25
November 28
November 30
December 1
December 3
December 4
December 7
December 8
758
December 9
December 10
December 14
December 15
* Former state department official Alger Hiss indicted in New York City for perjury.
[1]
December 16
* Lend an Ear play opens at National Theater in New York City for 460 performances.
[1]
December 17
December 18
December 19
December 20
December 21
759
December 23
* Hideki Tojo, Japanese Prime Minister, and six other Japanese hanged for war crimes
by US. [1]
December 24
December 26
December 28
December 29
December 30
* Kiss Me, Kate opens at New Century Theater in New York City for 1077
performances. [1]
December 31
760
1949
January 1
January 3
January 5
January 7
* First photo of genes taken at University of Southern California by Pease and Baker.
[1]
January 8
* Make Mine Manhattan play closes at Broadhurst Theater in New York City, New
York after 429 performances. [1]
January 9
January 10
January 11
* The first case of snowfall in Los Angeles, California is recorded. [1] [5]
January 12
January 14
761
* Black/Indian race rebellion in Durban, South Africa; 142 die. [1]
* Joaquín Turina, Spanish pianist/conductor/composer (Rima), dies at age 66. [1]
January 15
* Black Dahlia murder victim found in Los Angeles, California (basis of the movie).
[1]
* Mao's Red army conquers Ten-tsin. [1]
* Pompeo Aloisi, Italian baron/diplomat/senator, dies at age 63. [1]
January 18
* They Stand Accused courtroom drama premieres on CBS (later DuMont). [1]
* First US Congressional standing committee headed by Negro (W Dawson). [1]
* South African Reverend Andries P Treurnicht marries Engela Dreyer. [1]
January 19
* RKO Radio Pictures releases Disney's animated and live-action feature film So Dear
to My Heart to theaters in the USA. The film is based on the book Midnight and Jeremiah
by Sterling North. [6]
January 20
* J Edgar Hoover gives Shirley Temple a tear gas fountain pen. [1]
* Josephus T J Cuypers, architect (Amsterdam Stock Exchange), dies at age 87. [1]
* US President Harry Truman announces his four-point program. [1]
January 21
January 25
* In Los Angeles, California, the 1st Annual Emmy Awards are presented, hosted by
Walter O'Keefe.
o Best Film Made for Television: The Necklace (Your Show Time Series)
o Most Outstanding Television Personality: Shirley Dinsdale
o Most Popular Television Program: Pantomime Quiz - KTLA
o Special Award: Louis McManus for designing the Emmy statuette.
[1] [164]
* First Israeli election - Ben-Gurion's Mapai party wins. [1]
* Emil Axman, composer, dies at age 61. [1]
January 26
762
* Victor Fleming, director (Wizard of Oz, Gone With Wind), dies at age 65. [1]
January 27
January 28
January 29
January 31
* First daytime soap on TV These Are My Children (NBC in Chicago, Illinois, USA).
[1]
* Henri de Vries [Hendricus Walterop], actor (Cleopatra), dies at age 84. [1]
February 1
February 4
February 5
February 8
February 9
763
* Poul Julius Ouscher Schierbeck, composer, dies at age 60. [1]
February 10
* Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman opens at Morosco Theater, New York City.
[1]
February 12
* Annie Get Your Gun closes at Imperial Theater in New York City after 1147
performances. [1]
* Panic in Quito, Ecuador, after War of the World played on radio. [1]
* Unidentified aircraft bomb Jerusalem. [1]
February 14
February 17
February 18
* Niceto A Zamora y Torres, premier of Spain (1931-36), dies at age 71. [1]
February 19
February 20
February 21
February 22
* Russell Porter, actor (Betsy, Hanna's War, British Empire), dies. [1]
February 24
764
* Israel and Egypt sign an armistice agreement. [1]
* V-2/WAC-Corporal first rocket to outer space, White Sands, New Mexico, 400 km.
[1]
February 26
February 28
March 2
March 4
March 9
* American Brigadier General Edwin K Wright ends term as deputy director of Central
Intelligence Agency. [1]
March 11
March 12
* Maria "Beppie" Bakker, Dutch actress/wife of Piet Vink Sr, dies at age 95. [1]
March 17
* Felix Bressart, actor (Escape, Ninotchka, Iceland), dies at age 54. [1]
March 18
765
March 19
* First museum devoted exclusively to atomic energy opens in Oak Ridge, Tennessee,
USA. [1]
March 24
* 21st Academy Awards: Hamlet, Laurence Olivier, and Jane Wyman win. [1]
* Walter and John Huston become first father-and-son team to win Oscars (actor and
director of Treasure of Sierra Madre). [1]
March 25
March 28
March 29
March 30
* Friedrich C R Bergius, chemist (brown coal, Nobel Prize 1931), dies at age 64. [1]
March 31
April 3
April 4
April 5
* 60-year-old Saint Anthony's Hospital burns, kills 77 (Effingham, Illinois, USA). [1]
766
April 7
* Rogers and Hammerstein's play South Pacific opens at Majestic Theater in New York
(for 1928 performances). [1]
April 9
* United Nations' International Court of Justice holds Albania responsible for incidents
in Corfu Channel and awards Britain damages. [1]
April 14
April 15
April 16
* Sutan Ibrahim gelor Datuk Tan Malaka Indon, communist, executed at age 54. [1]
April 18
April 23
April 24
* Third Tony Awards: Death of a Salesman and Kiss Me Kate win. [1]
April 25
May 1
767
May 2
May 3
May 5
May 6
May 8
May 9
May 11
* First Polaroid camera sells for US$89.95 (New York City). [1]
* Adrianus de Kleyn, throat/nose/otologist (ear doctor), dies at age 65. [1]
* By a vote of 37-12, Israel becomes 59th member of United Nations. [1]
* Siam renames itself Thailand. [1]
May 12
May 13
* First British-produced jet bomber, Canberra, makes its first test flight. [1]
May 14
768
* US President Harry Truman signs bill establishing a rocket test range at Cape
Canaveral. [1]
May 16
May 17
May 18
May 22
May 23
May 25
May 27
May 29
May 30
June 1
769
* First magazine on microfilm offered to subscribers (Newsweek). [1]
June 2
June 3
* First negro to graduate from US Naval Academy (Wesley Anthony Brown). [1]
* Amedos Peter Giannine, founder of Bank of America, dies at age 79. [1]
* Dragnet is first broadcast on radio (KFI in Los Angeles). [1]
June 4
* Cavalcade of Stars debuts (DuMont); Jackie Gleason made host in 1950. [1]
June 14
June 16
June 23
June 24
June 26
June 29
July 1
770
July 2
* Red Barber's Clubhouse sports show premieres on CBS (later NBC) TV. [1]
July 7
July 10
July 19
July 20
July 21
July 27
* The de Havilland Comet, the first jet-powered airliner, makes its initial flight. [1] [5]
August 8
August 10
August 20
August 24
August 28
771
* Riot prevents Paul Robeson from singing near Peekskill, New York, USA. [1]
August 29
September 1
September 2
September 4
September 6
September 15
September 17
September 18
* Frank Morgan, actor (Annie Get Your Gun), dies at age 59. [1] [5]
September 21
September 22
September 23
772
* US President Harry Truman announces evidence of USSR's first nuclear device
detonation. [1]
September 30
October 1
October 4
* American Contract Bridge League votes 58.5 percent to keep blacks out. [1]
October 5
* RKO Radio Pictures releases Disney's animated feature film The Adventures of
Ichabod and Mr. Toad to theaters in the USA. The film comprises two half hour
sequences: Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willow, and Washington Irving's The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow. [6]
October 6
* Iva Toguri D'Aquino (Tokyo Rose) sentenced to 10 years and $10,000 fine. [1]
* US President Harry Truman signs Mutual Defense Assistance Act (for NATO). [1]
October 7
* German Democratic Republic formed from Russian occupation zone (National Day).
[1]
October 12
October 14
October 15
773
October 21
October 22
October 26
* US President Harry Truman increases minimum wage from 40 cents to 75 cents. [1]
November 4
November 19
November 24
November 25
* Luther "Bill" Robinson, famed tap dancer, dies at age 71. [1]
November 26
November 30
December 3
December 6
* Leadbelly [Huddie William Ledbetter], blues singer, dies at age 64. [1]
774
December 7
December 8
December 9
December 13
December 16
December 17
December 19
December 20
* Maurice Ravel/John Cranko's ballet Beauty and the Beast premieres. [1]
December 21
December 27
December 28
775
* 20th Century Fox announces it will produce TV programs. [1]
* W Hervey Allen, American writer/poet (Anthony Adverse), dies at age 60. [1]
December 29
* First UHF television station operating regular basis (Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA).
[1]
* Hungary nationalizes its industries. [1]
December 30
December 31
776
1950
January 1
January 2
January 6
January 7
January 8
January 11
January 12
January 14
* As the Girls Go closes at Winter Garden Theater in New York City, New York after
420 performances. [1]
* US recalls all consular officials from China. [1]
January 15
* 4,000 attend National Emergency Civil Rights Conference in Washington DC. [1]
777
January 16
January 17
* Eleven men rob Brink's office in Boston of US$1.2 million cash and US$1.5 million
securities. [1]
January 19
January 20
January 21
* Lend an Ear closes at National Theater in New York City, New York after 460
performances. [1]
* George Orwell [Eric Arthur Blair], author (Animal Farm, 1984), dies from
tuberculosis in London, England at age 46. [1]
* New York jury finds former State Department official Alger Hiss guilty of perjury.
[1]
* T S Eliot's "Cocktail Party" premieres in New York City, New York. [1]
January 22
* Alan Hale Sr, actor (The Seahawk, Yellowstone), dies at age 57. [1]
January 23
January 24
January 26
778
* Betsy van den Arend Dutch [Betje], actress (Miss Hobbs), dies at age 78. [1]
* India becomes a republic ceasing to be a British dominion. [1]
January 27
* In Los Angeles, California, the 2nd Annual Emmy Awards are presented.
o Best Children's Show: Time for Beany
o Best Commercial: Lucky Strike
o Best Kinescope Show: Texaco Star Theatre
o Best Live Show: The Ed Wynn Show
o Most Outstanding Kinescoped Personality: Milton Berle
o Most Outstanding Live Personality: Ed Wynn
o Best Sports Coverage: Wrestling.
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January 31
* US President Harry Truman reveals that he ordered the Atomic Energy Commission
to develop the hydrogen bomb. [1]
February 1
* Harry Blomberg, Swedish author (Jacobs Dröm), dies at age 56. [1]
* USSR demands condemnation of Emperor Hirohito for war crimes. [1]
* Urko Kekkonen elected president of Finland. [1]
February 2
February 3
February 7
February 9
779
February 10
February 11
February 12
February 14
February 15
* RKO Radio Pictures releases Disney's animated feature film Cinderella to theaters in
the USA. [6]
February 17
February 18
* Voranc Prezikov [Lovro Kuhar], Slavic author (Jamaica), dies at age 56. [1]
February 19
February 20
* Dylan Thomas arrives in New York City, New York for his first US poetry reading
tour. [1]
February 24
780
* Labour wins British parliamentary election. [1]
February 25
* NBC premieres the Your Show of Shows 90-minute variety TV show, with hosts Sid
Caesar and Imogene Coca. Writers include Mel Brooks, Neil Simon and Woody Allen.
[1] [179.890]
February 26
* Harry Lauder (Maclennan), Scottish comic/singer, dies at about age 75. [1]
February 27
March 1
March 2
* M Joseph V d'Arbaud, French poet/author (Li cant palustre), dies at age 76. [1]
* Silly Putty invented. [1]
March 6
* Lew Lehr, comedian (Stop Me if I heard this One), dies at age 54. [1]
March 8
March 9
* Willie Sutton robs Manufacturers Bank of US$64,000 in New York City, New York.
[1]
March 11
781
March 12
* Belgium votes (58 percent) for return of King Leopold III. [1]
* L Heinrich Mann, German/US writer (Between the Races), dies at age 78. [1]
* Pope Pius XII issues encyclical On combating atheistic propaganda. [1]
March 13
March 14
March 15
* Gian Carlo Menotti's opera "Consul" premieres at Barrymore Theater in New York
City for 269 performances. [1]
* New York City hires Dr Wallace E Howell as its official "rainmaker". [1]
March 16
March 17
March 19
* Edgar Rice Burroughs, sci-fi author (Tarzan of the Apes), dies at age 74. [1]
March 20
March 23
* 22nd Academy Awards: All King's Men, Broderick Crawford and Olivia de
Havilland win. [1]
* Sophocles Venizelos forms liberal Greek government. [1]
* United Nations World Meteorological Organization established. [1]
March 27
782
* Jazz pianist, Erroll Garner's solo concert (Cleveland, Ohio). [1]
* Netherlands recognizes People's Republic of China. [1]
March 28
March 30
* Léon Blum, French premier (People's Front Government), dies at age 77. [1]
* Phototransistor invention announced, in Murray Hill, New Jersey, USA. [1]
April 1
* Charles R Drew, surgeon/developer of blood bank concept, dies at age 45. [1]
April 3
April 4
April 5
* Prague, Czechoslovakia, espionage trial against bishops and priests begins. [1]
April 6
April 8
* Miss Liberty closes at Imperial Theater in New York City after 308 performances. [1]
* Albert Ehrenstein, Austria writer (Strum), dies at age 63. [1]
* Vaslav Fromich Nijinsky, Ukrainian ballet dancer, dies in London, England. [1]
April 9
* 4th Tony Awards: Cocktail Party and South Pacific win. [1]
* Bob Hope makes his first TV appearance. [1]
April 11
783
* Prince Rainier III becomes ruler of Monaco. [1]
* US B-29 bomber shot down above Latvia. [1]
April 14
April 18
April 19
April 22
* Charles H Houston, architect of NAACP legal campaign, dies at age 54. [1]
April 23
April 24
* Peter Pan opens at Imperial Theater in New York City for 320 performances. [1]
* The Desert Inn hotel and casino opens on the Las Vegas strip, Nevada, USA.
[80.304] [187.298a,397]
* Independent republic of South Molukkas declared. [1]
* US President Harry Truman denies there are communists in US government. [1]
April 25
April 26
April 27
784
* South Africa passes Group Areas Act segregating races. [1]
May 1
May 2
May 5
May 6
May 8
May 9
* French Foreign minister Robert Schuman announces the Schuman Plan for European
integration. [1]
* L. Ron Hubbard publishes Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.
(200,000 copies are sold in the first two years. The book of self-help psychology helps
spawn the Scientology belief system in 1953.) [129]
May 10
May 11
May 13
785
May 17
May 19
* New York Times reports of world's smallest and dumbest mechanical brain. [1]
May 21
May 22
May 25
May 26
May 27
May 31
June 5
June 17
June 25
786
* Israeli airline El Al begins service. [1]
* Korean conflict begins; North Korea invades South Korea. [1]
June 27
* US President Harry Truman orders Air Force and Navy into Korean conflict. [1]
* United Nations Security Council calls on members for troops to aid South Korea. [1]
* US sends 35 military advisers to South Vietnam. [1]
June 30
July 3
* First time US and North Korean forces clash in the Korean War. [1]
July 4
July 5
* Law of Return passes, guarantees all Jews right to live in Israel. [1]
* Private Kenneth Shadrick of West Virginia becomes first US fatality in Korean War.
[1]
* NBC premieres the Truth or Consequences 30-minute TV game show. [179.1012]
July 8
July 9
* 13.15 inches (33.40 cm) of rainfall, York, Nebraska (state 24-hour record). [1]
July 10
* NBC premieres the Your Hit Parade 30/60-minute variety TV show. [1] [179.1099]
July 14
787
* RE Wayne awarded first Distinguished Flying Cross in Korea. [1]
July 19
* RKO Radio Pictures releases Disney's first entirely live-action feature film, Treasure
Island, to theaters in the USA. The film is based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.
[6]
July 22
July 24
* V-2/WAC Corporal rocket launch; first launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. [1]
August 1
August 15
August 17
August 18
August 19
* ABC begins Saturday morning kid shows (Animal Clinic and Acrobat Ranch). [1]
August 23
August 25
788
* US President Harry Truman orders army to seize control of railroad to avert a strike.
[1]
August 27
September 1
September 4
September 5
September 9
September 11
September 13
* Sara Allgood, actress (Jane Eyre, Spiral Staircase), dies at age 56. [1]
September 15
* During Korean conflict, United Nations forces land at Inchon in the south. [1]
September 22
September 24
* Operation Magic Carpet - 45,000 Jews from Yemen move to Israel. [1]
789
September 26
* Because of forest fire in British Columbia, blue moon appears in England. [1]
September 30
October 2
October 7
October 14
* Reverend Sun Young Moon liberated from Hung Nam prison. [1]
October 16
* CBS premieres The Garry Moore Show 30/45/60-minute variety TV show. [179.360]
October 19
October 21
October 29
* CBS premieres The Jack Benny Program comedy variety show. [179.484]
October 30
* Swedish Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf ascends to the throne as King Gustaf VI Adolf.
Carl Gustaf becomes Crown Prince. [7]
November 1
* Puerto Rican nationalists (Collazo and Torresola) try to kill US President Harry
Truman at the Blair House in Washington, DC. [1]
790
November 8
November 10
November 16
November 22
November 26
* China enters Korean conflict, sending troops across Yalu River. [1]
November 29
December 1
December 2
December 5
December 6
December 13
* James Dean begins his career with an appearance in a Pepsi commercial. [1]
December 14
791
* Albrecht Schaeffer, German writer (Heroische Fahrt), dies at age 65. [1]
* United Nations General Assembly establishes High Commissioner for Refugees
(Nobel Prize 1954). [1]
December 15
December 16
December 19
December 22
* Two self-propelled trains of Long Island, New York, railroad collide, killing 77. [1]
* Julius Weismann, composer, dies at age 70. [1]
* Walter Johannes Damrosch, composer, dies at age 88. [1]
December 23
December 25
* The Coronation Stone, taken from Scone in Scotland by Edward I in 1296, is stolen
from Westminster Abbey and smuggled back to Scotland. [1]
* The first Disney TV special, One Hour in Wonderland airs on NBC, sponsored by the
Coca-Cola Company (cost US$100,000). Walt Disney and several Disney cartoon
characters make their TV debut. Walt's daughter Sharon also appears. The show previews
portions of the film Alice in Wonderland. About 20 million viewers watch the show. [6]
* Xavier Villaurrutia, Mexican poet (Nostalgia de la muerte), dies at age 47. [1]
December 26
792
December 27
December 28
December 30
* Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia become Independent states in French Union. [1]
December 31
* Charles Koechlin, French composer (Jungle Book), dies at age 83. [1]
* Karl Renner, Austrian Chancellor/President (1918-20, 1945-50), dies at age 80. [1]
793
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Chronology of World History
Chronology of Passenger Liners and Cruise Ships
Chronology of US Civil War
Chronology of Space Exploration
Chronology of Sports
Chronology of Television
Chronology of Gambling
Chronology of Extreme Weather
Chronology of Notable Births
Chronology of Notable Deaths
Chronology of the Dow Jones Industrial Average
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