What Happened in May 1919

Historical Events

Event of Interest

May 1 "L'Ordine Nuovo" Italian socialist weekly newspaper established in Turin by Antonio Gramsci, Angelo Tasca and Palmiro Togliatti

Marxist Theorist and Politician Antonio Gramsci — Marxist Theorist and Politician
Antonio Gramsci

Event of Interest

May 1 British naval officer David Beatty is promoted to Admiral of the Fleet

British Admiral of the Fleet David Beatty — British Admiral of the Fleet
David Beatty

May 3 Afghanistan Emir Amanoellah begins war against Great Britain
May 4 1st legal Sunday baseball game in NYC, 35,000 watch the Phillies beat the NY Giants 4-3
May 4 Demonstrates organised by students erupt in China, after news from the Paris Peace Conference that the Allies intend to give Shangtung to Japan
May 6 Paris Peace Conference disposes of German colonies; German East Africa is assigned to Britain and France, German South West Africa to South Africa
May 7 A draft of the Versailles Treaty is shown to Germans
May 8 1st transatlantic flight take-off by a navy seaplane
May 8 Appingedam soccer team forms

End of World War I

May 8 Edward George Honey first proposes the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate The Armistice of World War I, leads to the creation of Remembrance Day
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This painting depicts the signing of the armistice which ended World War I in Compiegne, France

May 10 45th Kentucky Derby: Johnny Loftus aboard Sir Barton wins in 2:09.8
May 10 Race riot in Charleston, South Carolina, 2 blacks killed
May 11 Cincinnati Reds Hod Eller no-hits St Louis Cards, 6-0

Event of Interest

May 11 Yanks' Jack Quinn & Senators' Walter Johnson, 12 inning 0-0 tie

MLB Pitcher Walter Johnson — MLB Pitcher
Walter Johnson

May 12 Yanks & Senators play 2nd straight extra inning tie, 4-4 in 15
May 12 The Transvaal British Indian Association calls a mass meeting to organise opposition to the proposed Asiatics (Land and Trading) Amendment Act; in the Act, Transvaal Indians are prohibited from owning shares in limited companies
May 14 44th Preakness: Johnny Loftus aboard Sir Barton wins in 1:53
May 14 Pope Benedictus XV publishes encyclical In hac tanta
May 15 Brooklyn Dodgers score 10 runs in 13th to beat Reds 10-0
May 17 UK War Department orders use of National Star Insignia on all airplanes
May 19 Kelud volcano on Java, erupts killing 5160

Event of Interest

May 19 Mustafa Kemal Atatürk lands at Samsun on the Black Sea coast, beginning the Turkish War of Independence

President and founder of the Republic of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Atatürk — President and founder of the Republic of Turkey
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Event of Interest

May 22 A. E. Douglass establishes the relative dates of two archaeological sites using ancient wood samples, marking a major step forward in the dating of archaeological sites

Archaeologist and astronomer A. E. Douglass — Archaeologist and astronomer
A. E. Douglass

May 25 Casey Stengel releases a sparrow from under his baseball cap
May 26 The Supreme Council of Allies, meeting at Versailles, decides to recognize two White Russian leaders, Admiral Kolchak and General Denikin, and support them against the Bolsheviks
May 27 1st transatlantic flight ends; US Navy flying boat takes 11 days
May 28 Armenia declares its Independence
May 29 Charles Strite files patent for the pop-up toaster

Event of Interest

May 29 Albert Einstein's light-bending prediction confirmed by Arthur Eddington

Theoretical Physicist Albert Einstein — Theoretical Physicist
Albert Einstein

May 29 The Republic of Prekmurje founded - a short-lived, unrecognised state, which on June 6, 1919 was incorporated into the newly established Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed "Yugoslavia" in 1929)
May 29 An expedition sponsored by the Royal Society of London observes a total eclipse of the sun in the Gulf of Guinea, off the African continent
May 31 NC-4 aircraft commanded by AC Read completes 1st crossing of Atlantic
May 31 Indianapolis 500: Howdy Wilcox wins in 5:40:42.930 (141.703 km/h)

Famous Birthdays

May 1 Alwyn Farquharson, Scottish clan-captain/large landowner
May 1 Daniel "Dan" O'Herlihy, Irish actor (Twin Peals, Fail Safe, Last Starfighter, Robocop), born in County Wexford, Ireland (d. 2005)
May 1 Al Zarilla, American MLB outfielder (All Star 1948), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1996)
May 2 Than Wyenn, American character actor (Being There, Splash, Imitation of Life), born in NYC, New York (d. 2015)
May 3 Pete Seeger, American folk singer (The Weavers - Goodnight Irene) and activist, helped create the modern American folk music movement, born in NYC, New York (d. 2014)
May 3 John Cullen Murphy, American comic strip artist, born in NYC, New York (d. 2004)
May 4 Mary Ann McCall, American singer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1994)
May 5 Tony Canadeo, NFL hall of fame halfback (Green Bay Packers), born in Chicago, Illinois
May 5 Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek dictator (d. 1999)
May 6 Frank Ereaut, Balliff of Jersey

Eva Perón

May 7 Eva Perón [Evita], Argentine First Lady (1946-52) actress, suffragette, unionist and humanitarian who was inspiration for A.L. Webber's musical "Evita", born in Los Toldos, Argentina (d. 1952)

May 8 Sultan Ismail Hajibeyov, composer

Mordecai Anielewicz

May 8 Mordecai Anielewicz, Jewish commander of Warsaw ghetto uprising, born in Wyszków, Second Polish Republic (d. 1943)

May 9 Arthur English, British comedian and actor (Malachi's Cove, Are You Being Served?), born in Aldershot, Hampshire, England (d. 1995)
May 10 Ella Grasso, (Gov-D-Ct)
May 10 Louis Sen A Kaw, Surinam dam builder
May 10 Tibor Sarai, Hungarian composer, born in Budapest (d. 1995)
May 14 Heloise Bowles, columnist Heloise's mother (Hints from Heloise)
May 14 Maarten Vrolijk, Dutch soc-dem party minister (CRM 1965-66)
May 14 Solange Chaput-Rolland, French-Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2001)
May 14 John Hope, American meteorologist (d. 2002)
May 15 Charles Palmer, cricketer (one Test 1955, later MCC president)
May 16 Richard Mason, English author (The World of Suzie Wong), born near Manchester (d. 1997)

Liberace

May 16 Liberace [Wladziu Valentino], American pianist (Liberace Show, Evil Chandell-Batman), born in West Allis, Wisconsin (d. 1987)

May 16 Ramon Margalef, Spanish scientist (d. 2004)
May 17 Antonio Aguilar [Barraza], Mexican singer, producer and actor (Emiliano Zapata) who popularized the Mexican equestrian sport la charrería, born in Villanueva, Zacatecas, Mexico (d. 2007)
May 17 Merle Miller, American biographer (d. 1986)
May 18 Margot Fonteyn, English prima ballerina (Giselle), born in Reigate, England (1991)
May 19 Betty Jameson, Norman OK, LPGA golfer (1947 US Women's Open)
May 19 Mitja Ribičič, Trieste, Italian Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (1969-71), (d. 2013)
May 20 George Gobel, comedian/TV personality (I Love My Wife), born in Chicago, Illinois
May 21 Lord Maxwell, senator/prof (college of Justice Scotland)
May 21 Mark Wood, bishop (Ludlow)
May 22 Paul Vanden Boeynants, premier Belgium (1966-68, 1978-79)
May 23 Elizabeth "Betty" Garrett, American actress, comedian, singer and dancer (All in the Family), born in St Joseph, Missouri (d. 2011)
May 23 Robert KJE Antonissen, South African literary
May 23 Ruth Fernandez, Ponce, Puerto Rico, singer (When you Return), politician, (d. 2012)
May 24 Sid Couchey, American comic book artist (Richie Rich), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2012)
May 25 Gino Negri, Italian composer, born in Perledo (d. 1991)
May 25 Lindsey Nelson, American sportscaster (NY Mets), born in Pulaski, Tennessee
May 26 Peter Raleigh, English foreign correspondent and television executive, born in Barnstaple (d. 1996)
May 27 Kam Fong [Chun], American actor (Hawaii Five-0, Magnum, P.I.), born in Kalihi, Territory of Hawaii (d. 2002)
May 28 Charles John Robert Manners, 10th Duke of Rutland, British land owner/multimillionaire
May 28 Frank Middlemass, British actor (Heart Beat, As Time Goes By, Oliver Twist), born in Eaglescliffe, County Durham, England (d. 2006)
May 28 John Eldridge, CEO (Matthews Wrightmson)
May 30 René Barrientos, President of Bolivia (d. 1969)
May 31 Chet Gierlach, music publisher/composer
May 31 Emmanual Tettey Mensah, musician

Famous Weddings

May 31 1st wedding held in an aircraft (over Houston, Texas)

Famous Deaths

May 2 Gustav Landauer, German socialist, dies
May 4 Milan Rastislav Štefánik, Slovak politician, French general and astronomer (b. 1880)
May 6 Lyman Frank Baum, American author (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), dies at 62

Henry John Heinz

May 14 Henry John Heinz, founder of the H. J. Heinz Company, dies at 74

May 17 Bohumil Pazdirek, composer, dies at 80
May 17 Guido von List, German occult author (b. 1848)
May 20 Jacob Verdam, philosopher, dies
May 21 Victor A D Segalen, [Max Anely], French ship's doctor/writer, dies
May 21 Yevgraf Fyodorov, Russian mathematician (b. 1853)
May 24 Amado Nervo [Juan Crisóstomo Ruiz de Nervo], Mexican writer and poet, dies at 48

May 25 Madam C. J. Walker [Sarah Breedlove], African American entrepreneur (First American self-made female millionaire, Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company), dies of kidney failure complications at 51

Cosmetics Mogul Madam C. J. Walker — Cosmetics Mogul
Madam C. J. Walker

May 27 Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Social reformer of Andhra Pradesh, dies at 71
May 29 Robert Bacon, American politician (39th United States Secretary of State), dies at 58

1918
On This Day
1920