On This Day

December 1924 in History

Events in History

  • Dec 1 Plutarco Elías Calles becomes President of Mexico

Book releaseHistoric Publication

Dec 1 "La Révolution surréaliste" publishes its first issue in Paris, edited by André Breton

Writer and Surrealist André Breton
Writer and Surrealist
André Breton
  • Dec 2 British-German trade agreement signed
  • Dec 7 German election (Social Democrats win, Nazis & Communists lose)
  • Dec 9 Netherlands & Hungary trade treaty signed
  • Dec 9 Michael Hainisch re-elected Austrian president
  • Dec 12 Spanish troops leave Morocco
  • Dec 13 KOA-AM in Denver CO begins radio transmissions

Electoral defeatElection of Interest

Dec 16 Hiram Bingham is elected as a Republican to serve in the US Senate forcing him to resign as Governor of Connecticut after serving only one day in office, the shortest term of any Connecticut Governor

Archaeologist and Explorer Hiram Bingham
Archaeologist and Explorer
Hiram Bingham
  • Dec 17 1st US diesel electric locomotive enters service, Bronx, NY
  • Dec 19 The last Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost is sold in London, England.

BattleCoup d'état

Dec 20 Adolf Hitler freed from jail early, having served only nine months of five-year sentence for "Beer Hall Putsch"

Dictator of Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler
Dictator of Nazi Germany
Adolf Hitler
  • Dec 22 Philip Barry's "Youngest" premieres in NYC
  • Dec 24 1st radio transmission of NCRV in Netherlands
  • Dec 24 Albania becomes a republic (ex-premier Ahmed Zogoe's coup)
  • Dec 24 Richard Rodgers Theater (46th St Chanin's) opens at 226 W 46th NYC
  • Dec 24 School in Babb's Switch, Oklahoma, catches fire, 36 die
  • Dec 27 Albania is declared a dictatorship under Ahmed Beg Zofu
  • Dec 27 The US signs a treaty with the Dominican Republic, which supersedes that of 1907: in July, the Us had withdrawn its Marines and ended its occupation

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Dec 30 Astronomer Edwin Hubble formally announces existence of other galactic systems at meeting of the American Astronomical Society

Astronomer Edwin Hubble
Astronomer
Edwin Hubble

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Dec 31 Italian Fascist Mussolini orders the suppression of opposition newspapers

Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini
Italian Dictator
Benito Mussolini

Birthdays in History

  • Dec 2 Alexander Haig Jr, American General and 59th Secretary of State (1981-82), born in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania (d. 2010)
  • Dec 3 John Backus, American computer scientist and inventor (FORTRAN computer language), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2007)
  • Dec 3 F. Sionil José, Filipino novelist (Rosales Saga) and Philippine National Artist for Literature, born in Rosales, Pangasinan, Philippine Islands
  • Dec 4 John C. Portman Jr., American architect (Ivan Allen Award-1964), born in Walhalla, South Carolina (d. 2017)
  • Dec 6 Sergey Yablonsky, Soviet and Russian mathematician and one of the founders of the Soviet school of mathematical cybernetics and discrete mathematics (d. 1998), born in Moscow, Russia

Person of interestMário Soares

Dec 7 Mário Soares, 17th President of Portugal (1986-96) and Prime Minister (1976-78 and 1983-85), born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 2017)

President of Portugal Mário Soares
President of Portugal
Mário Soares

Person of interestEd Koch

Dec 12 Ed Koch, American congressman and New York City Mayor (1977-89), born in NYC, New York (d. 2013)

Congressman and NYC Mayor Ed Koch
Congressman and NYC Mayor
Ed Koch
  • Dec 19 Peter Prowtiny, English real estate developer/multi-millionaire
  • Dec 19 Carlo Chiti, Italian race car engineer (d. 1994)
  • Dec 19 Gary Morton, second husband of Lucille Ball (d. 1999)
  • Dec 19 Michel Tournier, French writer (Friday, or, The Other Island), born in Paris (d. 2016)
  • Dec 21 Johan W "Jo" van Marle, KNVB-chairman (1980-93), born in Zwolle, Netherlands (d. 1995)
  • Dec 24 Willem Drees, Dutch statesman (Prime Minister 1948–1958), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1988)

Person of interestAtal Bihari Vajpayee

Dec 25 Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indian politician, 10th Prime Minister of India (1996, 1998-2004), born in Gwalior, India (d. 2018)

10th Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
10th Indian Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
  • Dec 25 Rod Serling, writer and host (Twilight Zone, Night Gallery), born in Syracuse, New York (d. 1975)
  • Dec 25 Henry Sy Sr., Chinese Malay businessman 'Philippines Retail King', born in Amoy, China
  • Dec 27 James A McClure, (Sen-R-Idaho)
  • Dec 27 Mokta Ould Daddah, president Mauritania (1961-78)
  • Dec 27 Wouter Eijkelemboom, Dutch architect (Holy-hospital, Vlaardingen)
  • Dec 28 Milton Obote, President of Uganda (d. 2005)

Weddings in History


LoveWedding of Interest

Dec 11 Photographer Alfred Stieglitz (60) marries artist Georgia O'Keeffe (37) in Cliffside Park, New Jersey

Painter and Sculptor Georgia O’Keeffe
Painter and Sculptor
Georgia O’Keeffe
Photographer Alfred Stieglitz
Photographer
Alfred Stieglitz

Deaths in History

  • Dec 2 Kazimieras Būga, Lithuanian philologist (b. 1879)

Person of interestSamuel Gompers

Dec 13 Samuel Gompers, American labor union leader (American Federation of Labor), dies at 74

Founder of the American Federation of Labor Samuel Gompers
Founder of the American Federation of Labor
Samuel Gompers
  • Dec 15 T. Frank Appleby, American Republican Party politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey), dies at 60
  • Dec 27 William Archer, Scottish critic/playwright (Green Goddess), dies at 68
  • Dec 28 Léon Bakst, Russian painter and scene and costume designer, dis at 58
  • Dec 29 Carl Spitteler, Swiss writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1845)