1919 in the United States explained
Events from the year 1919 in the United States.
Incumbents
Federal government
Champ Clark (D-Missouri) (until March 4)
Frederick H. Gillett (R-Massachusetts) (starting May 19)
Events
January
February
March
April
May
- May 1 - Riots break out on International Labor Day in Cleveland, Ohio; 2 people are killed, 40 injured, and 116 arrested.
- May 9 - The United States recognizes the independence of Finland.[3]
- May 10 - Charleston riot in Charleston, South Carolina killing three black men; beginning of Red Summer.
- May 16 - A U.S. Navy Curtiss aircraft (NC-4), commanded by Albert Cushing Read, departs Trepassey, Newfoundland, for Lisbon via the Azores on the first transatlantic flight.
- May 23 - The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is established as the Southern Branch of the University of California, making it the second-oldest undergraduate campus of the ten-campus University of California system. The school's motto is Fiat lux, "Let there be light."
June
July
August
- August 1–6 - 1919 Streetcar Strike of Los Angeles occurs.
- August 11 - The first NFL team for Wisconsin (the Green Bay Packers) is founded by Curly Lambeau.
- August 30 - After a three-way splintering of the Socialist Party of America, the leadership of the remaining 30,000 members of the Right Wing of the Socialist party continue their national convention in Chicago on August 30, 1919.
- August 31 - In a three-way splintering of the Socialist Party of America, the leadership of the 10,000 native-born English speaking members of the Left Wing form the Communist Labor Party of America in Chicago on August 31, 1919.
September
- September 1 - In a three-way splintering of the Socialist Party of America, the leadership of the 60,000 alien members of the Left Wing form the Communist Party of America at a separate convention in Chicago on September 1, 1919.
- September 6 - The First Transcontinental Motor Convoy: The U.S. Army expedition across America, which started July 7, ends in San Francisco.
- September 9 - The Boston Police Strike occurs.
- September 10 - September 15: The Florida Keys Hurricane kills 600 in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida and Texas.
- September 22 - The Steel strike of 1919 begins across the United States.
- September 28 - Omaha Riot: A lynch mob besieges the police station and courthouse in Omaha, Nebraska, and lynches alleged rapist Will Brown.
October
November
- November 1 - The Coal Strike of 1919 begins in the United States by the United Mine Workers under John L. Lewis. Final agreement comes on December 10.
- November 7 - The first Palmer Raid is conducted on the second anniversary of the Russian Revolution. Over 10,000 suspected communists and anarchists are arrested in 23 different U.S. cities.
- November 9 - Felix the Cat appears in Feline Follies, making him the first cartoon character.
- November 10 - The first national convention of the American Legion is held in Minneapolis, Minnesota (until November 12).
- November 11 - The Centralia Massacre in Centralia, Washington results in the deaths of four members of the American Legion, and the lynching of a local leader of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).
- November 14 - Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society (La Sociedad Nacional Honoraria Hispánica), was established at the University of California Berkeley in Berkeley, California.
- November 19 - The Treaty of Versailles fails a critical ratification vote in the United States Senate. It will never be ratified by the US.
- November 27 - Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity, is established at Oklahoma A&M College (now named Oklahoma State University) in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
December
- December 19 - The fictional character Ham Gravy makes his début in Thimble Theatre comics.
- December 21 - The United States deports 249 people, including Emma Goldman, to Russia during the Red Scare.
- December 26 - Babe Ruth is sold by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $125,000, the largest sum ever paid for a player at that time.[5] [6] [7] The deal is announced on January 6, 1920 and begins the 86-year-long "Curse of the Bambino".
Undated
- Various strikes occur in the United States: Strike of US railroad workers; The Longshoreman's strike; The Great Steel Strike; and a general strike in Seattle, Washington.
- US President Wilson promises eventual independence for Philippines, though subsequent Republican administrations see it as a distant goal.
- The World League Against Alcoholism is established by the Anti-Saloon League.
- First Security Bank – Montana is founded (as Security Bank and Trust).
Ongoing
Births
January
- January 1 – J. D. Salinger, author notable for the novel Catcher in the Rye (died 2010)
- January 2 – Charles Willeford, writer (died 1988)
- January 3
- January 4 – Lester L. Wolff, politician (died 2021)[9]
- January 7 – Steve Belichick, American football player, coach and scout (died 2005)
- January 10 – Amzie Strickland, actress (died 2006)
- January 13 – Robert Stack, actor (The Untouchables) (died 2003)
- January 14 – Andy Rooney, journalist (60 Minutes) (died 2011)
- January 23 – Ernie Kovacs, American comedian (died 1962)
- January 24 – Leon Kirchner, American composer (d. 2009)
- January 25
- January 27 – Ross Bagdasarian Sr., actor, pianist, singer, songwriter, record producer and creator of Alvin and the Chipmunks (died 1972)
- January 28 – Gabby Gabreski, American fighter ace (d. 2002)
- January 30
- January 31 – Jackie Robinson, African-American baseball player (d. 1972)
February
- February 7 - Desmond Doss, American combat medic (died 2006)
- February 9, Protestant ecumenical theologian (died 2004)
- February 12 - Forrest Tucker, actor (F Troop) (died 1986)
- February 15 - Norman Garbo, author and lecturer (died 2017)
- February 13
- February 16 - Charlie Parlato, musician (died 2007)
- February 18 - Jack Palance, actor (died 2006)
- February 19 - William Gianelli, politician (died 2020)
- February 21 - Malcolm E. Beard, politician (died 2019)
- February 25 - Monte Irvin, African-American baseball player (died 2016)
- February 26 - Mason Adams, actor (died 2005)
March
- March 2 - Jennifer Jones, actress (died 2009)
- March 4 - Buck Baker, racecar driver (died 2002)
- March 5 - Myron H. Bright, U.S. federal judge (died 2016)
- March 7 - Mary Ann Hawkins, surfing pioneer, diver, swimmer and stunt double (died 1993)
- March 13 - Jack P. Lewis, Biblical scholar (died 2018)
- March 14 - Max Shulman, comedic writer (died 1988)
- March 15 - Lawrence Tierney, actor (died 2002)
- March 17 - Nat King Cole, African-American singer (died 1965)
- March 24
- March 25 - Jeanne Cagney, actress (died 1984)
- March 26 - Strother Martin, actor (died 1980)
- March 27 – John Kotz, basketball player (died 1999)
- March 28 - Dewey F. Bartlett, U.S. Senator from Oklahoma from 1967 to 1971 (died 1979)
- March 29 - Eileen Heckart, actress (died 2001)
- March 30 - McGeorge Bundy, U.S. National Security Advisor (died 1996)
April
- April 1 - Joseph Murray, transplant surgeon, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2012)
- April 3 - Ervin Drake, songwriter (died 2015)
- April 4 - Charles O. Porter, politician (died 2006)
- April 6 - Caren Marsh Doll, actress and dancer
- April 12 - Billy Vaughn, singer, multi-instrumentalist and orchestra leader (died 1991)
- April 13
- April 16
- April 18 - Samuel L. Myers Sr., economist (died 2021)
- April 22 - Donald J. Cram, chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2001)
- April 27 - Victor Wouk, scientist (died 2005)
May
- May 1 - Lewis Hill, broadcaster, co-founder of Pacifica Radio (d. 1957)
- May 3
- May 4 - Dory Funk, professional wrestler (died 1973)
- May 8 - Lex Barker, actor (died 1973)
- May 10 - Daniel Bell, sociologist (died 2011)
- May 16 - Liberace, pianist (died 1987)
- May 17 - Ronald Verlin Cassill, novelist, short story writer, editor, painter, and lithographer (died 2002)
- May 20 - George Gobel, comedian (died 1991)
- May 21 - Wense Grabarek, politician (died 2019)
- May 30 - Joe McQueen, jazz saxophonist (died 2019)
- May 31 - Vance Hartke, U.S. Senator from Indiana from 1959 to 1977 (died 2003)
June
- June 6 - Doris Merrick, actress and model (died 2019)
- June 7 - George Glamack, basketball player (died 1987)
- June 9 - Jimmy Newberry, baseball player (died 1983)
- June 11 - Helen Tobias-Duesberg, Estonian-American pianist and composer (died 2010)
- June 14 - Gene Barry, actor (died 2009)
- June 15 - Charles Kaman, aeronautical engineer (died 2011)
- June 19 - Pauline Kael, film critic (died 2001)
- June 22 - Clifton McNeely, basketball player and coach (died 2003)
- June 23 - R. C. Pitts, basketball player (died 2011)
- June 24
- June 26
- June 28 - Joseph P. Lordi, government official (died 1983)
- June 30 - Ed Yost, inventor (died 2007)
July
August
September
October
- October 3 - James M. Buchanan, economist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2013)
- October 11 - Art Blakey, jazz drummer (died 1990)
- October 12
- October 13 - Jackie Ronne, born Edith Maslin, Antarctic explorer (died 2009)
- October 14 - Edward L. Feightner, U.S. navy officer (d. 2020)
- October 15 - Chuck Stevenson, race car driver (died 1995)
- October 16 - Kathleen Winsor, writer (died 2003)
- October 17 - Charles Y. Glock, sociologist (died 2018)
- October 18 - Anita O'Day, jazz singer (died 2006)
- October 21 - Donald West VanArtsdalen, federal judge (died 2019)
- October 25 - Norman A. Erbe, 35th Governor of Iowa (died 2000)
- October 26
- October 27 - Jeremiah Stamler, cardiologist (died 2018)
- October 30 - Takuma Tanada, Japanese-American biologist (died 2018)
November
December
- December 1 - Charles Steen, geologist and businessman (died 2006)
- December 2 - Norma Miller, African-American dancer, choreographer, actress, author and comedian (died 2019)
- December 7 - Charles McGee, member of the Tuskegee Airmen, served as a USAF officer until 1973 (died 2022)
- December 8 - Lorraine H. Morton, politician (died 2018)
- December 9
- December 14 - Margie Stewart, model and actress (died 2012)
- December 15 - Max Yasgur, farmer (died 1973)[17]
- December 21
- December 27 - Charles Sweeney, WWII pilot (died 2004)
- December 31 - Recy Taylor, activist (died 2017)
Deaths
- January 2 - Eliza Putnam Heaton, journalist and editor (born 1860)
- January 6
- January 7 - Henry Ware Eliot, industrialist and philanthropist (born 1843)
- January 8 - Jim O'Rourke, baseball player and MLB Hall of Famer (born 1850)
- January 14 - Shelley Hull, stage & film actor, husband of Josephine Hull, brother of Henry Hull (born 1884)
- January 31 - Nat C. Goodwin, veteran stage star & silent film actor (born 1857; apoplexy)[18]
- January 27 - French Ensor Chadwick, admiral (born 1844)
- February 18 - Henry Ragas, jazz pianist (born 1891)
- March 23 - Henry Blossom, lyricist (born 1866)
- April 8 - Frank Winfield Woolworth, businessman (born 1852)
- April 9
- April 15 - Jane Delano, nurse and founder or the American Red Cross Nursing Service (born 1862)
- May 6 - L. Frank Baum, author, poet, playwright, actor and independent filmmaker (The Wizard of Oz) (born 1856)
- May 14 - Henry John Heinz, businessman (born 1844)
- May 12 - D. M. Canright, Seventh-day Adventist minister and author, later one of the church's severest critics (born 1840)
- May 13 - Helen Hyde, etcher and engraver (born 1868)
- May 21 - Lamar Johnstone, silent film actor and director (born 1885)
- May 25 - Madam C. J. Walker, African American entrepreneur and philanthropist (born 1867)
- c. June 1 - Caroline Still Anderson, African American physician, educator and activist (born 1848)
- July 8 - John Fox Jr., journalist, novelist and short story writer (born 1862; pneumonia)
- August 1 - Oscar Hammerstein I, musical theatre impresario (born 1847)
- August 9 - Ralph Albert Blakelock, American painter (born 1847)
- August 11 - Andrew Carnegie, industrialist (born 1835 in Scotland)[19]
- September 20 - Cy Seymour, baseball player (born 1872)
- September 27 - Gardner Dow, college football player (born 1898)
- October 30 - Ella Wheeler Wilcox, author and poet (born 1850)
- November 23 - Henry Gantt, project engineer (born 1861)
- November 24 - William Stowell, silent film actor and director (born 1885)
- December 2 - Henry C. Frick, industrialist (born 1849)
- December 7 - J. Thompson Baker, politician from New Jersey (born 1847)
- December 10 - William E. Miller soldier and Pennsylvania State Senator (born 1836)
See also
Notes and References
- News: 1919-01-21 . New Chief Executive Takes Oath . 1 . The Montgomery Advertiser . 2023-07-29.
- Web site: Poland - Countries - Office of the Historian. 2020-06-15. history.state.gov.
- Web site: Finland - Countries - Office of the Historian. 2020-06-15. history.state.gov.
- Web site: Chicago History . Chicago Public Library . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071213041636/http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/disasters/dirigible_crash.html . 2007-12-13 .
- News: Rahimi. Shadi. Going, Going, Gone: Babe Ruth Contract Sold for $996,000. The New York Times. June 10, 2005. 2009-03-13.
- News: Mcshane. Larry. Babe Ruth contract sells after 15 minutes of intense bidding. Associated Press. USA Today. June 10, 2005. 2009-03-13.
- News: Ruth Bought By New York Americans For $125,000, Highest Price In Baseball Annals. The New York Times. January 6, 1920. 2009-03-13 .
- News: The long legacy of the U.S. occupation of Haiti . Washington Post . 19 August 2022.
- Web site: McFadden . Robert D. . Lester L. Wolff, Influential Former Congressman, Dies at 102 . The New York Times . 10 March 2022 . 12 May 2021.
- News: Lawrence Ferlinghetti, literary citadel of San Francisco, dies at 101 . February 23, 2021 . Brown . Emma . . February 23, 2021.
- News: Bernstein. Adam. Singer Georgia Gibbs, 87; Performed With Big Bands and on Radio Shows. The Washington Post. 2006-12-12 . 2006-12-12 .
- News: Actress Jayne Meadows dies at 95; spent early years in Providence. The Providence Journal. April 28, 2015. December 13, 2022.
- https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/11/books/leo-marx-dead.html Leo Marx, 102, Dies; Studied Clash of Nature and Culture in America
- Web site: Joseph Wapner Biography & Facts Britannica . www.britannica.com . 25 February 2022 . en.
- Web site: Barnett . David . Frederik Pohl, grandmaster of science fiction, dies aged 93 . September 3, 2013 . . September 3, 2013 .
- https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2022/04/24/wwii-veteran-and-civil-rights-lawyer-johnnie-jones-dies/ WWII veteran and civil rights lawyer Johnnie Jones dies
- U.S. Census, January 1, 1920, State of New York, County of New York, enumeration district 701, p. 8-A, family 200.
- News: Nat Goodwin Dies of Apoplexy. 1919-02-01. The New York Times.
- Web site: Andrew Carnegie. Undiscovered Scotland. 2020-11-01.