May 1937 Explained
The following events occurred in May 1937:
May 1, 1937 (Saturday)
- Germany's Nazi Party (NSDAP) lifted its restriction, in place since 1933, against admitting new members.[1] All government employees were required to join the NSDAP or to relinquish their jobs. [2] Multiple people were admitted on the same day, including war criminals Klaus Barbie, Dr. Franz Lucas, Friedrich Flick, Lothar Fendler, Heinz Pannwitz and Rudolf Lange; Sigrid Hunke, journalists Kurt DuMont and Gerhard Dengler; athlete Rudolf Harbig, musicians Paul Rostock, Werner Conze, Otto Jochum and Ludwig Hoelscher; former members of nobility Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine, Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, General Heinrich von Maur.
- The Neutrality Act of 1937, a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress, took effect to extend previous laws.[3] Under the new rules, which applied for the first time to participants in civil wars, U.S. citizens were forbidden from traveling on ships of "belligerent nations" that were either engaged in war against another nation, or had an ongoing civil war.[4] U.S. ships were prohibited from transporting passengers or certain categories of freight to belligerents. The law had an exception, however, where the U.S. president could permit the sale of materials and supplies to belligerents in Europe as long as the recipients arranged for the transport and paid immediately with cash, making it possible to provide aid to the United Kingdom and to France involvement in a war with Germany.[5] In addition, oil and nonmilitary vehicles were could be sold to nations involved in a war.[6]
- The Order of the German Eagle (Verdienstorden vom Deutschen Adler) was authorized by Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany as an award for foreign officials. Among the recipients would be Benito Mussolini of Italy, Francisco Franco of Spain, King Boris III of Bulgaria, Admiral Admiral Miklós Horthy of Hungary, Prime Minister Hideki Tojo of Japan, President Risto Ryti of Finland, and Americans Charles Lindbergh, Henry Ford, and Thomas J. Watson.[7]
- Bus travel in London came to a halt as 26,000 bus drivers went on strike.[8]
- New York's Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia backed the refusal by License Commissioner Paul Mossto renew the licenses of all 14 burlesque theaters in the city[9] shutting down the sites of most vaudeville and stand-up comedy routines[10] La Guardia pledged "a bitter fight to the finish" against the "filth" of the houses, including displays of female nudity.[11] On May 3, Isidore Herk, owner of the Gaiety Theatre in Times Square, proposed a compromise of self-censorship where the shows allowed at his three theaters would be cleaned up and remove the word "burlesque" from its advertisements.[12], a suggestion that allowed his burlesque houses to remain open.
- In the Spanish Civil War, the supporters of the Second Spanish Republic were able to defeat the attack by Francisco Franco's nationalists in the siege of Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza.
- Manchester City F.C. finished the season in first place in the highest division of England's Football League, with a record of 22 wins and 13 draws for 57 points. Charlton Athletic F.C. was second with 21 wins and 12 draws for 54 points.[13]
- Sunderland, the defending 1936 league champion, which had finished eighth in the First Division for 1936-37, defeated 14th place Preston North End, 3-1 in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium before a crowd of 93,435 people."Sunderland Wins Soccer Final, 3-1; Beats Preston Before Crowd of 93,495 to Gain English Cup for First Time", The New York Times, May 2, 1937, p.S-12
- Born:
- Died:
- Snitz Edwards, (stage name for Edward Neumann), 69, Hungarian-born American character actor on stage and film[16]
- Fanny Marc (Estelle Odile Fanny Legendre), 79, French sculptor[17]
May 2, 1937 (Sunday)
- Austrian police raided the headquarters of the Nazi Party in Vienna, finding evidence of collaboration between German and Austrian Nazis, as well as propaganda hostile to the Austrian government.[18]
- In Moscow, an estimated 50,000 people attended the remaining churches in the city for services on the Russian Easter, despite the largest anti-religious drive since 1930.[19]
- In Cuba, former President Mario García Menocal, who served from 1913 to 1921, announced that he was creating a new political party to oppose military interference in civil affairs, in a move seen as a threat to the military-supported regime of President Federico Laredo Brú and its control of the Cuban Congress.[20]
- Eleven of the crew of the freighter Alecto were drowned after the ship collided with the freighter Plavnik and sank in the North Sea while both saidled in a fog.during a fog.[21]
- Born:
May 3, 1937 (Monday)
- In Spain, six days of civil violence known as the May Days began in Catalonia.
- Lev Karakhan, the Soviet Union's Ambassador to Turkey since 1934, was arrested on orders of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to return to Moscow.[24] Stalin had ordered the recall of Karakhan on April 26.[25] Karakhan was arrested and charged with participation in a "pro-fascist conspiracy" to overthrow the Soviet Government. He would be executed on September 20 after being tried before the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the Soviet Union.[26]
- The divorce of Mrs. Wallis Warfield Simpson from her husband, shipbroker Ernest Simpson, became final,[27] clearing the way for her to marry the Duke of Windsor, who had been King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions. The marriage took place one month later in France on June 3.
- German opera composer and conductor Manfred Gurlitt, a member of Germany's Nazi Party since 1933, was expelled from the Nazis by court order after failing to reveal that he had a Jewish ancestor. The court declared that Gurlitt was a "Jew of Mixed Race of the 2nd Order" and removed him from his employment.[28]
- Born: Hans Cieslarczyk, German footballer; in Herne (d. 2020)
- Died:
- Cosimo Rennella, Ecuadorian-born Italian flying ace during World War One with seven victories and later a member of the Air Force of Ecuador, died of pneumonia after returning from the United States, where head attended a convention of fellow World War I aces in Dayton, Ohio[29]
- P. W. Pilcher, 70, British photographer who perfected high-speed photography to capture photos of moving objects, including trains[30]
May 4, 1937 (Tuesday)
May 5, 1937 (Wednesday)
- Pavel Golovin became the world's first pilot to fly an airplane over the North Pole, as part of a crew of 11 people. After flying over the pole, Golovin landed on an ice floe southward.[41] Golovin was the world's first pilot to fly an airplane over the North Pole, on 5 May 1937.[42] The first flight over the North Pole had been made in the dirigible Nord by pilot Umberto Nobile and polar explorers Lincoln Ellsworth and Roald Amundsen on May 13, 1926.[43]
- Spanish Prime Minister Francisco Largo Caballero sent the Guardia de Asalto to Barcelona to put down the May Days violence.[44]
- British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin pleaded for labour peace ahead of the coronation of George VI as the bus strike threatened to spread.[45]
- Born:
- Died: Camillo Berneri, 39, Italian anarchist and professor, was forcibly removed from his home by policemen and a group of men wearing red armbands. Taken also was his friend Francesco Barbieri, and the two men were shot to death.[47]
May 6, 1937 (Thursday)
May 7, 1937 (Friday)
May 8, 1937 (Saturday)
May 9, 1937 (Sunday)
- 5,000 women and children began to evacuate Bilbao.[57]
- More than 50 were injured in Toulouse when a riot broke out between political factions. The rioting began when rightists paraded to an equestrian statue of Joan of Arc shouting "France for the French", referring to the allegation that the Popular Front government of Prime Minister Léon Blum took orders from Moscow.[58]
May 10, 1937 (Monday)
- Frozen food came to Britain when frozen asparagus went on sale for the first time.[59]
May 11, 1937 (Tuesday)
May 12, 1937 (Wednesday)
May 13, 1937 (Thursday)
- The British destroyer struck a naval mine south of Almería, Spain and took severe damage, killing 8.[61]
- Antisemitic rioting broke out in three towns near Brześć-Litewski, Poland, after a police officer pushed a Jewish butcher and was stabbed to death by the butcher's son. Jewish-owned stores were looted and at least 53 Jews were injured during violence that continued into the next morning.[62] [63]
- Born:
- Died: John Clem, 85, American army general
May 14, 1937 (Friday)
May 15, 1937 (Saturday)
May 16, 1937 (Sunday)
May 17, 1937 (Monday)
May 18, 1937 (Tuesday)
- The wedding of the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Warfield was set for June 3 at the Château de Candé in Monts, France.[72]
- Outgoing Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin made the last significant speech of his time in office, in which he asked the youth of Britain to guard against the threats of fascism and communism and said that the League of Nations was of "doubtful" value.[73]
- Archbishop of Chicago George Mundelein made the paper hanger speech, an anti-Nazi speech that condemned the Nazi totalitarianism and spoke about how "a nation of 60 million intelligent people will submit in fear and servitude" to Hitler, whom he called an "alien, an Austrian paper hanger."[74]
- Born:
May 19, 1937 (Wednesday)
- The press in Nazi Germany demanded that the Vatican publicly repudiate the Archbishop of Chicago George Mundelein for his remarks. "The cardinal insulted not only the head of the German state and its ministers but the entire German nation", an editorial in Der Angriff stated. "We make the Catholic church responsible if the speech evokes a new wave of anti-German agitation, and we ask the Vatican if it intends to tolerate this speech without protest."
- King Victor Emmanuel III and Queen Elena of Italy made an official visit to Budapest.[75]
- Angry about being called for a balk during the sixth inning of a game against the New York Giants, Dizzy Dean of the St. Louis Cardinals began throwing at Giants batters in the top of the ninth. When Dean went to cover first base on a bunt by Jimmy Ripple, the two got into a fistfight that started a bench-clearing brawl.[76]
May 20, 1937 (Thursday)
May 21, 1937 (Friday)
- The bodies of the 26 German victims of the Hindenburg tragedy arrived in Cuxhaven by ship. A state funeral was held in a local hall.[80] [81]
- The Soviet Union established the North Pole-1 station in the Arctic Ocean.
- Born:
May 22, 1937 (Saturday)
- The Soviet Union claimed the North Pole as its territory.
- Soviet military leader Mikhail Tukhachevsky was arrested and charged with conspiring against the government and spying for Nazi Germany.[82]
May 23, 1937 (Sunday)
May 24, 1937 (Monday)
May 25, 1937 (Tuesday)
May 26, 1937 (Wednesday)
May 27, 1937 (Thursday)
- The Golden Gate Bridge opened in San Francisco.
- The Gestapo ordered 200 German Catholic newspapers to shut down for publishing articles critical of Nazi institutions.[86]
- The Minseito and Seiyukai parties jointly demanded the Japanese cabinet's resignation.[87]
May 28, 1937 (Friday)
May 29, 1937 (Saturday)
Republican planes bombed the German cruiser .
- Several Hong Kong Chinese newspapers published an identical leading article, appealing to Britain not to enter into negotiations with Japan. The article stated that China would maintain her sovereignty at all costs.[89] [90]
May 30, 1937 (Sunday)
In Chicago, police fired on marching union members at the Republic Steel plant, killing 10.
May 31, 1937 (Monday)
Notes and References
- Walter M. Hudson, Army Diplomacy: American Military Occupation and Foreign Policy After World War II (University Press of Kentucky, 2015)
- Kevin Spicer, Hitler's Priests: Catholic Clergy and National Socialism (Cornell University Press, 2008)
- Book: Frauke Lachenmann. Rüdiger Wolfrum. The Law of Armed Conflict and the Use of Force: The Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law. 2017. Oxford UP. 176. 9780198784623.
- Book: Kennedy, David M. . Freedom From Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929–1945 . New York . Oxford University Press . 1999 . 978-0-19-503834-7 . registration .
- Book: Frauke Lachenmann. Rüdiger Wolfrum. The Law of Armed Conflict and the Use of Force: The Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law. 2017. Oxford University Press. 176. 9780198784623.
- Book: 1982 . Cortada . James W. . Historical Dictionary of the Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939 . . . 507–508 . 0-313-22054-9.
- Web site: Holders of the Grand Cross of the Order of the German Eagle in Gold. Wendel. Marcus. Axis History Factbook. 2017-08-12 .
- News: Darrah . David . May 1, 1937 . Strike Ties Up London Buses; 26,000 Men Out . . 1.
- "Burlesque Shows of City Are Shut as Public Menace; Moss Refuses Licenses to All, Declaring Their Displays of Nudity Are Disgraceful", The New York Times, May 2, 1937, p.1
- Davis, Andrew, Baggy Pants Comedy: Burlesque and the Oral Tradition(Palgrave Macmillan, 2011) pp. 6, 34, 49, 55, 86, 124. ISBN 978-1-137-37872-9
- News: La Guardia Backs Ban on Burlesque; Pledges 'Fight to Finish' to Prevent Reopening of Houses Accused of Glorifying 'Filth' . . May 3, 1937 . 1.
- . Clean-Up Offer - Owner's Bid to Save Burlesque. New York Daily News. 4 May 1937. 2014-05-24.
- http://www.englandfootballonline.com/Seas1900-39/1936-37/1936-37FL.html "Football League 1936-37"
- Web site: Renowned Composer Agim Krajka Passes Away . 2021-09-15 . Albania Daily News. en.
- Moreau . Jordan . Robert Garland, ‘No Way Out’ and ‘The Electric Horseman’ Writer, Dies at 83 . November 23, 2020 . Variety . February 19, 2022.
- News: May 4, 1937 . Comedian Paid Last Tribute . 2024-02-11 . . Newspapers.com.
- Encyclopedia: Benezit Dictionary of Artists . Marc, Fanny . March 9, 2020 . en . 2011 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-989991-3 . 10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.B00116202 .
- Book: Eubank, Keith . 2004 . The Origins of World War II . Third . Harlan Davidson, Inc. . 87 . 978-1-118-81875-6.
- News: 50,000 in Moscow at Easter Service; Rites in 25 Churches Carried On in Face of Stern Anti-Religious Campaign . Denny . Harold. . May 3, 1937 . 6.
- News: Menocal Presses for Shift in Cuba; Regime's Hold on Congress Is Threatened as Ex-President Quits Democratic Party . Phillips . J. D.. . May 3, 1937 . 5.
- News: Freighter Alecto Sinks After Collision in Heavy Fog . . May 3, 1937 . 3.
- Christine Künzel (Hrsg.): Die letzte Kommunistin. Texte zu Gisela Elsner. konkret Literatur Verlag, Hamburg 2009. p. 22
- News: Lorenzo Music – Actor, 64. The New York Times. Associated Press. August 8, 2001.
- "Armed Revolt Threatens Stalin, Declare Rumors— Intenification of Of Purge Threatens Stalin, Declare Rumors", Deseret News (Salt Lake City UT), June 9, 1937, p.18
- "Envoy to Turkey Recalled by Russia", The Republican (Springfield MA), April 26, 1937, p.13
- "Soviets Slay Eight Former High Leaders— Leon Karakhan, One-Time Envoy To Turkey, Is Among Victims", United Press report in El Paso (TX) Times, December 20, 1937, p.12
- "Wally Wins Absolute Divorce; Duke Ruses To Join Her in France— Ex-King, American-Born Woman Are Free To Marry Whenever They Choose; Date Is Secret", The Capital Times (Madison WI), May 3, 1937, p.1
- Peter Gnoss, Gurlitt's Wozzeck (Vienna: Universal Edition, 2004), available online, accessed 7 March 2014
- Book: Norman . Franks . Norman Franks . Russell F. . Guest . Gregory . Alegi . Above the War Fronts: The British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914–1918 . London, UK . Grub Street . 1997 . 155. 978-1-898697-56-5 .
- News: May 7, 1937 . Sudden Death – Passing of Mr P. W. Pilcher . The Boston (England) Guardian . 10 . October 2, 2022 . British Newspaper Archive.
- News: Taylor . Edmond . May 5, 1937 . Edward Gives Wally a Ring . . 1.
- Web site: Ron Carter earns world record as the most recorded jazz bassist in history. January 7, 2016. Rachel Swatman. Guinness Book of World Records. August 2, 2016.
- Encyclopedia: Feather . Leonard . Gitler . Ira . Carter, Ron (Ronald Levin) . The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz . 1999 . . New York . 115.
- News: Dick Dale Obituary. The Guardian. March 18, 2019. March 18, 2019. September 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230916054001/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/mar/18/dick-dale-obituary. live.
- [Samella S. Lewis]
- Lisa S. Weitzman, "Edwards, Melvin 1937–", encyclopedia.com
- Aron Prujanski. Отечественные певцы. 1750—1917: Словарь. — Изд. 2-е испр. и доп., электронное. —М., 2008. // Петров Василий Родионович
- http://persons.com.ua/index.php?kwdid=116&p_tab=249&sort=yd&sord=a&&pid=32909 Досье личности // ПЕТРОВ Василий Родионович
- Web site: Biografia de Noel Rosa. Netsaber.com.br. November 30, 2012.
- McCann. Bryan. Noel Rosa's Nationalist Logic. Luso-Brazilian Review. Summer 2001. 38. 1. 1–16. 3513674.
- News: Associated Press . May 22, 1937 . North Pole Crossed by 11 Soviet Flyers; Nearby Landing Made . The Sun (Baltimore MD) . 1.
- News: Associated Press . May 22, 1937 . North Pole Crossed by 11 Soviet Flyers; Nearby Landing Made . The Sun (Baltimore MD) . 1.
- News: Associated Press . May 22, 1937 . Air Expedition of Soviets Flew Over North Pole; Landed Safely On An Ice Floe 13 Miles From the Pole, Agency Reports. Standard Sentinel (Hazleton PA) . 1.
- Web site: Spanish Civil War: Chronology . Simkin . John . 2014 . . September 9, 2015.
- News: May 5, 1937 . Calls a Truce Labor's Finest Gift to Empire . . 1.
- "Tran Duc Long", in Historical Dictionary of Vietnam, ed. by Bruce M. Lockhart and William J. Duiker (Scarecrow Press, 2006) p. 371
- Berneri, Camillo Luigi. Biographical Dictionary of European Labor Leaders. 1. A. Thomas. Lane. 141–142. 0-313-29899-8. 1995.
- The Hindenburg Disaster and the End of the Airship Era . Nicholas . Dean . . September 9, 2015.
- Web site: Herb Morrison – Hindenburg Disaster, 1937 . . September 9, 2015.
- News: Schultz . Sigrid . Sigrid Schultz . May 8, 1937 . Rush New German Airliner . . 1.
- Book: Tucker, Spencer C. . Spencer C. Tucker . 2010 . A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East . . . 1872 . 978-1-85109-672-5 .
- Web site: Shall We Dance . . . 7 May 2024.
- News: May 9, 1937 . British Hoots at Italian Valor Roil Mussolini . . 1.
- News: May 9, 1937 . War Admiral Wins Kentucky Derby . . 1.
- Web site: Season in Review: 1936–37 . Widnes RLFC . September 9, 2015.
- Web site: The Prince and the Pauper . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 7 May 2024.
- Book: 1989 . Mercer . Derrik . Chronicle of the 20th Century . . Chronicle Communications Ltd. . 482 . 978-0-582-03919-3.
- News: May 19, 1937 . 50 Hurt in Riots at French Fete to Joan of Arc . . 3.
- Web site: 1937 . MusicAndHistory . September 9, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120829172721/http://www.musicandhistory.com/music-and-history-by-the-year/198-1937.html . August 29, 2012.
- News: May 11, 1937 . Colines Vow Allegiance to New Monarch . . 1, 3.
- News: May 14, 1937 . Blast Damages British Warship Off Spain; 8 Die . . 6.
- News: May 15, 1937 . Jews Attacked, Shops Wrecked in Polish Riots . . 8.
- Web site: A Town with four names: Recollections of life in Poland prior to World War II . Chani . Samuel H. . 2000 . JewishGen . September 9, 2015.
- News: Obituary: Roger Zelazny . Pringle . David . David Pringle . . People . 21 June 1995 . 7 May 2024.
- News: May 15, 1937 . Porto Rico Sterilization Bill Signed by Governor . . 2.
- News: May 16, 1937 . 30 Die, 50 Hurt as Rebel Planes Bomb Valencia . . 6.
- News: May 16, 1937 . Two on Staff Wounded in Valencia Raid . . 1.
- Web site: Tageseinträge für 15. Mai 1937 . chroniknet . September 9, 2015.
- Web site: Your Hit Parade (USA) Weekly Single Charts From 1937 . Kowal . Barry . November 26, 2014 . Hits of All Decades . September 9, 2015.
- News: May 17, 1937 . Spanish Crisis Grows as Reds Block Cabinet . . 2.
- Web site: Sweden's farewell to the Råsunda . Dutt . Sujay . August 16, 2012 . . September 9, 2015.
- News: May 18, 1937 . Edward Sets June 3 For Wedding to Wally . . 1.
- News: Darrah . David . May 19, 1937 . Have No Faith in League, Baldwin Advises Britain . . 2.
- News: Schultz . Sigrid . Sigrid Schultz . May 20, 1937 . Nazis Angered by Mundelein's Blow at Hitler . . 11.
- Web site: Tageseinträge für 19. Mai 1937 . chroniknet . September 9, 2015.
- Web site: May 19, 1937: The Battle at Sportsman's Park . Forrester . Wade . May 19, 2014 . On This Day in Cardinal Nation . September 9, 2015.
- News: Brewer . Sam . May 21, 1937 . New 'Sailor King' Reviews Might of British Fleet . . 3.
- News: Joy of Six: Broadcasting under the influence . June 16, 2009 . . September 9, 2015.
- News: Humanities . National Endowment for the . 1937-05-20 . Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, May 20, 1937, Image 4 . 4 . 2024-01-02 . 1072-9283.
- News: May 22, 1937 . Cuxhaven in Black for Hindenburg Dead . . . 1.
- Web site: Tageseinträge für 21. Mai 1937 . chroniknet . September 9, 2015.
- Book: Rosefielde, Steven . Steven Rosefielde . 2010 . Red Holocaust . . 266 . 978-1-135-19518-2.
- Web site: Memories of Southampton's Spanish children will be saved . January 7, 2009 . . September 9, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151120010815/https://www.southampton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/2009/jan/09_01.shtml . November 20, 2015 . dead . mdy-all.
- Web site: 75th anniversary: Mickey Cochrane gets beaned . Jaffe . Chris . May 25, 2012 . Hardball Times . September 9, 2015.
- News: May 26, 1937 . Join Fascists or Quit Italy, Duce to Jews . . 1.
- News: May 28, 1937 . Nazis Order 200 Catholic Papers to Cease Issue . . 11.
- News: 29 May 1937 . HAYASHI GROUP IS DENOUNCED Major Japanese Parties Demand That Cabinet Quit—Battle Looms . Tribune . . Associated Press . Page 1, column 7 . 7 May 2024 . Trove.
- News: Darrah . David . May 29, 1937 . King Forbids Wally Title of 'Your Highness' . . 1.
- News: 1937-06-01 . CHINA TO JAPAN. . Townsville Daily Bulletin . 2024-01-02.
- News: 1937-05-31 . OPPOSED BY CHINA . Northern Miner . 2024-01-02.
- Web site: Ciudad de Barcelona - 30th May 1937 . Ciudad de Barcelona 1937 . September 9, 2015.
- Web site: Tageseinträge für 31. Mai 1937 . chroniknet . September 9, 2015.