November 12, 1921: World arms limitation conference opens in Washington, DCNovember 4, 1921: Japanese Prime Minister Hara Takashi assassinated at train station
After U.S. SenatorThomas E. Watson of Georgia said in a speech that American soldiers had been hanged in France without proper trial, the Senate ordered the appointment of a special subcommittee to investigate.[1]
The U.S. State Department notified the Republic of China of a default on payment on a loan of $5.5 million.[1]
The British government asked the Soviet government in Moscow to be specific regarding payment of which pre-war debts of the Russian Empire would be paid back to the United Kingdom for loans during World War One.[1]
The Prime Minister of Japan since 1918,Hara Takashi was stabbed to death by railwayman Nakaoka Kon'ichi at theTokyo railway station while preparing to take a train to Kyoto for a conference of theRikken Seiyūkai political party.[8][1]
Italy's Unknown Soldier of World War One was buried with ceremony at theVictor Emmanuel monument in Rome.[1]
The All-India Congress Committee of 200 voted in favor of continuing its support of theMahatma Gandhi's passive resistance movement against the colonial government of British India.[1]
Yugoslavia's King Alexander returned to Belgrade after a long illness in Paris and formally assumed the throne.[1]
The Hungarian National Assembly passed a bill barring the Hapsburg family permanently from ruling Hungary, and deported former KingKaroly VI of Hungary and Queen Zita to exile in Madeira, following a direct request from the Allied Powers.[1][9][page needed]
The value of Germany'sDeutsche Mark dropped to an all-time low of almost 1/4 of a U.S. penny, with one dollar being the equivalent of 243 Marks.[1]
The most powerful wireless radio broadcast transmitter array, up to that time, opened on Long Island atRocky Point, New York. With 12 high powered transmitters, the station was capable of broadcasting signals almost halfway around the world to Asia, and was six times more powerful than the Arlington Station in Virginia.[1]
The late KingLudwig III of Bavaria was allowed a funeral inMunich with full honors in theGerman Republic, despite concerns that the occasion would be used as an excuse by monarchists to call for the restoration of theHouse of Wittelsbach to rule of the German state. Instead, former Bavarian Crown PrinceRupprecht avoided any call at the funeral for a restoration of the monarchy.[12]
Born: PrincessFawzia Fuad of Egypt, daughter of KingFuad I of Egypt, and Queen of Iran (as the first wife of theShah of Iran (from his ascension to the throne in 1941 until their divorce in 1948); at Ras el-Tin Palace, Alexandria (d. 2013).[14]
As inflation spiraled out of control in Germany, the Allied Reparations Commission announced its intention to go to Berlin to determine the prospects of Germany making its next reparations payment of $120,000,000 on the due date of January 15.[1]
In Rome, Pope Benedict XV appointed a young priest,Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, as the president of Italy's branch of theSociety for the Propagation of the Faith.[15] Roncalli would continue to receive appointments to higher positions within the Roman Catholic Church, becoming a Cardinal in 1953, and would be elected asPope John XXIII in 1958.
Eusebio Ayala became the newPresident of Paraguay after being appointed by the National Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation ofManuel Gondra and the unsuccessful efforts of Vice PresidentFélix Paiva to be accepted as Gondra's successor. Ayala served for almost 18 months, resigning on April 12, 1923.[17][18]
AtPrague, representatives of the governments of Poland and Czechoslovakia signed a treaty providing cooperation on common matters and a pledge to not interfere in each other's policies.[1]
The Norwegian cargo shipAlf foundered in theNorth Sea, killing 16 of the 18 crew off of the coast of England nearLowestoft,Suffolk.[19]
Serb forces fromYugoslavia invadedAlbania, leading to the United Kingdom's protest in the League of Nations.[1]
The state of war that had existed since December 7, 1917, between the United States and the Empire of Austria, ended with the ratification of theU.S.–Austrian Peace Treaty.[citation needed]
TheWashington Daily News was launched in Washington, D.C. as an afternoon tabloid, becoming the national capital's fifth daily newspaper. Preferred by the African-American community in Washington, theDaily News existed for more than 50 years, before being purchased in 1972 by the olderWashington Star and shut down on July 12.[20]
The day after an unprecedented robbery of two million dollars from the main post office in New York City, the U.S. Department of the Post Office suspended three of the officials of the office, and requested the United States Marines to supply guards on mail trucks and railroad cars.[1]
Italy'sNational Fascist Party (Partito Nazionale Fascista or PNF) was founded at a convention of Fascist Italians inRome.[23] In protest over the Fascist agenda, a one-day general strike was called by labor unions within the Italian capital.[1]
Britain'sChancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Robert Horne, announced to the House of Commons that the United Kingdom would pay 50 million pounds sterling to the United States in 1922, representing the interest incurred on U.S. loans during 1921.[1]
Seven of the 18 crew on theColombian cargo shipMensabe died when the ship sank during a voyage fromPanama City to Buenaventura.[24]
Using telephone lines that would later be part of a transcontinental radio broadcasting network,AT&T transmitted the Armistice Day speech of President Harding to auditoriums inNew York City andSan Francisco.[27]
On the third anniversary of the end of the First World War, the United States and Germany exchanged their formal ratifications of the 1921 peace treaty.[1]
Deruluft (abbreviation forDeutschRussischeLuftverkehrs, or German-Russian Airlines, a joint venture of Germany and the Soviet Union, was founded. The company began operations on May 1, 1922, with a flight betweenMoscow and the then-German city ofKönigsberg (nowKaliningrad) in Russia, and would operate until March 31, 1937, with a dissolution following a split between Hitler of Germany and Stalin of the USSR.[28]
TheWashington Disarmament Conference, hosted by U.S. PresidentWarren G. Harding.[30][page needed] opened inWashington, D.C. and was attended by representatives of the U.S., the UK, France, Italy, Japan and China, with the objective of halting the arms race with an agreement among the world's superpowers to reduce the number of ships in their navies, although other matters were discussed at the same proceeding besides naval.[31]
Nicaraguan troops defeated anti-government rebels who had attacked the town ofSomotillo, near the Nicaraguan borders with Honduras and El Salvador.[1]
Badische Beamten-Genossenschaftsbank, one of the largest cooperative banks (or credit unions) in Germany and now known as "BBBank", was founded inKarlsruhe by postal inspector Gotthold Mayer as means for government employees to save and borrow money.[32]
The first ship specifically designed to be anaircraft carrier, the Imperial Japanese Navy carrierHōshō, was launched from the Asano Shipyard inYokohama. With a slightly downward slopingflight deck 552 feet (168 m) long and 74.25 feet (22.63 m) wide, the ship would be commissioned on December 27, 1922.[citation needed]
BaronTakahashi Korekiyo was installed as the newPrime Minister of Japan to succeed the late Takashi Hara, who had been assassinated on November 4. Baron Korekiyo continued to serve as Minister of Finance and Minister of the Navy, and made no changes in Hara's existing cabinet.[1]
Birth control advocateMargaret Sanger was arrested by New York police while speaking about contraception to an audience of women and men at the city's forum for lectures,The Town Hall.[34]
An anti-Catholic vandal inside theBasilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City attempted to destroy the nearly 400-year old image of theBlessed Virgin Mary that had formed on the cloak ofJuan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin in 1531. Although the vandal used a bomb powerful enough to damage the altar upon which the image was placed, and items around it, the image and the cloak were unharmed, an event cited as a miracle by devotees of Our Lady of Guadalupe.[36]
Radio broadcasting began in the U.S. city ofChicago as Westinghouse Electric and Commonwealth Edison jointly launched stationKYW.[39]
At theWashington Disarmament Conference, delegates from the UK, France, Italy and Japan approved in principle of the proposals by U.S. Secretary of State Hughes for the U.S. Navy, Britain's Royal Navy and the Japanese Imperial Navy to cut their fleets by a total of 66 ships.[37]
U.S. President Harding welcomed Mirza Hussein Khan Ali, Persia's first diplomatic emissary to the U.S.[37]
Chicago newspaper reporterAntoinette Van Hoesen Wakeman was fatally injured after being struck by a car during a visit to New York City. She lived for more than three weeks before dying of her injuries on December 8.[40]
Gu Yuezhen, Chinese opera singer who led her own opera troupe until her career was ended in theCultural Revolution (committed suicide, 1970).[42]
Died:Tadhg Barry, 31, Irish Republican imprisoned atBallykinlar, was shot by a prison guard while conversing with other prisoners who were being released.[43][page needed]
In Washington, Japan's AdmiralKatō Tomosaburō made a counter-proposal to the Hughes plan for Japan's navy to be 60% as large as those of the U.S. and Britain, described as the 5:5:3 naval ratio, and sought a 70% ratio of 10:10:7.[37]
China's delegate to the conference, Dr. Sze, proposed a 10-point plan for the world's superpowers to maintain the territorial integrity of China, Manchuria and Mongolia in return for an "open door" policy on trade.[37]
The executives of railway lines in the U.S. announced a 10 percent reduction of their rates for shipping agricultural products, to take effect on November 26.[37]
Born:
Laurence Levy, pioneering British neurosurgeon who practiced for most of his career in Africa; inLondon (d. 2007).[44]
Gosbank, the new state bank of the Soviet Union, began operations, opening in Moscow.[37]
In light of the discussions at the Washington Disarmament Conference, the British Admiralty ordered the suspension of new warship construction until further notice.[37]
The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved theWillis–Campbell Act to prohibit the prescription ofbeer for medicinal purposes. Physicians were still allowed to prescribe one-half of a pint (236 ml) ofwhiskey andwine to patients, and limited to a book of 100 prescriptions every 90 days. The measure passed, 56 to 22, with 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats opposing, and was signed by President Harding five days later.[47]
After a financial panic in China caused a run on the banks, GeneralWu Peifu assured diplomats that he would guarantee payment of China's foreign loans if the government inBeijing fell.[37]
The Representatives of Yugoslavia and Albania appeared before the Council of the League of Nations in Paris and pledged to respect the tentative boundary line that had been laid down between the two nations by the Council of Ambassadors.[37]
American sailor and photographerHarry Pidgeon began an attempt to become the second person (after the lateJoshua Slocum) to sail around the world by himself, departing on a sailboat he had built himself, theIslander, fromLos Angeles. He would take almost four years to complete thecircumnavigation, returning to L.A. on October 31, 1925.[48]
Flying the same Curtiss CR-2 involved in his record-breaking flight of November 3,Bert Acosta sets a newworld speed record of 197.8 miles per hour (318.3 km/h).[49]
TheSheppard–Towner Act, the first legislation to provide for federal welfare payments, was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, 279 to 139, to provide federal funding for prenatal care and child care. President Harding signed it into law on November 23.[37]
Brought by the Royal Navy cruiserHMSCardiff, former Austro-Hungarian Emperor Charles and Empress Zita arrived at the Portuguese island ofMadeira for their exile after Charles had attempted to take the throne of Hungary.[9]
Elections were held in Belgium for the 186 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and the 93 seats in the Belgian Senate.[54] In the lower house, the Catholic Party, led byGeorges Theunis won 70 seats and formed a coalition with the 33 seats of the Liberal Party. Theunis replacedHenri Carton de Wiart.
A treaty between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan was signed at Kabul, giving written assurances that no Russian consulates would be permitted in the areas adjoining the Indian frontier. The new treaty amended the 1919Treaty of Rawalpindi, reaffirmed Britain's recognition of Afghanistan's independence, restored the privilege of importing munitions through India, and transferred a small area near the Khyber Pass to Afghanistan.[57]
Japan tentatively agreed to recognize Manchuria as an integral part of China, after originally arguing that Chinese territory should be limited to what was within the protection of the Great Wall of China.[37]
Twenty people were killed inBelfast as the truce between Irish nationalists and Northern Ireland Unionists was broken.[37]
The British royal family announced the engagement ofPrincess Mary, the only daughter of King George V, toViscount Lascelles, son of the Earl Of Harewood.[37]
Born:
Rodney Dangerfield (stage name for Jack Roy, formerly Jacob Rodney Cohen), American comedian and film actor known for his self-deprecating humor; on Long Island inBabylon, New York (d. 2004).[58]
Edward J. Adams, 34, American armed robber and murderer, was killed in a shootout with police inWichita, Kansas, two days after he had killed a Wichita patrol officer.[60]
At theUkraine village ofBazar, 359 Ukrainian Army soldiers were executed by firing squad after surrendering to the Soviet Red Army following their defeat in battle and their refusal to defect to the Red Army. Those killed were part of 443 under the command ofYuriy Tyutyunnyk who had recruited fromVolhynia.[62]
Prime MinisterDavid Lloyd George of theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called off further discussion of peaceful settlement in the Irish crisis, informing the Northern Ireland Premier, James Craig, that Sinn Féin's members would refuse to take an oath of allegiance to the King as a condition of serving in an All-Ireland parliament.[37]
The gradual withdrawal of U.S. Army troops from occupation of Germany began as 600 troops departed on a train fromCoblenz, going to Belgium to board a ship back to the United States.[37]
U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Charles White Whittlesey, who had received theMedal of Honor for his leadership of the "Lost Battalion" in theMeuse-Argonne Offensive during World War I, was never seen again after he jumped from the British ocean liner SSToloa on the same day the ship had departed from New York on a trip to Havana.[69] Whittlesey left behind a will and instructions to the captain of the ship on the disposition of his luggage and personal effects.[70]
Born:František Listopad (pen name for Jiří Synek), Czech-born poet who later became a theatre and television director in Portugal; inPrague (d. 2017).[71]
Died:Sarah Robinson, 87, British temperance activist and champion of aid to veterans.[72]
Marshal Foch, commander of the Army of France during World War One, met with Sioux Indian leaders during a visit toBismarck, North Dakota, smoked a peace pipe in a ceremony, and was given the honorary name ofWatapech Wakiga ("Charging Thunder").[37]
The firstEmperor's Cup, the national soccer football championship ofJapan, was won byTokyo Shukyu-Dan with a 1 to 0 victory over the Mikage Kicking-Team ofKobe in the final at theHibiya Park field inChiyoda City. The only goal was scored on a header by Andō of Tokyo from a corner kick by Sugaya.[73][74]
At the Disarmament Conference, the leading powers agreed with the request from China that the other nations shut down their system of "alien post offices" that had been maintained in China, in that China had built its own mail delivery service with over 13,000 locations. At the time, Japan had 124 post offices there, while France had 13, Britain had 12 and the U.S. had one. The Conference nations agreed, pledging to remove their offices by January 1, 1923.[75]
Died:ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, 77, Persian-born religious leader of the Baháʼí Faith.[76][77]
SirGeorge Foster Pearce,Australia'sMinister for Defence, addressed a luncheon atIndia House, a private club in New York City for persons involved in foreign commerce, and said that Australia was "the only continent peopled by one race" (notwithstanding its minority ofAboriginal Australians) and that it, like the United States and the United Kingdom, must forever remain "a white man's country". "There are some advantages of isolation," Pearce told his audience. "The United States has not only attracted many enterprising immigrants, but, you will admit, some who make neither for greatness nor safety. So far, Australia has attracted only the cream of the people of Europe."[78]
Died:Ivan Caryll (professional name for Felix Tilkins), 58, Belgian music composer of who specialized in the melodies formusical comedies, died eight days after he had suffered a hemorrhage while watching the rehearsal of his latest musical,Little Miss Raffles.[79] Five of Caryll's songs were later used when the musical was renamedThe Hotel Mouse.
French serial killerHenri Landru, was convicted in the Assizes Court inVersailles of the murder of ten women and a boy, and sentenced to execution by theguillotine.[80] Landru would be beheaded three months later, on February 25, 1922.
^Pfullmann, Uwe (2001).Durch Wüste und Steppe: Entdeckerlexikon arabische Halbinsel : Biographien und Berichte [Through desert and steppe: Lexicon of the Arabian Peninsula, Biographies and Reports] (in German). Trafo. p. 193.
^"Swedish steamer sunk".The Times. No. 42869. London. 4 November 1921. col. C, p. 9.
^"Dänischer Ex-SS-Offizier Sören Kam 93-jährig gestorben" [Danish ex-SS-officer Søren Kam dies at 93 years].TT.com (in German). March 30, 2015.
^Chavez, Eduardo (2006).Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Juan Diego: The Historical Evidence. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, INC. p. 29.ISBN978-0-7425-5104-6.
^Associated Press (March 20, 1926). "Mariners Honor Circler Of Globe In Tiny Craft; Harry Pidgeon Is Awarded Coveted Blue Water Medal".Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 1.
^Angelucci, Enzo (1987).The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present. New York: Orion Books. p. 121.ISBN0-517-56588-9.
^"Says Australia Is White Man's Abode; Only Continent Peopled by One Race, Declares Visiting Minister of Defense".The New York Times. November 30, 1921. p. 3.
^"Ivan Caryll Dies as He Finishes Play— Noted Composer With Hemorrhage at Rehearsal of 'Little Miss Raffles'".The New York Times. November 30, 1921. p. 1.
^"Condemns Landru to the Guillotine".The New York Times. December 1, 1921. p. 1.
^"Lord Mount Stephen Railway Pioneer, Dies; First President of Canadian Pacific Succumbs at Home in Hertfordshire, Eng., at 92 Years".The New York Times. December 1, 1921. p. 17.
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