Two scientific papers changed our understanding of the universe were presented on the same day.Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin completed her Ph.D. thesis,Stellar Atmospheres, described by astronomerOtto Struve as "the most brilliant PhD thesis ever written in astronomy", that led to our understanding that stars are primarily composed ofhydrogen andhelium, rather than heavier elements as previously thought.[1] On the same day, at Corcoran Hall ofGeorge Washington University, astronomerEdwin Hubble presented to a New Year's Day meeting of theAmerican Astronomical Society, his paperCepheids in Spiral Nebulae, an analysis of the relation between the distance of remote galaxies and their relative velocity that showed the expansion of theUniverse[2]
Norway's capital, Christiania, was renamedOslo.[3]
In theRose Bowl, the unbeaten and untied (9-0-0)Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the unbeaten (7-0-1)Stanford University Indians, 27 to 10, before a crowd of 60,000 people inPasadena.[4] On the same day, the unbeaten (8-0-1)Penn Quakers visited the unbeaten (7-0-2)California Golden Bears in a postseason game atBerkeley, with California winning, 14 to 0, before 60,000 people. On November 22, Stanford and California had played to a 20-20 tie. Later in the year, economics professorFrank G. Dickinson of the University of Illinois ranked Notre Dame the best team of the 1924 season, followed by California as part of his "Dickinson ratings" that would later be recognized by the NCAA as determinative of a college football national champion.[5]
A small contingent ofU.S. Marines arrived atNanjing to patrol the vicinity of theuniversity and protect Americans there from further looting.[6]
Fresh violence broke out around Italy asBenito Mussolini's crackdown on opposition newspapers continued. Fascists seized or attacked newspaper presses while at least three were killed in rioting.[8] Mussolini met with KingVictor Emmanuel III and requested dictatorial powers to quell the chaos. The king refused, but gave Mussolini tacit permission to act however he considered necessary within at least the appearance of constitutional legality.[9]
Leo Chiozza Money testified before Britain'sRoyal Commission that an increase in the world's population had led to the country's food situation becoming as desperate as it was during thewar. "The 10 pence price of bread has doubled in recent years and looking into the future there are good prospects of its doubling again", he stated. Money recommended a "department of supply" be created to remedy the problem.[10]
Benito Mussolini made a pivotal speech in the ItalianChamber of Deputies. He took personal responsibility for the actions of hisBlackshirts, challenged his political opponents to remove him from office and then promised to take charge of restoring order to Italy within forty-eight hours.[11] Historians now trace this speech to the beginning of Mussolini's dictatorship.[12]
Cyril Brownlie was sent off the field for foul play during a rough Test match against England during New Zealand's1924–25 rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland and France. It was the first time such a severe sanction had ever been applied in an international rugby match. New Zealand won 17-11.[3]
In a matchup of two of the best teams of the1924–25 NCAA men's basketball season, the visitingPrinceton Tigers of the Ivy League (officially, the Eastern Intercollegiate League) defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference, 39 to 34, after trailing 15 to 22 at halftime.[13] Both teams would win finish with only two losses and become champions of their conferences, with Ohio State at 14 wins and 2 losses. Princeton would finish with a record of 21 wins and 2 losses, and be retroactively selected by historians as the best team of the 1924-1925 season.[14]
Prefects throughout Italy received orders to control all "suspect" political organizations.[15] Over the next two days, hundreds of private homes were searched, meeting halls were closed, political groups were disbanded and newspapers were seized.[3][16]
Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first woman to be elected as the governor of a U.S. state as she was inaugurated asGovernor of Wyoming.[18] Ross had won a special election on November 3 to fill the remainder of the term of her late husband, GovernorWilliam B. Ross, who had died on October 2. Mrs. Ross succeededFrank Lucas, who had served as acting Governor upon Mr. Ross's death.
The only twoItalian Liberal Party ministers in Benito Mussolini's cabinet, Gino Sarrocchi and Alessandro Casati, turned in their resignations.[19] They were to be replaced by loyalFascists, who were now the only party in Mussolini's cabinet.[20]
At the Finnish-American A.C. Games held atMadison Square Garden,[21] Finnish runnerPaavo Nurmi set two new indoor records in front of a standing-room only crowd.[22]
In Italy, A joint manifesto signed by the leaders of the parties "on theAventine" condemned Mussolini's suppression of dissent, writing, "The whole country can bear witness to the fact that the pretext of this policy is a ridiculous lie as no conspiracy is threatening the country and no attempt has been made against the laws." The manifesto suggested that Mussolini resign.[25]
In India, Bhanupratap Deo, the 3-year-old son of the late Lal Kamal Deo, was proclaimed as the new Raja of theKanker State, aprincely state within British India, and now part of the state ofChhattisgarh. He would rule until 1947, upon the independence of India and the abolition of princely states.[26]
Leo Koretz, 45, American lawyer and con man who masterminded the "Bayano Oil fraud", aPonzi scheme that gathered $30 million from investors for false claims of oil fields, died in the Illinois State Penitentiary from diabetes.[29]
British economistGeorge Paish said that another war in Europe was inevitable unless Germany'sreparations payments were reduced and the French were to leave theRhineland. He also warned that "Germany will not make the mistake she made the last time, in having Russia as an enemy, but will have that nation as a friend. Germany and Russia will be able to overrun Europe and establish a military despotism."[30]
The British submarine HMSHMSL24 sank in the English Channel after colliding with the Royal Navy battleshipHMSResolution. All 43 men onL24 died.[31]
TheKu Klux Klan was banned from the state ofKansas when itsSupreme Court ruled that it was a corporation organized for profit and therefore could not operate there without acharter.[32]
A clause in the Treaty of Versailles (articles 276 and 280), requiring Germany to grantmost favored nation trade status with the former World War One allies, expired and allowed the Germans to negotiate their own economic ties.[citation needed]
The deadline for the Allies to cease their occupation of the Germany's Rhineland passed without the withdrawal of French and Belgian forces. The government of France declared that the refusal was justified by "breaches of the disarmament clauses" of the Versailles Treaty.[33]
InChicago, theNorth Side Gang tried to killAl Capone, usingTommy guns to rake his car with bullets as it idled outside aState Street restaurant. Only Capone's bodyguard was wounded as Capone himself was doing business inside, but the attack prompted him to order Tommy guns for his own men, as well as his famous bulletproofCadillac.[35][36]
The Agreement Regarding the Distribution of the Dawes Annuities was signed in Paris among theEntente Powers, apportioning the distribution of theCentral Powers'reparations payments, including those of Germany under theDawes Plan, among the various countries that were entitled to the payments.[38][39]
Hans Luther became the newChancellor of Germany, replacingWilhelm Marx and forming a coalition government from five political parties that combined to have 294 of the 493 seats in the Reichstag.
Blues artist Huddie Ledbetter, more popularly known asLead Belly, was granted a full pardon by Texas governorPat Morris Neff, having served the minimum seven years of his prison sentence after killing one of his own relatives in a fight over a woman. Neff had been impressed by a religiously-themed song about forgiveness that Lead Belly had written and performed for him during a visit he made to the prison the previous year.[40]
Italy passed a new electoral bill containing a controversial provision for "plural voting". Double votes were to be given to academians, professors, those with diplomas, knights, military officers, those with any military decorations, officeholders, certain business personnel, all those paying a direct tax of 100 lira or more, and fathers of at least five children. Triple votes were to be given to members of the royal family, members of high nobility, cardinals, highly decorated war veterans, high officeholders, or anyone who met three conditions for double votes. The opposition blasted the provision as disproportionately favouring the wealthy, butMussolini contended that it would help to encourage educated and productive Italians.[41][42]
Died:Aleksey Kuropatkin, 76, Russian general and Imperial Russian Minister of War
Miriam A. Ferguson became the first female governor ofTexas and the second in United States history.
Italy'sChamber of Deputies repealed the "plural voting" provision in the electoral bill passed the previous day. Mussolini consented to the change upon the advice of labour leaders within his party who feared it would draw too much resentment from the working class.[42]
"The Gentleman Bandit"Gerald Chapman was apprehended on a street inMuncie, Indiana. On his person he had $5,000 cash, $3,000 in bonds, $500 worth of jewelry, a pint ofnitroglycerin, burglary tools and part of a sawed-through padlock.[43]
Sol Yurick, American novelist; in New York City (d. 2013)[45]
Bob McConnell, American baseball historian, author ofThe Home Run Encyclopedia; inSeattle (d. 2012)
Jesús Díaz, Mexican baseball outfielder, 1942 Mexican League Rookie of the Year, inductee to the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame; inTorreón,Coahuila (d. 1988)[46]
Hjalmar Branting announced that, because of health, he was resigning as Prime Minister of Sweden. Branting died five weeks after stepping down.
TheLeague of Nations opened the second session of the Second Opium Conference with the goal of reducing the worldwide trafficking and use of opium.[7]
Seattle Police Department LieutenantRoy Olmstead was indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury, along with 89 other defendants, for smuggling alcohol from Canada into the United States, in violation of theVolstead Act. Convicted in 1926 along with 20 other defendants based on evidence gathered from wiretapping made on his telephone without a warrant, Olmstead would challenge the conviction in the case ofOlmstead v. United States.[47] Ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court would rule, 5 to 4, that wiretapping was legal, a decision that would not be overturned until 1967 inKatz v. United States.
German ChancellorHans Luther and PresidentPaul Löbe were mercilessly heckled to an unprecedented degree in theReichstag as the new Cabinet was introduced and Luther outlined the new government's policies, including support for theDawes Plan. Cries such as "traitor", "crook" and "monarchist" rang out from republican benches.[48]
TheSoviet–Japanese Basic Convention was signed by Soviet Deputy Foreign MinisterLev Karakhan and Japanese Ambassador in ChinaKenkichi Yoshizawa, as Japan and the Soviet Union restored diplomatic relations severed during the Bolshevik revolution in 1917, and reached a number of agreements on matters that had previously been disputed between them. Japan agreed to withdraw troops from the northern part of the island ofSakhalin, which Japan agreed to withdraw from by May 15 in exchange for oil and coal concessions.[7]
Miriam A. "Ma" Ferguson was sworn into office as the Governor of Texas, becoming the second woman to assume leadership of a U.S. state after winning an election.[50]
Germany's Chancellor Hans Luther and Foreign MinisterGustav Stresemann sent a secret memorandum to Britain suggesting a non-aggression pact between Germany and all nations with an "interest" in the Rhine valley, in return for a German guarantee to respect its post-war boundaries with France and Belgium.[citation needed]
ChancellorHans Luther casually admitted in a speech to theReichstag that his Cabinet had discussed changing the form of government, but had decided to remain a constitutional republic. The statement fueled charges from republicans that Luther was preparing to restore theGerman monarchy, as his Cabinet included several known monarchists.[51]
The Soviet Union held mass demonstrations culminating in five minutes of silence in observation of the first anniversary ofVladimir Lenin's death.[52]
Chicago Outfit gangsterJohnny Torrio survived an assassination attempt whenHymie Weiss andBugs Moran jumped him as he and his wife were returning to their apartment from a shopping trip. Torrio was shot multiple times, but Moran's gun clicked empty when he tried to deliver acoup de grâce to Torrio's head.[56]
Thetomb of Tutankhamun was reopened in Egypt soHoward Carter could resume his archaeological work.[57] Carter was disappointed to find that thepall which had covered thesarcophagus was now ruined because someone in Egypt's antiquities department had carelessly stored it in a wooden shed that did not provide adequate protection from sunlight.[58]
A number of injuries were reported in Berlin as rioting broke out among monarchists, communists and republicans during demonstrations held on the birthday of former kaiserWilhelm II.[60]
Alaskan Territorial GovernorScott Cordelle Bone gave the final authorization for a succession ofdog sled teams to deliver theantitoxin toNome to relieve thediphtheria epidemic, beginning the relay that would become known as the1925 serum run to Nome.[61] "Wild Bill" Shannon was the first of 20 dog sled team mushers in a relay to deliver the medicine over the 674 miles (1,085 km) route fromNenana toNome, Alaska.
Harlan Fiske Stone became the first nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court to testify before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee prior to the vote on his confirmation.[64] After his testimony, the U.S. Senate would vote to confirm him on February 5 by a vote of 71 to 6.[65]
Twenty people were killed and 20 wounded inShanghai when representatives of theFengtian Clique met resistance attempting to disarm about 1,000 defeatedJiangsu troops.[69]
Cave explorerFloyd Collins was trapped in Sand Cave,Kentucky, when he dislodged a rock that fell and pinned his leg. Efforts to rescue him over the next eighteen days would become a subject of national media attention.[72]
^"Illini Fourth in Dickinson's National Rank",The Urbana (IL) Daily Courier, October 17, 1925, p.6 ("Prof. Frank G. Dickinson broadcast his 1924 national championship football ratings out of Chicago last night. He was invited to talk at the "WHT" radio station... Notre Dame, generally accepted as the national champion following its all-conquering season, proved to be the leading eleven in Dickinson's method.")
^Pugliese, Stanislao G., ed. (2004).Fascism, Anti-fascism, and the Resistance in Italy: 1919 to the Present. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. p. 69.ISBN0-7425-3123-6.
^Dell'Orto, Giovanna (2013).American Journalism and International Relations. Cambridge University Press. p. 90.ISBN978-1-107-03195-1.
^ESPN, ed. (2009).ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. p. 537.ISBN978-0-345-51392-2.
^Bevans, Charles Irving (1969).Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States of America, 1776–1949, Volume 2.United States Department of State. pp. 504–505.
^Tucker, Kenneth (2012).Eliot Ness and the Untouchables (Second ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 49–50.ISBN978-0-7864-4996-5.
^Carter, Howard (2010).The Tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amen, Volume II. Cambridge University Press. p. xviii.ISBN978-1-108-01815-9.
^Kamousis, Dimitris (2014). "Incorporating the Ecumenical Patriarchate into Modern Turkey: The Legacy of the 1924 Patriarchal Election". In Lytra, Vally (ed.).When Greeks and Turks Meet: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Relationship Since 1923 (ebook ed.).Burlington, Vermont:Ashgate Publishing Company. p. 236.
