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Klaipėda Region

Klaipėda Region

Klaipėda Region (Memel Region, Memelland) is the name of the part of Lithuania Minor consisting of the coastland around Klaipėda (formerly known as Memel) and along the Curonian Lagoon, on the right bank of Neman River. From 1328 to 1525 it was a part of the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights, 1525-1701 the fief of Ducal Prussia, and then Kingdom of Prussia. From 1871 to 1920 it belonged to Germany. By the Treaty of Versailles in February 1920 Memel and an adjacent territory north of Neman River of former East Prussia, designated as the Memel Territory (Territoire de Memel, Klaipėda Region), was separated from Germany and passed to an interim supervision of the states of the Council of Ambassadors. Directly the administration of the region was formed and the control was exercised by France. In defiance of the idea of foundation of the Freistaat (or independent state of the Memel Territory), seemingly got in sight from a precedent of Danzig and propagated by both public and economical societies, the predestination of the area was determined by the conflict of ambitions of two states, after First World War again emerged in the Eastern Europe – Poland and Lithuania. The occupation of the region on January 10-15, 1923, initiated by the government of Lithuania, is one of the contradictory subjects in the historiography of Lithuania. There is no substance for a previous interpretation, composed in the interwar period to demonstrate that the citizenry of region, a sizeable majority of whom had a parental links with Lithuania, desired to unite with Lithuania and revolted against the French authority accordingly. Therefore, this elucidation lost its sense and was discarded in that new sources were exposed. The most risky undertaking of the interwar Lithuanian foreign policy was determined by not only ethno-political but also and in preference to economical motives. Way back in Versailles it was Clemenceau, who noticed, that Memel is the only access to sea for Lithuania. The Council of Ambassadors, accepted the status quo and made a bid for the significant autonomy for region, homologated its incorporation to the Republic of Lithuania. On May 8, 1924 the Convention on Klaipėda region confirmative the cession and the autonomy was signed in Paris. It was recognized as integral part of The Republic of Lithuania by Germany in January 29, 1928 (Lithuanian - German border treaty). Klaipeda region however remained an autonomy inside Lithuania and had a significant German population, also a significant population of people who chose to identify themselves as Klaipėdians during censuses (see demography information bellow). Both Lithuanian and German languages were official in the region. However, during the 16 years of administration the government of Lithuania faced with hearty opposition of the autonomic institutions. Certainly, there was a complex of occasions for this opposition. Seemingly, the fundamental was a political conjuncture in interwar Europe itself, necessitated the revanchistic temperature, reasoned by the desire to regain to the motherland in all conceivable measures, in the territories, isolated from Germany. Sixteen years Lithuania, firstly leaned upon the contingent of Lithuanian descent, tried to integrate and lithuanize the region, regardless of the substantial cultural and religious differences. Meanwhile, the public organizations of region, especially those financially supported by Germany prosecuted the disintegration in their movement only. This interwar collision, reflected on a political, cultural and even religious plane, was an essential historical topicality of the period. It was perfectly imaged by authoress of the region Ieva Simonaitytė, in 1930s earned fame when wrote her first novel about the centuries-old German-Lithuanian relations in the region. Nonetheless, Lithuania fully used the makings of Klaipėda port, modernised and adapted it to the export of its agricultural products. The port reconstruction was certainly the largest long-term investment project, realised by the government of Lithuania. Actually, we couldn't even imagine, what a finish of the integration of the region might have been, hadn't the Nazi movement been activated in 1933 in Germany and subsequently in the Memel Territory. Incriminated in sedition, the leaders of pro-Nazi organizations of the region were judged by Lithuania. So-called proceeding of Neumann and Sass in 1934–1935 in Kaunas was presented as a first anti-Nazi trial in Europe. However, the leaders of pro-Nazi organizations were not arraigned for their pro-Nazi ideology but for their undesirable relations with the Nazi Germany. On account of political and economical constraint of Germany in 1936–1938 the most part of these leaders were unbound: by late 1938 Lithuania uncontrolled the situation in region already. On March 22, 1939, after a political blackmail of Germany, Lithuanian minister of foreign affairs Juozas Urbšys and his college Joachim von Ribbentrop signed the Treaty of cession of the Memel Territory to Germany. Germany invaded it even before Lithuanian acceptal. Despite of pledge to overlook after Klaipėda and help maintain it's position as autonomous part of Lithuania, United Kingdom was not interested in helping Lithuania, and therefore Seimas was forced to approve the annexation of Klaipėda region, that way falsely hoping that Germany won't invade other parts of Lithuania at least (on March 30). 18 thousand Jews and Lithuanians for fear of pot-shots, all Lithuanian institutions and organizations deserted a region. In 1939–1945 Memel was a part of Reich again. It was a navy base and a fortress. A fortuneless war in USSR for Germany considerably determined a portion of entire East Prussia. In 1944–1945 all inhabitants of Klaipėda without distinction had to forsake their homeland and were drawn to Germany. In 1944-45 the former Klaipėda region became a part of Lithuanian SSR.

Demography

According to 1925 census (by subdivisions):
- City of Klaipėda - 35,854 inhabittants, 30,3% local Lithuanians and "Klaipėdians", 57,2% local Germans, 5,5% other locals, 7.0% foreign citizens.
- Klaipėdos apskritis - 30,409 inhabittants, 73.4% local Lithuanians and "Klaipėdians", 23.7% local Germans, 0,8% other locals, 2.1% foreign citizens.
- Šilutės apskritis - 36,404 inhabittants, 55,6% local Lithuanians and "Klaipėdians", 41,8% local Germans, 0,1% other locals, 2,5% foreign citizens.
- Pagėgių apskritis - 38,987 inhabittants, 47,5% local Lithuanians and "Klaipėdians", 49,2% local Germans, 0,2% other locals, 3,1% foreign citizens.
- All apskritys, excluding Klaipėda city - 105,804 inhabittants, 57,8% local Lithuanians and "Klaipėdians", 39,3% local Germans, 0,3 other locals, 2,6% foreign citizens.
- All region - 141,640 inhabittants, 50,8% local Lithuanians and "Klaipėdians", 43,8% local Germans, 1,6% other locals, 3,8% foreign citizens. Overally, Lithuanians were more rural than Germans; the part of Lithuanians in Klaipėda city itself increased over the time due to urbanization and migration from villages into cities and later also from the remaining Lithuania (in Klaipėda city Lithuanian speaking people made up 21,5% in 1912, 32,6% in 1925 and 38,7% in 1932 (these percentages excludes foreign citizens living in Klaipėda; including them stats would be slightly lower)). Foreign citizens might include some Germans, who opted German citizenship instead of Lithuanian one (although at the time German government pressured local Germans to take Lithuanian citizenship, so that German presence would remain). There were more Lithuanians in the north of region (Klaipėdos apskritis and Šilutės apskritis) than in south (Pagėgių apskritis). Other locals includes people of other nationalities who had citizenship of Lithuania, such as Jews.

See also


- Lithuania Minor
- Regions of Lithuania Category:Geography of Lithuania Category:Former countries in Europe

Lithuania Minor

Lithuania Minor (or Prussian Lithuania, Lithuanian Mažoji Lietuva and Prūsų Lietuva respectively) is one of five ethnographic regions of Lithuania.

Geography

Lithuania Minor territory was comprised of the current Kaliningrad Oblast (excluding the city of Kaliningrad and its surroundings), a few territories in northern Poland as well as the following territories in modern-day Lithuania: the Klaipėda district municipality, the Šilutė district municipality, Klaipėda city, Pagėgiai municipality, and Neringa municipality. Although now carved into quite different countries, when Lithuania Minor was defined, all these territories were part of Prussia and thus separated from the remaining Lithuania. The name Lithuania Minor refers to this Prussian control of an ethnic-majority Lithuanian region outside of Lithania proper. The major cities in the former Lithuania Minor are, as shown by their Lithuanian-language name (and in their German-language name), Klaipėda (Memel) and Tilžė (Tilsit). Other towns include Ragainė (Ragnit), Šilutė (Heydekrug), Gumbinė (Gumbinnen), Įsrutis (Insterburg), Krantas (Cranz), Piliava (Pillau), Stalupėnai (Stallupönen).

Demographics

Traditions

History

As a distinctive ethno-cultural region, Lithuania Minor emerged during the 16th century. The substratum of local inhabitans comprised ethnic Baltic tribes and colonists from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania who settled this territory after the war between Teutonic Order and Lithuania ended in 1422. The territory today known as Lithuania Minor had been distinguished in administrative way since the 16th century, called mostly Lithuanian counties or Lithuania (Litauen). The name Mažoji Lietuva in Lithuanian language (Lithuania Minor in English and Klein Litauen in German) was coined during the 19th century and used more widely during the 20th century, mostly among historians and ethnographers. Back then Lithuania Minor was part of Germany, the ethnic Lithuanian inhabitants of Lithuania Minor were called Lietuvininks. Some sources use the term Lietuvinink to refer to any inhabitant of Lithuania Minor. Other sources indicate that Lietuvinink is one of two historical ways to call all Lithuanians. In other territories of Lithuania, the word lietuvis became more popular, while in Lithuania minor "lietuvininkas" was preferred. Use of the term Lietuvinink was decreasing among Lithuanians in then Lithuania Minor, due to increasing germanisation. This region always was an important center for Lithuanian culture, which was persecuted in other part of Lithuania, especially in the first half of the 19th century, when it was occupied by Russia and previously polonized. During the ban of Lithuanian printing in Russia from 1864 till 1904 Lithuanian books were printed in Tilsit, Ragnit, Memel, Königsberg, etc. The first Lithuania book, prepared by Martinus Mosvidius, was printed in Königsberg in 1547 and the first Lithuanian grammar (Grammatica Litvanica) by Daniel Klein was printed in 1653. After Lithuania declared independence in 1918, a part of Lithuania Minor (Klaipėda Region) was attached to Lithuania in 1923. The rest of it however was under the heavy influence of germanisation. In 1944-45 the inhabitants of Lithuanian descent, along with Germans, evacuated Lithuania Minor. After WWII, the Kaliningrad Oblast portion of former Lithuania Minor was colonized by Russians, who expelled the remaining Lithuanians and Germans from East Prussia. In Klaipėda Region a major population change was caused by retreating, exiled to Siberia or withdrawal of the Lietuvninks to Germany in 1958-1960. In modern Lithuania the Klaipėda Region is mostly populated by descendants of Lithuanians from other regions, while only 10,000 inhabitants remain who are not ethnically Lithuanian. During Soviet occupation of Lithuania from 1940 to 1991, the historical existence of Lithuania Minor was being denied altogether, by saying that Lithuania had only 4 ethnographic regions throughout history. This belief is still held by some educated people even since 1991. Indeed, in the Museum of Lithuanian people's lifestyle in Rumšiškės only 4 regions are represented, although this museum was opened during the Soviet occupation.

Politics

Symbolics


- Lithuania Minor has a flag, which is a horizontal tricolor of green, white and red, first mentioned in 1660 (see Flag of Lithuania Minor). Lithuania Minor is the only ethnographic region of Lithuania which has flag separate from coat of arms, rather than having it based on coat of arms.
- The coat of arms of Lithuania Minor is divided into two parts, left and right. The right part has an image of horse on diagonally striped surface. The left side is further dubdivided in two parts, upper and lower. The lower part is all white. The upper part is vertically striped.
- Anthem of Lithuania Minor is based on text, written by Georg Sauerwein in 1879, and called Lietuvninkais mes esam gimę (Meaning "Lietuvininks we are born"). It is the only ethnographic region of Lithuania with its own anthem. This anthem was suggested as a possible anthem for whole Lithuania when it (not Lithuania Minor) got independence in 1918. Under this proposal, the word Lietuvninkais would have been changed to Lithuanian throughout. This proposal had the drawback that some text which was referred only to Lithuania Minor. Tautiška giesmė written by Vincas Kudirka was adopted instead.

See also


- Regions of Lithuania Category:Lithuanian ethnographic regions Category:Geography of Lithuania Category:Prussia Category:History of Russia Category:History of Lithuania Category:History of Prussia

Curonian Lagoon

The Curonian Lagoon (or Bay, Gulf, Lit. Kuršių Marios, Rus. Kуршский залив, German Kurisches Haff) is sundered from the Baltic Sea by the Curonian Spit and belongs to Lithuania and Russia. The Neman River flows into the Curonian Lagoon. The lagoon itself is cut off from the Baltic Sea by the Curonian Spit. At the northern end of the spit, there is a passage where the Lithuanian port of Klaipėda (German Memel) is situated. It was part of the ancient ancestral lands of the Curonians and Prussians.

See also


- Vistula Lagoon Category:Baltic Sea Category:Lagoons

Neman River

The Neman (; ; ; ; ) is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Baltic Sea near Klaipėda. It is the 14th largest river in Europe, largest in Lithuania, and 3rd largest in Belarus.

Neman in numbers


- The total length of the Neman is 937 km (582 miles). That makes it the 14th largest river in Europe and the 4th largest in Baltic Sea basin. 359 km (223 miles) are in Lithuania. 116 kilometers of the Neman serves as the border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad oblast and Belarus.
- The largest depth is 5 meters (16.4 ft) and largest width is about 500 meters (1640 feet).
- The Neman is a slow river; its speed is about 1 to 2 m/s.
- During floods, water discharge can increase up to 11 times, to more than 6,800 m³/s
- The Neman is an old river, dating back to the glacial period. Since then it formed a deep (up to 60 m) and broad (up to 5 km) valley.
- Neman has about 105 1st class tributaries, largest being the rivers Neris (Viliya) (510 km/317 miles), Ščiara (325 km/202 miles) , Šešupė (298 km/185 miles). 15 of the tributaries are longer than 100 km (62 miles).
- In the Neman basin there are even 11th order tributaries.
- The Neman basin in the Lithuanian drains more than 20,000 rivers and rivulets. It makes 72% of Lithuanian territory.

Importance of the Neman in economics

rivulet The largest cities on the Neman are Hrodna (Belarus), Alytus and Kaunas (Lithuania) and Sovetsk (Russia). Above Kaunas a dam for Kaunas hydroelectric plant was built in 1959. The resulting artificial lake is the biggest such lake in Lithuania. It is called the Kaunas Lagoon (Kauno marios - similarly to Kuršių marios; sometimes it's wrongly referred to as Kaunas sea). It occupies 63.5 km² (24.5 square miles) area, the length is 93 km (58 miles), the greatest depth - 22 m (72 feet). The Kaunas Lagoon is an important spot for Lithuanian yacht sport.

Importance of the Neman in Lithuanian culture

Lithuanians like to refer to the Neman as "the father of rivers" (because Nemunas in Lithuanian is a masculine noun). In Lithuania, there are countless places, companies, organizations that have "Nemunas" in their name (e.g. folklore ensemble, weekly magazine about art and culture, sanatorium, guest houses and hotels). Also, Lithuanian novels, poems, and songs often refer to Nemunas. One of the most famous poems by Maironis starts: Almost every Lithuanian can recite these words from heart. It is so well known that sometimes it is thought to be an unofficial national anthem. There are many other smaller rivers and rivulets in Lithuania which name could be derived from "Nemunas." For example, Nemunykštis, Nemuniukas, Nemunynas, Nemunėlis, Nemunaitis. Some say that "Nemunas" is a very old word perhaps meaning "a damp place." Other say that "Nemunas" was a god in Baltic mythology.

The Neman Loops

anthem] Since the loops are located in Lithuania, they are often referred to as "Nemunas loops" In 1992 Nemunas Loops Regional Park was founded. Its goal is to preserve spectacular loops (vingis in Lithuanian) that the Neman makes and the Punia forest. Near Prienai, the Neman makes a 17-km long loop (like a teardrop) coming within 1.2 km of completing the loop. The Neman flows along the double bend between Balbieriškis and Birštonas for 48 kilometers and then moves in the northern direction just 4.5 kilometers. It is also a very important historical site with castles which served as the first defense line against the Teutonic knights.

The Neman delta

Since the delta is located in Lithuania, it is often refered to as "Nemunas delta" At the delta the Neman splits into a maze of river branches and canals mixing with polders and wetlands and is a very attractive destination for eco-tourism. The 4 main distributaries are Atmata, Pakalnė, Skirvytė and Gilija. In the center of the delta there is the biggest island in Lithuania, called Rusnė (5km²). Only about 2,500 people inhabit the island, but still it is the largest settlement in the delta. The town is also called Rusnė and it was established in 15th century. It is the only town in Lithuania that is situated on an island. The delta is famous for its large number of rare varieties of breeding birds (total number of species is about 200; about 40 species are listed in the Lithuanian Red Book). It is also the most important resting area for migrating birds in Lithuania. Millions of birds and hundreds of species travel through this spot each year, including some internationally endangered species as white-tailed eagle, barnacle goose, crane, dunlin and aquatic warbler. The main research facilities are located in Ventė Cape (Ventės ragas in Lithuanian, literally - Ventės Horn; sometimes referred to as Ventė Cape or Ventė Peninsular). Professor Tadas Ivanauskas established one of the first stations of bird ringing in Europe there in 1929. The birds ringed here are later found in Iran, Egypt and even the Republic of South Africa. Since 1999, the Lithuanian Ornithologists Society and the Nemunas Delta Regional Park Administration, have been organizing birdwatcher rallies every October. The rally is an international, open, non-professional competition to record as many bird species as possible. It is targeted to increase the awareness of this corner of nature in other countries. The delta houses another curiosity of nature. An exceptional lake is Krokų Lanka (near the Nemunas debouchments), which had formed when river outwash partitioned a part the Curonian Lagoon. It is the biggest lake in the delta region (covers 7.93 km² area). In addition, it is the only marine origin lake in Lithuania. The Neman's delta wetlands are protected as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. To protect the wildlife and facilitate research, Nemunas Delta Regional Park was created in 1992. It covers 239.50 km² area and consists of 14 reservations and one reservoir. About 20% of the area is water. The biggest danger for the delta is the pollution. Other dangers include agriculture, fishing, and tourists. The delta suffers from annual floods. The Neman plays a crucial part in ecosystem of Curonian Lagoon. It provides the main water inflow to the lagoon and keeps the water almost fresh. This allows fresh and mixed water animals to survive. As Neman's delta expands, the lagoon shrinks.

See also


- List of rivers of Europe.
- Normandie-Niemen

External links


- [http://www.lietuva.lt/index.php?Lang=5&ItemId=29589 Lietuva.lt - Waters]
- [http://www.balticdata.info/maps/Lithuania/images/041_0901_riverbasins_huge.jpg Huge map of river basins in Lithuania (in Lithuanian)]
- [http://www.balticdata.info/maps/Lithuania/images/041_0901_delta_huge.jpg Huge, but not detailed, map of the delta] Category:Rivers of Belarus Category:Rivers of Lithuania Category:Rivers of Russia

1525

Events


- January 21 - The Swiss Anabaptist Movement was born when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptized each other in the home of Manz's mother on Neustadt-Gasse, Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union.
- February 10 - Albert of Prussia committed Prussian Homage.
- February 24 - Battle of Pavia - Spanish forces under Charles de Lannoy and the Marquis of Pescara defeat the French army and capture Francis I of France because the hurting of his horse by Cesare Hercolani.
- March 1, 1524/5 (approx. date) - Giovanni da Verrazano lands near Cape Fear
- May 15 - Battle of Frankenhausen - Defeat of the rebellious peasants of the Holy Roman Empire by the Lords. End of the Peasants' War.
- June 16 - Henry VIII of England creates his illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy Duke of Richmond and Somerset.
- June 27 - Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora.
- European brought diseases sweep through the Andes, killing thousands including the Inca.
- Mixco Viejo, capital of the Pocomam Maya State, falls to the Spanish Conquistadores of Pedro de Alvarado(in what is now Guatemala).
- Bubonic Plague in Southern France.
- The New Testament translated to English by William Tyndale.

Births


- January 6 - Caspar Peucer, German reformer (died 1602)
- September 25 - Steven Borough, English explorer (d. 1584)
- October 1 - Tadeáš Hájek, Czech physician and astronomer (died 1600)
- Melchior Cano, Spanish theologian (died 1560)
- Baldassare Donato, Italian composer and singer (died 1603)
- Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley (died 1586)
- Johann Georg, Margrave and Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia
- Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Italian composer (died 1594)
- Lelio Sozini, Humanist and Reformer (died 1562)
- Hans Staden, German soldier and sailor
- Maharal of Prague, important Talmudic scholar, Jewish mystic and philosopher

Deaths


- February 24 - Guillaume Gouffier, seigneur de Bonnivet, French soldier
- February 26 - Cuauhtémoc, last Aztec ruler (tortured to death)
- May 5 - Frederick III, Elector of Saxony (born 1463)
- May 27 - Thomas Muentzer, German pastor and rebel leader (born 1489)
- July 22 - Richard Wingfield, English diplomat
- December 30 - Jakob Fugger, German banker (born 1459)
- Jean Lemaire de Belges, Walloon poet and historian (born 1473)
- Huayna Capac, emperor of the Inca (born 1493)
- Franciabigio, Florentine painter (born 1482)
- Jacques de la Palice, French nobleman and military officer
- Richard de la Pole, last Yorkist claimant to the English throne (killed in battle)
- Nicholas Storch, weaver and reformer
- Leonor of Viseu, queen of João II of Portugal Category:1525 ko:1525년

1525

Events


- January 21 - The Swiss Anabaptist Movement was born when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptized each other in the home of Manz's mother on Neustadt-Gasse, Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union.
- February 10 - Albert of Prussia committed Prussian Homage.
- February 24 - Battle of Pavia - Spanish forces under Charles de Lannoy and the Marquis of Pescara defeat the French army and capture Francis I of France because the hurting of his horse by Cesare Hercolani.
- March 1, 1524/5 (approx. date) - Giovanni da Verrazano lands near Cape Fear
- May 15 - Battle of Frankenhausen - Defeat of the rebellious peasants of the Holy Roman Empire by the Lords. End of the Peasants' War.
- June 16 - Henry VIII of England creates his illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy Duke of Richmond and Somerset.
- June 27 - Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora.
- European brought diseases sweep through the Andes, killing thousands including the Inca.
- Mixco Viejo, capital of the Pocomam Maya State, falls to the Spanish Conquistadores of Pedro de Alvarado(in what is now Guatemala).
- Bubonic Plague in Southern France.
- The New Testament translated to English by William Tyndale.

Births


- January 6 - Caspar Peucer, German reformer (died 1602)
- September 25 - Steven Borough, English explorer (d. 1584)
- October 1 - Tadeáš Hájek, Czech physician and astronomer (died 1600)
- Melchior Cano, Spanish theologian (died 1560)
- Baldassare Donato, Italian composer and singer (died 1603)
- Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley (died 1586)
- Johann Georg, Margrave and Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia
- Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Italian composer (died 1594)
- Lelio Sozini, Humanist and Reformer (died 1562)
- Hans Staden, German soldier and sailor
- Maharal of Prague, important Talmudic scholar, Jewish mystic and philosopher

Deaths


- February 24 - Guillaume Gouffier, seigneur de Bonnivet, French soldier
- February 26 - Cuauhtémoc, last Aztec ruler (tortured to death)
- May 5 - Frederick III, Elector of Saxony (born 1463)
- May 27 - Thomas Muentzer, German pastor and rebel leader (born 1489)
- July 22 - Richard Wingfield, English diplomat
- December 30 - Jakob Fugger, German banker (born 1459)
- Jean Lemaire de Belges, Walloon poet and historian (born 1473)
- Huayna Capac, emperor of the Inca (born 1493)
- Franciabigio, Florentine painter (born 1482)
- Jacques de la Palice, French nobleman and military officer
- Richard de la Pole, last Yorkist claimant to the English throne (killed in battle)
- Nicholas Storch, weaver and reformer
- Leonor of Viseu, queen of João II of Portugal Category:1525 ko:1525년

1701

Events


- January 18 - Frederick I becomes King of Prussia.
- May 23 - After being convicted of murdering William Moore and for piracy, Captain William Kidd is hanged in London.
- July 24 - Detroit, Michigan founded.
- September 16 - Prince James Francis Edward Stuart becomes the new claimant to the thrones of Scotland as King James VIII and England as King James III.
- October 9 - The Collegiate School of Connecticut (later renamed Yale University) is chartered in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.
- Philharmonic Society (Academia philharmonicorum) established in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- In Japan, the young daimyo Asano Naganori is ordered to commit seppuku (ritual suicide). 47 samurai of his service begin planning to avenge his death.
- The English Parliament passes the Act of Settlement 1701, passing the crown of Great Britain to Sophia, Electress of Hanover and her descendants on the death of Princess Anne, the heiress presumptive to the throne after her brother in law, King William III.

Births


- January 27 - Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim, German historian and theologian (d. 1790)
- January 28 - Charles Marie de La Condamine, French mathematician and geographer (d. 1774)
- February 14 - Enrique Florez, Spanish historian (d. 1773)
- March 18 - Niclas Sahlgren, Swedish merchant and philanthropist (d. 1776)
- April 27 - King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia (d. 1773)
- May 14 - William Emerson, English mathematician (d. 1782)
- August 4 - Thomas Blackwell, Scottish classical scholar (d. 1757)
- October 15 - Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, Canadian saint (d. 1771)
- October 18 - Charles le Beau, French historian (d. 1778)
- November 27 - Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer (d. 1744)

Deaths


- January 14 - Tokugawa Mitsukuni, Japanese warlord (b. 1628)
- March 15 - Jean Renaud de Segrais, French writer (b. 1624)
- April 4 - Joseph Haines, English entertainer and author
- April 21 - Asano Naganori, Japanese warlord (b. 1667)
- May 23 - Captain Kidd, Scottish pirate (b. 1645)
- June 2 - Madeleine de Scudéry, French writer (b. 1607)
- July 7 - William Stoughton, American judge at the Salem witch trials (b. 1631)
- August 20 - Charles Sedley, English playwright
- August 22 - John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath, English royalist statesman (b. 1628)
- September 15 - Edmé Boursault, French writer (b. 1638)
- September 16 - King James II of England/James VII of Scotland (b. 1633)
- October 3 - Joseph Williamson, English politican (b. 1633)
- November 5 - Charles Gerard, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield, French-born English politician Category:1701 ko:1701년 simple:1701

Kingdom of Prussia

The Kingdom of Prussia existed from 1701 until 1918, and from 1871 was the leading kingdom of the German Empire, comprising in its last form almost two-thirds of the area of the Empire. In 1688, Friedrich Wilhelm I of Brandenburg, the "Great Elector," died. His possessions passed to his son Frederick III (1688-1701) who became King Frederick I of Prussia (1701-1713). With the exception of Prussia proper, all of Brandenburg's lands were a part of the Holy Roman Empire, by this time under the all but hereditary nominal rule of the House of Habsburg. Since there was only one King of the Germans within the Empire, Frederick gained the assent of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I (in return for alliance against France) to his adoption (January 1701) of the title of "King in Prussia," based on his non-Imperial territories. The title came into general acceptance with the Treaty of Utrecht (1713). Sweden's defeat by Russia, Saxony, Poland, Denmark-Norway, Hanover, and Prussia in the Great Northern War (1700-1721) marked the end of significant Swedish power on the southern shores of the Baltic Sea. In the Prusso-Swedish Treaty of Stockholm (January 1720), Prussia regained Stettin (Szczecin) and other parts of Sweden's holding in Pomerania. The Hohenzollerns of Brandenburg had held the reversion to the Duchy of Pomerania since 1472. (Further Pomerania had already been annexed to Brandenburg-Prussia in 1648 at the Peace of Westphalia). During this time, the trends set in motion by the Great Elector reached their culmination, as the Junkers, the landed aristocracy, were welded to the army which had gained so much influence in the previous fifty years.

Invasion of Austria

Junker In 1740, Frederick II (more commonly known as Frederick the Great) came to the throne and invaded Silesia, a province of Austria which was in turmoil after the death of the Emperor Charles VI. The invasion was the first shot of the War of the Austrian Succession (Silesia was to have passed to the rulers of Brandenburg on the extinction of its Piast dynasty according to a bilateral arrangement of 1537, subsequently vetoed by the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I). After rapidly occupying Silesia, Frederick offered to protect the new Austrian Archduchess, Maria Theresa if the province were turned over to him. The offer was rejected, but Austria faced several other opponents, and Frederick was eventually able to gain formal cession with 1742's Treaty of Berlin. To the surprise of many, Austria managed to renew the war successfully. In 1744 Frederick invaded again to forestall reprisals and to claim, this time, the province of Bohemia. He failed, but French pressure on Austria's ally Britain led to a series of treaties and compromises, culminating in the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle that restored peace and left Prussia still in possession of Silesia. Humiliated by the cession of Silesia, Austria worked to secure an alliance with France and Russia, while Prussia drifted into the United Kingdom's camp (the "Diplomatic Revolution"). When Frederick pre-emptively invaded Saxony and Bohemia over the course of a few months in 1756-1757, a general conflict broke out: the Seven Years' War.

Defence Against Europe's Assault

This war was a desperate struggle for the Prussians, and the fact that they managed to fight much of Europe to a draw bears witness to Frederick's military skills. Facing Austria, Russia, France and Sweden simultaneously, and with only Hanover (and the non-continental British) as notable allies, Frederick managed to prevent serious invasion until October 1760, when the Russian army briefly occupied Berlin and Königsberg. The situation became progressively grimmer, however, until the death of Russia’s Tsarina Elizabeth. The accession of the prussophile Peter III relieved the pressure on the eastern front. Sweden also exited the war at about the same time. Defeating the Austrian army at the Battle of Burkersdorf, and relying on continuing British success against France in the war's colonial theatres, Prussia was finally able to force a status quo ante bellum on the continent. This result confirmed Prussia's major role in Germany and Europe as a whole. Frederick, appalled by the near-miss for his country, lived out his days as a much more peaceable ruler.

Expansion to Poland

Prussia continued to grow through expansions of eastern territory, however. To the east and south, Poland had gradually become weakened. In 1772, Frederick took part in the first of the Partitions of Poland between Russia, Prussia, and Austria. The Kingdom of Prussia thus gained full sovereignty of Warmia and the Polish Royal Prussia, henceforth (until 1824, and again in 1878-1918) the province of West Prussia. After Frederick the Great died (in 1786), his nephew Fredrick William II continued the partitions, gaining a large part of western Poland in 1793 and a large area (including Warsaw) to the south of East Prussia in 1795, when the Polish kingdom ceased to exist. In 1772, King Friedrich II annexed the Polish province of Prussia, except for Danzig (Gdansk), from the Kingdom of Poland, and put it under the rule of the old Duchy of Prussia (it now taking the name East Prussia). In 1793, King Friedrich Wilhelm II annexed the areas around Danzig and Thorn (Torun). In 1793 and 1795, larger areas of Poland were added again, which were organised into the Provinces of South Prussia and New East Prussia. The Kingdom of Prussia had resigned from the Holy Roman Empire in 1795. Königsberg was the coronation city of the Prussian kings, and the Kingdom of Prussia may be held only to have existed in the Hohenzollern lands outside of the Empire. In 1806, the Holy Roman Empire was abolished as a result of Napoleon's victories. The titles of Kurfürst (elector) became meaningless, and were dropped. Before this time, the Hohenzollern sovereign had held many titles and hats, from Head of the Evangelic Church to King, Elector, Grand Duke, Duke for the various regions and realms under his rule. After 1806, he simply was King of Prussia. As a result of Prussia's defeat at Jena and Auerstädt, King Friedrich Wilhelm III lost all his lands west of the Elbe River; the remainder of the Kingdom was occupied by French troops. After Napoleon's defeat, however, Prussia regained most of its lost territories and considerably more, including 40% of Saxony and much of the Rhineland. Most of the Kingdom, aside from the provinces of East Prussia, West Prussia, and Grand Duchy de Posen, became part of the new German Confederation, which replaced the old Reich.

See also


- Brandenburg
- Ducal Prussia
- Royal Prussia
- List of Kings of Prussia
- Warmia
- Masuria
- Kaliningrad
- Hohenzollern
- History of Germany
- Franco-Prussian War
- West Prussia
- East Prussia
- Prussia
- Prussia, Kingdom of Category:History of Germany

1871

1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar).

Events

January - April


- January 2 - Amadeus I becomes King of Spain.
- January 10 - France surrenders to end the Franco-Prussian War
- January 18 - The member-states of the North German Confederation unite into a single nation-state known as the German Empire. The King of Prussia is declared the first German Emperor as Wilhelm I of Germany.
- January 21 - Giuseppe Garibaldi's troops win in Dijon
- March 21 - Marriage of Princess Louise to John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, whose father, the 8th Duke of Argyll, is the serving Secretary of State for India.
- March 22 - In North Carolina, William Holden becomes the first governor of a U.S. state to be removed from office by impeachment.
- March 26 - The Paris Commune is formally established in Paris.
- March 29 - The Royal Albert Hall is opened by Queen Victoria.
- April - Stockholms Handelsbank is founded.
- April 20 - President Ulysses Grant signs the Ku Klux Klan Act.

May - August


- May 11 - First trial of the case of Tichborne Claimant begins in the London Court of Common Pleas.
- May 21-30 - French Third Republic.government troops invade Paris Commune and crush the rebellion.
- July 20 - British Columbia joins the confederation of Canada.
- July 20 - C. W. Alcock proposes that 'a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association', giving birth to the FA Cup.
- August 31 - Adolphe Thiers becomes President of the French Republic.

September - December


- October 8 - Three major fires break out on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois, Peshtigo, Wisconsin, and Holland, Michigan
  - The Great Chicago Fire is the most famous of these, burning 1,200,000 acres (4,900 km²) in one day, eventually destroying about 17,450 buildings, and killing about 250 people while leaving another 90,000 homeless.
  - The Peshtigo Fire burns 1,200,000 acres (4,900 km²) across six counties in one day and kills 1,200 to 2,500 people, making it the deadliest in United States history.
  - The Holland Fire destroys at least two towns.
- October 20 - The Royal Regiment of Artillery formed the first regular Canadian army units when they created two batteries of garrison artillery which eventually became The Royal Canadian Artillery.
- October 27 - The Comte de Chambord refuses to be crowned 'King Henry V of France' until France abandons its tricolour and returns to the old bourbon flag.
- October 27 - New York mayor Boss Tweed arrested
- October 27 - British occupy the Klipdrift in South Africa, ending the Klipdrift Republic
- November 10 - Henry Morton Stanley locates missing explorer and missionary, Dr. David Livingstone in Ujiji, near Lake Tanganyika, and greets him saying "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"
- November 17 - The National Rifle Association is granted a charter by the state of New York.
- December 10 - The German chancellor Otto von Bismarck tries to ban Catholics from the political stage by introducing harsh laws concerning the separation of church and state.

Unknown date


- University Tests Act removes religious tests at Oxford and Cambridge.
- Trade Union Act - British trade unions legalized.
- Heinrich Schliemann begins the excavation of Troy.
- Japan forms its own police force based on French model.
- George Biddell Airy discovers astronomical aberration is independent of the local medium.
- Abolition of the han system in Japan.
- William Marcy Tweed serves his last year as the "Boss" of Tammany Hall.
- Neath RFC founded
- Cary, North Carolina named in honor of Samuel Fenton Cary

Births


- January 7 - Félix Édouard Justin Émile Borel, French mathematician and politician (d. 1956)
- January 30 - Wilfred Lucas, Canadian-born actor (d. 1940)
- February 4 - Friedrich Ebert, President of Germany (d. 1925)
- February 18 - Harry Brearley, English inventor (d. 1948)
- March 1 - Ben Harney, American composer and pianist (d. 1938)
- March 5 - Rosa Luxemburg, German politician (d. 1919)
- March 19 - Schofield Haigh, English cricketer (d. 1921)
- March 27 - Heinrich Mann, German writer (d. 1950)
- March 31 - Arthur Griffith, President of Ireland (d. 1922)
- May 3 - Walter Robinson Parr, English-born pastor (d. 1922)
- May 6 - Victor Grignard, French chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate (d. 1935)
- May 6 - Christian Morgenstern, German author (d. 1914)
- May 27 - Georges Rouault, French painter and graphic artist (d. 1958)
- July 10 - Marcel Proust, French writer (d. 1922)
- July 17 - Lyonel Feininger, German painter (d. 1956)
- July 25 - Richard Ernest Turner, Canadian soldier (d. 1961)
- August 14 - Guangxu Emperor of China (d. 1908)
- August 19 - Orville Wright, American aviation pioneer (d. 1948)
- August 25 - Ross Winn, American anarchist writer and publisher (d. 1912)
- August 27 - Theodore Dreiser, American writer (d. 1945)
- August 29 - Albert Lebrun, French politician (d. 1950)
- August 30 - Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson, New Zealand physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (d. 1937)
- September 24 - Lottie Dod, English athlete (d. 1960)
- September 26 - Winsor McCay, American cartoonist and animator (d. 1934)
- September 27 - Grazia Deledda, Italian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)
- October 2 - Cordell Hull, United States Secretary of State, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1955)
- October 30 - Paul Valéry, French poet (d. 1945)
- November 1 - Stephen Crane, American writer (d. 1900)
- December 9 - Joe Kelley, Baseball Hall of Famer (d. 1943)
- December 13 - Emily Carr, Canadian artist (d. 1945)

Deaths


- January 15 - Edward C. Delevan, American temperance movement leader (b. 1793)
- February 11 - Gaspard Théodore Ignace de la Fontaine, Luxembourg politician
- February 20 - Paul Kane, Irish-born painter (b. 1810)
- May 11 - John Herschel, English astronomer (b. 1792)
- September 20 - John Coleridge Patteson, Anglican bishop and missionary (martyred) (b. 1827)
- September 23 - Louis-Joseph Papineau, Canadian politician (b. 1786)
- October 18 - Charles Babbage, English mathematician and inventor (b. 1791)
- December 28 - John Henry Pratt, English clergyman and mathematician (b. 1809)
- March 18 - Augustus De Morgan, Professor of mathematics and mathematician (b. 1806) Category:1871 ko:1871년 simple:1871

1920

1920 (MCMXX) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar)

Events

January


- January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk.
- January 9 - Britain announces it will build 1,000,000 homes for war veterans. The promise will never be fulfilled in full.
- January 9 - Thousands of onlookers watch as "The Human Fly" George Polley, climbs the New York Woolworth Building. He has reached the 30th floor when a policeman arrests him for climbing without a permit
- January 10 - League of Nations holds its first meeting and ratifies the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I.
- January 15 - Prohibition goes into effect in the United States with the Eighteenth Amendment coming into effect.
- January 16 - Allies demand that the Netherlands extradite the German Kaiser, who has fled there.
- January 19 - The United States Senate votes against joining the League of Nations.
- January 22 - The Australian Country Party is officially formed.
- January 23 - The Netherlands refuses to extradite the German Kaiser.
- January 28 - The Spanish legion is founded and stationed in North Africa to fight rebels in Morocco.
- January 28 - Turkey gives up the Ottoman Empire and all non-Turkish areas.

February


- February 1 - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police begin operations.
- February 2 - Estonia's independence is recognised.
- February 2 - France occupies Memel.
- February 9 - League of Nations gives Spitzbergen to Norway.
- February 10 - Jozef Haller de Hallenburg performs symbolic engagement of Poland with the sea, celebrating restitution of Polish access to open sea.
- February 17 - Woman named Anna Anderson tries to commit suicide in Berlin and is taken to mental hospital, where she claims she is Anastasia.
- February 14 - The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago, Illinois.
- February 22 - In Emeryville, California, the first dog racing track to employ an imitation rabbit opens.
- February 24 - Adolf Hitler presents his national socialist program in Munich.

March


- March - World's first peaceful establishment of a social democratic government takes place in Sweden. Hjalmar Branting takes over when Nils Edén resigns.
- March 1 - Hungarian Admiral and statesman Miklós Horthy becomes the Regent of Hungary
- March 1 - The United States Railroad Administration returns control of American railroads to its constituent railroad companies.
- March 13-March 17 - Wolfgang Kapp fails in his coup attempt in Germany due to public resistance and a general strike.
- March 15 ? Red Army of Ruhr, communist army 60.000 men strong, formed
- March 19 - US Congress refuses to ratify Versailles Treaty.
- March 23 - Admiral Horthy declares that Hungary is a monarchy without anyone on the throne.
- March 26 - German government asks France for permission to use its own troops against rebellious Ruhr Red Army in the French-occupied area.
- March 26 - The Black and Tans special constables arrive in Ireland
- March 29 - Sir William Robertson, who enlisted in 1877, becomes a field marshal in the British Army, the first man to rise to this rank from private
- March 31 - Government of Ireland Act 1920 is presented in British parliament.

April-May


- April 2 - German army marches to Ruhr to fight Red Ruhr Army.
- April 4 - Jerusalem pogrom of April, 1920 ? Violence between Arabic and Jewish resident in Jerusalem ? governor declares the state of siege
- April 6 - French troops occupy Frankfurt.
- April 6 - The short-lived Far Eastern Republic declared in eastern Siberia
- April 11 - Mexican Revolution - Alvaro Obregon flees from Mexico City during a trial intended to ruin his reputation - he flees to Guerrero where he joins Fortunato Maycotte
- April 19 - Germany and Bolshevist Russia agree to the exchange of prisoners of war.
- April 20 - Alvaro Obregon announces in Chilpancingo that he intends to fight against the rule of Venustiano Carranza
- April 23 - National council in Turkey denounces the government of sultan Mehmed VI and announces a temporary constitution.
- April 24 - Polish-Soviet War: Polish and Ukrainian troops attack Soviet army occupying Ukraine.
- May 2 - The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- May 7 - Polish-Soviet War: Polish troops occupy Kyiv. Ukrainian government returns to the city.
- May 7 - Venustiano Carranza leaves Mexico City in a large train
- May 9 - Alvaro Obregon's troops enter Mexico City
- May 15 - Maria Bochkareva executed in Soviet Union
- May 16 - Referendum in Switzerland is favorable to joining League of Nations.
- May 16 - In Rome, Pope Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc as a saint.
- May 17 - French and Belgian troops leave the cities they have occupied in Germany.
- May 17 - First flight of KLM, Dutch air company, from Amsterdam to London.
- May 20 - Venustiano Carranza arrives in San Antonio Tlaxcalantongo. Troops of Rodolfo Herrero attack him at night and shoot him
- May 24 - Venustiano Carranza is buried in Mexico City - all of his mourning allies are arrested. Adolfo de la Huerta is elected provisional president
- May 24 - French president Paul Deschanel falls out of a train and is later found wandering along the railroad track, wearing pajamas.
- May 27 - Thomas Masaryk becomes president of Czechoslovakia.
- May 29 - Great Horncastle flood. 20 people killed.

June-July


- June 4 - Treaty of Trianon, Treaty of Peace between The Allied and Hungary.
- June 12 - Polish-Soviet War: Red Army retakes Kyiv.
- June 13 - The United States Postal Service rules that children may not be sent via parcel post
- June 15 - New border treaty between Germany and Denmark gives northern Schleswig to Denmark.
- June 22 - Greece attacks Turkish troops.
- July 1 - Germany declares its neutrality in the war between Poland and Soviet Russia
- July 2 - Polish-Soviet War: Red Army continues offensive into Poland.
- July 10 - Arthur Meighen becomes Canada's ninth prime minister.
- July 12 - Bolshevist Russia recognizes independent Lithuania.
- July 13 - London County Council bars foreigners from council jobs.
- July 14 - France declares that Faisal I of Syria is deposed and occupies Damascus and Aleppo
- July 17 - Republic of Mirdite proclaimed near Albanian-Serbian border with Yugoslav support
- July 22 - Polish-Soviet War: Poland sues for peace with Bolshevist Russia.
- July 25 - First transatlantic two-way radio broadcast.
- July 26 - Pancho Villa takes over Sabina and contacts de la Huerta to offer his conditional surrender. He signs his surrender in July 28
- July 29 - The United States Bureau of Reclamation begins contruction of the Link River Dam as part of the Klamath Reclamation Project.

August-September


- August 2 - British parliament passes bill to restore order in Ireland, suspending jury trials.
- August 3 - Catholics riot in Belfast.
- August 10 - Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI's representatives signs the Treaty of Sevres.
- August 11 - Bolshevik Russia recognizes independent Estonia and Latvia.
- August 13 - August 25 - Polish-Soviet War: The Red Army is defeated in the Battle of Warsaw.
- August 15 - Town Hall of Templemore, Ireland, is burned down during the riots.
- August 18 - 19th Amendment to US constitution is passed, guaranteeing women's suffrage.
- 19 August-25 August - Second Silesian Uprising, the Poles in Upper Silesia rise against the Germans
- August 20 - The first commercial radio station in the United States, 8MK (WWJ), begins operations in Detroit, Michigan.
- September 4 - La Tercio de Extranjenos, the "Regiment of Foreigners" (modern-day Spanish Legion) inaugurated in Spain
- September 5 - Presidential elections begin in Mexico
- September 8 - Gabriele D'Annunzio declares Fiume a free state.
- September 16 - The Wall Street bombing: a bomb in a horse wagon explodes in front of the J.P.Morgan building in New York City - 39 dead, 400 injured
- September 20 - The first soldier joins the Spanish Legion.
- September 22 - Flying Squad formed in London Metropolitan Police.
- September 29 - First domestic radio sets come to stores in USA – Westinghouse radio costs $10.
- September 29 - Adolf Hitler's makes first public political speech, in Austria.

October-November


- October 9 - Polish troops take Vilnius
- October 10 - In the Carinthian Plebiscite a large part of Carinthia Province votes to become part of Austria rather than of the Yugoslavia.
- October 12 - Polish-Soviet War After Polish army captures Tarnopol, Dubno, Minsk, and Dryssa, the ceasefire is enforced.
- October 18 - Thousands of unemployed demonstrate in London ? 50 injured
- October 26 - Alvaro Obregon is announced elected president of Mexico
- October 27 - League of Nations moves its headquarters to Geneve, Switzerland
- November 2 - Warren G. Harding defeats James M. Cox in the U.S. presidential election, the first national U.S. election in which women have the right to vote.
- November 2 - In the United States, KDKA AM of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (owned by Westinghouse) starts broadcasting as a commercial radio station. The first broadcast was the results of the U.S. presidential election, 1920.
- November 11 - Unknown Soldier buried in Westminster Abbey.
- November 15 - In Geneva, the first assembly of the League of Nations is held.
- November 16 - Queensland and Northen Territory Aviation Services (Qantas) is founded by Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinniss.
- November 17 - Council of League of Nations accepts the constitution of Danzig(Gdansk) free state.
- November 21 - Bloody Sunday - British forces open fire on spectators and players during a Football match in Dublin's Croke Park, following the assassinations of 12 British agents.
- November 28 - The Third Cork Brigade Flying Column under Gen. Tom Barry successfully ambush two lorries of British soldiers at Kilmichael ,Co.Cork.

December


- December 1 - Álvaro Obregón becomes president of Mexico.
- December 5 - Referendum in Greece is favorable to reinstatement of monarchy.
- December 11 - Martial law in Ireland.
- December 16 - Finland joins the League of Nations.
- December 16 - 8.6 Richter scale Earthquake causes landslide in Gansu Province, China - 180.000 dead.
- December 23 - United Kingdom and France ratify the border between French-held Syria and British-held Palestine.
- December 25 - Foundation of The Rosicrucian Fellowship's Spiritual Healing Temple "The Ecclesia" at Mount Ecclesia, Oceanside, California (USA).

Undated


- Number of US Americans move to Paris to escape the Prohibition
- France prohibits selling of contraceptives.
- Roman Ungern von Sternberg conquers Urga and declares himself as a ruler of Mongolia.
- Kurd rebellion in Turkey begins.
- Johnny Torrio invites Al Capone to Chicago, Illinois from New York City, New York.
- Bricks of wine are widely sold throughout U.S.

Births

January


- January 1 - Virgilio Savona, Italian singer and songwriter (Quartetto Cetra)
- January 2 - Isaac Asimov, Russian-born author (d. 1992)
- January 3 - Renato Carosone, Italian musician and singer (d. 2001)
- January 5 - Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Italian pianist (d. 1995)
- January 6 - Sun Myung Moon, Korean evangelist
- January 6 - John Maynard Smith, English biologist (d. 2004)
- January 6 - Early Wynn, baseball player (d. 1999)
- January 12 - Bill Reid, Canadian artist (d. 1998)
- January 19 - Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Peruvian United Nations Secretary General
- January 20 - Federico Fellini, Italian film director (d. 1993)
- January 20 - DeForest Kelley, American actor (d. 1999)
- January 20 - John O'Connor, American Catholic cardinal
- January 23 - Gottfried Böhm, German architect
- January 30 - Delbert Mann, American television and film director

February-March


- February 7 - An Wang, Chinese-born computer pioneer (d. 1990)
- February 11 - Farouk I, King of Egypt (d. 1965)
- February 11 - Billy Halop, American actor (d. 1976)
- February 11 - Paul Peter Piech, American artist (d. 1996)
- February 12 - William Roscoe Estep, American Baptist historian (d. 2000)
- February 17 - Ivo Caprino, Norwegian film director (d. 2001)
- February 18 - Bill Cullen, American game show host (d. 1990)
- February 18 - Eddie Slovik, U.S. Army private (d. 1945)
- February 26 - Tony Randall, American actor (d. 2004)
- February 29 - Howard Nemerov, American poet (d. 1991)
- March 3 - James Doohan, Canadian-born actor (d. 2005)
- March 3 - Ronald Searle, British cartoonist
- March 10 - Boris Vian , French writer, poet, singer and musician
- March 11 - Nicolaas Bloembergen, Dutch physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- March 14 - Hank Ketcham, American cartoonist (d. 2001)
- March 15 -