January 1
January 1
Edsel Ford succeeds father as president of Ford
On this day in 1919, Edsel Ford, the son of Model T inventor and auto industry pioneer Henry Ford, succeeds his father as president of the Ford Motor Company. The…
A Year In History: 1919
This Year in History:
1919
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
January 6
January 6
Theodore Roosevelt dies
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, dies at Sagamore Hill, his estate overlooking New York’s Long Island Sound. A dynamic and energetic politician, Theodore Roosevelt is credited…
January 12
January 12
Leaders of the Big Four nations meet for the first time in Paris
The day after British Prime Minister David Lloyd George’s arrival in Paris, he meets with representatives from the other Big Four nations—Prime Ministers Georges Clemenceau of France and Vittorio Orlando…
January 15
January 15
Boston shocked by deadly molasses flood
Fiery hot molasses floods the streets of Boston on January 15, 1919, killing 21 people and injuring scores of others. The molasses burst from a huge tank at the United…
January 15
January 15
Opposition leaders are murdered in failed coup in Berlin
A coup launched in Berlin by a group of radical socialist revolutionaries is brutally suppressed by right‑wing paramilitary units from January 10 to January 15, 1919; the group’s leaders, Karl…
January 16
January 16
Prohibition is ratified by the states
The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes,” is ratified by the requisite number of states on January 16,…
January 18
January 18
This Day in History Video: What Happened on January 18
The Paris Peace Conference begins, the largest airbus was flown in France, Captain James Cook landed in Hawaii and the Russian Revolution siege of Leningrad ended in This Day in…
January 18
January 18
Wilson attends Paris Peace Conference
On this day in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson attends the Paris Peace Conference that would formally end World War I and lay the groundwork for the formation of the League…
January 18
January 18
Post‑World War I peace conference begins in Paris
On January 18, 1919, in Paris, France, some of the most powerful people in the world meet to begin the long, complicated negotiations that would officially mark the end of…
January 18
January 18
Peace conference opens in Paris
On this day in Paris, France, in the sumptuous Salle d’Horloge on the Quai d’Orsay, delegates convene for the official opening of the peace conference that will end the Great…
January 25
January 25
Formal commission is established on the League of Nations
On January 25, 1919, in Paris, delegates to the peace conference formally approve the establishment of a commission on the League of Nations. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson insisted on chairing…
February 5
February 5
United Artists created
On February 5, 1919, Hollywood heavyweights Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith join forces to create their own film studio, which they called the United Artists Corporation. United Artists…
February 14
February 14
Wilson presents draft covenant for League of Nations
In a plenary session of the Versailles peace conference on this day in 1919, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson presents the draft of the covenant for the League of Nations prepared…
February 20
February 20
Amir of Afghanistan is assassinated
Habibullah Khan, the leader of Afghanistan who struggled to keep his country neutral in World War I in the face of strong internal support for Turkey and the Central Powers,…
February 26
February 26
Grand Canyon is designated a national park
On this day in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson officially designated the Grand Canyon as a national park. The geological wonder would go on to become one of America’s most popular…
March 14
March 14
Max Brand publishes his first novel
Max Brand, perhaps the most prolific writer of western stories, publishes his first novel, The Untamed. Max Brand was one of 21 pen names used by the Seattle‑born author Frederick…
March 23
March 23
Mussolini founds precursor to the Fascist party
Benito Mussolini, an Italian World War I veteran and publisher of Socialist newspapers, breaks with the Italian Socialists and establishes the nationalist Fasci di Combattimento, named after the Italian peasant…
April 10
April 10
Revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata assassinated in Mexico
Emiliano Zapata, a leader of peasants and Indigenous people during the Mexican Revolution, is ambushed and shot to death in Morelos by government forces. Born a peasant in 1879, Zapata…
April 11
April 11
International Labor Organization founded
On this day in 1919, in Paris, France, the International Labor Organization (ILO) is founded as an independent, affiliated agency of the League of Nations. The call for just and…
April 13
April 13
British and Gurkha troops massacre hundreds of unarmed demonstrators in Amritsar Massacre
In Amritsar, India’s holy city of the Sikh religion, British and Gurkha troops massacre at least 379 unarmed demonstrators meeting at the Jallianwala Bagh, a city park. Most of those…
