February 1917

Thursday, February 1, 1917

• James Alexander Murray became Premier of New Brunswick, replacing George Johnson Clarke who resigned due to health issues. The term was short-lived and he was replaced by Walter Edward Foster within a month.
• British fishing boat was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by German submarine, with all crew surviving.
• The New Zealand Army Ordnance Department was established.
• The Medical Women's Federation was formed in the United Kingdom to advocate women in the medical profession. The organization started with 190 members including noted physicians Jane Harriett Walker, Catherine Chisholm, Florence Barrett, and Louisa Aldrich-Blake.
• New York City Subway transit stations for the Astoria Line, including Astoria Boulevard, Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard, Broadway, Queensboro Plaza, 30th Avenue, 36th Avenue, and 39th Avenue were opened for service.
• Born: James Harry Lacey, British air force officer, second-highest scoring Royal Air Force flying ace during the Battle of Britain, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Medal; in Wetherby, England
• Died: Georg Andreas Bull, 87, Norwegian architect, chief designer of the neighborhoods of Homansbyen in Oslo and major train station designer for Norwegian State Railways

  Friday, February 2, 1917

• The British Fifth Corps launched further raids on German-held territory around the Ancre Valley in France, resulting in 671 British casualties and 176 German prisoners taken.
• Bread rationing was introduced in the United Kingdom.
• Greek cargo ship Elikon was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Spain by German submarine with her crew surviving.
• The first major Australian film comedy, Our Friends, the Hayseeds by Beaumont Smith, premiered in Sydney.
• Born:
• * Đỗ Mười, Vietnamese state leader, 9th General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam; as Nguyễn Duy Cống, in Thanh Trì district, French Indochina
• * Natalia Androsova, Russian noble, one of the two surviving members of the House of Romanov following the Russian Revolution; in Tashkent, Russian Empire
• * Kishan Lal, Indian field hockey player, team captain of the gold medal-winning team at the 1948 Summer Olympics; in Mhow, British India
• Died:
• * Theophile T. Allain, 70, American politician, member of the Louisiana State Legislature from 1872 to 1886, considered the richest African American businessman at the time
• * Alexander Walters, 58, American religious leader and activist, bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and president of the National Afro-American Council

  Saturday, February 3, 1917

• U.S. President Woodrow Wilson announced to United States Congress that the government was severing diplomatic ties with Germany over the Imperial German Navy's decision to engage in unlimited submarine warfare.
• Irish nationalist party Sinn Féin gained its first seat when candidate George Noble Plunkett, father of Joseph Plunkett, won the North Roscommon constituency on an abstentionism.
• Senussi campaign — A British column dispatched to capture Senussi rebel leader Sayed Ahmed arrived at the Siwa Oasis in North Africa where they were met with resistance from 1,250 tribesmen sent to protect Ahmed.
• American cargo ship Housatonic was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by German submarine, with her crew surviving.
• The first issue of West Africa magazine was published.
• Born: George G. Blackburn, Canadian soldier and writer, author of The Guns of Normandy; in Wales, Ontario, Canada
• Died:
• * Robert McNab, 52, New Zealand politician, 20th Minister of Justice
• * Liang Cheng, 52, Chinese diplomat, Ambassador to the United States from 1902 to 1907

  Sunday, February 4, 1917

• Senussi campaign — Senussi rebels retreated from Siwa in North Africa.
• The Council of Flanders, a quasi-governmental body of the Flemish Movement in German-occupied Belgium, was established.
• Born: Yahya Khan, Pakistani state leader, 3rd President of Pakistan; as Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan, in Chakwal, Punjab, British India

  Monday, February 5, 1917

• The new constitution of Mexico was adopted.
• Both houses of the United States Congress overrode a veto made by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson to reinstate the Immigration Act, which allowed more restrictions on immigration to the United States.
• The United States Army force under command of John J. Pershing reached Columbus, New Mexico, ending the Pancho Villa Expedition.
• Senussi campaign — Senussi rebels successfully held off a British convoy and allowed rebel leader Sayed Ahmed to escape west to Jaghbub, Libya.
• Zimmermann Telegram - British intelligence officer William Reginald Hall, chief of Room 40 for the Admiralty, passed the decoded telegram sent by German State Secretary of Foreign Affairs Arthur Zimmermann to British Foreign Affairs. The telegram entailed a proposed military alliance between Germany and Mexico against the United States should it enter World War I.
• The Luftstreitkräfte, the air arm of the Imperial German Army, established air squadron Jagdstaffel 27.
• English writer Hugh Kingsmill was taken prisoner while fighting in France.
• The Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa de Osos was established in Colombia.
• Windhoek High School was established in Windhoek, Namibia, as South West Africa's first secondary school and the oldest in the country.
• Morosco Theatre opened on Broadway in New York City with the inaugural production of Canary Cottage by theater owner and producer Oliver Morosco with music by Earl Carroll.
• Born: Isuzu Yamada, Japanese actress, known for roles with popular Japanese film directors including Akira Kurosawa for The Lower Depths, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo; as Mitsu Yamada, in Osaka, Empire of Japan
• Died:
• * Jaber II Al-Sabah, 56-57, Kuwaiti noble, 8th Emir of Kuwait
• * Paul Rubens, 41, English songwriter, best known for his musicals including The Shop Girl, San Toy, and ''Florodora''

  Tuesday, February 6, 1917

• The first assembly of the Sámi people was held in Trondheim, Norway with the day officially recognized as Sámi National Day.
• Butte County, Idaho, and Camas County, Idaho, were established. Butte County was created using portions of Bingham, Blaine, and Jefferson counties, with its county seat in Arco, Idaho. Camas County was created using a portion of Blaine County with its seat in Fairfield, Idaho.
• Born:
• * José Alonso, Argentine labor leader, General Secretary of the General Confederation of Labour from 1963 to 1970; in Monserrat, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• * Sonny Franzese, Italian American gangster, underboss for the Colombo crime family, oldest prisoner in the U.S. federal prison system; in Naples, Kingdom of Italy
• * Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hungarian-American actress and socialite, known for her film roles in Moulin Rouge and Lovely to Look At, and her many public marriages including Conrad Hilton and George Sanders; as Sári Gábor, in Budapest, Austria-Hungary
• * Arnold Spielberg, American electronics engineer, co-developer of the GE-200 series mainframe computer, father to film director Steven Spielberg; in Cincinnati, United States

  Wednesday, February 7, 1917

• British ocean liner was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by German submarine, killing 43 people.
• British cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea by German submarine with the loss of 15 crew.
• Suffering progressive damage due to a series of crashes in bad visibility and poor weather, the Imperial German Navy Zeppelin L 36 crashed onto the Aller river and was destroyed by high winds.
• Born: Harry Gibbs, Australian judge, 8th Chief Justice of Australia; in Sydney, Australia

  Thursday, February 8, 1917

• Royal Navy destroyer struck a mine set by German submarine and sank in the English Channel, killing all but five of her 79 crew.
• Royal Navy cruiser Liberty rammed and sunk German submarine in the English Channel, killing all 26 crew on board.
• Royal Navy destroyer depth charged, shelled and sunk German submarine in the North Sea, killing seven of her crew.
• French flying ace Georges Guynemer became the first Allied pilot to shoot down a German heavy bomber while flying a SPAD aircraft.
• The football club Gimnasia y Esgrima de Concepción del Uruguay was established in Concepción del Uruguay, Argentina.
• Died:
• * Anton Haus, 65, Austro-Hungarian naval officer, Grand Admiral of the Austro-Hungarian Navy from 1916 to 1917
• * Frank Allan, 67, Australian cricketer, bowler for the Australia national cricket team in 1878 to 1879
• * Harry Page Woodward, 58, British-born Australian geologist, discovered the rich iron ore deposits existing in Australia
• * Arthur Rutledge, 73, Australian politician, member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1878 to 1904

  Friday, February 9, 1917

• German forces on the Western Front commenced Operation Alberich, an organized retreat and consolidation of army units scheduled over 35 days behind the Hindenburg Line. The planned defensive line was shorter and could be defended more effectively, freeing up divisions for action in the Eastern Front.
• British cargo ship sank after being torpedoed the previous day in the Atlantic Ocean by German submarine. Seven crew were killed while abandoning ship while the survivors were rescued by Royal Navy sloop.
• Chung Ling High School was established in George Town, Penang, Malaysia with 81 students and three staff. It now has 3,000 students enrolled.
• Born:
• * Joseph Conombo, Voltaic state leader, 3rd Prime Minister of Upper Volta ; in Kombissiri, French Upper Volta
• * Peter Turnbull, Australian air force officer, commander of the No. 76 Squadron during World War II, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross; in Armidale, Australia