February 1918

Friday, February 1, 1918

• Sailors of the Austro-Hungarian Navy Fifth Fleet mutinied in the Gulf of Cattaro of the Adriatic Sea near Montenegro.
• Soviet–Ukrainian War - The Central Council of Ukraine called for an end to an armed workers uprising at an arsenal factory in Kiev with a promise to negotiate immediate socioeconomic reforms.
• Royal Navy submarine struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with all 31 crew lost.
• The Imperial German Army established the 17th Army to serve on the Western Front.
• The Royal Flying Corps established air squadrons No. 123, No. 124, No. 125, No. 126, and No. 128.
• The Luftstreitkräfte, the air arm of the Imperial German Army, established air squadrons Jagdstaffel 68 and 69.
• Movie western star William S. Hart was both director and star of Blue Blazes' Rawden, released through Paramount Pictures. The film has been preserved and is available in several formats.
• The musical Oh, Lady! Lady!!, written by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse with music by Jerome Kern, was released on Broadway at the Princess Theatre in New York City where it ran for 219 performances.
• The U-boat War Badge was established to award German submarine crews that completed more than three patrols during wartime.
• The football Club Sportivo was established in Buenos Aires.
• Born:
• * Carlos Fayt, Argentine politician, Minister of the Supreme Court of Argentina from 1983 to 2015; in Salta, Argentina
• * Muriel Spark, Scottish writer, author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie; as Muriel Sarah Camberg, in Edinburgh, Scotland
• Died:'
• * William Melville, 67, British law enforcer and intelligence officer, first chief of the British Secret Bureau
• * Leonilla Bariatinskaya, 101, Russian noble, wife to Ludwig zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, subject of various portraits by German artist Franz Xaver Winterhalter
• * Juho Halme, 29, Finnish Olympic track and field athlete; executed by Red Guards during the Finnish Civil War

  Saturday, February 2, 1918

• Soviet–Ukrainian War - Militias led by Ukrainian independence leader Symon Petliura entered Kiev and stormed the Arsenal Factory where workers in support of the Bolsheviks were barricaded.
• A pair of tornadoes struck Brighton, Victoria, Australia, at the same time, killing two people and injuring six others. Property damages from the storm were estimated to be between A£100,000 and 150,000.
• The Defence Command of Finland was established.
• The Luftstreitkräfte reorganized its fighter wings Jagdstaffel 2, with Bruno Loerzer as its first commanding officer, and Jagdstaffel 3, with Adolf Ritter von Tutschek in command.
• The Cape-Kootjieskolk to Calvinia rail line, stretching a total, opened in South Africa.
• Born:
• * Hella Haasse, Dutch writer, author of Oeroeg; as Hélène Serafia Haasse, in Batavia, Dutch East Indies
• * Stuart Blanch, British clergy, Archbishop of York from 1975 to 1983; in Blakeney, Gloucestershire, England
• * Fyffe Christie, British artist, best known for his murals at Glasgow University Union; in Bushey, England
• Died: John L. Sullivan, 59, American boxer, first world heavyweight boxing champion

  Sunday, February 3, 1918

• The Austro-Hungarian Navy Third Fleet put down a mutiny within the Fifth Fleet off Montenegro. About 800 sailors were imprisoned and dozens faced court-martial.
• Finnish Civil War: Battle of Oulu – The White Guard defeated the Reds.
• The Twin Peaks Tunnel, the longest streetcar tunnel in the world, opened in San Francisco.
• Born:
• * Joey Bishop, American entertainer, member of the "Rat Pack", host of The Joey Bishop Show; as Joseph Abraham Gottlieb, in New York City, United States
• * Helen Stephens, American runner, two-time gold medalist in the 1936 Summer Olympics; in Fulton, Missouri, United States
• Died: Ernest Hoben, 54, New Zealand sports executive, co-founder of New Zealand Rugby

  Monday, February 4, 1918

• Soviet–Ukrainian War - Ukrainian militias quelled the armed uprising at the Arsenal Factory in Kiev, resulting in over 300 deaths.
• An election for the Estonian Constituent Assembly was held with the Bolsheviks hoping for a majority to keep Estonia part of Russia. However, they only received 38% of the vote with the majority of the other political parties combined in favor of independence.
• German submarine was depth charged and sunk in the English Channel by Royal Navy destroyer, killing all 26 crew.
• A judicial inquiry into the Halifax Explosion last December released a report concluding the captain and crew of the were responsible for causing the collision with the ship in Halifax Harbour that eventually started the explosion that destroyed most of the city in Nova Scotia and killed 1,963 people.
• The Imperial German Army established the 19th Army to serve on the Western Front.
• Born: Ida Lupino, English-American actress and filmmaker, known for roles in High Sierra and The Hard Way, director of films including The Hitch-Hiker and The Bigamist and television episodes including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Thriller, and The Twilight Zone; in London, England
• Died: Akiyama Saneyuki, 49, Japanese naval officer, chief planner for the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Russo-Japanese War

  Tuesday, February 5, 1918

• Soviet–Ukrainian War - Soviet soldiers totaling 7,000 marched on Kiev but met little resistance from the Ukrainian garrison.
• The Decree on Separation of Church and State was adopted by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.
• British troopship, the first ship carrying American troops to Europe, was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of Ireland with 210 killed on board.
• American fighter pilot Stephen W. Thompson achieved the first aerial victory for the United States Army in World War I, shooting down an attacking German Albatros fighter while part of a bombing raid over Saarbrücken, Germany.
• Born: Gara Garayev, Azerbaijani composer, known for works including Symphony No. 3 and The Path of Thunder, two-time recipient of the Order of Lenin; in Baku, Transcaucasian Commissariat

  Wednesday, February 6, 1918

• The Representation of the People Act was enacted to give most British women over the age of 30 the right to vote.
• An attempt by the Finnish White Guards to take Varkaus, Finland, from the Finnish Red Guards failed, resulting in four casualties.
• The Luftstreitkräfte established air squadrons Jagdstaffel 70 and 71.
• The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce was established in Brooklyn and grew to become the largest chamber of commerce in the state of New York.
• Born:
• * Lothar-Günther Buchheim, German writer, author of Das Boot; in Weimar, German Empire
• * Louis Dudek, Canadian poet, known for his poetry and criticism on modernism in Canada, recipient of the Order of Canada; in Montreal, Canada
• Died: Gustav Klimt, 55, Austrian painter, member of the Vienna Secession, known for works including Judith I, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I and ''The Kiss''

  Thursday, February 7, 1918

• Vladimir Bogoyavlensky, Bishop of Kiev, was executed in front of his monks by Red Army soldiers under command of Mikhail Artemyevich Muravyov. His death made him a martyr and was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1998.
• The sports club Centro Asturiano de México was established in Mexico City initially as a football club called Club Asturia.
• Born:
• * Peter Blau, Austrian-American sociologist, developed social exchange theory; in Vienna, Austria-Hungary
• * Lin Lanying, Chinese chemist, developed the chemical gallium arsenide that is used in circuits, semiconductors and solar panels; in Putian, Republic of China

  Friday, February 8, 1918

• Soviet–Ukrainian War - Soviet forces occupied Kiev, forcing the Ukrainian government to relocate to Zhytomyr, Ukraine.
• German submarine struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with the loss of all 27 crew.
• Royal Navy destroyer collided with another ship in the English Channel and sank with all but one crew rescued.
• The Lafayette Escadrille, the American volunteer squadron serving in the French Army, was transferred to the United States Army to become the 103rd Aero Squadron.
• The United States replaced the star insignia for its military aircraft adopted in 1917 with a roundel that contained an outer red ring, an inner blue ring, and a white center. The Allies requested the change out of a fear that the star could be mistaken for a German cross.
• The York Daily Record in York, Pennsylvania, released a news article on Jim McIlherron, a son of a black landowner in Estill Springs, Tennessee, who was lynched and burned alive by a mob following a manhunt and shootout with local police. McIlherron was on the run after shooting three young white men he accused of throwing rocks at him. A grand jury later concluded there was little substantial evidence to charge any members of the lynch mob.
• The British Army established the 4th Guards Brigade when it reorganized its brigades from four to three battalions for the Western Front.
• Tbilisi State University was established in Tbilisi, Georgia, the first post-secondary education institution of its time in the Caucasus region.
• Born: Freddie Blassie, American professional wrestler, prominent early member of the World Wrestling Federation; as Frederick Kenneth Blassie, in St. Louis, United States
• Died: Louis Renault, 74, French lawyer, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his working on developing international law