June 1919

Sunday, June 1, 1919

• The soviet republics in Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania-Belorussia, Latvia, and the Crimea formed a military union.
• Third Anglo-Afghan War - The London Regiment, along with British Indian and Sikh units under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer punched through a line of tribal resistance fighters with artillery on their way to relieve besieged forces at Thall, British India, but suffered 94 casualties.
• A mutiny broke out on the Royal Australian Navy battlecruiser shortly after it arrived in Fremantle, Australia, effectively delaying its scheduled departure to Melbourne by one hour.
• The Hakone Tozan Railway opened the Hakone Tozan Line in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, with stations Hakone-Yumoto, Ōhiradai, Miyanoshita, Kowakidani, Ni-no-Taira, and Gōra serving the line. As well, the Seibu Tamagawa Line was extended with stations Jōkyū serving the line.
• Several rail stations were reopened in Scotland after being closed down during World War I, including stations in Crosshill, Crookston, and Glasgow.
• American chemist Irving Langmuir introduced the term covalence in relation to chemical bonding models in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
• The Algonquin Round Table, a group of writers, critics and actors that included Alexander Woollcott and Dorothy Parker, began meeting for daily lunches at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City. The group gather would meet regularly for another 10 years before it dissolved.
• Born: Gisbert Hasenjaeger, German mathematician, known for his research into first-order logic, member of the Cipher Department of the High Command of the Wehrmacht during World War II and the Enigma program; in Hildesheim, Weimar Republic
• Died: Caroline Still Anderson, 70, American physician, one of the first African American women to practice medicine in the United States

  Monday, June 2, 1919

• Third Anglo-Afghan War - British forces attacked Afghan regulars west of Thall, British India, despite a notice from Afghanistan for a ceasefire. A message delay from headquarters forced commander Colonel Reginald Dyer to reply: "My guns will give an immediate reply, but your letter will be forwarded to the Divisional Commander." The attack forced the Afghan to retreat with the British in pursuit, despite resistance from 400 Afghan tribesmen.
• Italian anarchists led by Luigi Galleani sent eight mail bombs to prominent American public figures including United States Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer and Cleveland Mayor Harry L. Davis. None of the bombs killed their intended targets, but a night watchman for New York City was killed handling one of the packages. This motivated Palmer to request extra funding from the United States House Committee on Appropriations to investigate and arrest the groups behind the bomb attacks.
• British Prime Minister David Lloyd George and the Colonial Office approved a Royal Air Force proposal to send a self-contained air unit to British Somaliland to regain control over the colony from the Dervish State of Diiriye Guure. It would be the first time the concept of "aerial policing" was used to suppress colonial rebellions.
• The 99th Aero Squadron of the United States Army Air Service was disbanded at Mitchell Field, New York.
• Several rail stations were reopened in Scotland after being closed down during World War I, including stations in Burnbank, Esk Bridge, Kelvinside, Mount Vernon, and Roslin.
• Sports club Germania Hamburg merged with another rival sports club in Hamburg to become Hamburger SV. The club is most famous for its competitive football program, which included national titles in the German football league system.
• Sports club Växjö was established in Växjö, Sweden, becoming well known for its women's and disabled sports programs.
• The borough of Southmont, Pennsylvania, was incorporated.
• Born:
• * Agustín Ramos Calero, Puerto Rican soldier, most decorated Hispanic soldier for the United States Army during World War II, recipient of the Silver Star and Croix de Guerre; in Isabela, Puerto Rico
• * Garlin Murl Conner, American army officer, member of the 7th Infantry Regiment during World War II, recipient of the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, four Silver Stars, and the Croix de guerre; in Aaron, Kentucky, United States

  Tuesday, June 3, 1919

• Third Anglo-Afghan War - Facing a general retreat and losing units to capture, Afghanistan pursued an armistice with the United Kingdom. Some fighting with local militia continued for another two months before a peace treaty was signed on August 8. The Afghans lost 1,000 men while the British recorded 236 killed in action, 615 wounded, 566 deaths from cholera, and 334 deaths from other diseases or accidents.
• The Philippines held elections for the Senate and the House of Representatives, with the ruling Nacionalista Party increasing their number of House seats.
• The sports club Central Córdoba was established in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. It is most known for its football team in the Primera Nacional.
• Born: Elizabeth Duncan Koontz, American educator and activist, first African American woman to be president of the National Education Association and 6th director of the United States Women's Bureau; in Salisbury, North Carolina, United States

  Wednesday, June 4, 1919

• The United States Congress approved the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which would guarantee suffrage to women, and sent it to the U.S. states for ratification.
• The 27th Australian Battalion was disbanded.
• The 2nd Ukrainian Soviet Army was disbanded and absorbed into the 14th Red Army.
• The One Big Union was established in Calgary in an attempt to organize syndicalist trade unions in Western Canada. It merged with the Canadian Labour Congress in 1956.
• A group of five British engineering firms formed the corporate conglomerate Agricultural & General Engineers in London, however, allegations of fraud forced the company to be liquidated in 1932.
• Citroën, a member of PSA Group was founded in France.
• Born: Dorothy Howell Rodham, American matriarch, mother of Hillary Clinton; in Chicago, United States
• Died:
• * Tokudaiji Sanetsune, 79, Japanese politician, second Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan
• * William T. Haines, 64, American politician, 49th Governor of Maine; died of pneumonia

  Thursday, June 5, 1919

• Estonian War of Independence and Latvian War of Independence - A southern front in the war opened up when the pro-German Baltische Landeswehr force, supported by German reserve units, advanced against Estonian and Latvian forces in northern Latvia.
• Khosrov bey Sultanov, governor of the districts of Karabakh and Zangezur in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan, ordered troops to subdue rebelling ethnic Armenians in the villages of Khaibalikend, Jamillu, Karkujahan and Pahliul. Over the next two days, soldiers massacred 600 to 700 Armenians, including women and children.
• An explosion at the Delaware and Hudson Coal Company mine in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, killed 92 miners and injured another 44 men, making it one of the deadliest industrial accidents in Pennsylvania's history.
• Russian choreographer Léonide Massine premiered his ballet The Fantastic Toyshop at the Alhambra Theatre in London with Ballets Russes performing.
• Football club Atlético Grau was established in Piura, Peru, as one of the provincial league teams in the region.
• Born:
• * James C. Fletcher, American space engineer, 4th and 7th Administrator of NASA; in Millburn, New Jersey, United States
• * Richard Scarry, American writer and illustrator, best known for his Busytown and Tinker and Tanker book series for children including Best Word Book Ever; in Boston, United States
• Died: Manuel Franco, 47, Paraguayan state leader, 26th President of Paraguay; died of a heart attack

  Friday, June 6, 1919

• Estonian War of Independence and Latvian War of Independence - Estonian forces crossed the Daugava River and occupied the Latvian town of Jēkabpils while the Baltische Landeswehr took control of Cēsis, setting both forces up for a major confrontation in northern Latvia.
• The Hungarian National Army was established as the land force for Hungarian Soviet Republic but was renamed the Royal Hungarian Army in 1920 after the soviet government was overthrown and the resulting democratic republic established the Kingdom of Hungary.
• The Fascist Manifesto by Benito Mussolini was published in the newspaper The People of Italy.
• The Government of Canada established the Air Board as its civil aviation authority, the first country to legislate and implement rules governing the entire domain of aviation within its borders.
• The football club Blumenthaler SV was established in Bremen, Germany.
• Born: Peter Carington, British politician, cabinet minister for the Edward Heath administration, Secretary General of NATO from 1984 to 1988; in Chelsea, London, England
• Died:
• * Inoue Enryō, 61, Japanese academic, founder of Toyo University, creator of Tetsugaku-dō Park
• * Nicole Girard-Mangin, 40, French physician, first female medical officer to serve in the French Army