March 1919

[March 1], 1919 (Saturday)

• The March 1st Movement against Japanese colonial rule in Korea began when 33 activists convened at the Taehwagwan Restaurant in Seoul and read the Korean Declaration of Independence drawn up by historian Choe Nam-seon.
• The West African colonial state French Upper Volta was established using colonial territory from Upper Senegal and Niger and the Côte d'Ivoire. It would be dissolved again in 1932.
• To appease protests across Hungary over the government crackdown on communists, the political offices of the Socialist Party of Hungary were allowed to reopen, its imprisoned leaders could receive visitors, and its official newspaper Vörös Újság could resume publication.
• The Temporary National Representation convened as the first parliamentary body in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
• The No. 80 Wing of the Royal Air Force was disbanded.
• The German airline DLR began scheduled flights to Hamburg.
• Auto and aircraft parts manufacturer Jihostroj was established in Velešín, Czechoslovakia.
• The Chūō rail line was extended in the Tokyo area, with stations such as Kanda serving the line.
• Several rail stations were reopened in Great Britain after being closed down during World War I, including stations Lugton, Scotland, and in Burnham and Folkestone in England, and Crystal Palace and Lordship Lane in London.
• The first issue of the American pulp magazine The Thrill Book was released featuring stories of fantasy or science fiction.
• The borough of Trainer, Pennsylvania was incorporated.
• Born:
• * Reg Sprigg, Australian geologist, known for his research in the Precambrian period; in Yorketown, Australia
• * Ernest Radcliffe Bond, British law enforcer, commander of the Bomb Squad with the Metropolitan Police in London; in Barrow-in-Furness, England
• * Alberto A. Nido, Puerto Rican air force officer, co-founder of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal; in Arroyo, Puerto Rico
• * João Goulart, Brazilian state leader, 24th President of Brazil; in São Borja, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

  [March 2], 1919 (Sunday)

• The Founding Congress of the Comintern opened in Moscow with over 50 representatives from two dozen countries. The assembly led to the establishment of the Communist International.
• About 55% of voters in Liechtenstein rejected lowering the voting age from 24 to 21 and increasing the number of seats in the Landtag during a referendum.
• The Russian government established the Institute of Economics and Finance, now known as the Financial University in Moscow.
• American publisher Claude Albert Barnett established the Associated Negro Press in Chicago as a news service for African American issues.
• Several rail stations were reopened in Great Britain after being closed down during World War I, including stations in Kelvinside in Scotland and Abbeytown in England.
• Born:
• * Jennifer Jones, American actress, known for roles in Duel in the Sun, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, and The Towering Inferno, recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Song of Bernadette; as Phylis Lee Isley, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
• * Tamara Toumanova, Russian-born Georgian American ballet dancer, known for her collaborations with the Original Ballet Russe and New York City Ballet; in Tyumen, Russian SFSR
• Died:
• * Wellington R. Burt, 87, American industrialist, developer of the lumber industry in Saginaw, Michigan
• * William "Honey" Mellody, 35, American boxer, World Welterweight Champion from 1906 to 1907; died of pneumonia

  [March 3], 1919 (Monday)

• Finland held the first elections since the Finnish Civil War, with voter turnout at 67 percent. The Social Democratic Party of Finland won the majority of the seats in the Parliament of Finland.
• Amanullah Khan, Emir of Afghanistan, had his brother Nasrullah Khan arrested.
• Austrian president Karl Renner dissolved his government for the Republic of German-Austria to make way for the new Constitutional Assembly elected in February.
• The first U.S. international airmail was carried between Vancouver, British Columbia and Seattle, Washington by William E. Boeing in a Boeing Model 2 airplane.
• The Supreme Court of the United States upheld the conviction of Charles Schenck, a member of the American Socialist Party, for violation of the Espionage Act when he oversaw the distribution of 15,000 fliers to men of voting age that encouraged them to refuse the draft for World War I. The phrase "shouting fire in a crowded theater" became popular in reference to a passage in the court's decision that stated reasons why Schenk's actions were not protected under the First Amendment, particularly during wartime: "The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic."
• English composer T. Tertius Noble established the Saint Thomas Choir School in New York City.
• A rail station was opened at Billingstad, Norway to serve the Drammen Line.
• Several rail stations were reopened in England after being closed down during World War I, including stations in Stourbridge and south London.
• Born: Peter Abrahams, South African-born Jamaican writer, known for his novels Mine Boy and A Wreath for Udomo; as Peter Henry Abrahams Deras, in Vrededorp, Gauteng, Union of South Africa
• Died:
• * Hari Narayan Apte, 54, Indian writer, founder of the literary magazine Karamanuk
• * James Withycombe, 64, American politician, 15th Governor of Oregon

  [March 4], 1919 (Tuesday)

• White Army spring offensive - The Siberian Army under the Russian Whites launched renewed attacks against the Red Army on the Eastern Front of the Russian Civil War.
• The 66th United States Congress began sitting in Washington, D.C.
• Soldiers with the Canadian Expeditionary Force awaiting repatriation at Kinmel Camp, Bodelwyddan, Wales mutinied. The violence resulted in five deaths and 28 injuries. A total 25 Canadian soldiers were convicted of mutiny.
• The LETA, the main news agency in Latvia, was established in Riga.
• The film drama The Red Lantern, directed by Albert Capellani, was released through Metro Pictures with Alla Nazimova in dual roles. It was also the screen debut for Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong.
• The Slangkop Lighthouse, standing 33 metres high, was inaugurated at Kommetjie, South Africa.
• Born:
• * Buck Baker, American racing driver, two-time winner of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; as Elzie Wylie Baker, in Richburg, South Carolina, United States
• * Tan Chee Khoon, Malaysian politician, Leader of the Opposition from 1964 to 1978; in Chera, British Malaya

  [March 5], 1919 (Wednesday)

• U.S. President Woodrow Wilson appointed A. Mitchell Palmer as United States Attorney General.
• The new central railway station, designed by Eliel Saarinen, opened in Helsinki.
• Died:
• * Ernest von Koerber, 68, Austrian state leader, 18th and 25th Prime Minister of Austria
• * Frances Anne Hopkins, 81, British painter, best known for her historic paintings of the fur trade in Canada including Shooting the Rapids, Canoe Manned by Voyageurs Passing a Waterfall and ''Voyageurs at Dawn''

  [March 6], 1919 (Thursday)

• White Army spring offensive - The Western Army of the White Movement fought the Second and Fifth Red Armies near Simbirsk and Samara, Russia.
• The Reichswehr was established as Germany's new armed forces, with President Friedrich Ebert as commander-in-chief. The force had two branches, with the Reichswehr to be composed of 100,000 soldiers for land defense and the Reichsmarine of 15,000 sailors for all sea defense.
• Women voted for the first time in Michigan following the passing of a state law in November 1918. The first Michigan woman to exercise the vote was Rosa John, the wife of a prominent Syrian merchant.
• The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators in a best-of-seven series to win the National Hockey League championship.
• Died:
• * George Eyser, 48, German-American gymnast, three-time gold and two-time silver medalist at the 1904 Summer Olympics, first known American Olympic athlete to compete with a prosthetic; committed suicide
• * Hilary A. Herbert, 84, American politician, 33rd United States Secretary of the Navy

  [March 7], 1919 (Friday)

• A new coalition government was formed to lead the People's State of Bavaria, with Johannes Hoffmann as head of state.
• Hungarian composer Jenő Huszka premiered his opera Baroness Lili at the Erkel Theatre in Budapest.
• Born: M. N. Nambiar, Indian film actor, known for his roles in Tamil movies including Market of Illusions, The Sacred Dwelling and The Dance Queen Mohanambal; as Manjeri Narayanan Nambiar, in Cannanor, British India

  [March 8], 1919 (Saturday)

• White Army spring offensive - The Siberian Army captured the towns of Okhansk and Osa before advancing on the Kama River.
• Egyptian Revolution - British authorities arrested Egyptian politician Saad Zaghloul, leader of the popular nationalistic Wafd Party, for promoting grassroots civil disobedience in Egypt and exiled him and other party leaders to Malta.
• The Rowlatt Act was passed by the Imperial Legislative Council in London, indefinitely extending the emergency provisions of the Defence of India Act.
• The War School of Kaunas was established in Kaunas, Lithuania to train needed junior officers for the Lithuanian Army during the Lithuanian Wars of Independence.
• The Christmas Bullet biplane, named after designer William Whitney Christmas, was released to the public at Madison Square Garden in New York City. However, many of first prototypes crashed due to its unusual wing design.
• Born: Bob Homme, American-Canadian actor, best known for the title role in the CBC Television children's program The Friendly Giant, recipient of the Order of Canada; in Stoughton, Wisconsin, United States
• Died: Gavino Gutierrez, 69, Spanish-American architect, designer of Ybor City, Florida