May 1917

Tuesday, May 1, 1917

• Venustiano Carranza was inaugurated as the 37th President of Mexico.
• Riots broke out in Milan and other towns in Lombardy, Italy.
• Over 100,000 anti-war protesters organized by the Bolsheviks gathered in Petrograd to oppose a pledge by Russian Provisional Government's Foreign Minister Pavel Milyukov for Russia to continue fighting against the Central Powers.
• Pope Benedict released a motu proprio that led to the establishment of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and the Pontifical Oriental Institute.
• Nayarit became one of the last territories to be admitted as a state in Mexico.
• German submarine was torpedoed and sunk with 31 crew lost in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ireland.
• Imperial German Navy Zeppelins L 43 and L 45 conducted reconnaissance patrols over the North Sea off the coast of Scotland, patrolling off the Firth of Forth and Aberdeen respectively.
• Frederic T. Woodman was re-elected Mayor of Los Angeles, capturing half of the vote in the mayoral election.
• The New Zealand Rifle Brigade was formed as the 3rd Brigade of the New Zealand Division, part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.
• The Corpo Aeronautico Militare of the Italian Army established air squadron 91a Squadriglia to support ground troops in the ongoing Battles of the Isonzo.
• The United States Army established the 24th Aero Squadron to assist the American Expeditionary Forces on the Western Front.
• Japanese sports equipment manufacturer Mikasa Sports was established in Hiroshima.
• Swiss weekly newspaper The New International published its first edition in Geneva. It ran until May 1, 1921, when it was replaced by the l'Avant-garde.
• English poet Marian Allen completed the poem "To A. T. G." a few days after hearing her fiancé Arthur Greg was killed in action, the first of several to his memory.
• The music school Tbilisi State Conservatoire was founded in Tbilisi, Georgia.
• The city of Elko, Nevada, was incorporated.
• The borough of Sea Girt, New Jersey, was incorporated.
• Born:
• * John Beradino, American baseball player and actor, second baseman for the Cleveland Indians during the 1948 World Series, also known for his role as Steve Hardy in the television soap opera General Hospital; as Giovanni Berardino, in Los Angeles, United States
• * Ulric Cross, Trinidadian air force officer and judge, commander of the No. 139 Squadron for the Royal Air Force during World War II, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, high court judge for Trinidad from 1971 to 2013; as Philip Louis Ulric Cross, in Port of Spain, Trinidad
• * Danielle Darrieux, French singer and actress, known for award-winning roles including Scene of the Crime and 8 Women; in Bordeaux, France
• * Fyodor Khitruk, Russian animator, best known for his animated films including The Story of a Crime; in Tver, Russian Empire
• Died: William Knox D'Arcy, 67, British industrialist, principal architect of the oil and gas industry in Persia through the Anglo-Persian Oil Company

  Wednesday, May 2, 1917

• Royal Navy destroyer struck a mine and sank off the coast of France, with the loss of 58 out of 70 crew.
• The People's Council of America for Democracy and the Terms of Peace was established in New York City in opposition to the United States entry into World War I.
• The Brazilian football association Federação de Futebol do Estado do Espírito Santo was established in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
• Born: Juan Zurita, Mexican boxer, lightweight world champion in 1944; as Juan Bautista Zurita Ferre, in Veracruz, Mexico

  Thursday, May 3, 1917

• French Army Mutinies - The Second Division of the French Third Army began disobeying orders as the Nivelle offensive wound down, causing a chain reaction of mutinies throughout the French Army.
• Battle of Arras - British forces launched a third attack on German positions along the Scarpe River in France, including the French villages of Bullecourt and Hendecourt-lès-Cagnicourt. The British 62nd Division successfully held off German attempts to recapture Bullecourt but Hendecourt-lès-Cagnicourt remained firmly in German hands. Meanwhile, a British assault to capture Oppy Wood near Arras, France, proved disastrous, with 2,417 casualties.
• The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce established the Constitutional Reform Association of Hong Kong.
• The Swedish Linnaeus Society was founded on the 210th anniversary of the birth of Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus.
• Born:
• * Kiro Gligorov, Macedonian state leader, first President of Macedonia; in Štip, Kingdom of Serbia
• * William Mulloy, American anthropologist and archaeologist, known for leading research on the Plains Indians of North America and Polynesian prehistory ; in Salt Lake City, United States
• * Betty Comden, American comedienne, best known for her collaboration with Adolph Green; as Basya Cohen, in New York City, United States
• Died: Isawa Shūji, 65, Japanese academic, founder of University of Tsukuba, Central School for the Deaf and Tokyo University of the Arts

  Friday, May 4, 1917

• Second Battle of the Aisne - French forces captured Brimont, France, from the Germans.
• Battle of the Hills - French forces captured portions of Mont Cornillet and Mont Blond in France.
• British troopship was sunk by German submarine SM U-63, with the loss of 402 lives.
• Imperial German Navy Zeppelin L 43 attacked a Royal Navy naval squadron in the North Sea near the Dogger Bank, hitting light cruiser with bombs. It was one of the few cases of an airship attacking warships.
• Born: Josef Wurmheller, German air force officer, commander of Jagdgeschwader 2 for the Luftwaffe during World War II, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross; in Hausham, German Empire

  Saturday, May 5, 1917

• At the Battle of the Crna Bend, Allied forces, including French, Italian and Russian battalions, launched a major offensive to break the stalemate on the Macedonian front in the Balkans by shelling German and Bulgarian positions are the Crna River in Serbia.
• At the Second Battle of the Aisne, the French Fourth Army captured two key German defenses around Chemin des Dames, France, and captured 3,350 German prisoners and 27 guns, while the Sixth Army reached the outskirts of German-held Allemant, Aisne, France and took.
• The incumbent Nationalist Party of Australia led by Billy Hughes returned to power as the Australian Government in the federal elections.
• Voters in Queensland, Australia, rejected a referendum to abolish the state's Legislative Council.
• The United States Army established the 4th and 5th Aero Squadrons.
• Born:
• * Jimmy Murray, Gaelic football player, centre-forward for Roscommon and St. Patrick; in Knockcroghery, Ireland
• * Patrick Lynch, Irish economist, proponent of education and development economics, advocate for Ireland joining the European Economic Community; in Dublin, Ireland
• * Aage Eriksen, Norwegian wrestler, silver medalist at the 1948 Summer Olympics; in Notodden, Norway
• * George C. Baldwin, American physicist, leading researcher into photofission including the discovery of giant resonance; in Denver, United States

  Sunday, May 6, 1917

• José Gutiérrez Guerra won the presidential election in Bolivia to become its 34th president.
• Battle of the Crna Bend - German and Bulgarian forces began counter-maneuvers against Allied patrols monitoring the bombardment of the Central Powers defenses along the Crna River in Serbia.
• A German plane dropped a bomb on London, killing one person.
• The Estonian Radical Socialist Party was formed in Tallinn, Estonia. Two months later, the Social Travaillist Party formed and both merged in 1919 to become the Estonian Labour Party.
• Born:
• * Rex T. Barber, American air force officer, member of Operation Vengeance that located and shot down the plane carrying Japanese Grande Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, recipient of the Silver Star and Navy Cross; in Culver, Oregon, United States
• * Jack Stewart, Canadian ice hockey player, defenceman for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks from 1937 to 1953; as John Sherratt Stewart, in Pilot Mound, Manitoba, Canada
• * Leonid Brekhovskikh, Russian oceanographer, co-discover of the deep sound channel in oceans; in Strunkino, Russian Empire
• Died: Thomas Carr, 77, Irish-Australian clergy, Archbishop of Melbourne from 1886 to 1917

  Monday, May 7, 1917

• Battle of the Crna Bend - The Allies intensified bombardment of Central Powers defenses along the Crna River in Serbia. However, the Bulgarians were able to maintain their defenses despite sustaining 945 casualties over four days of shelling.
• German submarine struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with all 24 crew on board.
• British flying ace Major Mick Mannock claimed his first kill. However, the same day, British flying ace Captain Albert Ball, with 44 victories to his name, was killed in a crash following a dogfight with German pilot Lothar von Richthofen.
• Cecil McKenzie Hill made the first flight for the Canterbury Aviation Company in Sockburn, New Zealand, which was used to train more pilots for military and commercial purposes.
• The National Music Publishers' Association was established in the USA to "protect its members' property rights on the legislative, litigation, and regulatory fronts."
• Loretta Young made her screen debut in an uncredited role for the screen adaptation of the Ruth Sawyer novel The Primrose Ring, directed by Robert Z. Leonard.
• Born:
• * David Tomlinson, English actor, best known for his roles in live action Disney films including Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks and The Love Bug; in Henley-on-Thames, England
• * Russell Foskett, Australian air force officer, commander of the No. 94 Squadron during World War II, recipient of the Order of the British Empire and Distinguished Flying Cross; in Roseville, New South Wales, Australia
• * Anthony Provenzano, American gangster, member of the Genovese crime family, member of the Teamsters Union and connected to the disappearance of union leader Jimmy Hoffa; in New York City, United States
• * Domenico Bartolucci, Italian clergy and composer, director of Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Vatican City; in Borgo San Lorenzo, Kingdom of Italy