The following events occurred in July 1921:
July 1, 1921 (Friday)
- The Chinese Communist Party was founded.
- The silent crime docudrama Yan Ruisheng became the first full-length feature film made in China to be released. Although commercially successful it was banned within 2 years and believed lost.
- Mexico's increased tariff on the export of petroleum products went into effect. In response, oil production came to a halt and employees of oil refineries and drilling sites were laid off from work.
- British troops arrived in Upper Silesia to support French forces in occupying the region, to maintain order in the wake of the Upper Silesia plebiscite.
- Britain's striking miners voted to approve a settlement proposed by the British government. The House of Commons then voted a subsidy of ten million pounds sterling to the mining industry to cover the pay increase.
- The U.S.-registered EDC Design 1023 cargo ship Mopang was sunk by a mine at the entrance to Burgas Bay in the Black Sea.
- Born: Seretse Khama, Motswana politician, the first President of Botswana; in Serowe, Bechuanaland (now Botswana) (d. 1980)
July 2, 1921 (Saturday)
July 3, 1921 (Sunday)
- The Icelandic Order of the Falcon (Hin Islenska Fálkaorða), the only order of chivalry in Iceland, was created by proclamation of King Christian X. At the time, the DanishâÂÂIcelandic Act of Union of 1918 had recently established the sovereign Kingdom of Iceland (KonungsrÃÂkið ÃÂsland) as separate from Denmark but ruled by the same monarch. In his capacity as King of Iceland, Christian visited ReykjavÃÂk and announced the uniquely Icelandic honor, which would continue after Iceland's independence from Denmark as a republic in 1944.
- The Founding Congress of the Red International of Trade Unions, an international organization of labor unions with Communist members, was convened in Moscow with 380 delegates from multiple nations. Based on the Russian word for a trade union (profsoyuzov) and internatsional, the organization was called Profintern and would exist until 1937.
- Died:
- Viktor von Lang, 83, Austrian chemist, pioneer of crystal physics (b. 1838)
- Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, 77, French-born member of the German royal family (b. 1844)
July 4, 1921 (Monday)
- Ivanoe Bonomi became Prime Minister of Italy and formed a new government.
- Ireland's President ÃÂamon de Valera held a peace conference at the Mansion House, Dublin, which was attended by the Earl of Midleton, and other southern Unionists. James Craig, the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, declined an invitation to the conference because it was wrongly addressed.
- U.S. warships were anchored off of the coast of Tampico as a precaution against unemployment rioting after the shutdown of oil refineries. The ships were ordered by the U.S. Navy to return to the U.S. on July 8.
- Born: Dudar Hahanov, Soviet Georgian composer, violinist and conductor; in Tskhinvali, Georgian SSR (present-day Georgia) (d. 1995)
- Died: Antoni Grabowski, 64, Polish engineer known for being fluent in Esperanto (b. 1857)
July 5, 1921 (Tuesday)
- American inventor Miller Reese Hutchison, the former chief engineer to Thomas Edison, demonstrated his new noiseless and smokeless weapon in a press conference at the Woolworth Building, capable of firing a projectile at speeds of up to five miles (8 km) per second, equivalent to . Hutchison claimed that a larger version of the cannon could be adapted to fire a shell weighing five tons â â a distance of up to .
- South Africa's Prime Minister Jan Smuts conferred with Republicans and Unionists meeting at Dublin and suggested a proposal to remove barriers to a meeting in London.
July 6, 1921 (Wednesday)
July 7, 1921 (Thursday)
- In a move criticized by observers as corrupt, Delaware's Governor William D. Denney appointed a Republican U.S. Senator after persuading the incumbent Democrat Senator to vacate the seat in order to be appointed the Attorney General (or Chancellor) of Delaware. Josiah O. Wolcott, in his first term as U.S. Senator, had resigned on July 2 in return for being given the state post, and Denney then appointed multi-millionaire and retired General T. Coleman du Pont to serve the remainder of Wolcott's term. The change of seats gave the Republican Party a 60 to 36 majority in the U.S. Senate.
- A U.S. Navy dirigible, C-3, caught fire in mid-air while flying at an altitude of above the Naval Air Station Hampton Roads in Norfolk, Virginia. The pilot, O. O. Atwood, was able to make a safe landing and the other five persons on board were able to escape before the hydrogen inside the dirigible exploded.
- Louise McIlroy, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Royal Free Hospital for Women, delivered a paper at the Medico-Legal Society London, and described the contraceptives dispensed at Marie Stopes Mothers' Clinic as the "most harmful method of which I have experience." Dr Halliday Sutherland would quote her words in his 1922 book Birth Control. When Stopes sued Sutherland for libel, McIlroy testified for the defence.
- Born: Ezzard Charles, American boxer and world heavyweight champion 1949-1951; in Lawrenceville, Georgia (d. 1975)
July 8, 1921 (Friday)
- At the conclusion of the Dublin Conference, a truce between British troops and Irish Republicans was announced by Irish Republican leader ÃÂamon de Valera and British Prime Minister David Lloyd George in Dublin and in London, respectively, scheduled to take effect at noon on Monday, July 11. The truce came in conjunction with De Valera's response to Lloyd George's invitation to discuss a peace treaty in London. De Valera wrote in his reply, "Sir: The desire you expressed on the part of the British Government to end the centuries of conflict between the peoples of these two islands and to establish relations of neighborly harmony is the genuine desire of the people of Ireland. I have consulted with my colleagues... in regard to the invitation you have sent me. In reply I desire to say that I am ready to meet and discuss with you on what basis such a conference as that proposed can reasonably hope to achieve the object desired." The British Government then announced, "In accordance with the Prime Minister's offer and Mr. de Valera's reply, arrangements are being made for hostilities to cease from Monday next, July 11, at noon."
- The Land O'Lakes agricultural cooperative was founded in Saint Paul, Minnesota, by 320 producers to promote the marketing of butter, initially named the Minnesota Cooperative Creameries Association.
- The U.S. and Canadian Joint Commission reported that the proposed St. Lawrence Seaway canal linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean could be constructed at a cost of $252,278,200.
- U.S. warships anchored off of the coast of Tampico to protect against unrest were ordered to return to the U.S.
- France's observers at Germany's war crime trials departed from Leipzig after declaring that the German trials were "a farce."
- An intense heat wave, with high humidity and temperatures, affected most of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.
- The Agreement Between Great Britain and Sweden Relating to the Suppression of the Capitulations in Egypt was concluded in Stockholm.
- Labour candidate Walter Halls won a by-election in the UK parliamentary constituency of Heywood and Radcliffe, by a majority of just over 300 votes.
- Born: John Money, New Zealand psychologist and sexologist, known for controversial sexual identity study on David Reimer; in Morrinsville (d. 2006)
July 9, 1921 (Saturday)
- Mongolia declared its independence from China during the Mongolian Revolution.
- In a "man-driven airplane", French aviator Gabriel Poulain was able to fly at least one meter off the ground for a distance of at least 10 meters, winning the Peugeot Prize of 10,000 French francs. The pedal-powered aircraft, Aviette, weighed while unoccupied.
- Former world heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson was released from the federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, after serving 10 months of his sentence for his 1913 conviction under the Mann Act. U.S. President Donald Trump would issue a posthumous presidential pardon to Johnson on May 24, 2018.
July 10, 1921 (Sunday)
- In parliamentary elections in Portugal, the Republican Liberal Party won 79 seats, just short of an overall majority.
- Hours before the July 11 truce between Republican and Union forces, "Bloody Sunday" took place as a unit of the Irish Republican Army attacked an armored police truck in Belfast and killed an officer. In retaliation, Protestant loyalists attacked the Catholic population, of Belfast, killing 17 people.
- Five bystanders were killed and 14 seriously injured at a park in Moundsville, West Virginia, when a Martin MB-1 bomber airplane crashed into a crowd and into parked cars. Although the pilots of the plane escaped unharmed, a mechanic in the crew died. Sixteen automobiles were set ablaze, killing some of the victims.
- U.S. President Harding announced that the leaders of the Allied nations (the United Kingdom, France, Japan and Italy) would be invited to a world disarmament conference to be held in Washington on November 11. UK Prime Minister Lloyd George announced in Commons the next day that his cabinet was in favor of accepting the invitation, and France and Italy accepted on July 12. Japan accepted tentatively on July 13, but stated that it would not discuss questions concerning disarmament in the Pacific Ocean.
- Born: Eunice Kennedy Shriver, American philanthropist, daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald; as Eunice Mary Kennedy; in Brookline, Massachusetts (d. 2009)
- Died: William Craven, 4th Earl of Craven, 52, British yachtsman and socialite, drowned in The Solent after falling overboard from his boat, the Sylvia. (b. 1868)
July 11, 1921 (Monday)
- Bringing an end to the Irish War of Independence, a ceasefire took effect at noon on agreement between the British Government, led by Prime Minister David Lloyd George, and the proposed president of the Republic of Ireland, ÃÂamon de Valera. Lloyd George informed the House of Commons that De Valera would come to London for a conference on July 14.
- The Bogd Khan was restored as constitutional ruler of Mongolia and was enthroned in a special ceremony.
- Former U.S. President William Howard Taft was sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States, after having been appointed by U.S. President Harding and confirmed by the Senate.
- U.S. President Harding signed the Naval Appropriation Bill, reducing spending on the U.S. Navy from $496 million to $410 million.
- The U.S.-registered steamship Western Front, carrying 7,000 tons of naval stores, including naphtha, turpentine and resin from Jacksonville to London, foundered several miles west of the Isles of Scilly after an explosion and fire that killed one crew member.
- The world Christian Endeavor conference closed with a resolution encouraging worldwide disarmament with the goal of "A Warless World in 1923".
July 12, 1921 (Tuesday)
- Beginning at 3:00 in the afternoon local time, the first radio broadcast in Sweden was made, transmitted from the city of Boden with a signal that could be heard in Stockholm.
- The Spanish passenger ship Manuel L. Villaverde struck rocks off the coast of Colonial Nigeria, broke in two and sank. All those on board were rescued.
- U.S. baseball player Babe Ruth tied and then broke the record for career home runs in the same game, surpassing Roger Connor's record of 136. Ruth would continue to break his own record, finishing his career with 714 homers, a mark that would stand until being broken by Hank Aaron in . Despite Ruth's effort, the New York Yankees still lost to the host St. Louis Browns, 6 to 4.
- Died: Harry Hawker, 32, Australian test pilot and aircraft designer, was killed in the crash of his Nieuport Nighthawk airplane shortly after takeoff from the Hendon Aerodrome near London (b. 1889)
July 13, 1921 (Wednesday)
- The Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902 expired while the 1921 Imperial Conference was in progress.
- U.S. Army planes, in a project promoted by General Billy Mitchell, bombed and sank a former German Navy destroyer SMS G102 off of the coast of Cape Henry, Virginia. The empty ship, surrendered to the U.S. after World War I, went down only 20 minutes after aerial bombardment began after being struck by 51 bombs, each with or explosives.
- The Southern Ireland parliament convened in Dublin, but with only 12 senators and only two members of its House showing up.
- U.S. Secretary of War John W. Weeks announced the firing of 21,174 civilian employees in order to save over $225 million per year in salaries and benefits.
- Born: Kenneth Utt, American film producer and actor; in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (d. 1994)
- Died: Gabriel Lippmann, 75, French physicist and pioneer in color photography and 1908 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate (b. 1845)
July 14, 1921 (Thursday)
- In a controversial trial in the U.S., Italian anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were found guilty of murder by a court in Dedham, Massachusetts. On April 15, 1920, factory paymaster Frederic A. Parmenter and security guard Alessandro Berardelli had been shot and killed during the theft of $15,776.17 of cash being taken to the Slater and Morrill Shoes factory and the two defendants had been charged with the crime.
- Ireland's republican leader, ÃÂamon de Valera, conferred with British Prime Minister David Lloyd George for two hours in London. Lloyd George then met with King George V to inform him of the results.
- Myron T. Herrick, the new U.S. ambassador to France, arrived in Paris for the Bastille Day celebrations, to be greeted by Prime Minister Aristide Briand, although the annual review of troops due to take place on that day had been cancelled because of a heatwave.
- Born: Sixto Durán Ballén, U.S.-born Ecuadorian politician who served as the president of Ecuador from 1992 to 1996; in Boston (d. 2016)
July 15, 1921 (Friday)
- In the Greco-Turkish War, Greek forces reoccupied Afyonkarahisar, in present-day Turkey.
- After being rammed by the British ship Harmodius, the U.S. schooner E. Marie Brown sank in the Atlantic Ocean east of Fire Island, New York, with the loss of four crew members.
- The ex-German torpedo boat , allocated to the United States under the Treaty of Versailles, was sunk as a target off Cape Henry by the U.S. battleship . Shortly before, SMS S-132 had been sunk by the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Herbert and the dreadnought USS Delaware.
July 16, 1921 (Saturday)
- The sixth annual Aerial Derby, sponsored by the Royal Aero Club of Great Britain, was won by J. H. James, who completed the course in a Gloster Mars at an average speed of 163.34 mph (262.87 km/h) in 1 hour 18 minutes 10 seconds with a handicap of 4 minutes 42 seconds.
- The Soviet government issued an appeal to its people to aid 10 million victims of starvation in Astrakhan, Tsaritsyn, Saratov, Samara, Simbirsk, Ufa and Vyatka, along with villages in the Volga River valley and in Chuvash.
- In the Greco-Turkish War, Greek troops seized control of the strategically-located city of Kutaiah from Turkish control.
- The U.S. paid $32,688,352 to the United Kingdom for British expenses in the transportation of American soldiers during World War I.
- The International Women's Congress, presided over by Jane Addams of the U.S., opened in Vienna.
- Born:
- Guy Laroche, French fashion designer; in La Rochelle, Charente-Inférieure département (d. 1989)
- Henri Spade, French television journalist and producer; in Paris, France (d. 2008)
- Died: Arthur Irwin, 63, Canadian-American sportsman, Major League Baseball player and manager who perfected the baseball glove, later served as the president of the American League of Professional Football, committed suicide by jumping overboard the passenger ship Calvin Austin (b. 1858)
July 17, 1921 (Sunday)
July 18, 1921 (Monday)
- The BCG vaccine for tuberculosis was administered to a patient for the first time, in Paris, France, by Benjamin Weill-Halle.
- U.S. baseball player Babe Ruth hit the longest home run in the history of Major League Baseball while in Detroit for a game in a 10 to 1 victory by his New York Yankees and the host Detroit Tigers. Ruth's hit cleared the roof of Tiger Stadium and landed in the street, away.
- U.S. Army airplanes bombed the former German battle cruiser SMS Frankfurt off of the coast of Virginia and sank it within 26 minutes.
- In the general election in the Canadian province of Alberta, the United Farmers of Alberta defeated the incumbent Liberals.
- An appeal by writer Maxim Gorky on behalf of Russian famine victims was published in international media.
- The new U.S. cargo ship SS City of Brunswick departed Tampa, Florida, on her maiden voyage. The ship quickly developed problems and was wrecked a month later.
- Born: John Glenn, American astronaut and politician, known for being the first American to orbit the Earth and later as U.S. Senator for Ohio; in Cambridge, Ohio(d. 2016)
July 19, 1921 (Tuesday)
July 20, 1921 (Wednesday)
- A group of 15 pilots of the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines carried out final aerial bombardment of a retired German warship, choosing the largest of the ships surrendered to the U.S. as part of German reparations, the dreadnought SMS Ostfriesland. U.S. Secretary of War John W. Weeks and U.S. Secretary of Navy Edwin Denby watched the demonstration along with U.S. Army General John J. Pershing and other prominent U.S. officials in attendance. To the embarrassment of the planners, only 13 of the 52 bombs struck the Ostfriesland, and only four of those actually exploded, without sinking the German warship. The U.S. Army carried out a second attack the next day, as two bombs sank Ostfriesland off of the American coast.
- The British cabinet voted to approve Prime Minister David Lloyd George's peace proposal to the Irish Republicans, which included Dominion status and self-government for Ireland in all domestic matters, while reserving defense and foreign relations to the United Kingdom.
- Born: Ted Schroeder, American tennis player who won the finals at the U.S. Open in 1942 and at Wimbledon in 1949; as Frederick Rudolph Schroeder, in Newark, New Jersey(d. 2006)
July 21, 1921 (Thursday)
- The Eskimo Pie was launched as a packaged chocolate and ice cream dessert when Christian Nelson of Onawa, Iowa, was able to persuade candy manufacturer Russell Stover to invest in what Nelson initially called "the I-Scream-Bar."
- After meeting with King George V, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George presented a peace proposal to Irish Republican ÃÂamon de Valera, offering recognition of self-governing Dominion of Ireland in return for Irish permission for Britain to maintain a military and naval presence.
- As the Russian Civil War continued, the Soviet ship Sawa was shelled and sunk by the Soviet submarine Trotsky in the Black Sea while trying to defect to the Whites. The vessel and most of her crew were killed. Four men were rescued and imprisoned.
- Died: Milorad DraÃ
¡koviÃÂ, 48, Serbian politician and Minister of Internal Affairs for Yugoslavia, the kingdom's police agency, was assassinated by a member of the Yugoslavian Communist Party. The killing, coupled with the June 29 attempt on the life of Prince Alexander, prompted the passage of the Law Concerning the Protection of Security and Order in the State eleven days later on August 1 (b. 1873)
July 22, 1921 (Friday)
- In the Battle of Annual in Morocco, during the Rif War, Spanish troops were defeated by Berber rebels under Abd el-Krim. King Alfonso XIII cut short his holiday in San Sebastián to return to Madrid. The defeat in North Africa forced the Spanish Army to flee the positions that they had captured at Melilla. The commander of the attack, Spain's General Manuel Fernández Silvestre and his staff of officers, surrounded by Moroccan troops and cut off from their own, committed suicide rather than allowing themselves to be taken prisoner. Of the 587 soldiers, officers and civilians taken prisoner, only 326 would still be alive 18 months later when the Republic of the Rif would release them on January 27, 1923, following the payment of a four million peseta ransom.
- The Douglas Aircraft Company, predecessor to McDonnell Douglas Corporation, was established by Donald W. Douglas in Santa Monica, California.
- The U.S. Open golf tournament was won by the UK's Jim Barnes.
July 23, 1921 (Saturday)
July 24, 1921 (Sunday)
July 25, 1921 (Monday)
July 26, 1921 (Tuesday)
July 27, 1921 (Wednesday)
July 28, 1921 (Thursday)
- The Church of Scotland Act 1921 received royal assent from King George V of the United Kingdom, giving the Presbyterian Church of Scotland complete independence in spiritual questions and appointments.
- In the U.S., Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore announced the first American policy for medical price limitations, with a maximum of $1,000 for a surgical operation and $35 per week for hospitalization. The prices were equivalent 100 years later to $15,100 for surgery and $530/week for hospitalization.
July 29, 1921 (Friday)
July 30, 1921 (Saturday)
July 31, 1921 (Sunday)
References