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From top to bottom, left to right: The Second Balkan War sees former allies fight over territory, escalating tensions in Southeast Europe; the Battle of Bud Bagsak ends the Moro Rebellion as U.S. forces defeat Moro fighters in the southern Philippines; at the Epsom Derby, suffragette Emily Davison is fatally struck by King George V's horse, drawing global attention to women's rights; the Senghenydd colliery disaster kills 440 miners in Wales, Britain’s worst mining tragedy; the Great Flood of 1913 devastates the American Midwest, killing hundreds and causing massive damage; and the 1913 Ottoman coup d'état places the Committee of Union and Progress in power, consolidating control under the Three Pashas.
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| 1913 by topic |
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| Gregorian calendar | 1913 MCMXIII |
| Ab urbe condita | 2666 |
| Armenian calendar | 1362 ԹՎ ՌՅԿԲ |
| Assyrian calendar | 6663 |
| Baháʼí calendar | 69–70 |
| Balinese saka calendar | 1834–1835 |
| Bengali calendar | 1319–1320 |
| Berber calendar | 2863 |
| British Regnal year | 3 Geo. 5 – 4 Geo. 5 |
| Buddhist calendar | 2457 |
| Burmese calendar | 1275 |
| Byzantine calendar | 7421–7422 |
| Chinese calendar | 壬子年 (Water Rat) 4610 or 4403 — to — 癸丑年 (Water Ox) 4611 or 4404 |
| Coptic calendar | 1629–1630 |
| Discordian calendar | 3079 |
| Ethiopian calendar | 1905–1906 |
| Hebrew calendar | 5673–5674 |
| Hindu calendars | |
| - Vikram Samvat | 1969–1970 |
| - Shaka Samvat | 1834–1835 |
| - Kali Yuga | 5013–5014 |
| Holocene calendar | 11913 |
| Igbo calendar | 913–914 |
| Iranian calendar | 1291–1292 |
| Islamic calendar | 1331–1332 |
| Japanese calendar | Taishō 2 (大正2年) |
| Javanese calendar | 1842–1843 |
| Juche calendar | 2 |
| Julian calendar | Gregorian minus 13 days |
| Korean calendar | 4246 |
| Minguo calendar | ROC 2 民國2年 |
| Nanakshahi calendar | 445 |
| Thai solar calendar | 2455–2456 |
| Tibetan calendar | ཆུ་ཕོ་བྱི་བ་ལོ་ (male Water-Rat) 2039 or 1658 or 886 — to — ཆུ་མོ་གླང་ལོ་ (female Water-Ox) 2040 or 1659 or 887 |
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1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar and a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar, the 1913th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 913th year of the 2nd millennium, the 13th year of the 20th century, and the 4th year of the 1910s decade. As of the start of 1913, the Gregorian calendar was 13 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.
Events
[edit]January
[edit]- January – Joseph Stalin travels to Vienna to research his Marxism and the National Question.[1] This means that, during this month, Stalin, Hitler, Trotsky and Tito are all living in the city.
- January 3 – First Balkan War: Greece completes its capture of the eastern Aegean island of Chios, as the last Ottoman forces on the island surrender.[2][3]
- January 13 – Edward Carson founds the (first) Ulster Volunteer Force, by unifying several existing loyalist militias to resist home rule for Ireland.[4]
- January 18 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not venture for the rest of the war.[5]
- January 23 – 1913 Ottoman coup d'état: Enver Pasha comes to power.
February
[edit]- February 1 – New York City's Grand Central Terminal, having been rebuilt, reopens as the world's largest railroad station.
- February 3 – The Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, authorizing the Federal government to impose and collect income taxes on all sources of income, not just some.
- February 9 – Mexican Revolution: "La Decena Trágica", the rebellion of some military chiefs against the President Francisco I. Madero, begins.[6]
- February 13 – Thubten Gyatso, the 13th Dalai Lama, declares the independence of Tibet from Qing dynasty China.
- February 18 – Mexican Revolution: President Francisco I. Madero and Vice President José María Pino Suárez are forced to resign. Pedro Lascuráin serves as president for less than an hour, before General Victoriano Huerta, leader of the coup, takes office.[6]
- February 22 – Mexican Revolution: Francisco I. Madero and José María Pino Suárez are assassinated.[6]
- February 23 – Joseph Stalin is arrested by the Russian secret police, the Okhrana, in Petrograd, and exiled to Siberia.[7]
March
[edit]- March
- The House of Romanov celebrates the 300th anniversary of its succession to the throne, amidst an outpouring of monarchist sentiment in Russia.
- Following the assassination of his rival Song Jiaoren, Yuan Shikai uses military force to dissolve China's parliament, and rules as a dictator.
- c. March 1 – British steamship Calvados disappears in the Sea of Marmara, with 200 on board.[8][9]
- March 3 – The Woman Suffrage Procession takes place in Washington, D.C. led by Inez Milholland on horseback.
- March 4 – The U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of Labor are established, by splitting the duties of the 10-year-old Department of Commerce and Labor. The Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Fisheries and U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey form part of the Department of Commerce.
- March 4–6 – First Balkan War: Battle of Bizani – Forces of the Kingdom of Greece capture the forts of Bizani (covering the approaches to Ioannina) from the Ottoman Empire.
- March 7 – Alum Chine explosion: British freighter Alum Chine, carrying 343 tons of dynamite, explodes in the harbour of Baltimore, Maryland.[10]
- March 13 – Mexican Revolution: Pancho Villa returns to Mexico from his self-imposed exile in the United States.
- March 17 – The Military Aviation Academy (Escuela de Aviación Militar) is founded in Uruguay, to become the Military Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Militar) on 4 December 1952 (the Uruguayan Air Force (FAU) will grow from this foundation).
- March 18 – King George I of Greece is assassinated after 50 years on the throne; he is succeeded by his son Constantine I.
- March 20
- Sung Chiao-jen, a founder of the Chinese nationalist party (Kuomintang), is wounded in an assassination attempt, and dies two days later.
- The city of Canberra, the center of the Australian Capital Territory, becomes the official capital of the Commonwealth of Australia.
- March 23 – Supporters of Phan Xích Long begin a revolt against colonial rule in French Indochina.
- March 25 – The Great Dayton Flood, after four days of rain in the Miami Valley, kills over 360 and destroys 20,000 homes (chiefly in Dayton, Ohio).
- March 26
- Mexican Revolution: Venustiano Carranza announces his Plan of Guadalupe, and begins his rebellion against Victoriano Huerta's government, as head of the Constitutionals.
- Balkan Wars: The Siege of Adrianople ends, when Bulgarian forces take Adrianople from the Ottomans.

April
[edit]- April – Bernhard Kellermann's novel Der Tunnel is published.
- April 5 – The United States Soccer Federation is formed.
- April 8 – The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is passed, dictating the direct election of senators.
- April 21 – Cunard ocean liner RMS Aquitania, built by John Brown & Company, is launched on the River Clyde.
- April 24 – The Woolworth Building opens in New York City. Designed by Cass Gilbert, it is the tallest building in the world on this date, and for more than a decade after.[11]
May
[edit]- May 3 – Raja Harishchandra, the first full-length Indian feature film, is released, marking the beginning of the Indian film industry.
- May 9–July 11 – A major industrial strike occurs in the Black Country of England, involving 25,000 workers, and threatening preparations for World War I in naval and steel industries. The workers demand 23 shillings minimum wage.
- May 14 – New York Governor William Sulzer approves the charter for the Rockefeller Foundation, which begins operations with a $100,000,000 donation from John D. Rockefeller.
- May 24–25 – Adolf Hitler moves from Vienna to Munich.[12]
- May 24 – Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia marries Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover in Berlin, ending the decades-long rift between the Houses of Hohenzollern and Hanover and marking the last great gathering of European sovereigns.
- May 26 (May 13 O.S.) – Igor Sikorsky becomes the first person to pilot a 4-engine fixed-wing aircraft.
- May 29 – The ballet The Rite of Spring (music by Igor Stravinsky, conducted by Pierre Monteux, choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky and design by Nicholas Roerich) is premiered by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris; its modernist style provokes one of the most famous classical music riots in history.[13] The audience includes Gabriele D'Annunzio, Coco Chanel, Marcel Duchamp, Harry Graf Kessler and Maurice Ravel.[14]
- May 30 – First Balkan War: The Treaty of London is signed, ending the war. Greece is granted those parts of southern Epirus which it does not already control, and the independence of Albania is recognised.

June
[edit]- June 1 – The Greek–Serbian Treaty of Alliance is signed, paving the way for the Second Balkan War.[15]
- June 4 – Emily Davison, a British suffragette, runs out in front of the King's horse, Anmer, at The Derby. She is trampled and dies four days later in hospital, never having regained consciousness.[16]
- June 8 – The Deutsches Stadion in Berlin is dedicated with the release of 10,000 pigeons, in front of an audience of 60,000 people. It had been constructed in anticipation of the 1916 Summer Olympics (later to be cancelled as the result of World War I).
- June 11
- Women's suffrage is enacted in Norway.
- Battle of Bud Bagsak: Armed with guns and heavy artillery, U.S. and Philippine troops under General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing fight a four-day battle against 500 Moro rebels, who are armed mostly with kampilan swords. The rebels are killed in a final desperate charge on June 15.
- June 18 – The Arab Congress of 1913 opens, during which Arab nationalists meet to discuss desired reforms under the Ottoman Empire.
- June 19 – The Parliament of South Africa passes the Natives Land Act, limiting land ownership for blacks to black territories.
- June 13 – The predecessor of the Aldi store chain opens in Essen, Germany.
- June 24 – Joseph Cook becomes the 6th Prime Minister of Australia.[17]
- June 29 – The Second Balkan War begins with Bulgaria attacking Serbia and Greece.
July
[edit]- July 10
- Romania declares war on Bulgaria.
- Death Valley, California hits 134 °F (~56.7 °C), the all-time highest temperature recorded on Earth (although its validity has been challenged, and in 2020 a temperature of 54.4 °C (129.9 °F) was recorded at the same location, which would make it the world's highest verified air temperature, subject to confirmation).[18]
- July 13 – The 1913 Romanian Army cholera outbreak during the Second Balkan War starts.[19]
- July 27 – The town of San Javier, Uruguay, is founded[20] by Russian settlers.
August
[edit]- August 2 – The first known ascent of Mount Olympus in Greece is made by Swiss mountaineers Daniel Baud-Bovy and Frédéric Boissonnas guided by Christos Kakkalos.
- August 4 – Republic of China: The city of Chongqing (Chungking) declares independence; Republican forces crush the rebellion in a couple of weeks.
- August 10 – Second Balkan War: The Treaty of Bucharest is signed, ending the war. Macedonia is divided, and Northern Epirus is assigned to Albania.
- August 13 – Harry Brearley invents stainless steel in Sheffield.[21]
- August 20 – After his airplane fails at an altitude of 900 feet (270 m), aviator Adolphe Pégoud becomes the first person to bail out from an airplane and land safely.[22]
- August 23 – The Little Mermaid statue is finished in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- August 26 – Dublin Lock-out in Ireland: Members of James Larkin's Irish Transport and General Workers' Union employed by the Dublin United Tramways Company begin strike action in defiance of the dismissal of trade union members by its chairman.[23]
- August 31 – Dublin Lock-out: "Bloody Sunday": The dispute escalates when the Dublin Metropolitan Police kill one demonstrator and injure 400, in dispersing a demonstration.[4][23]
September
[edit]
- September 7–8 – The Fourth Congress of the International Psychoanalytical Association (the last occasion on which Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud will meet) takes place in Munich.
- September 9
- In Germany, BASF starts the world's first plant for the production of fertilizer based on the Haber-Bosch process, feeding in modern times about a third of the world's population.
- Imperial Russian Army pilot Pyotr Nesterov becomes the first person to loop an airplane, flying a Nieuport IV monoplane over Syretzk Aerodrome near Kiev, in the Russian Empire.
- Helgoland Island air disaster: The first fatalities aboard a German airship occur, when the Imperial German Navy Zeppelin dirigible LZ 14 (naval designation L 1) is forced down into the North Sea off Heligoland during a thunderstorm, killing 16 of the 22 men on board.
- September 10 – Jean Sibelius's tone poem Luonnotar is premiered in Gloucester Cathedral, England, with soprano Aino Ackté.
- September 17 – In Chicago, the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith is founded, with Sigmund Livingston as its first president.
- September 23 – French aviator Roland Garros crosses the Mediterranean in an airplane flying from Fréjus, France to Bizerte, Tunisia.
- September 29 – Second Balkan War: The Treaty of Constantinople is signed in Istanbul, between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Bulgaria.
October
[edit]
- October 1 – Mexican Revolution: Pancho Villa's troops take Torreón after a 3-day battle, when government troops retreat.
- October 7–December 1 – The Ford Motor Company adopts a moving assembly line for chassis production of the Model T at its Highland Park Plant in Highland Park, Michigan (Detroit), reducing assembly time from 12½ hours to 2 hours 40 minutes, a landmark in mass production.[24][25][26] Between 1912 and 1914 the retail price of a Model T drops by US$150.
- October 9 – Canadian-owned ocean liner SS Volturno (1906), carrying passengers (mostly immigrants) and a chemical cargo from Rotterdam to New York City, catches fire in a North Atlantic gale; 136 die, but 521 are saved by ships summoned by SOS messages to the scene.
- October 10
- U.S. President Woodrow Wilson triggers the explosion of the Gamboa Dike, ending construction on the Panama Canal.
- Yuan Shikai is elected President of the Republic of China.[27]
- October 11 – The Philadelphia Athletics win the deciding game of the 1913 World Series, over baseball's New York Giants, winning 3–1 to take the series in five games.
- October 13 – The Armenians of the Ottoman Empire celebrate the 1500th anniversary of the invention of the Armenian alphabet and the 400th anniversary of the first printed Armenian book.
- October 14 – Senghenydd colliery disaster: An explosion at the Universal Colliery, Senghenydd in South Wales kills 439 miners, the worst mining accident in the United Kingdom.[21]
- October 16 – The British Royal Navy's HMS Queen Elizabeth is launched at Portsmouth Dockyard as the first oil-fired battleship.[28]
- October 18 – The Monument to the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig, Germany is finished.
- October 19 – The DLRG (German Life-Saving Society) is founded.
- October 26 – Victoriano Huerta elected president of Mexico.
- October 28–December 2 – Zabern Affair: Acts of aggression by the Prussian garrison at Zabern, Alsace-Lorraine provoke political debate across the German Empire.
- October 31 – The Lincoln Highway, the first automobile road across the United States, is dedicated.
November
[edit]- November 5 – King Otto of Bavaria is deposed by his cousin, Prince Regent Ludwig, who assumes the title Ludwig III.
- November 6 – Mohandas Gandhi is arrested, while leading a march of Indian miners in South Africa.
- November 7–11 – The Great Lakes Storm of 1913 in North America claims 19 ships, and more than 250 lives.
December
[edit]- December 1
- Crete, having obtained self rule from Turkey after the First Balkan War, is annexed by Greece.
- Buenos Aires Underground, the first in South America, opens.
- December 12 – Vincenzo Peruggia tries to sell the Mona Lisa in Florence, and is arrested.
- December 19 – The Raker Act is signed by President Woodrow Wilson, allowing the City of San Francisco to dam Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park.
- December 23 – The Federal Reserve System is created as the central banking system of the United States, by Woodrow Wilson's signature of the Federal Reserve Act.
- December 24 – Italian Hall disaster: seventy-three people – mostly striking mine workers and their families – are crushed to death in a stampede in Calumet, Michigan.
- December 30 – Italy returns the Mona Lisa to France.
Date unknown
[edit]- Between the two Balkan Wars, a group of Bulgarian teachers and priests including teacher Gligor Zisov are deported by the newly established Greek authorities to Bulgaria but killed by Greek soldiers.[29]
- The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is established in Bengal Province (modern-day Bangladesh).
- America Cultural Center is inaugurated in Salta, Argentina.[30]
- French physicist Georges Sagnac shows that light propagates at a speed independent of the speed of its source.
- Camel cigarettes are introduced by R. J. Reynolds in the United States (the first packaged cigarettes).
- The State Security Investigations Service, the Middle East's first internal security service, is established in Egypt.
- Prada is established as a leather goods dealer in Milan, by Mario Prada and his brother.
- Astra, a predecessor of the AstraZeneca global healthcare and pharmaceutical brand, is founded in Södertälje, Sweden.[31]
- The value of world trade reaches roughly $38 billion.
Births
[edit]| Births |
|---|
| January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December |
January–February
[edit]




- January 1 – Shek Kin, Hong Kong actor (d. 2009)
- January 2 – Anna Lee, English-American actress (d. 2004)
- January 4
- Malietoa Tanumafili II, Samoan head of state (d. 2007)
- Fred Degazon, President of Dominica (d. 2008)
- January 6
- Edward Gierek, Polish politician (d. 2001)[32]
- Loretta Young, American actress (d. 2000)
- January 9
- Eric Berry, British actor (d. 1993)
- Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States (d. 1994)
- January 10
- Gustáv Husák, Slovak politician (d. 1991)
- Mehmet Shehu, 23rd Prime Minister of Albania (d. 1981)
- January 11 – Karl Stegger, Danish actor (d. 1980)
- January 15
- Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (d. 2002)
- Lloyd Bridges, American actor (d. 1998)
- Alexander Marinesko, Soviet naval officer (d. 1963)
- January 22
- Henry Bauchau, Belgian novelist, poet and psychoanalyst (d. 2012)
- William Conway, Irish cardinal (d. 1977)
- Carl F. H. Henry, American theologian and publisher (d. 2003)
- January 23 – Jean-Michel Atlan, French painter (d. 1960)
- January 25
- Huang Hua, Foreign Minister of China (d. 2010)
- Witold Lutosławski, Polish composer (d. 1994)
- January 29 – Victor Mature, American actor (d. 1999)
- February 2 – Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor (d. 1985)
- February 4 – Rosa Parks, American civil rights activist (d. 2005)[33]
- February 6 – Mary Leakey, British anthropologist (d. 1996)
- February 8 – Betty Field, American actress (d. 1973)
- February 10
- Douglas Slocombe, British cinematographer (d. 2016)[34]
- Bill White, Australian rugby union player (d. 1969)
- February 14 – Jimmy Hoffa, American labor leader (disappeared 1975)
- February 18 – Artur Axmann, German Nazi national leader of the Hitler Youth (d. 1996)[35]
- February 19 – Frank Tashlin, American animation director (d. 1972)
- February 23 – P. C. Sorcar, Indian stage magician (d. 1971)
- February 25
- Jim Backus, American actor (d. 1989)
- Gert Fröbe, German actor (d. 1988)
- February 27
- Paul Ricœur, French philosopher (d. 2005)
- Kazimierz Sabbat, leader of Polish government-in-exile (d. 1989)
- Irwin Shaw, American writer (d. 1984)
March–April
[edit]



- March 2 – Godfried Bomans, Dutch writer (d. 1971)
- March 4 – John Garfield, American actor (d. 1952)
- March 13
- William J. Casey, American Central Intelligence Agency director (d. 1987)
- Sergey Mikhalkov, Russian writer, lyricist (d. 2009)
- March 15 – Rosita Contreras, Argentine actress (d. 1962)
- March 18
- René Clément, French film director (d. 1996)
- Reinhard Hardegen, German U-boat commander (d. 2018)
- Werner Mölders, German fighter pilot (d. 1941)
- March 19 – Smoky Dawson, Australian singer (d. 2008)
- March 26
- Paul Erdős, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1996)
- Jacqueline de Romilly, French philologist (d. 2010)
- March 29 – R. S. Thomas, Welsh poet (d. 2000)
- March 30
- Richard Helms, American Central Intelligence Agency director (d. 2002)
- Frankie Laine, American singer (d. 2007)
- Ċensu Tabone, Maltese politician (d. 2012)
- March 31 – Etta Baker, American musician (d. 2006)
- April 3 – Per Borten, Premier of Norway (d. 2005)
- April 4
- Frances Langford, American singer, actress (d. 2005)
- Muddy Waters, African-American musician (d. 1983)
- April 7 – Louise Currie, American actress (d. 2013)
- April 8
- Sourou-Migan Apithy, Beninese political figure, 2nd President of Dahomey (d. 1989)
- Carlton Skinner, Governor of Guam (d. 2004)
- April 9 – Aleksanteri Saarvala, Finnish artistic gymnast (d. 1989)
- April 10 – Stefan Heym, German writer (d. 2001)
- April 11 – Oleg Cassini, American fashion designer (d. 2006)
- April 11 – Winifred Drinkwater, Scottish aviator, first woman to hold a commercial pilot's license (d. 1996)
- April 14 – Jean Fournet, French conductor (d. 2008)
- April 16 – Les Tremayne, British-born American actor (d. 2003)
- April 18 – Jack Pope, American judge, attorney, and author (d. 2017)
- April 19
- Lloyd Cardwell, American football player and coach (d. 1997)
- Karl Rawer, German physicist (d. 2018)
- April 21 – Richard Beeching, chairman of British Rail (d. 1985)
- April 27 – Philip Hauge Abelson, American physicist, writer, and editor (d. 2004)
- April 29 – Eugene Vielle, British Royal Air Force officer (d. 2015)
May–June
[edit]



- May 1
- Roy Matsumoto, American army officer (d. 2014)
- Louis Nye, American comedian, actor (d. 2005)
- Walter Susskind, Czech conductor (d. 1980)
- May 4 – Hisaya Morishige, Japanese actor (d. 2009)
- May 5 – Fred J. Doocy, American politician, banker (d. 2017)
- May 6 – Stewart Granger, Anglo-American actor (d. 1993)
- May 8
- Bob Clampett, American director (Looney Tunes) (d. 1984)
- Saima Harmaja, Finnish poet (d. 1937)
- Sid James, South African-born British actor, comedian (d. 1976)
- Charles Scorsese, American actor, father of Martin Scorsese (d. 1993)
- May 11 – Robert Jungk, Austrian journalist (d. 1994)
- May 13 – William Tolbert, President of Liberia (d. 1980)
- May 16 – Woody Herman, American musician, band leader (d. 1987)
- May 19 – Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Indian politician, 6th President of India (d. 1996)
- May 20
- Teodoro Fernández, Peruvian soccer player (d. 1996)
- William Hewlett, American businessman (d. 2001)
- May 22 – Benedict Garmisa, American politician (d. 1985)
- May 24 – Haldor Topsøe, Danish engineer (d. 2013)
- May 26
- Peter Cushing, English actor (d. 1994)
- Pierre Daninos, French writer, humorist (d. 2005)
- Josef Manger, German weightlifter (d. 1991)
- May 29 – Jopie Roosenburg-Goudriaan, Dutch painter (d. 1996)[36]
- May 29 – Tony Zale, American boxer (d. 1997)
- May 31 – Peter Frankenfeld, German comedian, radio and television personality (d. 1979)
- June 2 – Elsie Tu, English-born Hong Kong social activist (d. 2015)
- June 3 – Yitzhak Berman, Israeli politician (d. 2013)
- June 10 – Benjamin Shapira, German-born Israeli biochemist, recipient of the Israel Prize (d. 1993)
- June 11
- Vince Lombardi, American football coach (d. 1970)
- Risë Stevens, American mezzo-soprano (d. 2013)
- June 13
- Ralph Edwards, American game show host (d. 2005)
- Yitzhak Pundak, Polish-born Israeli military officer, diplomat (d. 2017)
- Oswald Teichmüller, German mathematician (d. 1943)
- June 18
- Robert Mondavi, American winemaker (d. 2008)
- Sammy Cahn, American songwriter (d. 1993)
- Sylvia Field Porter, American economist, journalist (d. 1991)
- June 21
- Luis Taruc, Filipino political figure, insurgent (d. 2005)
- Madihe Pannaseeha Thero, Sri Lankan Buddhist monk (d. 2003)
- Kid Azteca, Mexican boxer (d. 2002)
- June 22 – Álvaro Alsogaray, Argentine politician and businessman (d. 2005)
- June 23
- Jacques Rabemananjara, Malagasy politician, playwright and poet (d. 2005)
- William P. Rogers, American diplomat (d. 2001)
- June 24 – Gustaaf Deloor, Belgian road racing cyclist (d. 2002)
- June 26
- Aimé Césaire, French Martinican poet, politician (d. 2008)
- Konrāds Kalējs, Latvian soldier (d. 2001)
- Anissa Rawda Najjar, Lebanese feminist, women's rights activist (d. 2016)
- Maurice Wilkes, British computer scientist (d. 2010)
- June 28
- Franz Antel, Austrian filmmaker (d. 2007)
- Maldwyn James, Welsh international rugby union player (d. 2003)
- June 30
- Henry Leask, British Army officer (d. 2004)
- Alfonso López Michelsen, 24th President of Colombia (d. 2007)
July
[edit]




- July 1
- Noel Miller, Australian cricketer (d. 2007)
- André Tollet, French upholsterer, trade unionist and communist (d. 2001)
- Mario Acerbi, Italian football player (d. 2010)
- Joana Raspall i Juanola, Spanish writer and librarian (d. 2013)
- Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam, Indian Army Chief (d. 2000)
- July 3 – Dorothy Kilgallen, American newspaper columnist (d. 1965)
- July 4 – Barbara Weeks, American actress (d. 2003)
- July 5 – Elwood Cooke, American tennis player (d. 2004)
- July 6 – Vance Trimble, American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author (d. 2021)
- July 7 – Pinetop Perkins, American blues musician (d. 2011)
- July 8 – Alejandra Soler, Spanish politician and schoolteacher (d. 2017)
- July 9
- Ted Grant, South African Trotskyist (d. 2006)
- William M. Zachacki, (d. 1969)
- July 10 – Joan Marsh, American actress (d. 2000)
- July 11 – Kofi Abrefa Busia, Ghanaian nationalist leader, 2nd Prime Minister of Ghana (d. 1978)
- July 12
- Sultan Hamid II (d. 1978)
- Rufus Rogers, New Zealand doctor, politician (d. 2009)
- Willis Lamb, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2008)[37]
- July 13 – Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, Danish shipping magnate (d. 2012)
- July 14
- Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States (d. 2006)
- René Llense, French football goalkeeper (d. 2014)
- July 15
- Hammond Innes, English author (d. 1998)
- Abraham Sutzkever, Yiddish language poet, memoirist (d. 2010)
- July 16
- Mirza Babayev, Azerbaijani movie actor, singer (d. 2003)
- Antoine Raab, German footballer (d. 2006)
- Carmen Acevedo Vega, Ecuadorian poet, writer, and journalist (d. 2006)
- July 18
- N. Krishnaswami Reddy, Indian lawyer (d. 2002)
- Du Runsheng, Chinese military officer, politician, and economist (d. 2015)
- Red Skelton, American comedian (d. 1997)
- July 19 – Manouchehr Sotodeh, Iranian geographer (d. 2016)
- July 20
- Irma Córdoba, Argentine actress (d. 2008)
- Guillermo Leaden, Argentine bishop (d. 2014)
- July 22
- Esteban Reyes, Mexican tennis player (d. 2014)
- Gorni Kramer, Italian bandleader, songwriter (d. 1995)
- Licia Albanese, Italian-born soprano (d. 2014)
- July 23
- Coral Browne, Australian actress (d. 1991)
- Michael Foot, British politician (d. 2010)
- July 26 – Kan Yuet-keung, Hong Kong banker, politician and lawyer (d. 2012)
- July 29 – Erich Priebke, German war criminal, leader of the 1944 Ardeatine massacre (d. 2013)
August
[edit]


- August 5 – Edilberto K. Tiempo, Filipino novelist and literary critic (d. 2013)
- August 9 – Tadeusz Kotz, Polish World War II fighter ace (d. 2008)
- August 10
- Noah Beery Jr., American actor (d. 1994)
- Wolfgang Paul, German physicist (d. 1993)[38]
- August 13
- Fred Davis, English snooker and billiards player (d. 1998)
- Makarios III, Archbishop and first President of Cyprus (d. 1977)[39]
- August 16 – Menachem Begin, Polish-born 6th Prime Minister of Israel, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1992)
- August 18 – Nils Löfgren, Swedish chemist (d. 1967)
- August 20 – Roger Wolcott Sperry, American neurobiologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1994)[40]
- August 22 – James W. Downing, American naval officer and author (d. 2018)
- August 26
- Mary Ann DeWeese, American sportswear designer (d. 1993)[41]
- Boris Pahor, Slovenian writer (d. 2022)
- August 27 – Nina Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, German wife of freedom fighter Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg (d. 2006)
- August 28
- Robertson Davies, Canadian novelist (d. 1995)
- Richard Tucker, American tenor (d. 1975)
- August 29 – Jan Ekier, Polish pianist, composer (d. 2014)
- August 30 – Richard Stone, British economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
- August 31
- Helen Levitt, American photographer (d. 2009)
- Bernard Lovell, British radio astronomer (d. 2012)
September–October
[edit]




- September 1 – Ludwig Merwart, Austrian painter, graphic artist (d. 1979)
- September 2
- Israel Gelfand, Russian mathematician (d. 2009)
- Bill Shankly, Scottish football manager (d. 1981)
- September 3 – Alan Ladd, American actor (d. 1964)
- September 4
- Stanford Moore, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1982)
- Kenzō Tange, Japanese architect (d. 2005)
- September 6 – Julie Gibson, American singer and actress (d. 2019)
- September 10 – Zephania Mothopeng, South African politician, activist (d. 1990)
- September 11 – Bear Bryant, American football coach (d. 1983)
- September 12
- Jesse Owens, African-American athlete (d. 1980)
- Eiji Toyoda, Japanese industrialist (d. 2013)
- September 13
- Trần Đại Nghĩa, North Vietnamese army general (d. 1997)
- Kai Setälä, Finnish physician and professor (d. 2005)[42]
- September 14
- Jacobo Árbenz, President of Guatemala (d. 1971)
- Annalisa Ericson, Swedish actress (d. 2011)
- September 15 – John N. Mitchell, United States Attorney General, convicted Watergate criminal (d. 1988)
- September 17
- Robert Lembke, German television presenter, game show host (d. 1989)
- Ata Kandó, Hungarian-born Dutch photographer (d. 2017)
- September 19 – Frances Farmer, American actress (d. 1970)
- September 22 – Lillian Chestney, American painter (d. 2000)
- September 23 – Carl-Henning Pedersen, Danish artist, member of the CoBrA movement (d. 2007)
- September 24
- Wilson Rawls, American author (d. 1984)
- Herb Jeffries, American actor, popular music and jazz singer (d. 2014)
- September 25
- Charles Helou, 9th President of Lebanon (d. 2001)
- Terence Patrick O'Sullivan, British civil engineer (d. 1970)
- September 27 – Alexandru Drăghici, Romanian communist activist and politician (d. 1993)
- September 28 – Warja Honegger-Lavater, Swiss artist, illustrator (d. 2007)
- September 29
- Trevor Howard, English actor (d. 1988)
- Stanley Kramer, American film producer, director, and writer (d. 2001)
- Silvio Piola, Italian footballer (d. 1996)
- September 30
- Bill Walsh, American movie producer, writer (d. 1975)
- Cecilia Caballero Blanco, First Lady of Colombia (d. 2019)
- October 2 – Roma Mitchell, Australian lawyer, Governor of South Australia (d. 2000)
- October 4 – Martial Célestin, 1st Prime Minister of Haiti (d. 2011)
- October 6 – Mario Dal Fabbro, Italian American sculptor, furniture designer, and author (d. 1990)
- October 10
- Alice Chetwynd Ley, British romance writer (d. 2004)
- Claude Simon, French writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2005)
- October 11 – Joe Simon, American comic book artist, writer (d. 2011)
- October 18 – Evelyn Venable, American actress (d. 1993)
- October 19 – Vinicius de Moraes, Brazilian poet, lyricist, and diplomat (d. 1980)
- October 20
- Barney Phillips, American actor (d. 1982)
- Cecilia Miranda de Carvalho, Brazilian singer (d. 2011)
- October 22
- Boots Mallory, American actress, dancer, and model (d. 1958)
- Robert Capa, Hungarian-born American photojournalist (d. 1954)
- Tamara Desni, German-born British actress (d. 2008)
- Hans-Peter Tschudi, 2-time President of Switzerland (d. 2002)
- October 24
- Ron Barassi Sr., Australian rules footballer (d. 1941)
- Tito Gobbi, Italian operatic baritone (d. 1984)
- October 27
- Joe Medicine Crow, American tribal historian and anthropologist (d. 2016)
- Otto Wichterle, Czech inventor of the modern contact lens (d. 1998)
- October 28 – Don Lusk, American animator (d. 2018)
November
[edit]


- November 2 – Burt Lancaster, American actor (d. 1994)
- November 3
- Marika Rökk, Egyptian-born Austrian singer, dancer and actress (d. 2004)
- Antony Mitradas, Indian film director (d. 2017)
- November 5 – Vivien Leigh, British actress (d. 1967)
- November 6 – Cho Ki-chon, North Korean poet (d. 1951)[43]
- November 7
- Albert Camus, French writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1960)
- Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook, Canadian sculptor (d. 2009)
- Tahira Tahirova, Azerbaijani politician (d. 1991)
- November 8 – Max Desfor, American photographer (d. 2018)
- November 10
- Álvaro Cunhal, Portuguese politician (d. 2005)
- Sun Yun-suan, Chinese engineer, politician (d. 2006)
- November 11 – Rosemary Inyama, Nigerian Igbo educator, politician, businesswoman and community developer[44] (d. unknown);
- November 13 – Lon Nol, 2-Time Prime Minister of Cambodia (d. 1985)
- November 15 – Arthur Haulot, Belgian journalist (d. 2005)
- November 16 – Ellen Albertini Dow, American actress (d. 2015)
- November 18 – Endre Rozsda, Hungarian-French painter (d. 1999)
- November 21 – Boulting brothers, English filmmakers (d. 1985, 2001)
- November 22
- Charles Berlitz, American author (d. 2003)
- Benjamin Britten, English composer (d. 1976)
- Gardnar Mulloy, American tennis player and coach (d. 2016)[45]
- Cecilia Muñoz-Palma, first female Philippine Supreme Court Justice (d. 2006)
- Jacqueline Vaudecrane, French figure skater (d. 2018)
- November 24 – Carlos Bulosan, Filipino-American novelist and poet (d. 1956)
- November 25 – Lewis Thomas, American physician, essayist (d. 1993)
December
[edit]


- December 1 – Mary Martin, American actress (d. 1990)
- December 6
- Nikolai Amosov, Ukrainian heart surgeon, inventor, best-selling author, and exercise enthusiast (d. 2002)
- Eleanor Holm, American swimmer (d. 2004)
- December 9 – Cynthia Chalk, American photographer (d. 2018)
- December 10 – Morton Gould, American composer (d. 1996)[46]
- December 11 – Jean Marais, French actor (d. 1998)
- December 13 – Susanne Suba, Hungarian-born watercolorist and illustrator, active in the United States (d. 2012)[47]
- December 16 – George Ignatieff, Canadian diplomat, recipient of the 1984 Pearson Medal of Peace (d. 1989)
- December 18
- Lynn Bari, American actress (d. 1989)
- Alfred Bester, American author (d. 1987)
- Willy Brandt, Chancellor of Germany, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1992)[48]
- December 21 – Arnold Friberg, American artist (d. 2010)[49]
- December 23 – Frank Pierpoint Appleby, Canadian politician (d. 2015)
- December 25
- Tony Martin, American singer and actor (d. 2012)
- Henri Nannen, German journalist, mass media owner (d. 1996)
- December 26 – Frank Swift, English footballer (d. 1958)
- December 28 – Lou Jacobi, Canadian-American actor (d. 2009)
- December 29 – Pierre Werner, Prime Minister of Luxembourg (d. 2002)
- December 30 – Elyne Mitchell, Australian author (d. 2002)
Date unknown
[edit]- Halil-Salim Jabara, Israeli Arab politician (d. 1999)
- Bahjat Talhouni, 4-time Prime Minister of Jordan (d. 1994)
Deaths
[edit]January
[edit]- January 2
- Hermann Kinkelin, Swiss mathematician and politician (b. 1832)
- Léon Teisserenc de Bort, French meteorologist (b. 1855)
- January 3 – Jeff Davis, American politician, 20th Governor of Arkansas (b. 1862)
- January 4 – Alfred von Schlieffen, German field marshal (b. 1833)
- January 6 – Gyula Juhász, Hungarian sculptor (b. 1876)
- January 8 – Xavier Mertz, Swiss explorer, mountaineer and skier (b. 1882)
- January 16
- Tom Dolan, American baseball pitcher (b. 1855)
- Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, American aeronaut, scientist and inventor (b. 1832)
- January 18 – George Alexander Gibson, Scottish physician (b. 1854)
- January 20
- José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican political printmaker and engraver (b. 1852)
- Karl Wittgenstein, Austrian steel tycoon (b. 1847)
- January 21 – Aluísio Azevedo, Brazilian novelist (b. 1857)
- January 27 – Archduke Rainer Ferdinand of Austria (b. 1832)
- January 28
- Julius Heinrich Franz, German astronomer (b. 1847)
- Segismundo Moret, Spanish politician and writer, 3-time Prime Minister of Spain (b. 1833)
February
[edit]
- February 2 – Gustaf de Laval, Swedish engineer and inventor (b. 1845)
- February 5
- Johan Ehrnrooth, 5th Prime Minister of Bulgaria (b. 1833)
- Lio Gangeri, Italian sculptor (b. 1845)
- February 8 – Morten Eskesen, Danish author (b. 1826)
- February 9 – Manuel Enrique Araujo, 23rd President of El Salvador (b. 1865)
- February 15 – Florence Barker, American actress (b. 1891)
- February 17 – Edward Stanley Gibbons, English philatelist, founder of Stanley Gibbons Ltd (b. 1840)
- February 20 – Robert von Lieben, Austrian physicist (b. 1878)[50]
- February 22
- Ferdinand de Saussure, Swiss linguist and semiotician (b. 1857)
- Empress Dowager Longyu, Chinese empress (b. 1868)
- Francisco I. Madero, 33rd President of Mexico (b. 1873)[6]
- February 23 – Dénes Andrássy, Hungarian nobleman (b. 1835)
- February 26 – Felix Draeseke, German composer (b. 1835)
- February 28 – George Finnegan, American Olympic boxer (b. 1881)
March
[edit]


- March 7 – E. Pauline Johnson, Canadian writer (b. 1861)
- March 10 – Harriet Tubman, American abolitionist, humanitarian and spy (b. c. 1822)
- March 11 – John Shaw Billings, American military, medical leader (b. 1838)
- March 12 – Francisco Pereira Passos, Brazilian engineer politician, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro (b. 1836)
- March 13 – Felix Hidalgo, Filipino artist (b. 1855)
- March 14 – Auguste Desgodins, French missionary (b. 1826)
- March 17 – Soledad Acosta, Colombian journalist and writer (b. 1833)
- March 18 – King George I of Greece (b. 1845)
- March 19 – Géza Allaga, Hungarian composer (b. 1841)
- March 21 – Manuel Bonilla, 2-time President of Honduras (b. 1849)
- March 22
- Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, Romanian lawyer and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1833)
- Sung Chiao-jen, Chinese revolutionary (b. 1882)
- March 25 – Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley, British field marshal (b. 1833)
- March 31 – J. P. Morgan, American financier (b. 1837)
April
[edit]- April 7 – Carl von Lemcke, German mathematician (b. 1867)
- April 8 – Gyula Kőnig, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1849)
- April 15 – Kareemullah Shah, Indian Sufi scholar and saint
- April 18 – Lester Frank Ward, American botanist, paleontologist and sociologist (b. 1841)
- April 19
- Paul Janson, Belgian politician (b. 1840)
- Hugo Winckler, German archaeologist and historian who uncovered the capital of the Hittite Empire (Hattusa) (b. 1863)
- April 20 – Vilhelm Bissen, Danish sculptor (b. 1836)
- April 24 – Vsevolod Abramovich, Russian aviator (b. 1890)
- April 25
- Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky, Ukrainian author (b. 1864)
- Stjepan Kovačević, Croatian politician (b. 1841)
- April 27 – Gabriel von Seidl, German architect (b. 1848)
- April 28 – Andreas Flocken, German entrepreneur and inventor (b. 1845)
- April 29 – Václav Hladík, Austro-Hungarian novelist (b. 1868)
May
[edit]

- May 1 – John Barclay Armstrong, Texas Ranger, U.S. Marshal (b. 1850)
- May 2
- Tancrède Auguste, Haitian general, 20th President of Haiti (b. 1856)
- Metropolitan Baselios Paulose I, Indian bishop (b. 1836)
- May 6 – Elena Guro, Russian painter and writer (b. 1877)
- May 8 – Louis Adolphus Duhring, American physician (b. 1845)
- May 16 – Louis Perrier, member of the Swiss Federal Council (b. 1849)
- May 19 – Gabriel Loppé, French painter and photographer (b. 1825)
- May 25 – Alfred Redl, Austrian military intelligence officer, double agent (honorable suicide) (b. 1864)
June
[edit]

- June 2 – Alfred Austin, English Poet Laureate (b. 1835)
- June 5 – Chris von der Ahe, German-born American brewer, baseball owner (b. 1851)
- June 8 – Emily Davison, English suffragette (b. 1872)
- June 20 – Sydenham E. Ancona, American educator, politician and member of the United States House of Representatives from 1861 to 1867 (b. 1824)
- June 22
- Ștefan Octavian Iosif, Romanian poet (b. 1875)
- Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset, French pioneer (b. 1862)
- June 23
- Nicolás de Piérola, Peruvian politician, 2-time President of Peru (b. 1839)
- Sir Jonathan Hutchinson, English surgeon (b. 1828)
- June 28 – Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales, Brazilian lawyer, politician and 4th President of Brazil (b. 1841)
July
[edit]

- July 1 – Emanuel M. Abrahams, American politician (b. 1866)
- July 3 – Horatio Nelson Young, American Civil War naval hero (b. 1845)
- July 5 – Prince Arisugawa Takehito (b. 1862)
- July 7 – Edward Burd Grubb Jr., American Union Army officer, diplomat and politician (b. 1841)
- July 10
- Mikoláš Aleš, Austro-Hungarian painter (b. 1835)
- John Valentine Ellis, Canadian journalist (b. 1835)
- July 11 – Charles Lavigne, Ceylonese Roman Catholic and Syro-Malabar Catholic bishop and Servant of God (b. 1840)
- July 13 – Edward Burd Grubb Jr., American Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General (b. 1841)
- July 16 – Sigismund Bachrich, Hungarian composer (b. 1841)
- July 17 – Esther Saville Allen, American author (b. 1837)
- July 19 – Clímaco Calderón, Colombian lawyer, politician and 15th President of Colombia (b. 1852)
- July 20 – Vsevolod Rudnev, Russian admiral (b. 1855)
- July 22
- Adhémar Esmein, French jurist (b. 1848)
- Eduardo López Rivas, Venezuelan editor and journalist (b. 1850)
- July 29 – Tobias Asser, Dutch jurist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1838)
- July 30
- Lady Alicia Blackwood, English painter (b. 1818)
- Warren F. Daniell, American politician, U.S. Representative from New Hampshire (b. 1826)
- Itō Sachio, Japanese poet and novelist (b. 1864)
August
[edit]
- August 3
- Josephine Cochrane, American inventor of the first commercially successful dishwasher (b. 1839)
- Joseph Graybill, American actress (b. 1887)
- August 4 – Étienne Laspeyres, German economist (b. 1834)
- August 7 – Samuel Franklin Cody, American-born British aviation pioneer (b. 1867)
- August 9 – Wilhelm Albermann, German sculptor (b. 1835)
- August 10 – Jules Desbrochers des Loges, French entomologist (b. 1836)
- August 11 – Vasily Avseenko, Russian journalist and writer (b. 1842)
- August 13 – August Bebel, German Social Democratic politician (b. 1840)
- August 20 – Émile Ollivier, 24th Prime Minister of France (b. 1825)
- August 22 – Oscar de Négrier, French general (b. 1839)
- August 28 – Fyodor Kamensky, Russian sculptor (b. 1836)
- August 29 – Lars Havstad, Norwegian activist (b. 1851)
September
[edit]
- September 1 – Patriarch and Metropolitan Lukijan Bogdanović (b. 1867)
- September 9 – Paul de Smet de Naeyer, 16th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1843)
- September 13 – Arandzar, Armenian poet and writer (b. 1877)
- September 16 – Julius Lewkowitsch, German engineer (b. 1857)
- September 18 – Prince George Alexandrovich Yuryevsky (b. 1872)
- September 20 – Ferdinand Blumentritt, Filipino author (b. 1853)
- September 29 – Rudolf Diesel, German engine inventor (b. 1858)
- September 30
- Beatrice Bhadrayuvadi, Siamese princess (b. 1876)
- Antoni Klawiter, Polish Roman Catholic priest and venerable (b. 1836)
October
[edit]


- October 4
- Josep Tapiró Baró, Spanish painter (b. 1836)
- Faisal bin Turki, Sultan of Oman (b. 1864)
- Eleanor Cripps Kennedy, Canadian businessman (b. 1825)
- October 5 – Hans von Bartels, German painter (b. 1856)
- October 7 – Ivan Banjavčić, Croatian politician and philanthropist (b. 1843)
- October 10
- Adolphus Busch, German-American brewer, co-founder of Anheuser-Busch (b. 1839)[51]
- Gregorio Maria Aguirre y Garcia, Spanish Roman Catholic cardinal (b. 1835)
- Katsura Tarō, 6th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1848)
- October 12 – Elisabeth Leisinger, German soprano (b 1864)
- October 13 – Leonid Sobolev, 6th Prime Minister of Bulgaria (b. 1844)
- October 16 – Ralph Rose, American Olympic athlete (b. 1885)
- October 19 – Charles Tellier, French engineer, inventor of the chemical refrigerator (b. 1828)
- October 20 – Viktor Kirpichov, Russian engineer and physicist (b. 1845)
- October 21 – Theodor Kolde, German Protestant theologian (b. 1850)
- October 29 – Darío de Regoyos, Spanish painter (b. 1857)
November
[edit]
- November 3 – Sava Grujić, Serbian diplomat, general and politician, 5-time Prime Minister of Serbia (b. 1840)
- November 4 – Fredericus Anna Jentink, Dutch zoologist (b. 1844)
- November 7 – Alfred Russel Wallace, Welsh biologist (b. 1823)
- November 8 – Ferdinand Abell, American businessman (b. 1835)
- November 21 – Francesco Acri, Italian philosopher (b. 1834)
- November 25 – Haviland Le Mesurier, Australian soldier (b. 1856)
December
[edit]

- December 1
- Juho Lallukka, Finnish businessman (b. 1852)
- Juhan Liiv, Estonian poet and short story writer (b. 1864)
- December 5 – Ferdinand Dugué, French playwright (b. 1816)
- December 7
- Luigi Oreglia di Santo Stefano, Italian Catholic churchman, last surviving cardinal of Pius IX (b. 1828)
- Aaron Montgomery Ward, American businessman, inventor of mail order (b. 1844)
- December 8 – František Koláček, Austro-Hungarian physicist (b. 1851)
- December 10 – Léon Letort, French aviator (b. 1889)
- December 11
- Abraham Hirsch, French architect (b. 1828)
- Carl von In der Maur, Governor of Liechtenstein (b. 1852)
- Ioan Kalinderu, Romanian jurist (b. 1840)
- December 12 – Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia (b. 1844)
- December 13 – Birger Kildal, Norwegian businessman (b. 1849)
- December 15 – Miguel Lebrija, Mexican aviator (b. 1887)
- December 19 – Patriarch Anthimus VII of Constantinople (b. 1827)
- December 25 – Alberto Aguilera, Spanish politician (b. 1842)
- December 26 – Ambrose Bierce, American writer, journalist (disappeared on this date) (b. 1842)
- December 27 – Infanta Antónia of Portugal (b. 1845)
- December 30 – Giovanni Maria Boccardo, Italian Roman Catholic priest and saint (b. 1848)
Nobel Prizes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Published as by K. Stalin in Prosveshcheniye, March–May.
- ^ Επίτομη Ιστορία των Βαλκανικών Πολέμων 1912-1913 [Concise History of the Balkan Wars 1912–1913]. Athens: Hellenic Army General Staff, Army History Directorate. 1987. pp. 125–130.
- ^ Erickson, Edward J. (2003). Defeat in Detail: The Ottoman Army in the Balkans, 1912–1913. Westport, CT: Greenwood. pp. 157–158. ISBN 0-275-97888-5.
- ^ a b Cottrell, Peter (2009). The War for Ireland, 1913-1923. Oxford: Osprey. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-84603-9966.
- ^ Fotakis, Zisis (2005). Greek Naval Strategy and Policy, 1910–1919. London: Routledge. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-415-35014-3.
- ^ a b c d Cisneros, Stefany (November 11, 2018). "Francisco I. Madero, ¿quién fue y cuál es su biografía?" [Francisco I. Madero, Who was he, and what is his biography?] (in Spanish). Mexico Desconocido. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ Service, Robert (2005). Stalin: A Biography. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. pp. 90–91.
- ^ "Over 200 Lost in Storm". The New York Times. March 8, 1913.
- ^ "British Steamer Lost". The Sydney Morning Herald. March 10, 1913. p. 9. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
- ^ "Ship Blows Up" (PDF). The New York Times. March 8, 1913. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
- ^ "Study for Woolworth Building, New York". World Digital Library. December 10, 1910. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
- ^ Kershaw, Ian (2010). Hitler: A Biography. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 45.
- ^ "Radio Lab, Show 202: "Musical Language"". New York: WNYC. April 21, 2006. Archived from the original on September 1, 2010. Host/Producer: Jad Abumrad, Co-Host: Robert Krulwich, Producer: Ellen Horne, Production Executives: Dean Capello and Mikel Ellcessor.
- ^ Illies, Florian (2013). 1913: The Year Before the Storm. Melville House. ISBN 978-1-61219-352-6.
- ^ "History of Hellenic-Serbian (Yugoslav) Alliances from Karageorge to the Balkan Pact 1817–1954" (PDF).
- ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour - Women's History Timeline: 1910 - 1919". Archived from the original on January 6, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
- ^ corporateName=National Museum of Australia; address=Lawson Crescent, Acton Peninsula. "National Museum of Australia - Joseph Cook". www.nma.gov.au. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Readfearn, Graham (August 17, 2020). "Death Valley temperature rises to 54.4C – possibly the hottest ever reliably recorded". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ Leașu, Florin; Nemeț, Codruța; Borzan, Cristina; Rogozea, Liliana (2015). "A novel method to combat the cholera epidemic among the Romanian Army during the Balkan War - 1913". Acta medico-historica Adriatica. 13 (1): 159–170. PMID 26203545.
- ^ "Statistics of urban localities (1908–2004)". INE. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 23, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
- ^ a b Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006. p. 94. ISBN 0-14-102715-0.
- ^ "Airman Uses Parachute". New York Times. August 20, 1913.
- ^ a b Yeates, Padraig (2009). "The Dublin 1913 Lockout". History Ireland. 9 (2). Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
- ^ Swan, Tony (April 2013). "Ford's Assembly Line Turns 100: How It Really Put the World on Wheels". Car and Driver. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
- ^ "October 7 1913: Moving assembly line debuts at Ford factory". This Day in History. The History Channel. March 4, 2010. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
- ^ "December 1 1913: Ford's assembly line starts rolling". This Day in History. The History Channel. November 13, 2009. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
- ^ Hill, Joshua. “Warlord Democracy: Coercion and Coordination, 1913–1921.” Voting As a Rite, 1st ed., vol. 417, Harvard University Asia Center, 2019, pp. 137-, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvrs90d2.10.
- ^ Crowhurst, Richard (2005). "A History of Firsts: Portsmouth Historic Dockyard". TimeTravel-Britain.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
- ^ Shklifov, Blagoy (2011). На кол вода пиехме. Записки за Христовите мъки на българите в Егейска Македония през ХХ век [At stake drinking water, Notes on Christ's passion of Bulgarians in Aegean Macedonia during the twentieth century] (in Bulgarian). Sofia. pp. 51–53.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Centro Cultural América, City of Salta. Art Destination Argentina". universes.art. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
- ^ Zirulia, Giuliano (2015). L'industria delle Medicine (in Italian). Edra Masson. ISBN 9788821439049.
- ^ "Edward Gierek". The Independent. April 11, 2014. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ "Rosa Parks | Biography & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ Duncan Petrie, "Slocombe, (Ralph) Douglas Vladimir (1913–2016)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Jan 2020 available online Archived April 20, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ Joachimsthaler, Anton (1999) [1995]. The Last Days of Hitler: The Legends, The Evidence, The Truth. Brockhampton Press. p. 283. ISBN 1-86019-902-X.
- ^ "Jopie Roosenburg-Goudriaan" (in Dutch). Netherlands Institute for Art History. Archived from the original on June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ Gribbin, John (2000). Q is for quantum : an encyclopedia of particle physics. New York: Touchstone. p. 203. ISBN 9780684863153.
- ^ Bernard S. Schlessinger; June H. Schlessinger (1996). The Who's who of Nobel Prize Winners, 1901-1995. Oryx Press. p. 223. ISBN 978-0-89774-899-5. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ John E. Jessup (1998). An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Conflict and Conflict Resolution, 1945-1996. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 446. ISBN 978-0-313-28112-9. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ Roger Sperry; Colwyn B. Trevarthern (January 26, 1990). Brain Circuits and Functions of the Mind: Essays in Honor of Roger Wolcott Sperry, Author. Cambridge University Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-521-37874-1. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ "Obituaries: Mary Ann DeWeese". The Manhattan Mercury. July 15, 1993. p. 2. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ^ "Kai Setälä - Muistot". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). May 18, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ Gabroussenko, Tatiana (2010). Soldiers on the Cultural Front: Developments in the Early History of North Korean Literature and Literary Policy. University of Hawai'i Press. pp. 56, 58, 85. ISBN 978-0-8248-3396-1.
- ^ Chuku, Gloria (2005). Igbo Women and Economic Transformation in Southeastern Nigeria, 1900-1960. New York; London: Routledge. p. 195. ISBN 0-415-97210-8. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2021 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Ex-champ Gardnar Mulloy becomes first Hall of Famer to turn 100". Fox Sports. November 22, 2013. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 175/6. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
- ^ "Suba Zsuzsa". PLM Namespace. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
- ^ Jessup, John E. (1998). An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Conflict and Conflict Resolution, 1945–1996. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 89. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ Schwarz, Ted (1985). Arnold Friberg : the passion of a modern master. Flagstaff, Ariz: Northland Press. p. 1911. ISBN 9780873583466.
- ^ "Lieben, Robert von". www.aeiou.at. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ^ Adolphus Busch dies in Prussia Archived January 21, 2022, at the Wayback Machine The New York Times. October 11, 1913
Further reading
[edit]- Charles Emmerson. 1913: In Search of the World Before the Great War (2013) excerpt and text search; covers 20 major world cities
- Gilbert, Martin. A History of the Twentieth Century: Volume 1 1900-1933 (1997); global coverage of politics, diplomacy and warfare; pp 269–96.
- Florian Illies [in French] (2013). 1913: The Year Before the Storm. Melville House. ISBN 978-1-61219-352-6.
from Grokipedia
1913 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, distinguished by transformative domestic reforms in the United States, industrial breakthroughs, and geopolitical realignments in Europe that presaged the First World War. The ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on February 3 authorized a federal income tax without apportionment among the states,[1] while the Seventeenth Amendment, ratified on April 8, mandated the direct election of senators by popular vote rather than by state legislatures.[2] On December 23, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act, establishing a central banking system to provide monetary stability and liquidity.[3] In manufacturing, Henry Ford implemented the first moving assembly line for automobiles on December 1 at his Highland Park plant, slashing production time for the Model T from over 12 hours to about 90 minutes and enabling affordable mass production.[4] Across the Atlantic, the Second Balkan War ended on August 10 with the Treaty of Bucharest, in which Bulgaria ceded substantial territories to Serbia, Greece, Romania, and the Ottoman Empire, intensifying ethnic tensions and great-power rivalries in the region.[5] The year also witnessed cultural provocations, such as the May 29 premiere of Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring in Paris, whose dissonant score and primal choreography incited audience uproar, heralding avant-garde modernism.[6]
Events
January
On January 1, the United States Post Office Department initiated parcel post service, enabling the mailing of packages weighing up to 11 pounds (5 kg) nationwide, which revolutionized rural delivery and boosted mail-order businesses. This system addressed longstanding demands for efficient small-package transport, previously limited by private express companies. On January 16, the British House of Commons passed the third reading of the Government of Ireland Act 1914 (commonly known as the Home Rule Bill) by a margin of 10 votes (333–301), granting limited self-government to Ireland while maintaining imperial ties; however, its implementation was suspended indefinitely due to the outbreak of World War I in 1914. The vote reflected ongoing tensions over Irish autonomy, with Unionists in Ulster opposing partition exemptions, foreshadowing civil strife. The 1913 Ottoman coup d'état occurred on January 23, when members of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), including Enver Pasha and Talat Pasha, assassinated Navy Minister Nazım Pasha during a cabinet meeting at the Sublime Porte and seized control of the government, ousting the Grand Vizier Kâmil Pasha. Mahmud Şevket Pasha was subsequently appointed Grand Vizier but was assassinated on June 11 in Constantinople, prompting executions of opposition figures. This violent power grab consolidated CUP dominance, sidelined liberal factions, and intensified Ottoman preparations for conflict amid the ongoing First Balkan War losses, contributing to the empire's rigid wartime stance. Raymond Poincaré was elected President of France on January 17, defeating Jules Pams with 54.3% of the vote in the National Assembly; he assumed office on February 18, advocating republican consolidation and firm diplomacy toward Germany. His presidency emphasized national defense and colonial interests, shaping France's pre-war posture. Richard Milhous Nixon, future 37th President of the United States, was born on January 9 in Yorba Linda, California, to Quaker parents; his early life in modest circumstances influenced his later political resilience and anti-communist stance.February
On February 1, Olympic gold medalist Jim Thorpe, who had won the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Games, signed a three-year professional baseball contract with the New York Giants for $25,000, effectively ending his amateur athletic status and later contributing to the revocation of his Olympic medals.[7] New York City's Grand Central Terminal opened on February 2 as the world's largest rail station at the time, accommodating 100 million passengers annually with its innovative design, including a multi-level underground train yard and Beaux-Arts architecture that displaced the original station destroyed by fire in 1910.[8] The Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, empowering Congress to levy income taxes without apportionment among the states or regard to census-based population distribution, achieved ratification on February 3 when Delaware, Wyoming, and New Mexico became the 36th, 37th, and 38th states to approve it, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court's 1895 Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. decision that had invalidated a prior federal income tax.[1][9] In Mexico, the coup d'état known as the Ten Tragic Days unfolded from February 9 to 19 amid the Mexican Revolution, as military rebels under General Victoriano Huerta and Félix Díaz, supported by Catholic clergy and conservative elites opposed to President Francisco I. Madero's reforms, seized key positions in Mexico City through intense urban combat that killed over 1,000 civilians and soldiers; Madero resigned on February 19 under duress via the U.S.-brokered Pact of the Embassy, paving the way for Huerta's dictatorship, with Madero and Vice President José María Pino Suárez murdered on February 22 while in custody.[10][11] U.S. Secretary of State Philander Knox formally certified the Sixteenth Amendment's ratification on February 25, enabling the Revenue Act of 1913 to impose a 1% tax on incomes above $3,000 (with surtaxes up to 6% on higher brackets), generating initial federal revenue of about $28 million annually.[1]March
On March 3, approximately 5,000 suffragists marched along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., in the first major national procession demanding women's voting rights, organized by Alice Paul of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.[12] The event, timed the day before President Woodrow Wilson's inauguration to maximize visibility, featured participants in white dresses symbolizing purity, alongside floats, bands, and equestrian units, but encountered hostility from crowds who jeered, threw objects, and physically assaulted marchers, with police providing minimal intervention despite requests for protection. The violence led to over 100 injuries and prompted a congressional investigation, highlighting tensions over women's political participation and exposing deficiencies in public order maintenance.[13] March 4 marked the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson as the 28th President of the United States, with the ceremony proceeding under clear skies before a crowd of about 1 million spectators on the Capitol steps.[14] Wilson's address emphasized progressive reforms, including tariff reduction and banking regulation, setting the tone for his administration's New Freedom agenda amid economic anxieties following the Panic of 1907.[14] ![Naming of city of canberra capital hill 1913.jpg][center] On March 12, Lady Denman, wife of Governor-General Lord Denman, formally named Australia's federal capital "Canberra" during a ceremony on Capital Hill, attended by over 3,000 people including dignitaries, troops, and locals, fulfilling provisions of the 1901 Constitution for a neutral inland site.[15] The event, filmed as one of Australia's earliest motion pictures, symbolized national unification post-federation, though the city remained largely undeveloped bushland with temporary structures.[16] The Great Flood of 1913, triggered by 6-11 inches of rain over three days from March 23-25, which struck during Easter week, across the Ohio Valley and Midwest, devastated multiple states including Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, submerging cities like Dayton under up to 20 feet of water and causing at least 467 deaths with property damage exceeding $100 million (equivalent to billions today).[17] In Dayton, floodwaters rose rapidly due to saturated soils and overflowing levees, stranding 250,000 residents and prompting ad-hoc rescues by citizens using boats and improvised barriers, while the lack of upstream reservoirs amplified the catastrophe's scale.[18] The disaster spurred engineering reforms, including the formation of the Miami Conservancy District in 1914 with five dams to mitigate future risks, marking a pivotal advancement in U.S. flood control infrastructure.[17] ![Ludlow_Street_-North-Dayton_Ohio_great_flood_of_1913(cropped)][float-right] Other notable occurrences included the assassination of Chinese Nationalist leader Song Jiaoren on March 20 in Shanghai by gunshot, attributed to agents of President Yuan Shikai, which undermined the fragile parliamentary system established after the 1911 Revolution and accelerated Yuan's authoritarian consolidation.[14] On March 21, the Rockefeller Foundation was chartered in New York as a philanthropic organization focused on public health and medical research, endowed with $100 million by John D. Rockefeller to address global issues like hookworm and yellow fever.[14]April
On April 3, British suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst was convicted in London's Old Bailey for inciting unknown persons to commit arson against the home of Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George and sentenced to three years' penal servitude.[19] The charge stemmed from her advocacy for militant tactics in the women's suffrage campaign, including property damage to pressure the government for voting rights.[20] The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified on April 8, establishing the direct election of U.S. senators by popular vote rather than selection by state legislatures.[2] Passed by Congress in May 1912, the amendment addressed longstanding concerns over corruption and deadlocks in legislative appointments, with Connecticut becoming the 36th state required for ratification.[21] An explosion at the Cincinnati Mine operated by the Pittsburgh Coal Company in Courtney, Pennsylvania, killed 96 miners on April 23.[22] The blast, occurring around noon during a shift of approximately 200 workers, trapped victims underground; rescue efforts recovered bodies over subsequent days, highlighting persistent safety issues in coal mining despite prior regulations.[23] The Woolworth Building in Lower Manhattan, New York City, officially opened on April 24 as the world's tallest structure at 792 feet, surpassing the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower.[24] Financed entirely in cash by F.W. Woolworth for $13.5 million, the Gothic Revival skyscraper, designed by Cass Gilbert, symbolized commercial ambition and featured innovative terra-cotta cladding and self-supporting steel framing.[25] Thirteen-year-old Mary Phagan, an employee at the National Pencil Company in Atlanta, Georgia, was murdered on April 26, with her body discovered the following morning in the factory basement.[26] Phagan had visited the facility to collect her paycheck when she was strangled and possibly sexually assaulted; the case drew national attention, leading to the arrest and eventual conviction of factory superintendent Leo Frank, though subsequent investigations and posthumous pardon efforts have raised doubts about his guilt.[27]May
On May 13, Igor Sikorsky piloted the first successful flight of a four-engine aircraft, the Russky Vityaz (Russian Knight), from the Russky Baltiysky Wagonny Zavod airfield near Saint Petersburg, Russia; the biplane, constructed with four 80-horsepower Argus engines, covered approximately 2 kilometers at an altitude of 1,200 meters, marking a milestone in multi-engine aviation design.[28] On May 7, the British House of Commons voted down the Conciliation Bill (formally the Representation of the People (Women) Bill), which sought to enfranchise approximately 2 million property-owning women over age 30, by a margin of 266 to 264; the defeat, amid ongoing militant suffragette actions including threats to damage landmarks like St. Paul's Cathedral, reflected entrenched parliamentary opposition led by Prime Minister H. H. Asquith.[29][30] The Rockefeller Foundation received its charter from the New York State Legislature on May 14, establishing it as a philanthropic organization focused on public health, medical research, and education; founded by John D. Rockefeller Sr. with an initial endowment pledge exceeding $100 million, it represented one of the largest single acts of philanthropy up to that time, aimed at addressing root causes of disease and poverty through scientific application.[31] On May 29, Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du printemps), choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, premiered at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris under conductor Pierre Monteux; the score's dissonant rhythms and primal pagan themes, depicting a sacrificial rite in ancient Russia, sparked immediate audience uproar, with shouting, fistfights, and police intervention dividing attendees between supporters and detractors of its radical modernism.[32] The Treaty of London, signed on May 30 by representatives of the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan League (Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and Montenegro), concluded the First Balkan War after eight months of conflict; under its terms, the Ottomans ceded all European territories west of a line from Enos on the Aegean to Midia on the Black Sea, recognized Albanian independence, and withdrew from regions including Macedonia, Kosovo, and Thrace, with final borders to be arbitrated by the Great Powers—provisions that sowed seeds for the subsequent Second Balkan War by leaving territorial gains ambiguous among the victors.[33][34]June
On June 4, suffragette Emily Wilding Davison positioned herself on the track during the Epsom Derby race and was struck by Anmer, the horse ridden by King George V's jockey, Herbert Jones; she sustained severe head injuries and died four days later on June 8 without regaining consciousness.[35][36] Davison, a member of the Women's Social and Political Union, had previously been imprisoned multiple times for militant activism, including hunger strikes; her action at the Derby, captured in newsreel footage showing her clutching a suffragette flag, became a symbol of the movement's radical tactics, though debates persist over whether she intended suicide or a non-fatal protest to draw attention to women's suffrage demands.[35] On June 7, Episcopal Archdeacon Hudson Stuck, along with Harry Karstens, Walter Harper, and Robert Tatum, achieved the first verified ascent of Denali (then known as Mount McKinley), North America's highest peak at 20,310 feet; Harper, an Alaska Native of Athabascan descent, reached the summit first at approximately 1:30 p.m. after navigating severe weather and crevasses via the mountain's south face.[37][38] The expedition, launched from Nenana in April, involved dog sleds for supply transport and marked a milestone in Alaskan exploration, with Stuck documenting the climb in his 1914 book The Ascent of Denali.[38] The assassination of Ottoman Grand Vizier Mahmud Shevket Pasha occurred on June 11 in Istanbul's Beyazit district, where he was shot in his automobile by Atıf Bey and Ömer Naci Bey, relatives of the slain Nazım Pasha, in retaliation for the latter's death during the First Balkan War; Shevket Pasha, who had suppressed the 1912-1913 opposition uprising as CUP leader, died shortly after from wounds to his abdomen and chest.[39][40] The killing prompted the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) to stage a coup d'état days later, dissolving parliament, arresting rivals, and consolidating power under Enver Pasha, Talat Pasha, and Cemal Pasha, which stabilized the government amid ongoing Balkan defeats but deepened authoritarian control.[39] On June 19, the Union of South Africa's Natives Land Act (No. 27 of 1913) took effect, prohibiting Africans from purchasing or leasing land outside designated reserves comprising about 7-8% of the country's territory, while barring whites from acquiring land in those reserves; the legislation, driven by white farmers' concerns over black sharecropping and labor mobility post-Union formation, entrenched racial segregation in property rights and facilitated the eviction of thousands of black tenant farmers.[41][42] This act laid foundational mechanisms for later apartheid policies by codifying economic dispossession, though it exempted existing labor tenancies temporarily and faced criticism from figures like J.B.M. Hertzog for not going far enough in segregation.[41] Tensions from the First Balkan War escalated into the Second Balkan War on June 29, when Bulgarian forces launched attacks on Serbian and Greek positions in Macedonia, seeking to unilaterally enforce territorial claims; the conflict arose from Bulgaria's dissatisfaction with the Treaty of London, prompting former allies Serbia and Greece to counterattack alongside Romania and the Ottoman Empire, resulting in rapid Bulgarian defeats and redrawn borders by August.[38]July
On July 1, Serbia and Greece declared war on Bulgaria, formalizing the conflict sparked by Bulgaria's offensive against its former allies on June 29.[43] This escalation in the Second Balkan War saw Greek forces advance in Macedonia, Serbian troops push back Bulgarian incursions in the Vardar region, and Bulgarian armies suffer defeats that eroded their territorial gains from the First Balkan War.[44] Romania entered the war on July 10, declaring hostilities and launching an unopposed invasion into northern Bulgaria with 125,000 troops, aiming to annex Dobruja without significant resistance from Bulgarian forces stretched thin on multiple fronts.[45] The Ottoman Empire capitalized on Bulgaria's weakening position, re-entering the fray on July 12 and recapturing Edirne (Adrianople) by July 21 after brief fighting, thereby reversing Bulgarian conquests in Thrace from the prior year.[45] These July developments isolated Bulgaria, leading to armistices by late July and setting the stage for the Treaty of Bucharest in August, which redistributed Balkan territories and heightened regional tensions prelude to broader European conflict.[44] In the United States, the 50th anniversary reunion of the Battle of Gettysburg convened from June 29 to July 6 at the Pennsylvania battlefield, attracting approximately 53,400 Civil War veterans—about 8,750 Confederate—under federal sponsorship that provided free transport and encampments for reconciliation events, including joint parades and shared meals symbolizing national healing.[46] The gathering, the largest ever for Civil War survivors, featured speeches by figures like President Woodrow Wilson on July 4 and demonstrations of lingering sectional goodwill amid the veterans' advanced ages.[47]August
On August 3, a clash known as the Wheatland hop riot erupted at the Durst Ranch in Wheatland, California, where approximately 2,000 hop pickers, many affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World, protested poor living conditions, inadequate water supply, and unfulfilled wage promises during a strike.[48] The confrontation escalated when sheriff's deputies and state militia intervened at a mass meeting, resulting in gunfire that killed four individuals: two workers, the Yuba County district attorney, and a sheriff's deputy.[49] This incident marked one of the earliest major violent farm labor disputes in the United States, highlighting tensions between itinerant workers and large-scale agricultural employers, and prompted improved state oversight of labor camps.[48] In early August, British colonial forces under Richard Corfield launched an offensive against the Dervish movement led by Mohammed Abdullah Hassan in British Somaliland. On August 9, Corfield's 110-man Camel Constabulary encountered a much larger Dervish force of around 2,750 at Dul Madoba, suffering a decisive defeat with most of the unit killed or captured, including Corfield himself.[50] [51] The rout underscored the challenges of maintaining control in the region and contributed to the eventual reorganization of British colonial policing there.[50] The Treaty of Bucharest, signed on August 10 by representatives of Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia, formally ended the Second Balkan War.[52] Defeated Bulgaria was compelled to cede Southern Dobruja to Romania, significant portions of Macedonia to Greece (including Kavalla, Drama, and Serres regions) and Serbia (Vardar Macedonia), reducing its territory and population by approximately 10 percent.[53] The agreement, negotiated without great power mediation, redistributed gains from the First Balkan War among the victors but sowed seeds of resentment in Bulgaria, influencing subsequent regional instability. On August 13, British metallurgist Harry Brearley produced the first stainless steel alloy during experiments to improve rifle barrel durability, achieving a composition of 12.8% chromium and 0.24% carbon that resisted corrosion.[54] This breakthrough, tested by noting its failure to rust after exposure to acidic environments, laid the foundation for modern rust-resistant steels widely used in cutlery, medical instruments, and industry.[54]September
On September 4, the Russian polar hydrographic expedition under Boris Vilkitsky sighted Severnaya Zemlya, a remote archipelago in the Arctic Ocean comprising four main islands and numerous smaller ones, marking the last major terrestrial discovery on Earth. The expedition's icebreakers Taymyr and Vaygach had departed from Saint Petersburg in 1910, enduring harsh ice conditions before this breakthrough, which added approximately 37,000 square kilometers to known landmasses.[55][56] The U.S. Open golf championship took place from September 18 to 20 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, where 20-year-old amateur Francis Ouimet defeated British professionals Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in an 18-hole playoff, finishing five strokes ahead to claim the title. Ouimet, a former caddie from a working-class background, became the first amateur to win the event, a feat that boosted golf's popularity in America by demonstrating accessibility beyond elites.[57][58] On September 29, German engineer Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the compression-ignition engine patented in 1892, vanished from the steamship Dresden while en route from Antwerp, Belgium, to Harwich, England, for a meeting with the British Royal Navy. His bed was unoccupied the next morning, with only his hat and pocket knife found on deck; ten days later, Dutch fishermen recovered his body from the sea, but it was cremated without autopsy, fueling theories of suicide amid financial woes, murder by German agents, or assassination linked to his engine's submarine applications.[59] That same day, the Treaty of Constantinople was signed between the Kingdom of Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire, formally ending hostilities from the Second Balkan War. Under the agreement, Bulgaria retained control over portions of western Thrace but recognized Ottoman sovereignty east of the Enos-Midia line, facilitating the Ottomans' recapture of Adrianople (Edirne) and stabilizing the post-war frontier amid ongoing regional tensions.[60][61]October
On October 3, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Revenue Act of 1913 into law, which substantially lowered average tariff rates from about 40% to 25% while implementing the first permanent federal income tax following ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment, imposing a 1% tax on incomes above $3,000 for individuals and $4,000 for married couples, with surtaxes up to 6% on higher earnings.[62][63] On October 7, Henry Ford's Highland Park manufacturing plant in Michigan operated its first complete moving assembly line for the Ford Model T automobile, enabling continuous chassis movement and reducing assembly time per vehicle from approximately 12.5 man-hours to 1.5 man-hours, a breakthrough that lowered costs and increased production efficiency.[64][65] [October 10] marked a milestone in the Panama Canal's construction when President Wilson, from the White House, activated a telegraph signal at 2:02 p.m. to detonate explosives at the Gamboa Dike, breaching the barrier and allowing Gatun Lake waters to flow into the remaining Gaillard (Culebra) Cut excavation, effectively completing the canal's waterway alignment ahead of full locks installation and opening in 1914.[66][67] ![Senghenydd Colliery Disaster][center] The Senghenydd colliery disaster occurred on October 14 at the Universal Colliery in Senghenydd, Glamorgan, Wales, when a methane gas (firedamp) explosion, likely ignited by an electrical arc or naked flame amid inadequate ventilation and dust control, killed 439 miners and one rescuer, making it the deadliest mining accident in British history and highlighting persistent safety deficiencies in the coal industry despite prior regulations.[68][69] On October 31, the Lincoln Highway was formally dedicated as the first planned coast-to-coast automobile route across the United States, spanning roughly 3,389 miles from New York City to San Francisco, conceived by Carl G. Fisher and promoted by the Lincoln Highway Association to improve national road infrastructure through private funding and volunteer efforts.[70]November
On November 5, the Bavarian parliament passed legislation declaring King Otto mentally unfit to rule, thereby ending his nominal reign and elevating the longtime Prince Regent Ludwig Luitpold to the throne as King Ludwig III of Bavaria.[71] Ludwig had served as regent since 1912 following the death of his father, Luitpold, and the formal ascension marked the continuation of Wittelsbach rule amid ongoing debates over Otto's capacity, which dated back to his 1872 deposition in practice.[72] On November 6, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was arrested by South African authorities while leading a group of approximately 2,000 Indian miners and their families on a march from Newcastle, Natal, across the provincial border into the Transvaal to protest the Immigration Act's restrictions on Indian movement and residence.[73] The action was part of Gandhi's broader satyagraha campaign against racial discrimination, including poll taxes and marriage law invalidations targeting Indians; he was released on bail but the event escalated labor unrest, leading to further arrests and strikes involving over 20,000 workers.[74] The Great Lakes Storm of 1913, dubbed the "White Hurricane," struck from November 7 to 10, generating winds over 90 mph, blizzards, and waves reaching 35 feet across Lakes Huron, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.[75] The tempest caused at least 12 freighters to founder with all hands lost, stranded 19 others, and resulted in roughly 250 fatalities among sailors and shoreside victims, marking the deadliest maritime disaster in Great Lakes recorded history with damages exceeding $5 million in contemporary terms.[76][77] Lack of coordinated weather forecasting contributed to the high toll, as captains underestimated the storm's rapid intensification from a low-pressure system over the central Plains.[75]December
On December 1, the Ford Motor Company began operating its first complete moving assembly line for the Model T automobile at the Highland Park plant in Michigan, reducing assembly time from more than 12 hours to approximately 1.5 hours per vehicle and enabling mass production that lowered costs and increased output to over 1,000 cars per day by the following year.[7] This innovation built on earlier experiments with partial lines for components like the flywheel magneto and chassis, marking a pivotal advancement in industrial efficiency driven by principles of standardized parts and continuous flow rather than craft-based methods.[65] Also on December 1, the world's first drive-in gasoline service station opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, operated by the Gulf Refining Company, which sold gasoline from curbside pumps to motorists, facilitating the growing reliance on automobiles for personal transport.[78] On December 12, Vincenzo Peruggia, the Italian house painter who had stolen the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911, attempted to sell the painting to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, leading to its recovery and return to France after authentication confirmed its provenance, ending a two-year international art theft saga that had prompted enhanced museum security measures. On December 21, the first crossword puzzle, devised by British-born journalist Arthur Wynne and titled "word-cross," appeared in the New York World Sunday supplement, consisting of a diamond-shaped grid with 32 clues; its popularity spurred the format's evolution into a staple of print media, though early versions lacked the numbered black-and-white squares of modern puzzles.[78] On December 23, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act into law, creating the Federal Reserve System as the nation's central bank with 12 regional banks and a Board of Governors to manage currency issuance, reserve requirements, and monetary stability in response to recurring financial panics like that of 1907.[79] The act centralized control over discounting commercial paper and gold reserves, diverging from prior decentralized banking models, though critics at the time, including agrarian interests, argued it favored Wall Street elites over regional needs.[79] On December 24, a false cry of "fire" during a Christmas party at the Italian Hall in Calumet, Michigan, triggered a stampede that killed 73 people, mostly children of copper miners, in one of the deadliest mining-related disasters in U.S. history; investigations attributed the incident to overcrowding and inadequate exits, fueling labor tensions amid ongoing strikes in the region.[78]Date unknown
Sometime in 1913, Henry Ford and his engineers visited meatpacking plants in Chicago, where they observed the efficiency of disassembly lines used to process animal carcasses. This observation provided the key inspiration for adapting the reversed process—reassembly on a moving conveyor—to automobile manufacturing, revolutionizing industrial production methods later that year.[80] In 1913, the organized immigration of Portuguese laborers from the Azores and Madeira to Hawaii ceased, concluding a program that had transported approximately 15,000 to 16,000 individuals to work on sugar plantations since 1878. The influx had significantly contributed to Hawaii's labor force and cultural diversity, with many immigrants establishing communities that persist today.[81][82]Significant Political and Economic Reforms
Sixteenth Amendment and Federal Income Tax
The Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was proposed by Congress on July 2, 1909, in response to the Supreme Court's 5–4 ruling in Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. (1895), which invalidated the federal income tax provisions of the Wilson–Gorman Tariff Act of 1894 as an unapportioned direct tax violating Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution.[1][83][84] The amendment's text states: "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration."[85] Ratification required approval by three-fourths of the states (36 at the time); Secretary of State Philander C. Knox certified its adoption on February 3, 1913, after Delaware, Wyoming, and New Mexico became the 36th, 37th, and 38th states to ratify, though some later rescissions by states like Kentucky were deemed ineffective under contemporary legal interpretation.[9][1][86] Proponents, including Progressive Era reformers, argued it would enable revenue collection from high earners to offset tariff reductions and fund government without relying solely on regressive excise taxes, while critics contended it centralized fiscal power excessively and treated income taxes as non-direct despite their incidence on property-derived gains like rents and dividends.[1][83] The amendment's ratification facilitated the Revenue Act of 1913, signed by President Woodrow Wilson on October 3, 1913, as part of the Underwood Tariff, which lowered duties and introduced the modern federal income tax system.[1] The act imposed a 1% normal tax on net incomes exceeding $3,000 for individuals or $4,000 for married couples (exempting about 98% of households initially), plus a progressive surtax ranging from 1% on incomes over $20,000 to 6% on those exceeding $500,000, applied to fewer than 1% of Americans at the time.[62][87] This structure yielded approximately $28 million in its first year, a fraction of federal revenue dominated by customs duties, but laid the foundation for expanded taxation amid World War I demands.[88]Seventeenth Amendment and Direct Election of Senators
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution established the direct election of senators by popular vote in each state, replacing the original method of selection by state legislatures.[2] It was proposed by the 62nd Congress on May 12, 1912, and ratified on April 8, 1913, when Connecticut became the 36th state to approve it, achieving the required three-fourths majority of states.[21][89] Prior to this change, Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution directed that "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, chosen by the legislature thereof," intending the body to represent state governments as a check on federal overreach and a balance to the popularly elected House of Representatives.[90] Proponents, primarily Progressives during the early 20th-century reform era, argued for the amendment due to persistent deadlocks in state legislatures, which often left Senate seats vacant for months or years—45 such vacancies occurred between 1891 and 1905 alone—and allegations of corruption, including bribery and undue influence by corporate interests in legislative elections.[21] Figures like Senator William Borah of Idaho and President Woodrow Wilson supported direct elections to enhance democratic accountability and reduce elite control, viewing the Senate as insufficiently responsive to public will amid rising national issues like trusts and tariffs.[90] Critics at the time, including some conservatives and defenders of federalism, warned that shifting to popular vote would nationalize the Senate, erode states' sovereignty, and transform senators into mere delegates of mass opinion rather than ambassadors of state interests, but these concerns were outweighed by reform momentum.[91] Following ratification, states rapidly implemented popular elections; by 1914, all but one state had held direct Senate elections, with turnout often exceeding that of gubernatorial races in the same cycles.[92] The amendment's text specifies that "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, elected by the people thereof," while retaining six-year terms, equal state representation, and provisions for vacancies filled by governors until the next election cycle.[2] It also preserved state legislatures' role in filling mid-term vacancies, though subsequent laws standardized procedures. In terms of broader effects, the direct election aligned Senate campaigns more closely with national party platforms and voter sentiments, contributing to increased legislative productivity on domestic reforms but diminishing the chamber's role as a distinct state-level counterweight to federal expansion.[93] Empirical analyses indicate that post-1913 senators prioritized federal spending and regulatory policies over state-specific protections, accelerating centralization; for instance, state delegations' cohesion in roll-call votes declined as senators responded more to national electorates than legislative directives.[94] While hailed by contemporaries for curbing corruption—Senate election scandals dropped sharply after 1913—the change arguably undermined the framers' design for dual sovereignty, as senators no longer faced direct accountability to state governments capable of instructing or recalling them, fostering a more unitary national legislature.[95][96] No state has since violated the amendment's mandate, and repeal efforts, such as those in the 1910s and sporadically thereafter, have failed to gain traction.[92]Federal Reserve Act
The Federal Reserve Act, enacted on December 23, 1913, established the Federal Reserve System as the central banking authority of the United States, comprising twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks overseen by a Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C.[97] This legislation addressed recurrent banking panics, notably the Panic of 1907, by creating mechanisms for an elastic currency supply and rediscounting commercial paper to provide liquidity during financial stress.[3] The Act divided the nation into twelve districts, each with a semiautonomous Reserve Bank capitalized by member commercial banks, while the Board—appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate—held supervisory powers over monetary policy, note issuance, and reserve requirements.[98] Key provisions included the authorization of Federal Reserve notes as legal tender, backed initially by gold reserves and eligible commercial paper, to replace the inelastic national banking system that had exacerbated prior crises.[99] Member banks were required to hold reserves at their district Reserve Bank and subscribe to stock in proportion to their capital, granting them dividends but subordinating private interests to public oversight.[97] The Act also empowered the Board to adjust discount rates and regulate interstate branch banking, aiming to foster stability without fully privatizing control, as earlier proposals like the Aldrich Plan had attempted.[100] Passage followed intense debate, with the House approving the bill on December 22, 1913, by a vote of 298-60, and the Senate concurring 43-25 the next day along largely partisan lines, reflecting Republican concerns over diminished banker influence and Democratic insistence on governmental primacy.[101] Critics, including progressive Democrats like William Jennings Bryan, argued the structure retained undue private sector sway despite public elements, potentially enabling inflation through expanded credit rather than strict specie backing.[3] President Woodrow Wilson signed the measure into law that evening, framing it as a bulwark against "the money trust" while balancing regional and national needs.[102] The system's inaugural operations commenced in November 1914, with the Board sworn in on August 10, marking a shift from decentralized banking to coordinated central management.[103]Early Labor Regulations Including Minimum Wage
The United States Department of Labor was established on March 4, 1913, when President William Howard Taft signed legislation splitting the existing Department of Commerce and Labor into separate entities, with the new Department of Labor tasked with fostering, promoting, and developing the welfare of wage earners, improving working conditions, and advancing their opportunities for profitable employment.[104] This creation marked a federal commitment to labor oversight amid Progressive Era concerns over industrial exploitation, though its initial scope was limited compared to later expansions, focusing primarily on statistics, mediation, and enforcement of existing statutes rather than broad regulatory powers.[105] In parallel, several states advanced minimum wage legislation in 1913, building on Massachusetts's pioneering law of June 4, 1912, which established a commission to investigate and recommend wages sufficient for women and minors to maintain a "living standard."[106] Oregon enacted its minimum wage law on February 17, 1913, applying to women and minors through a commission-determined rate aimed at covering basic needs, a measure upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in Stettler v. O'Hara (1917) despite challenges on economic grounds.[107] Utah followed on March 18, 1913, with similar provisions for female workers, setting rates via an industrial commission to prevent underpayment in low-wage sectors like textiles and laundering.[107] Washington state passed its minimum wage law in 1913, one of the earliest comprehensive statutes requiring employers to pay women and minors a "living wage" determined by a board, with rates varying by occupation but typically starting above subsistence levels to address sweatshop conditions prevalent in the Pacific Northwest's emerging industries.[108] Wisconsin also enacted its first wage regulation that year, mandating a living wage for women and minors without fixed rates, relying instead on administrative review to ensure payments covered essentials like food, shelter, and modest dependencies.[109] These state laws, often justified by data on urban poverty and female labor vulnerability from surveys like those preceding Massachusetts's act, represented piecemeal responses to market failures in wage bargaining but excluded adult male workers, reflecting era-specific views on gender roles in the workforce.[110] No federal minimum wage existed until the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, leaving enforcement to state commissions prone to variation and later constitutional scrutiny.[111]International Conflicts and Diplomacy
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars encompassed two successive conflicts in 1912 and 1913 that dramatically reshaped southeastern Europe by expelling Ottoman control from most of the region. The First Balkan War, initiated on October 8, 1912, by the Balkan League—comprising Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and Montenegro—aimed to seize Ottoman-held territories in Europe, driven by nationalist aspirations to liberate ethnic populations and resolve long-standing irredentist claims.[112] [113] The alliance fielded approximately 750,000 troops against Ottoman forces, achieving rapid advances that captured key cities like Thessaloniki and Adrianople by late 1912.[114] The war concluded on May 30, 1913, with the Treaty of London, under which the Ottoman Empire relinquished all territories west of the Enos-Midia line, recognized Albanian independence, and ceded Crete to Greece while leaving Aegean islands' fate to great power arbitration.[33] [34] However, disputes arose immediately over the partition of Macedonia and Thrace, as Bulgaria, which bore the brunt of the fighting, claimed the lion's share, clashing with Serbian and Greek interests in the occupied regions.[61] Tensions escalated into the Second Balkan War on June 29, 1913, when Bulgaria preemptively attacked Serbian and Greek positions in Macedonia to enforce its territorial demands.[115] The offensive faltered swiftly; Greek forces repelled Bulgarian advances at the Battle of Kilkis-Lachanas on June 16–30, 1913, while Serbia counterattacked effectively. Romania opportunistically invaded Bulgarian Dobruja on July 10, and the Ottomans reoccupied Eastern Thrace, including Adrianople, by July 21.[45] Bulgaria capitulated after a month of defeats, signing the Treaty of Bucharest on August 10, 1913, which awarded Serbia and Greece most of Macedonia, Romania southern Dobruja, and allowed Ottoman recovery of Thrace east of the Maritsa River; a separate Treaty of Constantinople on September 29 formalized Ottoman gains.[45] The wars resulted in over 500,000 military casualties and massive civilian displacements, exacerbating ethnic animosities that persisted unresolved, contributing to regional instability leading into World War I.[61]Other Global Tensions
In late 1913, the Ottoman Empire's appointment of German General Otto Liman von Sanders to command the First Army Inspectorate, encompassing Constantinople and the Straits, sparked a major diplomatic crisis among European powers. Announced on November 11, 1913, the move granted von Sanders authority over approximately 600,000 troops in a strategically vital region controlling access between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Russia viewed this as a direct threat to its naval interests and influence in the Ottoman Empire, prompting vehement protests from Tsar Nicholas II and Foreign Minister Sergei Sazonov, who argued it undermined the status quo of the Straits.[116][117] France initially supported Russia within the Triple Entente, issuing notes of concern, while Britain, under Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey, initially hesitated but aligned with its allies by December, demanding modifications to avoid escalating Russo-German antagonism. The crisis highlighted deepening fissures between the Triple Entente and the Central Powers, with Germany defending the appointment as a legitimate bilateral agreement to modernize the Ottoman military following the Balkan defeats. Ottoman leaders, led by the Committee of Union and Progress after their January 23 coup d'état, resisted concessions but ultimately adjusted von Sanders' role on December 26, 1913, reassigning him as inspector general without direct command over the Straits forces to avert broader conflict.[118][116] This affair, resolved without war but through diplomatic maneuvering, underscored pre-World War I rivalries, particularly Russia's sensitivity to German penetration in the Near East and the fragility of great-power balances. It also reflected the Ottoman shift toward Germany for military reform amid internal instability post-coup, where the Young Turk regime consolidated power by sidelining the Sultan and pursuing alliances to counter encirclement. No immediate violence ensued, yet the episode fueled mutual suspicions, contributing to the polarized alliances that would ignite in 1914.[117][118]Innovations and Achievements
Industrial and Technological Advances
In 1913, Henry Ford's implementation of the moving assembly line at the Ford Motor Company's Highland Park plant in Michigan marked a transformative step in industrial manufacturing. On October 7, the factory first operated a continuously moving line for assembling magnetos, followed by the full chassis assembly line starting December 1, which reduced Model T production time from over 12 hours to approximately 93 minutes per vehicle and enabled output of nearly 1,000 cars daily by the following year.[4][65] This innovation, drawing on principles of standardized parts and sequential tasks, drastically lowered costs—dropping the Model T price from $850 in 1908 to $260 by 1916—and exemplified the shift toward mass production, influencing industries beyond automobiles.[4] The invention of stainless steel emerged from metallurgical research in Sheffield, England, where Harry Brearley, working at the Brown-Firth Laboratories, produced an alloy containing 12.8% chromium and 0.24% carbon on August 13. Initially discarded as unsuitable for rifle barrels due to its resistance to etching for rifling, the steel's corrosion resistance was later recognized after it withstood weathering in field tests, leading to patents and applications in cutlery by 1914.[54] This martensitic stainless steel laid foundational advancements in durable, rust-resistant materials essential for later industrial uses in machinery, architecture, and consumer goods. The United States Post Office Department launched nationwide Parcel Post service on January 1, 1913, enabling the mailing of packages up to 11 pounds (later expanded) at standardized rates, which handled over 4 million parcels in the first week alone and revolutionized rural logistics by integrating with existing rural free delivery networks.[119][120] This system, supported by specialized Parcel Post stamps issued from December 1912, facilitated efficient distribution of goods like farm produce and merchandise, reducing reliance on private express services and boosting e-commerce precursors in an era of expanding rail and road infrastructure.[119] Other notable developments included the patenting of the hookless fastener, a precursor to the modern zipper, by Gideon Sundback, enhancing fastening technology for clothing and industrial applications. Additionally, Viktor Kaplan's invention of the Kaplan turbine advanced hydroelectric efficiency with adjustable blades for varying water flows, influencing power generation infrastructure.[121] These innovations collectively underscored 1913's role in refining production processes, materials science, and logistical systems amid rapid industrialization.Scientific and Exploratory Milestones
In atomic physics, Niels Bohr published his seminal model of the hydrogen atom on March 6, 1913, incorporating quantum principles to explain spectral lines by positing electrons in discrete orbits with quantized energy levels, building on Ernest Rutherford's nuclear model.[122] Concurrently, William Henry Bragg and William Lawrence Bragg advanced X-ray crystallography through their 1913 paper demonstrating that X-rays reflect off crystal planes at specific angles, enabling the determination of atomic arrangements in solids via the Bragg equation .[123] In chemistry, Frederick Soddy coined the term "isotope" on February 18, 1913, to describe chemically identical elements with differing atomic masses, formalizing observations from radioactive decay chains.[124] Materials science saw Harry Brearley produce the first stainless steel on August 13, 1913, at the Brown-Firth Research Laboratory in Sheffield, England, by alloying steel with 12.8% chromium and 0.24% carbon, yielding erosion-resistant properties that resisted corrosion in acidic environments.[54] In psychology, John B. Watson's article "Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It," published in Psychological Review in 1913, rejected introspection and advocated studying observable behavior through experimental methods, establishing behaviorism as a school emphasizing environmental conditioning over mental states.[125] Exploration efforts included the Roosevelt–Rondon Scientific Expedition, launched in late 1913 under Theodore Roosevelt and Cândido Rondon, which mapped the previously uncharted Rio da Dúvida (renamed Rio Roosevelt) in Brazil's Amazon basin over 400 miles, documenting flora, fauna, and indigenous tribes despite hazards like disease and rapids that nearly killed Roosevelt.[126] The Canadian Arctic Expedition, initiated in 1913 under Vilhjalmur Stefansson and Diamond Jenness, conducted extensive surveys of the Beaufort Sea region through 1918, collecting ethnographic data on Inuit groups, geological samples, and oceanographic measurements to assess potential northern continents.[127] The Second German Antarctic Expedition, concluding in 1913 after departing in 1911 under Wilhelm Filchner aboard the Deutschland, charted new Weddell Sea coastlines including the Luitpold Coast but failed to establish a base at Vahsel Bay due to pack ice, contributing geophysical data on Antarctic currents.Cultural and Social Developments
Arts and Entertainment
In visual arts, the International Exhibition of Modern Art, known as the Armory Show, opened on February 17, 1913, at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City, organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors to challenge conservative tastes.[128] The exhibition featured over 1,300 works, including European modernists like Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, Henri Matisse's Fauvist paintings, and Pablo Picasso's Cubist pieces, which provoked widespread controversy and mockery from critics who derided the abstract forms as degenerate.[129] It attracted approximately 90,000 visitors in New York before traveling to Chicago's Art Institute from March 24 to April 16, marking the first major U.S. exposure to avant-garde European art and influencing American artists to embrace modernism.[128] Performing arts saw Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du printemps) premiere on May 29, 1913, at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes with choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky and conducted by Pierre Monteux.[32] The score's irregular rhythms, dissonance, and primal pagan ritual theme, depicting a sacrificial dance in ancient Russia, incited audience uproar—shouts, laughter, and near-fisticuffs—halting the performance amid conflicting cheers and jeers, though accounts vary on the extent of actual violence.[130] Despite the scandal, it established Stravinsky as a revolutionary composer and foreshadowed modernist music's break from Romantic traditions. Literature produced enduring works, including Marcel Proust's Swann's Way, the first volume of In Search of Lost Time, published in November 1913, exploring memory and time through intricate prose. George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion premiered on October 16, 1913, at Vienna's Hofburg Theatre, satirizing class distinctions and phonetics via the transformation of flower girl Eliza Doolittle.[131] American novels like Willa Cather's O Pioneers!, depicting immigrant farming struggles on the Nebraska prairie, and D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, delving into Oedipal family dynamics, also appeared, reflecting era tensions in identity and society.[132] Film remained primitive with short silents; notable releases included the French serial Fantômas: In the Shadow of the Guillotine, adapting crime novels with innovative editing, and the Swedish drama Ingeborg Holm, an early social realist work on poverty.[133] Theater and music halls thrived, with New York's Palace Theatre opening June 24, 1913, as a premier vaudeville venue symbolizing mass entertainment's rise.[134]Social Movements and Reforms
The women's suffrage movement advanced through high-profile activism in 1913. In the United States, the National American Woman Suffrage Association organized the Woman Suffrage Procession on March 3 in Washington, D.C., attracting over 5,000 participants who marched along Pennsylvania Avenue to advocate for a constitutional amendment granting women voting rights. Led by figures such as Inez Milholland on horseback, the event coincided with the day before President Woodrow Wilson's inauguration, drawing crowds that turned hostile and overwhelmed police, resulting in approximately 100 injuries to marchers from assaults and trampling.[135] This demonstration highlighted the growing militancy and public visibility of the suffrage campaign, though it faced criticism for disrupting national attention on the presidential transition.[136] In the United Kingdom, suffragettes escalated direct action tactics, exemplified by Emily Wilding Davison's fatal protest on June 4 at the Epsom Derby, where she stepped in front of King George V's horse Anmer, suffering a skull fracture and internal injuries that led to her death four days later; contemporaries debated whether the act was intentional self-sacrifice for the cause or accidental.[137] Davison's militancy reflected the Women's Social and Political Union's strategy of hunger strikes and property damage to force government response, amid broader arrests and force-feedings of imprisoned activists. State-level progress in the U.S. included Illinois granting women suffrage for presidential and municipal elections on June 26, marking the first such victory east of the Mississippi River, though full rights remained limited.[138] Labor movements saw significant unrest and institutional reforms. The U.S. Department of Labor was created as a cabinet-level agency on March 4 by President William Howard Taft's signing of the organic act, aimed at promoting worker welfare, mediating disputes, and enforcing standards amid industrialization's strains.[104] In New Jersey, the Paterson silk strike commenced on February 25, involving up to 25,000 textile workers organized by the Industrial Workers of the World, who demanded an eight-hour workday, higher wages, and abolition of loomspeeders; the five-month action featured cultural resistance like the Paterson Pageant but ended in defeat as strikers faced starvation and evictions, with manufacturers relocating operations.[139] Internationally, New Zealand's Great Strike erupted in October, pitting waterfront unions against shippers over arbitration systems, escalating into a general stoppage affecting 15,000 workers before government intervention with special constables suppressed it by early 1914.[140] These conflicts underscored tensions between organized labor's push for better conditions and employers' resistance, often backed by state power, without yielding immediate legislative gains in 1913.Births
January–February
- 6 January – Loretta Young, American actress known for her Academy Award-winning role in The Farmer's Daughter (1947) and her long-running television anthology series (d. 2000).
- 9 January – Richard M. Nixon, 37th President of the United States (1969–1974), Vice President (1953–1961), and key figure in foreign policy including détente with the Soviet Union and opening relations with China (d. 1994).
- 15 January – Lloyd Bridges, American actor noted for roles in adventure films and television series such as Sea Hunt (d. 1998).
- 18 January – Danny Kaye, American actor, singer, and comedian famous for films like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and his humanitarian work with UNICEF (d. 1987).
- 4 February – Rosa Parks, American civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, sparked the 1955–1956 Montgomery bus boycott (d. 2005).
- 25 February – Jim Backus, American actor and voice artist recognized for voicing Mr. Magoo and roles in Gilligan's Island (d. 1989).
March–April
- March 1 – Ralph Ellison, American writer known for the novel Invisible Man (d. 1994).[141]
- March 8 – Mouloud Feraoun, Algerian novelist and teacher whose works depicted Kabyle life (d. 1962).[142]
- April 4 – Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield), American blues singer and guitarist who influenced rock and roll (d. 1983).
- April 11 – Oleg Cassini, French-born American fashion designer who dressed First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (d. 2006).
May–June
William Inge, the American playwright known for Pulitzer Prize-winning works such as Picnic (1953) and Come Back, Little Sheba (1950), was born on May 3, 1913, in Independence, Kansas.[143][144] Stewart Granger, the British film actor recognized for roles in adventure films like King Solomon's Mines (1950) and Scaramouche (1952), was born James Lablache Stewart on May 6, 1913, in Kensington, London.[145][146] Peter Cushing, the English actor famed for portraying Baron Frankenstein and Doctor Van Helsing in Hammer Horror films, as well as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars (1977), was born on May 26, 1913, in Kenley, Surrey.[147] May Swenson, the American poet and playwright noted for her innovative nature verse and collections like A Cage of Spines (1958), was born Anna Thilda May Swenson on May 28, 1913, in Logan, Utah, to Swedish immigrant parents.[148][149] Vince Lombardi, the American football coach who led the Green Bay Packers to five NFL championships from 1961 to 1967 and later coached the Washington Redskins, was born on June 11, 1913, in Brooklyn, New York.[150][151][152] Sammy Cahn, the American lyricist who won four Academy Awards for songs including "Three Coins in the Fountain" (1954) and collaborated frequently with composers like Jule Styne, was born Samuel Cohen on June 18, 1913, in New York City.[153][154]July–August
- July 12: Willis Eugene Lamb Jr. (died May 15, 2008), American physicist awarded the 1955 Nobel Prize in Physics for discoveries concerning the fine structure of the hydrogen spectrum, was born in Los Angeles, California.[155]
- July 14: Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; died December 26, 2006), the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977 and previously the 40th vice president, was born in Omaha, Nebraska.[156]
- July 18: Richard "Red" Skelton (died September 17, 1997), American comedian, actor, and pantomimist known for his work in radio, television, and film including The Red Skelton Show, was born in Vincennes, Indiana.[157]
- August 4: Robert Hayden (died February 25, 1980), American poet noted for works exploring African American experiences such as Middle Passage and who served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1976 to 1978, was born in Detroit, Michigan.[158]
September–October
- September 3 – Alan Ladd, American actor and producer best known for his role in the film Shane (d. 1964).[159]
- September 7 – Anthony Quayle, English actor, director, and novelist nominated for an Academy Award for The Guns of Navarone (d. 1989).[160]
- September 11 – Paul William "Bear" Bryant, American college football coach who led the University of Alabama to six national championships (d. 1983).[161]
- September 12 – Jesse Owens, American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, setting three world records in the process (d. 1980).[162]
- September 29 – Stanley Kramer, American film producer and director known for socially conscious works such as Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and Judgment at Nuremberg (d. 2001).[163]
- October 24 – Grandpa Jones (Louis Marshall Jones), American country and bluegrass musician and banjo player, member of the Grand Ole Opry (d. 1998).[164]
- October 25 – Klaus Barbie, German SS officer and Gestapo chief in Lyon during World War II, convicted of war crimes including the deportation of 7,500 Jews (d. 1991).[165]
November–December
- 2 November – Burt Lancaster, American actor known for roles in films such as From Here to Eternity and Elmer Gantry.[166]
- 5 November – Vivien Leigh, British actress who won Academy Awards for Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire.[166]
- 7 November – Albert Camus, French-Algerian philosopher, author of The Stranger and The Plague, and Nobel Prize winner in Literature (1957).[166]
- 11 November – Karl Shapiro, American poet awarded the Pulitzer Prize for V-Letter and Other Poems (1945).[167]
- 13 November – Lon Nol, Cambodian military officer and politician who served as President of the Khmer Republic (1972–1975).[168]
- 1 December – Mary Martin, American actress and singer famous for originating the role of Nellie Forbush in South Pacific on Broadway.[169][170]
- 1 December – Mary Ainsworth, American-Canadian developmental psychologist known for her work on attachment theory and the "Strange Situation" procedure.[171]
Deaths
January–February
- 6 January – Loretta Young, American actress known for her Academy Award-winning role in The Farmer's Daughter (1947) and her long-running television anthology series (d. 2000).
- 9 January – Richard M. Nixon, 37th President of the United States (1969–1974), Vice President (1953–1961), and key figure in foreign policy including détente with the Soviet Union and opening relations with China (d. 1994).
- 15 January – Lloyd Bridges, American actor noted for roles in adventure films and television series such as Sea Hunt (d. 1998).
- 18 January – Danny Kaye, American actor, singer, and comedian famous for films like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and his humanitarian work with UNICEF (d. 1987).
- 4 February – Rosa Parks, American civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, sparked the 1955–1956 Montgomery bus boycott (d. 2005).
- 25 February – Jim Backus, American actor and voice artist recognized for voicing Mr. Magoo and roles in Gilligan's Island (d. 1989).
March–April
- March 1 – Ralph Ellison, American writer known for the novel Invisible Man (d. 1994).[141]
- March 8 – Mouloud Feraoun, Algerian novelist and teacher whose works depicted Kabyle life (d. 1962).[142]
- April 4 – Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield), American blues singer and guitarist who influenced rock and roll (d. 1983).
- April 11 – Oleg Cassini, French-born American fashion designer who dressed First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (d. 2006).
May–June
William Inge, the American playwright known for Pulitzer Prize-winning works such as Picnic (1953) and Come Back, Little Sheba (1950), was born on May 3, 1913, in Independence, Kansas.[143][144] Stewart Granger, the British film actor recognized for roles in adventure films like King Solomon's Mines (1950) and Scaramouche (1952), was born James Lablache Stewart on May 6, 1913, in Kensington, London.[145][146] Peter Cushing, the English actor famed for portraying Baron Frankenstein and Doctor Van Helsing in Hammer Horror films, as well as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars (1977), was born on May 26, 1913, in Kenley, Surrey.[147] May Swenson, the American poet and playwright noted for her innovative nature verse and collections like A Cage of Spines (1958), was born Anna Thilda May Swenson on May 28, 1913, in Logan, Utah, to Swedish immigrant parents.[148][149] Vince Lombardi, the American football coach who led the Green Bay Packers to five NFL championships from 1961 to 1967 and later coached the Washington Redskins, was born on June 11, 1913, in Brooklyn, New York.[150][151][152] Sammy Cahn, the American lyricist who won four Academy Awards for songs including "Three Coins in the Fountain" (1954) and collaborated frequently with composers like Jule Styne, was born Samuel Cohen on June 18, 1913, in New York City.[153][154]July–August
- July 12: Willis Eugene Lamb Jr. (died May 15, 2008), American physicist awarded the 1955 Nobel Prize in Physics for discoveries concerning the fine structure of the hydrogen spectrum, was born in Los Angeles, California.[155]
- July 14: Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; died December 26, 2006), the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977 and previously the 40th vice president, was born in Omaha, Nebraska.[156]
- July 18: Richard "Red" Skelton (died September 17, 1997), American comedian, actor, and pantomimist known for his work in radio, television, and film including The Red Skelton Show, was born in Vincennes, Indiana.[157]
- August 4: Robert Hayden (died February 25, 1980), American poet noted for works exploring African American experiences such as Middle Passage and who served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1976 to 1978, was born in Detroit, Michigan.[158]
September–October
- September 3 – Alan Ladd, American actor and producer best known for his role in the film Shane (d. 1964).[159]
- September 7 – Anthony Quayle, English actor, director, and novelist nominated for an Academy Award for The Guns of Navarone (d. 1989).[160]
- September 11 – Paul William "Bear" Bryant, American college football coach who led the University of Alabama to six national championships (d. 1983).[161]
- September 12 – Jesse Owens, American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, setting three world records in the process (d. 1980).[162]
- September 29 – Stanley Kramer, American film producer and director known for socially conscious works such as Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and Judgment at Nuremberg (d. 2001).[163]
- October 24 – Grandpa Jones (Louis Marshall Jones), American country and bluegrass musician and banjo player, member of the Grand Ole Opry (d. 1998).[164]
- October 25 – Klaus Barbie, German SS officer and Gestapo chief in Lyon during World War II, convicted of war crimes including the deportation of 7,500 Jews (d. 1991).[165]
November–December
- 2 November – Burt Lancaster, American actor known for roles in films such as From Here to Eternity and Elmer Gantry.[166]
- 5 November – Vivien Leigh, British actress who won Academy Awards for Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire.[166]
- 7 November – Albert Camus, French-Algerian philosopher, author of The Stranger and The Plague, and Nobel Prize winner in Literature (1957).[166]
- 11 November – Karl Shapiro, American poet awarded the Pulitzer Prize for V-Letter and Other Poems (1945).[167]
- 13 November – Lon Nol, Cambodian military officer and politician who served as President of the Khmer Republic (1972–1975).[168]
- 1 December – Mary Martin, American actress and singer famous for originating the role of Nellie Forbush in South Pacific on Broadway.[169][170]
- 1 December – Mary Ainsworth, American-Canadian developmental psychologist known for her work on attachment theory and the "Strange Situation" procedure.[171]
