web analytics

Tag: 1919

  • 1919 History, Facts and Trivia

    1919 History, Facts and Trivia

    1919 History, Facts and Trivia

    Top Ten Baby Names of 1919

    Mary, Helen, Dorothy, Margaret, Ruth, John, William, James, Robert, Charles

    US Life Expectancy

    (1919) Males: 53.5 years, Females: 56.0 years

    Firsts, Inventions, and Wonders

    Copacetic is a word meaning ‘completely satisfactory.’ This mysterious word first appeared in a 1919 Lincoln biography by J. Alfred Sharp… “Now there’s the kind of a man! Stout as a buffalo an’ as to looks, I’d call him, as ye might say, real copasetic.” Its unknown origin provokes endless etymological speculation

    Optimist International was founded in Louisville, Kentucky

    The American Legion was formed on March 15, 1919

    Enterprise, Alabama, erected an elaborate monument in the middle of town to honor the boll weevil for its profound influence on the area’s agriculture and economy. This is probably the world’s first monument built to keep an agricultural pest.

    The Dutch airline KLM was formed. It is the oldest airline flying under its original name.

    Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was founded.

    Japanese Chemist Akira Ogata developed crystal Meth.

    Bentley Motors Limited was founded.

    American Meteorological Society was founded in Boston.

    Grand Canyon National Park: An act of the United States Congress established most of the Grand Canyon as a United States National Park.

    Harold Hamgravy, Popeye’s Olive Oil’s longtime boyfriend, debuted in Thimble Theatre Comics.

    Pepperoni is a variety of salami created in the US, and the word was first used to describe the sausage in 1919.

    On January 16, The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, authorizing Prohibition, was ratified.

    The Most Popular Singers and Artists of 1919 include

    Norah Bayes, Al Bernard, Henry Burr, Albert Campbell, Conway’s Band, Arthur Fields, Earl Fuller’s Novelty Orchestra, Marion Harris, Charles Harrison, Vivian Holt & Lillian Rosedale, Al Jolson, Olive Kline, John McCormack, Billy Murray, The Peerless Quartet, Prince’s Orchestra, The Shannon Four, Joseph C. Smith’s Orchestra, John Steel, The Sterling Trio, Wilber Sweatman’s Original Jazz Band, Van & Schenck, The Victor Military Band, Bert Williams, Yerkes Jazarimba Orchestra

    The Scandals

    A 480-inch tall “skyscraper,” which defrauded investors thought was to be 480 feet tall (actually 480 inches, about four stories), was built in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1919, and it still stands.

    The Black Sox Scandal, in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of intentionally losing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money from gangsters. The scandal led to the appointment of the first Commissioner of Baseball.

    Pop Culture Facts & History

    The Pennsylvania Hotel has had its telephone number longer than anyone else in the United States. They were given the number Pennsylvania 6-5000 in 1919. When area codes were added, and exchange names eliminated, the number became (212) 736-5000.

    Indians Pitcher Ray Caldwell was struck by lightning on the mound and subsequently won the game against the Philadelphia Athletics on August 24, 1919.

    Racehorse Man o’ War won 20 races in a row. He lost his last race in 1919 to a horse named Upset.

    The US Congress approved the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guaranteed the right to vote for women, and sent it to the individual states for ratification.

    The Green Bay Packers got their name in 1919 after the Indian Packing Company gave the team $500 to buy equipment.

    The longest Tour de France was held in 1919 and was 3,455 miles.

    The Dodge Brothers, John and Horace, sued Henry Ford in 1919 because a company should act in the interests of its shareholders and not for the good of society, its customers, or its employees. They owned 10% of Ford stock, and the Michigan Supreme Court agreed.

    Pachelbel’s Canon was written in the 1690s but forgotten. It survived in only two manuscripts, was first published in 1919, and first recorded in 1940.

    Oregon became the first US state to tax gasoline… 1 cent per gallon.

    The name ‘Aspirin’ was originally a trademark belonging to the German pharmaceutical company, Bayer. Still, after Germany’s loss in WWI, the company was forced to hand over the trademark as a part of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. They lost the trademarked name ‘Heroin’ too.

    When the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 26, 1919, a French General, Marshal Ferdinand Jean Marie Foch, declared, “This is not peace; this is an armistice for 20 years”. WWII started 20 years and 64 days later.

    It was confirmed in 1919 that ‘The sun never sets on the British Empire.’

    In 1919, Michael Keogh stopped an angry mob of men from killing two right-wing political agents they were beating up. In 1930, at a Nuremberg rally, Keogh recognized one of the agents he had saved. It was Adolf Hitler.

    Eisenhower and 80 US Army vehicles attempted to drive across the country. After the experience, Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System when he became President. #Nebraska #6milesperhour

    Edith Bolling Wilson, the second wife of President Woodrow Wilson, is often considered the first unofficial female President. She functionally ran the Executive branch of the government for the rest of her husband’s term after he suffered a stroke in 1919.

    Nerd News

    Einstein used 1919’s total solar eclipse to prove that Newton’s theory of space was wrong and that gravity can bend spacetime, causing light to take a different path.

    Gravity assists, or “Gravitational Slingshots,” which can be used to propel a spacecraft for interplanetary travel, were first theorized in 1919.

    A Social Experiment

    Charles Schwab met a bunch of black American soldiers on a boat’s commissary in 1919 and offered to lend each a dollar as an experiment. He gave them all his address if they wanted to pay him back. 138 of 154 men did, almost 90%.

    The Tragedies

    A large molasses storage tank (over 2,000,000 gallons) burst in Boston in 1919, creating a 35 MPH flood of molasses that killed 21 people and injured 150; it became known as the ‘Great Molasses Flood.’

    On July 21, 1919, the Goodyear Blimp crashed through the Illinois Trust & Savings Building skylight in Chicago, killing 13 people.

    The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919 is known as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history, and it killed more people in 1 year than during the four years of the Black Plague. It was most deadly for people aged 20-40, and many died within hours of contracting the virus.

    Nobel Prize Winners

    Physics – Johannes Stark
    Chemistry – not awarded
    Physiology or Medicine – Jules Bordet
    Literature – Carl Friedrich Georg Spitteler
    Peace – Woodrow Wilson

    Popular and Best-selling Books From 1919

    Fiction Bestsellers

    1. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by V. Blasco Ibanez
    2. The Arrow of Gold by Joseph Conrad
    3. The Desert of Wheat by Zane Grey
    4. Dangerous Days by Mary Roberts Rinehart
    5. The Sky Pilot in No Man’s Land by Ralph Connor
    6. The Re-Creation of Brian Kent by Harold Bell Wright
    7. Dawn by Gene Stratton Porter
    8. The Tin Soldier by Temple Bailey
    9. Christopher and Columbus by “Elizabeth”
    10. In Secret by Robert W. Chambers

    Nonfiction Bestsellers

    1. The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams
    2. The Years Between by Rudyard Kipling
    3. Belgium by Brand Whitlock
    4. The Seven Purposes by Margaret Cameron
    5. In Flanders Fields by John McCrae
    6. Bolshevism by John Spargo

    Other Books of Note

    Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
    Ten Days that Shook the World by John Reed
    The Economic Consequences of the Peace by John Maynard Keynes
    Commentary on Romans by Karl Barth
    The Waning of the Middle Ages by
    Outline of History by Johan HuizingaH.G. Wells
    Rousseau and Romanticism by Irving Babbitt

    Sports

    World Series Champions: Cincinnati Reds
    Stanley Cup Champs: Montreal Canadiens (NHL) vs. Seattle Metropolitans (PCHA), but canceled due to flu epidemic, no champions
    U.S. Open Golf: Walter Hagan
    U.S. Tennis (Men/Ladies): Bill Johnston/Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman
    Wimbledon (Men/Women): Bill Tilden/Suzanne Lenglen
    NCAA Football Champions: Harvard, Texas A&M, and Notre Dame
    Kentucky Derby Winner: Sir Barton (Triple Crown Winner: Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes)
    Boston Marathon Winner: Carl Linder Time: 2:29:13

    More 1919 Facts & History Resources:

    Most Popular Baby Names (BabyCenter.com)
    Popular and Notable Books (popculture.us) 
    Broadway Shows that Opened in 1919
    1919 Calendar, courtesy of Time and Date.com 
    Fact Monster
    1919 in Movies (according to IMDB) 
    Wikipedia 1919

  • Early 1900s: The 100 Most Popular Songs

    Early 1900s: The 100 Most Popular Songs

    The 1900s: 1900-1919 Pop Song Hits

    1. I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy – 1904 (by George M Cohen)
    2. America the Beautiful – 1910
    3. Danny Boy – 1913
    4. Take Me Out To The Ball Game – 1908 (by Jack Norworth & Albert Von Tilzer )
    5. Pomp and Circumstance – 1902 (by Elgar)
    6. The Grand Old Rag (aka “You’re a Grand Old Flag”) – 1906 (by George M. Cohan)
    7. When Irish Eyes Are Smiling – 1912 (by Chauncey Olcott & George Graff Jr, . Ernest R. Ball)
    8. Daddy’s Little Girl – 1905 (by Edward Madden & Theodore F. Morse)
    9. The Bells Of St Mary’s – 1917 (by Douglas Furber & A. Emmett Adams)
    10. Give My Regards to Broadway – 1904 (by George M. Cohan )
    11. Swanee – 1919
    12. Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That’s An Irish Lullaby) – 1913 (by James R. Shannon )
    13. I Ain’t Got Nobody – 1916 (by Roger Graham, Dave Peyton & Spencer Williams)
    14. I Want To Be In Dixie (I’m Going Back To Dixie) – 1911 (by Irving Berlin & Ted Snyder)
    15. The Entertainer – 1902 (by Scott Joplin)
    16. Strike Up the Band (Here Comes a Sailor) – 1900
    17. Anchors Aweigh – 1906 (by Alfred Hart Miles & R. Lovell and Charles A. Zimmerman)
    18. The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous – 1903 (by Dan McAvoy)
    19. Colonel Bogey March – 1914 (by Kenneth J. Alford)
    20. Melody Of Love – 1903 (by Tom Glazer & H. Engelmann)
    21. Flight of the Bumble Bee – 1900 – (by N. Rimsky-Korsakov)
    22. Rite of Spring – 1913 (by Stravinsky)
    23. Over There – 1917 (by George M. Cohan)
    24. Yale Boola! (March and Two-Step) – 1901
    25. Hinky Dinky Parlay Voo – 1919 (by Edward Rowland)
    26. March of the Toys – 1903 (by Victor Herbert, heard in Babes In Toyland)
    27. Frankie and Johnny – 1912
    28. Dardanella – 1919 (by Fred Fisher & Felix Bernard, Johnny S. Black)
    29. You Belong To Me – 1916 (by Harry B. Smith & Victor Herbert)
    30. Alexander’s Ragtime Band – 1911(?)
    31. Hail! Hail! The Gang’s All Here – 1917 (by D. A. Esrom, Theodore F. Morse & Arthur Sullivan)
    32. Fascination – 1915 (by Harold Atteridge & Sigmund Romberg)
    33. McNamara’s Band – 1917 (by John J. Stamford & Shamus O’Connor)
    34. Peg O’ My Heart – 1913 (by Alfred Bryan & Fred Fisher)
    35. Saint Louis Blues – 1914 (by W. C. Handy)
    36. The Glow-Worm – 1902 (by Lilla Cayley Robinson, Heinz Bolten-Backers, Paul Lincke)
    37. Scott Joplin’s New Rag – 1912 (by Scott Joplin)
    38. Hail Hail the Gang’s All Here – 1917
    39. Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet – 1909 (by Stanley Murphy & Percy Wenrich)
    40. Bye, Bye My Honey – Billy Golden (1911)
    41. Joe Turner Blues – 1915 (by Walter Hirsch & W. C. Handy)
    42. It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary – 1912
    43. Ragtime Cowboy Joe – 1912 (by Grant Clarke, Lewis F. Muir & Maurice Abrahams)
    44. Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning – 1918 (by Irving Berlin)
    45. The Whiffenpoof Song – 1909 (by Meade Minnigerode & George S. Pomeroy, Tod B. Galloway)
    46. Alabama Jubilee – 1915 (by Jack Yellen & George L. Cobb)
    47. The Darktown Strutters’ Ball – 1916 (by Shelton Brooks)
    48. Harrigan – 1907 (by George M. Cohan)
    49. Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home – 1902
    50. Let Me Call You Sweetheart – 1910
    51. Keep On The Sunny Side – 1906 (by Jack Drislane & Theodore F. Morse)
    52. Because – 1902
    53. Hiawatha (His Song to Minnehaha) – 1903
    54. Ida! Sweet as Apple Cider – 1903 (by Eddie Leonard & Eddie Munson)
    55. The Aba Daba Honeymoon – 1914 (by Arthur Fields & Walter Donovan)
    56. Play a Simple Melody – 1914 (by Irving Berlin)
    57. Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life – 1910 (by Rida Johnson Young & Victor Herbert)
    58. Ballin’ The Jack – 1913 (by James Henry Burris & Chris Smith)
    59. The Memphis Blues – 1912
    60. American Patrol – 1901(?)
    61. On a Sunday Afternoon – 1902
    62. The Saint Louis Blues – 1914
    63. The Rose Of Tralee – 1912 (by C. Mordaunt Spencer m. Charles W. Glover)
    64. K-K-K-Katy – 1918 (by Geoffrey O’Hara)
    65. There’s A Broken Heart For Every Light On Broadway – 1915 (by Howard Johnson & Fred Fisher)
    66. Syncopated Walk – 1914 (by Irving Berlin)
    67. My Melancholy Baby – 1912 (by George A. Norton & Ernie Burnett)
    68. Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis – 1904
    69. Give Us Just Another Lincoln – 1900
    70. I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now – 1909 (by Will M. Hough & Frank R. Adams, Joseph E. Howard & Harold Orlob)
    71. In the Good Old Summer Time – 1902
    72. Twelfth Street Rag – 1914 (by Euday L. Bowman)
    73. A Little Bit of Heaven – 1915
    74. Casey Jones – 1909 (by T. Lawrence Seibert & Eddie Newton)
    75. Blame It on the Blues – 1914
    76. By the Light of the Silvery Moon – 1909 (by Edward Madden & Gus Edwards)
    77. Waltz Around Again Willie – 1906 (‘Round, ‘Round, ‘Round)
    78. Alcoholic Blues – 1919 (by Edward Laska & Albert Von Tilzer)
    79. I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier – 1915 (by Alfred Bryan & Al Piantadosi )
    80. Shine On Harvest Moon – 1907 (by Nora Bayes & Jack Norworth)
    81. I Can’t Tell Why I Love You But I Do – 1900
    82. Hungarian Rag – 1913 (by Julius Lenzberg)
    83. In My Merry Oldsmobile -1905 (by Vincent P. Bryan & Gus Edwards)
    84. And Then – 1913 (by Alfred Bryan & Herman Paley)
    85. Good Morning, Mr. Zip-Zip-Zip! – 1918
    86. Goodbye, Good Luck, God Bless You – 1916 (by J. Keirn Brennan & Ernest R. Ball)
    87. Mary’s a Grand Old Name – 1905 (from the musical play Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway)
    88. Un Bel Di Madame Butterfly – 1904 (by Puccini)
    89. My Gal Sal – 1905
    90. Concerto for Piano #2 – 1901 (by Rachmaninoff)
    91. Topsy Song – 1910
    92. I’m Always Chasing Rainbows – 1918 (from the Musical Comedy Oh Look!)
    93. On The Road To Mandalay – 1907 (by Rudyard Kipling & Oley Speaks)
    94. Missouri Waltz (Hush-a-Bye, Ma Baby) – 1914
    95. In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree – 1905
    96. Beans! Beans!! Beans!!! – 1912 (by Elmer Bowman & Chris Smith)
    97. Tell Me Pretty Maiden (English Girls and Clerks) – 1900 (featured in Florodora)
    98. A Good Man Is Hard To Find – 1919(?)
    99. The Caissons Go Rolling Along – 1906 (by Edmund L. Gruber)
    100. Uncle Josh in Society – 1909
  • Creation of the Irish Republican Army (IRA)

    Creation of the Irish Republican Army (IRA)

    Creation of the Irish Republican Army (IRA)

    The Irish Republican Army (IRA) has played a prominent role in Irish history and politics, particularly in the struggle for Irish independence. Founded in 1919, the IRA has undergone numerous transformations over the years, resulting in various factions and splinter groups. Its impact on pop culture and the Irish identity has been significant and remains a subject of fascination and controversy.

    • Origins: The IRA was established in January 1919 as the military wing of the Irish Republican movement, primarily as a successor to the Irish Volunteers. It was led by prominent Irish nationalists such as Michael Collins, Richard Mulcahy, and Eamon de Valera, who sought independence from British rule.
    • Irish War of Independence: The IRA played a significant role in the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921), engaging in guerrilla warfare against British forces. The conflict ultimately led to the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty on December 6, 1921, which established the Irish Free State as a self-governing dominion within the British Empire.
    • Irish Civil War: The Anglo-Irish Treaty sparked division among Irish nationalists, leading to the Irish Civil War (1922-1923). The IRA split into pro-treaty and anti-treaty factions, with the former supporting the establishment of the Irish Free State and the latter opposing it in favor of a fully independent Irish Republic. The pro-treaty forces emerged victorious, but the division within the IRA persisted for decades.
    • The Troubles: The IRA experienced a resurgence during the period known as “The Troubles” (late 1960s-1998) in Northern Ireland. The Provisional IRA, a more militant faction formed in 1969, carried out bombings, shootings, and other acts of violence in pursuit of a united Ireland. This period significantly impacted pop culture, with numerous songs, movies, and books focusing on the IRA and the conflict in Northern Ireland.
    • Peace Process: The IRA’s role in the Northern Ireland peace process led to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which established a power-sharing government and largely ended the violence associated with The Troubles. The Provisional IRA announced a ceasefire in 1997 and decommissioned its weapons in 2005.

    The Irish Republican Army was founded in 1919 as a nationalist military organization seeking Irish independence. Its role in the Irish War of Independence, the Irish Civil War, and The Troubles has impacted Irish history, politics, and pop culture. The IRA’s involvement in the peace process has led to significant changes in its status and objectives, but its legacy remains an important aspect of Irish identity.