Kalpana Kalpana (Editor)

February 1915

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The following events occurred in February 1915:

Contents

February 1, 1915 (Monday)

  • Raid on the Suez Canal — An Ottoman force of over 13,000 laid siege to the Suez Canal.
  • Photographs were required in British passports for the first time.
  • No. 17 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was established and would serve in the Middle East.
  • The 57th Infantry Regiment for the Ottoman Empire was established, and would be known for making an incredible sacrifice during the Gallipoli Campaign four months later.
  • William Fox established film studio Fox Film, a precursor to 20th-Century Fox, in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The film studio had its own film laboratory named De Luxe, which was sold in the 1930s and developed to become Deluxe Entertainment Services Group.
  • The women's private school Auckland Presbyterian College for Ladies was established in Auckland but was renamed soon after by the school's first principal Isobel Macdonald to St Cuthbert's College
  • Irish writer Helen Waddell's first play, The Spoiled Buddha, premiered at the Opera House, Belfast, by the Ulster Literary Society.
  • Born: Artur London, Czech statesman, leading member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Ostrava, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic) (d. 1986); Stanley Matthews, English association football player, played for Stoke City F.C. from 1932 to 1947, and from 1961 to 1965, and Blackpool F.C. from 1947 to 1961, in Hanley, Staffordshire, England (d. 2000); Woody Abernathy, American baseball player, pitcher for the New York Giants from 1946 to 1947, in Forest City, North Carolina (d. 1994)
  • Born: Lettice Curtis, British aviator, one of the first female pilots to join the Air Transport Auxiliary, in Devon, England (d. 2014); Alicia Rhett, American actress and painter, best known for her role as India Wilkes in Gone with the Wind, in Savannah, Georgia (d. 2014)
  • Died: Edward B. Watson, American judge, 12th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court (b. 1844); Luke O'Connor, Irish soldier, first ever recipient of the Victoria Cross (b. 1831)

    • February 2, 1915 (Tuesday)

  • Raid on the Suez Canal — With an Ottoman assault likely to occur at the central part of the canal at Lake Timsah, a company of New Zealand infantry was sent to reinforce Gurkha troops already stationed at the site.
  • Maritz Rebellion — The remaining Boer rebels surrendered to the government of the Union of South Africa.
  • 1915 Vanceboro international bridge bombing — German saboteur Werner Horn detonated a suitcase filled with dynamite on the Canadian side of the Saint Croix–Vanceboro Railway Bridge that crossed the U.S.-Canada border between New Brunswick and Maine, but only caused minor damage. Because he detonated the bomb in the early morning when temperatures were −30 °F (−34 °C) with blowing wind, a hotel proprietor where Horn was staying at connected his frostbite injuries to the reports of the bombing and contacted authorities. Horn was arrested later that day by the sheriff of Vanceboro, Maine and two Canadian officers from McAdam, New Brunswick sent to provide assistance in the bombing investigation.
  • Russian seaplane carrier Orlitza was commissioned as the only Imperial Russian Navy seaplane carrier to see service in the Baltic Sea during World War One.
  • Born: Khushwant Singh, Indian writer, recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, in Hadali, British India (d. 2014); Abba Eban, South African-Israeli politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1966 to 1974, in Cape Town (d. 2002); George Lenczowski, Polish-American academic, found of the Center of Middle Eastern Studies at University of California, Berkeley, in St. Petersburg (d. 2000); Bill Chaffey, Australian politician, Member of the Parliament of New South Wales from 1940 to 1973, in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia (d. 1987)
  • Born: Isabel Freire de Matos, Puerto Rican writer and political leader, activist for the Independence movement in Puerto Rico, in Cidra, Puerto Rico (d. 2004); Genevieve Naylor, American photographer, personal photographer for Eleanor Roosevelt, in Springfield, Massachusetts (d. 1989); Stan Leonard, Canadian pro golfer, eight-time winner of the Canadian PGA Championship, in Vancouver (d. 2005)
  • Died: Cameron E. Thom, American politician, 16th Mayor of Los Angeles (b. 1825)

    • February 3, 1915 (Wednesday)

  • German forces attempted their second siege on Osowiec Fortress, a Russian-held stronghold in what is now northeastern Poland.
  • Raid on the Suez Canal — Forces with the British Indian Army prevented the Ottoman Expeditionary Force from crossing the canal.
  • Three of the conspirators involved in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria – Veljko Čubrilović, Danilo Ilić and Miško Jovanović – were executed by hanging.
  • Fugitive rebel leader John Chilembwe, who a week earlier had led an unsuccessful uprising in British colonial Nyasaland (now Malawi) in Africa, was spotted by a police patrol and shot dead near Mulanje. In that time, another 300 rebels were captured and imprisoned, with 40 of them executed. Another 30 successfully escaped into neighbouring Portuguese territory.
  • No. 14 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was established at Shoreham Airport, Lancing, West Sussex, England.
  • The 4th Cavalry Brigade was established in the British Indian Army to serve domestically in British India while the original 9th Cavalry Brigade was serving on the Western Front.
  • The U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service suspended the licences of captains of the river steamer Dora and competing river vessel Charm following a two-day trial involving the collision between both vessels which occurred in January on the Coquille River in Oregon. Competition between river boat company Myrtle Point Transportation Company, which owned Dora, and the Coquille River Company, which owned Charm, had been fierce the months leading up to the river accident. The investigation and trial was prompted after both crews were observed violently arguing and hurling objects at each vessel following the collision. The feud, however, continued into March and resulted in more boat collisions on the river.

    • February 4, 1915 (Thursday)

  • Raid on the Suez Canal — After the invading Ottoman Expeditionary Forces had seemingly disappeared overnight, scouting forces of the British Indian Army ventured east of the canal and captured over 300 Ottoman soldiers while observing many of the enemy columns in retreat.
  • Admiral Hugo von Pohl, commander of the German High Seas Fleet, published a warning in the Deutscher Reichsanzeiger (Imperial German Gazette) that the waters around Great Britain and Ireland were now considered a war zone and that neutral vessels run the risk of being attacked by accident along with Allied shipping.
  • German colonial troops attempted to capture strategic points on the Orange River in South Africa during the Battle of Kakamas, but were repelled by South African forces.
  • Lieutenant W. F. Sharpe, formerly of the Canadian Aviation Corps, became the first Canadian military airman killed when his plane crashed during a training exercise for the Royal Flying Corps.
  • John G. A. Kitchen patented the reversing rudder, which is now used on most boats and jet aircraft.
  • Born: Ray Evans, American composer, known for song hits such as "Mona Lisa" and "Que Sera, Sera", in Salamanca, New York (d. 2007); Norman Wisdom, English comedian, best known for his character Norman Pitkin that appeared in a series of films produced by Rank Organization in the 1950s and 1960s, in London (d. 2010); Walter Reder, German SS officer during World War Two, commanding officer during the Marzabotto massacre, in Freiwaldau, Austria-Hungary (d. 1991)
  • Died: Mary Elizabeth Braddon, English popular novelist, author of Lady Audley's Secret (b. 1837); Baldomero Aguinaldo, Filipino revolutionary leader, leader of the revolutionary forces during the Philippine–American War (b. 1869)

    • February 5, 1915 (Friday)

  • Raid on the Suez Canal — British aircraft spotted and bombed a large concentration of Ottoman forces east of the Suez.
  • Montana created two new counties: Phillips County, Montana with its county seat in Malta, and Prairie County, Montana, with its county seat in Terry.
  • German classical pianist and composer Max Reger debuted "Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart" at a Berlin concert, with it becoming one of his most popular compositions.
  • Born: Robert Hofstadter, American physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on atoms and the behavior of electrons, in New York City (d. 1990); Germán Rieckehoff, Puerto Rican sports official, president of the Puerto Rican Olympic Committee, in Vieques, Puerto Rico (d. 1997); John Bridge, British bomb disposal expert during World War Two, recipient of the George Cross, in Warrington, England (d. 2006)
  • Born: Gabriel Vargas, Mexican cartoonist, creator of the comic strip La Familia Burrón, in Tulancingo, Mexico (d. 2010); Margaret Millar, Canadian-American mystery writer, known for the Paul Prye, Inspector Sands, and Tom Aragon mystery serials, wife to mystery writer Ross Macdonald, in Kitchener, Ontario (d. 1994); Kurt Sochatzy, German Luftwaffe pilot during World War Two, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, in Schloß Pragerhof, Austria-Hungary (d. 1996)
  • Died: Ross Barnes, American baseball player, shortstop and second baseman for the Boston Red Stockings from 1871 to 1875 (b. 1850)

    • February 6, 1915 (Saturday)

  • British destroyer HMS Erne was driven ashore by high winds and wrecked at Rattray Head, Aberdeenshire, Scotland with all her crew surviving.
  • Frustrated in delays with securing passage back to Europe, German marine commander Hellmuth von Mücke marched his force from Hodeida to Sana'a on the Arabian peninsula to secure a ship. The group had been cut off from any help from the Imperial German Navy since their ship SMS Emden was damaged and run aground at the Battle of Cocos in the Indian Ocean, forcing the crew to hitch onto a freighter to reach the Middle East.
  • The Welsh Guards was formed as one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army.
  • The name for the Los Angeles-based dance academy Denishawn originated during a promotional contest for a show professional dancers Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn held for a performance in Portland, Oregon. The contest was to provide the name of the dance show with the contest winner receiving eight box seats in the concert hall. The uncontested winner was an amalgamation of the couple's surnames.
  • W. B. Yeats wrote "On being asked for a War Poem" in a response to a request by Henry James to contribute a poetic political commentary on World War One. The poem would be first published in Edith Wharton's The Book of the Homeless in 1916 as "A Reason for Keeping Silent".
  • Sporting Clube do Príncipe was established, the oldest sports club for the African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe.
  • The Statler Hotel opened in Detroit and operated until 1975. The building was demolished in 2005.
  • Born: Danuta Szaflarska, Polish stage and film actress, known for roles such as The Impossible Goodbye and Korczak, in Kosarzyska, Austria-Hungary (now Poland) (d. 2017); Donald Friend, Australian artist, member of the Merioola Group, in Cremorne, New South Wales, Australia (d. 1989)
  • Died: Aleksei Birilev, Russian naval officer, Minister of the Navy from 1905 to 1907 (b. 1844); Théophile Poilpot, French painter, known for historical painting depictions including Battle of Jena and Bull Run (b. 1848)

    • February 7, 1915 (Sunday)

  • Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes — The German 8th Army launched an attack against Russian forces on the Eastern Front and began capturing the opposing side's poorly defended trenches.
  • The association football club Landskrona BoIS formed from the merger of two earlier established clubs in Landskrona, Sweden.
  • The Canadian Maritimes Eastern Professional Hockey League folded after the league was reduced to two teams. The league originally started as the Interprovincial Professional Hockey League with three teams before it folded and was replaced by the Maritime Professional Hockey League which had seven.
  • Born: Teoctist Arăpașu, Romanian clergy, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church from 1986 to 2007, in Stăuceni, Botoșani, Romania (d. 2007); Eddie Bracken, American actor, best known for his film roles in The Miracle of Morgan's Creek and Hail the Conquering Hero, in New York City (d. 2002); Jack Smith, British association football player, played forward for Manchester United from 1938 to 1947, held record for scoring 119 goals in 216 league games over the nine-year period, in Batley, England (d. 1975)
  • Died: Cemile Sultan, Ottoman noble, daughter of Sultan Abdülmecid I (b. 1843)

    • February 8, 1915 (Monday)

  • Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes — The German 10th Army launched their own attack against the Russian line to capitalize on the success made yesterday by the 9th Army. Despite heavy snow and bad roads slowing advances, German soldiers managed to advance 120 km (75 mi) in a week and inflict severe casualties on the Russians.
  • The controversial film The Birth of a Nation, directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish, premiered in Los Angeles. Adapted from the novel and play The Clansman, both by Thomas Dixon, Jr., the American Civil War epic became the first movie blockbuster and retained the rank of highest-grossing film ever for the next 25 years. However, the film also drew major criticism for Dixon's revisionist history of the Reconstruction Era that followed the war, which portrayed the members of the Ku Klux Klan as heroic defenders of freedom and African-American males as violent and sexually aggressive towards white women. Some film historians attributed the film's popularity to a rise of Klan memberships during the late-1910s and 1920s.
  • Born: Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este, Austrian noble, second son to Charles I of Austria, last Emperor of Austria-Hungary (d. 1996); James Wreford Watson, Scottish-Canadian geographer and poet, pioneer of social geography, recipient of the Governor General's Award for poetry, in Shaanxi, China (d. 1990)
  • Born: David Gordon Hines, British colonial officer, oversaw modern developments in agriculture for Tanzania and Uganda, in Staffordshire, England (d. 2000); John Summers, British association football player, played outside-forward for Leicester City F.C., Derby County F.C. and Southampton F.C., in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England (d. 1991)
  • Born: Georges Guétary, French singer, best known for his role in An American in Paris, in Alexandria (d. 1997); Alvin Lustig, American book designer, best known for his award-winning design work for New Directions Publishing, in Denver (d. 1955); Martin Sommer, German SS soldier during World War Two, notorious guard at the Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps, in Schkölen, Germany (d. 1988)
  • Died: Takashi Nagatsuka 長塚 節, Japanese poet and novelist, best known for his novel Tsuchi (The Soil) (b. 1879); Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, British noble and politician, held various cabinet positions including Lord President of the Council, President of the Board of Education and Postmaster General (b. 1852); Arthur Keen, British engineer and businessman, co-founder of the engineering firm Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds (b. 1835)

    • February 9, 1915 (Tuesday)

  • The private Catholic boys school Instituto O'Higgins de Rancagua was established in Rancagua, Chile by the Marist Brothers religious order. In 2000, the school began enrolling female students.
  • Born: Lennard Pearce, British actor, best known for his character Grandad in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, in London (d. 1984); Roseller T. Lim, Filipino politician, member of the Senate of the Philippines from 1955 to 1963, famously tried to prevent the election of Ferdinand Marcos to the President of the Senate with an 18-hour filibuster (d. 1976); Max Schubert, Australian winemaker, creator of the Penfolds Grange wine, in Moculta, South Australia (d. 1994)
  • Died: Frank Channing Haddock, American author, member of the New Thought movement and author of the multi-volume series The Power-Book Library (b. 1853); William W. Fraser, American soldier, recipient of the Medal of Honor for action during the Siege of Vicksburg (b. 1844); Norman B. Ream, American businessman, renowned business adviser to J. P. Morgan, Marshall Field, and George Pullman (b. 1844)

    • February 10, 1915 (Wednesday)

  • Raid on the Suez Canal — Most of the Ottoman forces had left the Suez Canal area except for a force of 400 men. The Ottoman Expeditionary Force was estimated to have sustained over 1,500 casualties including 716 prisoners while the British recorded 32 killed and 130 wounded.
  • No. 16 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was established at Saint-Omer, France.
  • The General Aeroplane Company was formed in Detroit to develop new commercial plane models. In its brief existence before it was dissolved four years later, the company developed three aircraft for World War One, including the Verville Flying Boat designed by Alfred V. Verville.
  • Born: Karl Winsch, American professional baseball player, manager of the South Bend Blue Sox from 1951 to 1954, in Allentown, Pennsylvania (d. 2001); Mervyn Levy, Welsh artist and critic, best known for his monograph representations of various artists and literary figures, in Swansea, Wales (d. 1996)
  • Died: William Neilson, Canadian businessman, founder of Neilson Dairy (b. 1844)

    • February 11, 1915 (Thursday)

  • Born: Patrick Leigh Fermor, British author and soldier, author of A Time of Gifts, in London (d. 2011); Zeke Zekley, American cartoonist, best known for the comic strip Bringing Up Father, in Chicago (d. 2005)

    • February 12, 1915 (Friday)

  • Russian Sikorsky Ilya Muromets bombers were used for the first time since their development on a bombing raid of the Vistula-Dobrzhani area of Poland.
  • The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sapporo was established in Sapporo, Japan.
  • American biologist Ernest Everett Just became the first recipient of the Spingarn Medal awarded by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for this scientific achievements in the field of cell biology and “foremost service to his race."
  • The association football club Liverpool Fútbol Club was formed in Montevideo, taking on the British namesake as most of the coal ships in the Uruguay port were from Liverpool.
  • The American comedy-drama film Across the Way, starring Boyd Marshall, was released across the United States, then in Great Britain in July.
  • Born: Richard G. Colbert, American naval officer, President of the Naval War College from 1968 to 1971, and commander in chief of all NATO forces in southern Europe from 1972 to 1973, in Brownsville, Pennsylvania (d. 1973); Lamberto V. Avellana, Filipino film actor and director, first recipient of the National Artist of the Philippines, in Bontoc, Mountain Province, Philippines (d. 1991)
  • Born: Lorne Greene, Canadian actor and newscaster, best known for his patriarchal roles in Bonanza and Battlestar Galactica, nicknamed the "Voice of Doom" during his days as a CBC Radio newscaster during World War Two, in Ottawa (d. 1987); Olivia Hooker, American sailor, first African-American woman to serve in the United States Coast Guard, in Muskogee, Oklahoma (still alive in 2016)
  • Died: Fanny Crosby, American hymn writer, author of over 8,000 hymns and gospel songs and 1,000 secular poems despite being blind (b. 1820); Emile Waldteufel, French composer, best known for his prolific compositions for polkas and waltzes (b. 1837)

    • February 13, 1915 (Saturday)

  • Born: Aung San, Burmese national leader, 5th Premier of British Crown Colony of Burma from 1946 to 1947, in Natmauk, British Burma (d. 1947, assassinated); Lyle Bettger, American actor, known for film character roles including The Greatest Show on Earth, in Philadelphia (d. 2003)
  • Died: Andrew J. Bates, American businessman, founder of the Bates Shoe Company (now part of Wolverine World Wide) (b. 1839)

    • February 14, 1915 (Sunday)

  • The 1st Canadian Division arrived in France.
  • No. 11 Squadron and No. 12 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps were established at Netheravon, England.
  • The first contingent of 500 Māori soldiers sailed for Egypt aboard SS Wairrimoo, reversing an earlier decision not to have New Zealand's indigenous population participate in the war effort.
  • After weeks moored in thick ice, the crew of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition attempted to free their ship Endurance by hacking through the ice pack with ice-chisels, prickers, saws and picks. When the effort proved futile, expedition leader Ernest Shackleton wrote he now expected the "possibility of having to spend a winter in the inhospitable arms of the pack".
  • The first Inter-Allied Socialist Conference was held in London, with 40 delegates from five countries attending. Three more conferences would be held before the end of World War One.
  • The association football club A.S. Livorno Calcio was established in Livorno, Italy.
  • An annular solar eclipse was observed in western Australia and Papua New Guinea.
  • Born: Red Barrett, American baseball pitcher, pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves and St. Louis Cardinals, in Santa Barbara, California (d. 1990); Henry A. Miley, Jr., American army officer, commanding general of the United States Army Materiel Command from 1970 to 1975, in Boston (d. 2010); Chen Yonggui, Chinese politician, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1978 to 1980 (d. 1986)
  • Died: Cornelius Coughlan, Irish soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross for gallantry in 1857 at Delhi, India (b. 1828)

    • February 15, 1915 (Monday)

  • 1915 Singapore Mutiny — Nearly half of the Indian soldiers with the 5th Light Infantry stationed in Singapore rose up in mutiny, which lasted nearly a full week and causing 47 deaths before it was quelled. The incident was linked with the larger Ghadar Mutiny, an attempt to end the British Raj in India.
  • Edna Purviance made her film debut with Charlie Chaplin in A Night Out, the first film Chaplin released through Essanay Studios. Shortly after, Purviance and Chaplin became romantically involved, and she became his leading lady for his next 30 films, including the 1921 classic The Kid.
  • The Hippodrome Theatre in Terre Haute, Indiana officially opened. Because of its unique design by theatre architect John Eberson, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
  • The association football club A.S. Livorno Calcio was established in Livorno, Italy.
  • Born: Sam Kydd, Irish actor, best known for his 1960s TV roles in Crane and its spin-off Orlando, and later in Coronation Street, in Belfast (d. 1982); Mimi Weddell, American actress, best known for her roles in Sex and the City and Hats Off, in Williston, North Dakota (b. 2009); Oğuz Tansel, Turkish poet, leading free verse poet in Turkey during the 1940s, in Konya, Turkey (d. 1994)
  • Died: Hafiz Hakki Pasha, Ottoman army officer, one of the commanding officers of the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Sarikamish (b. 1878); Henry Clay Caldwell, American jurist, judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit from 1891 to 1903 (b. 1832)

    • February 16, 1915 (Tuesday)

  • Born: Elisabeth Eybers, South African poet, known for her poem collections in the Afrikaans language, in Klerksdorp, Transvaal, South Africa (d. 2007); Jim O'Hora, American college football coach, member of the coaching staff for Pennsylvania State University from 1946 to 1977, in Dunmore, Pennsylvania (d. 2005); Calvin Frazier, American blues musician, associate to Robert Johnson, in Osceola, Arkansas (d. 1972)
  • Died: Henry L. Nichols, American politician, Secretary of State of California from 1867 to 1871 (b. 1823)

    • February 17, 1915 (Wednesday)

  • 1915 Singapore Mutiny — French, Japanese and Russian sailors and marines landed in Singapore to help British soldiers and local police capture mutinous soldiers with the Indian Army.
  • HMS Ark Royal, the first seaplane carrier of the Royal Navy, flew an air reconnaissance over the Dardanelles near Turkey, as a prelude to British naval action against the Ottoman Empire.
  • The pair of Zeppelin airships that bombed England were wrecked in Denmark while searching for British ships off Norway.
  • The Łódź Philharmonic symphony orchestra was established in Łódź, then part of the Russian Empire (now Poland).
  • Died: George Franklin Barber, American architect, best known for his residential "Barber" houses including the Isaac Ziegler House in Knoxville, Tennessee and the John Calvin Owings House in Laurens, South Carolina, all documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (b. 1854)

    • February 18, 1915 (Thursday)

  • Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes — Russian troops with the 20th Army Corps were surrounded by German forces in Augustow Forest in western Poland but used their last stand to buy time for the retreating Russian 10th Army to reform their defenses.
  • 1915 Singapore Mutiny — Allied forces captured 432 mutineers from the 5th Light Infantry. Reinforcements from Rangoon relieved Allied naval forces and captured the remaining mutineers three days later.
  • German battleship SMS Bayern was launched at the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft shipyard in Kiel, Germany. It was one of the ships scuttled in Scapa Flow.
  • The V Corps of the British Army was established under command of Sir Herbert Plumer. The corps engaged in most of the major battles on the Western Front including Ypres, Somme and Ancre.
  • Born: Marcel Landowski, French composer, biographer and arts administrator, best known for his film scores such as Gigi, in Pont-l'Abbé, France (d. 1999); Phyllis Calvert, British actress, known for roles in The Man in Grey and Fanny by Gaslight, in London (d. 2002); Marion H. Crank, American politician, member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1951 to 1968, in Bearden, Arkansas (d. 1994)
  • Died: Frank James, American outlaw, older brother of outlaw Jesse James and member of the James–Younger Gang (b. 1843); Harry Ward Leonard, American inventor, developed the Ward Leonard control motor system used in trains, anti-aircraft guns and elevators (b. 1861); Kenneth Powell, British tennis player, competed in the 1908 and the 1912 Summer Olympics as well as eight Wimbledon Championships, killed in action at Ypres (b. 1885)

    • February 19, 1915 (Friday)

  • Naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign in the east Mediterranean commenced with two Royal Navy destroyers sent to test the straits leading to Constantinople. When fired upon by seaside forts, British battleships HMS Cornwallis and Vengeance moved in to engage.
  • Born: John Freeman, British politician, Member of Parliament for Watford from 1945 to 1955, in London (d. 2014); Georg Quistgaard, Danish resistance fighter during World War Two, in Copenhagen (d. 1944, executed); Fritz Joachim Weyl, Swiss mathematician, leading researcher in applied mathematics, in Zürich (d. 1977)

    • February 20, 1915 (Saturday)

  • The Panama–Pacific International Exposition opened in San Francisco, California.
  • Born: Thomas J. McIntyre, American politician, U.S. Senator for New Hampshire from 1962 to 1979, in Laconia, New Hampshire (d. 1992); Chick Harbert, American pro golfer, seven-time winner of the PGA Tour, in Dayton, Ohio (d. 1992); Osborne B. Wiseman, American navy pilot, recipient of the Navy Cross, in Zanesville, Ohio (d. 1942, killed at the Battle of Midway)
  • Died: Iwamura Michitoshi, Japanese statesman, adviser to Emperor Meiji (b. 1840)

    • February 21, 1915 (Sunday)

  • Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes — Russian troops with the 20th Army Corps holding out in Poland's Augustow Forest surrendered to German forces.
  • Canadian feminist Nellie McClung presented a petition to the Alberta Legislature demanding women's suffrage.
  • While still held fast in the ice, the British polar expedition ship Endurance began to drift with the ice to her most southerly latitude, 76°58′S, after which the pack began to drift in a northerly direction away from the Antarctic.
  • Born: Ann Sheridan, American film actress, known for film roles such as Angels with Dirty Faces and The Man Who Came to Dinner, in Denton, Texas (d. 1967); Roland von Hößlin, German Wehrmacht officer during World War Two, member of the group involved in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, in Munich, (d. 1944, executed)

    • February 22, 1915 (Monday)

  • Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes — Soldiers with the Russian 12th Army counterattacked advancing German forces and their checked their advance, forcing the battle to end. Russian casualties were heavy, with an estimated 200,000 casualties. Estimates of Russian soldiers captured during the week-long retreat varied, with some citing 92,000 Russian prisoners and 300 captured guns while others cited 56,000 prisoners and 185 captured guns. Germans losses were light, with 16,200 casualties.
  • The Federación Novena de Football Clubes was founded as management organization for association football clubs in Andalusia, Spain. The name was changed to its present title Andalusia Football Federation in 1950.
  • The Allan Dwan directed film David Harum was released. The film was the first in long line of a successful romantic onscreen pairings of actors May Allison and Harold Lockwood, who appeared together in about 25 films until 1918 when Lockwood died from Spanish influenza during a pandemic.
  • Born: Puvvula Suri Babu, Indian actor, known for stage and film roles including Draupadi Vastrapaharanam and Raithu Bidda in Gudivada, India (d. 1968); David Todd, American architect, designer of the Manhattan Plaza in New York City, in Middletown, Ohio (d. 2008)
  • Died: Cornelius C. Beekman, American banker, lead banker in Jacksonville, Oregon (b. 1828)

    • February 23, 1915 (Tuesday)

  • Joseph Davilmar Théodore was forced to resign as President of Haiti following a counter-revolution in the country. He had been in office only four months following the toppling of president Oreste Zamor in October 1914.
  • 1915 Singapore Mutiny — A court on inquiry was held to investigate the causes of the mutiny and would last until May 15.
  • The Hungarian operetta Zsuzsi kisasszony, also known as Miss Springtime in English, by Emmerich Kálmán premiered at Vig theatre in Budapest, and would premier a year later on Broadway.
  • Born: Paul Tibbets, American Air Force officer, pilot of the Enola Gay, in Quincy, Illinois (d. 2007); Jon Hall, American film actor, best known for adventure roles for Universal Pictures such as The Hurricane and Kit Carson, in Fresno, California (d. 1979)
  • Died: Theodore M. Davis, American lawyer, sponsor of the archaeological Valley of the Kings excavations in Egypt from 1902 to 1914 (b. 1837); Flaxman Charles John Spurrell, English archaeologist and photographer, leading expert on early Britain inhabitants, particularly around Kent, England (b. 1842)

    • February 24, 1915 (Wednesday)

  • French destroyer Dague struck a mine and sank at Bar, Montenegro with the loss of 38 of her crew.
  • With the polar expedition ship Endurance now likely trapped in the ice pack for the entire Antarctic winter, Ernest Shackleton ordered the crew to build ice-kennels for the expedition dogs off-board and convert the ship's interior to winter quarters.
  • Born: Carlos Prats, Chilean army officer and politician, Commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army during the 1973 coup (d. 1974, assassinated); George P. Jenkins, American business executive, chairman for MetLife from 1973 to 1980, in Clarksburg, West Virginia (d. 2009); Jim Ferrier, Australian-American pro golfer, winner of the 1947 PGA Championship, in Sydney (d. 1986)
  • Died: Adonis Terry, American baseball player, noted player for the Brooklyn Atlantics and the Chicago Colts (b. 1864)

    • February 25, 1915 (Thursday)

  • Royal Navy battleships HMS Cornwallis, Albion and Vengeance bombarded sea forts held by the Ottoman Empire in the Dardanelles straits.
  • Vilbrun Guillaume Sam became President of Haiti.
  • Ottoman War Minister Enver Pasha issued a directive ordering all ethnic Armenians serving in the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire to be removed from their posts assigned to labour battalions on the fear they would "collaborate with the Russians."
  • Bluff War — Members of the Paiute and Ute tribes in Utah exchanged gunfire with a 50-man posse what was referred to as the Battle of Cottonwood Gulch. The posse had been organized in Bluff, Utah to bring in the son of a Paiute chief alleged in causing the death of a shepherd at year before. The firefight ended in a truce after several hours, but resulted in at least one death and several wounded among the posse. It was one of the last major armed conflicts between the United States and Native Americans.
  • The first edition of the Stuyvesant High School newspaper The Spectator was published in New York City.
  • Died: John Minto, English-American pioneer and politician, four-term member of Oregon House of Representatives (b. 1822); John Chipman Gray, American lawyer, co-founder of Ropes & Gray, half-brother to U.S. Supreme Court Justics Horace Gray (b. 1839); Charles Edwin Bessey, American botanist, developed the Bessey system used to classify plants (b. 1845)

    • February 26, 1915 (Friday)

  • A second German attempt to bomb the England using airships failed when strong headwinds force the Zeppelins to land at an Imperial German Army camp in German-occupied Belgium.
  • Born: Luther Christman, American medical administrator in nursing, in Summit Hill, Pennsylvania, founder of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing (d. 2011)

    • February 27, 1915 (Saturday)

  • Battle of Hartmannswillerkopf — French forces shelled then attacked German defenses on the Hartmannswillerkopf summit on the French-German border but were pushed back.
  • British racing driver Dario Resta won the 6th running of the American Grand Prize in San Francisco driving a Peugeot EX3 in over 644.22 km (6.195 km x 104 laps) in 7:07:53.
  • Sir Arthur Conan Doyle released the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel The Valley of Fear in book form by the George H. Doran Company in New York City. The story was first published in the Strand Magazine between September 1914 and May 1915.
  • Born: Denis Whitaker, Canadian soldier, recipient of the Distinguished Service Order for being the only commanding officer to reach Dieppe, France during the raid in World War Two, in Calgary (d. 2001); Jerry D. Page, American U.S. Air Force officer, commandant of the Air War College from 1966 to 1967, in Manila (d. 1989)
  • Died: W. U. Hensel, American politician, 40th Attorney General of Pennsylvania (b. 1851); Raphael of Brooklyn, Syrian-American clergy, bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church and auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn, first Orthodox Christian bishop consecrated on American soil (b. 1860)

    • February 28, 1915 (Sunday)

  • Canadian troops launched the first trench raid of World War One. By the end of the conflict Canadian troops were regarded as experts at this manoeuvre.
  • British poet Rupert Brooke sailed with the British Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. During the campaign he developed sepsis from an infected mosquito bite, which ended with his death in a hospital ship off Skyros. His collection 1914 & Other Poems, including the sonnet "The Soldier", was published posthumously in May.
  • Born: Peter Medawar, Brazilian-American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research and innovation in organ transplantation, in Petrópolis, Brazil (d. 1987); Zero Mostel, American film and stage actor, best known for playing Tevye in the Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof and the lead role in Mel Brooks' The Producers, in New York City (d. 1977)
  • Born: John Warren Cooke, American politician, 50th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1968 to 1979, in Mathews, Virginia (d. 2009); Bahadır Alkım, Turkish archaeologist, made major archaeological discoveries about the Assyrians and the Hittites, in İzmir, Turkey (d. 1981); Bill Binder, American businessman, owner of the famed Philippe's restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, in Milwaukee (d. 2010)

    • References

    February 1915 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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