February 1922

February 1, 1922 (Wednesday)

700,000 rail workers went on strike in Germany. The strike would last for a week.

The British government announced that it would return Weihaiwei to China in eight years.

Walther Rathenau became the new German Foreign Minister.

Born: Renata Tebaldi, soprano, in Pesaro, Italy (d. 2004)

Died: Yamagata Aritomo, 83, Japanese general and 3rd Prime Minister of Japan; William Desmond Taylor, 49, Irish-born American film director and actor (murdered)

February 2, 1922 (Thursday)

The papal conclave to elect a new pope began.

The novel Ulysses by James Joyce was published.

The Soviet newspaper Pravda published the results of a survey among its readers, who came out against Vladimir Lenin attending an economic conference in Genoa in April. It was generally feared that he would be a target for assassination.

An officer of the Royal Irish Constabulary was killed in a clash between the RIC and the Irish Republican Army in Killarney as a wave of violence began in Ireland.

The Jewish communist youth organization Komtsukunft was founded in Poland.

Born: Stoyanka Mutafova, actress, in Sofia, Bulgaria

February 3, 1922 (Friday)

The second trial of Fatty Arbuckle ended in a hung jury.

The U.S. state of Alabama got its first licensed radio station, WGH in Montgomery.

Died: Christiaan de Wet, 67, Boer general, rebel leader and politician; John Butler Yeats, 82, Irish artist

February 4, 1922 (Saturday)

Chauri Chaura incident: A demonstration of protesters participating in the Non-cooperation movement turned violent. After the police fired on the crows and killed 3 civilians, the angry mob set a police station on fire and killed all 23 policemen inside.

At the Washington Naval Conference, Japan agreed to withdraw troops from Shandong, restore German interests in Qingdao and give the Jinan railway back to China.

Ford bought the Lincoln Motor Company for $8 million.

February 5, 1922 (Sunday)

The first issue of Reader's Digest was published.

February 6, 1922 (Monday)

The papal conclave elected the Archbishop of Milan Achille Ratti as the new pope. He took the name Pius XI.

The Washington Naval Conference ended with the Washington Naval Treaty and the Nine-Power Treaty on China.

In Soviet Russia, the Cheka was dissolved and replaced by the State Political Directorate.

António Maria da Silva became Prime Minister of Portugal for the second time.

The World Figure Skating Championships ended in Stockholm. Gillis Grafström of Sweden won the men's competition while Herma Szabo of Austria won the ladies'.

Born: Patrick Macnee, actor, in Paddington, London, England; Denis Norden, comedy writer and television presenter, in Hackney, London, England; Haskell Wexler, cinematographer, film producer and director, in Chicago

February 7, 1922 (Tuesday)

Honduras quit the short-lived Federation of Central America.

Marie Curie was elected to the French Academy of Sciences.

King George V opened a new session of British Parliament. In his speech from the throne he welcomed the agreements reached in the Washington Conference.

Born: Hattie Jacques, comedy actress, in Sandgate, Kent, England (d. 1980)

February 8, 1922 (Wednesday)

The Irish Republican Army kidnapped 42 prominent loyalists and Ulster Special Constabulary constables and held them hostage.

President Harding had the first radio installed in the White House.

February 9, 1922 (Thursday)

The World War Foreign Debts Commission Act was enacted in the United States.

Born: Kathryn Grayson, actress and soprano, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (d. 2010); Jim Laker, cricketer, in Bradford, England (d. 1986)

February 10, 1922 (Friday)

Irish Republican Army volunteers attacked an Ulster Special Constabulary patrol in Clady, County Tyrone. One constable was shot dead.

Born: Árpád Göncz, President of Hungary, in Budapest (d. 2015)

February 11, 1922 (Saturday)

Representatives of the United States and Japan signed a treaty defining American rights in Yap, allowing the U.S. equal access to the use of cable and radio stations there and on other islands mandated to Japan.

IRA volunteers and USC constables engaged in a gunfight in Clones, County Monaghan. 1 IRA officer and 4 USC were killed and the other USC constables captured.

February 12, 1922 (Sunday)

Pope Pius XI was crowned in Rome.

Mahatma Gandhi began a five-day fast as penance for the Chauri Chaura incident.

Violence erupted in Belfast in response to the Clones shootings.

Born: Hussein Onn, 3rd Prime Minister of Malaysia, in Johor Bahru, British Malaya (d. 1990)

February 13, 1922 (Monday)

Anto Gvozdenović became Prime Minister of Montenegro.

The drama film Smilin' Through starring Norma Talmadge was released.

Born: Gordon Tullock, economist, in Rockford, Illinois (d. 2014)

February 14, 1922 (Tuesday)

2MT began regular broadcasts as the first commercial radio station in Britain.

Died: Heikki Ritavuori, 41, Finnish lawyer and politician (assassinated)

February 15, 1922 (Wednesday)

The Permanent Court of International Justice officially began operations in The Hague.

As many as 39 people were dead after four days of violence in Belfast.

German Chancellor Joseph Wirth survived a confidence vote, 220-185. Wirth had been attacked by both the left and right over his handling of the recent railway strike.

A new constitution was adopted in Latvia.

Born: John B. Anderson, politician, in Rockford, Illinois

February 16, 1922 (Thursday)

Czechoslovakia defeated Sweden 3-2 in the Ice Hockey European Championship Final.

Died: John Horton Slaughter, 80, American lawman, cowboy and rancher

February 17, 1922 (Friday)

A mock trial of André Breton was conducted in a Paris café after he had published a polemic against Tristan Tzara, calling him a "publicity mongering imposter", that had split the Dada movement. Erik Satie served as "judge", and 100 other avant-gardists including Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau were in attendance. Breton seemed to be unprepared for the viciousness of the attacks brought against him, and the trial came to mark the unofficial end of Dadism.

Born: Enrico Banducci, impresario, in Bakersfield, California (d. 2007)

February 18, 1922 (Saturday)

Kenesaw Mountain Landis resigned as a U.S. federal judge, explaining he did not have enough time to hold the position while serving as Commissioner of Baseball and aiding the American Legion.

Seven theaters in Washington, D.C. were ordered closed following a safety inquiry conducted after the Knickerbocker Theatre tragedy.

WOK, the first licensed radio station in the state of Arkansas, went on the air in Pine Bluff.

Iowa's first radio station, WOC out of Davenport, went on the air.

Born: Helen Gurley Brown, author, publisher and businesswoman, in Green Forest, Arkansas (d. 2012); Connie Wisniewski, baseball player, in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1995)

February 19, 1922 (Sunday)

New York's WJZ became the first radio station to broadcast a live show. Ed Wynn came in and performed his "Perfect Fool" character, which was having a successful run on Broadway at the time, but he found himself freezing up in front of the microphone without the benefit of a live audience to set his timing off of.

February 20, 1922 (Monday)

The George Gershwin songs Someone and Tra-la-la were performed for the first time, as part of the Broadway show For Goodness Sake.

February 21, 1922 (Tuesday)

The American airship Roma crashed in Norfolk, Virginia, killing 34 people.

The Ernst Lubitsch-directed German epic historical film The Loves of Pharaoh premiered in New York.

February 22, 1922 (Wednesday)

The Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treaty factions of Sinn Féin signed a truce agreeing to revisit the issue in three months.

Presidential elections were held in Guatemala. José María Orellana won with 95% of the vote, although the military had controlled the election and silenced the opposition.

Born: Esperanza Magaz, television actress, in Havana, Cuba (d. 2013)

Died: John Joseph Jolly Kyle, 84, Argentine chemist

February 23, 1922 (Thursday)

Riots broke out in front of the National Diet in Tokyo during demonstrations for universal suffrage.

February 24, 1922 (Friday)

Vladimir Lenin ordered the meltdown of all sacred vessels made of precious metals kept in churches around Soviet Russia.

Born: Richard Hamilton, artist, in Pimlico, London, England (d. 2011); Steven Hill, actor, in Seattle, Washington

February 25, 1922 (Saturday)

British Prime Minister David Lloyd George and his French counterpart Raymond Poincaré had a three-and-a-half hour conference in Boulogne to lay the groundwork for the economic summit in Genoa.

Died: Henri Désiré Landru, 52, French serial killer (executed by guillotine)

February 26, 1922 (Sunday)

Luigi Facta became Prime Minister of Italy.

A Royal Irish Constabulary barracks in Clonmel was attacked by IRA members, who seized a large amount of arms. A number were killed and wounded in the fighting.

Born: William Baumol, economist, in New York City; Bill Johnston, cricketer, in Beeac, Victoria, Australia (d. 2007); Margaret Leighton, actress, in Barnt Green, England (d. 1976); Karl Aage Præst, footballer, in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2011)

February 27, 1922 (Monday)

The first National Radio Conference was opened in Washington, D.C. by Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided Fairchild v. Hughes and Leser v. Garnett.

February 28, 1922 (Tuesday)

Mary, Princess Royal married Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood at Westminster Abbey.

Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence: Britain ended its protectorate over Egypt by unilateral declaration.

Died: Ella O'Neill, 64, mother of Eugene O'Neill and wife of James O'Neill