March 1923

March 1, 1923 (Thursday)

France and Belgium imposed the death penalty on anyone in occupied Germany sabotaging transport lines.

Pola Negri released a written statement saying she was breaking off her engagement to Charlie Chaplin. "I consider I am too poor to marry Charlie Chaplin", the statement read. "He needs to marry a wealthy woman, and he should have no difficulty in finding one in the United States – the richest and most beautiful country in the world."

March 2, 1923 (Friday)

The U.S. Senate began an investigation into the possibly criminal activities of Charles R. Forbes at U.S. Veterans' Bureau.

Pola Negri made another announcement saying a reconciliation with Charlie Chaplin had been effected. "We have made up. I believe that it is what you call it here in America", she stated.

March 3, 1923 (Saturday)

The U.S. Senate rejected President Warren G. Harding's proposal to join the World Court.

This is the cover date (not necessarily the publication date) of the first issue of Time magazine. Retired U.S. Speaker of the House Joseph G. Cannon was on the cover.

Born: Doc Watson, folk musician, in Deep Gap, North Carolina (d. 2012)

March 4, 1923 (Sunday)

A lengthy article titled "Better Fewer, But Better" by Vladimir Lenin was published in Pravda. In it, he wrote that global revolution was inevitable because Eastern countries like Russia, India and China accounted for the overwhleming majority of the world's population, but the victory of socialism may have to wait until they were sufficiently educated and developed.

President Harding signed the Agricultural Credits Act, providing for the establishment of regional banks to provide loans to farm cooperative associations from which farmers could borrow.

IK Göta defeated Djurgårdens IF 3-0 to win the Swedish Ice Hockey Championship.

The Anti-Flirt Club, whose purpose was to protect young women and girls from unwelcome attention from men, launched "Anti-Flirt Week".

Born: Patrick Moore, astronomer, in Pinner, England (d. 2012); Piero D'Inzeo, Olympic show jumping rider, in Rome (d. 2014)

March 5, 1923 (Monday)

Soviet Foreign Affairs Minister Georgy Chicherin delivered a note of protest to Finnish ambassador Antti Hackzell protesting Finland's negotiations with the League of Nations over the Karelia region, which the Soviets saw as theirs.

Born: Laurence Tisch, businessman and CEO of the CBS television network, in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2003)

March 6, 1923 (Tuesday)

The Egyptian Feminist Union (Arabic: الاتحاد النسائي المصري), the first nationwide feminist movement in Egypt, was founded at the home of activist Huda Sha'arawi.

German Chancellor Wilhelm Cuno told the Reichstag that Germany would not enter direct negotiations with France over the reparations issue, but would do so through a third party.

The Halibut Treaty was signed between the United States and Canada. It was the first time Canada had ever signed a treaty with a foreign nation without involving a representative from Britain.

The government of British Prime Minister Bonar Law was pressured by the opposition to take a more definite stand on the issue of France's policy toward the Ruhr region.

Born: Ed McMahon, television personality, in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2009); Wes Montgomery, jazz guitarist, in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 1968)

Died: Joseph McDermott, 44, American film actor

March 7, 1923 (Wednesday)

Adolf Hitler told the Chicago Tribune that he would support Henry Ford if he ran for President of the United States, though he denied that the Nazi Party had received any financial backing from Ford. The Nazis had established a large organization in Munich sending out reproductions of antisemetic writings first published in the Ford-owned newspaper The Dearborn Independent.

Neville Chamberlain was appointed Britain's Minister of Health.

Born: Mahlon Clark, musician, in Portsmouth, Virginia (d. 2007)

March 8, 1923 (Thursday)

The short comedy film The Love Nest starring Buster Keaton was released. It was the final short film of Keaton's silent-era career as he would concentrate on feature-length movies over the next decade.

Born: Louk Hulsman, legal scientist and criminologist, in Kerkrade, Netherlands (d. 2009)

Died: Johannes Diderik van der Waals, 85, Dutch physicist and Nobel Prize laureate

March 9, 1923 (Friday)

Vladimir Lenin suffered his third stroke in less than a year, depriving him of the ability to speak and effectively ending his political career, though he remained the official leader of the Communist Party until his death.

Thirty policemen in New York City were exposed as members of the Ku Klux Klan.

The first bill ever introduced by a woman in the British House of Commons was carried, 338 to 56. It was Lady Astor's bill forbidding the sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises to persons under 18 years of age. The previous law allowed sales of beer to 14-year olds and spirits to those of 16.

Born: James L. Buckley, senator and judge, in New York City; Walter Kohn, physicist and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, in Vienna, Austria

March 10, 1923 (Saturday)

Two French officials (an army officer and a railway chief) were found murdered near occupied Buer, Germany.

The Villarreal football club was founded in Spain.

Born: Val Logsdon Fitch, nuclear physicist and Nobel Prize laureate, in Merriman, Nebraska

March 11, 1923 (Sunday)

98 men and women associated with the cause of Éamon de Valera who had been rounded up in England and Scotland were deported on a British cruiser from Liverpool to Dublin.

Sweden won the Ice Hockey European Championship, finishing with a perfect 4–0 record.

Died: Karl von Müller, 49, German naval captain

March 12, 1923 (Monday)

7 were killed and 13 wounded in fresh clashes between French troops and German civilians in the occupied Ruhr region following the murder of the two French officials.

The trial of William Z. Foster began in St. Joseph, Michigan with jury selection. Foster was accused of being a communist who violated the state law against taking actions involving "criminal syndicalism".

Born: Hjalmar Andersen, Olympic speed skater, in Rødøy, Norway (d. 2013); Wally Schirra, astronaut, in La Jolla, California (d. 2007); Mae Young, professional wrestler, in Sand Springs, Oklahoma (d. 2014)

March 13, 1923 (Tuesday)

French Minister of War André Maginot announced that another 15,000 troops would be sent into the Ruhr and Rhineland.

The Soviet Union first publicized the recent stroke suffered by Vladimir Lenin but described his condition as "satisfactory".

A $50,000 paternity suit was brought against Babe Ruth by a 19-year-old Manhattan woman.

March 14, 1923 (Wednesday)

Rudolph Valentino and Natacha Rambova were legally remarried in Crown Point, Indiana.

Pete Parker called the play-by-play of the first ice hockey game ever broadcast on the radio in its entirety, between the Regina Capitals and the Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Canada Hockey League.

Born: Diane Arbus, photographer, in New York City (d. 1971)

March 15, 1923 (Thursday)

Germany offered 20 billion gold marks to end the occupation of the Ruhr.

The prosecution made its opening argument in the trial of William Z. Foster. State Attorney Assistant General O.L. Smith declared that the state would show that Foster had assisted the Communist Party, which promoted "crime, sabotage, violence", and other forms of terrorism. Defense attorney Frank P. Walsh countered that the evidence would show that Foster did not attend the Bridgman Convention as a communist, and that the convention was held by the Communist Party for the express purpose of voting on whether or not to abandon its underground status and become a public organization.

March 16, 1923 (Friday)

An Irish Republican Army manifesto threatened to bomb the La Scala Opera House in Dublin if the St. Patrick's Day boxing championship bout between Mike McTigue and Battling Siki went forward.

The Western film The Covered Wagon premiered at the Criterion Theatre in New York City.

March 17, 1923 (Saturday)

Mike McTigue beat Battling Siki to win boxing's World Light Heavyweight Championship by 20-round decision at La Scala Opera House in Dublin, Ireland. The police presence was heavy due to the bomb threat, and one exploded near the venue as the boxers were entering the ring. Two children were injured and nearby windows were blown out by the blast.

U.S. Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty announced that President Warren G. Harding would run for re-election in 1924, barring unforeseen ill health.

Born: Tony Leswick, ice hockey player, in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada (d. 2001)

March 18, 1923 (Sunday)

Unconfirmed reports claimed that Vladimir Lenin had died. Moscow issued a bulletin which denied the reports and said his health was improving.

The New York Times published an interview with George Mallory in which he was asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest. He famously answered, "because it is there."

The film The Isle of Lost Ships was released.

March 19, 1923 (Monday)

In Egypt, Lord Carnarvon became seriously ill from a mosquito bite, probably from blood poisoning.

Born: Henry Morgentaler, Polish-born Canadian physician, in Łódź (d. 2013)

March 20, 1923 (Tuesday)

A representative for the German Ministry of Finance said that hyperinflation and the occupation of the Ruhr had made it impossible to manage the country's finances, with the budget for 1922–23 showing a deficit of 7.1 trillion marks.

The Soviet Union announced that it was sending 70,000 tons of grain to help workers in the Ruhr.

Died: George Everard Gibbons, 27, British World War I flying ace

March 21, 1923 (Wednesday)

Jan Cieplak, Konstantin Budkevich and fourteen other priests were put on trial in the Soviet Union on charges of counter-revolutionary activities.

Born: Al Baldwin, American football player, in Hot Springs, Arkansas (d. 1994); Merle Keagle, baseball player, in Tolleson, Arizona (d. 1960); Nirmala Srivastava, founder of Sahaja Yoga, in Chhindwara, British India (d. 2011)

Died: Thomas Sanderson, 1st Baron Sanderson, 82, British civil servant

March 22, 1923 (Thursday)

Phi Eta Sigma, the oldest freshman honor society, was founded at the University of Illinois.

Born: Cliff Lewis, American football player, in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2002); Marcel Marceau, actor and mime, in Strasbourg, France (d. 2007)

March 23, 1923 (Friday)

The Treaty of Niš was signed between the Kingdom of Serbs, Croates and Slovenes and the Kingdom of Bulgaria.

Sergeant Murphy won the Grand National horse race.

Cutty Sark Scotch whisky was introduced.

Klubi Sportiv Flamurtari Vlorë, a football club based in Vlorë, Albania, was founded.

Born: Arnie Weinmeister, American and Canadian football player, in Rhein, Saskatchewan, Canada (d. 2000)

March 24, 1923 (Saturday)

Prosecutor Nikolai Krylenko made his closing speech in the trial of 16 priests, demanding the death penalty, "not because we are bloodthirsty, but because this is a political necessity. We must safeguard our regime ... We cannot recognize the defense that they must obey the canons of the church and that first they are priests and afterwards citizens."

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake rocked Sichuan Province in China, resulting in 3,500 deaths.

Double guards were placed at the Reichstag and other key locations around Berlin amid rumors that Adolf Hitler was plotting a coup.

Charles E. Ruthenberg took the stand in the William Z. Foster trial as the defense's first witness. For the next several days he mostly testified about the principles of communism, since that was essentially what the trial was about.

Oxford University won the 75th Boat Race.

Born: Michael Legat, writer, in London, England (d. 2011); Murray Hamilton, actor, in Washington, North Carolina (d. 1986)

Died: Ellen Franz, 83, German pianist and actress

March 25, 1923 (Sunday)

An all-day conference was held in Berlin among members of labour and socialist parties from Germany, England, France, Italy and Belgium searching for a solution to the reparations problem.

The film Vanity Fair was released.

Born: Wim van Est, cyclist, in Fijnaart, Netherlands (d. 2003)

March 26, 1923 (Monday)

The Roman Catholic priests Jan Cieplak and Konstantin Budkevich were sentenced to death for counter-revolutionary activities in the Soviet Union. Thirteen of the other fourteen were given prison sentences and a choir boy was released.

20,000 farm labourers went on strike in England in protest of a pay cut the farmers had imposed on them from 25 shillings per week down to 22.

The drama film Daddy, starring Jackie Coogan, was released.

Born: Bob Elliott, comedian, in Boston, Massachusetts

Died: Sarah Bernhardt, 78, French actress

March 27, 1923 (Tuesday)

A semi-official statement was issued from the Vatican urging suspension of the sentences of the Catholic priests in the Soviet Union. A Soviet official had the executions postponed pending "special instructions".

Born: Louis Simpson, poet, in Jamaica (d. 2012)

Died: Sir James Dewar, 80, Scottish chemist and physicist

March 28, 1923 (Wednesday)

The Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) was founded as an independent service arm of the Italian military.

Born: Thad Jones, jazz trumpeter, in Pontiac, Michigan (d. 1986)

Died: Michel-Joseph Maunoury, 75, French general

March 29, 1923 (Thursday)

The new Constitution of Romania was ratified.

Thousands lined the streets of Paris to watch the grand procession of Sarah Bernhardt's funeral coach.

William Z. Foster took the stand in his own defense in his Michigan criminal trial. Foster denied that he was a member of the Communist Party but said he was a believer in Marxist thought and that he had invited communists to join his Trade Union Educational League.

A young Mexican woman by the name of Marina Vega broke into Charlie Chaplin's house in the Hollywood Hills. She was cajoled out and removed from the premises, but she broke back in again and was found in Chaplin's bedroom wearing his pajamas. Vega told Chaplin she had come all the way from Mexico City to meet him; Chaplin got her to leave in exchange for promising to buy her a train ticket home.

March 30, 1923 (Friday)

Benito Mussolini made a famous speech on Italian emigration, declaring that, "For better or for worse, emigration is a physiological necessity of the Italian people. We are forty million people enclosed in our narrow peninsula that has too many mountains, a land that cannot feed everyone." The speech was a defining moment of Mussolini's early premiership as he spun a negative trend into a positive one and offered a justification for expansionism.

Born: Milton Acorn, poet and writer, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada (d. 1986)

March 31, 1923 (Saturday)

11 employees of the Krupp automobile factory in Essen were killed when French forces opened fire on the passively resisting workers. Two more later died in hospital.

The Ottawa Senators defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 1-0 to win the Stanley Cup of hockey, two games to none. King Clancy made history when he became the first player to play all six positions in a game, including two minutes as goaltender while Clint Benedict served a penalty.

America's first dance marathon ended at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. At 9:57 p.m., Alma Cummings completed twenty-seven consecutive hours of dancing, having worn out six different male dance partners. The event attracted a great deal of publicity, and dance marathons became a huge fad over the next few months, remaining popular throughout the 1920s and '30s.

Charlie Chaplin's deranged fan, Marina Vega, appeared again at the door of his home, lying down in his driveway after throwing red roses on it. Chaplin's valet thought Vega had shot herself when she mistook an oil-stain on the driveway for blood, and Vega was rushed into the kitchen where she said she had taken poison. An ambulance took her to hospital where she was treated and released; it was unclear whether Vega had actually poisoned herself.

Russian gunboats seized a British trawler near Murmansk.

Born: Shoshana Damari, singer, in Dhamar, Yemen (d. 2006)