May 1913

1913

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May 30, 1913: Treaty of London splits the Ottoman Empire

May 26, 1913: Igor Sikorsky introduces the first four-engine airplane, the Russky Vityaz bomber

May 30, 1913: Eastern Europe, before and after

May 30, 1913: Jules Goux wins the 3rd Indianapolis 500

The following events occurred inMay 1913:

May 1, 1913 (Thursday)

• At the ambassador's conference in London,Montenegrooffered to evacuate its newly conquered territory inScutari,Albania,if it could receive territory elsewhere.
• The trade unionCongreso Obrero de Filipinaswas established in thePhilippines.
• TheTaiwan Railways Administrationbegan operating the precursor to theTaitung rail linebetweenHualienandTaitung,Taiwan,with stationsFengtianandGuangfuserving the line.
• TheKilauea Lighthouse was officially lit on the north side ofKauai,Hawaii.
• The sport clubParnahybawas established inParnaíba,Brazil.
• Born:
  • Louis Nye,American comedian best known for his work onThe Steve Allen Show;as Louis Neistat, inHartford, Connecticut,United States(d.2005)
  • Victor Stafford Reid,Jamaican writer, author ofNew DayandThe Leopard;inKingston, Jamaica(d.1987)
  • Walter Susskind,Czech conductor, music director for theSt. Louis Symphony Orchestra,founder of theNational Youth Orchestra of Canada;as Jan Walter Susskind, inPrague,Austria-Hungary(present-dayCzech Republic) (d.1980)
• Died:John Barclay Armstrong,63, American law enforcer,U.S. Marshalwho apprehended outlawJohn Wesley Hardin(b.1850)

May 2, 1913 (Friday)

• TheUnited Statesrecognized the government of the newRepublic of China,with American Chargé d'Affaires Edward T. Williams presenting U.S. PresidentWoodrow Wilson's message to Chinese PresidentYuan Shikai.As the first world leader to give recognition to theRepublic of China,Wilson acted without prior notice even to theUnited States Congress.
• Tancrède Auguste,President of Haitisince August 1912, died suddenly, "a victim of severe anemia caused by advanced untreated syphilis, though most Haitians believed he was a victim of poison." His death set off a period of political unrest in the country for the next two years.

May 3, 1913 (Saturday)

• TheCalifornia State Senatepassed theAlien Land Act,prohibiting Japanese persons from owning property inCalifornia,by a margin of 26-10 and the bill went toGovernorHiram Johnsonfor his signature.
• Ahkay Humar Mozumdar became the first believer inHinduismto become a naturalized citizen of theUnited States,when U.S. District Judge Frank H. Rudkin ofSpokane, Washington,administered him the oath. Mozumdar had filed suit two years earlier and was found entitled by the court on grounds that he was a "free white person."
• Cloroxwas established inOakland, Californiaas theUnited States' first commercial-scale liquid bleach factory.
• Raja Harishchandra,the first full-length feature film inIndia,was released by directorDadasaheb Phalke,setting the format for Indian cinema. Although it was a silent movie, the premiere event at the Coronation Cinema inBombaywas accompanied by a live performance of music and chanting.
• TheFederal League,which would become a challenger to baseball'sNationalandAmerican Leaguesin 1914 and 1915, began play as a minor league with teams inChicago,Cleveland,Indianapolis,Pittsburgh,St. Louis,andCovington, Kentucky(across the river fromCincinnati), with Cleveland and Covington tying 6–6 in a ten-inning game. The teams would play a 120-game schedule, ending on September 13.
• Born:
  • Heinz Kohut,Austrian-born American psychologist, best known for his development ofself psychology;inVienna,Austria-Hungary(present-dayAustria) (d.1981)
  • William Inge,American playwright, known for his plays includingBus StopandCome Back, Little Sheba,recipient of thePulitzer Prize for DramaforPicnic;inIndependence, Kansas,United States (d.1973)

May 4, 1913 (Sunday)

• SenatorMichel Orestewas elected as the newPresident of Haitiby the Haitian Parliament. The city governor ofPort-au-Princeattempted to attack the parliament building during voting, and was repulsed by the Haitian Army, while the U.S. gunboatUSSNashvillestayed outside the harbor to be ready to intervene.Oreste would serve for only eight months, being overthrown on January 27, 1914.
• Ismael Monteswaselecteda second time asPresident of Bolivia.

May 5, 1913 (Monday)

• Montenegro'sKing Nicholasagreed to turn over control ofScutarito a multinational force from the Great Powers.
• GreeceandSerbiasigned a secret agreement to fight together againstBulgaria,their recent ally in theFirst Balkan War.
• TheArizona House of Representatives,following the lead ofCalifornia,passed a bill prohibiting ownership of land by "any alien who has not declared his intention of becoming a citizen." The state senate passed the bill one week later, and it was signed byGovernorGeorge W. P. Hunton May 16.
• The Amir of Najd,Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud,entered Al Hasa with his troops and ended the Turkish occupation of the Eastern part of Arabia which has been ongoing since 1871.
• German battleshipGrosser Kurfürstwas launched byAG VulcaninHamburgas one of four ships in herclassthat would participate in theBattle of Jutlandin 1916.
• TheChicago Opera Housewas demolished to make way for the newConway Buildingin downtownChicago.
• Died:Helen Carte,60, Scottish theater executive, co-manager of theD'Oyly Carte Opera Companywith husbandRichard D'Oyly Carte(b.1852)

May 6, 1913 (Tuesday)

• A proposedwomen's suffrage billfailed to pass theUnited Kingdom'sHouse of Commons,219–266, on a vote following the second reading. Fifty of the "no" votes were from Irish members of Parliament, and Prime MinisterH. H. Asquithvoted against it as well.
• TheHague Court of Arbitrationordered theKingdom of Italyto pay $32,800 damages toFrancefor seizing the steamersCarthageandManoubaduring theItalo-Turkish War.
• Henry H. RosewaselectedMayor of Los Angeleswith 54% of the vote.
• Born:
  • Stewart Granger,British-born American actor known for adventure film roles inKing Solomon's MinesandScaramouche;as James Lablanche Stewart, inLondon,England(d.1993)
  • Douglas Stewart,New Zealand-born Australian poet, known for hisverse playsincludingThe Fire on the SnowandNed Kelly,literary editor ofThe Bulletin;inEltham, New Zealand(d.1985)
  • Marianne Appel,American artist, known for her mural work with theWorks Progress Administration;inWoodstock, New York,United States(d.1988)
  • Angelo Herndon,American labor leader, famous defendant by theInternational Labor Defensein 1932; inSweet Home, Arkansas,United States (d.1997)

May 7, 1913 (Wednesday)

• Stunt performerRodman Law,self-billed as "The Human Fly," climbed up the outside of theUnited States Capitolwhile both houses of Congress were in session, starting from the side of the building and then making his way up to the top of the Dome where he intending to place his hat on the statue at the top of the dome. A guard at the Capitol persuaded Law to go no further than the statue's base.
• HMSHermesbecame the firstRoyal Navyseaplane carrier,after being outfitted with a crane from which planes on its deck could be lowered to sea and raised back again.
• Royal NavycruiserBirminghamwas launched byArmstrong WhitworthinNewcastle upon Tyne,Englandto serve in theGrand FleetduringWorld War I.She was eventually decommissioned in 1931.
• Spanish battleshipAlfonso XIIIwas launched bySociedad Española de Construcción NavalinFerrol, Spainas part of theclassassigned to the first squadron of theSpanish Navy.It would serve the fleet until 1937 when it struck a mine and sank.
• The controversial film,The Sons of a Soldier,produced byAlec B. Francis,was released by Eclair Pictures. The movie followed generations of a family fighting in America's wars from theAmerican Revolutionto theSpanish–American War,then gave a glimpse of a war between theUnited StatesandJapanin the then-future year of1920.

May 8, 1913 (Thursday)

• TheUnderwood Tariff Bill,sponsored by Alabama CongressmanOscar Underwoodpassed theUnited States House of Representatives281–139. Besides lowering thetariffcharged on many products imported from abroad, the bill was the first step toward enacting afederal income tax.
• French aviator Messr. Frangeois set a new record by carrying six passengers in his airplane. The group of seven stayed aloft for 75 minutes.
• TheAmerican Newspaper Publishers Associationwas incorporated.
• Born:
  • Bob Clampett,American animator, best known for his work with the animated seriesLooney Tunesand 1950s children's television showsTime for BeanyandBeany and Cecil;as Robert Clampett, inSan Diego,United States(d.1984)
  • Sid James,South African-British comedian, regular in theCarry Onfilm series; as Solomon Joel Cohen, inJohannesburg,South Africa(d.1976)
  • Fritzie Zivic,American boxer,World Welterweight Championfrom 1940 to 1941; as Ferdinand Henry John Zivcich, inPittsburgh,United States (d.1984)

May 9, 1913 (Friday)

• Japan's ambassador to theUnited States,Chinda Sutemi,delivered toUnited States Secretary of StateWilliam Jennings Bryana formal protest againstCalifornia's Alien Land Act.
• William D. Coolidgeapplied for a patent for his invention of the x-ray tube, which "made the use of x-rays for medical diagnosis safe and convenient."
• Al-Hasawascapturedfrom the Ottoman Turks by a guerrilla army led byIbn Saud,the King ofNajd,as he expanded the territory that he would eventually callSaudi Arabia.
• TheEldon Public Library,funded by theCarnegie Foundation,opened inEldon, Iowa.It was added to theNational Register of Historic Placesin 1996.
• German-American financial investorOtto Hermann Kahnco-founded theCentury Opera CompanyinNew York City.
• The first episode of theFantômasFrench film serial was released. Directed byLouis Feuilladeand starringRené Navarrein the title role, the series emphasis on mysteries and ending each episode with a cliffhangers made the thriller successful in its eight-episode run over 12 months.

May 10, 1913 (Saturday)

French aviatorDidier Masson

• French aviatorDidier Massonconducted the first aerial attack on a warship in the Western Hemisphere, attempting to drop pipe bombs onto the Mexican gunboatGeneral Guererro,as well as the shipsDemocrata,'Morelos,Tampico,and Oaxaca.
• U.S. RepresentativeH. Olin YoungofMichiganannounced that he would resign his seat, because of a technicality that prevented his Progressive Party opponent,William Josiah MacDonald,from receiving 458 votes that would have given MacDonald the victory. MacDonald would take office on August 26 after being certified by the U.S. House Committee on elections.
• TheUnited States Baseball League,an independent baseball league that had sought to challenge the existingNationalandAmerican Leagues,but had only operated for only two months in 1912, made a second attempt to operate. Although it had eight teams (Baltimore,Brooklyn,New York City,PhiladelphiaandWashington, D.C.,as well asLynchburg, Virginia,Newark, New JerseyandReading, Pennsylvania), the league folded after only three days,having played only seven games.

May 11, 1913 (Sunday)

• A typhoon struck thePhilippines,sweeping 16-foot waves across what is now theAlbayprovince and killing 827 people.
• In recognition of the neutrality ofRomaniaduring theFirst Balkan War,the Bulgarian town ofSilistrawas awarded by an arbitration conference to the Romanians. The area is now part ofBulgaria.
• Arail stationopened inGlenbrook,to serve theMain Western railway lineinNew South Wales,Australia.
• Born:Robert Jungk,German journalist, known for his non-fiction works includingBrighter than a Thousand Suns;inBerlin,German Empire(present-dayGermany) (d.1994)

May 12, 1913 (Monday)

RMSLusitania

• The British ocean linerRMSLusitaniawas secretly refitted by theRoyal Navyfor use in the event of war. The ship would betorpedoed and sunkalmost two years later, on May 7, 1915, with the loss of 1,195 lives, mostly civilians who had booked passage for a transatlantic trip.
• Patriarch Hermogeneswas canonized as a saint in theRussian Orthodox Church,in a ceremony at theAssumption Cathedralin theKremlininMoscow.
• Died:John Sergeant Wise,66, American politician, U.S. Representative fromVirginiafrom 1883 to 1885 (b.1846)

May 13, 1913 (Tuesday)

BoxerJack Johnson

• Jack Johnson,the world heavyweight boxing champion, was convicted by a jury inChicagoof violating theMann Act,after being charged with taking a minor across state lines for immoral purposes. Johnson had been indicted onNovember 7after Belle Schreiber, a white prostitute, testified that he had paid for her to travel by train toPittsburghto be with him.While the one-year prison sentence and $1,000 fine were on appeal, Johnson would flee theUnited States,not returning until 1920 to serve his time.
• TheCross of Valourwas established as the second highest military decoration inGreece.
• The football clubSparta Brodnicawas established inBrodnica,Poland.
• Born:William Tolbert,20thPresident of Liberiafrom 1971 to 1980; inBensonville,Liberia(assassinated, 1980)

May 14, 1913 (Wednesday)

• New York GovernorWilliam Sulzerapproved the charter for theRockefeller Foundation,which began operations with a $100,000,000 donation fromJohn D. Rockefeller.
• Montenegrocompleted its evacuation ofScutariand turned the city, which it had captured only three weeks earlier, over to the multinational troops of the five Great Powers (Austria-Hungary,France,Germany,Russia,and theUnited Kingdom).
• The first $1.2 million installment of the $125 million loan toChinawas advanced by the consortium of European banks.
• Guatemalaagreed to resume interest payments to the United Kingdom on its debt.

May 15, 1913 (Thursday)

• The balletJeux,choreographed byVaslav Nijinsky,with music byClaude Debussy,was premiered inParisas the first offering of theThéâtre des Champs-Élysées.Referred to in English asThe Tennis Game,Jeuxhas been described as "the first ballet in our time to capitalize on a contemporary theme,"using the sport of "tennis as a metaphor for psychological patterns in modern manners."The feature ran for two weeks before another Najinsky work,The Rite of Spring,premiered at the theater on May 29.
• TheApostolic PrefectureofBetafowas established inMadagascar.It would become theRoman Catholic Diocese of Antsirabein 1955.
• The town ofDrumheller,Albertawas established.

May 16, 1913 (Friday)

• At Sidi Garba inTripolitania(now part ofLibya), 1,000 Italian soldiers were killed or wounded in fighting with the Libyan natives.The commanding officer relied on disinformation that had been provided by the Libyans to a man who had been taken prisoner and then released, and underestimated the size of the Arab defenders.Command divided 3,000 men into three columns, supported by four cannons and "a battery of howitzers."After forcing a group of Libyans to retreat, the men rested and were surrounded and attacked. Italian command would later describe the loss as "the bloodiest day in the wholeItalo-Turkish War."
• Bremen Airportwas established by theBremencity government.
• The District Court inVienna,approved the release of inheritance money to a 24-year-old artist,Adolf Hitler,under the terms of the will of his late father, Alois Hitler. Adolf, who lived at27 MeldemannstrasseinVienna,received 839kronen,worth about US$168 (equivalent to $3,800 a century later), and moved a week later to neighboringGermany.
• Ahoard of 81 Bronze Age gold objectswas discovered during an excavation for a factory inOberbarnim,Eberswalde,Germany.
• The town ofRocky Mountain House,Albertawas established.
• Born:Woody Herman,American jazz musician, saxophone player and bandleader for "The Herd"; as Woodrow Charles Herman, inMilwaukee,United States(d.1987)

May 17, 1913 (Saturday)

• Two Cuban aviators, Agustin Parla and Domingo Rosillo, made the first airplane flight between theUnited StatesandCuba,taking off fromKey Westand landing inHavana.
• Died:Heinrich Martin Weber,71, German mathematician, best known for his work inalgebra(b.1842)

May 18, 1913 (Sunday)

• A group of 67opium poppyfarmers, who had refused to allow their crops to be burned by Chinese army, were themselves burned to death when they were meeting inZhengzhou,Chinato discuss an organized resistance. Chinese troops set fire to the structure and prevented the defiant narcotics manufacturers from escaping.
• TheFoon Yew High Schoolopened to students, becoming the largestChinese independent high schoolinMalaysia.
• Sports clubDjervwas established inBergen,Norwayand has become known for itsassociation football,floorball,badminton,basketballandgymnasticsprograms.
• Born:
  • Vincent Dole,American physician who pioneered the use ofmethadoneto treat narcotics addiction; inChicago,United States(d.2006)
  • Charles Trenet,French singer and songwriter, known for songs including "Boum!","La Mer","Que reste-t-il de nos amours?";as Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet, inNarbonne,France(d.2001)
• Died:Edward Sylvester Nolan,55, Canadian-born American baseball player, pitcher for various major league teams including thePittsburgh Alleghenys,died of kidney disease (b.1857)

May 19, 1913 (Monday)

• Despite protests fromJapanand pleas from theWhite House,California GovernorHiram Johnsonsigned theAlien Land Law,barring Japanese aliens from owning property. The U.S. Government responded to Japan's protests, disagreeing that the state law violated the American treaties with Japan.
• Born:
  • Neelam Sanjiva Reddy,6thPresident of Indiafrom 1977 to 1982; inIllur,Madras province,British India(present-dayAndhra Pradesh,India) (d.1996)
  • George S. Schairer,American aircraft engineer, designer forConsolidated AircraftandBoeing;inWilkinsburg, Pennsylvania,United States(d.2004)

May 20, 1913 (Tuesday)

David du Bose Gaillard, engineer for thePanama Canal.

Mario García Menocal,President of Cuba.

• TheVenstre PartyinDenmarkwon the most seats in thefederal electionseven though theSocial Democratsreceived the most votes.
• Mario García Menocalwas inaugurated as the thirdPresident of Cuba,succeedingJosé Miguel Gómez.Menocal would be re-elected to a second term in 1916, and serve until 1921.
• In an important development in the building of thePanama Canal,the nearly 8 mile longCulebra Cutwas completed as excavation equipment from both sides of mountainous territory met at 4:30 p.m. EngineerDavid du Bose Gaillard,who had overseen the cut through since work had resumed in 1904, would die in December after years of hard work.
• TheUnited States Department of Justicefiled an antitrust suit to dissolve the United Shoe Machinery Company.
• U.S. NavydestroyerCassinwas launched byBath Iron WorksinBath, Maineand would serve inWorld War Ibefore it was transferred to theUnited States Coast Guard.It was decommissioned in 1934.
• The French-language newspaperLa Libertébegan publishing inSaint Boniface,Manitobaas the province's sole francophone newspaper.
• Demand foropera glassesfor opera and theatrical productions inLondonled to the formation of theLondon Opera Glass Company.
• Born:
  • Bill Hewlett,American business leader, co-founder ofHewlett-Packard;as William Hewlett, inAnn Arbor, Michigan,United States(d.2001)
  • H. T. Cadbury-Brown,English architect, contributing designer to theRoyal College of Art;as Henry Thomas Cadbury-Brown, inSarratt,England(d.2009)
• Died:Henry Flagler,83, American industrialist, co-founder ofStandard Oil(b.1830)

May 21, 1913 (Wednesday)

• United Kingdom'sKing Georgewas welcomed inGermanybyKaiser Wilhelm,andTsar Nicholaswas welcomed the following day. The monarchs had arrived to attend the wedding of the Kaiser's daughter,Princess Luise.King George was a first cousin of the Kaiser (George's father and Wilhelm's mother were both children ofQueen Victoria) and a first cousin to the Tsar (both of their mothers were daughters ofKing ChristianofDenmark).
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintsbecame the first religious organization to make a commitment to theBoy Scouts of America(BSA), as it merged its Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association Scouts into the BSA organization.

May 22, 1913 (Thursday)

American Society for the Control of Cancer poster from 1938

• Through the efforts of bothChina's Minister to theNew York Citypolice, a truce was negotiated and signed to end gang warfare among the varioustongsinNew York City.The agreement, between the Chinese Merchants' Association, theOn Leong Tong,theHip Sing Tongand the Kim Lan Wui Saw, and would keep relative peace until 1924.
• Royal NavysubmarineAE1was launched byVickers LimitedinBarrow-in-Furness,Englandto serve in theRoyal Australian Navyat the start ofWorld War Ibut was lost at sea in 1914.
• TheAmerican Cancer Societywas founded in by ten doctors and five laymen in Washington, D.C., as the American Society for the Control of Cancer. It would change to its current name in 1946.

May 23, 1913 (Friday)

• NearBuenos Aires,thirty workers were killed and another 51 injured in an explosion at the Argentine hydraulic plant on an island in theMatanza Rivernear its confluence with theRío de la Plata.
• Aboard theU.S. NavydestroyerUSSStewart(DD-13),the bottom of the high pressure cylinder blew out, killing three sailors.
• Died:George A. Irwin,68, American religious leader, 9th President of theGeneral Conference of Seventh-day Adventists(b.1844)

May 24, 1913 (Saturday)

BoxerLuther McCarty

• The collapse of a municipal pier inLong Beach, California,killed 35 women and one man. There were 10,000 people crowded on the double-deck pier when the top level gave way and fell on the persons below.
• The Turkish-American steamshipNevada,with 200 passengers and crew, strayed into a mined part of the harbor at Smyrna while trying to avoid another ship, and struck three mines before sinking. Based on reports of 80 survivors, initial news stories reported 120 people had drowned.The figure was later revised to forty deaths.
• Princess Luise,the only daughter ofKaiser Wilhelm,was married toPrince Ernest Augustus of Cumberland,in the last royal wedding to take place inGermany.
• Luther McCarty,who was recognized as the "white world heavyweight boxing champion"(Jack Johnsonwas the world champion), died in the first round of a bout inCalgaryagainst Arthur Pelkey. McCarty was killed when Pelkey punched him in the chest, and fell to the mat halfway through the first round.An autopsy later determined that McCarty had died of a broken neck and hemorrhage, as a result of a hit to the jaw 30 seconds earlier that had snapped his head back.Pelkey would be tried for manslaughter, and acquitted on June 24.
• Sports clubSão Joséwas established inPorto Alegre,Brazil.
• Born:Peter Ellenshaw,British-born American production designer, best known for design work forWalt Disney StudiosincludingTreasure Islandand20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,recipient of theAcademy Award for Best Visual EffectsforMary Poppins;as William Samuel Cook Ellenshaw, inLondon,England(d.2007)

May 25, 1913 (Sunday)

ColonelAlfred Redlof theAustro-Hungarian Army.

• ColonelAlfred Redl,director of intelligence for the Army ofAustria-Hungaryfrom 1907 to 1912, committed suicide after being discovered that he had passed secrets to theRussian Empirefor eleven years. Redl had betrayed his nation after the Russians had discovered that he was a homosexual and used the information as blackmail. Redl's successor, CaptainMaximilian Ronge,agreed to Redl's request for a loaded revolver after confronting him at Vienna's Hotel Klomser.
• Peter Kürten,a German serial killer called "The Vampire of Dusseldorf" by the press, committed his first provable murder, although his killing spree of at least nine people would not start until 1929. Kurten broke into a home and slit the throat of 9-year-old Christine Klein while she was sleeping. Kürten, who would claim that he killed 79 people, would be convicted of nine and would be executed on July 2, 1931.
• Adolf Hitler,an immigrant fromAustria-Hungary,took up residence inGermany,a nation that he would eventually rule. The 24-year old painter and his friend, Rudolf Häusler, rented a room at 34 Schleissheimerstrasse inMunich.
• Belgian cyclistPaul Demanwon thefirstTour of Flandersroad cycling race, completing the 324 kilometres (201.3 miles) course fromGhenttoMariakerke,Belgium in a time of 12 hours, 3 minutes, 10 seconds.
• The football clubSanta Cruzwas established inSanta Cruz, Chile.
• Born:
  • Heinrich Bär,German air force officer, commander of theJagdgeschwader 51and other squadrons for theLuftwaffeduringWorld War II,recipient of theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross;as Oscar-Heinrich Bär, inSommerfeld,German Empire(present-dayLubsko,Poland) (d.1957)
  • Brownie Wise,American entrepreneur who developed theparty planmarketing strategy for sellingTupperware;as Brownie Humphrey, inBuford, Georgia,United States(d.1992)

May 26, 1913 (Monday)

Igor Sikorsky

• Igor Sikorskybecame the first person to pilot a four-engine airplane as he took hisBolshoi BaltiskybiplaneIlya Mourometzinto the sky for theImperial Russian Air ServicenearSaint Petersburg.Powered by 220horsepowerengines, the bomber could carry up to 1,543 pounds of bombs and had room for four machine guns and a crew of five. It was also the first plane fitted with a lavatory.
• TheActors' Equity Associationwas incorporated as a labor union for stage actors.
• The financial plan ofFrance's Prime MinisterLouis Barthouwas upheld by theChamber of Deputies312–240.
• Born:Peter Cushing,English actor, best known for his work with in theFrankensteinandDraculahorror films forHammer Film ProductionsandGrand Moff TarkininStar Wars;inKenley,England(d.1994)

May 27, 1913 (Tuesday)

• AtIshpeming, Michigan,former U.S. PresidentTheodore Roosevelttestified in the trial of his libel suit against the magazineIron Oreand its editor, George A. Newett, over an article accusing Roosevelt of drunkenness.
• NorwegiandestroyerGarmwas launched by theRoyal Norwegian NavyatHorten,Norway.Despite being decommissioned in the late 1930s, she was put back into action for theNorwegian campaignduringWorld War II.
• PainterErnst Ludwig Kirchnerformally announced the German artistic groupDie Brückehad dissolved.
• The football clubHobrowas established inHobro,Denmark.
• Born:Henry Swan II, American surgeon who pioneered the use of hypothermia-coolingopen heart surgeryand performed the first aortic aneurysmectomy; inDenver,United States(d.1996)

May 28, 1913 (Wednesday)

• Democrats in theUnited States Senatefollowed the example of theHouse of Representativesand created the office of"party whip",a person whose job it was to enforce the presence of the party's senators at decisive votes. SenatorJ. Hamilton LewisofIllinoiswas selected as the first person for the job.
• Died:John Lubbock,79, British archaeologist who coined the termsPaleolithicandNeolithicto describe the prehistoric eras of humans (b.1834)

May 29, 1913 (Thursday)

ComposerIgor Stravinsky

The original dancers forThe Rite of Spring

• TheballetThe Rite of Spring(Le Sacre du Printemps), with music byIgor Stravinskyconducted byPierre Monteux,choreography byVaslav Nijinskyand design byNicholas Roerich,premièred bySergei Diaghilev'sBallets Russesat theThéâtre des Champs-ÉlyséesinParis;itsmodernismprovoked one of the most famousclassical music riotsin history.
• TheDemocratic,RepublicanandUnitypolitical parties merged to form theProgressive Partyin theRepublic of China.
• TheAusserfern Railwayopened inTyrol,Austriaas a cross-border rail line betweenKempten,GermanyandReutte,Austriaand the only link into theAußerfernregion.
• TheAstor House,the first luxury hotel to open inNew York Cityin 1836, closed after decades of operation. The hotel, located at Broadway and Vesey Street, had hosted 19 future, present, and former Presidents of theUnited States,fromAndrew JacksontoTheodore Roosevelt,with the exception ofAndrew Johnson.
• The town ofZap, North Dakotawas founded inMercer County.On May 9, 1969, the town would attract more than 2,000 college students in a civil disorder that would become known as "TheZip to Zap."
• Born:Tony Zale,American boxer, World Middleweight Champion in 1941 and 1946 to 1948; as Anthony Zaleski, inGary, Indiana,United States (d.1997)

May 30, 1913 (Friday)

Indy 500 winner Jules Goux

• TheFirst Balkan Warformally ended with the signing of theTreaty of Londonbetween theOttoman Empireand the Balkan League (Bulgaria,Greece,SerbiaandMontenegro).The Ottoman Turks ceded almost all of their European territories to the Balkan nations.
• United States Secretary of StateWilliam Jennings Bryanannounced that theUnited Kingdom,France,Russia,Italy,Norway,Sweden,BrazilandPeruhad responded favorably to Bryan's proposal for an international peace commission.
• The Apostolic Prefecture of Bahr el-Ghazal was established inSudan,later becoming theRoman Catholic Diocese of Wauin 1974.
• Jules Gouxwon thethirdIndianapolis 500,driving a Peugeot. Averaging 76.59 miles per hour, Goux finished the race in 6 hours, 31 minutes and 33.45 seconds and won a $20,000 prize. The race continued for another hour and 18 minutes until the tenth and last racer had completed the 500 miles.

May 31, 1913 (Saturday)

• InAustralia's House of Representatives elections,theCommonwealth Liberal Partyled byJoseph Cook,won control of the 75-member lower house by a single seat, with a 38–37 advantage over theAustralian Labor Partyled by Prime MinisterAndrew Fisher.Overall, the Liberals had 930,076 votes to the 921,099 for the ALP.As well, six questions were held forreferendumranging from trade and commerce to railway disputes, with all six not being carried.
• TheSeventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,providing for popular vote to elect U.S. senators, was proclaimed in effect byUnited States Secretary of StateWilliam Jennings Bryan,who signed the announcement at 11:00 am inWashington, D.C.
• Romania's Chamber of Deputies voted in favor of lettingRussiamediate in its dispute withBulgaria.
• Theodore Roosevelt's lawsuit for libel came to an end with theIron Orepublishing a retraction and an admission from the editor that nobody had substantiated claims that Roosevelt "drank to excess."
• King Carolofficially inaugurated theCarol I Mosque(today known as the Grand Mosque of Constanța) inConstanța,Romania,withSultan Mehmedin attendance.
• TheMarselisborg Hospitalwas inaugurated inAarhus,Denmark.
• Died:Frederick A. Ober,64, American naturalist, leading expert on early Central American indigenous history (b.1849)