May 1926

1926

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May 26, 1926: Rif Republic leader Abd el-Krim surrenders to French Army

May 31, 1926: U.S. Sesquicentennial Exhibition opens in Philadelphia

The following events occurred inMay 1926:

Saturday, May 1, 1926

• The lockout of 800,000 British coal miners began.
• Five people were killed and 28 injured in fighting between socialists and communists duringMay Dayevents in Warsaw, Poland.
• SwintondefeatedOldham9–3 in theChallenge CupFinal of rugby.

Sunday, May 2, 1926

• Civil warbroke out in Nicaragua.
• Women in India are allowed to stand for election to public office.

Monday, May 3, 1926

• As called for by theTrades Union Congress,an estimated 1.7 million people began ageneral strikein Britain in support of the locked out miners, at one minute to midnight.

Tuesday, May 4, 1926

• Britain came to a standstill on the first full day of the general strike. Subways and rail stations were closed and the streets of London were devoid of street cars or buses.
• TheBallets Russesstaged a production ofRomeo and Julietat theOpéra de Monte-Carlo,with sets and costumes designed bySurrealistartistsMax ErnstandJoan Miró.
• Stinson Aircraft Corporationwas incorporated.

Wednesday, May 5, 1926

• Two new papers, theBritish Worker(supporting the general strike) and theBritish Gazette(condemning it) appeared in Britain to fill the void left by the other dailies that only published in very limited form during the strike.
• TheNorgeairship leftGatchinanear Leningrad, bound forVadsøin preparation to cross theNorth Pole.
• Born:
  • Ann B. Davis,American TV actress and comedian, winner of two Emmy Awards forThe Bob Cummings Show,but remembered best for portraying Alice onThe Brady Bunch;inSchenectady, New York(d. 2014)
  • Bing Russell,American film and TV actor; inBrattleboro, Vermont(d. 2003)

Thursday, May 6, 1926

• Limited services returned around Britain as volunteers and strike-breaking workers stepped in, notably to help distribute food and provide other necessities.
• Born:Edward Clark,American painter, inStoryville, New Orleans(d. 2019)

Friday, May 7, 1926

• With peace talks having failed, French warplanes bombedRif Republicpositions as theRif Warresumed.
• In the Soviet Union,Léon Theremindemonstrated his experimental television system which electrically transmitted and then projected near-simultaneous moving images on a five-foot square screen as part of his thesis.

Saturday, May 8, 1926

Baldwin

• Prime MinisterStanley Baldwinaddressed the British public about the ongoing strike in an evening radio broadcast; such a broadcast in a time of emergency was the first of its kind in the country.
• WigandefeatedWarrington22–10 to win theNorthern Rugby Football Leaguechampionship.
• Born:
  • SirDavid Attenborough,English documentary producer and naturalist; inIsleworth,London
  • Don Rickles,American TV and film comedian who specialized in insult comedy; inQueens,New York City (d. 2017)

Sunday, May 9, 1926

Byrd and Bennett

• ExplorerRichard E. Byrdand co-pilotFloyd Bennettclaimed to be the first to fly over theNorth Polein theJosephine Fordmonoplane, taking off fromSpitsbergen,Norway and returning 15 hours and 44 minutes later. Both men were immediately hailed as national heroes, though some experts have since been skeptical of the claim, believing that the plane was unlikely to have covered the entire distance and back in that short an amount of time.An entry in Byrd's diary discovered in 1996 suggested that the plane actually turned back 150 miles short of the North Pole due to an oil leak.
• Although Britain was quiet in light of the Sabbath, soldiers were becoming an increasingly common sight in the streets of London.
• Died:J. M. Dent,76, British publisher

Monday, May 10, 1926

• The Flying Scotsman, the train on the route betweenEdinburghandKing's Cross, London,was derailed inNorthumberlandby a group of locked-out miners who pulled up the tracks. This caused the Government to use increasingly hostile rhetoric against the strikers, using such terms as "anarchists" and "lunatics".
• Born:Tichi Wilkerson Kassel,film personality and the publisher ofThe Hollywood Reporter;inLos Angeles(d. 2004)

Tuesday, May 11, 1926

• In Britain, Mr.Justice Asburygranted aninjunctionto theNational Sailors' and Firemen's Unionto enjoin the General-Secretary of itsTower Hillbranch from calling its members out on strike. Astbury ruled that the strike was not protected by theTrade Disputes Act 1906and that the strike in the plaintiff union had been called in contravention of its own rules.The ruling came as a heavy blow to the Unions' cause.
• The airshipNorgedepartedNy-Ålesunden route to theNorth Pole.Roald Amundsenled the 16-man crew.

Wednesday, May 12, 1926

TheNorge

Pilsudski and his aides

• The Italian-built airshipNorgereached theNorth Poleat 01:25 Greenwich time; Norwegian, American and Italian flags were dropped onto the ice. TheNorgecontinued on toward Alaska in its bid to cross the entireArctic Ocean.
• TheMay Coupbegan in Poland. A state of emergency was declared as units loyal to MarshalJózef Piłsudskimarched on Warsaw.
• TheTrades Union Congresscalled off the general strike.
• Hans Lutherresigned as Chancellor of Germany after losing avote of no confidencein the Reichstag.
• Planes piloted by MajorHarold GeigerandHorace Meek Hickam,students at theAir Corps Tactical School,collided in mid-air atLangley Field,Virginia. Both pilots survived; Hickham joined theCaterpillar Clubby parachuting to safety.

Thursday, May 13, 1926

• The Polish government held negotiations with MarshalPiłsudski.No agreement was reached and fighting broke out around 19:00 hours.
• Britain started to return to normal on the first day back from the general strike, though many transport services were late in their resumption. Voluntary workers were still keeping buses and trains running.Miners remained locked out.

Friday, May 14, 1926

• In Poland, PresidentStanisław Wojciechowskiand Prime MinisterWincenty Witosresigned their positions to prevent the fighting in Warsaw from becoming a country-wide civil war.Maciej Ratajtook over asacting President.
• Due to worsening weather, the crew of theNorgedecided to land rather than press on to their goal ofNome.The airship touched down inTeller, Alaska.
• TheMary PickfordfilmSparrowswas released.
• Born:Eric Morecambe,English comedian; inMorecambe,Lancashire(d. 1984)

Saturday, May 15, 1926

• Kazimierz Barteltook over as Prime Minister of Poland.
• Bubbling Overwon the1926 Kentucky Derby.
• Born:
  • SirPeter Shaffer,English playwright and screenwriter (d. 2016)
  • Anthony Shaffer,novelist and playwright. The twin brothers were born inLiverpool.(d. 2001)

Sunday, May 16, 1926

• FC Barcelonawon Spain'sCopa del Reyfor the seventh time, defeatingAtlético Madrid3–2.
• The hit filmAloma of the South Seasopened.
• Died:Mehmed VI,65, the lastSultan of the Ottoman Empire,who reigned from 1918 until being deposed upon the abolition of the monarchy by the Republic of Turkey in 1922. His 13-year-old sonŞehzade Mehmed Ertuğrulmade no pretense of claiming the abolished throne.

Monday, May 17, 1926

Wilhelm Marx

• Wilhelm Marxbecame Chancellor of Germany for the second time.
• Born:Franz Sondheimer,German-born British chemist; inStuttgart(d. 1981)

Tuesday, May 18, 1926

• The nationally famous Christian evangelist preacherAimee Semple McPhersonwas kidnapped from a beach inVenice, California.At first believed to be the victim of a drowning, McPherson would reappear after a memorial service had been held at theAngelus Temple.
• Born:Dirch Passer,Danish comedian and film actor; inØsterbro,Copenhagen(d. 1980)

Wednesday, May 19, 1926

• TheFrench Air ForcebombedDamascus,trying to suppress the ongoingrevolt.

Thursday, May 20, 1926

• TheUnited States Congresspassed theAir Commerce Act,licensing pilots and planes.
• TheRailway Labor Actwas also passed.
• Pete Latzowon theWorld Welterweight Boxing Title,defeatingMickey Walkerin Scranton, Pennsylvania.
• Born:John Lucarotti,English screenwriter; inAldershot,Hampshire(d. 1994)

Friday, May 21, 1926

• The adventure filmThe Barrier,starringLionel Barrymore,was released.
• Born:Robert Creeley,poet, inArlington, Massachusetts(d. 2005)

Saturday, May 22, 1926

• Belgium, France, Great Britain and Netherlands signed theBelgian Neutrality Treaty,which formally abrogated the1839 Treaty of London.
• TheSt. Louis Cardinalsheld "Rogers HornsbyDay ", where the player-manager was presented $1,000 in gold and a medal for being named theNational League'sMost Valuable Playerfor 1925.Hornsby then went 2-for-4 in a 9-2 Cardinals win over thePhiladelphia Phillies.

Sunday, May 23, 1926

• The firstConstitution of Lebanonwas promulgated.
• An estimated 30,000 members of theCommunist Party of Germanydemonstrated in Berlin. About 50,000 members ofDer Stahlhelmheld a demonstration of their own in Düsseldorf.

Monday, May 24, 1926

• The Mexican government announced the nationalization of minerals and petroleum resources, which clouded the property rights of foreign resource extraction companies and increased tensions between Mexico and the United States.
• TheNational Libertarian Federation of Trade Unionswas founded in Japan.
• The eruption ofMount Tokachikilled 165 people inHokkaido,Japan.

Tuesday, May 25, 1926

Petlura

• Ukrainian nationalist leaderSymon Petliurawas assassinated by the anarchist poetSholom Schwartzbardin the center of Paris.
• Parliamentary electionswere held inRomania.ThePeople's Partywon 292 out of 387 contested seats.
• U.S. President Coolidge signed thePublic Buildings Actinto law.
• Born:Bill Sharman,American basketball player and coach, inductee to theBasketball Hall of Fameas both a player and coach; inAbilene, Texas(d. 2013)
• Died:Symon Petliura,47, Ukrainian independence fighter

Wednesday, May 26, 1926

• Riffianrebel leaderAbd el-Krimsurrendered to the French in Morocco, ending theRif War.
• Born:Miles Davis;American jazz musician, trumpeter and bandleader, inAlton, Illinois(d. 1991)

Thursday, May 27, 1926

• TheRif Republicwas disestablished.
• TheThayer Hotelof theUnited States Military Academyat West Point officially opened.
• Born:Kees Rijvers,Dutch footballer with 33 caps for theNetherlands national team;inBreda(d. 2024)

Friday, May 28, 1926

Gomes da Costa leading the uprising

• The28 May coup d'état,commanded byManuel Gomes da Costa,began inBraga,Portugal.

Saturday, May 29, 1926

• The military coup in Braga spread to the rest of Portugal. TheDitadura Nacional(National Dictatorship) was established.
• Born:Abdoulaye Wade,President of Senegal 2000 to 2012; inKébémer(alive in 2024)

Sunday, May 30, 1926

• António Maria da Silvaresigned asPrime Minister of Portugal.
• The drama filmThe Unknown Soldieropened.
• Born:Tsuneo Watanabe,Japanese media executive known for owning theYomiuri Shimbunnewspaper and theNippon Television Network;inTokyo(alive in 2024)

Monday, May 31, 1926

• José Mendes Cabeçadasbecame both President and Prime Minister of Portugal.
• The PolishSejmelected MarshalPiłsudskiPresident of the Republic,but he refused the position due to its limited powers.
• The opening ceremonies for theSesquicentennial Exposition,celebrating the 150th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, were held in Philadelphia.
• Frank Lockhartwon theIndianapolis 500.
• India, New Zealand andWest Indieswere elected as full members of theImperial Cricket Conference,increasing the number of nations playingTest cricketfrom three to six.