Mexico's increased tariff on the export of petroleum products went into effect. In response, oil production came to a halt and employees of oil refineries and drilling sites were laid off from work.[2]
British troops arrived in Upper Silesia to support French forces in occupying the region, to maintain order in the wake of the
Upper Silesia plebiscite.[3]
Britain's striking miners voted to approve a settlement proposed by the British government. The House of Commons then voted a subsidy of ten million pounds sterling to the mining industry to cover the pay increase.[4]
The U.S.-registered EDC Design 1023 cargo ship Mopang was sunk by a mine at the entrance to
Burgas Bay in the
Black Sea.[5][6]
In the U.S., the first “million dollar gate” in the sport of
boxing took place in
Jersey City, New Jersey, when
Jack Dempsey met
Georges Carpentier in front of crowd of 90,000.[8] Dempsey won with a fourth-round knockout in a scheduled 12-round fight which was broadcast on radio,[9] with ringside commentary relayed over the new
radiophone to people in the northeastern United States.[10]
The
Icelandic Order of the Falcon (Hin Islenska Fálkaorða), the only order of
chivalry in
Iceland, was created by proclamation of King
Christian X.[14] At the time, the
Danish–Icelandic Act of Union of 1918 had recently established the sovereign
Kingdom of Iceland (Konungsríkið Ísland) as separate from Denmark but ruled by the same monarch. In his capacity as King of Iceland, Christian visited
Reykjavík and announced the uniquely Icelandic honor, which would continue after Iceland's independence from Denmark as a republic in 1944.
The Founding Congress of the
Red International of Trade Unions, an international organization of labor unions with Communist members, was convened in Moscow with 380 delegates from multiple nations.[15] Based on the Russian word for a trade union (profsoyuzov) and internatsional, the organization was called Profintern and would exist until 1937.
U.S. warships were anchored off of the coast of
Tampico as a precaution against unemployment rioting after the shutdown of oil refineries.[21] The ships were ordered by the U.S. Navy to return to the U.S. on July 8.[2]
American inventor
Miller Reese Hutchison, the former chief engineer to
Thomas Edison, demonstrated his new noiseless and smokeless weapon in a press conference at the Woolworth Building, capable of firing a projectile at speeds of up to five miles (8 km) per second, equivalent to 18,000 miles per hour (29,000 km/h). Hutchison claimed that a larger version of the cannon could be adapted to fire a shell weighing five
tons — 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) — a distance of up to 300 miles (480 km).[23]
South Africa's Prime Minister
Jan Smuts conferred with Republicans and Unionists meeting at
Dublin and suggested a proposal to remove barriers to a meeting in
London.[24]
Wednesday, July 6, 1921
At the
Leipzig War Crimes Trials in Germany, General Karl Stenger was acquitted of charges of murdering prisoners-of-war during World War I. His subordinate, Major Bruno Crusius, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison.[25]
Japanese troops killed 500 Koreans who they claimed had joined the Soviet Bolsheviks.[2]
Members of the recently formed
Arditi del Popolo, an Italian anti-fascist movement, were arrested by police in Rome.[26]
The two-day world
Christian Endeavor conference opened in New York City with 16,000 delegates from around the world.[27] The convention closed the next day with a resolution encouraging worldwide
disarmament with the goal of "A Warless World in 1923".[28]
Born:Nancy Reagan, actress and First Lady of the United States; as Anne Frances Robbins in
New York City (d. 2016)[29]
Thursday, July 7, 1921
In a move criticized by observers as corrupt,
Delaware's Governor
William D. Denney appointed a Republican U.S. Senator after persuading the incumbent Democrat Senator to vacate the seat in order to be appointed the Attorney General (or Chancellor) of Delaware.
Josiah O. Wolcott, in his first term as U.S. Senator, had resigned on July 2 in return for being given the state post, and Denny then appointed multi-millionaire and retired General
T. Coleman du Pont to serve the remainder of Wolcott's term. The change of seats gave the Republican Party a 60 to 36 majority in the U.S. Senate.[30]
A U.S. Navy dirigible,
C-3, caught fire in mid-air while flying at an altitude of 400 feet (120 m) above the
Naval Air Station Hampton Roads in
Norfolk, Virginia. The pilot, O. O. Atwood, was able to make a safe landing and the other five persons on board were able to escape before the hydrogen inside the dirigible exploded.[31]
Professor Anne
Louise McIlroy (Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Royal Free Hospital for Women) delivered a paper at the Medico-Legal Society London, and described the contraceptives dispensed at
Marie Stopes Mothers' Clinic as the "most harmful method of which I have experience".[32] Dr
Halliday Sutherland would quote her words in his 1922 book "Birth Control". When Stopes sued Sutherland for libel, McIlroy testified for the defence.[33]
At the conclusion of the Dublin Conference, a truce between British troops and Irish Republicans was announced by Irish Republican leader
Éamon de Valera and British Prime Minister
David Lloyd George in
Dublin and in
London, respectively, scheduled to take effect at noon on Monday, July 11.[35] The truce came in conjunction with De Valera's response to Lloyd George's invitation to discuss a peace treaty in London. De Valera wrote in his reply, "Sir: The desire you expressed on the part of the British Government to end the centuries of conflict between the peoples of these two islands and to establish relations of neighborly harmony is the genuine desire of the people of Ireland. I have consulted with my colleagues... in regard to the invitation you have sent me. In reply I desire to say that I am ready to meet and discuss with you on what basis such a conference as that proposed can reasonably hope to achieve the object desired." The British Government then announced, "In accordance with the Prime Minister's offer and Mr. de Valera's reply, arrangements are being made for hostilities to cease from Monday next, July 11, at noon." [36]
In a "man-driven airplane", French aviator
Gabriel Poulain was able to fly at least one meter off the ground for a distance of at least 10 meters, winning the Peugeot Prize of 10,000 French francs. The pedal-powered aircraft, Aviette, weighed 37 pounds (17 kg) while unoccupied.[44]
Former world heavyweight boxing champion
Jack Johnson was released from the federal prison in
Leavenworth, Kansas, after serving 10 months of his sentence for his 1913 conviction under the
Mann Act.[45] U.S. President
Donald Trump would issue a posthumous presidential pardon to Johnson on May 24, 2018 [46]
Hours before the July 11 truce between Republican and Union forces, "
Bloody Sunday" took place as a unit of the Irish Republican Army attacked an armored police truck in
Belfast and killed an officer. In retaliation, Protestant loyalists attacked the Catholic population, of Belfast, killing 17 people.[48][49]
Five bystanders were killed and 14 seriously injured at a park in
Moundsville, West Virginia, when a
Martin MB-1 bomber airplane crashed into a crowd and into parked cars. Although the pilots of the plane escaped unharmed, a mechanic in the crew died. Sixteen automobiles were set ablaze, killing some of the victims.[50]
U.S. President Harding announced that the leaders of the Allied nations (the United Kingdom, France, Japan and Italy) would be invited to a world disarmament conference to be held in Washington on November 11. UK Prime Minister Lloyd George announced in Commons the next day that his cabinet was in favor of accepting the invitation, and France and Italy accepted on July 12. Japan accepted tentatively on July 13, but stated that it would not discuss questions concerning disarmament in the Pacific Ocean.[51]
Bringing an end to the
Irish War of Independence, a ceasefire took effect at noon on agreement between the British Government, led by Prime Minister
David Lloyd George, and the proposed president of the Republic of Ireland,
Éamon de Valera.[54] Lloyd George informed the House of Commons that De Valera would come to London for a conference on July 14.[2]
The
Bogd Khan was restored as constitutional ruler of
Mongolia and was enthroned in a special ceremony.[55]
U.S. President Harding signed the Naval Appropriation Bill, reducing spending on the U.S. Navy from $496 million to $410 million.[2]
The U.S.-registered steamship Western Front, carrying 7,000 tons of naval stores, including
naphtha,
turpentine and
resin from
Jacksonville to London, foundered several miles west of the
Isles of Scilly after an explosion and fire that killed one crew member.[58][59]
The world
Christian Endeavor conference closed with a resolution encouraging worldwide
disarmament with the goal of "A Warless World in 1923".[28]
Tuesday, July 12, 1921
Beginning at 3:00 in the afternoon local time, the first radio broadcast in
Sweden was made, transmitted from the city of
Boden with a signal that could be heard in
Stockholm.[60]
The Spanish passenger ship Manuel L. Villaverde struck rocks off the coast of
Colonial Nigeria, broke in two and sank. All those on board were rescued.[61]
U.S. baseball player
Babe Ruth tied and then broke the record for career home runs in the same game,[62] surpassing
Roger Connor's record of 136. Ruth would continue to break his own record, finishing his career with 714 homers, a mark that would stand until being broken by
Hank Aaron in
1974. Despite Ruth's effort, the
New York Yankees still lost to the host
St. Louis Browns, 6 to 4.
U.S. Army planes, in a project promoted by General Billy Mitchell, bombed and sank a former German Navy destroyer
SMS G102 off of the coast of
Cape Henry, Virginia. The empty ship, surrendered to the U.S. after World War One, went down only 20 minutes after aerial bombardment began after being struck by 51 bombs, each with 300 pounds (140 kg) or explosives.[65]
The Southern Ireland parliament convened in
Dublin, but with only 12 senators and only two members of its House showing up.
U.S. Secretary of War Weeks announced the firing of 21,174 civilian employees in order to save over $225 million per year in salaries and benefits.[2]
In a controversial trial in the U.S., Italian anarchists
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were found guilty of murder by a court in
Dedham, Massachusetts.[68] On April 15, 1920, factory paymaster Frederic A. Parmenter and security guard Alessandro Berardelli had been shot and killed during the theft of $15,776.17 of cash being taken to the Slater and Morrill Shoes factory and the two defendants had been charged with the crime.[69]
Ireland's republican leader,
Éamon de Valera, conferred with British Prime Minister
David Lloyd George for two hours in
London. Lloyd George then met with King George V to inform him of the results.[70][71]
Myron T. Herrick, the new U.S. ambassador to France, arrived in Paris for the
Bastille Day celebrations, to be greeted by Prime Minister
Aristide Briand, although the annual review of troops due to take place on that day had been cancelled because of a heatwave.[72]
After being rammed by the British ship Harmodius, the U.S. schooner E. Marie Brown sank in the
Atlantic Ocean 30 nautical miles (56 km) east of
Fire Island, New York, with the loss of four crew members.[76][77]
The ex-German torpedo boat
V43, allocated to the United States under the
Treaty of Versailles, was sunk as a target off
Cape Henry by the U.S. battleship
Florida.[78] Shortly before, SMS S-132 had been sunk by the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Herbert and the dreadnought USS Delaware.[79]
Saturday, July 16, 1921
The sixth annual
Aerial Derby, sponsored by the
Royal Aero Club of Great Britain, was won by J. H. James, who completed the course in a
Gloster Mars at an average speed of 163.34 mph (262.87 km/h) in 1 hour 18 minutes 10 seconds with a handicap of 4 minutes 42 seconds.[80][81]
The Soviet government issued an appeal to its people to aid 10 million victims of starvation in Astrakhan, Tsaritsyn, Saratov, Samara, Simbirsk, Ufa and Vyatka, along with villages in the Volga River valley and in Chuvash.[75]
In the Greco-Turkish War, Greek troops seized control of the strategically-located city of Kutaia from Turkish control.[82]
The U.S. paid $32,688,352 to the United Kingdom for British expenses in the transportation of American soldiers during World War One.[83]
The International Women's Congress, presided over by Jane Addams of the U.S., opened in
Vienna.[75]
Died: Arthur Irwin, 63, Canadian-born American sportsman, former Major League Baseball player and manager who perfected the
baseball glove and later served as the president of the first American pro soccer football league, the 1894
American League of Professional Football, committed suicide by jumping off of a passenger ship, the steamer Calvin Austin, shortly after being released from a New York City hospital.[86]
Cantonese troops, under the command of former Republic of China President
Sun Yat-sen, who had proclaimed the "Extraordinary Government of China", reported victory in a war in the provinces of
Guangxi and
Guangdong.[75]
Japan announced its terms for recognition of the newly proclaimed
Far Eastern Republic within the borders of the Soviet Union, including indemnities for the families of Japanese citizens who had been killed in Siberia, along with the outlawing of communism.[75]
Died: Winthrop E. Stone, 59, American university administrator and President of
Purdue University since 1900, made the first successful ascent of the 10,843 feet (3,305 m)
Eon Mountain in the Canadian Rockies, but fell to his death as he made his way back down the peak.[88][89][90]
Monday, July 18, 1921
The
BCG vaccine for
tuberculosis was administered to a patient for the first time, in Paris, France, by Benjamin Weill-Halle.[91]
U.S. baseball player
Babe Ruth hit the longest home run in the history of
Major League Baseball while in Detroit for a game in a 10 to 1 victory by his New York Yankees and the host Detroit Tigers. Ruth's hit cleared the roof of Tiger Stadium and landed in the street, 560 feet (170 m) away.[92]
U.S. Army airplanes bombed the former German battle cruiser
SMS Frankfurt off of the coast of Virginia and sank it within 26 minutes.[93]
The new U.S. cargo ship SS City of Brunswick departed
Tampa, Florida, on her maiden voyage.[96] The ship quickly developed problems and was wrecked a month later.
Born:John Glenn, U.S. astronaut who was the first American to orbit the Earth, and later U.S. Senator for Ohio; in
Cambridge, Ohio[97] (died 2016)
The last horse-drawn fire engine in a major U.S. city, operated by Engine Company 24 of the
Los Angeles Fire Department, was retired as the LAFD went to all motorized trucks.[99]
France informed the United Kingdom that it would decline the British request for an immediate conference on the Silesian boundary between Germany and Poland.[102] Instead, France intended to send more troops to the area. France reversed its decision six days later.[75]
The
Governor and the
Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, Len Small and Fred E. Sterling, were both indicted by a grand jury on charges of embezzling public funds and conspiracy to defraud the state.[75] Both had served as the Illinois State Treasurer in the past.
A group of 15 pilots of the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines carried out final aerial bombardment of a retired German warship, choosing the largest of the ships surrendered to the U.S. as part of German reparations, the
dreadnoughtSMS Ostfriesland. U.S. Secretary of War Weeks and U.S. Secretary of Navy Denby watched the demonstration along with U.S. Army General
John J. Pershing and other prominent U.S. officials in attendance.[103] To the embarrassment of the planners, only 13 of the 52 bombs struck the Ostfriesland, and only four of those actually exploded, without sinking the German warship.[104] The U.S. Army carried out a second attack the next day, as two 2,000 pounds (910 kg) bombs sank Ostfriesland 60 miles (97 km) off of the American coast.[105]
The British cabinet voted to approve Prime Minister Lloyd George's peace proposal to the Irish Republicans, which included Dominion status and self-government for Ireland in all domestic matters, while reserving defense and foreign relations to the United Kingdom.[106]
Born:Ted Schroeder, U.S. tennis player who won the finals at the U.S. Open in 1942 and at Wimbledon in 1949; in
Newark, New Jersey (died 2006)[107]
Thursday, July 21, 1921
The
Eskimo Pie was launched as a packaged chocolate and ice cream dessert when Christian Nelson of
Onawa, Iowa, was able to persuade candy manufacturer
Russell Stover to invest in what Nelson initially called "the I-Scream-Bar".[108]
After meeting with King George V, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George presented a peace proposal to Irish Republican Éamon de Valera, offering recognition of self-governing Dominion of Ireland in return for Irish permission for Britain to maintain a military and naval presence.[75]
As the
Russian Civil War continued, the Soviet ship Sawa was shelled and sunk by the Soviet submarine Trotsky in the
Black Sea while trying to defect to the
Whites. The vessel and most of her crew were killed. Four men were rescued and imprisoned.[109]
Died: Milorad Drašković, 48, Serbian politician and
Minister of Internal Affairs for Yugoslavia, the kingdom's police agency, was assassinated by a member of the Yugoslavian Communist Party. The killing, coupled with the June 29 attempt on the life of Prince Alexander, prompted the passage of the "Law Concerning the Protection of Security and Order in the State" eleven days later on August 1.[110]
Friday, July 22, 1921
In the
Battle of Annual in Morocco, during the
Rif War, Spanish troops were defeated by Berber rebels under
Abd el-Krim. King
Alfonso XIII cut short his holiday in
San Sebastián to return to
Madrid.[111] The defeat in North Africa forced the Spanish Army to flee the positions that they had captured at
Melilla.[112] The commander of the attack, Spain's General
Manuel Fernández Silvestre and his staff of officers, surrounded by Moroccan troops and cut off from their own, committed suicide rather than allowing themselves to be taken prisoner.[113] Of the 587 soldiers, officers and civilians taken prisoner, only 326 would still be alive 18 months later when the
Republic of the Rif would release them on January 27, 1923, following the payment of a four million peseta ransom.[114]
Sun Yat-sen, having declared the "Extraordinary Government of China", announced that he would set up an autonomous government in
Guangzhou (Canton) and Nanjing, and sever relations with the Peking (
Beijing) government in northern China.[75]
U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Herbert Hoover informed the Soviet Union's
Maxim Gorky that the American Relief Administration would provide famine aid, on the condition that the Soviets release American prisoners.[75]
U.S. boxer
Pete Herman defeated
Joe Lynch on points in a rematch for the world bantamweight title in a bout at
Ebbets Field in New York City, reclaiming the title that he had lost to Lynch on December 26.[123]
Tuesday, July 26, 1921
U.S. President Harding granted an official reception to impostor
Stanley Clifford Weyman, who was posing as a representative of Princess Fatima Sultana, a daughter of
Mohammad Yaqub Khan, the former Emir of Afghanistan.[124] Nevertheless, the U.S. recognized
Amanullah Khan as the Emir of Afghanistan and would establish diplomatic relations in 1935.[125]
Mexico's President
Alvaro Obregon announced a reduction of 10 percent in wages for all government and military officials.[75]
In the U.S.,
Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore announced the first American policy for medical price limitations, with a maximum of $1,000 for a surgical operation and $35 per week for hospitalization.[130] The prices were equivalent 100 years later to $15,100 for surgery and $530/week for hospitalization.[131]
In
Sarzana, Italy, a group of 500
Fascists occupied the railway station in an attempt to secure the release of Fascist prisoners, but was defeated by 12
Carabinieri and some local people. In the battle that followed, 18 people were killed.[136]
^"British Miners Vote to Return to Work— Simultaneously Parliament Passes to Government's Measure for a £10,000,000 Subsidy", The New York Times, July 2, 1921, p. 1
^"Dempsey Knocks Out Carpentier in the Fourth Round; Challenger Breaks His Thumb Against Champion's Jaw; Record Crowd of 90,000 Orderly and Well Handled", The New York Times, July 3, 1921, p. 1
^"Wireless Telephone Spreads Fight News Over 120,000 Miles", The New York Times, July 3, 1921, p. 6
^"Tampico Has a Stir Over Our Warships", The New York Times, July 5, 1921, p. 6
^Julius Glück, El la klasika periodo de Esperanto (Grabowski kaj Kabe), en Muusses Esperanto Biblioteko No. 5, Purmerend, 1937. p. 6.
^"New Gun Marvel May Shoot 5 Tons 200 to 300 Miles; Noiseless and Smokeless Weapon Has Muzzle Velocity up to Five Miles a Second", The New York Times, July 6, 1921, p. 1
^"Smuts Meets Irish; Craig and Midleton Go to Lloyd George", The New York Times, July 6, 1921, p. 1
^"German General Free, Major Gets Two Years; Crusius Convicted at Leipsic of Slaying Prisoners, but Stenger Is Acquitted", The New York Times, July 7, 1921, p. 2
^"Truce in Ireland Declared, to Begin Monday at Noon; De Valera Agrees to Meet Lloyd George on Peace Terms; Dublin Crowds Cheer British Commander and Unionists", The New York Times, July 9, 1921, p. 1
^"Text of De Valera's Letter to Lloyd George; Official Announcement of Truce on Monday", The New York Times, July 9, 1921, p. 1
^Vault Guide to the Top Consumer Products Employers, ed. by Tyva N. Turner (Vault, Inc., 2005) p. 231
^"St. Lawrence Cost to Be Paid in Power", The New York Times, July 15, 1921, p. 4
^"France Calls Back Mission in Anger at Leipsic Trials", The New York Times, July 9, 1921, p. 1
^League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 5, pp. 330-333.
^Ts. Nasanbaljir, Revolyutsionnye meropriyatiya narodogo pravitel'stva Mongolii v. 1921-1924 gg. [Revolutionary measures of the Mongolian people's government, 1921-1924], (Moscow, 1960), pp. 22-23.
^"Man-Driven Plane Flies in Paris Test— Gabriel Poulain Wins Peugeot's 10,000-Franc Prize with his 37-Pound 'Aviette'", The New York Times, July 10, 1921, p. 1
^"Jack Johnson Free, Seeks Fight at Once", The New York Times, July 10, 1921, p. 9
^Parkinson, Alan F, Belfast's Unholy War, Four Courts Press, Dublin 2004;
ISBN1-85182-792-7. Pages 153-4
^"Kill 15, Wound 100, in Belfast Rioting on Eve of Truce", The New York Times, July 11, 1921, p. 1
^"6 Killed, 50 Hurt as Plane Crashes in Field of Autos— Martin Bomber Falls Into Crowd of Thousands in Langin Park at Moundsville, W. Va.", The New York Times, July 11, 1921, p. 1
^"Japan Says Yes as to Arms Parley; Silent on Pacific", The New York Times, July 15, 1921, p. 1
^"Taft Takes Oath as Chief Justice", The New York Times, July 12, 1921, p. 9
^"Casualty reports". The Times. No. 42771. London. 13 July 1921. col D, p. 19.
^"American Ship Afire, Explodes off England", The New York Times, July 12, 1921, p. 1
^Leif Högberg and Jan Ohlsson, Militär utflykt!: en vägvisare till militärhistoriska sevärdheter i Sverige (Military Excursion!: A Guide to Military Historical Sights in Sweden
(Fort & Bunker Publishing, 2006) p. 222
^"Casualty reports". The Times. No. 42781. London. 25 July 1921. col B, p. 18.
^"Ruth's Two Homers Smother St. Louis", The New York Times, July 13, 1921, p. 15
^"Harry Hawker Dies as Plane Explodes; Daring Atlantic Flier, Once Rescued in Midocean, Meets His Fate on English Field", The New York Times, July 13, 1921. p. 1
^Vinson, J. C. "The Imperial Conference of 1921 and the Anglo-Japanese alliance." Pacific Historical Review 31, no. 3 (1962): 258
^"Army Planes Sink German Destroyer in Twenty Minutes", The New York Times, July 14, 1921, p. 1
^"Kenneth Utt, 72, Producer of Films Who Also Acted", The New York Times, January 22, 1994
^"White Man Pass to Simpson Pass", by J. Monroe Thorington in A Climber's Guide to the Rocky Mountains of Canada, by William Lowell Putnam (American Alpine Club, 1966) p. 42
^"President of Purdue and Wife Are Missing; They Started Out From Banff, Alberta, July 1, for a Hike— Nothing Since Heard of Them", The New York Times, July 26, 1921, p. 2
^"Dr. W. E. Stone Dies in Mountain Slide; Wife of President of Purdue University, Who Accompanied Him, Found Alive", The New York Times, July 27, 1921, p. 4
^"Spaniards Suffer Moroccan Disaster— Tribesmen Drive Them From Recently Captured Positions in Melilla District", The New York Times, July 24, 1921, p. 1
^"Spanish General and Staff Kill Themselves After Saving Men in Moroccan Retreat", The New York Times, July 25, 1921, p. 2
^Juan Pando Despierto, Historia secreta de Annual: Memorias de guerra (in Spanish) (Ediciones Altaya, 2008) pp. 335–333