1919

WORLD HISTORY · 1919 日本語

Events of 1919Taisho 8 (Japan) · Year of the Goat

94Events
Taisho 8Japanese era
GoatChinese zodiac
107Age in 2026
Pages for every era, every decade and every year from 1910 to 2026

What happened in 1919?

In 1919, the March First Movement broke out in Korea, and Japan's proposal to ban racial discrimination was rejected at the Paris Peace Conference. Elsewhere, the Treaty of Versailles was signed and Germany's Weimar Constitution took effect.

  1. March First Movement breaks out in KoreaAsia
  2. Comintern is foundedEurope
  3. Japan's racial equality proposal rejectedAsia
  4. Japan's claim to German rights in Shandong approvedAsia
  5. Turkish War of Independence beginsMiddle East
  6. Japan revises its House of Representatives election lawAsia
  7. Treaty of Versailles signedEurope
  8. Weimar Constitution takes effect in GermanyEurope

Tap an event to jump to it in the timeline below.

Advertisement

1919 at a glance

Japanese eraTaisho 8
Chinese zodiacYear of the Goat
Age of people born in 1919Turn 107 in 2026
Previous / next year1918 (Taisho 7) / 1920 (Taisho 9)
Events94
AP World HistoryUnit 7 (Global Conflict)
AP U.S. HistoryPeriod 7

Famous people born in 1919

Our birthday pages list 414 people born in 1919. Here are some of them.

  • Jackie RobinsonBorn January 31 · turns 107 this year · American baseball player who broke Major League Baseball's color line with the…
  • J. D. SalingerBorn January 1 · turns 107 this year · American author whose 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye won devoted readers amo…
  • Nat King ColeBorn March 17 · turns 107 this year · American jazz pianist and singer whose smooth voice made hits of Unforgettable,…
  • Edmund HillaryBorn July 20 · turns 107 this year · New Zealand mountaineer and explorer who, with Tenzing Norgay, first reached th…
  • Takashi YanaseBorn February 6 · turns 107 this year
  • Mohammad Reza PahlaviBorn October 26 · turns 107 this year
  • Kiichi MiyazawaBorn October 8 · turns 107 this year
  • Bones McKinneyBorn January 1 · turns 107 this year
  • Carole LandisBorn January 1 · turns 107 this year
  • Sheila MercierBorn January 1 · turns 107 this year
  • Beatrice HicksBorn January 2 · turns 107 this year
  • Ernest BenderBorn January 2 · turns 107 this year
Show 28 more

Events of 1919 (timeline · 94)

Tip: the PC view is best for studying

On a computer, each region has its own vertical line, so you can follow the flow of events and see what was happening in different parts of the world at the same time.

1919

Jan 5, 1919Taisho 8

The German Workers' Party, which would become the Nazi Party, is founded in Munich.

Europe

Jan 7, 1919Taisho 8

Montenegrin guerrilla fighters rebel against the planned annexation of Montenegro by Serbia, but fail.

Europe

Jan 15, 1919Taisho 8

Great Molasses Flood: A wave of molasses released from an exploding storage tank sweeps through Boston, Massachusetts, killing 21 and injuring 150.

North America

Jan 15, 1919Taisho 8

Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent communists in Germany, are clubbed and then shot to death by members of the Freikorps at the end of the Spartacist uprising.

Europe

Jan 16, 1919Taisho 8

Nebraska becomes the 36th state to approve the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. With the necessary three-quarters of the states approving the amendment, Prohibition is constitutionally mandated in the United States one year later.

North America

Jan 18, 1919Taisho 8

Ignacy Jan Paderewski becomes Prime Minister of the newly independent Poland.

Europe

Jan 18, 1919Taisho 8

World War I: The Paris Peace Conference opens in Versailles, France.

Europe

Jan 21, 1919Taisho 8

A revolutionary Irish parliament is founded and declares the independence of the Irish Republic. One of the first engagements of the Irish War of Independence takes place.

Europe

Jan 22, 1919Taisho 8

Act Zluky is signed, unifying the Ukrainian People's Republic and the West Ukrainian National Republic.

Europe

Jan 23, 1919Taisho 8

The First Regional Congress of Peasants, Workers and Insurgents is held by the Makhnovshchina at Velykomykhailivka.

North America

Jan 28, 1919Taisho 8

The Order of the White Rose of Finland is established by Baron Gustaf Mannerheim, the regent of Finland.

Europe

Jan 31, 1919Taisho 8

The Battle of George Square takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, during a campaign for shorter working hours.

Europe

Feb 5, 1919Taisho 8

Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith launch United Artists.

North America

Feb 6, 1919Taisho 8

The five-day Seattle General Strike begins, as more than 65,000 workers in the city of Seattle, Washington, walk off the job.

North America

Feb 11, 1919Taisho 8

Friedrich Ebert (SPD) is elected President of Germany.

Europe

Feb 12, 1919Taisho 8

The Second Regional Congress of Peasants, Workers and Insurgents is held by the Makhnovshchina at Huliaipole.

North America

Feb 14, 1919Taisho 8

The Polish–Soviet War begins.

Europe

Feb 17, 1919Taisho 8

The Ukrainian People's Republic asks the Entente and the United States for help fighting the Bolsheviks.

North AmericaEurope

Feb 21, 1919Taisho 8

German socialist Kurt Eisner is assassinated. His death results in the establishment of the Bavarian Soviet Republic and parliament and government fleeing Munich, Germany.

Europe

Feb 26, 1919Taisho 8

President Woodrow Wilson signs an act of Congress establishing the Grand Canyon National Park.

North America

Mar 1, 1919Taisho 8

March 1st Movement begins in Korea under Japanese rule.

Asia

Mar 2, 1919Taisho 8

The first Communist International meets in Moscow.

Europe

Mar 15, 1919Taisho 8

Ukrainian War of Independence: The Kontrrazvedka is established as the counterintelligence division of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine.

Europe

Mar 15, 1919Taisho 8

The American Legion is founded.

North America

Mar 21, 1919Taisho 8

The Hungarian Soviet Republic is established becoming the first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia.

Europe

Mar 23, 1919Taisho 8

In Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini founds his Fascist political movement.

Europe

Mar 25, 1919Taisho 8

The Tetiev pogrom occurs in Ukraine, becoming the prototype of mass murder during the Holocaust.

Europe

Apr 10, 1919Taisho 8

The Third Regional Congress of Peasants, Workers and Insurgents is held by the Makhnovshchina at Huliaipole.

North America

Apr 10, 1919Taisho 8

Mexican Revolution leader Emiliano Zapata is ambushed and shot dead by government forces in Morelos.

Latin America

Apr 13, 1919Taisho 8

Jallianwala Bagh massacre: British Indian Army troops led by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer kill approximately 379–1,000 unarmed demonstrators including men and women in Amritsar, India. Approximately 1,500 are injured.

AsiaEurope

Apr 16, 1919Taisho 8

Polish–Lithuanian War: The Polish Army launches the Vilna offensive to capture Vilnius in modern Lithuania.

Europe

Apr 16, 1919Taisho 8

Mohandas Gandhi organizes a day of "prayer and fasting" in response to the killing of Indian protesters in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by the British colonial troops three days earlier.

AsiaEurope

Apr 23, 1919Taisho 8

The Estonian Constituent Assembly is held in Estonia, which marks the birth of the Estonian Parliament, the Riigikogu.

Europe

May 4, 1919Taisho 8

May Fourth Movement: Student demonstrations take place in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, protesting the Treaty of Versailles, which transferred Chinese territory to Japan.

Asia

May 8, 1919Taisho 8

Edward George Honey proposes the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate the Armistice of 11 November 1918 which ended World War I.

Europe

May 11, 1919Taisho 8

Uruguay becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.

Latin America

May 15, 1919Taisho 8

Greek occupation of Smyrna. During the occupation, the Greek army kills or wounds 350 Turks; those responsible are punished by Greek commander Aristides Stergiades.

Middle EastEurope

May 15, 1919Taisho 8

The Winnipeg general strike begins. By 11:00, almost the whole working population of Winnipeg had walked off the job.

North America

May 16, 1919Taisho 8

A naval Curtiss NC-4 aircraft commanded by Albert Cushing Read leaves Trepassey, Newfoundland, for Lisbon via the Azores on the first transatlantic flight.

North AmericaEurope

May 19, 1919Taisho 8

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk lands at Samsun on the Anatolian Black Sea coast, initiating what is later termed the Turkish War of Independence.

Middle East

May 23, 1919Taisho 8

Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji, a Kurdish sheikh and at-the-time governor of the Slêmanî Province of British Iraq, initiates the first Mahmud Barzanji revolt.

Middle EastEurope

May 27, 1919Taisho 8

The NC-4 aircraft arrives in Lisbon after completing the first transatlantic flight.

Europe

May 29, 1919Taisho 8

Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity is tested (later confirmed) by Arthur Eddington and Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin.

Latin AmericaEuropeAfrica

Jun 1, 1919Taisho 8

Prohibition comes into force in Finland.

Europe

Jun 2, 1919Taisho 8

Anarchists simultaneously set off bombs in eight separate U.S. cities.

North America

Jun 4, 1919Taisho 8

Women's rights: The U.S. Congress approves the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees suffrage to women, and sends it to the U.S. states for ratification.

North America

Jun 4, 1919Taisho 8

Leon Trotsky bans the planned Fourth Regional Congress of Peasants, Workers and Insurgents.

North America

Jun 7, 1919Taisho 8

Sette Giugno: Nationalist riots break out in Valletta, the capital of Malta. British soldiers fire into the crowd, killing four people.

Europe

Jun 11, 1919Taisho 8

Sir Barton wins the Belmont Stakes, becoming the first horse to win the U.S. Triple Crown.

North America

Jun 14, 1919Taisho 8

John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown depart from St. John's, Newfoundland on the first nonstop transatlantic flight.

North America

Jun 15, 1919Taisho 8

John Alcock and Arthur Brown complete the first nonstop transatlantic flight when they reach Clifden, County Galway, Ireland.

Europe

Jun 21, 1919Taisho 8

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police fire a volley into a crowd of unemployed war veterans, killing two, during the Winnipeg general strike.

North America

Jun 21, 1919Taisho 8

Admiral Ludwig von Reuter scuttles the German fleet at Scapa Flow, Orkney. The nine sailors killed are the last casualties of World War I.

Europe

Jun 23, 1919Taisho 8

Estonian War of Independence: The decisive defeat of the Baltische Landeswehr in the Battle of Cēsis; this date is celebrated as Victory Day in Estonia.

Europe

Jun 28, 1919Taisho 8

The Treaty of Versailles is signed, ending the state of war between Germany and the Allies of World War I.

Europe

Jul 6, 1919Taisho 8

The British dirigible R34 lands in New York, completing the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an airship.

North AmericaEurope

Jul 11, 1919Taisho 8

The eight-hour day and free Sunday become law for workers in the Netherlands.

Europe

Jul 13, 1919Taisho 8

The British airship R34 lands in Norfolk, England, completing the first airship return journey across the Atlantic in 182 hours of flight.

Europe

Jul 17, 1919Taisho 8

The form of government in the Republic of Finland is officially confirmed with the enactment of the Constitution of Finland. For this reason, July 17 is known as the Day of Democracy (Kansanvallan päivä) in Finland.

Europe

Jul 21, 1919Taisho 8

The dirigible Wingfoot Air Express crashes into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building in Chicago, killing 12 people.

North America

Jul 23, 1919Taisho 8

Prince Regent Aleksander Karađorđević signs the decree establishing the University of Ljubljana.

Europe

Jul 27, 1919Taisho 8

The Chicago Race Riot erupts after a racial incident occurred on a South Side beach, leading to 38 fatalities and 537 injuries over a five-day period.

North America

Aug 8, 1919Taisho 8

The Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 is signed. It establishes peaceful relations between Afghanistan and the UK, and confirms the Durand line as the mutual border. In return, the UK is no longer obligated to subsidize the Afghan government.

AsiaEurope

Aug 11, 1919Taisho 8

Germany's Weimar Constitution is signed into law.

Europe

Sep 4, 1919Taisho 8

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who founded the Republic of Turkey, gathers a congress in Sivas to make decisions as to the future of Anatolia and Thrace.

Middle East

Sep 10, 1919Taisho 8

The Republic of German-Austria signs the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, ceding significant territories to Italy, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia.

Europe

Sep 11, 1919Taisho 8

United States Marine Corps invades Honduras.

North AmericaLatin America

Sep 18, 1919Taisho 8

Fritz Pollard becomes the first African American to play professional football for a major team, the Akron Pros.

North AmericaAfrica

Sep 18, 1919Taisho 8

In the Netherlands, a law granting full voting rights to women is granted royal assent by Queen Wilhelmina.

Europe

Sep 22, 1919Taisho 8

The steel strike of 1919, led by the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers, begins in Pennsylvania before spreading across the United States.

North America

Sep 26, 1919Taisho 8

Ukrainian War of Independence: The Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine defeats the White Russian Volunteer Army at the Battle of Peregonovka.

Europe

Sep 28, 1919Taisho 8

Race riots begin in Omaha, Nebraska, United States.

North America

Sep 30, 1919Taisho 8

The Elaine massacre in Arkansas commences.

North America

Oct 2, 1919Taisho 8

Seven days after suffering a "physical collapse" following a speech in Pueblo, Colorado, U.S. president Woodrow Wilson has a catastrophic stroke at the White House, leaving him physically and mentally incapacitated for the remainder of his presidency.

North America

Oct 3, 1919Taisho 8

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Adolfo Luque becomes the first Latin American player to appear in a World Series.

North AmericaLatin America

Oct 7, 1919Taisho 8

KLM, the flag carrier of the Netherlands, is founded. It is the oldest airline still operating under its original name.

Europe

Oct 9, 1919Taisho 8

The Cincinnati Reds win the World Series, resulting in the Black Sox Scandal.

North America

Oct 16, 1919Taisho 8

Adolf Hitler delivers his first public address at a meeting of the German Workers' Party.

Europe

Oct 17, 1919Taisho 8

Leeds United F.C. founded at Salem Chapel, Holbeck after the winding up of Leeds City F.C. for making illegal payments to players during World War I

Europe

Oct 27, 1919Taisho 8

The Fourth Regional Congress of Peasants, Workers and Insurgents is held by the Makhnovshchina at Oleksandrivsk.

North America

Oct 28, 1919Taisho 8

The U.S. Congress passes the Volstead Act over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, paving the way for Prohibition to begin the following January.

North America

Nov 7, 1919Taisho 8

The first Palmer Raid is conducted on the second anniversary of the Russian Revolution. Over 10,000 suspected communists and anarchists are arrested in 23 U.S. cities.

North AmericaEurope

Nov 8, 1919Taisho 8

Eichenfeld massacre: Members of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine murder 136 Mennonite colonists at Jaskyowo, initiating a series of massacres that resulted in the deaths of 827 Ukrainian Mennonites.

Europe

Nov 11, 1919Taisho 8

Latvian forces defeat the West Russian Volunteer Army at Riga in the Latvian War of Independence.

Europe

Nov 11, 1919Taisho 8

The Industrial Workers of the World attack an Armistice Day parade in Centralia, Washington, ultimately resulting in the deaths of five people.

North America

Nov 28, 1919Taisho 8

Lady Astor is elected as a Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. She is the first woman to sit in the House of Commons. (Countess Markievicz, the first to be elected, refused to sit.)

Europe

Dec 1, 1919Taisho 8

Lady Astor becomes the first female Member of Parliament (MP) to take her seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. (She had been elected to that position on November 28.)

Europe

Dec 2, 1919Taisho 8

Ukrainian War of Independence: Ukrainian Bolsheviks attempt to assassinate Nestor Makhno as part of the Polonsky conspiracy.

Europe

Dec 3, 1919Taisho 8

After nearly 20 years of planning and construction, including two collapses causing 89 deaths, the Quebec Bridge opens to traffic.

North America

Dec 4, 1919Taisho 8

Ukrainian War of Independence: The Polonsky conspiracy is initiated, with an attempt to assassinate the high command of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine.

Europe

Dec 5, 1919Taisho 8

Ukrainian War of Independence: The Polonsky conspiracy is suppressed and its participants are executed by the Kontrrazvedka.

Europe

Dec 21, 1919Taisho 8

American anarchist Emma Goldman is deported to Russia.

North AmericaEurope

Dec 23, 1919Taisho 8

Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 becomes law in the United Kingdom, allowing women to serve as lawyers, civil servants, and in other professions, as well as to serve on juries.

Europe

Dec 26, 1919Taisho 8

Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox is sold to the New York Yankees by owner Harry Frazee, allegedly establishing the Curse of the Bambino superstition.

North America

EventNameFamous birthEvent in more than one region

Source: Wikipedia date pages ("January 1" … "December 31") / CC BY-SA 4.0. Regions are assigned by the site editors.

FAQ

What year was 1919 in the Japanese calendar?

1919 was Taisho 8 in the Japanese era system.

What Chinese zodiac animal is 1919?

1919 is the Year of the Goat.

How old is someone born in 1919?

They turn 107 on their birthday in 2026.

What happened in 1919?

In 1919, the March First Movement broke out in Korea, and Japan's proposal to ban racial discrimination was rejected at the Paris Peace Conference. Elsewhere, the Treaty of Versailles was signed and Germany's Weimar Constitution took effect.

Born in 1919?See who shares your birthday and your birth year

Dates and events are based on Wikipedia and other references. Summaries and regions are written by the site editors.

Advertisement

執筆者: 瀬尾

© 2026 Whose Birthday Today?