1919 Fun Facts: Everything About The Year That Signed The Versailles Treaty

The year 1919 changed the trajectory of history forever.

This was the year in which the Treaty of Versailles was signed, which ended the Great War. Inspired by this event, 1919 saw major changes and developments in world events, sports, and inventions.

1919 was the 19th year of the 20th century and the last year of the 1910s decade. The most important events of the year included the signing of the Versailles treaty to end World War I; the future of prohibition in the United States was set in this year; civil resistance was in full force against British rule in India and Afghanistan; in MLB, the Cincinnati Reds won the World Series, overthrowing the Red Sox, and the world was still battling the epidemic of influenza.

Important milestones set in 1919 include the first non-stop transatlantic flight that took place from Newfoundland to Ireland by British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Brown in less than 72 hours, and the women's suffragist movement had gained momentum in the American Constitution.

To learn more fun facts about the 20th-century era, check out these articles, 1920 facts, and 1925 facts.

Fun Facts About 1919

Henry Ford gave the presidency of the Ford Motor Company to his son, Edsel Ford, in 1919.

The world's smallest skyscraper, officially known as the Newby–McMahon Building, was built in Wichita Falls, Texas. It was fraudulently built because its maker promised investors that it would be 480 ft (146.3 m) tall, while in reality, it was 480 in (1219.2 cm) tall.

The Grand Canyon National Park Act was passed in February of 1919, establishing the Grand Canyon as a US National Park.

Woodrow Wilson was the president of the United States of America from 1913-1921 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in the year 1919. He was honored with this award for his role as the founder of the League of Nations. The League of Nations was formed because of the Treaty of Versailles.

Because of this, Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the USA, suffered a stroke in 1919, and his second wife, Edith Bolling Wilson, performed the executive functions of the president. She is considered the first unofficial female president of the United States by some.

Historical Facts About 1919

This year was a transformative year in global politics. The troops of various countries returned home after the war. A return to normalcy defined the interwar period.

The iconic Versailles Treaty was a peace treaty signed by Germany and the Allies against whom the war was being fought. It was signed in the French palace of Versailles, Paris, France. The Treaty was prepared by the allies 'Big-Four', the French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, and United States President Woodrow Wilson, and a council of five consisting of French, Italian, British, American, and Japanese foreign ministers.

The Treaty of Versailles was never ratified by the US Senate, even though it was drafted in the presence of its President, Woodrow Wilson. Woodrow Wilson had contributed his 14 points, outlining World War I as an international conflict that started on July 28, 1914, and ended with the signing of the peace treaty and the formation of the League of Nations. The countries involved in the war were Russia, the United States, many countries in Europe, and Turkey.

In Britain, all physically fit men were called upon for war. Out of the six million selected, about 750,000 lost their lives. This also affected women and children, as 160,000 wives were widowed, and 300,000 children lost their fathers. Conditions were dire, but the end of the war brought some hope.

Britain's aim during the Treaty of Versailles was to justify peace. It wanted Germany to pay for the heavy financial loss suffered due to the war. Britain also wanted to make sure that Germany could never repeat history again.

In Canada, a political crisis brewed during World War I, mainly on the issue of whether men should be called up to fight in the war. The French Canadians believed their true loyalty was to Canada and not the British empire, while the anglophone majority saw it as their duty to fight for their British blood. This gap in their thinking resulted in the alienation of the French-speaking minority.

The third Anglo-Afghan war began on May 6, 1919. The Emirates of Afghanistan invaded British India and broke an armistice with Britain. The result of the battle was that Afghans gained independence and the power to control their own foreign affairs, and the British had to recognize the Durand Line as an official border between Afghanistan and British India.

In the US, the 19th amendment to the US Constitution granting suffrage to women was proposed after a long fight for equality.

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of India took place on April 13, 1919, in Amritsar, Punjab. A gathering of peaceful protesters who had gathered was enclosed and massacred by British soldiers. This angered the Indian population greatly and led to the non-cooperation movement against British rule in India. This massacre has been said to have ultimately led to the fall of the British Empire in India almost two decades later.

The 18th amendment to the Constitution of the United States was ratified on January 16, 1919. This amendment prohibited the manufacturing, sale, or transportation of alcohol in the United States. This was caused by the temperance movement. This was also the only amendment in the US constitution's history that was repealed.

The Boston City Police force went on a strike on September 9. About three-quarters of the police force participated in the strike. This strike was done to demand improvement in wages and working conditions and the recognition of a police trade union.

The 'Red Summer' of 1919 was a period of time in 1919 when a series of racial riots took place in more than 36 cities across the country of America. This was the result of white supremacism, World War I social tensions, the demobilization of United States' forces, the economic slump, labor unrest, and competition in the job and housing markets between white and black Americans.

One of the worst cases was the Chicago race riots of 1919, which were started by white Americans against African Americans on the south side of Chicago. During the riot, 38 people were killed, and 537 were injured, of which the majority were black.

In June 1919, British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Brown created history with the first-ever non-stop transatlantic flight. They took this flight in a World War I plan called the Vickers Vimy Bomber that was significantly modified. The flight took a total of 16 hours and 12 minutes. For this quest, King George V awarded them the honor of Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

Archibald H. Grimke, who was a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a writer, lawyer, and presidential appointee, won the Spingarn Medal for outstanding achievement by an African American.

The influenza pandemic of 1918, also known as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history, was still prevalent. This deadly disease was caused by the dangerous H1N1 virus. In January of 1919, the third wave of the flu came to Australia, causing around 12,000 deaths and quickly spreading to Europe and North America. Counties like Spain, Great Britain, Serbia, and Mexico were greatly affected.

In the city of Boston, a tragedy occurred called the 'Great Molasses Flood' when a large molasses storage tank burst. The storage container held over 2,000,000 gallons. This created a flood of molasses which killed 21 people and injured 150.

Facts About Inventions Made In 1919

The first rotary dial phones in the bell system were installed in Virginia. The American telephone and telegraph company introduced dial telephones.

Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealand chemist, is believed to have discovered protons this year. He came to be known as 'the father of nuclear physics'.

Jules Jean Baptiste Vincent Bordet was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his discoveries related to immunity.

Astronomer Sir Arthur Eddington verified Einstein's general theory of relativity by observing the solar eclipse of May 29, 1919. The theory was proved by observing the stars near the sun and how they were displaced from their normal positions. According to Einstein's theory, the path of light is bent by gravity when it travels close to massive objects like the sun.

The Nobel Prize for physics that year was presented to Johannes Stark of Germany. It was presented for the discovery of the Doppler Effect in Canal Rays and the decomposition of spectrum lines by electric fields. He opened his own research lab after winning the award.

Popular Things In 1919

Chicago became the city of jazz. It was the home of great jazz artists like Louis Armstrong and the pianist Jelly Roll Morton.

The Union Artist Film Studio was started by Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, D.W. Griffith, and Mary Pickford. This was done in order for them to have autonomy over their own work.

Oscar Micheaux becomes the first African American to produce a feature-length film. He released 'The Homesteader'.

Carl Friedrich Georg Spitteler, a Swiss poet, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for his epic, Olympian Spring.

L. Frank Baum released his 13th book in the Oz series in 1919, The Magic of Oz. The Oz books were a series of fourteen books written by Baum that received critical acclaim and became famous for their adventures in a fictional place called Oz.

The baseball world series of 1919 was fought between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. The Cincinnati Reds won the competition. However, eight of the Chicago White Sox players were accused of throwing away the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. They did it in exchange for money from a gambling gangster, Arnold Rothstein. This was a major Major League Baseball scandal, and the eight players were barred from ever playing again. The scandal led to the appointment of the first Commissioner of Baseball.

The 13th Tour De France was the longest one to that date. The race was 3,445 mi (5544.2 km). It was the first Tour De France held in the city and was won by Firmin Lambot. The number of cyclists who finished the race was the lowest in its history, which is 10.

In the football season of 1919, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Team won all nine games and were declared co-champions. They were represented by the University of Notre Dame, and their head coach was Knute Rockne.

During the 1919 baseball season, in a match between the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Athletics, Ray Caldwell, a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, was struck by lightning on the mound, and he still won the game against the Philadelphia Athletics on August 24, 1919.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 1919 Fun Facts, then why not take a look at 1927 facts or 1936 facts.