World Events in 1919
Treaty of Versailles
The peace treaty formally ending WWI was signed on 28 June in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. Germany was forced to accept war guilt, pay massive reparations, and cede significant territory. Many historians argue the treaty's harshness sowed the seeds of World War II.
Amritsar Massacre
On 13 April, British troops under General Dyer opened fire on unarmed civilians at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, India, killing at least 379 people. The massacre was a turning point in the Indian independence movement and radicalised Mahatma Gandhi.
First non-stop transatlantic flight
John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown flew a modified Vickers Vimy from Newfoundland to Ireland on 14-15 June, covering 1,890 miles in under 16 hours. They crash-landed in a bog but both survived, winning a £10,000 prize from the Daily Mail.
Red Summer in the United States
A wave of racial violence erupted across the US during the summer and autumn, with race riots in Chicago, Washington D.C., and dozens of other cities. The violence was driven by post-war economic tensions and white resentment of Black advancement.
Prohibition ratified (18th Amendment)
The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified in January, banning the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol. It would take effect in January 1920, ushering in an era of speakeasies, bootleggers, and organised crime.
Formation of the League of Nations
The Paris Peace Conference established the League of Nations, the first international organisation dedicated to maintaining world peace. Ironically, the US Senate refused to ratify American membership, fatally weakening the institution from the start.
Music in 1919
"After the War is Over"
Florrie Forde
Australian-born music hall star Florrie Forde captured the post-war mood with songs about homecoming and the hope for a better future. Her performances drew huge crowds in 1919.
"A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody"
John Steel
Irving Berlin wrote it for the Ziegfeld Follies of 1919. It became the unofficial theme song of the Follies and one of Berlin's most enduring standards.
#1 Film of 1919
Broken Blossoms
Box Office: $700,000 (estimated)
D.W. Griffith's intimate melodrama starring Lillian Gish was a critical and commercial success. Its sensitive treatment of interracial romance was daring for the era, though the film relied on racial stereotypes.
Born in 1919
Margaret Thatcher
Britain's first female Prime Minister, known as the Iron Lady
Jackie Robinson
First African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era
Doris Lessing
British-Zimbabwean novelist and Nobel Prize laureate in Literature
Nat King Cole
American singer and jazz pianist known for Unforgettable and Mona Lisa
Edmund Hillary
New Zealand mountaineer, first confirmed to summit Mount Everest
Lost in 1919
Theodore Roosevelt
26th President of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
Age 60
Andrew Carnegie
Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist
Age 83
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
French Impressionist painter
Age 78
L. Frank Baum
American author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Age 62
Technology in 1919
Aviation made dramatic peacetime advances. Surplus military aircraft were converted for civilian use. The first transatlantic flight by Alcock and Brown captured the world's imagination. Radio broadcasting was on the cusp of becoming a mass medium. The war had left behind a legacy of industrial capacity that would fuel the 1920s boom.
- ● Alcock and Brown completed the first non-stop transatlantic flight in June
- ● The first purpose-built commercial airline service began (KLM founded in October)
- ● Shortwave radio transmission experiments paved the way for international broadcasting
- ● Ernest Rutherford split the atom for the first time, transmuting nitrogen into oxygen
Cost of Living in 1919
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £350 | $4,000 |
| Average salary | £110 | $750 |
| Pint of milk | 4d | 11¢ |
| Loaf of bread | 5½d | 10¢ |
| Dozen eggs | 2s 2d | 52¢ |
| Pint of beer | 4d | 5¢ |
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The Zeitgeist of 1919
Relief mixed with disillusionment. Returning soldiers found unemployment and broken promises. The 'land fit for heroes' rang hollow. The jazz age was dawning — nightclubs and dance halls were packed by those desperate to celebrate being alive. Sport resumed: the first post-war football season kicked off and Jack Dempsey became heavyweight champion. Prohibition was ratified in America, about to transform the nation's social landscape.
In the News in 1919
The Treaty of Versailles dominated the year. Race riots erupted across the US during the 'Red Summer.' The Amritsar Massacre in India shocked the British Empire. Alcock and Brown made the first non-stop transatlantic flight. The 18th Amendment established Prohibition in the United States.