20th Century

Culture Born On 20th Century North America

Maya Angelou Born in St. Louis

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. She spent important parts of her childhood in Stamps, Arkansas, and later lived in California. Angelou developed a remarkably varied career as a writer, performer, singer, dancer, journalist, educator, and civil-rights activist. She worked with both Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference and organizations connected with Malcolm X. Her 1969 memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings brought international attention to her account of childhood, racism, trauma, family, and resilience and helped expand the possibilities of autobiographical writing by Black women. Angelou published poetry, essays, screenplays, and additional autobiographical volumes and taught at Wake Forest University. In 1993, she delivered her poem "On...

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Culture 20th Century North America

Mickey Mouse Debuts in Plane Crazy Test Screening

Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks had been developing animated characters after losing rights to earlier creations like Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Seeking a new star for their studio, they created a cheerful mouse inspired by pet mice and barnyard animals. On May 15, 1928, the silent short Plane Crazy received its first test screening before a theater audience in Hollywood, introducing Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse as they attempted aviation antics. The film failed to secure a distributor initially. It later received a sound version and wide release in 1929 after Steamboat Willie's success.

Politics Born On 20th Century Latin America & Caribbean

Revolutionary Che Guevara Born in Argentina

Ernesto "Che" Guevara is reported as having been born on June 14, 1928. He was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, and guerrilla leader central to the Cuban Revolution. After earning a medical degree in Buenos Aires in 1953, Guevara traveled across Latin America, witnessing widespread poverty that shaped his commitment to violent overthrow of imperialism. In Mexico he joined Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement and participated in the 1956 Granma landing. As a commander in the Sierra Maestra campaign, he helped topple Batista in 1959. In revolutionary Cuba he served as president of the National Bank, minister of industry, and director of agrarian reform. Later he attempted to export revolution to the Congo and Bolivia, where he was...

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Law 20th Century Europe

Kellogg-Briand Pact Signed to Renounce War

Following the devastation of World War I, French Foreign Minister Aristide Briand proposed a bilateral agreement with the United States to outlaw war. U.S. Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg expanded the idea into a multilateral treaty. On August 27, 1928, representatives from fifteen nations, including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, and the United States, signed the General Treaty for Renunciation of War as an Instrument of National Policy in Paris. The pact committed signatories to settle disputes by peaceful means and eventually attracted dozens more adherents. Though lacking enforcement mechanisms, it reflected widespread postwar idealism about collective security. The treaty entered into force in 1929 and remains technically in effect.

Politics 20th Century East Asia

Hirohito Enthroned as Emperor of Japan

Following the death of his father Emperor Taishō in 1926, Crown Prince Hirohito assumed the role of regent before formal accession. Traditional Shinto and imperial rites marked the transition of power in Japan’s constitutional monarchy. On November 10, 1928, elaborate enthronement ceremonies took place in Kyoto, including processions, rituals with the Imperial Regalia, and public celebrations attended by dignitaries. The events confirmed Hirohito’s possession of the Three Sacred Treasures and his status as the 124th emperor in the unbroken imperial line. The ceremonies occurred amid economic challenges but reinforced national unity and imperial tradition.

Law 20th Century Europe

Lateran Treaty Establishes Vatican City

After Italian unification in 1870, the Papal States were seized, leaving the Holy See without sovereign territory and creating decades of tension known as the Roman Question. Benito Mussolini's Fascist government sought to resolve the impasse to gain legitimacy and Catholic support. On February 11, 1929, representatives signed the Lateran Pacts at the Lateran Palace in Rome, including a treaty recognizing Vatican City as an independent state under papal sovereignty. The agreements also included a financial settlement compensating the Church for lost territories and a concordat governing Church-state relations in Italy. Pope Pius XI and Mussolini's signatures marked the end of the long dispute. The new microstate encompassed St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Gardens, and surrounding areas, guaranteeing the Pope's...

Other 20th Century North America

St. Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago

During Prohibition, Chicago's organized crime syndicates battled for control of illegal alcohol distribution, with Al Capone's South Side Italian gang clashing against George "Bugs" Moran's North Side Irish gang. On the morning of February 14, 1929, seven men associated with Moran's operation gathered at a garage on North Clark Street. Four assailants, two dressed as police officers and two in civilian clothes, entered the premises, lined the victims against a wall under the pretense of a raid, and executed them with submachine guns and shotguns. The victims included Moran's key lieutenants; Moran himself narrowly escaped by arriving late. Capone was widely suspected of ordering the hit, though never convicted, intensifying public outrage over gang violence.

Culture 20th Century North America

First Academy Awards Presented in Hollywood

As the film industry matured in the late 1920s with the transition to sound pictures, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sought to honor excellence and promote the art form. The inaugural ceremony took place on May 16, 1929, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel before roughly 270 guests during a private dinner. Janet Gaynor received the first Best Actress award for performances in three films, while Emil Jannings won Best Actor; the event lasted only about fifteen minutes.

Politics 20th Century Europe

Lateran Treaty Creates Vatican City State

The Roman Question had persisted since Italian unification in 1870, when the Papal States were absorbed into the Kingdom of Italy, leaving the pope without temporal sovereignty. Negotiations between the Holy See and Benito Mussolini's government intensified in the 1920s to resolve the status of the Vatican. The Lateran Pacts, including the treaty proper, were signed on February 11, 1929, and ratified by the Italian Parliament on June 7, 1929, granting the Holy See full sovereignty over Vatican City. The agreement also included a financial settlement and a concordat regulating church-state relations in Italy. Pope Pius XI and the Italian state thereby established the world's smallest independent country.

Civil Rights 20th Century North America

Persons Case Affirms Women as Legal Persons

In early twentieth-century Canada, the Famous Five—Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney, and Henrietta Muir Edwards—challenged barriers preventing women from Senate appointments under the British North America Act. The Supreme Court of Canada had ruled women were not “persons,” but the case reached the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in Britain. On October 18, 1929, the Council reversed the decision, declaring that women qualified as persons eligible for public office. The ruling immediately opened pathways for female senators and broader civic participation. It marked a key victory after years of advocacy by the Alberta women.

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Economics 20th Century North America

Black Thursday Stock Market Crash Begins

The 1920s had brought unprecedented stock market speculation in the United States fueled by easy credit, margin buying, and optimistic economic forecasts following World War I recovery. Warning signs emerged in September and early October as prices fluctuated wildly and some sectors showed weakness. On October 24, 1929, panic selling erupted on the New York Stock Exchange with a record 12.9 million shares traded and prices plunging sharply at the opening bell. Bankers attempted to stabilize the market by purchasing large blocks of stock, providing temporary relief, but the underlying lack of confidence persisted. The day became known as Black Thursday, marking the start of the broader Wall Street crash.

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Economics 20th Century North America

Black Tuesday Stock Market Crash Begins Great Depression

The Roaring Twenties had fueled speculative investment in U.S. stocks, with prices detached from economic fundamentals amid rising unemployment, agricultural woes, and overproduction. After earlier warnings and a sharp drop on Black Thursday, panic selling intensified on October 29, 1929, as over 16 million shares changed hands on the New York Stock Exchange, erasing billions in value and leaving the ticker tape hours behind. Leading bankers attempted support but could not stem the tide, which continued for days and wiped out fortunes built on margin buying. The crash shattered public confidence in the financial system and exposed vulnerabilities in unregulated markets. Immediate effects included bank runs and business failures that rippled across the industrialized world.

Exploration 20th Century Global

Byrd Achieves First Flight Over South Pole

In the era of polar exploration following Roald Amundsen's overland trek, American aviator and naval officer Richard E. Byrd organized ambitious Antarctic expeditions using aircraft for reconnaissance. On November 29, 1929, Byrd piloted a Ford Trimotor aircraft named Floyd Bennett from his base at Little America, flying over the South Pole in a round-trip journey lasting about 19 hours with a crew including pilot Bernt Balchen. The flight provided aerial mapping data and confirmed the pole's location from the air amid harsh weather and navigation challenges. It marked a technological leap in polar travel, relying on advances in aviation and radio communication. The expedition returned with valuable scientific observations of the continent's geography.

Exploration Born On 20th Century North America

Buzz Aldrin Born in Montclair

Buzz Aldrin was born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr. on January 20, 1930, in Montclair, New Jersey. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and served as an Air Force fighter pilot during the Korean War. Aldrin later earned a doctorate in astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where his research focused on orbital rendezvous. NASA selected him as an astronaut in 1963. On Gemini 12 in 1966, he performed extended spacewalks that helped demonstrate practical methods for working outside a spacecraft. In July 1969, Aldrin served as lunar module pilot on Apollo 11. After Neil Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface, Aldrin became the second person to walk on the Moon. He left NASA in...

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Science 20th Century North America

Clyde Tombaugh Discovers Pluto at Lowell Observatory

Astronomers in the early 20th century suspected an undiscovered planet beyond Neptune based on irregularities in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune, leading Percival Lowell to initiate a search for “Planet X” at his observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. After Lowell’s death, the search continued with improved photographic techniques. On February 18, 1930, 24-year-old Clyde Tombaugh, working as an assistant, identified a moving object on photographic plates taken weeks earlier by comparing images with a blink comparator. Confirmation followed through additional observations, and the discovery was publicly announced in March. The tiny body, later named Pluto, expanded knowledge of the solar system’s outer reaches. Tombaugh’s methodical approach succeeded where prior efforts had failed.

Event Detail Daily Earth View

Civil Rights 20th Century South Asia

Gandhi Launches Salt March from Sabarmati Ashram

British colonial rule in India imposed a monopoly on salt production and a heavy tax that disproportionately burdened the poor. Mahatma Gandhi, seeking to launch a mass civil disobedience campaign, selected salt as a unifying symbol of injustice. On March 12, 1930, Gandhi and seventy-eight followers departed Sabarmati Ashram near Ahmedabad for a 240-mile trek to the coastal village of Dandi. Crowds joined along the route as the marchers covered roughly ten miles daily, stopping in villages to promote nonviolent resistance. The procession reached Dandi on April 5, where Gandhi symbolically collected salt from the sea the next morning, violating British law and sparking nationwide protests.

Culture 20th Century Latin America & Caribbean

First FIFA World Cup Begins in Uruguay

FIFA had long sought an international football tournament separate from the Olympics. Uruguay, celebrating its centenary of independence and boasting recent Olympic champions, hosted the inaugural event. On July 13, 1930, the first two matches kicked off simultaneously in Montevideo: France defeated Mexico 4-1 with Lucien Laurent scoring the tournament's opening goal, while the United States beat Belgium 3-0. Only 13 nations participated due to the Great Depression and long travel distances, mostly from the Americas. Uruguay won the final against Argentina 4-2 before a large home crowd at the new Estadio Centenario.

Economics Born On 20th Century North America

Warren Buffett Born in Omaha

Warren Edward Buffett was born on August 30, 1930, in Omaha, Nebraska, the son of Leila Stahl Buffett and businessman and congressman Howard Buffett. Interested in business and investing from childhood, Buffett studied at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Nebraska before earning a graduate degree from Columbia Business School, where he studied with influential value investor Benjamin Graham. Buffett established investment partnerships in Omaha during the 1950s and acquired control of the struggling textile company Berkshire Hathaway in the 1960s. He transformed Berkshire into a diversified holding company built around insurance operations, wholly owned businesses, and large investments in publicly traded companies. Buffett became one of the world's most closely followed investors and a prominent advocate of long-term...

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Disaster 20th Century Europe

British R101 Airship Crashes in France

Britain pursued ambitious airship programs in the interwar period to establish long-distance passenger and mail routes to its empire. The R101, one of the largest rigid airships ever built, embarked on its maiden voyage to India on October 4, 1930, carrying dignitaries and crew. Early on October 5, amid stormy weather over northern France, the airship struck a hillside near Beauvais and burst into flames. Of the 54 people aboard, 48 perished in the disaster, including key figures from the British Air Ministry. The crash effectively ended Britain's rigid airship ambitions.

Politics 20th Century Sub-Saharan Africa

Haile Selassie Crowned Emperor of Ethiopia

Ethiopia had maintained its independence as one of the few African nations not colonized during the Scramble for Africa, though it faced internal challenges and external pressures. Ras Tafari Makonnen had risen through the ranks as regent and heir apparent after the death of Empress Zewditu. On November 2, 1930, he was formally crowned Emperor Haile Selassie I in a grand ceremony at St. George's Cathedral in Addis Ababa, adopting a name meaning "Power of the Trinity." The event drew international royalty and dignitaries, symbolizing Ethiopia's sovereignty and modernization efforts under his leadership. Selassie would later become a central figure in African independence movements and the Rastafari faith.

Technology 20th Century North America

1931

Empire State Building Dedicated in New York

During the Great Depression, ambitious construction projects symbolized hope and American enterprise amid economic hardship. The Empire State Building site on Fifth Avenue was cleared after the Waldorf-Astoria hotel closed, and construction began in 1930 under a tight schedule to outpace competitors. On May 1, 1931, President Herbert Hoover dedicated the 102-story skyscraper from Washington by pressing a button to illuminate its lights, while ceremonies occurred in New York with Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt and others present. Completed in just over a year, it stood as the world's tallest building at the time. The opening drew massive public attention despite the era's challenges.

Event Detail America 250 Atlas

1931

Politics Born On 20th Century Latin America & Caribbean

Raúl Castro Born in Birán

Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz was born on June 3, 1931, near Birán in eastern Cuba. The younger brother of Fidel Castro, he became involved in radical politics as a young man and participated in the failed 1953 attack on the Moncada Barracks. After imprisonment and exile, he joined the expedition aboard the Granma and became a commander in the guerrilla movement that overthrew Fulgencio Batista at the beginning of 1959. Raúl Castro then served for decades as head of Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces and as one of the government's most powerful officials. When Fidel Castro became seriously ill, Raúl assumed presidential duties in 2006 and formally became president in 2008. His government introduced limited economic changes and participated in the...

Event Detail Cuba Explained

1932

Politics Born On 20th Century Latin America & Caribbean

Camilo Cienfuegos Born: Cuban Revolutionary Leader

Camilo Cienfuegos is reported as having been born on February 6, 1932, in Havana, Cuba. He was a key Cuban revolutionary and military commander during the Cuban Revolution against Fulgencio Batista's dictatorship. Cienfuegos joined Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement and participated in the Granma expedition from Mexico in 1956. He rose to prominence as a guerrilla leader, commanding Column 2 in the Sierra Maestra and later operations in Las Villas province. Known for his charisma, loyalty, and tactical skill, he helped secure rebel victories leading to the revolution's triumph in January 1959. Cienfuegos was appointed chief of staff of the armed forces and became one of the revolution's most popular figures alongside Castro and Che Guevara. He disappeared in...

Event Detail Cuba Explained

1932

Politics 20th Century Middle East & North Africa

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Proclaimed by Royal Decree

Abdulaziz Ibn Saud had spent three decades conquering and consolidating territories across the Arabian Peninsula, capturing Riyadh in 1902 and gradually incorporating Najd, Hejaz, and other regions through military campaigns and alliances. By 1927 the dual kingdoms of Hejaz and Najd existed under his rule. On September 23, 1932, a royal decree unified these domains into a single state named the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with Ibn Saud as its founding monarch. The proclamation centralized authority, reduced risks of regional separatism, and established the modern absolute monarchy that endures today.