1921 CE
The Tulsa race massacre destroys the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, killing hundreds and razing thousands of homes and businesses; the Russian famine of 1921–1922 kills an estimated five million in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, prompting limited international aid; the Red Army invasion of Georgia brings the Democratic Republic of Georgia under Soviet control; the Anglo-Irish Treaty ends the Irish War of Independence, creating the Irish Free State as a self-governing dominion; the Rif War begins as Berber tribes led by Abd el-Krim resist Spanish colonial rule in northern Morocco; and the Kronstadt rebellion sees Soviet sailors and workers rise against Bolshevik rule before being crushed by the Red Army.
In the 1920s, the 20th century.
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
- February 19 – The French Third Republic and Second Polish Republic form a defensive alliance.source
- March 9 – Cilicia Peace Treaty is signed between the French Third Republic and the Turkish National Movement in an attempt to end the Franco-Turkish War.source
- March 12 – The İstiklâl Marşı (Independence March), the Turkish national anthem, is officially adopted.source
- 14 March - Act III of 1921 passed by the National Assembly. The so-called "order law" invests powers in the government to protect the social order against communists and other radicalsHungarysource
- March 16 – Treaty of Moscow establishes friendly relations between the Government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic.source
- March 18 – The second Peace of Riga ends the Polish–Soviet War. A permanent border is established between the Polish and Soviet states.source
- March 20 – Upper Silesia votes for re-annexation to Germany.source
- March 31 – Abkhazia becomes the Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia.source
- April 11 – The Emirate of Transjordan is created under British Mandate, with Abdullah I as emir.source
- May 6 – The German-Soviet Provisional Agreement is signed: Germany recognises the Soviet government in the RSFSR.source
- 8 May – At the congress of the Socialist Party of Romania (Partidul Socialist din România), the pro-Bolshevik faction affirms control of the party, which consequently joins Communist International and is renamed the Romanian Communist Party (Partidul Comunist Român).Romaniasource
- May 22 – In the first golf international between the two countries, the United States beats the United Kingdom 9 rounds to 3.source
- May 24 – 1921 Irish elections: In the first Northern Ireland general election for the new Parliament of Northern Ireland, Ulster Unionists win 40 out of 52 seats. The dominant-party system here will last for fifty years.source
- 24 May – Irish elections, under terms of the Government of Ireland Act 1920: In the Northern Ireland general election for the new Parliament of Northern Ireland (held by single transferable vote), it is apparent by 29 May that the Unionists have a substantial majority (40 out of 52 seats). The six Sinn Féin members consider themselves elected to sit in the Second Dáil (where five others also hold seats representing Southern Ireland).Northern Irelandsource
- June 10 – Paris declaration: Representatives of the three states of Transcaucasia and the North Caucasus (the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian Socialist Soviet Republics) proclaim their independence, establishing a customs union and military alliance, not internationally recognized.source
- 25 June – Fourth Palestine Arab Congress held in Jerusalem.Mandatory Palestinesource
- June 27 – The first signings of Treaty 11, an agreement between George V, King of Canada, and various Canadian First Nations, are conducted at Fort Providence.source
- June 28 – The Constitutional Assembly of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes passes the Vidovdan Constitution, despite a boycott of the vote by the communists, and Croat and Slovene parties.source
- July 2 – U.S. President Warren Harding signs a joint congressional resolution, declaring an end to America's state of war with Germany, Austria and Hungary.source
- July 4 – A new conservative government is formed in Italy by Ivanoe Bonomi.source
- 10 July – Portuguese legislative election, 1921.Portugalsource
- July 11 – The Irish War of Independence ends under the terms of the truce (signed on 9 July) which becomes effective at noon between the British Army and the Irish Republican Army.source
- July 17 – The Republic of Mirdita is proclaimed near the Albanian-Serbian border, with Yugoslav support.source
- October 5 – Constitution of Liechtenstein granted by Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein, making the country a constitutional monarchy.source
- October 11 – The Irish Treaty Conference opens in London.source
- October 13 – The Treaty of Kars is signed between the Government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian Socialist Soviet Republics in Transcaucasia, establishing common boundaries.source
- October 20 – Treaty of Ankara signed between the French Third Republic and the Government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, ending the Franco-Turkish War.source
- December 6 – The Anglo-Irish Treaty establishing the Irish Free State, an independent nation incorporating 26 of Ireland's 32 counties, is signed in London.source
- December 6 – Agnes Macphail becomes the first woman to be elected to the Canadian Parliament.source
- 6 December – British and Irish negotiators sign the Anglo-Irish Treaty in London giving independence to the Irish Free State.United Kingdomsource
- December 13 – In the Four-Power Treaty on Insular Possessions, Japan, the United States, United Kingdom, and France agree to recognize the status quo in the Pacific.Japansource
- Estonia joins League of Nations.Estoniasource
- 1921 Persian legislative election.Iransource
Conflict & Security
- February 12 – Red Army invasion of Georgia: The Democratic Republic of Georgia is invaded by forces of Bolshevist Russia.source
- February 21 – 1921 Persian coup d'état: Rezā Khan and Zia'eddin Tabatabaee stage a coup d'état in Qajar dynasty Iran.source
- February 25 – Red Army invasion of Georgia: The Red Army enters the Georgian capital Tbilisi and occupies the country, installing a new government and proclaiming the Georgian Soviet Republic.source
- February 28 – The Kronstadt rebellion is initiated by sailors of the Soviet Navy's Baltic Fleet.source
- March 5 – Irish War of Independence: Clonbanin ambush: A force of about 100 Irish Republican Army members attacks a British Army convoy of 40 soldiers, killing several, including Brigadier General Cumming.source
- March 13 – Occupation of Mongolia: The Russian White Army captures Mongolia from China; Roman von Ungern-Sternberg declares himself ruler.source
- March 14 – Armenian Soghomon Tehlirian assassinates Mehmed Talaat, former Interior Minister of the Ottoman Empire, in Charlottenburg, Berlin.source
- March 17 – The Red Army crushes the Kronstadt rebellion, and a number of sailors flee to Finland.source
- May 1–7 – Jaffa riots: Riots at Jaffa, Mandatory Palestine result in 47 Jewish and 48 Arab deaths.source
- May 2–July 5 – Third Silesian Uprising: Poles in Upper Silesia rise against the Germans.source
- 5 May – Avshalom Gissin (born 1896), Zionist activist and Ottoman Army veteran killed defending Petah Tikva during the 1921 Palestine riotsMandatory Palestinesource
- May 19 – The Emergency Quota Act is passed by the United States Congress, establishing national quotas on immigration. Because this drastically limits immigration from Eastern Europe, Jews emigrating from there begin to prefer Palestine as a destination rather than the U.S.source
- May 25 – Irish War of Independence: The Irish Republican Army occupies and burns The Custom House in Dublin, the centre of local government in Ireland. Five IRA men are killed, and over 80 are captured by the British Army which surrounds the building.source
- May 31–June 1 – Tulsa Race Massacre (Greenwood Massacre): Mobs of white residents attack black residents and businesses in Greenwood District, Tulsa, Oklahoma. The official death toll is 36, but later investigations suggest an actual figure between 100 and 300. 1,250 homes are destroyed and roughly 6,000 African Americans imprisoned in one of the worst incidents of mass racial violence in the United States.source
- June 22–July 12 – The Third Congress of the Communist International takes place.source
- 4 July – James Craig refuses to attend a peace conference in Dublin because the invitation by President Éamon de Valera was addressed to him personally instead of to the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.Northern Irelandsource
- July 21 – Rif War: Battle of Annual – Spanish troops are dealt a crushing defeat at the hands of Abd el-Krim in Morocco.source
- July 21 – In Sarzana Fascist squads occupy the station and five or six hundred are preparing to enter the city to impose the release of a dozen arrested fascists, but are attacked by the Carabinieri and the population resulting in eighteen dead and about thirty injured fascists (Fatti di Sarzana).Italysource
- July 26 – U.S. President Warren G. Harding receives Princess Fatima of Afghanistan who is escorted by imposter Stanley Clifford Weyman.source
- August 25 – The Battle of Blair Mountain, the largest labor uprising in United States history and the country's largest peacetime armed uprising, begins in Logan County, West Virginia as part of the Coal Wars, continuing until September 2.source
- August 26 – Following the assassination of former Finance Minister Matthias Erzberger by right-wing terrorists, the German government declares martial law.source
- September 1 – Poplar Rates Rebellion: Nine members of the borough council of Poplar, London, are arrested.source
- 29 September – Ludwig III of Bavaria arrives to Sárvár where he spends his last weeksHungarysource
- October 3 – Simko, the leader of the Shikak tribe, kills the Iranian commander Colonel Mohammad Taqi Pessian by beheading him in the Battle of Jafarabad, which is the first incident of his rebellion.source
- October 7 – During his first rebellion, Simko Shikak launches an attack on the Savujbulak district of Mahabad. With a force of approximately 3,900, he attacks the gendarmes, killing 400 of them and looting the local population.source
- October 24 – In the continuing Rif War, the Spanish Army defeats rifkabyl rebels in Morocco.source
- November 4 – After a speech by Adolf Hitler in the Hofbräuhaus in Munich (Germany), members of the Sturmabteilung ("brownshirts") physically assault his opposition.source
- November 11 – During an Armistice Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknowns is dedicated by Warren G. Harding, President of the United States.source
- 13 December – 100 people die when a building is bombed in Bolhrad.Romaniasource
- date unknown – The Correio da Manhã publishes letters supposedly sent by Artur Bernardes and Raul Soares de Moura, containing insults towards the Armed Forces and Marshal Hermes da Fonseca.Brazilsource
- Dr. Otto Gessler (SPD) – Minister of DefenseGermanysource
- Termination of Anglo-Japanese Alliance.Japansource
Exploration & Expansion
- March – Group Settlement Scheme begins at Manjimup, Western Australia.Australiasource
- May – The departure of the 5yh Thule Expedition.Denmarksource
- June 15 – Compagnie Générale Transatlantique's liner SS Paris makes her maiden voyage from Le Havre to New York.source
- 6 August - Inter-Allied General Committee publishes the plan for the transfer of Burgenland from Hungary to Austria in 3 stages (A, B and C Zone).Hungarysource
- September – Sempill Mission sent by Britain to Japan, with the objective of helping the Imperial Japanese Navy develop its aeronaval forces.Japansource
- 1 November – Transvaal – Pretoria West to Roberts Heights, 7 mi 38 ch.South Africasource
- 1921 South Africa rugby union tour of Australia and New ZealandNew Zealandsource
- Nikolai M. Knipovich Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and OceanographyRussiasource
- Belted Galloway Association formed.Scotlandsource
Religion & Belief
- January 15-21 – The XVII Congress of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) was held at the Carlo Goldoni Theatre in Livorno from 15 to 21 January 1921. After tumultuous proceedings the congress resulted in a split in the party.Italysource
- February 21 – Conference of London of 1921–1922 convenes in an attempt to resolve problems arising from the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire.source
- 7 March - Francis Edward Mostyn is appointed Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff.Walessource
- 12 March – Start of Cairo Conference which agrees that the administration of Transjordan should be separated from that of Palestine.Mandatory Palestinesource
- 28 March - Easter Crisis: Charles IV negotiates with Horthy in Budapest. Horthy refuses to resign power. Charles IV returns to Szombathely.Hungarysource
- 8 April – Permanent Advisory Council of Princes inaugurated; Council of State and Legislative Assembly inaugurated.Indiasource
- 28 July – Church of Scotland Act 1921 given Royal Assent, recognising the Church's Articles Declaratory and thus its status as the national church in Scotland but independent from the state in spiritual matters.Scotlandsource
- 8 August – Establishment of the Vicariate Apostolic of NganhoeiChinasource
- August 16 – The Times newspaper in London begins a series of articles, written by its Constantinople correspondent Philip Graves, exposing The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as a forgery.source
- Johannes Giesberts (Centre) – Minister of the PostGermanysource
Economy & Finance
- 14 January – Unemployment stands at 927,000.United Kingdomsource
- January Unknown date – Komatsu Limited was founded, as predecessor name was Komatsu Ironworks.Japansource
- March 21 – The New Economic Policy starts in Soviet Russia.source
- 13 April – Lloyds Bank takes over Fox, Fowler and Company of Wellington, Somerset, the last provincial English bank to issue its own banknotes.United Kingdomsource
- April 15 – "Black Friday" in Britain: transport union members of the 'Triple Alliance' refuse to support national strike action by coal miners.source
- May 5 – London Schedule of Payments sets out the World War I reparations payable by the German Weimar Republic and other countries considered successors to the Central Powers – 132 billion gold marks ($33 billion), in annual installments of 2.5 billion.source
- November – Hyperinflation is rampant in Germany, where 263 marks are now needed to buy a single American dollar, more than 20 times greater than the 12 marks needed in April 1919.source
- December 28 – The Banca Italiana di Sconto goes bust. The bank is granted a moratorium of one year to resolve its financial problems.Italysource
- Robert Schmidt (SPD), Minister of EconomicsGermanysource
- Gustav Bauer (Social Democratic (SPD)) – vice-chancellor and Minister of the Reich treasuryGermanysource
- Central Committee of the 10th CongressRussiasource
- Depression of 1920–21 (1920–1921)United Statessource
Technology & Infrastructure
- January 15 – Mitsubishi Electronics was separate section from Mitsubishi Shipbuildings (now Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) which was founded in Ōsone, Nagoya.Japansource
- February – A single experimental Class GA 2-6-0+0-6-2 Garratt articulated steam locomotive, the first Cape gauge Garratt in South Africa.South Africasource
- 22 May – The Estádio Antônio R. Guimarães is opened at Santa Bárbara d'Oeste.Brazilsource
- June 15 – 29-year-old African American Bessie Coleman obtains her pilot's licence in France and becomes the first black woman to have a pilot's licence.source
- July 21 – Edward Harper, the "father of broadcasting" in Ceylon, arrives in Colombo to take up his post as Chief Engineer of the Ceylon Telegraph Department.source
- August 5 – The first radio baseball game is broadcast: Harold Arlin announces the Pirates-Phillies game from Forbes Field over Westinghouse KDKA in Pittsburgh.source
- 22 October - 04:30 - Telegraph notifies the Government about Charles IV's returnHungarysource
- October 29 – Construction of the Link River Dam, a part of the Klamath Project in Oregon, is completed.source
- 17 November – Professor Robert Jack assembles a small transmitter at the University of Otago in Dunedin and broadcasts the first ever radio programme heard on New Zealand airwaves. The only known fact about the programme's content is that it included the then popular song "Hello My Dearie".New Zealandsource
- Establishment of People's Park, in GuangzhouChinasource
- Walther Rathenau (Democrat) – Minister of ReconstructionGermanysource
- Maintenance Orders Enforcement ActIndiasource
Science & Discovery
- January 25 – Italian battleship Leonardo da Vinci is righted in Taranto Harbour.source
- February – Antoun Saadeh arrives in Brazil with his father, a prominent Arabic-language journalist.Brazilsource
- 6 April - Act III of 1921 comes into effectHungarysource
- April – Third Solvay Conference held in BrusselsBelgiumsource
- May 5 – Chanel No. 5 perfume launched by Coco Chanel.source
- July 27 – Researchers at the University of Toronto, led by biochemist Frederick Banting, announce the discovery of the hormone insulin.source
- July 27 – Frederick Banting and Charles Best discover insulinCanadasource
- Weighing the fleece – George W LambertAustraliasource
- Establishment of Creation QuarterlyChinasource
- New Zealand Derby – Winning HitNew Zealandsource
- Harald Strøm, speedskater and football player, becomes the third to receive the Egebergs Ærespris, an award presented to Norwegian athletes who excel at two (or more) different sports.Norwaysource
Health & Medicine
- 25 February – Elizabeth Fedde, Lutheran Deaconess who established the Norwegian Relief Society (born 1850)Norwaysource
- March 1 – The Australia national cricket team, led by Warwick Armstrong, becomes the first to complete a whitewash of the touring England team in The Ashes, something that will not be repeated for 86 years.source
- 7 March – The Commonwealth Department of Health is formed.Australiasource
- March 12 – The Capitol Theatre, a lush 2,500 seat movie palace, opened on Vancouver's Granville Street.Canadasource
- March 17 – Marie Stopes opens the first birth control clinic in the British Empire in London, UK.source
- May 5 – Only 13 paying spectators attend the football match between Leicester City and Stockport County F.C. in England, the lowest attendance in The Football League's history.source
- July 1 – The first BCG vaccination against tuberculosis is given, in Paris, France; the recipient is a newborn child.source
- August 11 – The temperature reaches 39 degrees Celsius in Breslau; the heat wave continues elsewhere in Europe as well.source
- August 11 – Franklin D. Roosevelt's paralytic illness strikes while he is vacationing; on August 25 he is diagnosed with polio and aged 39 becomes permanently disabled.source
- August 11 – Franklin D. Roosevelt's paralytic illness strikes while he is vacationing on Campobello Island; on August 25 he is diagnosed with polio and aged 39 becomes permanently disabled.United Statessource
- 26 August - Scheduled date of evacuation of Zone A, delayed by 48 hoursHungarysource
- October - The government implements a new policy in defense of coffee, for the third time in the history of the Republic.Brazilsource
- November 23 – In the United States, the Sheppard–Towner Act is signed by President Harding, providing federal funding for maternity and child care.source
- November 25 – Crown Prince Hirohito is made regent in place of his ailing father.Japansource
- Dr. Georg Gradnauer (SPD) – Minister of the InteriorGermanysource
Crime & Justice
- January 17 – The first recorded public performance of the illusion of "sawing a woman in half" is given by English stage magician P. T. Selbit at the Finsbury Park Empire variety theatre in London.source
- 12 May – The police arrest the leaders of the Romanian Communist Party, initiating the Dealul Spirii Trial.Romaniasource
- June 3 – The death penalty is abolished in Sweden.source
- July 14 – A Massachusetts jury finds Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti guilty of first degree murder following a widely publicized trial whose verdict will spark protests around the world.source
- 16 September - Prónay briefly arrests Antal LehárHungarysource
- 30 December – Twelve-year-old Alma Tirtschke is raped and murdered in Melbourne, in what becomes known as the Gun Alley Murder.Australiasource
- Um Crime no Parque Paulista, directed by Arturo Carrari and starring Nicola TartaglioneBrazilsource
- Willum Nielsen wins silver in Men's amateur road race.Denmarksource
- Dr. Eugen Schiffer (SPD) – Minister of JusticeGermanysource
- Auckland Trotting Cup – Man O' War (2nd win)New Zealandsource
- 10th Russian Communist Party CongressRussiasource
Disasters & Accidents
- January 2 – The Spanish liner Santa Isabel breaks in two and sinks off Villa Garcia, Mexico, with the loss of 244 of the 300 people on board.source
- January 20 – British K-class submarine HMS K5 sinks in the English Channel; all 57 on board are lost.source
- 26 January - The Abermule train collision claims 17 lives, including that of the chairman of the rail company, Lord Herbert Vane-Tempest.Walessource
- February 28 – A fascist squad devastates the Camera del lavoro in Triest. Shortly afterwards the Milanese branch of the socialist newspaper Avanti! is burned down.Italysource
- 3 March – Shipwreck of SS Hong MohChinasource
- March 31 – The British government formally returns the coal mines from wartime control to their private owners, who demand wage cuts; in response, the Miners' Federation of Great Britain calls on its partner trade unions in the Triple Alliance to join it in strike action, leading in turn to the government declaring a state of emergency for the first time under the Emergency Powers Act 1920. On April 1, a lockout of striking coal miners begins.source
- June 28 – The coal strike in the United Kingdom ends with the Miners' Federation of Great Britain obliged to accept pay cuts.source
- July 9 – Bloody Sunday (1921) occurs in Belfast, Northern Ireland with 20 killings, at least 100 wounded and 200 homes destroyed.source
- August 24 – R38-class airship ZR-2 explodes on her fourth test flight near Kingston upon Hull, England, killing 44 of the 49 Anglo-American crew on board.source
- September 5 – Popular comedian Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle attends a party at the St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco, during which actress Virginia Rappe is fatally injured; although he is eventually acquitted of rape and manslaughter, the scandal derails his career.United Statessource
- 23 September - Entente demands Hungary evacuate Zone B and CHungarysource
- 8 October – SS Rowan sinks off the Rhins of Galloway after a double collision with the loss of at least 18 lives.Scotlandsource
- 8 October – The steamer SS Rowan sinks off the coast of Scotland. Twenty-two people lose their lives.United Kingdomsource
- Poison laboratory of the Soviet secret servicesRussiasource
Climate & Environment
- May 14–15 – The major May 1921 geomagnetic storm occurs.source
- 12 June – Sunday postal collection and delivery is suspended.United Kingdomsource
- 25 June – Rainfall ends a drought which has lasted for one hundred days.United Kingdomsource
- September - A hurricane hits Texas, followed by flooding that left at least 224 people dead.United Statessource
- Spring – Russian famine of 1921–22 begins; roughly 5,000,000 die.source
- hottest July on record (to date) across Eastern CanadaCanadasource
- Potawatomi Zoo established in South Bend, Indiana.United Statessource
- An exceptionally dry year over England and Wales with only 629.0 mm making it the driest year on record since 1788, and not approached subsequently. In South East England the average is only 396.4 mm with some stations recording less than 300 mm. It reaches 34C (94F) in Southern and Eastern England on 10 and 11 July.United Kingdomsource
- 10/11 July – Heatwave with temperatures in the 90s in some parts of South-East England.United Kingdomsource
Culture & Society
- January 16 – The Marxist Left in Slovakia and the Transcarpathian Ukraine holds its founding congress in Ľubochňa.source
- January 21 – The full-length silent comedy drama film The Kid, written, produced, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin (in his Tramp character), with Jackie Coogan, is released in the United States.source
- 2 February – Nicolae Bretan's opera Luceafărul is first performed at Romanian National Opera, Cluj-Napoca.Romaniasource
- February 20 – The Young Communist League of Czechoslovakia is founded.source
- February 23 – The moderately conservative public official Oscar von Sydow takes over the Swedish premiership from Baron Louis De Geer the Younger.source
- February 27 – A Socialist congress at Vienna ends with the International Working Union of Socialist Parties founded.source
- March 1 – The city of Kiryū, located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, is founded.source
- March 24 – The 1921 Women's Olympiad (the first international women's sports event) begins in Monte Carlo.source
- 27 March - Easter Crisis: Charles IV returns to Hungary at SzombathelyHungarysource
- March – The Group Settlement Scheme in Western Australia begins.source
- April 20 – Ferenc Molnár's play Liliom is first produced in English on Broadway. The play would later be adapted as the musical Carousel.source
- May 26 – A general strike begins in Norway, begun by 120,000 workers led by Ole O. Lian.source
- 19 June – C.D. El Vencedor, a Salvadoran football club, was established.El Salvadorsource
- June 21 – The International Hydrographic Bureau (IHB) is established as an agency of the League of Nations; it continues in this form until April 19, 1946.source
- 8 July – At the Peace Conference in the Mansion House, Dublin, President de Valera accepts an invitation to meet the prime minister of the United Kingdom, David Lloyd George, in London.Northern Irelandsource
- July 23 – 1st National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party opens in Shanghai.source
- August 23 – King Faisal I of Iraq is crowned in Baghdad.source
- September 8 – Margaret Gorman, 16, wins the Golden Mermaid trophy at a beauty pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey; officials later dub her the first Miss America.source
- September 13 – White Castle hamburger restaurant opens in Wichita, Kansas, foundation of the world's first fast food chain.source
- September 28 – Sauerländer Heimatbund is founded in Meschede, Germany.source
- October 5 – The World Series baseball game in North America is first broadcast on the radio, by Newark, New Jersey, station WJZ, Pittsburgh station KDKA, and a group of other commercial and amateur stations throughout the eastern United States.source
- October 8 – The first Sweetest Day is staged in Cleveland, Ohio.source
- October 10 – Teaching at the University of Szeged begins, in the Kingdom of Hungary.source
- 17 October – The founding of Taiwanese Cultural Association.Taiwansource
- October 21 – George Melford's wildly successful silent film The Sheik, which will propel its leading actor Rudolph Valentino to international stardom, premieres in Los Angeles.source
- October 29 – Centre College's American football team, led by quarterback Bo McMillin, defeats Harvard University 6–0, to break Harvard's five-year winning streak. For decades afterward, this is called "football's upset of the century".source
- November 9 – The National Fascist Party (Partito Nazionale Fascista or PNF) is founded in Italy.source
- November 12 – Washington Naval Conference opens at Memorial Continental Hall Hall in downtown Washington DC.Japansource
- November 14 – The Spanish Communist Party is founded.source
- December 23 – Visva-Bharati College is founded by Rabindranath Tagore in Santiniketan, Bengal Presidency, British India.source
- Tallinn French School was founded.Estoniasource
- The founding of the Hebrew Writers Association in the Land of Israel by Hayim Nahman Bialik.Mandatory Palestinesource
Births
- January 17 – Asghar Khan, Pakistani politician, first native Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force, the world's youngest Air Vice Marshal at 36 and Air Marshal at 37 years old (died 2018)source
- February 8 – Lana Turner, American actress (died 1995)source
- February 18 – Branko Bauer, film director (died 2002)Croatiasource
- March 12 – Gianni Agnelli, Italian auto executive (died 2003)source
- May 2 – Satyajit Ray, Indian filmmaker (died 1992)source
- May 3 – Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer (died 1989)source
- May 21 – Andrei Sakharov, Soviet physicist, human rights activist, and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (died 1989)source
- June 8 – Suharto, President of Indonesia (died 2008)source
- June 10 – Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Greek-born member of the British royal family as consort of Queen Elizabeth II (died 2021)source
- June 28 – P. V. Narasimha Rao, Prime Minister of India (died 2004)source
- July 6 – Nancy Reagan, American actress, First Lady of the United States (died 2016)source
- 11 July – Ülo Lepik, mathematician and mechanics researcher (died 2022)Estoniasource
- July 18 – John Glenn, American astronaut, U.S. senator (died 2016)source
- 25 August – Brian Moore, novelist (died 1999).Northern Irelandsource
- 2 September – Julio Adalberto Rivera Carballo, politician (died 1973)El Salvadorsource
- September 25 – Robert Muldoon, 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand (died 1992)source
- October 25 – King Michael I of Romania (died 2017)source
- November 27 – Alexander Dubček, Slovak politician, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (died 1992)source
Deaths
- January 1 – Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, 5th Chancellor of Germany (born 1856)source
- 9 January – Rafael Antonio Gutiérrez, politician (born 1845)El Salvadorsource
- February 8 – Peter Kropotkin, Russian anarchist (born 1842)source
- March 8 – Spanish Premier Eduardo Dato e Iradier is assassinated while exiting the parliament building in Madrid.source
- March 15 – Talaat Pasha, Ottoman Turkish ruler, initiator of the Armenian Genocide (born 1874) (assassinated)source
- June 5 – Georges Feydeau, French playwright (born 1862)source
- August 2 – Enrico Caruso, Italian tenor (born 1873)source
- August 16 – Peter I of Serbia, King of Yugoslavia (born 1844)source
- August 16 – Peter I of Serbia (born 1844)Croatiasource
- August 26 – Matthias Erzberger, German politician (assassinated; b. 1875)source
- September 11 – Prince Louis of Battenberg, British naval officer, German prince (born 1854)source
- September 21 – The Oppau explosion occurs at BASF's nitrate factory in Oppau, Germany; over 500 are killed.source
- 23 October – John Boyd Dunlop, inventor (born 1840)Northern Irelandsource
- October 25 – Bat Masterson, American gunfighter (born 1853)source
- October 28 – William Speirs Bruce, British marine biologist and antarctic explorer (born 1867)source
- 18 November – Baruch Ben Haim, Sephardic rabbi, Chief Rabbi of the Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn for 55 years (died 2005)Mandatory Palestinesource
- November 28 – `Abdu'l-Bahá, head of the Baháʼí Faith (born 1844)source
- December 16 – Camille Saint-Saëns, French composer (born 1835)source