World Events · 1919
A Fragile Peace and a Restless World
In 1919, the world emerged from the shadow of the Great War to redraft global borders and forge a delicate peace at Versailles. Yet, political violence, anti-colonial uprisings, and radical social shifts signaled a turbulent new era.
- June 28, 1919 | France
Signing of the Treaty of Versailles
Allied powers and Germany signed the landmark peace treaty in the Hall of Mirrors, formally concluding World War I and imposing severe reparations on the defeated nation.
- April 13, 1919 | British India
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in Amritsar
British troops under Acting Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer opened fire on thousands of unarmed Indian protestors, killing hundreds and galvanizing the movement for Indian independence.
- May 4, 1919 | China
The May Fourth Movement Begins
Thousands of Chinese students rallied in Beijing to protest the Versailles Treaty's unfair land concessions to Japan, igniting a national cultural and political revolution.
- January 16, 1919 | United States
Ratification of the 18th Amendment
The United States officially ratified constitutional prohibition, banning the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors across the nation.
- May 29, 1919 | Science
Eclipse Expedition Confirms Relativity
Arthur Eddington's solar eclipse observations proved that gravity bends light, dramatically confirming Albert Einstein’s revolutionary general theory of relativity.
- January 1919 | Germany
The Spartacist Uprising in Berlin
A communist general strike and armed revolt in Berlin was violently suppressed by government troops and Freikorps paramilitaries, leading to the murder of Rosa Luxemburg.
- January 15, 1919 | United States
The Great Boston Molasses Flood
A colossal storage tank burst open in Boston's North End, sending a 35-mph wave of two million gallons of molasses crashing through the streets and killing 21 people.
- June 14–15, 1919 | Aviation
First Non-Stop Transatlantic Flight
British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Brown flew a modified Vickers Vimy bomber continuously from Newfoundland to Ireland, completing the world's first non-stop transatlantic flight.
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