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October 1926

Month of 1926 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The following events occurred in October 1926:

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October 31, 1926: Famed magician Harry Houdini dies nine days after being injured

October 1, 1926 (Friday)

  • Electrosurgery was performed at the first time as Dr. Harvey Cushing used an electrosurgical device in an operation for removal of a mass from a patient's head at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston[1]
  • English pilot Alan Cobham landed his de Havilland seaplane on the River Thames to complete a 28,000-mile flight from England to Australia and back.Cobham had departed from Rochester, Kent in England on June 30, making multiple stops in a route survey flight for Imperial Airways and arriving at Melbourne in Australia on August 15. After leaving Melbourne on August 29, he mad multiple stops on the way back and landed on the Thames after making a round trip of 32,000 miles (51,000 km) over a 78-day period. He was met at his landing by Sir Samuel Hoare, the British Secretary of State for Air.[2][3]
  • In the U.S., 27-year-old oil rig worker Wiley Post, who had an act as a parachutist for a traveling circus, lost his left eye in a work accident. He would use the money from his injury settlement to buy an airplane, and go on to become a world-famous aviator.[4]
  • Born: Manfred Messerschmidt, German military historian; in Dortmund (d. 2022)[5]

October 2, 1926 (Saturday)

The ill-fated Air Union airliner

October 3, 1926 (Sunday)

Greta Garbo with Antonio Moreno in The Temptress

October 4, 1926 (Monday)

  • As part of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's reforms of Turkey, all Islamic courts were closed as the new Turkish civil code went into effect.[17]
  • A labour dispute of coal miners in Britain ended as the remaining miners returned to work with miners' representatives making local settlements with pit owners. Over 170,000 miners had gone back to work by this time.[18]
  • The Mexican rebellion spread to southern Guanajuato as former general Rodolfo Gallegos led an uprising there.[19]
  • An explosion killed 32 miners at an underground coal mine owned by the Roane Iron Company near Rockwood, Tennessee.[20]
  • Carbon monoxide poisoning at Switzerland's Ricken Tunnel killed six crew of a freight train and three men who attempted to rescue them. [21][22]
  • Chemists Frederic Joliot and Irene Curie, who would jointly win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935, were married in Paris and adopted the hyphenated surname Joliot-Curie.[23]
  • The 15-minute radio program Housekeepers' Chat, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and featuring the fictional "Aunt Sammy" (billed as the wife of "Uncle Sam".[24] At its height, Housekeepers' Chat would be heard on 194 radio stations, each one having its own performer reading the script for the role of Aunt Sammy, and running until 1934.[25]
Phar Lap, carrying Jim Pike

October 5, 1926 (Tuesday)

October 6, 1926 (Wednesday)

  • Pennsylvania's blue laws from 1794 were invoked in Pittsburgh, banning all Sunday sports in the city of Pittsburgh.[35]
  • Howard Stein, American financier and a founder of the first "no load" money market fund and the first tax-free municipal bond fund; in Brooklyn, New York City[36]
  • In Game 4 of the World Series, Babe Ruth became the first player in the fall classic to hit three home runs, in a 10 to 5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.[37] The feat would not be matched again until 1977 (by Reggie Jackson for the Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers), and then again in 2011 by Albert Pujols (for the Cardinals against the Texas Rangers).[38]

October 7, 1926 (Thursday)

October 8, 1926 (Friday)

General Von Seeckt in 1926, shortly before his dismissal by minister of defense Gessler, who dismissed him

October 9, 1926 (Saturday)

October 10, 1926 (Sunday)

October 11, 1926 (Monday)

October 12, 1926 (Tuesday)

October 13, 1926 (Wednesday)

  • The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that government directives to change clocks for daylight saving time were constitutional. Several Massachusetts labor unions had brought forward a case arguing that it was unconstitutional because the confusion that it caused with train scheduling resulted in pecuniary loss and was "otherwise obnoxious".[79][80]
Sheikh Hamad al-Khalifa

October 14, 1926 (Thursday)

Winnie-the-Pooh and guests

October 15, 1926 (Friday)

October 16, 1926 (Saturday)

October 17, 1926 (Sunday)

October 18, 1926 (Monday)

Queen Marie welcomed by U.S. Army General Summerall

October 19, 1926 (Tuesday)

October 20, 1926 (Wednesday)

October 21, 1926 (Thursday)

October 22, 1926 (Friday)

  • The foundering of the Royal Navy ship HMS Valerian killed 85 of the 97 crew when the sank in the Bermuda hurricane.[142] The ship was returning to Bermuda after providing hurricane relief in the Bahamas. Another British ship, the freighter Eastway, with the loss of 21 of her 33 crew.
  • A 5.7 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter on the border between the Turkish city of Kars and the Soviet Armenian city of Leninakan (now Gyumri), killing at least 360 people[143]
  • In a dressing room of the Princess Theater in Montreal, the illusionist and stunt performer Harry Houdini was forcefully punched in the stomach by a McGill University student. Houdin's manager, H. Elliott Struckel, would issue a statement on the day of Houdini's death that Houdini had given a lecture to McGill students and invited students to come to his dressing room for further information. Struckel wrote "On Friday night, two students came to see him, and commented upon his unusual strength. 'You could hardly feel a blow in the stomach, would you, Mr. Houdini?' one of them asked. 'Certainly not,' he replied. Before Mr. Houdini was aware of the boy's intentions and could brace himself, the boy struck two short-arm punches in the pit of the stomach. Mr. Houdini though nothing of it beyond stating that the blows had made him wince," and added "From that time on, Mr. Houdini complained of severe pains in the stomach, something that never before had bothered him. He had never been ill a day in his life before that."[144] However, a physiology professor at McGill told the press "There is no truth in the Detroit report that Houdini was injured in a sparring bout with a McGill student," adding that while "certain members of the faculty and students came up and shook hands with Houdini", the magician did not stand up, adding "His nurse came up to the platform and insisted on Houdini leaving, so gang way was made for him. He got out of the hall quickly and was hurried away in his waiting taxi. There was no opportunity for a sparring match, friendly or otherwise."[145] There is disagreement over whether a punch was the cause of his death from peritonitis from a ruptured appendix on October 31.[146]
  • The adultery charges against Frank Lloyd Wright and his partner were dropped and they were released from Hennepin County Jail on $12,500 bail.[128]
  • The first novel by Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises was published by Charles Scribner's Sons , with 5,090 printed copies.[147][148]
  • Born:
  • Died:
    • Harry Greb, 32, American boxer and world middleweight champion until being dethroned in a bout with Tiger Flowers on August 19, died from surgical complications after an operation to repair damage to his nose and his respiratory damage.[151]
    • John G. Shedd, 76, American businessman and philanthropist, Chairman of the Board of the Marshall Field & Company department store chain, known for providing the funds for the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, died from appendicitis.[152]
    • Arthur Cherep-Spiridovich, 60, Russian navy commander and conspiracy theorist known for his book The Secret World Government, or, "The Hidden Hand (1926) alleging that the world was secretly governed by a group of 300 individuals of "Judeo-Mongol" ancestry. Chrep-Spiridovich, living in poverty, was found dead in his room at the Barret Manor transient hotel line on New York's Staten Island, after being asphyxiated by a gas line. His death was ruled to be a suicide.[153]

October 23, 1926 (Saturday)

Trotsky and Kamenev (2nd and 4th from the left

October 24, 1926 (Sunday)

  • The radio program The Standard Hour, sponsored by Standard Oil Company of California (now the Chevron Corporation, was first broadcast, with a live performance by the San Francisco Symphony orchestra, conducted by Alfred Hertz on stations of the NBC Pacific Network.[157] In return for the use of its name for the program, Standard Oil donated almost $10,000 to meet the $25,000 required to save the San Francisco orchestra from bankruptcy, after almost 5,000 contributors had donated $15,226. As one nespaper noted, "but for the aid of Standard Oil Company of California the project would have been abandoned and the money returned." At 2:45 in the afternoon, the program started simultaneously on NBC affiliates KPO and KGO (San Francisco), and KFI (Los Angeles).[158]
  • Cork GAA won the championship of hurling in Ireland, defeating Kilkenny GAA, 4-6 to 2-0 (equivalent to 18 to 6, at Croke Park in Dublin in front of 26,829 spectators.[159]
  • While in pain since a punch in his abdomen two days earlier, Harry Houdini gave his final performance, appearing at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit.[160] He appeared at the Garrick Theatre for his first visit to Detroit, with a two-week engagement planned, with tickets ranging from 50 cents to $2.00.[161] The press release noted that "He gives a full evening's entertainment, divided into three parts, with "sleight-of-hand and fanciful illusions", followed by "escaping from trunks, boxes, and the Chinese water torture cell", and closing with "an expose of fraudulent mediums, demonstrating the tricks of the trade.[162] With a fever of 104 °F (40 °C), he completed his performance, collapsed in his dressing room, and was taken to the hospital.[163]
  • Born: Rafael Azcona, Spanish screenwriter and novelist, known for the film Belle Époque; in Logroño (d.2008)[164]

October 25, 1926 (Monday)

October 26, 1926 (Tuesday)

  • The tour of Queen Marie of Romania entered Canada with visits to Niagara Falls and Hamilton, Ontario.[118]
  • British Labour Party MP Alfred Salter was censured in the House of Commons for refusing to retract his remarks (about the alleged intoxication of fellow MPSs) that had appeared in London's Daily Express. "I am not prepared to withdraw, modify or apologise for anything I have said on this matter, and I propose to repeat the words I made use of and about which complaint has been made", Salter declared. "I said, and I repeat it here to-day, that I have seen members of all parties in this House, my own party I regret to say included, drunk in this House not on one occasion but on many." A motion was passed calling the statement "a gross libel on the Members of this House and a grave breach of its privileges."[82]
  • The New York Times and other newspapers printed a report that "the Belgian freigter Caldeonier, which left Bordeaux on Oct. 12 bound for Hampton Roads, Va., blew up off the coast of Portugal several days ago" and that 39 of the 43 people on board were "said to have escaped."[170] A cabled report the next day was sent to the press by the Caldeonier operator, Lloyd Royal Belge, that the 5,074 ton freighter had actually run aground in a river channel below Bordeaux and that there were no casualties.[171]
  • Born: Kommuri Sambasiva Rao, Indian Telugu language novelist and author of 90 novels, primarily detective stories; in Tenali, Madras Presidency (now the Andhra Pradesh state), British India (d.1994)

October 27, 1926 (Wednesday)

  • In a speech made before the American Association of Advertising Agencies and broadcast on the radio, U.S. President Calvin Coolidge said that American prosperity was the result of "our high rate of wages which brings about the greatest distribution of wealth that the world has ever seen and provides the enormous capacity for the consumption of all kinds of commodities which characterizes our country." He also said that while wages were high, "that means that the results of prosperity are going more and more into the homes of the land and less into the enrichment of the few, more and more to the men and women and less and less to the capital which is engaged in our economic life. If this were not so the country would not support 20 million automobiles, purchase so many radios, and install so many telephones."[172][173]
  • Born:

October 28, 1926 (Thursday)

October 29, 1926 (Friday)

October 30, 1926 (Saturday)

  • Nicaraguan President Emiliano Chamorro resigned and transferred the presidency and its powers to Senator Sebastián Uriza to serve as a transitional leader until a new government could be elected.[188][189]
  • The first issue of the Swedish children's magazine Lyckoslanten (Swedish for "Lucky Penny") appeared on newsstands, originally as a production of the nation's savings bank association, Sparbankerra.[190] In its 100th year as of 2026, Lyckoslanten continues to be published on a quarterly basis.[191]
  • The University of Illinois began its tradition of having a student portray the fictional "Chief Illiniwek" at sporting events as the "Fighting Illini" football team's unofficial mascot.[192] The appearances of Chief Illinwek would continue for more than 80 years, until February 21, 2007, when the NCAA banned stereotypes of Native American Indians from the universities under its jurisdiction.[193]
  • Born:

October 31, 1926 (Sunday)

  • The Feast of Christ the King, a new Catholic holy day, was first observed.[196]
  • Benito Mussolini survived the fourth attempt on his life in twelve months when 15-year-old anarchist Anteo Zamboni shot at him in Bologna, and his shot pierced the Italian premier's coat and "cut in two the sash of the Order of St. Lazarus which he was wearing," but failed to strike his body.[197] Police stood by and allowed a vengeful mob of Fascists to lynch Zamboni on the spot.[198]
  • After the attempt on Mussolini's life, his cabinet applied Law Number 2307 to close all opposition newspapers, including Avanti!, Il Mondo and L'Ora.
  • Born:
  • Died:
    • Harry Houdini (stage name for Erich Weiss), 52, Hungarian-born American illusionist and stunt performer, died from peritonitis caused by appendicitis and injuries.[201]
    • Charles Vance Millar, 72, Canadian businessman and lawyer who would become known for the unusual terms of his will that included a provided for the remainder of his estate, after specific bequests and expenses, to be paid to whichever woman in Ontario could give birth to the most children in the 10 years following his death.[202][203][204]
    • James Cunniffe, 31, American armed robber who had carried out the theft of $161,000 of cash and securities from a U.S. Mail truck 17 days earlier, was shot and killed by one of his fellow gang members, William Crowley.[205]
    • Anteo Zamboni, 15, Italian anarchist, was killed by a mob after attempting to assassinate Benito Mussolini.

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