Yesterday was my 1,926th post so, thinking of something different to do, I decided to fall back on the idea of writing about 1926. I’ve been holding it in reserve for a few hundred posts, since the 1,685th post in fact, but always managed to find something else to fill the 250 words.
Today, I feel like a change of pace. I really should write about 1927, but I’ve done some of the work for 1926 so I’ll carry on.
The biggest event of the year was the General Strike, with the country being under martial law from May to December. This lasted considerably longer than the strike, which, like the reign of Lady Jane Grey, and the jig of William Kempe, lasted nine days. There must be some fascination for nine days amongst historians. This may strike a few chords to those of us in lockdown, though there was a major difference – after some problems in 1925 the British Government was prepared for trouble in 1926 and swung into action in an organised way.
In January, the Rhine flooded and 50,000 people had to evacuate their homes, we had flooding in London suburbs, and John Logie Baird demonstrated the first TV.
In February the Irish Government formed the Committee on Evil Literature. Times were different then and there was a lot more censorship about, though it didn’t usually come with a title that sounds like something out of 1984.
In April, the future Queen Elizabeth II was born.
In July the first British Greyhound track opened in Manchester.
In August Rudolph Valentino died at the age of 31, sparking off mass hysteria in women around the world.
In September the Great Miami Hurricane ripped through Miami.
October saw the government of Italy pass a decree banning women from holding public office.
In December Agatha Christie disappeared from home in suspicious circumstances, eventually turning up in Harrogate.
Not much different to 2020 when you think about it – celebrities, TV, sexism, bad weather and politics. Depressing really.
No pictures today, so I went for flowers.
Why were people on strike?
Inflation, falling wages, supporting the miners, who were out for 7 months in total. The Nottinghamshire miners went back early and the still hold it against us to this day.
Lots going on. And at least women aren’t banned from office anymore.
No, but in 1926 the UK was still two years away from allowing women under the age of 30 to vote.
Wow.
Though if you look at the history of female suffrage in Puerto Rico…
https://www.nps.gov/articles/puerto-rico-women-s-history.htm
What a good idea well executed
Thank you Derrick. It’s made easier for me because some people have already done a lot of the work on Wikipedia.
🙂 And here’s me thinking it was all in your head.
Some of it is, but I still need quite a lot of help. 🙂
Don’t we all
🙂
Human nature remains the same from year to year it seems. You might do a year’s end post for 2020 with all the highlights (or low points) as they may be.
I’d better start making notes now! 🙂
I had forgotten about the General Strike. Years ago, I read a novel that had the General Strike in it. It seems to have been an eventful year.
Interesting times, as they say. 🙂
Wow ! Congratulations on 1926 posts. You, sir, have gumption! No one makes that many posts without gumption. So interesting about the disappearance of Agatha Christie. And I love that poppy photo.
Thank you. There was a lot of interesting stuff that year but I had to trim it to fit, so this is just a flavour of 1926.
Wow – 1926 had a lot of flavour. I think 2020 will probably have a lot of flavour, as well.
I’m sure it will. 🙂
To be honest, there were some more interesting points but I selected to fit the ending. A rival gang fired over 1,000 rounds at Al Capone and missed him, and several women did things like dying in an air crash and swimming the English Channel.
Nothing like fiery death and hypothermia to warm the heart
🙂 They are the things that tend to make it onto these lists.
😉