1919 First Class Scout

Events

January

* January 1
** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia.
** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the coast of the Hebrides; 201 people, mostly servicemen returning home to Lewis and Harris, are killed.
* January 2– 22 – Russian Civil War: The Red Army's Caspian-Caucasian Front begins the Northern Caucasus Operation against the White Army, but fails to make progress.
* January 3 – The Faisal–Weizmann Agreement is signed by Emir Faisal (representing the Arab Kingdom of Hejaz) and Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann, for Arab–Jewish cooperation in the development of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, and an Arab nation in a large part of the Middle East.
* January 5 – In Germany:
** Spartacist uprising in Berlin: The Marxist Spartacus League, with the newly formed Communist Party of Germany and the Independent Social Democratic Party, begin mass demonstrations, which will be suppressed by armed force within a week.
** The German Workers' Party (''Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'', DAP), predecessor of the Nazi Party, is formed by the merger of Anton Drexler's Committee of Independent Workmen with journalist Karl Harrer's Political Workers' Circle.
* January 7 – Estonian War of Independence: With Soviet Russian forces just 40 km outside of the capital Tallinn, Estonian forces start a general and successful counter-offensive against the Red Army.
* January 8 – The funeral of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, is held at Christ Church Oyster Bay, Long Island; Roosevelt had died in his sleep at the age of 60, two days earlier.
* January 8– 22 – Russian Civil War, Southern Front: The Red Army attacks and defeats the White Don Army under Pyotr Krasnov in the Voronezh–Povorino Operation.
* January 9 – Friedrich Ebert orders the Freikorps into action in Berlin.
* January 10– 12 – The Freikorps attacks Spartacist supporters around Berlin.
* January 11
**Romania annexes Transylvania.
**The Georgian genocide occurs in Alagir.
* January 12– May 19 – Russian Civil War: On the Southern Front, the Armed Forces of South Russia under General Anton Denikin fight against the Red Army for the possession of the strategic region of the Donbass.
* January 13 – Workers' councils in Berlin end the general strike; the Spartacist uprising is over.
* January 14 – Estonian War of Independence: Estonian forces liberate Tartu from the Red Army.
* January 15
** Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht are murdered following the Spartacist uprising.
** Great Molasses Flood: A wave of molasses released from an exploding storage tank sweeps through Boston, Massachusetts, killing 21 people and injuring 150.
* January 16
** The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, authorizing Prohibition, is ratified.
** Pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski becomes the second Prime Minister of Poland.
* January 18
** World War I: The Paris Peace Conference opens in France, with delegates from 27 nations attending for meetings at the Palace of Versailles.
** Estonian War of Independence: Estonian forces liberate Narva, expelling the Red Army from Northern Estonia.
** Bentley Motors Limited is founded in England.
* January 19– 28 – Russian Civil War: The Red Army begins the counter offensive in the Perm area against the White forces.
* January 19
** The Monarchy of the North is established in Northern Portugal.
** 1919 German federal election, first under the Weimar Republic and the first in Germany with female suffrage.
* January 21 – Dáil Éireann meets for the first time in the Mansion House, Dublin. It comprises Sinn Féin members elected in the 1918 general election who, in accordance with their manifesto, have not taken their seats in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, but chosen to declare an independent Irish Republic. In the first shots of the Anglo-Irish War, two Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) men are killed in an ambush at Soloheadbeg in Tipperary.
* January 23 – Khotyn Uprising: partisans capture the city of Khotyn in Romania.
* January 25 – The League of Nations is founded in Paris, France.
* January 31 – Battle of George Square: The British Army is called in to deal with riots, during negotiations over working hours in Glasgow, Scotland.

February

* February 1 – Estonian War of Independence: Estonian forces liberate Valga and Võru, expelling the Red Army from the entire territory of Estonia.
* February 3 – Russian Civil War: Soviet troops occupy Ukraine.
* February 4– 5 – Pressburg (Bratislava) becomes the capital of Slovakia.
* February 5
**United Artists (UA) is incorporated in the United States by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks as a motion picture producer.
**Russian Civil War: Soviet troops occupy the city of Kyiv after the Battle of Kiev (January 1919).
* February 10 – The Inter-Allied Women's Conference convenes to compile a list of women's issues to present to the delegates of the Paris Peace Conference.
* February 11
** Friedrich Ebert is elected the first President of Germany (''Reichspräsident''), by the Weimar National Assembly.
** The Seattle General Strike ends, when Federal troops are summoned by the State of Washington's Attorney General.
* February 12 – Ethnic Germans and Hungarian inhabitants of Pressburg start a protest against its incorporation into Czechoslovakia, but the Czechoslovak Legions open fire on the unarmed demonstrators.
* February 13 – Portugal's Monarchy of the North ends as a result of a revolt in Porto by civilians and National Republican Guard members.
* February 14 – The Polish–Soviet War begins, with the Battle of Bereza Kartuska.
* February 16– 21 – Estonian War of Independence: Uniformed peasants in Saaremaa rebel against the government of Estonia; the rebellion is crushed by government forces, leaving more than 200 dead.
* February 25 – Oregon places a one cent per US gallon (0.26¢/liter) tax on gasoline, becoming the first U.S. state to levy a gasoline tax.
* February 26 – Grand Canyon National Park: An act of the United States Congress establishes most of the Grand Canyon