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The following events occurred in February 1937:


February 1, 1937 (Monday)

*
King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...
released the British Empire's
New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...
list, one month late due to the
abdication crisis In early December 1936, a constitutional crisis in the British Empire arose when King Edward VIII proposed to marry Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who was divorced from her first husband and was in the process of divorcing her second. T ...
.
Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...
was made Dame Grand Cross of the
Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...
. *
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
defeated
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
2-0 at the
Estadio Gasómetro El Gasómetro, officially named San Lorenzo Stadium,Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
to win the
South American Championship A South American Championship is a top level international sports competition between South American athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of South American championships * Basketball ...
of football. Six nations— Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay— had participated and both teams finished with W-D-L records of 4-0-1. *The French aircraft manufacturer
SNCASE SNCASE (abbreviated from ''Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du Sud-Est'') or Sud-Est was a French aircraft manufacturer. The company was formed on February 1, 1937, by the nationalization and merger of Lioré et Olivier, Pote ...
(Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du Sud-Est) was formed by the nationalization and merger of Lioré et Olivier,
Potez Potez (pronounced ) was a French aircraft manufacturer founded as Aéroplanes Henry Potez by Henry Potez at Aubervilliers in 1919 in aviation, 1919. The firm began by refurbishing war-surplus SEA IV aircraft, but was soon building new examples of ...
, CAMS,
Romano Romano may refer to: Food * Pecorino Romano, a hard, salty Italian cheese * Romano cheese, an American English and Canadian English term for a class of cheeses Places Italy Municipalities in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Latium * Arcinazzo Ro ...
and
SPCA A Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is a common name for non-profit animal welfare organizations around the world. The oldest SPCA organization is the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which was founded ...
. *Born: **
Don Everly Isaac Donald Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) was an American musician. Everly was one-half of the singing duo The Everly Brothers alongside his younger brother Phil Everly, Phil. Early life Don was born in Brownie, Kentucky on Febru ...
, member of
The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close-harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...
rock and roll duo; in
Brownie, Kentucky Brownie was an unincorporated area, unincorporated community located in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, United States. It eventually became part of Central City. Notable people *Don Everly, one half of the rock 'n rol ...
(d. 2021) **
Garrett Morris Garrett Isaac Morris (born February 1, 1937) is an American actor, comedian and singer. He was part of the original cast and was the first black cast member of the sketch comedy program ''Saturday Night Live'', appearing from 1975 to 1980. He ...
, African-American comedian and actor and part of the original cast of ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
''; in
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
,
Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
*Died: **
Tony Marino Tony Silipini (April 20, 1931 – May 28, 2021) was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tony Marino. Professional wrestling career Early career (1954–1963) Tony Silipini was born in 1931. He started wrestling ...
, 26, American bantamweight boxer, died two days after being knocked out in his bout against Carlos "Indian" Quintana in Brooklyn. Marino's death, which came after he had been knocked to the canvas five times, led to the
New York State Athletic Commission The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, is a division of the New York State Department of State which regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York ...
's emergency meeting and the passage of the innovative "three knockdown" rule to stop a fight. **
Leonid Serebryakov Leonid Petrovich Serebryakov (; 11 June 1890 – 1 February 1937) was a Russian Soviet politician and Bolshevik who became a victim of the Great Purge. Early life Born at Samara, the son of a metalworker, Serebryakov left school at 14 to opera ...
, 46, and
Nikolay Muralov Nikolay Ivanovich Muralov (; 7 December 1877 – 1 February 1937) was a Bolshevik revolutionary leader and military commander in Russia, who after 1923 became a member of the Left Opposition. Muralov was a direct participant in both the Revolut ...
, 59, former Soviet Communist Party officials and supporters of
Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...
, were executed after being convicted of treason as part of the
Great Purge The Great Purge, or the Great Terror (), also known as the Year of '37 () and the Yezhovshchina ( , ), was a political purge in the Soviet Union that took place from 1936 to 1938. After the Assassination of Sergei Kirov, assassination of ...
ordered by Premier
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
.


February 2, 1937 (Tuesday)

*
Senjūrō Hayashi was a Japanese politician and general. He served as Imperial Japanese Army Commander of the Japanese Korean Army during the Mukden Incident and the invasion of Manchuria. He briefly served as prime minister of Japan in 1937. Early life and e ...
formed a government as the new
Prime Minister of Japan The is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Force ...
, replacing
Kōki Hirota was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1936 to 1937. Originally his name was . He was executed for war crimes committed during the Second Sino-Japanese War at the Tokyo Trials. Early life Hirota was ...
. *The
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
battleship , patrolling the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
to protect Britain's colony at
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
, came under aerial attack from three aircraft operated by the Second Spanish Republic. Two of the three bombs exploded within of the ship but caused no damage. *
General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
obtained an injunction against the strike of the United Auto Workers with an order signed by Judge Edward S. Black. The order was soon set aside when a UAW investigation found that Black owned over 3,000 shares of General Motors stock, and the UAW made plans to expand to the strike to another GM factory. *The engagement ceremony for Crown Prince
Pujie Pujie (; 16 April 1907 – 28 February 1994) was a Qing dynasty imperial prince of the Aisin-Gioro. Pujie was the younger brother of Puyi, the last Emperor of China. After the fall of the Qing dynasty, Pujie went to Japan, where he was educated ...
of the Japanese puppet state of
Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially known as the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of Great Manchuria thereafter, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. It was ostens ...
(consisting of northeastern China's
Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...
,
Heilongjiang Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country and contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe City along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the confluence of the Amur and Us ...
, and
Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...
provinces) took place at the Manchukuo "embassy" in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. The wedding of Japanese princess
Hiro Saga was a Japanese noblewoman and memoir writer. She was the daughter of Marquis Saneto Saga and a distant relative of Hirohito, Emperor Shōwa. She was married in 1937 to Pujie, the younger brother of Puyi, the last monarch of the Qing dynasty of Ch ...
to Pujie, brother of the Emperor
Puyi Puyi (7 February 190617 October 1967) was the final emperor of China, reigning as the eleventh monarch of the Qing dynasty from 1908 to 1912. When the Guangxu Emperor died without an heir, Empress Dowager Cixi picked his nephew Puyi, aged tw ...
, was scheduled for April 3. *Born:
Tom Smothers Thomas Bolyn Smothers III (February 2, 1937 – December 26, 2023) was an American comedian, actor, composer, and musician, widely known as half of the musical comedy duo the Smothers Brothers, alongside his younger brother Dick Smothers, Dick. I ...
, American comedian and one-half of the
Smothers Brothers The Smothers Brothers were the American duo of brothers Tom Smothers, Tom and Dick Smothers, who performed folk singer, folk singing, music, and comedy. The brothers' trademark double act was performing folk songs (Tommy on Steel-string guitar, a ...
musical comedy team; in New York City (d. 2023)


February 3, 1937 (Wednesday)

*The Battle of Málaga began as the
Nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
forces of
Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...
, supplemented by Fascists from Italy and Germany advanced on the city of
Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...
and were met by 12,000 defenders fighting for the
Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...
. The rebel nationalists swept through the Republican defenses within five days. *The 33rd International Eucharistic Congress opened in
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
,
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. It was the first eucharistic congress held in Asia. *The "three knockdown rule", now universal in boxing competitions, was created by the
New York State Athletic Commission The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, is a division of the New York State Department of State which regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York ...
, requiring a referee to stop a boxing bout after one of the boxers had been knocked down three times in a single round. Initially, the rule did not apply to fights for a championship, nor outside of the state of New York. *Born: **
Billy Meier Eduard Albert Meier (born 3 February 1937), commonly nicknamed "Billy", is the founder of a UFO religion called the "Freie Interessengemeinschaft für Grenz- und Geisteswissenschaften und Ufologiestudien" (Free Community of Interests for the Borde ...
, Swiss author and ufologist; in
Bülach Bülach () is a historic town and a municipality in Switzerland in the canton of Zürich. It is the administrative capital of Bülach district. It is situated in the Glatt Valley (German: ''Glattal'') to the east of the small river Glatt and ab ...
** Alex Young, Scottish footballer; in
Loanhead Loanhead is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, in a commuter belt to the south of Edinburgh, and close to Roslin, Bonnyrigg and Dalkeith. The town was built on coal and oil shale mining, and the paper industries. History Loanhead was a tiny vil ...
,
Midlothian Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...
(d. 2017) *Died:
Monroe Tsatoke Monroe Tsatoke (1904–1937) was a Kiowa painter and a member of the Kiowa Six from Oklahoma.Watson, Mary JoTsatoke, Monroe (1904-1937). ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' (Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009) Early life Monroe Tsato ...
, 32, Native American painter and muralist who was one of the " Kiowa Six" group of artists from the Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma, died of tuberculosis.


February 4, 1937 (Thursday)

*The first television broadcast of a British sporting event took place as the BBC showed bouts from an international boxing tournament between England and Ireland from
Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is an entertainment and sports venue in North London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. A listed building, Grade II listed building, it is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and th ...
. *
Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
's
Prince Harald Coast Prince Harald Coast () is a portion of the coast of Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, encompassing Lutzow-Holm Bay, lying between Riiser-Larsen Peninsula, at 34° E, and the east entrance point of Lutzow-Holm Bay, marked by the coastal angle at 40° E. ...
was first discovered by humans as Norwegian explorer
Viggo Widerøe Viggo Widerøe (13 August 1904 – 8 January 2002) was a Norwegian aviator and entrepreneur. He founded Widerøe's Flyveselskap, Norway's third largest airline, in 1934. The airline is still in operation today. Personal life Viggo Widerøe was ...
, pilot Nils Romnaes and
Ingrid Christensen Ingrid Christensen (10 October 1891 – 18 June 1976) was an early polar explorer. She was known as the first woman to view Antarctica and land on the Antarctic mainland. Early life Christensen (née Dahl) was the daughter of Alfhild Freng Dahl ...
flew over the site during the
Lars Christensen Expedition Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries. Origin ''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel", and is therefore related to the name ...
. * Willie Gallacher, the lone
Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPGB ...
M.P., caused an uproar in the House of Commons when he asserted that the
Regency Bill The Regency Acts are Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed at various times, to provide a regent in the event of the reigning monarch being incapacitated or a minor (under the age of 18). Prior to 1937, Regency Acts were passed onl ...
under discussion was clearly "directed towards the occupant of the Throne at the present time" (referring to King George VI) because he was "suspect."
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
Member
Earl Winterton Earl Winterton, in the County of Galway, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1766 for Edward Turnour, 1st Baron Winterton, who represented Bramber in the House of Commons. Turnour had already been created Baron Winterton, o ...
jumped to his feet and declared that not even a Member "who represents so small an amount of opinion in the country" as Gallacher "should be permitted to get away with the monstrous assertion which he has just made", and said it "could only have come from someone who approaches the subject with a distorted brain." *German ambassador to Britain
Joachim von Ribbentrop Ulrich Friedrich-Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop (; 30 April 1893 – 16 October 1946) was a German Nazi politician and diplomat who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nazi Germany from 1938 to 1945. ...
committed a social gaffe when he gave the
Nazi salute The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened han ...
to
George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...
, nearly knocking over the king who was stepping forward to shake Ribbentrop's hand. *Born: **
Magnar Solberg Magnar Solberg (born 4 February 1937) is a former Norwegian biathlete and police officer. He won a gold medal in the 20 km at the 1968 and 1972 Winter Olympics; his 4 × 7.5 km relay teams placed second in 1968 and fourth in 1972. In ...
, Norwegian biathlete and Olympic gold medalist in the 20 km race in 1968 and 1972; in
Soknedal Soknedal is a village in Midtre Gauldal Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village is located along the river ''Sokna'' which flows north and later joins the river Gaula. The Dovrebanen railway line and the European route E06 highwa ...
**
George Argyros George Leon Argyros (born February 4, 1937) is an American former diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Spain. He is also a real estate investor and philanthropist. Argyros was the owner of Major League Baseball's Seattle Marin ...
, U.S. Ambassador to Spain 2001 to 2004 and co-owner of baseball's
Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
from 1981 to 1989; in
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...


February 5, 1937 (Friday)

*The Judicial Procedures Reform Bill was recommended by U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
in a surprise message to Congress, recommending a drastic revision of the
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
. The plan would increase the number of judges from 9 to as many as 15, and provided that each time one of the justices reached the age of 70 and did not retire, another seat would be added to the Court. Given that six of the nine Supreme Court justices were already at least 70 years old (
Pierce Butler Pierce or Piers Butler may refer to: * Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond (c. 1467 – 26 August 1539), Anglo-Irish nobleman in the Peerage of Ireland * Piers Butler, 3rd Viscount Galmoye (1652–1740), Anglo-Irish nobleman in the Peerage of Ireland * ...
, 70; Chief Justice
Charles Evans Hughes Charles Evans Hughes (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American politician, academic, and jurist who served as the 11th chief justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
and
George Sutherland George Alexander Sutherland (March 25, 1862July 18, 1942) was a British-born American jurist and politician. He served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court between 1922 and 1938. As a member of the Republican Party, he also repre ...
, both 74; James McReynolds, 75;
Willis Van Devanter Willis Van Devanter (April 17, 1859 – February 8, 1941) was an American lawyer who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1911 to 1937. He was a staunch conservative and was regarded as a part of the Four ...
, 77; and
Louis Brandeis Louis Dembitz Brandeis ( ; November 13, 1856 – October 5, 1941) was an American lawyer who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1916 to ...
, 80), the idea failed and was derided as "court packing" as an attempt by President Roosevelt to gain more control over the Court with his own appointees. *The first television broadcast of a work of
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
took place as the British Broadcasting Corporation telecast Act 3, Scene 2 of ''
As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...
'', followed by a portion of ''
Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...
''. *The constitution of the Republic of Turkey was amended to incorporate "
The Six Arrows The Six Arrows () is the symbol and flag of the Turkish Republican People's Party (CHP). The arrows represent the fundamental pillars of Kemalism, Turkey's founding ideology. These are Kemalism#Republicanism, republicanism, Kemalism#Populism, po ...
" (
Republicanism Republicanism is a political ideology that encompasses a range of ideas from civic virtue, political participation, harms of corruption, positives of mixed constitution, rule of law, and others. Historically, it emphasizes the idea of self ...
, Folkism,
Nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...
,
Laicism Laicism (also ''laicity'', from the Ancient Greek "''λαϊκός"'' "''laïkós"'', meaning "layperson" or "non-cleric") refers to a legal and political model based on the strict separation of religion and state. The French term ''laïcité'' ...
,
Statism In political science, statism or etatism (from French, ''état'' 'state') is the doctrine that the political authority of the state is legitimate to some degree. This may include economic and social policy, especially in regard to taxation ...
, and
Reformism Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political or religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution. Within the socialist movement, ref ...
). *Born:
Larry Hillman Lawrence Morley Hillman (February 5, 1937 – May 31, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach. One of the most travelled players in hockey history, he played for 15 different teams in his 22 professional seasons. He pl ...
, Canadian ice hockey defenceman who played on 15 different teams in 22 seasons and helped Detroit, Toronto and Montreal win the
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
and Winnipeg to win the WHA
Avco World Trophy The Avco World Trophy, also known as the Avco Cup, is the playoff championship trophy of the defunct World Hockey Association, which operated from 1972 until 1979. The trophy's naming rights were sold to the former Avco Corporation (a name origin ...
; in
Kirkland Lake, Ontario Kirkland Lake is a town and municipality in Timiskaming District, Ontario, Timiskaming District of Northeastern Ontario. The 2021 population, according to Statistics Canada, was 7,750. The community name was based on a nearby lake which in turn ...
(d. 2022) *Died:
Lou Andreas-Salomé Lou Andreas-Salomé (born either Louise von Salomé or Luíza Gustavovna Salomé or Lioulia von Salomé, ; 12 February 1861 – 5 February 1937) was a Russian-born psychoanalyst and a well-traveled author, narrator, and essayist from a French Hu ...
, 75, Russian-born psychoanalyst and author


February 6, 1937 (Saturday)

*The
Battle of Jarama The Battle of Jarama (6–27 February 1937) was an attempt by General Francisco Franco's Nationalists to dislodge the Second Spanish Republic, Republican lines along the river Jarama, just east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War. Elite Spa ...
began as the
Spanish Nationalists Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in ...
and their allies crossed the Jarama River, the last line of defense on the eastern side of the Spanish capital of
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
. The Nationalists moved toward controlling the road between Madrid and
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
, Spain's port on the Mediterranean Sea. The battle lasted for three weeks. *
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
's 20-year-old son Vittorio Mussolini, Vittorio married Orsola Buvoli in Rome. About 1,000 people stood in the rain outside the church to view the comings and goings.


February 7, 1937 (Sunday)

*A crowd of 40,000 leftists marched in Paris in observance of the third anniversary of the 6 February 1934 crisis, 6 February 1934 counter-demonstrations. Prime Minister Léon Blum stood in the rain to review them. *Born: **Jacques Saadé, Lebanese-born French businessman who founded (in 1978) the CMA CGM, Compagnie maritime d’affrètement shipping container company (now CMA CGM), fourth largest in the road; in Beirut (d. 2018) **Fred Gillett (astronomer), Fred Gillett, American astronomer; in Minot, North Dakota (d. 2001) *Died: **Elihu Root, 91, U.S. Secretary of War from 1899 to 1904 during the Philippine War, later the U.S. Secretary of State from 1905 to 1909, 1912 Nobel Peace Prize laureate **Swami Akhandananda, 72, Indian monk of the Ramakrishna Mission of Hinduism


February 8, 1937 (Monday)

*As the
Spanish Nationalists Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in ...
captured the city of Málaga, at least 15,000 civilians fled toward the Republican held city of Almeria on the N-340 highway. In retaliation for the citizens' Battle of Málaga (1937), resistance to Generalissimo Franco's invasion, the Nationalist battleships ''Spanish cruiser Canarias, Canarias'', ''Spanish cruiser Almirante Cervera, Almirante Cerveras'' and ''Spanish cruiser Baleares, Baleares'' fired artillery shells from the Mediterranean Sea and Málaga–Almería road massacre, killed at least 3,000 civilians, mostly elderly people, children, women and persons already injured. *Born: Manfred Krug, East German film star and West German TV actor and singer; in Duisburg (d. 2016)


February 9, 1937 (Tuesday)

*All 11 people on United Airlines#Accidents and incidents, United Air Lines Flight 33 were killed when the Douglas DC-3 crashed into San Francisco Bay. With eight passengers and three crew, the airliner was approaching the Mills Field Airport in San Francisco at the end of a two-hour flight from Los Angeles and was cleared for landing at 8:44 pm. The crash was the first to involve a DC-3. *Born: **William Lawvere, American mathematician known for Lawvere's fixed-point theorem and for the category of Lawvere theory sets; in Muncie, Indiana (d. 2023) **Clete Boyer, American baseball player with 16 Major League Baseball seasons and three in the Japan League; in Cassville, Missouri (d. 2007)


February 10, 1937 (Wednesday)

*The first issue of ''Detective Comics'', which would introduce Batman the following year and would give DC Comics its name, was put on newsstands by the National Allied Publications Company, owned by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, and had a cover date of March 1937. *The Leningrad suburb of Detskoye Selo, formerly Tsarskoye Selo Railway, Tsarskoye Selo, was formally renamed Pushkin, Saint Petersburg, Pushkin in ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the 1837 death of Russian poet, playwright and novelist Alexander Pushkin. *A German appeals court ruled that children who failed to live up to the mental and physical standards of Nazi education could be taken away from their families and placed in state-run homes. *Born: **Roberta Flack, American singer and winner of two consecutive Grammy Awards for Record of the Year; in Black Mountain, North Carolina (d. 2025) **Anne Anderson (researcher), Anne Anderson, Scottish reproductive physiologist; in Forres, County of Moray (d. 1983) *Died: Ali-Akbar Davar, 51, Iranian jurist who reformed Iran's judicial system, committed suicide with an overdose of opium, after being reprimanded by Reza Shah, the Iranian monarch.DĀVAR, ʿALĪ-AKBAR
Iranica Online


February 11, 1937 (Thursday)

*The Flint sit-down strike ended when
General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
agreed to recognize the United Automobile Workers, United Auto Workers as the exclusive bargaining agent for GM employees. *Concluding a three-day celebration of Fascism in Romania by supporters of the Iron Guard, Legion of the Iron Guard (''Garda de Fier''), the funerals of Ion Moța and Vasile Marin were conducted in Bucharest. Iron Guard leader Corneliu Zelea Codreanu had coordinated the event for Moța and Marin, who had been killed in a Spanish Civil War battle on January 13, by routing the funeral train on a tour of Romania rather than having the bodies of the "martyrs" taken directly to Bucharest. *
Joachim von Ribbentrop Ulrich Friedrich-Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop (; 30 April 1893 – 16 October 1946) was a German Nazi politician and diplomat who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nazi Germany from 1938 to 1945. ...
formally presented the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, British Foreign Office with a demand for the return of German colonial empire, Germany's colonies. *An issue of the British weekly news magazine ''Cavalcade'' was banned for running an article referring to rumors of the king having suffered an attack of epilepsy. *Aviator Amelia Earhart announced she would attempt to circumnavigate the globe as close to the equator as possible. *Born: **Bill Lawry, Australian cricketer with 219 caps for the Australia national cricket team; in Thornbury, Victoria **Eddie Shack, popular Canadian ice hockey player celebrated in the song "Clear the Track, Here Comes Shack"; in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontario (d. 2020) *Died: **Walter Burley Griffin, 60, American architect, died of peritonitis in British India, five days after gall bladder surgery at King George's Medical University, King George's Hospital, Lucknow in Lucknow. **Peter of Jesus Maldonado, Pedro de Jesús Maldonado, 44, Mexican priest and Roman Catholic saint canonized in 2000, died the day after suffering a traumatic brain injury from a beating by a gang.


February 12, 1937 (Friday)

*The International Brigades halted the Nationalist advance at Jarama. *The 1936 Cleveland Rams season, Cleveland Rams, second place finishers in the rival 1936 American Football League season, American Football League and owned by a consortium of businessmen headed by Homer Marshman, were granted a franchise in the NFL for the 1937 NFL season. *The musical film ''When You're in Love (film), When You're in Love'' starring Grace Moore and Cary Grant was released. *Born: **Charles Dumas, U.S. Olympic champion high jumper, 1956 gold medalist, who was the first person to clear in the high jump; in Tulsa, Oklahoma (d. 2004) **Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, Vittorio Emanuele di Sovia, the last Crown Prince of Italy and one-time pretender to the throne as the only son of Umberto II of Italy, King Umberto II; in Naples (d. 2024). But for the abolition of the Italian monarchy, he would have become King Victor Emmanuel IV in 1983. **Charles Jackson (serial killer), Charles Jackson, American serial killer who murdered at least seven women and one man around San Francisco between 1975 and 1982; in rural Louisiana (d. 2002) *Died: Christopher Caudwell (pen name for Christopher St John Sprigg), 29, British Marxist writer, was killed in the Spanish Civil War.


February 13, 1937 (Saturday)

*A theater fire at the Manchu Wutai Playhouse in the city of Dandong, Andong killed at least 658 people who were among 7,500 celebrating the Chinese New Year, which began on February 11. The blaze, which started at 7:30 in the evening in the capital of the Andong Province of
Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially known as the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of Great Manchuria thereafter, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. It was ostens ...
, the Japanese-occupied puppet state in northeastern China, was traced to "a carelessly placed candle behind a screen" and "spread with such speed" that "a balcony collapsed a few minutes after the fire had started, plunging screaming, fighting hundreds on top of the frenzied spectators on the lower floor. *National Football League owners voted to approve the move, announced in December by owner George Preston Marshall, of the 1936 Boston Redskins season, Boston Redskins to Washington, D.C. where the team would become the 1937 Washington Redskins season, Washington Redskins (now the Washington Commanders). The move had been announced by Marshall on December 16, shortly after the Redskins had lost the 1936 NFL championship game to the Green Bay Packers. *Felix Kaspar of Austria won the men's competition of the 1937 World Figure Skating Championships, World Figure Skating Championships in Vienna. *Born: **Rupiah Banda, President of Zambia from 2008 to 2011; in Gwanda, Southern Rhodesia (d. 2022) **Sigmund Jähn, the first German to travel into outer space; in Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz (d. 2019) Jähn, a pilot in the East German Air Force, was part of the crew of Soyuz 31 launched to the Salyut 6 space station in 1978. **Hiroshi Ninomiya, Japanese footballer, manager of the Japan national football team, Japan national team from 1976 to 1978; in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
**Angelo Mosca, American professional football player and wrestler enshrined at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame; in Waltham, Massachusetts (d. 2021)


February 14, 1937 (Sunday)

*A Nationalist warship shelled the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republican capital of
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
for 30 minutes until counterfire from shore batteries forced its retreat. *Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg indicated that a referendum on the question of restoring the Habsburg monarchy might be held. *The first installment of the newspaper comic strip ''Prince Valiant'', written and drawn by Hal Foster, was printed as a Sunday comics feature in the Hearst newspapers. The fantasy adventure, set in the Middle Ages, has continued weekly as a continuous story. *Born: Magic Sam (stage name for Samuel G. Maghett), African-American blues musician; in Grenada, Mississippi (d. 1969)


February 15, 1937 (Monday)

*1937 Finnish presidential election, Finland's electoral college of 300 representatives met in Helsinki to select the President of Finland. With 151 votes needed for the majority win, former president Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg fell one vote short, with 150, while incumbent President Pehr Evind Svinhufvud was second with 94, and Prime Minister Kyösti Kallio had 56. On the second round, almost all of Ståhlberg's supporters deserted him and switched their allegiance to Kallio, who received 177 votes, compared to 104 for Svinhufvud and only 19 for Ståhlberg. *In Australia, an underground explosion in a coal mine in Wonthaggi, Victoria, killed 13 men. *Flooding killed 11 people around southern Los Angeles. *Born: Zoltán Peskó, Hungarian composer and conductor at Milan's La Scala, Teatro alla Scala; in Budapest (d. 2020)


February 16, 1937 (Tuesday)

*American chemist Wallace Carothers of the DuPont company received U.S. patent No. 2,071,250 for "monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of synthetic polymers", marketed by DuPont as the first synthetic fabric, nylon. *The popular ballet ''Les Patineurs (ballet), Les Patineurs'', choreographed by Frederick Ashton with music composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer and arranged by Constant Lambert, premiered at Sadler's Wells Theatre and was performed by the The Royal Ballet, Vic-Wells Ballet. *''Le Voyageur sans bagage'' (''Traveller Without Luggage''), a play by Jean Anouilh, premiered in Paris at the Théâtre des Mathurins. *To celebrate the birth of Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, grandson of King Victor Emanuel III and second in line for the throne, Prime Minister
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
proclaimed a general amnesty cancelling or reducing prison sentences for many types of offences. *Born: **Yuri Manin, Russian mathematician known for the Gauss–Manin connection; in Simferopol, Crimean ASSR, Soviet Union (d. 2023) **John Willcox, English rugby union fullback for the England national rugby union team, England national team and for the British & Irish Lions, British Lions; in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire *Died: Rodmond Roblin, 84, Canadian businessman and politician who served as Premier of Manitoba from 1900 to 1915


February 17, 1937 (Wednesday)

*Ten men working on construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco fell to their deaths when a section of scaffolding collapsed. The debris from the scaffold cut through a safety net beneath the bridge. Only two workmen survived the fall. *Norway's Norway men's national ice hockey team, national ice hockey team played its first international game, participating in the 1937 Ice Hockey World Championships, 1937 world championships in London and losing to Czechoslovakia men's national ice hockey team, Czechoslovakia, 7 to 0. The next day, Norway lost to its other opponent in Group B, being defeated by Switzerland men's national ice hockey team, Switzerland, 13 to 2. *Born: **Mary Ann Mobley, American actress who won the Miss America 1959 beauty pageant; in Brandon, Mississippi (d. 2014) **Bjørn Wiik, Norwegian elementary particle physicist; in Bruvik (municipality), Bruvik (d.1999)


February 18, 1937 (Thursday)

*Six United States Marine Corps, U.S. Marines were killed and 10 injured in a shell explosion aboard the battleship during military exercises off the coast of San Clemente Island. *Film actress Mary Astor and film editor Manuel del Campo were married in Yuma, Arizona. *Died: Horatio Clarence Hocken, 79, Canadian politician and founder of the ''Toronto Star'' newspaper


February 19, 1937 (Friday)

*The Yekatit 12 massacre of more than 19,000 Ethiopians began in Addis Ababa shortly after General Rodolfo Graziani, the List of governors-general of Italian East Africa, Governor-General of Italian East Africa was wounded in an assassination attempt by two Ethiopian nationalists, Abraha Deboch and Mogus Asgedom. Ten hand grenade, grenades were thrown onto a reviewing stand where Italian and Ethiopian officials were sitting during a parade. Graziani was rushed to a hospital immediately after 365 fragments from the grenade pierced his body. Italian Air Force General Aurelio Liotta and Archbishop Abuna Qerellos IV, leader of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Vice-Governor General Armando Petretti, were also wounded, along with 25 other people. *In reprisal, the Italian colonial government murdered thousands of Ethiopians over the next three days. A detailed examination would conclude later that 19,200 people were killed. The massacre is referred to as "Yekatit 12" based on the date of February 19, 1937, being Yekatit 12, 1929 AM on the Ethiopian calendar. *The last of the Ethiopian resistance was crushed on the same day at the Battle of Gogetti, where the last Arbegnoch fighters were encircled near Lake Shala and exterminated. *Five of the seven people on an Airlines of Australia flight 1937 Airlines of Australia Stinson crash, were killed when the ''City of Brisbane'' (VH-UHH), a Stinson Model A, crashed into a mountain in the McPherson Range. The flight had departed Brisbane in Queensland at 1:00 in the afternoon and was on its way to a stop in Lismore, New South Wales, with a final destination of Sydney. *The red, white and blue colours of the flag of the Netherlands were confirmed by royal decree. *Born: Robert Walker (musician), Robert Walker, American blues musician; near Clarksdale, Mississippi (d. 2017) *Died: Major General Beyene Merid, 39, Ethiopian Army leader and anti-Fascist resistance leader, killed at the battle of Gogetti.


February 20, 1937 (Saturday)

*Paraguay gave notice of its intent to withdraw from the League of Nations. *German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler opened an auto show in Berlin featuring three test models of the ''Volkswagen Beetle, Volkswagen''. *Born: **Robert Huber, German biochemist and 1988 Nobel laureate; in Munich **Roger Penske, American race car driver and businessman, founder of the Penske Corporation that includes a truck leasing company and multiple auto dealerships, as well as owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; in Shaker Heights, Ohio **Nancy Wilson (jazz singer), Nancy Wilson, American jazz singer and three-time Grammy Award winner; in Chillicothe, Ohio (d. 2018) **Robert Evans (astronomer), Robert Evans, Australian amateur astronomer and Protestant minister known for having discovered 42 different supernovas; in Sydney (d. 2022) **George Leonardos, Egyptian historical novelist; in Alexandria *Died: **Barlow Carkeek, 58, Australian cricketer with 101 caps for the Australia national team, as well as playing Australian rules football for Essendon in the Victorian Football League, died after being struck by a car while crossing a street in Brighton East, East Brighton, Victoria. **Rua Kenana Hepetipa, 67, New Zealand Māori people, Māori religious leader and rights activist who claimed to be a prophet of the Ringatū religion


February 21, 1937 (Sunday)

*The first successful flying car, the Waterman Arrowbile, made its first flight. Built by Waldo Waterman, the vehicle was an airplane with wings that could be removed so that it could be driven on the road. *Nearly 40,000 Republican militia in Spain launched an attack on Oviedo. *The Italian Army captured the leader of the Ethiopian resistance, Desta Damtew. Damtew was executed three days later. *The government of the Second Spanish Republic dismissed General José Asensio Torrado after the fall of
Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...
to the Nationalists. *France closed its border with Spain to keep foreign fighters and weapons out of the Spanish Civil War. *Born: **Harald V of Norway, Harald V, King of Norway since 1991; in Skaugum to King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden **Ron Clarke, Australian athlete and distance runner who held the world records for the 5000m race (1965-1966) and the 10,000m (1963-1965), as well as for two, three, six and ten miles; in Melbourne (d. 2015) **Bill Stall, American journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, as well as press secretary for the Governor of California; in Philadelphia (d. 2008) **Georgy Prokopenko, Soviet Ukrainian swimmer and Olympian, holder of two world records in the 100m breaststroke; in Kobeliaky, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (d. 2021) **Sabitri Chatterjee, Indian stage and film actress; in Comilla, Bengal Presidency, Bengal Province, British India (now part of Bangladesh)


February 22, 1937 (Monday)

*Italian Premier
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
decreed that any native chieftain or officer who opposed Italian colonial troops, even in territory as yet unoccupied, would be put to death. *Born: Tommy Aaron, American professional golfer who won the 1973 Masters Tournament; in Gainesville, Georgia *Died: **James P. Buchanan, 69, American politician, U.S. Representative for Texas since 1913, died shortly after being sworn in for his 13th term. **Robert Hilliard, 32, Irish Olympic boxer, died after being wounded in action five days earlier while fighting in the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. **Maud O'Farrell Swartz, 57, Irish-born American labor leader who served as the president of the Women's Trade Union League, and who had been New York state secretary of labor since 1931.


February 23, 1937 (Tuesday)

*Britain's battleship came under attack for a second time during the Spanish Civil War and was accidentally struck by an anti-aircraft shell fired from the Republican side that was defending Valencia, Spain, Valencia from an attack by Francisco Franco's Nationalists. Captain T. B. Drew and four other men on ''Royal Oak'' were injured. *Italy protested to Britain for inviting Haile Selassie to send an envoy to the king's coronation ceremony. *A portion of the dismembered body of the seventh known victim of the Cleveland Torso Murderer was found on Euclid Beach at 156th Street, after having been washed up from Lake Erie. As with several of the killer's prior victims, the body of "Jane Doe #1" had been mutilated, with head and limbs removed, with only the torso remaining. Another portion of the torso would be found three months later, but the identity of the victim was indeterminable. *Murray Murdoch of the New York Rangers became the first player in NHL history to appear in 500 consecutive games. *Born: Claude Brown, African-American author known for his 1965 autobiographical book ''Manchild in the Promised Land''; in Harlem, New York City (d. 2002)


February 24, 1937 (Wednesday)

*Cebu City was created in the Commonwealth of the Philippines by the merger of the municipalities of Cebu, El Pardo, Mabolo, Talamban, Banilad, and San Nicolas. *In the
Battle of Jarama The Battle of Jarama (6–27 February 1937) was an attempt by General Francisco Franco's Nationalists to dislodge the Second Spanish Republic, Republican lines along the river Jarama, just east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War. Elite Spa ...
, Republicans tried to take strategic Pingarrón Hill southeast of
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
but were pushed back. *Ottorino Respighi's opera ''Lucrezia (opera), Lucrezia'' was given its first performance, premiering at La Scala in Milan. *Died: **Desta Damtew, 45, leader of Ethiopian resistance, was executed. **Humphrey Pearson, 43, American screenwriter and playwright, was shot in the chest at his home in Palm Springs, California. **Guy Standing (actor), Guy Standing, 63, English stage and film actor **Patrick Burns (businessman), Patrick Burns, 80, Canadian businessman and multimillionaire who was one of "The Big Four (Calgary), The Big Four" who controlled the meatpacking industry in Canada, as well as a rancher who owned of cattle ranches in the Canadian province of Alberta


February 25, 1937 (Thursday)

*The U.S. state of Kansas became the 28th, and last, state to ratify the proposed Child Labor Amendment, which would have been the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution had ratification been complete. Although 28 of the 48 states at the time were required to ratify, the proposed amendment fell 8 states short of the 3/4ths majority (36 of 48) required. The amendment which would have provided for the U.S. government to regulate child labor, would become a moot point the following year after the passage of the more comprehensive Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, upheld as constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1941. *The British liner ''Llandovery Castle'' was sailing from
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
to Marseille carrying 100 passengers when it hit a naval mine off Cap de Creus. A large hole was torn in its hull, but it managed to limp to Port-Vendres. *Born: **Tom Courtenay, English stage, film and TV actor, winner of three BAFTA Awards and a Golden Globe Award; in Kingston upon Hull, East Yorkshire **Bob Schieffer, U.S. television reporter and news anchor; in Austin, Texas **Reuven Ramaty, Hungarian-born U.S. astrophysicist for NASA who developed the High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager renamed in his honor after his death and used on the Explorer 81 mission from 2002 to 2018; in Timișoara, Temesvár (d.2001) **Alexander Ilečko, Slovak sculptor; in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (d. 2023) *Died: Mary Pownall, 74, British sculptor


February 26, 1937 (Friday)

*The John Steinbeck novella ''Of Mice and Men'' was released. A review in the ''Chicago Daily Tribune'' said that the book was written "so simply, so movingly, so factually that only when its last page is finished does the reader realize what a remarkable feat John Steinbeck has performed." *The play ''The Ascent of F6'', by W. H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood, premiered at the Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill Gate, Mercury Theatre in London. In the two-act drama, "F6" was a mountain that had yet to be climbed and which was on the border of a British colony and the fictional nation of "Ostnia", both of which were attempting to be the first to reach the mountain's summit. Auden dedicated the play to his brother John Bicknell Auden, who was working on a British plan to ascend K2, located on the border between British India and China, as well as the second-highest mountain on Earth. *Polish mountaineers Stefan Osiecki and Witold Paryski became the first persons to ascend the mountain Nevado Tres Cruces Central, a dormant volcano located in the South American nation of Chile. *On the same day, Polish made first persons to ascend the dormant volcano Ojos del Salado, the highest volcano on Earth and the highest mountain in Chile. *Born: **Lieutenant-Colonel Chukwuma Nzeogwu, Patrick Chukwuma Nzeogwu, Nigerian Army officer who led the failed 1966 Nigerian coup d'état, attempt to overthrow the President of Nigeria in 1966; in Kaduna (city), Kaduna, British Nigeria (executed 1967) **Alejandra Meyer, Mexican film and television actress; in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas state (d.2007) **Noureddine Diwa (Noureddine Ben Yahmed), Tunisian footballer with 23 caps for the Tunisia national team; in Tunis (d.2020) *Died: General Géraud Réveilhac, 86, French Army officer relieved of command during World War One for the "Souain corporals affair", his order for the execution of four corporals randomly selected from 24 in 1915.


February 27, 1937 (Saturday)

*Alexei Rykov and Nikolai Bukharin became the latest former Soviet Politburo members to be arrested as part of the
Great Purge The Great Purge, or the Great Terror (), also known as the Year of '37 () and the Yezhovshchina ( , ), was a political purge in the Soviet Union that took place from 1936 to 1938. After the Assassination of Sergei Kirov, assassination of ...
conducted by Communist Party General Secretary
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
. The two men were taken into custody after being summoned to appear before the Party's Central Committee, and were charged with conspiring to overthrow the Soviet state. Rykov had been the Premier of the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1930, while Bukharin had been the General Secretary of Communist International from 1926 to 1929. Both had been full members of the Communist Party's Politburo until 1930. The two would both be executed a year later, on March 15, 1938, after being convicted of treason in Case of the Anti-Soviet "Bloc of Rightists and Trotskyites", the trial of 21 of the leaders of the Bolshevik Revolution. *The French government passed a new defense plan extending the Maginot Line. *The
Battle of Jarama The Battle of Jarama (6–27 February 1937) was an attempt by General Francisco Franco's Nationalists to dislodge the Second Spanish Republic, Republican lines along the river Jarama, just east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War. Elite Spa ...
ended after three weeks with the Army of the Second Republic having prevented the rebel Nationalists from seizing the road between Madrid and Valencia, but still controlling the west bank of the Jarama River. Both the Nationalists and the Republicans had sustained thousands of dead and wounded in the battle in the Spanish Civil War. *Canada won the 1937 World Ice Hockey Championships, World Ice Hockey Championships, held in London, the day after handing Great Britain its only loss, 3 to 0, and finishing with a record of 3-0-0 in a 2 to 1 win in overtime over Switzerland in the four-team round robin finals. *Born: **David Goldman (businessman), David Goldman, British entrepreneur and co-founder of the Sage Group, the UK's largest software company and its second largest technology company; in Sunderland, County Durham(d. 1999) **Barbara Love, American feminist writer and LGBT rights activist; in Ridgewood, New Jersey(d. 2022) *Died: **Charles Donnelly (poet), Charles Donnelly, 22, Irish poet and activist, was killed in the Spanish Civil War. **Edward Nockels, 67, American labor union organizer and leader of the Chicago Federation of Labor since 1903


February 28, 1937 (Sunday)

*Spanish Foreign Minister Julio Álvarez del Vayo scolded the European democracies for "lamentable weakness ... in the face of the tactics of Fascist nations to make themselves masters of the continent." Álvarez del Vayo declared that "the defense of Madrid is the defense of Paris and London tomorrow." *Died: **Harrington Mann, 72, Scottish painter **John Grimshaw Wilkinson, 81, British botanist who "was visually impaired and was able to recognise individual plants by using his tongue to detect shape and texture."


References

{{Events by month links February 1937, February by year, 1937 Months in the 1930s, *1937-02