March 12, 1928: Collapse of St. Francis Dam (foreground) in Los Angeles floods San Francisquito Canyon, kills more than 400 people [1]
The following events occurred in March 1928:
Thursday, March 1, 1928
The French Chamber of Deputies abolished the drumhead court-martial but approved a new article in the military code stating that "any soldier committing an outrage against the flag or army may be punished by six months to five years in prison, or may be punished by loss of his rank." Communist deputy Alexandre Piquemal nearly incited a riot protesting the death penalty for anyone calling on soldiers to desert to the enemy in time of war when he stated, "We would all come in that category, we Communist deputies. We declare for the proletariat. They have one enemy, capitalism, and one fatherland, Soviet Russia. If you declare war on Russia we will urge the soldiers of the proletariat to desert to the Russian army."[2]
The organizers of the Miss America pageant voted 27–3 to discontinue the competition due to pressure from women's groups and church officials.[6] It would not be held again until 1933.
The first "Trans-American Footrace", nicknamed the "Bunion Derby", began in Los Angeles with 199 entrants competing to run 3,523.5 miles (5,670.5 km) by foot to New York City, with a $25,000 prize for the winner. Most of the entrants dropped out in the first few days, but 55 runners would go the distance, with Andy Payne finishing first. [7]
A circuit court of appeals in New York reversed an earlier decision and ruled that Canadians may work in the United States without immigration visas.[8]
The Vatican announced that annulments of marriages between Catholics and non-Catholics would hereafter be considered by a committee of cardinals instead of the Rota Tribunal.[10]
Rioting broke out in Tanta, Egypt, when students assembled in the public square to protest against a proposed agreement to a treaty between Egypt and Great Britain. After stones were thrown at foreign shops, police tried to disperse the crowd, which the protestors resisted.[11]
Died:
Pyotra Krecheuski, 48, Belarusian statesman who led a government in exile from Prague
Benito Mussolini proposed a national bank program to aid newly-married couples. Young Italians wanting to get married could receive a loan until they got on their feet financially, and then they could reimburse the state in two or three years.[17]
Shortly before midnight, the St. Francis Dam in Los Angeles collapsed and released 12 billion gallons (45.4 billion liters) of water, killing more than 400 people.[19]
A new one-day record was set on Wall Street when 3,909,100 shares changed hands.[20]
The March 15 incident (San ichi-go jiken) occurred in Japan when the government cracked down on socialists and communists, making about 500 arrests.
U.S. President Calvin Coolidge rejected a request from Puerto Rican legislators for autonomous rule. Coolidge wrote that it was not unreasonable "to suggest that the people of Porto Rico, who are part of the people of the United States, will progress with the people of the United States rather than become isolated from the source from which they have received practically their only hope of progress."[23]
A controversy in the Royal Navy dubbed the "Royal Oak Mutiny" hit the media. An admiral and two officers were suspended over a quarrel that began the previous week when Rear-Admiral Bernard Collard objected to the presence of a jazz band at a party aboard HMS Royal Oak.[24][25]
American Roman Catholic Cardinal George Mundelein told journalists in Rome that the Vatican had no interest in the presidential campaign of Catholic candidate Al Smith. "The Catholic church in America contends with no oppressive legislation, has no political ax to grind and lives and thrives under the existing form of government", he said. "Therefore there is no reason whatever for it to take a partisan stand."[27]
Joe Espositi, 55, Chicago Alderman for the 19th Ward, as well as a bootlegger in organized crime, was killed in a drive-by shooting by members of a rival gang.
General Zhang Shaozeng, 49, Chinese military leader who briefly served as the Premier of the Republic of China, was assassinated.
Pope Pius XI made an address protesting "the constant monopoly of the education of youth, both moral and spiritual", by the state. "We have kept silent in order not to make the situation worse, but our silence has been misinterpreted", the pope said.[33]
Bombs thrown at the home of Illinois Senator Charles S. Deneen caused extensive damage, but Deneen was unhurt.[34] It was one of several acts of violence leading up to the April 10 elections that led them to be dubbed the "Pineapple Primary", as "pineapple" was a popular nickname for a grenade-style bomb favored by gangsters of the time.[35]
Died:Leslie Stuart, 65, English theatrical composer known for Florodora
Wednesday, March 28, 1928
Former Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes made a speech at a conference of the Nationalist Party blaming Benito Mussolini for the immigration of large numbers of Italians. "To whom does Australia belong – ourselves or Premier Mussolini? Apparently all Premier Mussolini has to do is rattle his sword in the scabbard and we must allow unlimited numbers of Italians to enter the country", Hughes said.[36]
The so-called "Flapper Vote Bill" passed its second reading in the British House of Commons. The bill would create over 5 million new women voters as young as twenty-one.[37]
Italian pilot Mario de Bernardi set a new air speed record of 336.6 miles per hour, smashing his own record.[38]
Italy passed a new decree suppressing all organizations promoting the spiritual, moral or physical education of children. The law was aimed squarely at Catholic children's organizations.[39]
^Kastner, Charles B. (2007). Bunion Derby: The 1928 Footrace Across America. University of New Mexico Press. p. 11 and 34. ISBN9780826343017.
^"Court Unlocks Door to Border for Canadians". Chicago Daily Tribune. March 6, 1928. p. 7.
^ abcHolston, Kim R. (2013). Movie Roadshows: A History and Filmography of Reserved-Seat Limited Showings, 1911–1973. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 63. ISBN978-0-7864-6062-5.
^"Mixed Marriage Annulment Put Up to Cardinals". Chicago Daily Tribune. March 7, 1928. p. 12.
^Parker, A. Stanley (March 9, 1928). "Many Hurt in Riots". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 13.
^ abGunn, Angus Macleod (2008). Encyclopedia of Disasters: Environmental Catastrophes and Human Tragedies. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 312. ISBN9780313087479.
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