The month of November has been home to many historical events over the years. Here’s a look at some that helped to shape the world in November 1926.
• The American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T) completes the sale of its subsidiary, the Broadcasting Company of America (BCA), on November 1. The sale marks the departure of AT&T from the radio industry.
• The U.S. Air Commerce Act is passed on November 1, establishing federal regulation of civil aviation in the United States.
• On November 2, French pediatrician Gaston Variot warns young women to avoid dancing the Charleston. Dr. Variot claims the movements of the dance could jeopardize young women’s ability to have children.
• Legendary baseball figure Ty Cobb resigns as Detroit Tigers manager on November 3. He was replaced by George Moriarty, the first man to hold MLB’s four principal jobs: player, umpire, scout and manager.
• Three prisoners fail in their attempt to escape Tombs Prison in New York City on November 3. The three prisoners killed the prison warden and a guard before escaping the building but were ultimately cornered in the prison yard, where the escapees took their own lives rather than surrender to authorities.
• Prince Leopold of Belgium marries Princess Astrid of Sweden on November 4. The civil ceremony is presided over by Stockholm politician Carl Lindhagen.
• Marshal Józef Pilsudski decrees a press gag law in Poland on November 7. The law forbids the publication of news that could cause a public demonstration or rumors that could ridicule or criticize government officials and judges.
• George Gershwin’s musical, “Oh, Kay!,” opens on Broadway on November 8. The play introduces the song “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
• One-hundred-twenty-three opposition party members lose their seats in the 535-seat Italian Parliament on November 9. Arrest warrants are issued for each opposition party member, who were expelled for their boycott of the Fascist-dominated Parliament.
• Princeton University severs athletic relations with Harvard University on November 10. A formal letter from Princeton cites a lack of goodwill between undergraduates at each university as the motivation behind the decision.
• The United States Number Highway System is established on November 11.
• The Shelton Brothers Gang uses a biplane in an effort to bomb the hideout of rival gangster Charles Birger near Marion, Illinois, on November 12. The bombing effort accomplishes little more than blowing up a pit used for cock fighting on the site of the hideout.
• A short story by P.L. Travers titled “Mary Poppins and the Match Man” appears in a New Zealand newspaper on November 13. Travers later writes a series of books about Mary Poppins, and the character eventually inspires a popular musical film.
• The Balfour Declaration is unanimously approved by Prime Ministers throughout the British Empire on November 15. The declaration endorses the creation of a Jewish nation in the British mandate of Palestine.
• Clarence “Taffy” Abel becomes the first Native American player in the National Hockey League when he debuts for the New York Rangers on November 16.
• Sakichi Toyoda founds the Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd., on November 18. The company is the forerunner of the Toyota Motor Corporation, which would begin manufacturing automobiles in 1937.
• The silent film “The Great Gatsby” is released on November 21. It is the first film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel of the same name.
• Norwegian chemical engineer Erik Rotheim receives the first patent for an aerosol spray dispenser on November 23.
• Roughly 111,000 spectators gather to watch the Army-Navy game at Soldier Field in Chicago on November 27. It is the only time the game, which ends in a 21-21 tie, is played at Soldier Field.
