The following events occurred in April 1912:
April 1, 1912 (Monday) The People's Radical Party won the most seats in the Serbian National Assembly in its parliamentary elections.Democracy in Serbia on the eve of World War I Sociological Overview The Parliament of Canada passed the Quebec Boundaries Extension Act that expanded the northern border of Quebec to include northern territory primarily inhabited by Inuit and established the province's present size. British hopes that Robert Falcon Scott had reached the South Pole before Roald Amundsen of Norway were ended when the Terra Nova arrived in New Zealand without Captain Scott on board, and the news that the Scott team had still been 150 miles from the Pole as of January 3. Amundsen's party had reached the Pole on December 14, 1911. Scott's party had made it to the South Pole on January 17 and died in March on their journey back.Edward J. Larson, An Empire of Ice: Scott, Shackleton, and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Science (Yale University Press, 2011) p. 22. The Japanese theater Yoshimoto Kogyo was established in Osaka. It later expanded to become an entertainment company in 1932. The city of Branson, Missouri, which would become a major American tourist attraction and entertainment center in the 1980s, was chartered.Anita L. Roberts, Images of America: Branson (Arcadia Publishing, 2014) p. 56. Born: Donald Nyrop, American business executive, president and CEO of Northwest Airlines from 1954 to 1976; in Cedar Creek, Nebraska, United States (d. 2010).
April 2, 1912 (Tuesday) The number of U.S. Senators increased from 92 to 96 with the swearing in of the legislators from Arizona and New Mexico."Senate Now Numbers 96". New York Times. April 2, 1912. In the Wisconsin presidential primary, Governor Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey finished ahead of former House Speaker Champ Clark among Democrats, and Senator Robert M. La Follette bested U.S. President William Howard Taft in Republican voting."Wisconsin for La Follette". New York Times. April 3, 1912. The Titanic began sea trials. Eleanor Trehawke Davies became the first woman to cross the English Channel in an airplane, flying as the passenger of Gustav Hamel.Daniel, Clifton, ed., Chronicle of the 20th Century, Mount Kisco, New York: Chronicle Publications, 1987, , p. 160. British pilot Charles Rumney Samson made the first test flight of the new Short biplane in England before it was converted to a floatplane.Barnes, C.H. Shorts Aircraft since 1900. London:Putnam, 1967, p. 80. Born: Herbert Mills, a tenor in the four-man "Mills Brothers" band; in Piqua, Ohio, United States (d. 1989). Died: Ishimoto Shinroku, 59, Japanese army officer and Minister of War for the Empire of Japan from 1911 to 1912 (b. 1854).
April 3, 1912 (Wednesday) Calbraith Perry Rodgers, the 33-year-old American aviator who had flown, with multiple stops, from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific Coast in the autumn of 1911, was killed while flying his Wright airplane in an airshow. One author would later write that "the first person to fly across the continental US was also the first to die as a result of a bird strike. Rodgers' Wright Pusher airplane collided with a seagull, the engine failed, and he crashed into the ocean near Long Beach, California."Jerry LeMieux, One Bird Strike and You're Out!: Solutions to Prevent Bird Strikes (Trafford Publishing, 2009) p. 278."Aviator Rodgers Plunges to Death". New York Times. April 4, 1912, p. 1.
April 4, 1912 (Thursday) The Titanic arrived at the White Star Line pier in Southampton, England and was checked in at 1:15 am. Classes began at Aurora College in Aurora, Illinois, after the students and faculty of Mendota College relocated in mid-semester from Mendota, Illinois, 50 miles to the west. Died: Isaac K. Funk, 72, American publisher and co-founder (with Adam Willis Wagnalls) of the Funk & Wagnalls Company."Dr. Isaac K. Funk, Publisher, Is Dead". The New York Times. April 5, 1912, p. 13. Prior to his death, Wagnalls had made arrangements with Dr. James H. Hyslop, editor of the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, to establish communication from the afterlife with a living person."Await Spirit Word— Psychists Expect to Get Message From Dr. Funk". Washington Evening Star. April 5, 1912, p. 10. Charles B. Aycock, Governor of North Carolina 1901 to 1905, known for advancing education and the opening of schools in that state, died while making a speech in Birmingham, Alabama, to the Alabama Education Association and 5,000 teachers.North Carolina: A Guide to the Old North State (University of North Carolina Press, 1939), p. 79. According to a reporter at the scene, Aycock said, "I have fought long the battles of education," and added, after asking a question of Alabama's Governor Emmet O'Neal, "However, I have determined, if such a thing is possible, to open the doors of the schools to every child..." He stopped, staggered and fell dead of a heart attack."Former Governor Aycock Falls Dead While Speaking for Cause of Education". Tuscaloosa (AL) News. April 5, 1912, p. 1.
April 5, 1912 (Friday) After more than 200 members of the Industrial Workers of the World had been put in the city's jail, the police chief in San Diego had the prisoners released into the hands of vigilantes. The mob escorted the "Wobblies" to the county line, beat them, and warned them never to return. An investigator sent by Governor Hiram Johnson described the city's police as so brutal that he thought he was "sojourning in Russia."Robert Justin Goldstein, Political Repression in Modern America (University of Illinois Press, 1978, 2001) p. 87. Born: John Le Mesurier, English actor, best known for his role as Sergeant Wilson in the BBC sitcom Dad's Army; in Bedford, England (d. 1983). István Örkény, Hungarian writer, known for works including his short story collection One Minute Stories; in Budapest, Austria-Hungary (now Hungary) (d. 1979).
April 6, 1912 (Saturday) The first conference to unify all labor organizations in New Zealand was held in Wellington. Resulting conferences eventually lead to establishing the New Zealand Labour Party in 1916.* The Miners' Federation of Great Britain ordered its striking members to return to work after passage of the Minimum Wage Bill."Record of Current Events", The American Monthly Review of Reviews (April 1912), pp. 540-543. The First Symphony of Franco Alfano premiered, at the Casino Municipal at Sanremo, Italy.Konrad Dryden, Franco Alfano: Transcending Turandot (Scarecrow Press, 2010) p. 36. Died: Giovanni Pascoli, 56, Italian poet, member of the Decadent movement in Italy (b. 1855).
April 7, 1912 (Sunday) The secret ballot was used for the first time in the legislative election in Argentina, two months after the "Sáenz Peña Law" was put into effect at the recommendation of President Roque Sáenz Peña. Half of the 120 seats in the Chamber of Deputies were subject to the voting.Kevin J. Middlebrook, Conservative Parties, the Right, and Democracy in Latin America (JHU Press, 2000) pp. 150-151. French cyclist Charles Crupelandt won the 17th Paris–Roubaix race, completing the course with a time of 8 hours and 30 minutes. Born: Harry Hay, English-born American activist, founder of the gay rights groups Mattachine Society and Radical Faeries; in Worthing, West Sussex, England (d. 2002). Jack Lawrence, American composer, known for song hits including "Beyond the Sea" and "All or Nothing at All"; in New York City, United States (d. 2009).
April 8, 1912 (Monday) The British coal miners' strike ended with the return of thousands of workers to the coal pits in England, Scotland and Wales. The approval of a guaranteed minimum wage ended the three-week-old strike, which had halted not only the production of coal, but the output from factories dependent on coal as a fuel."British Miners Resume". Pittsburgh Gazette Times. April 9, 1912, p. 1. England won the third Five Nations rugby championship. Spanish cyclist José Magdalena won the second Tour of Catalonia in Barcelona, completing the three-day, race course with a combined time of 18 hours, 32 minutes and 8 seconds. Born: Sonja Henie, Norwegian figure skater, gold medalist at the 1928, 1932, and 1936 Winter Olympics; in Kristiana (now Oslo), Norway (d. 1969). Alois Brunner, Austrian-German SS officer, assistant to Adolf Eichmann and commander of the Drancy internment camp during World War II; in Rohrbrunn, Austria-Hungary (now Austria) (d. 2001 or 2010). Mary Dee, American broadcaster, first African-American woman to become an on-air radio broadcaster in the United States; in Homestead, Pennsylvania, United States (d. 1964). Died: Andrew Saks, 65, American entrepreneur, founder of Saks & Company, now Saks Fifth Avenue (b. 1847).
April 9, 1912 (Tuesday) U.S. President William Howard Taft signed legislation creating the United States Children's Bureau as an agency within the United States Department of Commerce and Labor."President Signs Child Labor Bill". New York Times. April 10, 1912. James Alner Tobey, The National Government and Public Health (Ayer Publishing, 1926) p. 232. In the Illinois primaries, former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt beat incumbent U.S. President William Howard Taft, while Champ Clark finished well ahead of New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson."Roosevelt Wins in Illinois by 2 to 1 over Taft". New York Times. April 10, 1912. Boston's Fenway Park opened with the Boston Red Sox beating Harvard University 2–0 in an exhibition game.
April 10, 1912 (Wednesday) The Titanic, the largest ship ever constructed up to that time, began its maiden voyage from Southampton, England at noon, with a final destination of New York City."The Titanic Sails To-Day". New York Times. April 10, 1912. On its exit, the ship caused the American liner New York to break free of its moorings."Titanic in Peril on Leaving Port". New York Times. April 11, 1912. It arrived in Cherbourg, France that evening at 7:00 pm where it took on more passengers before departing two hours later. The French liner Niagara, sailing from Le Havre, France to New York City, struck ice while sailing near Newfoundland. The bow plates were dented, the ship began to leak, and an S.O.S. was sent. The steamer Carmania rushed to the rescue, but the crew of the Niagara was able to make repairs."Liner with Leaks from Blows of Ice". New York Times. April 17, 1912. Born: Boris Kidrič, Slovene state leader and first Prime Minister of Slovenia; in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Austria) (d. 1953).
April 11, 1912 (Thursday) British Prime Minister H. H. Asquith introduced the Third Home Rule Bill in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The Titanic arrived at Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland at 12:30 pm, and picked up the last of her passengers. She then departed for New York City with 2,208 people on board. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, leader of the Baháʼí Faith, arrived in New York City to continue his journey to spread the new religion to the Western world. The spiritual leader had been brought over by the steamer S.S. Cedric, which had left Naples on March 24, 1912. Reportedly, American and Canadian Baha'is had offered to pay extra for him to sail to New York on a much faster ship, the Titanic, but Abdul-Baha had declined.Will C. van den Hoonaard, The Origins of the Bahá'í Community of Canada, 1898–1948 (Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1996) p. 44. The religious leader would spend the rest of the year in the U.S., giving 200 speeches on "The Oneness of Religion," and visiting 32 cities.William Garlington, The Baha'i Faith in America (Greenwood Publishing, 2005) p. 93.