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John Reed co-founds the short-lived Communist Labor Party of America after being expelled from the National Socialist Co

John Reed co-founds the short-lived Communist Labor Party of America after being expelled from the National Socialist Convention in Chicago, Illinois

John Silas Reed (October 22, 1887 – October 17, 1920) was an American journalist, poet, and communist activist. Reed first gained prominence as a war correspondent during the Mexican Revolution for Metropolitan and World War I for The Masses. He is best known for his coverage of the October Revolution in Petrograd, Russia, which he wrote about in his 1919 book Ten Days That Shook the World.

Reed supported the Soviet takeover of Russia, even briefly taking up arms to join the Red Guards in 1918. He hoped for a similar communist revolution in the United States, and co-founded the short-lived Communist Labor Party of America in 1919. He died in Moscow of spotted typhus in 1920.

Historical Significance

John Silas Reed (October 22, 1887 – October 17, 1920) was an American journalist, poet, and communist activist.

Events Before

  1. Last day of the Julian calendar in Finland; January 2 becomes January 14

    The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception).

  2. Russian Bolshevik Party is renamed the All-Russian Communist Party

    The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), also known as the Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party (RSDWP) or the Russian Social Democratic Party (RSDP), was a socialist political party…

  3. Fearing foreign invasion, Vladimir Lenin shifts revolutionary Russia's capital from Petrograd (St. Petersburg) to Moscow

    Fearing foreign invasion, Vladimir Lenin shifts revolutionary Russia's capital from Petrograd (St. Petersburg) to Moscow

  4. American jazz musician Louis Armstrong (17) weds Daisy Parker (21); divorce in 1923

    American jazz musician Louis Armstrong (17) weds Daisy Parker (21); divorce in 1923

  5. German World War I fighter ace Baron Manfred von Richthofen aka "The Red Baron," is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur S

    German World War I fighter ace Baron Manfred von Richthofen aka "The Red Baron," is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur Somme in France. Canadian pilot Arthur Roy Brown is credited with the kill.

Events After

  1. Isaac Asimov is born

    Isaac Asimov, American writer and biochemist, known for american writer and biochemist, was born on 1920-01-02.

  2. Byelorussian Communist Organization is founded as a separate party

    The Byelorussian Communist Organisation was a communist group in Belarus, led by Usievalad Ihnatoŭski.

  3. League of Nations holds its first council meeting in Paris

    The League of Nations (LN or LoN; French: Société des Nations [sɔsjete de nɑsjɔ̃], SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace.

  4. First day of alcohol prohibition comes into effect in the US as a result of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution

    The Eighteenth Amendment (Amendment XVIII) to the United States Constitution established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States.

  5. Baseball Hall of Famer "Rube" Foster and seven other team owners create the first Negro National League (NNL) at a meeti

    Baseball Hall of Famer "Rube" Foster and seven other team owners create the first Negro National League (NNL) at a meeting in a Kansas City YMCA

More from the 1910s

birth

Hank Greenberg is born

Hank Greenberg, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1911-01-01.

Belgian mining law introduces a 9.5-hour workday

Belgian mining law introduces a 9.5-hour workday

First running of San Francisco's famed "Bay to Breakers" footrace (7.63 miles/12.3 km); Robert Vlught wins in 44:10

First running of San Francisco's famed "Bay to Breakers" footrace (7.63 miles/12.3 km); Robert Vlught wins in 44:10

The US Post Office begins parcel post delivery

The Bronx General Post Office (also known as the Bronx Central Post Office or Bronx Central Annex) is a historic post office building at 558 Grand Concourse in the South Bronx in New York City, New…

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 31, 1919?
John Silas Reed (October 22, 1887 – October 17, 1920) was an American journalist, poet, and communist activist. Reed first gained prominence as a war correspondent during the Mexican Revolution for Metropolitan and World War I for The Masses. He is best known for his coverage of the October Revolution in Petrograd, Russia, which he wrote about in his 1919 book Ten Days That Shook the World.
Why is John Reed co-founds the short-lived Communist Labor Party of America after be... significant?
John Silas Reed (October 22, 1887 – October 17, 1920) was an American journalist, poet, and communist activist.

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August 31 in HistoryYear 1919