On This Day

Russian Imperial Navy Admiral Kolchak, leader of anti-communist "White Movement" executed by Bolshevik firing squad in I

Russian Imperial Navy Admiral Kolchak, leader of anti-communist "White Movement" executed by Bolshevik firing squad in Irkutsk, Russian SFSR

Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was a Russian navy officer and polar explorer who led the White movement in the Russian Civil War. When he assumed the title of Supreme Ruler of Russia in 1918, Kolchak headed a military dictatorship, which ruled over the territory of the former Russian Empire controlled by the Whites. He was a proponent of Russian nationalism and militarism, and opposed democracy as a principle which he believed was tied to pacifism, internationalism, and socialism.

Kolchak served in the Imperial Russian Navy and fought in the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. The son of a naval artillery officer, he graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps and went on to become an accomplished oceanographer and Arctic explorer.

Historical Significance

Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was a Russian navy officer and polar explorer who led the White movement in the Russian Civil War.

Events Before

  1. Battle of Jutland: British naval commander David Beatty is promoted to full admiral

    The Battle of Jutland (German: Skagerrakschlacht, lit. 'Battle of the Skagerrak') was a naval battle between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German...

  2. J. D. Salinger is born

    J. D. Salinger, American author, known for american author, was born on 1919-01-01.

  3. German Workers' Party forms, precursor to the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi)

    The German Workers' Party (German: Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, DAP) was an obscure far-right political party established in the Weimar Republic after World War I.

  4. The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution, authorizing the prohibition of alcohol, is ratified by a majority of US state

    The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution, authorizing the prohibition of alcohol, is ratified by a majority of US states

  5. German theoretical physicist Physicist Albert Einstein (39) divorces Serbian physicist and mathematician Mileva Marić (4

    German theoretical physicist Physicist Albert Einstein (39) divorces Serbian physicist and mathematician Mileva Marić (43) after 16 years of marriage

Events After

  1. Republic of Turkey is declared from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire

    Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a smaller part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe.

  2. Charlie Chaplin releases his first full-length feature, "The Kid," a silent film starring Charlie Chaplin and 6-year-old

    Charlie Chaplin releases his first full-length feature, "The Kid," a silent film starring Charlie Chaplin and 6-year-old Jackie Coogan

  3. Actor Jack Haley (22) weds Florence McFadden

    Actor Jack Haley (22) weds Florence McFadden

  4. Comedian Oliver Hardy (29) marries actress Myrtle Reeves (24)

    Comedian Oliver Hardy (29) marries actress Myrtle Reeves (24)

  5. French army captain, and future president, Charles de Gaulle (30) weds Yvonne Vendroux (20) in the Notre-Dame de Calais

    French army captain, and future president, Charles de Gaulle (30) weds Yvonne Vendroux (20) in the Notre-Dame de Calais church

More from the 1920s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on February 7, 1920?
Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was a Russian navy officer and polar explorer who led the White movement in the Russian Civil War. When he assumed the title of Supreme Ruler of Russia in 1918, Kolchak headed a military dictatorship, which ruled over the territory of the former Russian Empire controlled by the Whites. He was a proponent of Russian nationalism and militarism, and opposed democracy as a principle which he believed was tied to pacifism, internationalism, and socialism.
Why is Russian Imperial Navy Admiral Kolchak, leader of anti-communist "White Moveme... significant?
Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was a Russian navy officer and polar explorer who led the White movement in the Russian Civil War.

Explore More