1921 (TUESDAY)
ROMANIA: Today is the Birthday of King Mihai I of Romania, born in Sinaia at the Foisor Castle. On 6 September 1940, King Carol II abdicated in favor of his son, Prince Michael who became King for the second time. But the King is left with a purely symbolic role as then Iron Guard (a right extremist movement) government is formed under the leadership of Horia Sima and General Ion Antonescu. On 30 December 1947, the Royal Palace in Bucharest is surrounded by Soviet troops and a few Romanian units loyal to the communists. The Prime Minister threatened to kill the students arrested during pro-monarchist meetings if Michael did not abdicate. The King is forced by Petru Groza, with Soviet backing, to sign an abdication document or face a bloody civil war. The communists quickly declared Romania a People's Republic. (Glenn Stenberg)
1936 (SUNDAY)
GERMANY: The Italian Foreign Minister, Count Nobile Ciano, conducted a two-day visit to Germany which resulted in the Rome-Berlin Axis Pact. The agreement strengthened the positions of Germany and Italy against Britain and France by establishing a league of revisionist powers against a league of status quo states. Cooperation between Germany and Italy in Spain has helped cement a vague understanding, which is now formally concluded. Italian Premier Benito Mussolini proclaims the agreement in Rome on 1 November.
1938 (TUESDAY)
AUSTRALIA: The British government appoints the Duke of Kent as the new Governor-General of Australia. This appointment reflects the growing interdependence between Britain and the Dominions in light of the worsening international situation.
CHINA: The Japanese seizure of Hankou (Hankow) forces the Chinese government and army to withdraw west, up the Yangtze River. The Nationalist Chinese government set up a new capital in Chongqing (Chungking). Japanese control over Chinese territory south of Hankou becomes increasing rigid and several Western powers protest against the Japanese violation of their treaty rights.
ITALY: The government declares that Libya is an integral part of Italy.
October 25th, 1939 (WEDNESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: The Handley Page Halifax Bomber makes its first flight. L7244 carries no turrets and has a loaded weight of 55,000 lb. A total of 6,176 Halifaxes are built for the RAF during World War II and they remained in service until March 1952.Corvette HMS Bluebell laid down.
ENGLISH CHANNEL: U-16 sunk near Dover, in position 51.09N, 01.28E, by depth charges from the British submarine chasers HMS Cayton Wyke and Puffin. 28 dead (all hands lost).
GERMANY: Three days after leaving Kiel, U-60 had to return to the base due to serious engine trouble.
MEXICO: MEXICO City: Leon Trotsky is reported to have said, "Stalin is afraid of Hitler, and is right to be so."
Trotsky had met Vladimir Ilich (Lenin) in 1902 and they began working together on a newspaper the next year. In 1917, as the Russian Tsar abdicated, Trotsky returned to Russia, and in August that year he became a member of the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party, which had Lenin as its uncontested leader and visionary. In this capacity Trotsky became second in command after Lenin. In 1918 Trotsky was appointed People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs, and as such he managed the founding of the Red Army. As Lenin became ill in 1922, and died two years later, Stalin gained the control of the Soviet Union. Stalin disliked and opposed Trotsky, and in 1927 he was expelled from the Executive Committee of Comintern. In 1928 Trotsky was banished to Alma Ata in Kazakhstan, and from there deported to Turkey in 1929. He was allowed to come to Mexico in 1937.