Bad Things Happened In 1923

Our series examining the worst events of the 1920s continues. In this episode we look at some of the least known and worst events from 1923.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:01 Rosewood Massacre
04:06 Pancho Villa Assassination
06:07 Honda Point Disaster
07:47 Berkeley Fire
09:08 Great Kanto Earthquake
11:05 Gleno Dam Collapse
12:35 Conclusion

We begin with a brief description of the Rosewood Massacre. In Florida in the 1920s the black residents of Rosewood prospered. However, one day rumors spread and a white mob formed. They attacked the town and burned most of the homes. This event was almost forgotten entirely but an investigative reporter uncovered the details in 1993.

Next we explain how Pancho Villa was assassinated. Pancho Villa began his career in Mexico as a criminal. He helped overthrow the government during the Mexican Revolution, then turned against the new government. When he failed to defeat the Mexican government he tried attacking the US which was also a failure. Finally Pancho Villa was allowed to retire on the condition he stay out of politics. In 1923 he decided to re-enter the political arena. Before the year was over he would be killed.

The US Navy is an extremely competent organization today. But in the 1920s their navigation skills were not always up to the task. A group of naval destroyers were traveling through the Santa Barbara Channel which is very dangerous. Visibility was low due to fog. The destroyers had new radio navigation systems but didn't trust them when they indicated the vessels were off course. As a result all of the destroyers crashed into rocks and were lost. This is known as the Honda Point Disaster.

California has had problems with fires for a long time. The Berkeley Fire of 1923 is one of the first times it was filmed. Nobody knows what started it but winds pushed flames from a grass fire into the roofs of homes in Berkeley. They caught fire and large numbers of homes were lost.

Japan was also a place of despair in 1923. The Great Kanto Earthquake happened around lunchtime on September 1. As a result of the cooking fires buildings all over major cities in Japan caught fire. A tsunami also caused more damage. Rumors spread that Korean residents were stealing and looting. It wasn't true but that didn't stop the Japanese from attacking them.

Italy began experimenting with hydroelectric power early in the 20th century. Their first major project was the Gleno Dam. Unfortunately the cement wasn't mixed correctly and the structure couldn't hold the enormous pressure upon it. The dam collapsed and water poured into the valley below killing hundreds.

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Finally, we used a number of third party images and video footage to make this episode. These materials were used under creative commons and/or fair use. The full original versions can be found using the links below:

Rosewood picture of burned building:

Ruins of Gleno Dam 2019:

New Mexico Centennial Minute - Pancho Villa:

Honda Disaster: Portraits of Tragedy and Courage:

The 1923 Berkeley Fire (California) |Colorized|4K|:

The Great Kanto Earthquake Of 1923:

Go West (1923):

[BadThingsInHistory]

Did you learn something new from this episode? If so please like and subscribe.

This video is part of a series. If you haven't seen the previous episode, "Bad Things Happened In 1922", you can check it out using the link below:

[JessBecause]

There's a movie from the 90s called Rosewood. It is worth watching.

[Zeldarw]

I luv this channel but the audio is a little low.🤔💖