November 2, 1917: The Balfour Declaration

November 2, 1917: Arthur Balfour, Foreign Secretary to Prime Minister David Lloyd George of Britain, writes a letter to Walter, 2nd Baron Rothschild, a leader of the country's Jewish community, to give to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland. It was published on November 9:

His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.

Whether the British government truly did "use their best endeavours," what becomes known as the Balfour Declaration was a big step forward in the process that led to the establishment and the independence of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948, the day the British Mandate of Palestine ran out.

Arthur Balfour served in the House of Commons from 1874 to 1922. He had previously served as Prime Minster from 1902 to 1905, and First Lord of the Admiralty in 1915 and '16 (succeeding a young Winston Churchill). He left the House of Commons upon being named First Earl of Balfour in 1922, and served in the House of Lords for the rest of his life, until 1930.

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November 2, 1917 was a Tuesday. Baseball season was over. Football was in midweek. Hockey season hadn't started yet. And professional basketball barely existed. So there were no scores on this historic day.

June 28, 1919: The Treaty of Versailles

Left to right: Prime Minister David Lloyd George of Britain,

Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando of Italy,

Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau of France,

and President Woodrow Wilson of the United States.

June 28, 1919: The Treaty of Versailles is signed in the Hall of Mirrors, at the Palace of Versailles, outside Paris, as the conclusion of the Paris Peace Conference. It is signed 229 days after the signing of the Armistice that ended what was then known as the World War or the Great War, and 5 years to the day after the event often credited as launching the war: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Archduchess Sophie of Austria in Sarajevo, Bosnia in 1914.

The most critical and controversial provision in the treaty was: "The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies."

The other members of the Central Powers signed treaties containing similar articles. This article, Article 231, became known as the War Guilt clause. The treaty required Germany to disarm, make ample territorial concessions, and, most controversially as it turned out, pay massive reparations to certain countries that had formed the Entente powers. In 1921, the total cost of these reparations was assessed at 132 billion gold marks (then $31.4 billion, or £6.6 billion, roughly equivalent to US$442 billion or UK£284 billion in 2023). Because of the way the deal was structured, the Allied Powers intended Germany would only ever pay a value of 50 billion marks.

This led to hyperinflation in Germany by 1923, and they basically had to scrap their entire economy and start all over. This basically put Germany in a depression before the rest of the world fell into one in 1930. And the National Socialist Party, led by Adolf Hitler, took advantage of this.

The United States never ratified the Versailles Treaty, because Republicans in the U.S. Senate objected to the British having control over some of the countries in the League of Nations, and thus having more power. So the U.S. made a separate peace treaty with Germany.

John Maynard Keynes, then the world's leading economics, said the treaty was too harsh, the reparations demand excessive and counter-productive. But Marshal Ferdinand Foch, the greatest French military hero of the war, said it was too lenient, and would allow Germany to rebound, and become a threat again: "This is not peace. It is an armistice for 20 years."

Twenty years, two months and 3 days later, Germany invaded Poland, and World War II began.

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June 28, 1919 was a Saturday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees split a doubleheader with the Boston Red Sox at the Polo Grounds. The Sox won the opener, 2-0. The Yankees won the nightcap, 4-1. Carl Mays was the Sox' pitcher of record in both games. A little more than a month later, Mays was sold to the Yankees. Babe Ruth went 4-for-6 with a walk and an RBI over the 2 games. Six months later, he was also sold to the Yankees.

* A doubleheader was split at Braves Field in Boston. The Boston Braves won the 1st game, 6-5. The New York Giants won the 2nd game, 5-3 in 14 innings.

* The Brooklyn Robins (as the Dodgers were known during the managing of Wilbert Robinson from 1914 to 1931) swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-0 and 6-3 at Ebbets Field. Leon Cadore pitched a 3-hit shutout.

* The Washington Senators swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Athletics, 4-1 and 6-3 at Shibe Park. (That ballpark would be renamed Connie Mack Stadium in 1953.)

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-0 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Slim Sallee pitched a 4-hit shutout.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 3-1 at Navin Field in Detroit. (That ballpark would be renamed Briggs Stadium in 1938, and Tiger Stadium in 1961.) Dutch Leonard outpitched Stan Coveleski. Ty Cobb did not play. Tris Speaker went 0-for-4.

* The Chicago Cubs beat their arch-rivals, 6-5 at Cubs Park in Chicago. (That ballpark would be renamed Wrigley Field in 1926.) Rogers Hornsby hit a home run.

* And the Chicago White Sox beat the St. Louis Browns, 3-2 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. (That ballpark would be renamed Busch Stadium in 1953.) Shoeless Joe Jackson went 1-for-2 with 2 walks and 2 RBIs. George Sisler went 0-for-4.

April 23, 1927: Cardiff City Triumphant

April 23, 1927: For the 1st time, and the only time, a soccer team from outside of England wins England's Football Association (FA) Cup.

In 1884 and 1885, Queen's Park Football Club of Glasgow, Scotland reached the FA Cup Final, losing to Lancashire team Blackburn Rovers on both occasions. Shortly thereafter, the Scottish Football Association (SFA) barred all member clubs from playing in the England's FA Cup.

Despite being the governing body for English "football," the FA allows teams from Wales to compete in its Football League, including the Premier League if it so qualifies, and its FA Cup tournament. But competing is one thing; challenging for honors (or "honours," as it would be "spelt" there) is another. It has rarely happened.

In 1925, Cardiff City Football Club reached the Final, where they lost to Yorkshire team Sheffield United. So it wasn't a big surprise when they got back to the Final in 1927. Along the way, manager Fred Stewart's "Bluebirds" beat Birmingham team Aston Villa, County Durham team Darlington, Manchester area team Bolton Wanderers, West London team Chelsea, and Berkshire team Reading.

They would oppose Arsenal Football Club. It was the 1st Final for the North London team, and they would go on to appear in many more. Herbert Chapman's "Gunners" had gotten there by beating Sheffield United, Staffordshire team Port Vale, Liverpool, Birmingham area team Wolverhampton Wanderers (a.k.a. "Wolves") and Hampshire team Southampton.

In an unusual turn of events, aided by the fact that, for most of the Cup's history, the Semifinals were held at neutral sites, each team played its Semifinal at the home ground of the team that the other beat in the Quarterfinal: Cardiff beat Chelsea at Wolves' Molineux Stadium, and Arsenal beat Wolves at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge.

The Final, of course, would be played at Wembley Stadium in West London, the national stadium that had opened in 1923. Given the distance, Arsenal would seem to have had the advantage. But they ran into a great deal of automotive traffic on the way in. In addition, they had injuries to their usual left back, Horace Cope; their usual right half, Alf Baker; and their usual outside left, Syd Hoar. Chapman decided that Baker and Hoar would be fit enough to play, but Cope would not.

Special trains had been run from Wales, and had been arriving at Paddington Station in West London since 4:00 in the morning. Among the Welsh fans in attendance was David Lloyd George, the 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, who had been Prime Minister during World War I, and his daughter, Lady Megan. Two years later, she became the 1st woman elected to Parliament from a district in Wales. 

Winston Churchill, having been a Cabinet official under Lloyd George's predecessor, Herbert Asquith, was also in attendance. No one in the crowd of 91,206, including Churchill himself, had any idea that he would one day become Prime Minister, let alone in another World War.

This was the 1st Final to be broadcast on radio, by the BBC. As a result, a community concert was held inside the stadium, beginning at 1:50 PM, led by the bands of the Grenadier and Irish Guards. This would become a Final tradition, as would the playing of a song that made its Final debut on this occasion, Henry Francis Lyte's hymn "Abide with Me."

At 2:30 PM, King George V arrived. He met with referee William F. Bunnell and linesmen G.E. Watson and M. Brewitt. He met with Arsenal captain Charlie Buchan, who had led North-East team Sunderland to the Football League title in 1913, and he introduced the King to the rest of Arsenal's starting XI. The King was then introduced to Cardiff's captain, Fred Keenor, who introduced him to his teammates.

About said teammates: Although the team was based in Wales, only 3 of the 11 were, themselves, Welsh: Right half Keenor, outside right Ernie Curtis, and inside left Len Davies. (Like all British men who spell their surname "Davies," it was pronounced like "Davis.") Goalkeeper Tom Farquharson was from the Republic of Ireland. Left back Tom Watson, centre half Tom Sloan and inside right Sam Irving were from Northern Ireland. Right back Jimmy Nelson, centre forward Hughie Ferguson and outside left George McLachlan were from Scotland. Only left half Billy Hardy was from England.

Cardiff wore blue shirts and socks, Arsenal wore red shirts and socks, and both teams wore white shorts. Thus, each team was wearing its usual home kit for that era. Arsenal did not begin to wear their famed red shirts with white sleeves until Chapman ordered them in 1933.

Arsenal dominated the 1st half, but Cardiff's defense held. Already having 2 men playing hurt and a 3rd substituting for an injured player, Arsenal suffered another setback when centre half Jack Butler was hit in the face by the ball. Play was halted for a few minutes, and it's not clear whether his play was affected enough to allow what soon came.

In the 74th minute, with the game still scoreless, Curtis passed to Ferguson, who delivered what looked like a light shot. Arsenal goalkeeper Dan Lewis appeared to have saved it. But it slipped between his left elbow and his chest, and went into the goal. It remains the most famous goalkeeping "howler" in British soccer history.

The goal was blamed on Lewis' jersey being brand-new, not yet washed, and thus slippery. Ever since, no Arsenal player has ever taken the pitch without his jersey being washed first.

Cardiff hung on to win, 1-0. The King presented the Cup to Captain Keenor. For the 1st time, the FA Cup would leave England.

Lewis was treated with sympathy by Arsenal fans, who were not used to getting this close. But injuries would deny him a chance at redemption. When Arsenal won their 1st FA Cup in 1930, just 3 years later, it would be with Charlie Preedy in goal, among other changes that Chapman had made.

In fact, only 4 players would play for Arsenal in both the 1927 and the 1930 FA Cup Finals: Right back Tom Parker, right half Alf Baker, left half Bob John, and outside right Joe Hulme. New stars were added: Left back Eddie Hapgood, inside right David Jack, centre forward Jack Lambert, inside left Alex James, and outside left Cliff Bastin. This team would form the core of the Gunners that won the League in 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935 and 1938, and the Cup in 1930 and 1936, finishing 2nd in both in 1932.

Only once since have Cardiff gotten close to a major English honor, reaching the FA Cup Final again in 2008, despite then being in English football's 2nd division. But only one "team of destiny" could win it, and they were up against another, Hampshire team Portsmouth F.C., who won.

Despite being eligible for the FA Cup, Cardiff City F.C. are eligible for the Welsh Cup, sponsored by the Football Association of Wales (FAW). They've won that a record 22 times, including in 1927, when they held both England's and Wales' Cups. But they haven't won the Welsh Cup since 1993.

They played their home games at Ninian Park from 1910 to 2009. They subsequently moved into the modern Cardiff City Stadium. A statue of Captain Fred Keenor now stands outside, and shows him holding the FA Cup.

The original Wembley Stadium closed in 2000. The new one was built on the site in 2007. The FA Cup Finals of 2001 through 2006 were played at the next-biggest stadium in Britain, the Millennium Stadium, now known as the Principality Stadium -- in Cardiff.

Cardiff City manager Fred Stewart died in 1954, Arsenal goalkeeper Dan Lewis in 1965, Keenor in 1972. Ernie Curtis was the last surviving Cardiff player from this game, living until 1992.

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April 23, 1927, like most FA Cup Final days, was a Saturday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Philadelphia Athletics, 4-3 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Mark Koenig made a bad throw on a Mickey Cochrane grounder, allowing the winning run to score in the bottom of the 9th inning. Ty Cobb, running out the string with the A's, went 2-for-4. Former Dodger star Zack Wheat, also running out the string with the A's, appeared as a pinch-hitter, and did not reach base.

Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig each hit home runs. Ruth would finish the season with a record 60, Gehrig with 47, at the time the most of anybody, ever, other than Ruth. Despite this result, the Yankees would beat the A's out for the Pennant by 19 games.

* The New York Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-1 at the Polo Grounds. Rogers Hornsby went 2-for-3 with a walk. Mel Ott went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Bill Terry went 0-for-3, but had an RBI on a bases-loaded walk.

* The Brooklyn Robins (as the Dodgers were known while Wilbert Robinson was manager from 1914 to 1931) lost to the Boston Braves, 4-2 at Ebbets Field.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Washington Senators, 5-4 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-4 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

* The St. Louis Browns beat the Detroit Tigers, 15-10 at Navin Field in Detroit. Yes, that's a baseball score, not a football score. (The ballpark would be renamed Briggs Stadium in 1938 and Tiger Stadium in 1961.) George Sisler, the Browns' greatest player ever, went 4-for-6 with 4 RBIs.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 8-2 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* And the St. Louis Cardinals beat their arch-rivals, the Chicago Cubs, 7-0 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Flint Rhem pitched a 2-hit shutout. ("Flint" was not a nickname, it was his middle name: Charles Flint Rhem.)