| DATE | LA PIRA | CHURCH | ITALY | WORLD |
| 1904 | Born in Pozzallo 9 January | Suppression of the Opera dei Congressi | Russian-Japanese War (1904-1905) | |
| 1905 | The Norwegian Parliament abolishes union with Sweden | |||
| 1906 | San Francisco earthquake | |||
| 1907 | Pius X condemns modernism with the encyclical Pascendi | |||
| 1908 | Messina earthquake | Bulgaria declares independence from the Turkish empire | ||
| 1909 | Enrolled in the “Giacinto Pandolfi” elementrary school in Pozzallo | |||
| 1910 | Following anti-Monarchy revolt Portugal becomes a republic | |||
| 1911 | War with Turkey for conquest of Libya | Revolution in China; Sun Yat Sen proclaims the Nanking Republic | ||
| 1912 | Voting rights for all “literate males over 21 years of age” | China: abdication of Pu Yi and end of the empire | ||
| 1913 | Goes to live with his uncle Luigi in Messina, where he finishes elementary school | Patto Gentiloni: end of Catholic abstension from political life | Yamamoto new prime minister in Japan: rearmament accelerated | |
| 1914 | Enrolls in the technical school “Antonello da Messina” | General strike: “settimana rossa” | Outbreak of First World War | |
| 1915 | Italy enters the war | German submarine sinks the British liner “Lusitania” | ||
| 1917 | Enrolls in the “Antonio M. Jaci” Technical Institute | Appearance of the Madonna at Fatima. Pope Benedict XV speaks out against the “useless slaughter” | Rout of Caporetto | Revolution in Russia Independence of Finland The USA enter the war |
| 1918 | Sturzo and the foundation of the Partito Popolare | End of First World War. First electiions with universal suffrage in Great Britain. | ||
| 1919 | D’Annunzio at Fiume. First “fasci di combattimento” | Versailles Conference Wilson’s 14 Points; birth of the League of Nations Rosa Luxemburg arrested and executed | ||
| 1920 | Birth of the Partito Nazionale Fascista | Independence of the Baltic states. Russian-Polish and Russian Ukrainian wars. Prohibition in the United States | ||
| 1921 | Gains diploma in accountancy; works in his uncle’s firm | Leghorn Conference: schism in the Socialist Party and birth of the Italian Communist Party | Lenin launches the NEP (New Economic Policy) in the USSR. Sacco and Vanzetti first found guilty in the USA | |
| 1922 | Passes school-leaving exams; enrols in the Law Faculty | Death of Benedetto XV; he is succeeded by Pio XI | The “March on Rome” | Treaty of Rapallo between USSR and Germany. Independence of Eire |
| 1923 | Clerical-Fascist groups leave the Partito Popolare. Electoral Reform (“Legge Acerbo”) | Death of Lenin Earthquake in Japan | ||
| 1924 | Easter of this year is for La Pira a moment of special grace, by some inappropiately called his “moment of conversion” | Murder of Matteotti | ||
| 1925 | Proclamation of Holy Year; canonization of St. Teresa of Lisieux. Istitution of the Feast of Christ the King. | Special laws: abolition of the freedom of the Press and establishment of the Fascist dictatorship. | Conference of Locarno Death of Sun Yat Sen | |
| 1926 | Moves to Florence. Graduates in Law. From October Assistant professor of Roman Law. | Maritain publishes “Three Reformers: Luther, Descartes, Rousseau” | Dissolution of all political parties except the Fascist. Istitution of the OVRA and the special tribunals. | |
| 1927 | Scholarship to Vienna and Munich. “Professore Incaricato” of Roman Law. | Pope condemns “Action Francaise” | Trades Unions suppressed; “Carta del lavoro” and corporations introduced | Kemal elected President of Turkey, secularization of society and introduction of the Roman alphabet |
| 1928 | Professor of the History of Graeco-Roman Law. Becomes member of the Istituto della Regalità and a Franciscan Tertiary | The Gran Consiglio del Fascismo becomes the official organ of the State | Stalin’s power consolidated: Socialism in a single country; first Five-Year Plan Votes for women in Great Britain | |
| 1929 | Lateran Pacts | Lateran Pacts | Wall Street Crash | |
| 1930 | “Libera Docenza” in Roman Law | Birth of IMI and IRI | First Civil Disoedience campaign in India | |
| 1931 | Encyclical Quadragesimo Anno | Republic proclaimed in Spain. Birth of the British Commonwealth | ||
| 1932 | He is active in Catholic organizations; friendship with Don Facibeni, Card. Dalla Costa and Don Raffaele Bensi, who will become his spiritual director | Japan invades Manchuria. End of the Losanne Conference on war reparations | ||
| 1933 | Is awarded the Chair of “Istitutions of Roman Law” in Florence. | Concordat between the Holy See and Hitler’s Reich | Hitler is Chancellor; the Reichstag fire; concordat with the Vatican Roosevelt USA President: end of Prohibition and recognition of the USSR | |
| 1934 | Meets Mons. Giovambattista Montini. Founds the “Messa di San Procolo” | Anti-Fascist action pact. Hitler visits Italy | “Night of the long knives” in Germany; Chancellor Dolfuss assassinated in Austria. | |
| 1935 | Founds the Conference of San Vincenzo “San Bernardino da Siena”; among the members are Carlo Bo, Piero Bargellini, Nicola Lisi, Giovanni Papini, Pietro Parigi. | The Ethiopian War; the Sanctions and autarchy | Nurenberg racial laws: persecution of the Jews begins. In China Mao’s Long March ends: birth of the Shan-si Soviet Republic | |
| 1936 | Starts living in the Convent S.Marco | Jacques Maritain’s “Integral Humanism” | “Italian Empire” is proclaimed | Pact “anti-Comintern” between Germany and Japan; asse Roma-Berlin. Beginning of the Spanish Civil War |
| 1937 | Encyclics “Mit brennender sorge” against nazism and “Divini Redemptoris” against communism | Italy backs Franco in the Spanish civil war. Italy leaves the League of Nations. Carlo and Nello Rosselli are murdered | Chian-Japan War. Chamberlain becomes prime minister in UK
Guernica bombing |
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| 1938 | Ratial laws against Jews | Anschluss of Austria to Germany. Pact of Munich Monaco and annessione dei Sudeti | ||
| 1939 | Fouds “Principi” | Pius XI dies ; Pius XII is elected | Invasion and annexion of Albania | talo-German Pact of Steel. Molotov-von Ribbentrop pact. Dismemberment of Czechoslovakia. End of Spanish Civil War. Invasion and partition of Poland; outbreak of Second Word War. |
| 1940 | Italy enters war beside Germany. Attack on Greece. | Nazi occupation of Denmark, Holland, Belgium, France and Norway. Soviet occupation of Finland and the Baltic republics. | ||
| 1941 | Attack on Yugoslavia | Beginning of Russian campaign. Japanese attack Pearl Harbour. | ||
| 1942 | Seige of Stalingrad and Soviet counter-attack. | |||
| 1943 | Takes refuge first in Chianti then in Rome. | Anglo-American landing in Sicily. Arrest of Mussolini. Armistice. Liberation of Mussolini and Republic of Salò | Conferences of Teheran and Casablanca between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin | |
| 1944 | Returns to Florence. Chairman of the Ente Comunale di Assistenza. Goes to live in the Clinica Palumbo in via Venezia | Fosse Ardeatine. The “Svolta di Salerno” and Bonomi government.. Liberation of Rome and Florence | Normandy landings. Liberation of Paris and Brussels. Bretton Woods Conference. Roosevelt President for the 4th time. | |
| 1945 | General insurrection in the North and Liberation. Execution of Mussolini. Coalition government under Parri, then first De Gasperi government. | Conferences of Yalta and Potsdam. Birth of UNO. Fall of Berlin. Atomic bombs on Japan. Nuremberg Trial. | ||
| 1946 | Elected member of the Constituent Assembly, is one of the “Committee of 75” | Institutional referendum. Proclamation of the Republic. Elections for the Constituent Assembly. Second De Gasperi government. De Nicola President. | Trygve Lie first Secretary of UNO. Paris peace conference. Independence of Syria and Trans-Jordan. | |
| 1947 | Schism of Palazzo Barberini. Third De Gasperi government, without left wing. The Constitution ratified. | Independence of India and Pakistan. Marshall Plan | ||
| 1948 | Elected to the Chamber of Deputies. With Dossetti, Lazzati e Fanfani founds “Cronache Sociali”; writes “L’attesa della povera gente”. Under-Secretary of Labour.. | The Constitution comes into force. Political elections and victory of the DC. Fourth De Gasperi government. Attempted assassination of Togliatti
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Declaration of the Righs of Man. Assassination of Gandhi. Constitution and proclamation of the State of Israel; first Arab-Israeli war. Assassination of Bernadotte. | |
| 1949 | The Holy Office excommunicates Catholics who accept or support the “doctrine of materialistic and anti-Christian Communism”. | Italy adheres to the Atlantic Treaty. Fifth De Gasperi government. Agrarian reform and “Cassa per il Mezzogiorno” | Birth of the Chinese People’s Republic. First Soviet atomic bomb test. Birth of the two German republics. The Atlantic Treaty established. | |
| 1950 | Resigns from government with entire Dossetti+B18 group. | Proclamation of the dogma of the Assumption | Sixth De Gasperi government. | Outbreak of Korean War. Chinese attack Tibet. MacCarthyism in the USA |
| 1951 | Asks Togliatti, who is leaving for Moscow, to urge Stalin to find a political solution to the war in Korea. Elected Mayor of Florence. Started correspondence with the Enclosed Orders.. | Venoni Riform; 7th De Gasperi government. | King Abdallah of Jordam assasinated. Mossadeq Prime Minister of Iran E.C.S.E established. | |
| 1952 | First Christian Conference for Peace and Civilization. | Eisenhower elected President. First H-bomb test. King Faruk deposed in Egypt Eva Peron dies. | ||
| 1953 | Public housing programme; building of the Isolotto begins. Rescue of the Pignone. Second Christian Conference for Peace and Civilization. | Cardinal Wyszinski arrested in Poland. | Elections and clash over the “legge truffa”. Pella government and the Trieste question. The ENI established headed by Mattei. | Death of Stalin. Pan Mun Jon armistice in Korea. Workers’ revolt in East Berlin. Rosenbergs executed in USA Fidel Castro arrested at the Moncada. Hammarskjoeld Secretary General of UNO |
| 1954 | He recquisiions the ” Fonderia delle Cure”. Speech in Geneva on “The value of the city”. Third Christian Conference for Peace and Civiliazation. | Death of De Gasperi. Scelba government (DC-PSDI-PLI) | Failure of E.D.C.; birth of UEO. Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Geneva Conference. Nehru-Ciu En Lai agreement on Tibet. Independence movement for the Maghreb; Algerian uprising begins. | |
| 1955 | Conference of the Mayors of the World’s Capitals. Twinship with Reims and Fez. Fourth Christian Conference for Peace and Civilization. Rebuilding of the bridges of Le Grazie and Santa Trinita; Milk Centre and fruit and vegetable market. Relaunching of the Maggio Musicale. | Death of Teilhard de Chardin | Gronchi President of the Republic Segni Government. Italy becomes member of UNO | |
| 1956 | Reelected Mayor of Florence. The Soviet ambassador gives him a preview of the Khrushchev report to the XX Congress of the CPSU. Fifth Christian Conference for Peace and Civilization | Posthumous publication of Teilhard de Chardin’s “The Phenomenon of Man” | The Constitutional Court established. | Tunisia and Morocco independent. Insurrections and changes of government in Poland and Hungary and resulting Soviet intervention. 20TH CPSU congress and de-Stalinization. Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal; Anglo-French intervention. |
| 1957 | Resigns as Mayor for lack of a stable majority. Prepares for the Mediterranean Colloquies with a series of contacts and journeys. | PSI Congress of Venice and victory of the autonomists | Resignation of Mollet in France and Eden in Britain. Treaty of Rome for the European Common Market and Euratom | |
| 1958 | Elected to the Chamber of Deputies. Rescue of the “Officine Galileo”. First Mediterranean Colloquy. | Death of Pius XII. Election of John XXIII | Fanfani government | De Gaulle and the new constitution. Birth of the United Arab Republic. US Marines land in Lebanon. |
| 1959 | Visit to Moscow, preceded by a pilgrimage to Fatima. | Announcement of Vatican Council II | Segni government. Moro, the DC Secretary, foreshadows an opening towards the left wing. | Fidel Castro enters Havana. Outbreak of Vietnam War. Chinese invasion of Tibet. |
| 1960 | Local elections in Florence and great personal success. Second Mediterranean Colloquoy. | Tambroni government supported by the MSI. Demonstrations and victims. Fanfani government with PSI abstaining. | Decolonization of sub-Saharan Africa begins. USA U-2 incident and failure of Geneva talks. China-USSR crisis. | |
| 1961 | Re-elected Mayor of Florence. Third Mediterranean Colloquy. | Death of Card. Dalla Costa; he is succeeded by Mons. E. Florit. Encyclical Mater et Magistra | First Centre-Left municipal councils. | Evian talks ending the Algerian war. Crisis in the Congo; Hammarskjoeld assassinated. John F. Kennedy President of the USA. Landing in the Bay of Pigs. Gagarin first man in space. The Berlin Wall built. |
| 1962 | New Urban Development plan; programme of public works (building 17 new schools; overpasses, underpasses etc.) | Opening of Ecumenical Council Vatican II | First Fanfani government with Centre-Left majority. Electricity nationalized. | Independence of Algeria recognized. Soviet missile crisis in Cuba. China-India frontier war. |
| 1963 | U Thant made honorary citizen of Florence. Convokes East-West Round Table on Disarmament. | Encyclical Pacem in Terris. Death of John XXIII; election of Paul VI. Second session of the Council. | Governments of Leone and Moro. Birth of the PSIUP. Vajont landslide. | Creation of the Organization of African Unity (30 independent countries). Buddhist oppostion in South Vietnam. |
| 1964 | Visits the USA. New local-government elections in Florence | Paul VI makes a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Third session of the Council | Saragat President Desth of Togliatti and memorandum of Yalta | France recognizes the Chinese People’s Republic. Khrushchev ousted Tonkin incidents and USA bombs North Vietnam. |
| 1965 | Gives up mayorship of Florence for last time. Visit to Vietnam | Paul VI visits UNO. Final session of the Council | “Cultural revolution” begins. Malcolm X assassinated US landing in San Domingo | |
| 1966 | Travels to encourage solidarity for Florence after the great flood. | Index of Forbidden Books abolished. Gromyko visits Vatican. Pope meets Anglican Primate. | Third Moro government of “organic centre-left”. SIFAR scandal. | Lunik 9 soft landing on moon. The “great coalition” in Germany. Black September in Jordan |
| 1967 | Elected President of the World Federation of the Union of Cities (FMCU) Visits the Middle Eastern capitals. | Encyclical Populorum Progressio. PaoloVI receives the Soviet President N. Podgorny | Six Days War in Middle East. Colonels’ coup d’etat in Greece. Secession of Biafra | |
| 1968 | World conference in Tunis of the youth of the FMCU. Visits Prague by invitation of the Mayor. | Post-CounciI disquet. In Florence, Isolotto crisis. | Elections. Governments of Leone and Rumor | French students’ rising. Dubcek and Soviet repression. Assassination of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. Nixon President. Non-Proliferation Treaty. Tlatelolco massacre in Mexico. |
| 1969 | Visits to the European capitals and the Middle East. Speech on non-violence ant the centenary celebrations for the birth of Gandhi. | Paul VI visits Africa | Piazza Fontana massacre in Milan. “Il Manifesto” first issued. | Resignation of De Gaulle. Brandt premier in West German, Palme in Sweden. Disorders in Northern Ireland. Cino-Soviet clashes on the Ussuri. Gheddafi coup d’etat in Libya. Mundlane killed; death of Ho Chi Minh First American astronauts on the moon |
| 1970 | Series of meetings and initiatives for distension in Europe and the possibility of Conference for security and cooperation. Congress of the FMCU in Leningrad. Goes to live at the Opera per la Gioventù. | Paul VI visits Asia | The Regions constituted. Divorce law passed. Workers’ Statute promulgated. | Salvador Allende President of Chile. Tension continues in Ulster. The FRG recognizes the Oder-Neisse frontier. Death of Nasser; Sadat succeeds him. Biafra secession ends. |
| 1971 | Apostolic Letter Octuagesima Adveniens Monsignor Casaroli in Moscow Paul VI receives Tito | Leone President of the Republic | Clashes over the independence of East Pakistan (Bangladesh). Nixon visits Peking The USA unilaterally cancels Bretton Woods. | |
| 1972 | Freda and Ventura accused of right-wing conspiracy | Clashes in Londonderry Terrorism at the Munich Olympics. Mysterious death of Lin Piao Inependence of Bangladesh | ||
| 1973 | In Dakar he is for the third time elected President FMCU. Visits Chile at the invitation of Salvador Allende | Conspiracy of the “Rosa dei venti” | Berlinguer launches the strategy of the “historic compromise” | Helsinki:Conference for Secuity and Cooperation in Europe. Great Britain, Denmark and Ireland in the EEC. Arab-Israeli war of Yom Kippur Coup d’etat in Chile The two Germanies in UNO |
| 1974 | Referendum on divorce. Massacre of Piazza della Loggia in Brescia and on the Italicus train | Carnation Revolution in Portugal, Guillaume scandal and resignation of Brandt Republic proclaimed in Greece Watergate and resignation of Nixon | ||
| 1975 | First government (Andreotti) with the abstension of the PCI | End of Paris Conference on Vietnam Independence of Angola and Mozambique Death of Franco | ||
| 1976 | Elected to Senate and Chamber of Deputies, he opts for the latter. | Law 194 ratified. Early elections called. Lockheed scanda | Milatary dictatorship in Argentina Election of Carter. Isabel Peron deposed. War in Lebanon. Death of Ciu En Lai and Mao. The Band of Four against Deng | |
| 1977 | Dies on 5 Novembre | Lefebvre excommunicated. | Gui and Tanassi found guilty | Democratic elections in Spain. RAF Terrorism in Germany Breznev also President Second CSCE conference in Belgrade Sadat visits Jerusalem. |