Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Raffaele Esposito invents 'pizza margherita' in honour of Queen Margherita, who takes her first bite
of the Neapolitan staple on a royal visit to the city.
1908
On the morning of 28 December, Messina and Reggio di Calabria are struck by a 7.5-magnitude
earthquake and a 13m-high tsunami. More than 80,000 lives are lost.
1915
Italy enters WWI on the side of the Allies to win Italian territories still in Austrian hands after Aus-
tria's offer to cede some of the territories is deemed insufficient.
1919
Former socialist journalist Benito Mussolini forms a right-wing militant group, the Fasci Italiani di Com-
battimento (Italian Combat Fasces), precursor to his Fascist Party.
1922
Mussolini and his Fascists stage a march on Rome in October. Doubting the army's loyalty, a fearful
King Vittorio Emanuele III entrusts Mussolini with the formation of a government.
1927
A study released by the Italian government puts the number of Italian citizens living abroad at
around 9.2 million. Southern Italians make up over 60% of the Italian diaspora.
1934
Screen siren Sophia Loren is born, and spends her childhood living in Pozzuoli and Naples. Her
break would come in 1951, as an extra in Mervyn LeRoy's film Quo Vadis .
1940
Italy enters WWII on Nazi Germany's side, invading Greece in October. Greek forces counter-attack
and enter southern Albania. Germany saves Italy in April 1941 by overrunning Yugoslavia and
Greece.
1943
King Vittorio Emanuele III sacks Mussolini. He is replaced by Marshall Badoglio, who surrenders
after Allied landings in southern Italy. German forces free Mussolini.
1944
Mt Vesuvius explodes into action on 18 March. The eruption is captured on film by United States
Army Air Forces personnel stationed nearby.
1946
Italians vote in a national referendum in June to abolish the monarchy (by about 12.7 million votes to
10.7 million) and create a republic. The south is the only region to vote against the republic.
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