January 13 » First Italo-Ethiopian War: the war's opening battle, the Battle of Coatit, occurs; it is an Italian victory.
March 22 » Before the Société pour L'Encouragement à l'Industrie, brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière demonstrate movie film technology publicly for the first time.
April 17 » The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan is signed. This marks the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, and the defeated Qing Empire is forced to renounce its claims on Korea and to concede the southern portion of the Fengtien province, Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands to Japan.
May 7 » In Saint Petersburg, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrates to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society his invention, the Popov lightning detector—a primitive radio receiver. In some parts of the former Soviet Union the anniversary of this day is celebrated as Radio Day.
August 31 » German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin patents his navigable balloon.
December 28 » The Lumière brothers perform for their first paying audience at the Grand Cafe in Boulevard des Capucines.
Day of marriage May 18, 1917
The temperature on May 18, 1917 was between 11.0 °C and 24.4 °C and averaged 16.6 °C. There was 6.9 mm of rain. There was 4.7 hours of sunshine (30%). The average windspeed was 3 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the east. Source: KNMI
In The Netherlands , there was from August 29, 1913 to September 9, 1918 the cabinet Cort van der Linden, with Mr. P.W.A. Cort van der Linden (liberaal) as prime minister.
January 17 » The United States pays Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands.
April 2 » World War I: United States President Woodrow Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.
May 26 » Several powerful tornadoes rip through Illinois, including the city of Mattoon.
July 27 » World War I: The Allies reach the Yser Canal at the Battle of Passchendaele.
July 28 » The Silent Parade took place in New York City, in protest to murders, lynchings, and other violence directed towards African Americans.
December 6 » Halifax Explosion: A munitions explosion near Halifax, Nova Scotia kills more than 1,900 people in the largest artificial explosion up to that time.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: J Eijsermans, "Eijsermans family tree", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/stamboom-eijsermans/I257685.php : accessed January 19, 2026), "Cornelis Mertens (1895-????)".
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