1910
Jack Johnson beats Tommy Burns , The first black boxer to win the Heavyweight Boxing Championship was when Johnson knocked out the reigning champion Tommy Burns on December 26th, 1910. His victory had stirred up a lot of controversy as well as the desire for a white man to reclaim the title.Immigration Into US , The immigration into the US hits an all time peak with 8.8 million immigrants over 10 years from 1901 - 1910
King Edward VII Dies , King Edward VII dies after being Britains King for 9 years ( You will often see him referred as Bertie ) which was the name the royal family used for him.
Idaho Big Burn , August 20-21, 1910 – The Great Fire, also known as the Big Burn or the Big Blowup, began as a forest fire. By the time it was contained and put out, the fire burned nearly three million acres of land throughout three different states – Idaho, Montana and Washington. More than 80 people were killed and it is often called the worst fire in the nation’s history.
1911
First Auto Electric Start , The First Electric Self Start was installed in a Cadillac By GM. Up till this time and all cars needed to be started by cranking a starting handle which was hard work and caused multiple minor injuries when the car backfired during the starting process.The discovery of Manchu Picchu , Hiram Bingham finds Manchu Picchu in the Andes. He had followed Simón Bolívar's route into Columbia and continued it with a walk from Argentina into Peru. He was a professor of history at Yale, and was performing the expedition as a member of that faculty. He was able to confirm its whereabouts on July 24th. He returned to excavate it in 1912. It is near the western end of the Huatanay valley.
Madame Butterfly , Puccini's opera 'Madame Butterfly' which tells the story of an American sailor, B.F. Pinkerton, who marries and abandons a young Japanese geisha, Cio-Cio-San, or Madame Butterfly has its world premiere at La Scala in Milan, Italy.
Manhattan Sweatshop Fire , A Fire breaks out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in Manhattan, The building was overcrowded with Women Immigrant workers and poor safety standards including the doors to the stairwells and exits were locked allowing no exit from the fire on the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors which meant the women either burned in the fire or took a chance of surviving by jumping from windows one hundred feet above the street. The fire caused the death of 146 garment workers, almost all of them women, who either died from the fire or jumped from the fatal height.
First Indianapolis 500 , The first ever running of the Indianapolis 500 is won by Ray Harrounat at an average speed of 74.59 miles an hour.
1912
Sinking of the Titanic , Titanic sets sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York the Titanic has been described as the worlds most luxurious floating hotel which is unsinkable, and was only 5 days out when she hit an Iceberg and Sank in the Atlantic with the loss of many lives. The Titanic was built in Belfast (between 1909 and 1911) and registered in Liverpool (in 1912). Liverpool was home home port, although she never entered it. The White Star Liner left Belfast on April 2nd, 1912 and arrived in Southampton on April 4th. The crew had boarded before dawn on April 10th, and the passengers between 9.30 and 11.30 a.m. She left port at around 2 p.m. and arrived in Queenstown, Ireland before crossing the Atlantic. She struck an iceberg on Sunday, April 14th, and the ship's distress signal gave her position as Latitude 41º 46' N and Longitude 50º 14 W.Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise , Richard Hellmann owned a delicatessen in New York City where he sold his wife's delectable recipe for mayonnaise becoming so popular that Hellmann began selling it in "wooden boats" that were used for weighing butter. Due to such high demand in 1912, Hellmann designed what is today the iconic "Blue Ribbon" label, to be placed on larger glass jars.
Last Emperor of China , Hsian-T'ung, the last emperor of China, is forced to abdicate following Sun Yat-sen's republican revolution, ending 267 years of Manchu rule in China and 2,000 years of imperial rule.
Girl Scouts of America Founded , Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Guides in the United States, she had lived in England with her first husband for many years and had been a Girl Guide leader while living in England. On March 12th, 1912 She gathered 18 girls together to register the first troop of American Girl Guides in Savannah, Georgia. The next years the name was changed to Girl Scouts of America the following year.
Olympic Games , The Summer Olympic Games of the V Olympiad are held in Stockholm, Sweden The introduction of Electronic Timing and Photo-Finish Equipment
1913
First Cross Word Puzzle , The first crossword puzzle was published, which was created by Arthur Wynne, a Liverpool journalist, and published as a "word-cross" puzzle in the New York WorldThe 16th Amendment , The 16th Amendment was (apparently) ratified on February 3rd 1913, and said that Congress had been given the power to collect taxes on income without regard for a census or enumeration. Interestingly, the Supreme Court had declared the apportionment unconstitutional in 1894. 'No taxation without representation,'
The 17th Amendment , The 17th Amendment goes into effect changing US Senators being chosen by the Legislature to elections involving ordinary voters.
Webb Alien Land-Holding Bill , The Webb Alien Land-Holding Bill is signed into law by California Governor Hiram W. Johnson which bars Japanese Nationals from owning land in California.
Ford Introduces Assembly Line , The Ford Motor Company introduced the continuous moving assembly line which could produce a complete car every two-and-a-half minutes. This change is one of the most significant changes in Car production and allowed Ford to sell cars cheaper than any other manufacturer which forced the others to also move to automated production lines.
Mona Lisa Recovered , The Mona Lisa is recovered Two years after it's theft from the Louvre Museum in Paris in Florence in Italian waiter Vincenzo Peruggia's hotel room.
First Stainless Steel , Harry Brearley is researching ways to stop excessive wear in rifle barrells for the British Army when he discovers that by adding Chromium to an Iron Carbon Mix, he ended up with a bright surface finish which became Stainless Steel. ( Stainless Steel contains about 10% Chromium and 8% nickel ).
1914
Federal Trade Commission , The Federal Trade Commission was organized following the Federal Trade Commission Act in 1914. Its principal mission is the promotion of "consumer protection" and the elimination and prevention of what regulators perceive to be "anti-competitive" business practices, one of it's roles is to enforce antitrust laws.Irish Home Rule , The British Parliament passes Irish Home Rule, but the start of World War One prevents it from having any effect. It had been made to submit a degree of autonomy to that particular country within the bounds of the British Empire. The desire for home rule had started in 1870 with the Home Government Association or Home Rule League, which were led by the very un-Irish sounding Isaac Butt and Charles Parnell. Their calls for land reform and a denominal education system were obstructed, and the law wasn't passed until September 18th, 1914.
Start Of World War I , It was the alliances of 1914 that created the reasons for the Great War: with Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy's Triple Alliance and Franco-Russian and Entente Cordiale being fairly contradictory to the other countries' expanding empires. The Dardanelles situation was ongoing, and the Balkan's Crisis had made the Austria-Hungary redefine its territories' boundaries. It was during Archduke Franz Ferdinand's visit to Sarajevo that the spark was ignited, with both he and his wife killed by a member of 'Young Bosnia.' Whilst unfounded, the Austrian-Hungarians accused Serbia of complicity in the murders, and demanded the dismemberment of the state. Although there were a number of diplomatic moves and arbitration, Austria-Hungary had declared war on Serbia on July 28th. This had led to the Allied forces mobilization.
The Empress of Ireland Sinks , The Empress of Ireland and A Norwegian coal freighter, the Storstad, crash in St. Lawrence River in thick fog causing the deaths of 1,073 passengers and crew, this was one of the worst maritime accidents in history.
First US Income Tax , Congress pass the Revenue Act mandating the first tax on incomes over $3,000.
Egypt under protection of the Crown , Great Britain placed Egypt under its protection of the Crown. The official Press Bureau read, “The suzerainty of Turkey over Egypt is thus terminated, and His Majesty’s government will adopt all measures necessary for the defense of Egypt and the protection of its inhabitants and interests.”
Ford announced his $5-per-day program , Henry Ford raises minimum daily pay from $2.34 to $5 for qualifying workers. And car workers from other plants queued up for jobs, the changes he made to pay and working hours gave Ford the lowest labor turnover in his plants. Henry Ford did not believe in Trade Unions and The Ford company was the last Detroit auto maker to recognize the United Auto Workers union (UAW).
The Panama Canal Opens , The Panama canal which took 34 years to build from 1880 - 1914 ( and cost over 27,000 workers their lives ) which provides a connection for shipping from The Atlantic to The Pacific opens in 1914
World War I Christmas Truce , The soldiers of Germany, Russia, France, and Britain call a Christmas truce with soldiers crossing the area of no mans land calling out "Merry Christmas" in their enemies' native tongues.
1915
World War I The Dardanelles , The Dardanelles campaign started with a naval bombardment of the landing areas that had been selected for February 16th. British troops arrived from Egypt and landed at Gallipoli, with French troops going to the opposite shore. Turkish reinforcements, under the man who would make his name as Atatürk, had forced a stalemate, and the Allied forces were withdrawn from the straights by 1916.World War I Zeppelin raids , Zeppelin raids had started in England, and were able to fly at a higher altitude than the defender's planes. They had been developed by the Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, and used by the German military since 1909. The German army's balloons had suffered from ground fire, but they were put to use over England: targeting the coastal towns of Yarmouth and King's Lynn in January before moving on an attack on London in May. It took a while before the British pilots had the skills and means to successfully defeat the incoming raids.
World War I Use Of Poison Gas , Trench warfare was seeing the use of poison gas. A non-lethal type of gas had been used by the Germans in late 1914, but a more damaging kind was put onto the Eastern Front in January 1915 (at Bolimov), where it froze. The Germans had developed the chlorine gas that was used at Ypres in April. It had been dispersed by air and by artillery fire. The British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.) was able to counter the use of gas with their own variants.
U.S. Coast Guard , Congress establishes the U.S. Coast Guard Service by combining the Revenue Cutter Service ( 1790 ) and the United States Life-Saving Service ( 1848 ).
Suffrage Movement , As part of the women's suffrage movement 25,000 women march up Fifth Avenue in New York City demanding the right to vote.
First Transcontinental Telephone Call , First U.S. coast-to-coast long-distance telephone call, facilitated by a newly-invented vacuum tube amplifier, ceremoniously inaugurated by A.G. Bell in New York City and his former assistant Thomas Augustus Watson in San Francisco, California.
Lusitania Sunk By Torpedo , A German torpedo sinks the British Ocean liner Lusitania off the Irish coast, killing nearly 1,200 people.
1916
Pancho Villa Attacks Columbus New Mexico , Several hundred Mexican guerrillas under the command of Francisco "Pancho" Villa cross the U.S.-Mexican border and attack the small border town of Columbus, New Mexico Additionally, the center of the town was burned. Villa was also influential in various attacks made during the Mexican Revolution. US forces are sent to capture Villa dead or alive but give up searching for Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa after nearly one year, following his massacre of 16 U.S. citizens at Santa Isabel in northern Mexico and 17 American Citizens in Columbus, New Mexico President Wilson had sent US forces into Mexico with orders to capture Villa dead or alive.Rasputin Murdered , Rasputin, the monk who had wielded powerful influence over the Russian royal family, was murdered by a group of noblemen led by Prince Felix Yusupov and the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich .
Thompson submachine gun , General John T. Thompson invents the Thompson submachine gun ( Tommy Gun ) and started the Auto-Ordnance Company in 1916. Prior to World War II it gained notoriety in the hands of Gangsters / Mobsters during the Prohibition era, but in World War II the Thompson submachine gun was adopted by the U.S. military, British and Canadian Commando units, as well as U.S. paratrooper and Ranger battalions.
The Battle of Jutland , A German naval fleet consisting of 24 battleships, five battle cruisers, 11 light cruisers and 63 destroyers were just off the Jutland Peninsula, were attacked by a British fleet of 28 battleships, nine battle cruisers, 34 light cruisers and 80 destroyers in one of the greatest sea battles in History known as The Battle of Jutland or the Battle of the Skagerrak, a total of 100,000 men aboard 250 ships were involved in the battle
World War I Battle Of The Somme ( 1916 - 1918 ),One of the most costly battles in modern wartime is fought near the Somme Region and over 2 years when this small area of countryside saw the deaths of over 1 million men from both sides of the war. The first day of the Somme resulted in the loss of 19,240 dead and 57,470 men wounded on the British side, and an estimated 4,000 dead on the German's. The main reasons for the losses being so high are put down to machine-gun fire and shelling. The eight day bombardment of the German trenches had not broken them and there are regarded as having been too few artillery pieces and too light. The battle went on for nearly one hundred and forty days, and did not act as a support for the French troops at Verdun. The successive and futile attacks went on to be known as a single battle, and the B.E.F's reserves were severely diminished:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow.
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Easter uprising Ireland , The Easter uprising begins when some 1,600 militant Irish republicans who are members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood seize several key sites in Dublin hoping to win independence from British rule. British forces suppressed the uprising after six days, and its leaders were court-Marshalled and executed.
1917
Russian Revolution , The beginning of the Russian Revolution ( Often Called The February Revolution March 1917 in the Western Calendar ) against Czarist Rule following the lack of food in Petrograd leading to the abdication by Nicholas II and the beginning of the communist party rule in Russia. After 300 years of rule by the Romanov Dynasty Czar Nicholas II is forced to abdicate following declining popularity due to the "Bloody Sunday" massacre when palace guards shot and killed defenseless demonstrators marching on the Winter Palace.British Royal Family Name Change , During the first World War as sentiment against Germany by the British People worsened King George V ordered the British royal family to end using the German-sounding surname, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and to take on the name Royal House of Windsor.
Boys Town Founded , Father Edward Flanagan founds Boys Town dedicated to the care of at-risk children, with national headquarters in the village of Boys Town, Nebraska.
Puerto Rico Citizens given US Citizenship , The Jones-Shafroth Act granted U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans - a status they still hold today
America enters World War I , Following intercepting a note from the German Foreign Minister to a Mexican Diplomat promising that if Mexico would join forces in attacking the United States, Germany would ensure Mexico got back territories lost during the American - Mexican War ( Zimmermann Note ), plus the sinking of American liner Housatonic by a German U-boat and four more U.S. merchant ships President Wilson appeared before Congress and called for a declaration of war against Germany and on April 6th the United States formally declared war on Germany
World War I Jerusalem Captured , Major Vivian Gilbert of the British army revealed the inside story of how Jerusalem fell during the First World War. He said that an army cook was out looking for eggs and was presented with the keys to the city by the mayor. The British won the Holy Land back from the Turks.
Iraq British Take Control From Turkish Troops , British troops take control of Baqdad forcing the Turkish troops to evacuate.
Mexican Constitution , Mexican President Venustiano Carranza proclaims the establishment of the modern-day Mexican constitution . This constitution consisted of promises made that are similar to the ones outlined by the American constitution. For instance, the constitution of Mexico makes provisions for returning land to native people, and separation of church and state. This constitution also included plans for economic and educational reform.
New Immigration Act ,Congress passes a new Immigration Act which required a literacy test for immigrants and barred Asiatic laborers, except for those from countries with special treaties or agreements with the United States, such as the Philippines.
Pulitzer Prizes Started ,Pulitzer Prizes Started for outstanding work in Journalism, writing fiction and non fiction
Earthquake Long Beach California , A deadly earthquake magnitude of 6.3 at Long Beach, California, kills an estimated 140 people
Mata Hari , The exotic dancer Mata Hari is sentenced to execution by firing squad by a French court for spying on Germany's behalf during World War I.
US Declares War On Germany and Sends Troops , Congress makes a declaration of war on Germany and sends U.S. troops into battle against Germany in World War I .
King Constantine I , King Constantine I of Greece , abdicates his throne in the face of pressure from Britain and France and internal opponents
Lenin Speech , Lenin makes his first appearance before the Congress of Soviets, in which the Bolsheviks hold a 60% majority. announcing "We shall now proceed to the construction of the socialist order,".
First Band Aid , Earl Dixon invents the band aid adhesive bandage by combing a small piece of gauze and a short piece of adhesive tape, he worked for Johnson and Johnson and following the popularity caused by Boy Scouts , they take off.
1918
Brest-Litovsk and the Armistice , The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ended Russia's part in the First World War, and the previous year's October Revolution had started what would become the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Bolsheviks had promised that they would not intervene on foreign soil, and the Russian Civil War was looming. Trotsky had been made foreign minister. Nicholas II and his family were executed in July. The fighting of the War to End All Wars had ended in the Armistice on the eleventh hour of of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. With the Romanian army joining the Allies in 1916 the Armistice had meant that Hungary was required to give Transylvania to Romania.Czar Nicholas II , and his family are executed by the Bolsheviks, bringing an end to the three-century-old Romanov dynasty
Royal Air force is Founded , The Royal Air force is founded in England, this is truly an amazing piece of History as the first flight was only made 8 years before by Wilbur and Wright and for countries around the World to set up a separate arms of the Forces shows how important politicians believed the aircraft would become as a part of the military. The aircraft in use in 1918 when the RAF started included the Sopwith Pup, Bristol F2B Fighters, Sopwith Camels and Royal Aircraft Factory SE5's
Influenza Epidemic , The first cases of one of the worst influenza epidemic ( FLU )in history are reported at Fort Riley, Kansas it would eventually kill more than 1/2 million Americans and more than 20 million people worldwide. In the worlds worst flu epidemic ( Spanish Flu called because the first major outbreak causing multiple deaths was in Spain) in history an estimated 30 million people died worldwide.
First Use Of Aircraft By US In war , The first use of air combat by the US when Eight Curtiss "Jenny" planes of the First Aero Squadron are used in support for the 7,000 U.S. troops who invaded Mexico to capture Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa .
"The Red Baron" German Fighter Ace Killed , Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the German ace known as the "Red Baron," credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories was killed in action during World War I.
Lawrence of Arabia , Arab and British forces commanded by Lawrence of Arabia capture Damascus from Turkish forces
Germany signs armistice , Germany facing invasion from the allies and with poor supplies of food and weapons signs armistice agreement with the allies bringing to an end World War I.
US Airmail Service , The first flights for the new U.S. airmail service begins between Washington, Philadelphia and New York.
The American Legion , The American Legion has it's first meeting in Paris with about 1,000 officers and enlisted men attended to decide the organizations name. The next meeting takes place in St. Louis, Missouri two months later. The Legion served as a supportive group, a social club and a type of extended family for former service men and women and was also instrumental in creating the U.S. Veterans' Bureau, now known as the Department of Veterans Affairs.
1919
Creation Of The Italian National Fascist Party , Benito Mussolini establishes the Fascist Party in 1919Treaty of Versailles , The First World War only ended in the series of conferences that took place in the Palace of Versailles from January 1919 to January 1920. Fifty-five countries were represented there and the League of Nations was formed. Britain and France took control of several of the Turkish Empire's territories, which included Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. The U.S. Congress did not ratify the Treaty, and it was rather Eurocentric.
League of Nations , The League of Nations is created which will later become the United Nations
New York Shirt Factory Fire , 148 Girls Perish In a New York Shirt Factory when they became trapped by a fire. The Triangle Shirtwaist Co. factory located on the eighth, ninth and tenth floors of a New York City loft building, didn't have an outside fire escape.
Lady Astor , Lady Astor an American by birth is sworn in as the first female member of the British Parliament. A little known fact is that the first woman elected to the British Parliament was Constance Markiewicz, but she did not take up her seat because of her Irish nationalist views.
Rotary Dial Telephones Invented , Rotary Dial Telephones Invented, before this every call made had to go through an operator but this invention allowed people to dial the number themselves.
19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution , The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote , is passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification.
Grand Canyon National Park , Congress established Grand Canyon National Park which includes the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, considered to be one of the major natural wonders of the world in Arizona. This is considered by many to be one of the earliest successes the environmental conservation movement.
Franklin D. Roosevelt marries , Franklin D. Roosevelt marries his distant cousin, Eleanor Roosevelt, in New York City. The wedding was attended by President Theodore Roosevelt, FDR's fifth cousin, who gave his niece away
Daylight Saving Time , The US Congress approves daylight-saving time. Germany started the use of DST in 1916 and other countries followed suit. Daylight saving time or British summer time is the practice of adjusting clocks forward one hour near the start of spring so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less, and adjusting them backwards in the Autumn by 1 hour. It is not used universally world wide but is common in Europe and North America
Lease Acquired For Guantanamo Bay , The United States signed a leasing agreement between the US and Cuba , acquiring Guantanamo Bay a naval station at the southeastern end in Cuba
First Pop Up Toaster , Charles Strite invents the Pop-Up Toaster which used heated electrical coils to toast bread, the problem back then all bread was cut by hand so was different thicknesses, but after over ten years when bread slicing machines are gaining in popularity so would the Electric Pop Up Toaster.
Jailed for Advocating Birth Control , Emma Goldman who worked as a nurse and midwife among the poor in New York who was also a crusader for women’s rights and social justice, is arrested in New York City for lecturing and distributing materials about birth control. She was accused of violating the Comstock Act of 1873, which made it a federal offense to disseminate contraceptive devices and information through the mail or across state lines.
18th Amendment / Prohibition, Prohibition had been ratified on January 29th, 1919, and came into force with the 18th Amendment, which states that:
Amendment XVIII
Section 1 - After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.
Section 2 - The Congress and several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Section 3 - This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.
