1910s

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1910s Summary

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Millennia:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	19th century - 20th century - 21st century
Decades:	1880s 1890s 1900s - 1910s - 1920s 1930s 1940s
Years:	1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
Categories:	Births - Deaths - Architecture Establishments - Disestablishments

1 Events and trends
2 World leaders
3 Entertainers

Events and trends

The 1910s represent the culmination of European militarism which had its beginnings during the second half of the nineteenth Century. The conservative lifestyles during the first half of the decade, as well as the legacy of military alliances, would forever be changed by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne, on 28 June 1914. The murder would trigger a chain of events in which, within 30 days, war would break out in Europe, as well as other regions of the world. The long, wide, and protracted conflict would end in November 1918 with the controversial Treaty of Versailles. World War I —known then as the Great War— held the reputation of being the widest and most expensive conflict in history (at the time), and would leave a lasting legacy during the subsequent decades. The war would also be remembered for contributing to the collapse of aging empires and monarchies. The Habsburgs as well as Wilhelm II of Germany went into exile after 1918, while czar Nicholas II of Russia and his family would be ruthlessly executed by Russian revolutionaries. The decade was also a period of revolution in a number of countries. Mexico spear-headed the trend in November 1910, which led to the ouster of dictator Porfirio Diaz, leading to a civil war that dragged on until circa 1919, not long after a new Mexican constitution was signed. Russia also had a similar fate, since the Great War led to collapse in morale as well as to economic chaos. This atmosphere encouraged the establishment of Bolshevism, which would be later renamed as Communism.

Technology

Gideon Sundback patents the first modern zipper
Harry Brearley invents stainless steel
Charles P. Strite invents first pop-up bread toaster
Ford Model T dominates the automobile market, selling more than all other makers combined in 1914
The tank was invented

Science

Einstein's theory of general relativity
Max von Laue discovers the diffraction of x-rays by crystals
Alfred Wegener puts forward his theory of continental drift

War, peace, and politics

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary leads to World War I
October Revolution in Russia leads to the first Communist government; assassination of Emperor Nicholas II and the royal family
Several nations in Eastern Europe get their own nation state, thereby replacing major multiethnic empires.
Easter Rising against the British in Ireland; eventually leads to Irish independence
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre in India sows the seeds of discontent and leads to the birth of the Indian Independence Movement.
Xinhai Revolution causes the overthrow of China's ruling Qing Dynasty, and the establishment of the Republic of China.
George V becomes king in Britain.
The Triple Alliance and Triple Entente are started.
The First World War (1914-1918).
Germany signs the Treaty of Versailles after losing the first world war.
Germany abolishes its monarchy and becomes under the rule of a new elected government called the Weimer Republic.

Culture and religion

Radio programming becomes popular
Flying Squadron promotes temperance movement in the U.S.
Edith Smith Davis edits the Temperance Educational Quarterly.
The first U.S. feature film, Oliver Twist, was released in 1912
The first gangster movie, D. W. Griffith’s The Musketeers of Pig Alley was released in 1912
Hollywood replaces the East Coast as the center of the movie industry
Charlie Chaplin débuts his trademark mustached, baggy-pants 'Little Tramp' character in Kid Auto Races At Venice in 1914
The first African-American owned studio, The Lincoln Motion Picture Company, was founded in 1917
The four Warner brothers, Jack, Albert, Harry and Samuel, opened their first West Coast studio in 1918
First Crossword Puzzle
Jazz music begins to become popular
The Salvation Army has a new international leader, General Bramwell Booth who served from 1912-1929. He replaces his father and co-founder of the Christian Mission (the forerunner of the Salvation Army), William Booth.

Literature and arts

D. H. Lawrence publishes Sons and Lovers
Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham is published
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs is published
Zane Grey's Wild Fire is published
Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce are published
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw is published
Thomas Mann publishes Death in Venice

Others

Sinking of the Titanic.

The ocean liner RMS Titanic strikes an iceberg in the North Atlantic in 1912, and sinks on its maiden voyage.
1916 Olympic Games cancelled because of World War I

World leaders

Prime Minister Andrew Fisher (Australia)
Prime Minister Joseph Cook (Australia)
Prime Minister Billy Hughes (Australia)
Emperor Franz Josef (Austria-Hungary)
Emperor Karl (Austria-Hungary)
Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden (Canada)
Emperor Henry Pu Yi of the Qing Dynasty (China)
Sun Yat-sen, President of the Republic of China
Yuan Shikai, President of the Republic of China and briefly Emperor.
Xu Shichang, President of the Republic of China
Emperor Wilhelm II (German Empire)
Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg (German Empire)
King Victor Emmanuel III (Italy)
Pope Pius X
Pope Benedict XV
Sultan Vahidettin (Ottoman Empire)
Ahmad Shah Qajar of Qajar dynasty (Persia)
Emperor Nicholas II (Russia)
Vladimir Lenin (Soviet Union)
King Alfonso XIII (Spain)
Prime Minister José Canalejas (Spain)
Prime Minister Eduardo Dato Iradier (Spain)
King George V (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland)
Prime Minister H. H. Asquith (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland)
Prime Minister David Lloyd George (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland)
President William Howard Taft (United States)
President Woodrow Wilson (United States)

Entertainers

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America 1910-1919: Science and Technology
The automobile assembly line, new atomic theories, Einstein's general theory of relativity, advances in radio technology, and continuing developments in the social sciences are among the many scientific and technological advances of the 1910s. Modern sc... more

America 1910-1919: Religion
The progressive movement in politics provided a keynote for a dominant voice in American religion in the early years of the twentieth century. Much of the country's white, middle-and uppermiddle- class, Protestant establishment believed that America had... more