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Economy
The economy in the 1910s was very good. Supervisory jobs went up by 66%. Jobs in transportation, mining, and manufacturing went up by 27%.[citation needed]
Events and trends
The 1910s represent the culmination of European militarism which had its beginnings during the second half of the 19th 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-- also known 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 described as 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 would drag 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 economic chaos. This atmosphere encouraged the establishment of Bolshevism, which would be later renamed as Communism.
Technology
The
zipper invented by Gideon Sundback.
- 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
Science
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
- Romania is unified with Transylvania and Bessarabia
- Easter Rising against the British in Ireland; eventually leads to Irish independence
- 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.
Culture and Religion
- Radio programming becomes popular
- Flying Squadron promotes temperance movement in U.S.
- Edith Smith Davis edits the Temperance Educational Quarterly.
- The beginning of the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians by the Turkish government.
- The first US 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 debuts 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
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
Others
- The ocean liner RMS Titanic strikes an iceberg in the North Atlantic in 1912, and sinks on its maiden voyage.
- Jouett Shouse serves in Congress (1915-1919).
- 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 (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
- Fatty Arbuckle
- Theda Bara
- Richard Barthelmess
- Béla Bartók
- Irving Berlin
- Ben Black
- Eubie Blake
- Shelton Brooks
- Lew Brown
- Tom Brown
- Anne Caldwell
- Eddie Cantor
- Enrico Caruso
- Charlie Chaplin
- George M. Cohan
- Henry Creamer
- Cecil B. DeMille
- Buddy De Sylva
- Walter Donaldson
- Marie Dressler
- Eddie Edwards
- Gus Edwards
- Douglas Fairbanks
- Fred Fisher
- John Ford
- George Gershwin
- Beniamino Gigli
- Dorothy Gish
- Lillian Gish
- Samuel Goldwyn
- D. W. Griffith
- W. C. Handy
- Otto Harbach
- Lorenz Hart
- Victor Herbert
- Charles Ives
- Tony Jackson
- Emil Jannings
- William Jerome
- Al Jolson
- Gus Kahn
- Gustave Kahn
- Buster Keaton
- Jerome David Kern
- Ring Lardner
- Nick LaRocca
- Harry Lauder
- Florence Lawrence
- Ted Lewis
- Charles McCarron
- Joseph McCarthy
- Winsor McCay
- Oscar Micheaux
- Pola Negri
- Ivor Novello
- Alcide Nunez
- Geoffrey O'Hara
- Sidney Olcott
- Jack Pickford
- Mary Pickford
- Armand J. Piron
- Cole Porter
- Richard Rodgers
- Sigmund Romberg
- Jean Schwartz
- Mack Sennett
- Larry Shields
- Chris Smith
- Erich von Stroheim
- Arthur Sullivan
- Gloria Swanson
- Wilber Sweatman
- Albert Von Tilzer
- Harry Von Tilzer
- Sophie Tucker
- Pete Wendling
- Bert Williams
- Clarence Williams
- Harry Williams
- Spencer Williams
- P. G. Wodehouse
External links
