February 13
February 13
ASCAP is founded
On February 13, 1914, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is founded to help music creators make a living from their work. “If music did not pay,…
A Year In History: 1914
Also Within This Year in History:
1914
After a Bosnian Serb nationalist assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, launching World War I. Other nations began to choose sides in the conflict, but the U.S. remained initially neutral. In Central America, the Panama Canal opened after 11 years of construction and the loss of more than 25,000 workers’ lives. On Christmas Eve 1914, British and German soldiers paused their fighting for unofficial Christmas Truce, sharing carols and even a soccer game.
April 20
April 20
Militia slaughters strikers at Ludlow, Colorado
Ending a bitter coal‑miners’ strike, Colorado militiamen attack a tent colony of strikers, killing dozens of men, women and children. When the evictions failed to end the strike, the Rockefeller…
May 9
May 9
Woodrow Wilson proclaims the first Mother’s Day holiday
On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issues a presidential proclamation that officially establishes the first national Mother’s Day holiday to celebrate America’s mothers. The idea for a “Mother’s Day”…
June 28
June 28
Austria’s Archduke Ferdinand assassinated
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie are shot to death by a Bosnian Serb nationalist during an official visit to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo on June 28,…
July 5
July 5
Germany gives Austria‑Hungary “blank check” assurance
On July 5, 1914, in Berlin, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany pledges his country’s unconditional support for whatever action Austria‑Hungary chooses to take in its conflict with Serbia, a long‑running…
July 8
July 8
Labor activist and singer Joe Hill sentenced to death
Convicted of murder on meager evidence, the singing Wobbly Joe Hill is sentenced on July 8, 1914 to be executed in Utah. A native of Sweden who immigrated to the…
July 11
July 11
Babe Ruth makes MLB debut
On July 11, 1914, in his major league debut, George Herman “Babe” Ruth pitches seven strong innings to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Cleveland Indians (now known as…
July 23
July 23
Austria‑Hungary issues ultimatum to Serbia
At six o’clock in the evening on July 23, 1914, nearly one month after the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife by a young Serbian nationalist in…
July 28
July 28
Austria‑Hungary declares war on Serbia
On July 28, 1914, one month to the day after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were killed by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Austria‑Hungary declares war on…
July 29
July 29
Kaiser Wilhelm and Czar Nicholas exchange frantic telegrams, trying to avoid WWI
In the early hours of July 29, 1914, Czar Nicholas II of Russia and his first cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, begin a frantic exchange of telegrams regarding the…
August 1
August 1
First World War begins to escalate
On August 1, 1914, four days after Austria‑Hungary declared war on Serbia, Germany declares war on Russia and France orders a general mobilization. The following day, the first German army…
August 3
August 3
Germany declares war on France
On the afternoon of August 3, 1914, two days after declaring war on Russia, Germany declares war on France, moving ahead with a long‑held strategy, conceived by the former chief…
August 4
August 4
U.S. proclaims neutrality in World War I
As World War I erupts in Europe, President Woodrow Wilson formally proclaims the neutrality of the United States, a position that a vast majority of Americans favored, on August 4,…
August 5
August 5
First electric traffic signal installed
The world’s first electric traffic signal is put into place on the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 5, 1914. In the earliest…
August 5
August 5
German assault on Liege begins first battle of World War I
On August 5, 1914, the German army launches its assault on the city of Liege in Belgium, violating the latter country’s neutrality and beginning the first battle of World War…
August 15
August 15
Panama Canal open to traffic
The Panama Canal, the American‑built waterway across the Isthmus of Panama, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, is inaugurated with the passage of the U.S. vessel Ancon, a cargo and…
August 15
August 15
Japan gives ultimatum to Germany
On August 15, 1914, the government of Japan sends an ultimatum to Germany, demanding the removal of all German ships from Japanese and Chinese waters and the surrender of control…
August 23
August 23
Battle of Mons
On August 23, 1914, in their first confrontation on European soil since the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, four divisions of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), commanded by Sir John…
August 24
August 24
Poet Alan Seeger volunteers in French army
On August 24, 1914, the American poet Alan Seeger volunteers for service in the French Foreign Legion during the First World War. Born in New York City in 1888, Seeger…
August 25
August 25
Germans burn Belgian town of Louvain
Over the course of five days, beginning August 25, 1914, German troops stationed in the Belgian village of Louvain during the opening month of World War I burn and loot…
