February 7
February 7
First appearance of “Little Tramp”
On this day in 1914, the silent film Kid Auto Races at Venice premieres in theaters, featuring the actor Charlie Chaplin in his first screen appearance as the “Little Tramp,”…
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.
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,…
April 12
April 12
First movie “palace” opens in New York City
On this day in 1914, the Mark Strand Theatre opens to the public in New York City. Located at Broadway and 47th Street, in the heart of Manhattan’s Theater District,…
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”…
May 26
May 26
Gavrilo Princip sets out from Belgrade for Sarajevo
On May 26, 1914, 19‑year‑old Gavrilo Princip sets out from Belgrade on a 10‑day‑long journey through rough countryside, heading towards Sarajevo and a planned rendezvous with fellow young nationalist agitators.…
May 29
May 29
Ships crash in heavy fog
Heavy fog causes a collision of boats on the St. Lawrence River in Canada that kills 1,073 people on this day in 1914. Caused by a horrible series of blunders,…
May 29
May 29
The Empress of Ireland sinks, killing over 1,000 passengers
In one of the worst ship disasters in history, the British liner Empress of Ireland, carrying 1,477 passengers and crew, collides with the Norwegian freighter Storstad in the gulf of…
June 13
June 13
Kaiser Wilhelm concludes meeting with Archduke Franz Ferdinand
On June 13, 1913, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany leaves Konopischt, Bohemia (today the Czech Republic), the hunting lodge and country estate of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria‑Hungary, after a…
June 27
June 27
Colonel House meets with British foreign secretary in London
On June 27, 1914, Colonel Edward House, close adviser to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, meets with Foreign Secretary Edward Grey of Britain, over lunch in London. The meeting, part of…
June 28
June 28
Archduke Ferdinand assassinated
On this day in 1914, 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…
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,…
June 30
June 30
European powers maintain focus despite killings in Sarajevo
In an editorial published on the final day of June 1914, two days after the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria‑Hungary and his wife by a Serbian nationalist during…
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 13
July 13
Austrian investigation into archduke’s assassination concludes
On July 13, 1914, Friedrich von Wiesner, an official of the Austro‑Hungarian Foreign Office, reports back to Foreign Minister Leopold von Berchtold the findings of an investigation into the assassination…
July 20
July 20
Caillaux trial begins in Paris
As war threatened in the Balkans, the attention of much of the French people focuses instead on the sensational case of Madame Henriette Caillaux, whose trial for the murder of…
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…
