1910s: Encyclopedia II - 1910s - Events and trends

1910s - Events and trends

The 1910s represent the culmination of European militarism which had its beginings 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 lead to the ouster of dictator Porfirio Diaz, leading to a civil war that would drag on until about 1919. 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.

1910s - Technology

• Gideon Sundback patents the first modern zipper
• Harry Brearley invents stainless steel
• Charles P. Strite invents first pop-up bread toaster

1910s - 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

1910s - 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.

1910s - Culture religion

• Radio programming becomes popular
• Flying Squadron promotes temperance movement in U.S.
• Edith Smith Davis edits the Temperance Educational Quarterly.

1910s - 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).

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Events and trends", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki