History of America 1910

New Football Rules prohibit ‘clipping’. Chicago 1910.
Despite efforts to take the mayhem out of football, the number of injuries and fatalities has risen to the point where more changes are required. With 33 gridiron deaths recorded in 1909, the college athletic leaders have forbidden the flying tackle from behind (clipping). They have also banned the pushing or pulling of the ball carrier and interlocked interference. In addition, seven players are now required on the line of scrimmage. These changes follow others made over the last five years, first at the angry orders of President Roosevelt and then by concerned college presidents.

20,000 troops sent to Mexican border. Washington March 7, 1911.
The United States today ordered 20,000 troops to the Mexican border to protect American interests. A rebellion against Porfiro Diaz, who has ruled Mexico almost continuously since 1876, has been spreading rapidly. Many of the rebel leaders are in the state of Chihuahua, across from New Mexico and Texas. The rebellion began after the election last year in which Diaz claimed victory over his opponent Francisco Madero. Madero, leader of a reform movement who had been kept in jail during the campaign, fled to Texas

Triangle Fire kills 146. New York Mar 25,1911.
A horrible fire this afternoon took the lives of 146 young women working at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company on Greene Street. The building was said to be fire proof, but there was no sprinkler system, and one of the two exits was bolted shut. The few employees who escaped alive said the door was kept locked to keep them from sneaking off with spools of thread. Many of the victims, mostly Italians and Jewish immigrant girls, leapt from the 10th floor to the pavement below where some were found with their paychecks still grasped in their fists.

Berlin’s “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” New York 1911.
The name Irving Berlin may be new to most, but his hit song
Alexander’s Ragtime Band promises to make it a household
Word. First sung this year in a Chicago vaudeville act,
the song bacame a national craze after Sophie Tucker started
belting it out.
Born In Russia, the 23-year-old Berlin learned his craft first hand
as a Singing waiter and a song plugger in Tin Pan Alley. The author
Of a number of vaudeville songs, Berlin warbled two of his own
“Sweet Italian Love” and “Oh, That Beautiful Rag”, in last year’s
Revue, “Up and Down Broadway.” While this year’s hit song Is
Not strictly a “rag” it nevertheless keeps the toes tapping.

The admission of these two states has finally ended the bitter political wrangling that has been going on between the older states and the former territories over alleged special mining and land-holding groups that seemingly dominated Arizona and New Mexico for their exclusive welfare and profit. After the New Mexico bill was signed by President Taft, he said to its new citizens, “Well, it is all over; I am glad to give you life. I hope you will be healthy”.

Titanic goes down on maiden voyage. Nova Scotia Apr. 15,1912.
Under a cloudless sky, the Titanic disappeared into the North Atlantic early today, leaving 1,517 people to die in freezing waters. The 700 survivors , who arrived here aboard the Cunard Liner Carpathia, tell tales of a stark tragedy.
The White Star Steamship, largest in the world, was four days out of Southampton, England, on its maiden voyage to New York. Its vast ballrooms and upper decks cradled the cream of high society both London’s and New York’s Some passengers paid over 4,000 for this Atlantic crossing, while in the steerage area below it would have been difficult to find an income of £1,000.
The Titanic was believed to be as invincible as the Astors in their fifth Avenue mansion. At 11.40 last night, however, even John Jacob Astor flinched when the great 46,000 ton hulk brushed an iceberg for a mere 10 seconds. It was barely enough to spill a glass of champagne, but the party was over.

Teddy Rides Bull Moose into political fray. Chicago Aug.5, 1912.
The Progressive Party has nominated Theodore Roosevelt as its presidential candidate. Adopting as its symbol the bull moose (because Roosevelt always likes to compare himself to this proud ferocious animal), the new third party offers the voters a broad range of progressive reforms including regulation of trusts, unemployment pay, old age pensions and female suffrage. The Bull Moose convention has been a wild spectacle much like a religious revival.

Shot in the chest, Bull Moose orates for 80 minutes. Wisconsin Oct. 15, 1912.
“I have a great deal to say,” insists Teddy Roosevelt after entering the presidential contest in February, “and I wont stand it for a moment” if “the discredited bosses and politicians decide against me”. Yesterday, just after a gunman’s bullet lodged in his chest, Roosevelt stood for 80 minutes to deliver the message of his Progressive “Bull Moose” Party. “Friends” he uttered, “I don't know whether you fully understand that I have been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose”.

Wilson Elected, pledges New Freedom. Washington Nov. 5, 1912.
In a stunning victory, Woodrow Wilson was elected President today. When he said on the campaign trail that he “wanted to restore our politics to their full spiritual vigour again, and our national life... Top its pristine strength and freedom,” the voters listened - and they responded with an overwhelming endorsement of his “New Freedom” philosophy.
Wilson got 41% of the popular vote with Roosevelt getting 27% and Taft 23% and Eugene Debs (Socialist) getting 6%. Political analysts are already conducting their post-mortems.

Women get vote in three states. Washington November 1912.
Arizona, Kansas and Oregon gave women the vote today, lifting the suffragists out of a 15 year period so dismal they refer to it as “the doldrums.” From 1896 to 1910, suffrage made only six state referenda. Each lost by wide margins. For years activists have struggled for direction without a national headquarters. Harriat Stanton stirred the waters when she returned from England in 1907 with a passion for massive parades.

Suffragettes: “Tell troubles to Woodrow” Washington March 3, 1913.
A near-riot developed in the nation’s capital today when rowdies attacked a parade of 5,000 women demanding the right to vote. Parading on the day before President-elect Wodrow Wilson’s inauguration, the women carried banners reading “Tell your troubles to Woodrow.” Wilson found few well-wishers waiting to greet him.
All attention was on Pennsylvania Avenue, where angry men pushed, shoved and jeered at the suffragettes. The march was organised by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, who had taken part in militant demonstrations led by Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst in England.
The Misses Paul and Burns have come to the forefront of a movement that had such leader s as Mrs. Lucretia Mott of Philadelphia, a Quaker matron; the fiery Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a fine orator who was editor of Revolution, the militant woman’s rights magazine.

Hopeful Pollyanna is always cheerful. 1913.
Hope is always on the horizon. There is nothing new about this homily - except its source, an 11-year-old orphan named Pollyanna Whittier. She is the heroine of Eleanor Porter’s Pollyanna
When the girl turns up at the door of her rich and crotchety Aunt Polly, she is given a bed in the attic. But instead of moping, Pollyanna plays the “glad game searching for reasons to be cheerful. Soon her optimism infects everyone in Beldingsville, Vermont, even Aunt Polly. The author is playing her own ‘glad game’ counting her royalties.

Federal Reserve created. Washington Dec. 23, 1913.
Bowing to the President’s threat to keep them in session through the Christmas season, Congress has ended debate and voted to pass the Federal Reserve Bank Act. The new measure drafted by Representative Carter Glass of Virginia, provides a major restructuring of the nation’s monetary and banking system. Under the act, the country is to be divided into 12 districts, each with its own Federal Reserve Bank. These banks are privately owned corporations and are authorised to issue bank notes backed by commercial paper. They will not deal with the public but will be the central banks for each district - “bankers” banks. A radical change in the nation’s banking system has long been a high priority for reform minded Democrats, and has been pushed hard by President Wilson as part of his attack on the privileged.

Ford assembly line open. Detroit, Michigan 1913.
“Time loves to be wasted” Henry Ford has philosophised. But on the new moving assembly lines of the Ford Motor Company, the “Speed-up King” of the American automobile industry does not intend to give it much chance. The Ford plant has been moving towards increased worker specialisation over the years, but with the assembly line, this concept takes a great leap forward. Starting last Spring, Ford and production manager Charles Sorensen devised a system to pull magneto coil frames past workers by rope, as they added parts along the way. It slashed the time of building a magneto from 20 minutes to 13. By summer, the entire Model T chassis was pulled by a windlass past workers along a 250 foot stretch of the factory. The process has reduced car assembly time from 13 hours to six.

Florida gets first commercial airline. St. Petersburg Spring 1914
Those who have not yet booked passage on the St. Petersburg-Tampa Air boat Line need no longer apply. The three-month old airline has quietly stopped the run. Started by Tony Jannus on January 1, it was the first regularly scheduled commercial airline between cities in America. Jannus is a pilot who got the idea of of ferry passengers on the 46 mile round trip between Tampa and St. Petersburg.

U.S. Troops depose Huerta in Mexico. Washington July 15. 1914.
Following a serio-comic invasion and much bizzare diplomacy, the United States finally succeeded in ridding Mexico - and itself - of Mexican President Victoriano Huerta . Five days ago the Huerta forces in the Federal garrison at Mexico City surrendered to the Constitutionalist General Alvaro Obregon, and Huerta capitulated. But most observers believe that the real reason for the downfall of “The Butcher” lies in the military efforts of the U.S. Navy and marines.
After having failed to persuade Huerta to resign, President Wilson lifted the arms embargo on Mexico lat February and all but gave his support to General Obregon, Huerta’s rival in the Mexican Revolution. When the ploy did not seem to topple Hurta quickly enough, Wilson decided that a military pretext would be found to hasten the Mexican’s ouster. He found it in Vera Cruz. A motor whaleboat from the American cruiser Dolphin landed at this Southern Mexican port on April 10. Its American crew werer promptly arrested. Huerta’s local commandant soon apologised for the inconvenience to the Americans, but Admiral Henry T. Masyo, with Wilson’s enthusiastic backing spurned the apology. A week later Mayo told the Huerta forces they must either salute the American flag or face the “consequences.” When the Mexicans did not respond, American sailors and marines swarmed ashore and took the city. So finally Huerta is deposed.

President Wilson pledges neutrality as war spreads in Europe. Washington Aug. 9, 1914.
In response to the growing European war, President Wilson today reiterated his statement of August 4, that United States is taking a neutral stance. Citing the Declaration of London of 1901, the President said that the open seas are neutral territory and that, as a maritime nation, the United States will maintain its position and will not take sides in the European dispute.
Since the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand on July 28, pressure has been put on Wilson to support either the Central Powers -Germany and Austria - or the Allies - Britain, France and Russia.

Canal open to Commerce. Panama Aug. 15, 1914.
One of the greatest engineering feats in history was officially completed today with the opening of the Panama Canal. To mark the occasion a shipload of officials on board the Ancon made the 40 mile journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific - a shortcut that will lessen the voyage between the west and east coasts of North America by some 7,000 miles.
Construction began in 1904, has required moving an estimated 240 million cubic yards of earth by a lablur force that at times reached 40,000. Total costs so far have come to £366 million. Much of the credit for the successful mangement of the project must go to General eorge W. Goethals, appointed chief engineer in 1907.

Comic masterpiece; Chaplin as “Tramp” Hollywood 1915.
America has fallen in love with an invincible vagabond with soulful eyes and a funny walk. “The Tramp,” as created and portrayed by Charlie Chaplin. The son of music hall entertainers in London but soon fatherless and with mother suffering a nervous breakdown, he and his brother were hungry street urchins, dancing on street corners and passing the hat for pennies until placed in an orphanage for destitute children. At 8, Charlie became a professional performer and at 17 joined a touring vaudeville company that came to the United States in 1910 and again in 1912. Mack Sennett happened to see a performance, and in December 1913, Chaplin joined Keystone.

America irate over Lusitania sinking. Washington May 7, 1915.
The Lusitania has been sunk. Incomplete reports received today indicate that the great British Cunard liner, the largest passenger ship in the world, was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland by a German submarine. Of the 1800 passengers aboard, 1200 were said to have drowned. The casualty toll is reported to include at least 128 American citizens. Reaction here in the capital ranged from shock to anger to sadness. When the news reached New York earlier today, commuters at the Hanover Station on Third Avenue Elevated began singing “in the Sweet Bye and Bye” as the hurdy-gurdy played the traditional lament. Not at al in a sentimental mood, Teddy Roosevelt, bluntly described the vessels sinking as an act of piracy and international “murder”.

Great White hope wins in Havana
Cuba Apr. 5, 1915.
Jess Willard emerged today as the “Great White Hope.” The 250 lb Kansas cowboy finished off the Negro champion Jack Johnson, in the 26th round, but there were cries of “fake” from many in the crowd of 15,000 in the Cuban capital. The fight was held in Havana because Johnson had jumped bail for his conviction of transporting a woman across state lines for immoral purposes. Did Johnson lose because he was promised amnesty if he did so? For 20 rounds he pounded Willard at will. Then seemed to weaken. Willard caught the ex-champion in the 25th with a wild right under the heart and ended things in the next round.

German’s rampage ends with suicide. New York. July 21, 1915
In a bizarre finish to an already incredible tale of violence, the man who bombed the Capitol in Washington and shot J. Pierpoint Morgan committed suicide tonight by hurling himself from the top of a jail door.
Erich Muenter, also known as Frank Holt, died instantly in the Nassau County Jail, where he had been held for the bombing and shooting. His rampage began Saturday when a bomb wrecked a room in the Senate wing. He then invaded the long Island home of J.P. Morgan and wounded the financier in an attempt to kidnap Mrs. Morgan and their children. He claimed he wanted to stop Morgan exporting munitions.

Cobb rips up basepaths and record book. Detroit, Michigan Oct. 1915.
Ty Cobb who has been scorching the base paths for years, has become the greatest base-stealer in the history of the sport, with 96 thefts a season. Cobb, who helped lead the Tigers to three pennants in a row starting in 1907, hit only .240 in 1905, his first year at Detroit. But he has not been under .300 since. The outfielder stole bases almost at will, turned singles into doubles and triples and even advanced two bases on a bunt. He has led the American League in hitting since 1907. His aggressive style on the bases - some call it dirty - intimidates the rival fielders.

Chicago is the city of big shoulders. Chicago 1916.
Has Chicago become the nation’s literary capital? Upton Sinclair, Theodore Dressier and others have set novels there. And now the 36 year old poet Carl Sandburg has announced himself as its bard in “Chicago” the title poem of a new collection that salutes the “city of big shoulders.” Big as they are, they are not able to support every writer. John Dewey, formerly of the University of Chicago, now philosophises at at Columbia University in New York City. His pet topic? It is still Democracy and Education, the title of his latest book.

Federal child labour law finally passed. Washington Sept. 1916
After years of weak state efforts, the federal government has finally extended a hand to the nation’s 1.8 million child labourers. The Keating-wen Act, signed today, bans interstate commerce in products made by children under 16 from mine work, night work and work days over eight hours. In 1906, the first federal child labour bill drew opposition even from the reformist National Child Labour Committee. This time opposition was limited to the cotton-producing South.

American troops killed searching for Villa. Washington June 21, 1916.
The War Department announced today that att least 18 American soldiers have been killed by Mexican forces at Carrizal, Mexico. The soldiers, members of Gen. John G. Pershing’s punitive foray against the Mexican rebel Pancho Villa, killed 29 enemy soldiers , including their commander, General Gomez. This incident comes just three days after President Wilson ordered 100,000 National Guards to the Mexican border and several warships to patrol along both coasts of Mexico. Just yesterday, Secretary of State Robert Lansing warned the Mexican government that any further attacks on American forces would “lead to the gravest consequences”. The killings at Carrizal earlier today have brought the United States to the verge of war.

Wilson wins; “He kept us out of the war”. Washington Nov 7, 1916.
President Woodrow Wilson was re-elected for a second term today. He received about 9 million vote to about 8.5 million for his Republican challenger, Charles Evans Hughes. Already political pundits are saying that Wilson’s slogan “He kept us out of the war” was crucial in persuading thousands of erstwhile Republicans to cast their votes for him.
During the campaign Hughes was associated with his party’s extremists who favour direct American intervention in both Mexico and Europe.

To Europeans and Americans at this time, it was the “great War” the largest and costliest conflict in the history of the old continent and the event that propelled the United States, at least for a time, into an international system from which it had long remained aloof. To President Woodrow Wilson and to those who shared his vision, it was “the war to end all wars,” a cataclysm that would force the nations to construct a new world order free from the barbarism of the old. To historians, however, it is simply World War I, a terrible conflict that resolved few of the problems that had caused it and served as a prelude to an even greater war a generation later.
The United States entered the conflict o April 6, 1917, amidst a burst of patriotic fervour. But there was never any real unity in the country’s view of the war, never a universal belief in the correctness of America’s role. A year and a half later, the war was over. The United States, the only nation to emerge from the conflict stronger than when it entered it, was clearly the pre-eminent power in the world. The country’s halting effort to come to terms with that pre-eminence was one of the principal forces that shaped American history over the next 40 years. But the rise of the United Stats to what some have called “globalism” was not the only great historical event of the years between the World Wars. Both economically and politically, American society experienced a series of profound and at times traumatic changes that permanently transformed the nation.

Americans win at Marne. Marne River, June 4, 1918.
The doughboys of the First Division were to reinforce the French in the Picardy sector, not to drive the Germans back. But that is what happened. The American baptism of fire was terrible. The Yanks were heavily shelled and gassed, and lost two to four times as many men as the French units in the trenches on either side of them. Nevertheless, the American fought back to take the strategically important town of Cantigny, though 187 were killed and 636 wounded. The Second Division should have relieved the First at Cantigny, but was used in stead to plug the gap at Chateau-Thierry. The fighting was the worst for the Americans since the battle of Five forks in the Civil War.

Million American Troops stem the tide. France Sept. 26, 1918.
The St. Mihiel Salient, a bulge in the German lines near Verdun, which has been there since 1914, is no more, and the tide that threatened to put the Germans in Paris has turned and is sweeping back towards Germany instead. The operation against St. Miehiel is portent for the future because it was basically American. The United States First Army was formally organised on August 10th with General George Pershing as its commander. The Americans went immediately into the line holding about 50 miles from the front of Verdun to Pont-a- Mousson

War is over in Europe: The joys and the sadness. Compeigne France Nov. 11, 1918.
The Great War is over. The Germans signed an armistice agreement at 5 am. Here and it went into effect at 11am. Three days ago, a German armistice commission, led by Matthias Erzberger, head of the Catholic Centrists, arrived outside Allied Headquarters in the forest near Compiegne. The terms that were presented by Marshal Foch were such that it would be utterly impossible for the Germans to resume the war after the armistice had taken effect.
The cost of the war is unbelievable. The Allies mobilised more than 42 million men, and 5 million of them were killed, including 50,585 Americans. There were 21 million wounded combatants in all. The Central Powers mobilised 23 million men of whom at least 3.4 million were killed. War expenditure figures differ widely, but the best guess for the Allied effort is $30 trillion; America contributed $32 billion to that total. And still, the figures do not tell the saddest story of all - the obliteration of a whole generation of young men on the Western Front.

German U-Boats cause rift with U.S. Washington, March 20,1917
Germany’s submarine onslaught against American merchant shipping has brought the United states to the brink of war. At an Imperial conference in January, the German military strategists decide to inaugurate a total U-boat war against all commercial shipping neutral as well as belligerent. On February 3, a German submarine sank the American liner Housatonic off the coast of Sicily, and President Wilson announced he was breaking off diplomatic relations with Germany.
The Germans now have some 120 submarines and keep about 2/3‘ds of them in operation at any one time. During a previous phase of unrestricted warfare, in 1915 and 1916, they sank about 120,000 tons of shipping.

United States enters the war “to save democracy.” Washington Apr. 6, 1917.
At exactly 1.18 this afternoon, the United States announced that it was declaring war against Germany . Peace was the thing President Wilson wanted most, and in the end he could not have it because of Germany’s decision, in January, to inaugurate total submarine warfare against all shipping. On April 2, Wilson asked Congress to recognise that a state of war existed between the United States and the German Empire. The Senate passed a war resolution two days later by a vote of 90 to 6, and the House followed suit early this morning with a vote of 373 to 50 after 13 hours of emotional debate.

Russian Revolution has U.S. Troubled. Washington Nov 11 1917
Russia’s role in the war is in doubt. Communist radicals, intention peace, have seized control of the Russian government from President Alexander Kerensky. Washington fears that the Bolshevik government will pull Russia out of the alliance, freeing Germany to concentrate its forces on its western front with France and Italy. Many thinks the new regimes leaders, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky are paid German agents.

American troops in France see action. Cambrai, France Nov. 30, 1917.
American troops today saw action in a mjr offensive for the first time since they began arriving here in June. These were Engineer Regiments who were supposed to serve only as support for British troops. But they were caught up in the combat. On November 2, the first Americans were killed near Bathelmont when German troops conducted a trench raid on the First Division. The American Expeditionary Force under Gen. Pershing is expected to total eventually over 1 million.

Activities of German-Americans are curtailed s suspicion rises. Washington July 2, 1918
Congress voted today to repeal the charter of the National German-American alliance. The mighty organisation, boasting 2 million members four years ago, is silenced. Still, an uneasyness has settled across America. Are German-American neighbours loyal citizens or do they plot our government’s fall? Rumours fly - spies on Atlantic coast send messages to German U- Boats. Agents incite strikes at arms plants. Even among Germans themselves, there is distrust; some recent immigrants are called “Hunnenfresser” Hun eaters, denigrators of their own people. As for the National German - American Alliance, what crime had it committed? It had urged American neutrality in the war.