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Socialist Party of America founded
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Roosevelt sues Northern Securities Company
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Roosevelt issues his corollary to Monroe Doctrine
On this date: "A corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, which asserted that the United States would intervene in Latin American affairs if those countries could not keep their affairs in order" (Brands, G-9) -
Upton Sinclair publishes The Jungle
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NAACP formed
On this date: "The most important civil rights organization was created." With W.E.B. Du Bois as one of its top officers, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colroed People) had 50 branches and more than 6,000 members within five years. (Brands, 561) -
Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire
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Progressive Party nominates Roosevelt for President
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Woodrow Wilson sworn in as President
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Ford introduces the moving assembly line
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Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assassinated!
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D. W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation debuts
On this date: "D.W. Griffith, a talented and creative director--as well as a racist--produced the first movie spectacular: Birth of a Nation. Griffith adopted new film techniques, including close ups, fade-outs, and artistic camera angles." The film depicts the Civil War and Reconstruction Period including the assassination of Lincoln and the actions of the KKK. (Brands, 569) -
Lusitania torpedoed
On this date: Nearly 1,200 people including 128 Americans died after a German U-Boat sank the British luxury steamship. The Lusitania was one chapter in the events leading up to the American involvement in WWI (Brands, 606) -
U.S. enters WWI
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Wilson outlines Fourteen Points
On this date: "President Woodrow Wilson presented these terms for a far-reaching, nonpunitive settlement of World War I and the establishment of a League of Nations. While generous and optimistic, the Points did not satisfy wartime hunger for revenge and were largely rejected by European nations" (Brands, G-4) -
Eighteenth Amendment ratified
On this date: After years of reform movement, the Eighteenth Amendment was fianlly ratified. "It prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors" (Brands, 580) -
Nineteenth Amendment ratified
On this date: "Congress passed a constitutional amendment stating simply that the right to vote shall not be denied 'on account of sex' (Brands, 582) -
National Origins Quota Act enacted
On this date: "Law established a quota system that restricted immigration from Asia and southern and eastern Europe and reduced the annual total of immigrants" (Brands, G-7) -
Scopes Monkey Trial Ends
On this date: "Also called the 'monkey trial,' the 1924 Scopes trial was a contest between modern liberalism and religious fundamentalism. John T. Scopes was prosecuted for teaching Darwinian evolution in defiance of Tennessee state law. He was found guilty and fined $100. Scopes' conviction was later set aside on a technicality" (Brands, G-9) -
Lindbergh completes solo transatlantic flight
On this date: A perfect example of the pleasure seeking, risk taking of the roarin' twenties, aviator Charles Lindbergh completed a solo flight across the Atlantic (Brands, 641) -
Mickey Mouse debuts in Steamboat Willie cartoon
On this date: An animated mouse (once named Mortimer) made his debut in a cartoon created by Walt Disney. Mickey was the first character to make sounds/voices and possess emotions. From this point on, Disney's success would continue with later projects like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Disneyland--which established him as one of the leaders of entertainment in both the country and the world. -
The stock market crashes!
On this date: On 'Black Tuesday,' the stock market crashed due to overproduction. First "stock prices faltered, and investors began to sell." Next, banks stopped lending money for consumer purchases and massive unemployment followed (Brands, 657). -
Franklin D. Roosevelt elected
On this date: The symbol of hope for many Americans, Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected President of the United States for the first time. Before his election, he unsuccessfully ran as the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 1920 and was elected governor of New York in 1928 (Brands, 660)
