1914 History, Trivia and Fun Facts

Firsts, Inventions, and Wonders: 
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.

The first Commercial Airline was the St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line, the first commercial flight was on January 1, 1914.

The American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP) formed in New York, NY

The Perils of Pauline, a movie serial, debuted.

The Foxtrot was introduced at the New Amsterdam Roof Garden, in NYC, by Harry Fox.

The Panama Canal opened.

The term “Cup of Joe” was invented to mock US Secretary of Navy Josephus Daniels, who banned the consumption of alcohol in 1914, replacing it with coffee.

On May 8, 1914, the US Congress passed a law designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. It is still celebrated today.

H.G. Wells coined the term “Atomic Bomb” in his book The World Set Free.

The Ford Model T wasn’t just available in black. From 1908-1913 it was available in gray, green, blue, and red. Only in 1914 was the “any color as long as it’s black” policy introduced.

Ford Motor Co wages went from $2.40/9-hr day to $5.00/8-hr day.

When Thomas Edison’s factory burned to the ground, destroying one-of-a-kind prototypes and causing millions in damage, he said: “Thank goodness all our mistakes were burned up. Now we can start fresh again.”

Charlie Chaplin’s first appearance as The Tramp was in Kid Auto Races at Venice

The RMS Empress of Ireland had a cat named Emmy. She never missed a voyage until May 28, 1914, when she refused to go aboard. The ship left without her and sunk the next day.

Seattle’s Smith Tower was the tallest building on the Westcoast 1914 until the Space Needle opened in 1962

Speedo swimwear originated in 1914 under the brand name ‘Fortitude’. It didn’t become known by its current brand name until 1928.

The actor credited for performing in the most movies for a long time was Oliver Hardy, of Laurel and Hardy fame, with a record 417 movies between 1914 and 1951. Recently, others have gotten more screen credits than he, including Frank Welker, Eric Roberts, and many voice actors.

Passenger Pigeons were once the most abundant bird in the world. John James Audubon once saw a flock that took three days to pass. Alexander Wilson reckoned that a flock he saw contained 2,230,272,000 individuals. On September 1, 1914, Martha, the world’s last passenger pigeon, died alone in 1914 at the Cincinnati, Ohio Zoo.

The Coca-Cola Company was flooded with look-alike competitors. The bottlers requested design proposals for their product: a “bottle so distinct that you would recognize if by feel in the dark or lying broken on the ground” and the initial Classic Coke green bottle was released in 1916.

The greatest high school football team of all time was in Massachusetts. The 1914 Everett Crimson Tide, went 13-0, won the national title and they outscored their opponents 600-0 throughout the season.

The famous “Uncle Sam Wants You” and Smokey Bear’s “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires” posters are both imitations of a British Army recruitment poster from 1914 – “Lord Kitchener Wants You”

Popular and Best-selling Books From 1914: