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The Plane
One of the greatest and most used inventions was created by the Wright brothers in 1903. The airplane was a massive step for transportation, and eventually a great use in battle. Wilbur and Orville Wright created the first useable and powered aircraft. This invention led to the development of more planes that would be used for transportation and even for war. -
Founding of the NAACP
Created by Du Bois, who served as an editor the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), was created to help ensure the rights of colored people. Du Bois advocated for civil rights and started taking legal actions against discrimination. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
In 1911, a factory had caught fire. The significance of this factory fire was the workers inside the building were trapped and 146 people had died with 71 injured. Because of this tragic incident, Americans were convinced that reform was needed for safer workplaces to be put in place. -
The Lusitania
The Lusitania was an ocean liner carrying several Americans, who were killed, was sunk by German forces. More than a hundred American lives were lost and drastically increased the suspicion of the Germans. The sinking of the Lusitania was one of the driving factors to the United States joining the war. -
Zimmerman Telegram
Debatably one of the leading factors to the United States entering the war, the Zimmerman Telegram was a message from Germany sent to Mexico asking for help against the United States. The United States intercepted this message and became incredibly suspicious of the German nation adding to the thought of entering World War I. -
Influenza Pandemic
In the Spring of 1918, a strand of the flu infected almost half a million people. During this time, 227,000 United States soldiers were hospitalized because of the pandemic and were also spread to German armies weakening both. The virus spread across the world with no cure to be found. -
Espionage and Sedition Acts
The Espionage and Sedition Acts were signed by Woodrow Wilson to strip protesters of the right to oppose the war. Protestors were thrown in prison and immigrants were highly investigated by the government. Because of this, the public culture became much more hostile. -
The Red Summer
The Red Summer was a series of riots that occurred throughout the summertime. One of the most notable riots, the Chicago Riot, is seen as the worst of them. During this riot, there was about a week of violence, murder, and arson. These riots were primarily race riots and black Americans had to defend their homes from the white rioters. -
League of Nations
The League of Nations was created by Woodrow Wilson to try to ensure worldwide peace and prevent the destruction that was the Great War. Unfortunately for Wilson, the allies of the United States were uninterested in joining the League of Nations and were more important with their own security. Wilson wanted to have as much peace as possible and that was through the use of the League of Nations. -
The Right to Vote
On August 18, women were given the right to vote. This was one of the most significant moments for the United States, especially for women. Not only were women fighting for equal rights, but men fought for their rights too. Being able to vote was a huge step for women to finally receive equal rights.