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First Movie Theatre in the United States
In 1902, Tally’s Electric Theatre was established in Los Angeles, CA. as the first theater built solely for motion pictures. Moving pictures had been used in France and other parts of the U.S., but the Electric Theatre was the only theatre dedicated to showing moving pictures exclusively. The ten-cent tickets sold out every showing, and the Electric Theatre was dubbed to be the “new place of amusement.” -
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Construction of the Panama Canal
Although construction of the canal began in 1881 by France, the U.S. took over in 1904. Completion of the canal depended heavily on scientific breakthroughs by doctors as they learned to combat tropical diseases. Still, over 5,000 canal workers died from disease or accidents while building the canal. When it opened it 1914, it cut some 8,000 nautical miles off the trip from the west coast to the east coast of the United States. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. -
Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine
The Roosevelt Corollary updated the Monroe Doctrine for an age of expansionism and economic influence. In the case of "chronic wrongdoing" by a Latin American nation- the kind Europeans might use to justify military intervention- the U.S. would assume the role of police power, restoring order and depriving other creditors of the excuse to intervene. This change, Roosevelt argued, merely reasserted America's long-standing policy of keeping the Western Hemisphere free from European intervention. -
Passage of the Meat Inspection Act of 1906
The Meat Inspection Act of 1906 prohibited the sale of adulterated or misbranded livestock and derived products as food and ensured that livestock were slaughtered and processed under sanitary conditions. It reformed the meatpacking industry, mandating that the USDA inspect all cattle, swine, sheep, goats, and horses before and after they were slaughtered and processed for eating. It also applied to imported products, which were treated under similarly rigorous foreign inspection standards. -
1912 Presidential Election
The United States presidential election of 1912 was fought among three major candidates. President William Howard Taft was renominated by the Republican Party. Former President Theodore was nominated by the Progressive Party. Woodrow Wilson was nominated by Democratic Party. In the end, Wilson—who based his campaign on completely smashing monopolies and tariff reduction—became the first Democrat since Grover Cleveland to take the White House. He prevailed with 42 percent of the popular vote. -
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World War I
World War 1 was largely triggered by the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his pregnant wife Sophie. The Americans joined World War 1 on April 6, 1917 after 128 Americans were killed by a German submarine. 135 countries took part in the war, and over 15 million people died. The U.S. was in the war in actual combat for only seven and a half months during which time 116,000 were killed and 204,000 were wounded. In 1919, The Treaty of Versailles officially ended the war. -
1916 Presidential Election
The presidential election of 1916 happened while Europe was in World War I. Public sentiment in the still neutral U.S. leaned towards the British and French forces, due to the terrible treatment of civilians by the German Army. However, although they had sympathy for the allied forces, most Americans wanted to maintain neutrality. The campaign pitted President Wilson, the Democratic candidate, against Supreme Court Justice Charles Hughes, the Republican candidate. Wilson defeated Hughes. -
Passage of the Espionage Act
This act allowed postal authorities to ban treasonable or seditious newspapers, magazines, or printed materials from the mail. Thus, the First Amendment freedom, the freedom of press, was compromised. It also enacted severe penalties for anyone engaged in disloyal or treasonable activities. Anyone found obstructing army recruiters, aiding the enemy, or generally interfering with the war effort could be punished with ip to a $10,000 fine and 20 years of imprisonment. -
Fourteen Points Speech
In this speech, Wilson outlined Fourteen Points for peace and the end to World War I. Wilson proposed a peace inspired by noble ideals, not greed and vengeance. However, these points raised some issues. They sought to fundamentally change the world by promoting openness, encouraging independence, and supporting freedom. Critical of all secret treaties, he called for open diplomacy. He insisted on freedom of the seas, free trade, an end to colonialism, and a general reduction of armaments. -
Passage of the Sedition Act
The Sedition Act limited citizen's freedom of speech. The act made it unlawful to use "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the American form of government, the Constitution, or the military forces. This goal of this act was to prosecute socialists, political radicals, and pacifists. Eugene V. Debs, the leader of the Socialist Party in America, was imprisoned under the act. For his crime- giving a mildly antiwar speech- he was sentenced to 10 years in a federal prison. -
Ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment
The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within the United States and its territories. This was the only amendment to be repealed from the Constitution. Not only did regular people find other ways to drink alcohol, criminals made a lot of money selling alcohol to people. The 21st amendment repealed the 18th amendment in 1933, and we call the period that the 18th Amendment was law Prohibition. -
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The Red Summer
The Red Summer refers to the period, where race riots transpired in the North and South. It started in Chicago after a black youth swam into white territory. Eugene Williams, a black boy, drowned. When the police arrested an innocent black man rather than the guilty white man, racial tensions heightened. Fighting broke out between gangs and mobs of both races. The Chicago riot was part of a national racial frenzy of clashes, massacres, and lynchings throughout the North and the South. -
Establishment of the League of Nations
The League of Nations was an organization for international cooperation. It was established at the end of World War I and was formally disbanded on April 19, 1946. Its creation was an event of decisive importance in the history of international relations, but it was ultimately ineffective. Though Woodrow Wilson was an enthusiastic proponent of the League, the United States did not ever officially join the League of Nations due to opposition from isolationists in Congress -
First radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA
KDKA became the first American radio station when it aired the results of the 1920 presidential election.By broadcasting the results, “the power of radio was proven when people could hear the results of the Harding-Cox presidential race before they read about it in the newspaper,” according to PBS. Many other stations started to pop up across the US following the success of KDKA’s broadcast, giving advertisers a new way to reach consumers.
