World Events in 1910
Death of King Edward VII
Edward VII died on 6 May after a series of heart attacks, ending the Edwardian era. His son ascended as George V, presiding over a nation grappling with Irish Home Rule, labour unrest, and suffragette agitation.
Halley's Comet returns
The comet's perihelion passage in April was a global spectacle. Some entrepreneurs sold anti-comet pills to a fearful public, while astronomers used the event to advance spectroscopic analysis of cometary tails.
Japan annexes Korea
Japan formally annexed the Korean Empire in August, ending centuries of Korean self-rule. The annexation began a 35-year period of colonial rule marked by cultural suppression and forced labour.
Portuguese Revolution
A republican revolution on 5 October overthrew the Portuguese monarchy. King Manuel II fled to Britain and Portugal was declared a republic, ending nearly eight centuries of monarchy.
The Great Flood of Paris
The Seine burst its banks in January, flooding much of central Paris for two months. The Zouave statue on the Pont de l'Alma was submerged to its shoulders and thousands were displaced.
Music in 1910
"Come Into the Garden, Maud"
John McCormack
Irish tenor McCormack was one of the earliest recording stars; this Tennyson setting was among the best-selling records of 1910 in Britain.
"By the Light of the Silvery Moon"
Ada Jones & Billy Murray
A hugely popular Tin Pan Alley number that became a standard of the era, recorded on Edison cylinders and Victor discs.
#1 Film of 1910
The Abyss (Afgrunden)
Box Office: N/A
This Danish silent film starring Asta Nielsen caused a sensation across Europe with its frank depiction of sexual desire, establishing Nielsen as cinema's first international star.
Born in 1910
Jacques Cousteau
French naval officer, explorer, and pioneering underwater filmmaker
Akira Kurosawa
Japanese film director, one of the most influential filmmakers in cinema history
Mother Teresa
Albanian-Indian Catholic nun and founder of the Missionaries of Charity
Django Reinhardt
Belgian-born Romani jazz guitarist who pioneered gypsy jazz
Lost in 1910
King Edward VII
King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions
Age 68
Mark Twain
American author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn
Age 74
Leo Tolstoy
Russian author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina
Age 82
Florence Nightingale
Founder of modern nursing and Crimean War heroine
Age 90
Henri Rousseau
French Post-Impressionist painter known for jungle scenes
Age 66
Technology in 1910
The telephone was spreading rapidly in cities. Motor cars were still largely a luxury but growing more common. The Wright brothers had flown only seven years earlier and aviation was a daring novelty. Electric lighting was replacing gas in urban areas.
- ● Neon lighting demonstrated publicly for the first time in Paris
- ● The first seaplane flight by Henri Fabre in France
- ● Edison's Kinetophone attempted to sync sound with film
- ● The electric washing machine was patented by Alva J. Fisher
Cost of Living in 1910
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £250 | $3,200 |
| Average salary | £70 | $575 |
| Pint of milk | 2d | 7¢ |
| Loaf of bread | 2½d | 5¢ |
| Dozen eggs | 1s 2d | 34¢ |
| Pint of beer | 2d | 5¢ |
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The Zeitgeist of 1910
Edwardian elegance still reigned but the mood was shifting. Music halls packed audiences in for ragtime and variety acts, while early cinema was drawing crowds to nickelodeons. The suffragette movement was intensifying, cricket and horse racing dominated British sport, and baseball was America's undisputed pastime.
In the News in 1910
The death of King Edward VII dominated British headlines, with elaborate mourning and the coronation preparations for George V. In the US, the Boy Scouts of America were founded and the Mann Act was passed to combat human trafficking. Halley's Comet caused widespread public fascination and some panic.