World Events in 1913
Suffragette Emily Davison killed at Epsom Derby
On 4 June, Emily Wilding Davison stepped onto the racecourse and was struck by the King's horse Anmer. She died four days later. Her funeral became a massive suffragette demonstration through London.
Premiere of The Rite of Spring
Stravinsky's ballet, choreographed by Nijinsky, premiered in Paris on 29 May. The dissonant score and primal choreography provoked a near-riot in the audience, yet it is now regarded as a watershed moment in modern music.
Second Balkan War
Bulgaria attacked its former allies Serbia and Greece over the division of Macedonia. Romania and the Ottoman Empire joined against Bulgaria, which was quickly defeated. The resulting Treaty of Bucharest redrew Balkan borders again.
Federal Reserve Act signed
President Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act on 23 December, creating the US central banking system. The Act was a response to recurring financial panics and aimed to provide a more stable monetary framework.
Grand Central Terminal opens
New York's Grand Central Terminal opened on 2 February, replacing the earlier station. Its Beaux-Arts design, with the famous celestial ceiling, made it an instant architectural landmark.
Music in 1913
"If You Were the Only Girl in the World"
George Robey & Violet Loraine
Though it gained its greatest fame during WWI, this romantic ballad was written and first performed in 1913 and became one of the era's most enduring songs.
"The Trail of the Lonesome Pine"
Henry Burr & Albert Campbell
A sentimental ballad from the Broadway show of the same name, it was one of the year's best-selling recordings in America.
#1 Film of 1913
Atlantis
Box Office: N/A
A Danish silent film by August Blom depicting a Titanic-like ocean liner disaster, capitalising on the previous year's tragedy with impressive special effects for the era.
Born in 1913
Richard Nixon
37th President of the United States
Albert Camus
French-Algerian philosopher and author of The Stranger and The Plague
Benjamin Britten
English composer of Peter Grimes and the War Requiem
Rosa Parks
American civil rights activist whose bus protest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Vivien Leigh
British actress who starred in Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire
Lost in 1913
Emily Davison
British suffragette who died after being struck by the King's horse at the Epsom Derby
Age 40
J.P. Morgan
American financier and banker who dominated corporate finance
Age 75
Rudolf Diesel
German inventor of the diesel engine (died under mysterious circumstances)
Age 55
Alfred Russel Wallace
British naturalist who independently conceived the theory of evolution by natural selection
Age 90
Technology in 1913
Henry Ford's moving assembly line revolutionised manufacturing, dramatically cutting the time to build a Model T. The first crossword puzzle appeared. Grand Central Terminal opened in New York. Stainless steel was patented by Harry Brearley in Sheffield.
- ● Ford introduced the moving assembly line, cutting Model T build time from 12 hours to 93 minutes
- ● Stainless steel invented by Harry Brearley in Sheffield, England
- ● Niels Bohr published his model of atomic structure
- ● The first crossword puzzle published in the New York World
Cost of Living in 1913
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £270 | $3,400 |
| Average salary | £75 | $600 |
| Pint of milk | 2d | 7¢ |
| Loaf of bread | 2½d | 6¢ |
| Dozen eggs | 1s 3d | 35¢ |
| Pint of beer | 2d | 5¢ |
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The Zeitgeist of 1913
The tango craze swept ballrooms across Europe and America, scandalising older generations. Modernism was arriving with force — Stravinsky's Rite of Spring caused a riot at its Paris premiere. Fashion was loosening, with hobble skirts giving way to more practical designs. In sport, the first Tour de France open to non-French riders attracted wide attention.
In the News in 1913
Suffragette Emily Davison was killed at the Epsom Derby after stepping in front of the King's horse. The Second Balkan War erupted almost immediately after the first ended. The Federal Reserve System was established in the US, transforming American banking.