World Events in 1914
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
On 28 June, Gavrilo Princip shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo. The assassination triggered a chain of alliances and ultimatums that plunged Europe into war within five weeks.
Outbreak of World War I
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 July. By early August, Germany, Russia, France, and Britain were all at war. The conflict would last four years and claim over 17 million lives.
Opening of the Panama Canal
The SS Ancon made the first official transit on 15 August, completing a project that had cost billions and thousands of lives. The canal transformed global shipping by connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
First Battle of the Marne
In September, French and British forces halted the German advance on Paris, ending hopes of a quick victory. The battle led to the establishment of trench warfare that would define the Western Front for the next four years.
Christmas Truce
On Christmas Day, soldiers along sections of the Western Front spontaneously ceased fighting. British and German troops exchanged gifts, sang carols, and in some places played football in no man's land.
Battle of Tannenberg
In late August, German forces decisively defeated the Russian Second Army in East Prussia. The battle established the reputations of Hindenburg and Ludendorff and effectively ended Russia's invasion of Germany.
Music in 1914
"Keep the Home Fires Burning"
Ivor Novello
Written by the 21-year-old Welsh composer, it became the defining home-front anthem of the early war, expressing the longing and resolve of those left behind.
"St. Louis Blues"
W.C. Handy (composer)
Published in 1914, Handy's composition became one of the most recorded songs in history. It blended blues, ragtime, and tango, establishing the 12-bar blues form in popular music.
#1 Film of 1914
Tillie's Punctured Romance
Box Office: N/A
The first feature-length comedy film, starring Charlie Chaplin, Marie Dressler, and Mabel Normand. Directed by Mack Sennett, it established slapstick comedy as a viable feature format.
Born in 1914
Dylan Thomas
Welsh poet and writer of Under Milk Wood and Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Jonas Salk
American virologist who developed the first successful polio vaccine
Alec Guinness
English actor known for The Bridge on the River Kwai and Star Wars
Joe DiMaggio
American baseball legend who held a 56-game hitting streak
Lost in 1914
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, whose assassination triggered World War I
Age 50
Pope Pius X
Head of the Roman Catholic Church from 1903 to 1914
Age 79
August Weismann
German evolutionary biologist and pioneer of genetics theory
Age 80
Technology in 1914
The war immediately accelerated military technology. Aircraft were initially used for reconnaissance. Machine guns, barbed wire, and trenches defined the Western Front. The Panama Canal represented a triumph of civil engineering. Ford's assembly line was now producing a car every 93 minutes.
- ● The Panama Canal opened to traffic on 15 August
- ● Military aircraft used for reconnaissance for the first time on a large scale
- ● The first successful non-stop flight across the Mediterranean
- ● Ford Motor Company introduced the $5 daily wage, doubling workers' pay
Cost of Living in 1914
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £275 | $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¢ |
Shop 1914 memorabilia on eBay/Amazon
The Zeitgeist of 1914
The year began with peacetime frivolity — ragtime, picture palaces, and summer cricket — but by August everything changed. Britain entered the war to flag-waving patriotism and expectations it would be 'over by Christmas.' Recruitment drives and patriotic songs replaced entertainment schedules. Football continued initially but was soon controversial. In America, life continued more normally, though the war dominated headlines.
In the News in 1914
The Irish Home Rule crisis reached breaking point with the Curragh Incident and gun-running at Larne. The Panama Canal opened after a decade of construction. In Britain, Kitchener's 'Your Country Needs You' poster became an icon of the age.