World Events in 1917
United States enters World War I
President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany on 2 April, citing unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram. American entry eventually tipped the balance, though it would take a year for US forces to arrive in strength.
Russian Revolution — February and October
Tsar Nicholas II abdicated in March after mass protests and military mutiny. In November, Lenin's Bolsheviks seized power in the October Revolution, establishing the world's first communist state and taking Russia out of the war.
Battle of Passchendaele (Third Ypres)
British and Commonwealth forces fought for months through mud and rain in Flanders from July to November. The battle cost over 500,000 casualties on both sides for an advance of barely five miles.
Balfour Declaration
British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour wrote to Lord Rothschild declaring British support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The declaration would profoundly shape the future of the Middle East.
Battle of Cambrai
In November, the British used massed tanks for the first time, achieving a dramatic initial breakthrough. Though the gains were largely lost to a German counterattack, Cambrai proved the potential of armoured warfare.
Halifax Explosion
On 6 December, a French munitions ship collided with a Norwegian vessel in Halifax Harbour, Canada, causing the largest man-made explosion before Hiroshima. Nearly 2,000 people were killed and much of the city destroyed.
Music in 1917
"Over There"
George M. Cohan
Though American, Cohan's patriotic marching song became popular on both sides of the Atlantic. It embodied the optimism that accompanied American entry into the war.
"Livery Stable Blues"
Original Dixieland Jass Band
The first commercially released jazz recording, it sold over a million copies and introduced the sound of New Orleans jazz to a mass audience.
#1 Film of 1917
The Poor Little Rich Girl
Box Office: N/A
Starring Mary Pickford, 'America's Sweetheart,' this sentimental drama was a huge hit and cemented Pickford's status as the world's most popular film star.
Born in 1917
John F. Kennedy
35th President of the United States, assassinated in 1963
Indira Gandhi
First and only female Prime Minister of India
Dizzy Gillespie
American jazz trumpeter and co-founder of the bebop movement
Thelonious Monk
American jazz pianist and composer, pioneer of bebop
Arthur C. Clarke
British science fiction author of 2001: A Space Odyssey
Lost in 1917
Buffalo Bill Cody
American frontiersman and showman of the Wild West
Age 70
Auguste Rodin
French sculptor of The Thinker and The Kiss
Age 77
Edgar Degas
French Impressionist artist famous for paintings of ballet dancers
Age 83
Mata Hari
Dutch exotic dancer executed by France for espionage
Age 41
Technology in 1917
Military technology continued its grim advance. Improved tanks, aircraft, and artillery techniques were developed. The ODJB's recording brought jazz to a mass audience. Clarence Birdseye was experimenting with flash freezing food. Sonar development progressed to counter submarines.
- ● The Original Dixieland Jass Band made the first commercial jazz recording
- ● The 100-inch Hooker telescope installed at Mount Wilson Observatory
- ● Improved tank designs deployed at the Battle of Cambrai
- ● The condenser microphone was invented, enabling better sound recording
Cost of Living in 1917
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £280 | $3,400 |
| Average salary | £85 | $650 |
| Pint of milk | 3d | 9¢ |
| Loaf of bread | 4d | 8¢ |
| Dozen eggs | 1s 8d | 42¢ |
| Pint of beer | 3d | 5¢ |
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The Zeitgeist of 1917
War weariness was palpable across Europe. In Britain, food queues formed and morale was fragile after the horrors of the Somme and Verdun. Jazz was emerging in America as the Original Dixieland Jass Band made the first jazz recording. Hollywood was booming, offering escapism to millions. The Russian Revolution captured imaginations and terrified establishments worldwide.
In the News in 1917
Unrestricted German submarine warfare was sinking Allied shipping at an alarming rate. The Zimmermann Telegram — Germany's proposal that Mexico attack the US — was intercepted and published, outraging Americans. Mutinies swept the French army after the disastrous Nivelle Offensive.