1910's: America Looks Beyond Its Boarders,
The United States of America entered the 1910’s in a splendid isolation as “Hailey’s comet lit up the sky to begin the decade. American workers started moving from farms to factories. The Ford Motor Company refined the automobile assembly line. Traffic lights and white lane dividers became part of the American landscape. Scientific and technological achievement changed the society. In 1911, in New York, fingerprint evidence alone was used for the first time in the United States to arrest a burglar. Jim Thorpe was an international sports star, but Tarzan was even a more popular hero.”
The Americans remained unconcerned about the war that broke out among the European Nations on July 28, 1914. But ոn April 2, 1917 America declared war against Germany. It was not because of “the accidental sinking of the luxury ocean liner Titanic shocked the nation, but it was the sinking of another ship the Lusitania that upset the society, leading to U.S. involvement in World War I. Two million American soldiers faught in Europe and more than 116,500 lost their lives.”
The World War I ended on the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month in the year 1918 as “American saw the light as the decade ended. Daylight saving time was instituted in 1918.”
The following new words entered the American lexicon: camouflage, electronics, and troublemaker.
The 15 stamps depicting the decades are the following:
George Washington Carver: A botanist, improved the economy of the South by demonstrating the commercial possibilities of peanuts His “Movable School” educated impoverished farmers.
The Federal Reserve System: was create on December 3, 1913, to regulate banks and attempts to stabilize the nation’s monetary and financial reserves.
Charlie Chaplin: First assumed his famous costume for the little Tramp in 1914. The clothes, mustache, cane, and walk came to identify one of the most familiar icons in the history of film.
The Panama Canal: connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, saving a ship travelling between New York and the San Francisco 8,000 miles.
The First Transcontinental Telephone Line was completed in 1914. On January 25, 1915, the first call was made by Alexander Graham Bell in New York to Thomas A. Watson in San Francisco.
The 1915 Armory Show introduced avant-garde art to this country. The highly controversial exhibition included Marcel Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 that now hangs in the Philadelphia Museum of Arts.
President Woodrow Wilson was awarded the 1919 Nobel Prize for the promotion of the League of Nations, the precursor of the United Nations.
The Boy Scouts of America was formed in 1910 and the Girls Scout of the U.S.A. (at first known as Girl Guides) in 1912. Both groups introduce the youth to a variety of outdoor activities and promote self-reliance and resourcefulness.
World War I Two million American soldiers fought in Europe during World War I and more than 116,500 lost their lives. Back home, more than one million women joined the work force.
Grand Canyon The National Park Service was reestablished by Congress in 1914. The Grand Canyon was officially designated a national park two and a half year later.
Jim Thorpe The first American sport icon Jim Thorpe was hailed as the greatest athlete in the world after he won the pentathlon and decathlon in 1912 Stockholm.
Child Labor Reform Lewis W. Hine’s photograph of children working in mines, mills, and factories led Congress to try to regulate child labor, but the Supreme Court declared early laws unconstitutional.
Construction Toys encourage children to build, create, and think about how things work. Erector sets were introduced in 1913, the Tinkertoy in 1914, and Lincoln Logs 1916.
Jack Damsey, known as the Manassa Mauler because he was from Manassa, Colorado. He won the world heavyweight championship in 1919 and held it for seven years.
Crossword Puzzle Newspaperman Arthur Wynne created the first crossword puzzle in the New York World on Sunday December 21, 1913. Clue 2-3: What bargain hunters enjoy.
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| The last USPS Stamping Date of the 1900s: December 31, 1999 |
Vahe H. Apelian
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