Year 1914 Fun Facts, Trivia, and History Events

This quick read presents a collection of fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 1914. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, historic firsts, entertainment news, and much more.

Take a journey through history in just minutes.

1. In 1914, Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States, and Thomas R. Marshall was the nation’s 28th vice president.
2. The U.S. unemployment rate was 7.9%, and the nation’s inflation rate was 1.01%.
3. American companies and brands established in 1914 included the American Licorice Company, the American Pop Corn Company, Boscov’s, Chicken of the Sea, the Dodge car brand, and Greyhound Lines.
4. Consumer products launched during the year included Wrigley’s Doublemint chewing gum, the Heath and Mary Jane candy bars, Listerine antiseptic mouthwash, and Noxzema skin cleanser.
5. The outbreak of World War I (1914-18) “halted imports of pasta from Italy to the United States.” As a result, large-scale pasta production began throughout the U.S. Early American pasta companies included Mueller’s, V. La Rosa and Sons, and Prince Macaroni.
6. On January 5, the Ford Motor Company implemented an eight-hour workday and a minimum wage of $5.00 per day for their factory workers. The new wage structure was “significantly higher than the standard at the time” and doubled the wages of many employees.
7. On April 9, the Tampico Affair ignited when Mexican troops arrested nine unarmed U.S. sailors from the USS Dolphin.
8. On April 20, President Wilson requested congressional authorization to use military force against Mexico to protect “the dignity and rights of the United States” after Mexican troops arrested nine unarmed U.S. sailors from the USS Dolphin eleven days earlier.
9. On April 21, U.S. troops entered Veracruz, Mexico.
10. On May 9, President Wilson signed a proclamation establishing Mother's Day as a national holiday.
11. On July 28, World War I—also known as the Great War—began “after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. His murder catapulted into a war across Europe that lasted until 1918. During the four-year conflict, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire (the Central Powers) fought against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Canada, Japan, and the United States (the Allied Powers).”
12. On July 31, U.S. Treasury Secretary William Gibbs McAdoo closed the New York Stock Exchange until December 12 to prevent the sale of British-held American securities.
13. On August 4, German troops invaded “neutral Belgium,” and the entire British Commonwealth declared war on Germany for this “violation of Belgian neutrality.” The United States, however, declared neutrality at this point.
14. On August 5, the first electric traffic lights in the U.S. were installed in Cleveland, Ohio, at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street.
15. On August 15, the SS Ancon became the first ship to successfully pass through the newly built Panama Canal.
16. On September 26, President Wilson established the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promote consumer protection.
17. On November 23, U.S. troops withdrew from Veracruz, Mexico.
18. On December 17, President Wilson signed the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act into law, which “regulated and taxed the production, importation, and distribution of opiates and coca products.”
19. In 1914, the Ford Motor Company sold 248,000 cars.
20. Morton Salt, Inc. registered the trademark “When It Rains It Pours” and began to use the slogan to market its salt.
21. Famous people who died in 1914 were John James McLaughlin (Canadian chemist and pharmacist who founded the Canada Dry soft drink brand), George Westinghouse (engineer), John Muir (conservationist), Joseph Swan (physicist), Pope Pius X (religious leader), and Richard Warren Sears (entrepreneur).
22. America’s best-loved songs were By the Beautiful Sea (the Heidelberg Quartet), It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary (the American Quartet), and Are We Downhearted? No! (Harrison Latimer).
23. Popular movies for the year included A Thief Catcher, Caught in the Rain, Cinderella, Getting Acquainted, Mabel’s Married Life, Making a Living, The Knockout, The New Janitor, and Tillie’s Punctured Romance.
24. Here are some sports facts from the year 1914: The Boston Braves won the World Series, Old Rosebud won the Kentucky Derby, and René Thomas won the Indianapolis 500. In addition, baseball legend Babe Ruth began his MLB career with the Boston Red Sox, and Weeghman Park, later known as Wrigley Field, opened in Chicago.
25. In 1914, the words "atomic bomb," "bad guy," "bargain basement," "basic training," "CEO," "cheerio," "chicken-fried steak," "finger pointing," "gas pedal," "newsreel," "pillow talk," "podiatry," "postage meter," "preschool," "sociopath," "teacher’s pet," "trench coat," and "trial lawyer" all appeared in print for the first time.

References:

1. https://popculturemadness.com/1914-history-trivia-and-fun-facts/
2. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1914
3. https://playback.fm/charts/top-100-songs/1914
4. https://www.flickchart.com/charts.aspx?year=1914
5. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-1911.html
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1914_in_the_United_States
7. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1914
8. https://www.mclib.info/Research/Local-History-Genealogy/Historic-Prices
9. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1914
10. https://www.history.com/articles/u-s-entry-into-world-war-i-1

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor