- 1908
| May 10 | The first Mother's Day observance took place during church services in Grafton, W.Va., and Philadelphia. | Ref: 70 |
- 1910
| Jan 19 | National Institute of Arts & Letters incorporated by Congress. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 08 | William D. Boyce of Chicago, Illinois incorporates the Boy Scouts of America. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 17 | Camp Fire Girls organization is formed. (It will be formally presented by Mrs Luther Halsey Gulick, on this day in 1912.) (XDG, p 4A, 3/17/2004) | Ref: 2 |
| Mar 26 | US forbid immigration to criminals, anarchists, paupers & the sick | Ref: 2 |
| May 11 | Glacier National Park in Montana is established. | Ref: 5 |
| May 16 | The US Bureau of Mines was authorized by the US Congress. | Ref: 4 |
| Jun 13 | William D Crum, a SC physician, appointed minister to Liberia. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 16 | The first Father's Day is celebrated in Spokane Washington. | Ref: 2 |
| Jun 25 | Congress passed the White Slave Traffic Act, also known as the Mann Act. The new law significantly increased the BOI's jurisdiction over interstate crime. | Ref: 14 |
| Jul 01 | Black and Decker Tool Company founded by Duncan Black and Alonzo Decker in Baltimore. | Ref: 10 |
| Jul 24 | The stories of Paul Bunyon first published in the Detroit News Tribune. | Ref: 10 |
| Sep 12 | First uniformed woman policewoman in America, Alice Stebbins Wells, hits the beat in Los Angeles. | Ref: 10 |
| Nov 08 | The Democrats prevail in congressional elections for the first time since 1894. | Ref: 2 |
| Dec 25 | A dynamite bomb destroyed a portion of the Llewellyn Ironworks in Los Angeles, where a bitter strike was in progress. | Ref: 59 |
- 1911
| Jan 14 | The USS Arkansas, the largest U.S. battleship, is launched from the yards of the New York Shipbuilding Company. | Ref: 2 |
| Jan 24 | U.S. Cavalry is sent to preserve the neutrality of the Rio Grande during the Mexican Civil War. | Ref: 2 |
| Feb 08 | US helps overthrow President Miguel Dávila of Honduras. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 03 | First US federal cemetery with Union & Rebel graves opens, Missouri. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 07 | The United States sends 20,000 troops to the Mexican border as a precaution in the wake of the Mexican Revolution. | Ref:77 |
| Mar 18 | Theodore Roosevelt opens the Roosevelt Dam in Phoenix, Ariz., the largest dam in the United States to date. | Ref: 2 |
| Mar 18 | North Dakota enacts a hail insurance law. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 06 | Nicaragua signs treaty turning over customs to US (not ratified). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 30 | US Assay Office in St Louis MO closes. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 08 | Membership in the US House of Representatives was established at 435. Every 211,877 residents of the US were represented by one member of Congress. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 06 | (Prohibition) Maine becomes a dry state. | Ref: 2 |
- 1912
| Jan 06 | (new state) New Mexico is admitted as the 47th state. | Ref: 4 |
| Feb 14 | (new state) Arizona is admitted as the 48th state. | Ref: 2 |
| Feb 14 | First US submarines with diesel engines are commissioned in Groton CT. | Ref: 2 |
| Mar 12 | Girl Guides (Girl Scouts of America) founded in Savannah GA, by Juliette Gordon Low. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 17 | Camp Fire Girls organization announced (formally presented) by Mrs Luther Halsey Gulick. | Ref: 39 |
| Apr 30 | Former Examiner A. Bruce Bielaski, Chief Finch's assistant since 1909, was appointed Chief of the BOI. | Ref: 14 |
| May 01 | Beverly Hills Hotel opens. | Ref: 5 |
| May 02 | BF Goodrich Co is incorporated in New York. | Ref: 17 |
| May 30 | US Marines are sent to Nicaragua to protect American interests. | Ref: 2 |
| May 31 | US marines land on Cuba. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 05 | US marines invade Cuba (3nd time). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 08 | Universal Studios founded by Carol Laemmle. | Ref: 10 |
| Aug 13 | St. Joseph’s College in Philadelphia, PA was granted the first experimental radio license by the U.S. Department of Commerce. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 14 | 2,500 US marines invade Nicaragua; US remains until 1925. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 20 | Plant Quarantine Act goes into effect. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 21 | The first boy reached the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America program. He was Arthur R. Eldred of Oceanside, NY. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 24 | By an act of Congress, Alaska is given a territorial legislature of two houses. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 24 | US passes Anti-gag law, federal employees right to petition the govt. | Ref: 5 |
- 1913
| Feb 03 | The 16th Amendment to the Constitution is ratified by Congress, authorizing Federal Income Taxes. | Ref: 3 |
| Feb 13 | The US Navy begins operation of its first radio station, in Arlington VA (XDG, p 4A, 2/13/2001) | Ref: 83 |
| Feb 16 | President Taft agrees not to intervene in Mexico. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 25 | The 16th Amendment to the constitution is adopted, setting the legal basis for the income tax. | Ref: 2 |
| Mar 01 | Federal income tax takes effect, as per 16th amendment. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 01 | First state law requiring bonding of officers & state employees, North Dakota. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 04 | First US law regulating the shooting of migratory birds passed. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 04 | Department of Commerce & Labor split into separate departments. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 08 | Internal Revenue Service begins to levy & collect income taxes. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 13 | Kansas legislature approves censorship of motion pictures. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 14 | John D Rockefeller gives $100 million to Rockefeller Foundation. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 16 | The 15,000-ton battleship Pennsylvania is launched at Newport News, Va. | Ref: 2 |
| Mar 31 | Record day for immigrants to America 6,745 people arrive at Ellis Island, NY. | Ref: 10 |
| Apr 08 | The 17th Amendment is ratified, requiring direct election of senators. | Ref: 2 |
| May 02 | The Republic of China is recognized by the US and Mexico. | Ref: 17 |
| May 09 | The 17th amendment to the Constitution, providing for the election of U.S. senators by popular vote rather than selection by state legislatures, was ratified. | Ref: 70 |
| May 14 | John D. Rockefeller made the largest gift of money (to that time) by establishing the Rockefeller Foundation for $100,000,000. The foundation promotes “the well-being of mankind throughout the world.” | Ref: 17 |
| May 19 | Webb Alien Land-Holding Bill passes, forbidding Japs from owning land. | Ref: 5 |
| May 31 | The 17th amendment to the Constitution, providing for the popular election of US senators, was declared in effect. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 17 | U.S. Marines set sail from San Diego to protect American interests in Mexico. | Ref: 2 |
| Sep 10 | George W Buckner, named minister to Liberia. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 15 | First US milch goat show held, Rochester, NY. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 03 | Federal Income Tax signed into law (at 1%). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 21 | Camel brand cigarettes introduced to the public by the R.J. Reynolds company. | Ref: 10 |
| Nov 05 | Los Angeles gets water!Owens River Aqueduct opens guaranteeing 260 million gallons every day. | Ref: 10 |
- 1914
| Jan 28 | Beverly Hills incorporated; five square miles totally surrounded by Los Angeles. | Ref: 5 |
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| Feb 04 | US Congress approves Burnett-anti-immigration law. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 02 | The U.S. Federal Reserve Board announces plans to divide the country into 12 districts. | Ref: 2 |
| Apr 08 | US & Columbia sign a treaty concerning the Panama Canal Zone. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 20 | The "Ludlow Massacre." In an attempt to persuade strikers at Colorado's Ludlow Mine Field to return to work, company "guards," engaged by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and other mine operators and sworn
into the State Militia just for the occasion, attacked a union tent camp with machine guns, then set it afire. Five men, two women and 12 children died as a result. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 21 | U.S. Marines occupy Vera Cruz, Mexico. They will stay six months. | Ref: 2 |
| Apr 22 | México ends diplomatic relations with US. | Ref: 5 |
| May 07 | US Congress establishes Mother's Day. | Ref: 5 |
| May 09 | President Wilson proclaims Mother's Day. | Ref: 5 |
| May 21 | Greyhound Bus Company begins in Minnesota. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 17 | First transcontinental telephone line; U.S. telephone system wired from coast to coast. | Ref: 10 |
| Jun 27 | US signs treaty of commerce with Ethiopia. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 18 | Six planes of the US Army helped form an aviation division called the Signal Corps. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 05 | US, Nicaragua sign treaty granting canal rights to US. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 15 | The first ship passes through the Panama Canal. (TWA, 1958) | Ref: 95 |
| Sep 15 | President Woodrow Wilson orders the Punitive Expedition out of Mexico. The Expedition, headed by General John Pershing, had been searching for Pancho Villa, a Mexican revolutionary. | Ref: 2 |
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| Sep 26 | Federal Trade Commission formed to regulate interstate commerce. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 15 | The U.S. House of Representatives gives its seal of approval to what was termed "labor's charter of freedom"--the Clayton Anti-Trust Act. In essence, the Clayton Act legally sanctions unions, removing them from the jurisdiction of anti-trust laws. | Ref: 3 |
| Oct 22 | Congress passes the Revenue Act, mandating the first tax on incomes over $3,000. | Ref: 3 |
| Nov 16 | Federal Reserve System formally opens. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 20 | Photos became a requirement for folks who request passports from the U.S. State Department. | Ref: 4 |
- 1915
| Jan 09 | Pancho Villa signs a treaty with the United States, halting border conflicts. | Ref: 2 |
| Jan 12 | The U.S. Congress establishes Rocky Mountain National Park. | Ref: 2 |
| Jan 16 | Congress authorizes $1 & $50 Panama-Pacific International Expo gold coin. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 21 | The first Kiwanis Club was founded, in Detroit | Ref: 70 |
| Jan 26 | Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado established. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 28 | The U.S. Coast Guard is founded (created from Life Saving & Revenue Cutter Services) to fight contraband trade and aid distressed vessels at sea. | Ref: 2 |
| Jan 28 | US President Wilson refuses to prohibit immigration of illiterates. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 12 | The cornerstone for the Lincoln Memorial was laid in Washington, D.C. | Ref: 70 |
| Feb 23 | Nevada enforces convenient divorce law. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 08 | First US navy minelayer, Baltimore, commissioned. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 16 | The Federal Trade Commission began operation. The U.S. government appointed five commissioners to receive $10,000 each year to regulate commerce and prohibit unlawful trade. | Ref: 4 |
| Jun 15 | US government mints first $50 gold pieces, for Panama Pacific Expo. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 28 | US forces invade Haiti, stays until 1924. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 04 | The US military places Haiti under martial law to quell a rebellion in its capital Port-au-Prince. | Ref: 2 |
| Sep 16 | US takes control of customs & finances of Haiti for 10 years. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 04 | The bill establishing Dinosaur National Monument was signed | Ref: 62 |
| Oct 12 | Theodore Roosevelt criticizes US citzens with dual nationalities. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 02 | First US election by proportional representation, Ashtabula, Ohio. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 27 | US Marines occupy Haiti. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 04 | F F Fletcher is first admiral to receive Congressional Medal of Honor. | Ref: 5 |
- 1916
| Jan 27 | President Woodrow Wilson opens preparedness program. | Ref: 2 |
| Feb 02 | U.S. Senate votes independence for Philippines, effective in 1921. | Ref: 2 |
| Feb 23 | Congress authorizes McKinley Memorial $1 gold coin. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 23 | Secretary of State Lansing hints that the U.S. may have to abandon the policy of avoiding "entangling foreign alliances". | Ref: 2 |
| Feb 28 | Haiti becomes the first U.S. protectorate. | Ref: 2 |
| Mar 08 | US invades Cuba for 3rd time, this to end corrupt Menocal regime. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 09 | Mexican raiders led by Pancho Villa attacked Columbus, New Mexico, killing 17 people. | Ref: 94 |
| Mar 15 | General John Pershing and his 15,000 troops chase Pancho Villa into Mexico. | Ref: 2 |
| Mar 16 | US & Canada sign Migratory bird treaty. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 19 | The First Aerosquadron takes off from Columbus, NM to join Gen. John J. Pershing and his Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa in Mexico. | Ref: 2 |
| Mar 31 | General John Pershing and his army rout Pancho Villa's army in Mexico. | Ref: 2 |
| Apr 17 | The American Academy of Arts and Letters obtained its charter from Congress. | Ref: 4 |
| May 05 | US marines invade Dominican Republic, stay until 1924. | Ref: 5 |
| May 15 | US Marines land in Santo Domingo to quell civil disorder. | Ref: 2 |
| May 20 | Saturday Evening Post cover features Norman Rockwell painting. | Ref: 5 |
| May 29 | US forces invade Dominican Republic, stay until 1924. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 01 | The National Defense Act increases the strength of the U.S. National Guard by 450,000 men. | Ref: 2 |
| Jun 03 | ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) authorized by National Defense Act. | Ref: 1 |
| Jun 15 | President Woodrow Wilson signs a bill incorporating the Boy Scouts of America. | Ref: 2 |
| Jun 15 | Native Americans are proclaimed US citizens. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 11 | First federal grant-in-aid for state roads enacted | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 04 | The United States purchases the Danish Virgin Islands for $25 million. | Ref: 70 |
| Aug 25 | The National Park Service was established within the Department of the Interior. | Ref: 70 |
| Nov 29 | US occupation of Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic is proclaimed, martial law is declared. | Ref: 5 |
- 1917
| Jan 17 | The US buys the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25M | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 28 | US forces abandon their mission to capture Pancho Villa. | Ref: 3 |
| Feb 05 | Congress passed, over President Wilson's veto, the Immigration Act severely curtailing the influx of Asians by requiring literacy tests. | Ref: 70 |
| Feb 19 | American troops are recalled from the Mexican border. | Ref: 2 |
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| Mar 01 | First federal land bank chartered. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 02 | Congress passes the Jones Act making Puerto Rico a territory of the United States and makes the inhabitants U.S. citizens. | Ref: 2 |
| Mar 03 | Congress passes first excess profits tax on corporations. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 08 | The U.S. Senate voted to limit filibusters by adopting the cloture rule. | Ref: 70 |
| Mar 08 | US invades Cuba for 3rd time. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 22 | One week after socialist revolutionaries forced Russian Czar Nicholas II to abdicate, the United States becomes the first government in the world to recognize Russia’s provincial government. | Ref: 3 |
| Mar 31 | US purchases Danish West Indies for $25M from Denmark & renames them Virgin Islands | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 15 | Congress passed the Espionage Act of 1917. The act forbade espionage, interference with the draft, or attempts to discourage loyalty. It greatly increased the BOI's ability to deal with espionage and subversion during the war, but a lack of personnel hampered Bureau efforts in enforcing the law. | Ref: 14 |
| Jul 10 | Emma Goldman imprisoned for obstructing the draft. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 05 | The National Guard becomes a U. S. Federal Service. | |
| Nov 02 | Lansing-Ishii Agreement; US recognizes Japan's privileges in China. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 01 | Father Edward Flanagan opened Boys Town, a farm village for wayward boys (and for girls since 1979), in an area west of Omaha, Nebraska. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 12 | Father Edward Flanagan founds Boys Town outside Omaha, Neb. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 18 | The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution is passed by Congress. It will be ratified by the states on January 16th, 1919. | Ref: 3 |
- 1918
| Jan 01 | The first gasoline pipeline begins operation. It runs approximately 40 miles from Salt Creek to Casper, Wyoming in 3-inch pipe. | Ref: 2 |
| Jan 08 | (Prohibition) Mississippi becomes the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment banning the sale of alcoholic beverages in the US. (XDG, p 4A, 1/8/2001) | Ref: 83 |
| Feb 09 | Army chaplain school organized at Fort Monroe VA. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 06 | US naval collier "Cyclops" disappears in Bermuda Triangle. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 07 | President Wilson authorizes US Army's Distinguished Service Medal. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 11 | Save the Redwoods League founded. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 13 | Women are scheduled to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York due to a shortage of men. | Ref: 2 |
| Mar 14 | The first seagoing ship made of concrete was launched at Redwood City, CA, near San Francisco. The ship was named Faith and those who launched her had plenty of that. Faith cost $750,000 to build. | Ref: 39 |
| Mar 19 | Standard time in time zones is established in U.S. law by the Standard Time Act of 1918 Ref. | |
| Mar 31 | Daylight saving time went into effect throughout the United States for the first time. | Ref: 4 |
| Apr 03 | House of Representatives accepts American Creed written by William Tyler. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 23 | National Urban League forms. | Ref: 5 |
| May 20 | First electrically propelled warship (the New Mexico). | Ref: 5 |
| May 21 | House of Representatives passes amendment allowing women to vote. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 04 | Altar dedicated at full-scale replica of Stonehenge at Maryhill, Wa. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 06 | President Wilson agrees to American intervention in Siberia. | |
| Jul 09 | US Army's Distinguished Service Cross authorized. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 15 | Diplomatic relations are cut off between US and USSR | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 27 | Dr Joseph L Johnson named minister to Liberia. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 01 | US troops land in Vladivostok, Siberia. They will stay until 1920. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 03 | The United States recognizes the nation of Czechoslovakia. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 30 | John E Hoover decides to be called J Edgar Hoover. | Ref: 5 |
- 1919
| Jan 13 | (Prohibition) California votes to ratify the prohibition amendment. | Ref: 2 |
| Jan 16 | (Prohibition) Nebraska, Wyoming and Missouri became the 36th, 37th and 38th states to ratify Prohibition. | Ref: 70 |
| Jan 29 | (Prohibition) The 18th amendment, prohibition of liquor, was proclaimed | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 15 | American Legion organizes in Paris. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 23 | The USS Osmond Ingram is launched. It is the first US Navy vessel named for an enlisted man. (XDG, p 4A, 2/23/2001) | Ref: 83 |
| Feb 26 | The Grand Canyon was established as a National Park by an act of the U.S. Congress. | Ref: 4 |
| Feb 26 | Acadia National Park established (as Lafayette National Park), Maine. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 15 | The American Legion is founded, in Paris. | Ref: 70 |
| Mar 19 | Congress authorizes Daylight Savings Time. | Ref: 2 |
| Jun 04 | The 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, giving nationwide suffrage to women, is proposed by Congress. | Ref: 15 |
| Jun 04 | US marines invade Costa Rica. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 30 | Attorney General Palmer directed that the BOI (forerunner of the FBI) be placed under the Assistant Attorney General's direction. William E. Flynn, former Chief of the Secret Service, was named Director of the BOI. | Ref: 14 |
| Aug 18 | The Anti-Cigarette League of America was formed in Chicago, Illinois. | |
| Sep 09 | Most of Boston's 1500-man police force goes on strike. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 11 | US marines invade Honduras. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 16 | The American Legion is incorporated by an act of Congress. | Ref: 70 |
| Oct 08 | (Prohibition) The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives pass the Volstead Prohibition Enforcement Bill. | Ref: 2 |
| Oct 28 | (Prohibition) Over President Wilson's veto, Congress passes the National Prohibition Act, or Volstead Act, named after its promoter, Congressman Andrew J. Volstead, which provides enforcement guidelines for the Prohibition Amendment. | Ref: 2 |
| Oct 28 | Congress passed the National Motor Vehicle Theft Act, also known as the Dyer Act. This act authorized the Bureau to investigate auto thefts that crossed state lines. Prior to the passage of this act, jurisdictional boundaries between states hampered the ability of law enforcement officials to thwart interstate auto theft rings. | Ref: 14 |
| Nov 10 | The American Legion held its first national convention, in Minneapolis. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 15 | Senate first invokes cloture to end a filibuster (Versailles Treaty). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 19 | Zion National Park approved by Congress | Ref: 62 |
| Dec 11 | The kind citizens of Enterprise, AL dedicated the first known monument to an insect! The town turned out to honor the boll weevil; the evil weevil that destroyed cotton plants. However, by forcing folks to diversify their crops, the farmers wound up tripling their income. Thus, the tribute to those bugs. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 19 | American Meteorological Society found. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 20 | US House of Representatives restricts immigration. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 21 | J Edgar Hoover deports anarchists/feminist Emma Goldman to Russia. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 22 | Amid a strike for union recognition by 395,000 steelworkers (ultimately unsuccessful), approximately 250 "anarchists" including anarchist Emma Goldman, "communists," and "labor agitators" were deported to Russia, marking the beginning of the so-called "Red Scare." | Ref: 59 |
- 1920
| Jan 15 | The United States approves a $150 million loan to Poland, Austria and Armenia to aid in their war with the Russian communists. | Ref: 2 |
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US History 1910 to 1919 Chronology