American and world history continued to move along in the second decade of the twentieth century. The world was on an invention spree, and many new things entered the world scene and changed the way we live on this planet. Your ancestors who lived during this decade probably got to enjoy a lot of these things or at least celebrated the announcement of them. These are some of the things your ancestors probably took note of and appreciated during this unique decade in history.
Inventions to Make Things Easier at Home
There were several notable inventions in the 1910s that made things easier for the home. One of those things was the zipper. We think of the zipper as something that has been around forever, but it has only been a thing that helps us more easily get into our clothes for about a century. Stainless steel, that favored metal of kitchen utensils, was also invented during this decade. In addition, making toast became much easier with the invention of the pop-up toaster.
Making War Became Easier, Too
The army tank was invented during this decade, just in time to be used in WWI. The British, French, and German armies used them. The US Army began using them in WWII, three decades later, but this use was possible by the invention of the tank during the 1910s.
Important Scientific Discoveries
The area of science enjoyed a few important leaps during this decade. The most memorable of these was the Theory of General Relativity that Albert Einstein put forth for the first time in 1916. The diffraction of x-rays by crystals was discovered by Max von Laue during this decade. Also, the theory of continental drift was announced to the scientific community in 1912 by its discoverer, Alfred Wegener.
Movies Take a Leap Forward in the USA
While the world’s first feature film was released in Australia, the USA had its first feature film released six years later in 1912, with the release of Oliver Twist. In addition, the first ever mob film, The Musketeers of Pig Alley, directed by the famous D.W. Griffith, was released the same year as Oliver Twist. Around this same time, the entertainment capital of the United States moved from New York City to Hollywood, California.
The first Tarzan movie, Tarzan of the Apes, which starred Elmo Lincoln, was released in 1918. Your ancestors in this decade may have been to any of these movies or knew someone who did and who told them about these pioneering theatrical releases. The same year the Tarzan movie was released, Warner Brothers Studio was opened in Burbank, California by brothers Harry, Albert, Samuel, and Jack Warner. The first movie studio to be owned by an African American was opened a year before Warner Brothers and was called Lincoln Motion Picture Company.
Additional Things that Made Life More Enjoyable in the 1910s
The world’s first crossword puzzle was invented and published in 1913. This decade also saw the first recording of what we now call jazz music. This was an exciting decade for most of the people in the world and gave us inventions we still use and enjoy today.