What happened in 1914
51 entries recorded for 1914, listed by date. That was 112 years ago.
1914 at a glance
- Years ago
- 112 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 20th century
- Decade
- 1910s
- Generation born
- Greatest Generation
- Entries here
- 51
- Breakdown
- 51 historical events
January
- January 1
St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line
The St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line in the U.S. state of Florida became the first scheduled airline using a winged aircraft.
- January 11
Karluk (ship)
The Karluk, the flagship of the Canadian Arctic Expedition, sank after being crushed by ice.
February
- February 7
Kid Auto Races at Venice
Kid Auto Races at Venice, featuring the first appearance of comedy actor Charlie Chaplin's character the Tramp, was released.
- February 14
Gertie the Dinosaur
The animated film Gertie the Dinosaur was released, later greatly influencing future animators such as the Fleischer brothers and Walt Disney.
- February 26
HMHS Britannic
RMS Britannic, the third and largest Olympic-class ocean liner of the White Star Line after RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic, was launched at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
- February 28
Balkan Wars
In the aftermath of the Balkan Wars, Greeks living in southern Albania proclaimed the short-lived Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus.
April
- April 20
Colorado National Guard
A fire and a gun battle between the Colorado National Guard and striking coal miners led to 17 deaths in the Ludlow Massacre.
- April 24
Franck–Hertz experiment
The Franck–Hertz experiment, the first electrical measurement to clearly demonstrate quantum mechanics, was presented to the German Physical Society.
May
- May 17
Protocol of Corfu
Under the Protocol of Corfu, the Principality of Albania officially recognized Northern Epirus as an autonomous self-governing region.
- May 30
RMS Aquitania
RMS Aquitania, the last surviving four-funnel ocean liner, departed from Liverpool on her maiden voyage to New York City.
June
- June 11
1914 Kenwood House ball
Around 2,000 members of European society attended a ball at Kenwood House, England, in one of the last major social events before the outbreak of the First World War.
- June 12
Ottoman Empire
As part of the Ottoman Empire's policies of ethnic cleansing, Turkish irregulars began a six-day massacre in the predominantly Greek town of Phocaea.
- June 28
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip (pictured), a Yugoslav nationalist, sparking the outbreak of World War I.
July
- July 11
USS Nevada (BB-36)
The US Navy launched the USS Nevada (BB-36) as its first Standard-type battleship.
- July 20
George V
George V reviewed more than 200 Royal Navy vessels at Spithead, England.
- July 29
River monitor
The first shots of World War I were fired by the Austro-Hungarian river monitor Bodrog on Serbian defences near Belgrade.
- July 29
Cape Cod Canal
The Cape Cod Canal (pictured), connecting Cape Cod Bay and Buzzards Bay in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, opened on a limited basis.
August
- August 2
Grand Quartier Général (1914–1919)
The French army's general headquarters was activated in anticipation of war with Germany.
- August 4
World War I
World War I: Adhering to the terms of the Treaty of London, the United Kingdom declared war on Germany in response to the latter's invasion of Belgium.
- August 7
Battle of Mulhouse
The Battle of Mulhouse began with France's first attack of World War I in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to recover the region of Alsace from Germany.
- August 8
Endurance (1912 ship)
The Endurance departed Plymouth, England, on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
- August 12
World War I
World War I: Belgian troops won a victory at the Battle of Halen, but were ultimately unable to stop the German invasion of Belgium.
- August 17
World War I
World War I: Ignoring orders to retreat, Hermann von François led a successful counterattack defending East Prussia at the Battle of Stallupönen and scored the first German victory in the Eastern Front.
- August 22
World War I
First World War: German forces captured Rossignol in Belgium, taking more than 3,800 French prisoners.
- August 23
World War I
In their first major action of the First World War, the British Expeditionary Force engaged German troops in Mons, Belgium.
- August 24
Battle of Cer
The Battle of Cer ended with the first Allied victory of World War I.
- August 25
World War I
World War I: During the sack of Louvain in Belgium, German troops burned the town's Catholic university, destroying hundreds of medieval manuscripts.
- August 26
World War I
World War I: The German colony of Togoland surrendered to French and British forces after a 20-day campaign.
- August 29
Macaroni Riots
Due to price increases on macaroni products, rioting occurred in the Little Italy area of Providence, Rhode Island.
- August 30
World War I
World War I: The Battle of Tannenberg resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russian 2nd Army by the German 8th Army.
September
- September 1
Passenger pigeon
The passenger pigeon, which once numbered in the billions, became extinct when the last individual died in captivity.
- September 11
World War I
First World War: The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force invaded German New Guinea, winning the Battle of Bita Paka.
- September 13
World War I
World War I: The French army repulsed a German assault against their positions on high ground near the city of Nancy.
- September 14
HMAS AE1
HMAS AE1 (pictured), the Royal Australian Navy's first submarine, was lost at sea; its wreck was not found until 2017.
- September 17
Andrew Fisher
Andrew Fisher, who in his previous term as premier oversaw a period of reform unmatched in the Commonwealth until the 1940s, became Prime Minister of Australia for the third time.
- September 22
World War I
First World War: The German submarine U-9 sank three Royal Navy cruisers, resulting in approximately 1,450 deaths.
October
- October 7
Pohnpei
Japan captured Pohnpei from Germany, eventually leading to large-scale Japanese immigration to Micronesia.
- October 7
Rudolf Steiner
In a death that Rudolf Steiner terms a voluntary sacrifice and that inspires Edith Maryon's relief In Memory of Theo Faiss (pictured), seven-year-old Theo Faiss was crushed by an overturned horse wagon.
- October 9
World War I
World War I: The civilian authorities of Antwerp surrendered and allowed the German army to capture the city.
- October 17
Texel
Off the coast of the Dutch island of Texel, a British naval squadron sank the German 7th Half Flotilla of torpedo boats in the Battle off Texel.
- October 19
World War I
First World War: Allied forces began engaging German troops at the First Battle of Ypres.
- October 27
World War I
World War I: The Royal Navy dreadnought HMS Audacious was sunk by a mine, but its loss was kept secret for four years.
November
- November 1
World War I
World War I: The first contingent of the First Australian Imperial Force departed Albany, Western Australia.
- November 9
World War I
World War I: Off the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Australian light cruiser Sydney sank Emden, the last active German warship in the Indian Ocean, at the Battle of Cocos.
- November 13
Zaian War
Zaian War: Zaian Berber tribesmen routed French forces at the Battle of El Herri in Morocco.
- November 16
World War I
World War I: Austro-Hungarian forces launched an assault against Serbian defensive positions at the Kolubara river, beginning the Battle of Kolubara.
- November 26
HMS Bulwark (1899)
A large internal explosion destroyed HMS Bulwark near Sheerness, killing 741 people on board.
December
- December 5
Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition
The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition began in an attempt to make the first land crossing of Antarctica.
- December 16
World War I
First World War: The Imperial German Navy attacked ports in northern England, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties.
- December 24
World War I
World War I: British and German soldiers interrupted fighting to celebrate Christmas, beginning the Christmas truce .
- December 25
HMT Night Hawk
The Royal Navy armed trawler Night Hawk sank after striking a mine, with the loss of six of her crew.
Questions about 1914
What happened in 1914?
This site records 51 entries for 1914, including St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line on January 1. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 1914?
112 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1914 turns 112 this year.
Which century is 1914 in?
1914 falls in the 20th century, in the 1910s.
Which generation was born in 1914?
Greatest Generation (1901–1927). Grew up in the Depression and fought in the Second World War.
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