Kalpana Kalpana (Editor)

July 1914

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July 1914

The following events occurred in July 1914:

Contents

July 1, 1914 (Wednesday)

  • July Crisis – Austria-Hungary received confirmation from Germany that they could expect full support from their ally should they choose to wage war against Serbia in response to Serbian nationalists assassinating Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. With some diplomatic reports alleging Dragutin Dimitrijević, Chief of Serbian Military Intelligence, and others in the Serbian government being involved in the assassination plot, Russian Ambassador Nicholas Hartwig met with officials in Belgrade to advise on the best maneuvers for Serbia to take during the crisis.
  • The Naval Wing of the British Royal Flying Corps was separated from the Royal Air Force and established as a separate service, the Royal Naval Air Service, under the control of the Royal Navy.
  • The United States Navy established its first air department, the Bureau of Aeronautics.
  • Survivors of the Karluk shipwreck raised the Canadian flag on Wrangel Island in the Bering Sea in honour of Dominion Day. There were now 14 survivors of the original 25 people that survived the sinking in January. Fortunately, Karluk captain Robert Bartlett had reached Alaska and was now arranging rescue ships.
  • While re-shooting scenes for the western Across the Border in Colorado, actress Grace McHugh fell into the Arkansas River while being filmed crossing the water on horseback. Owen Carter, the production's cinematographer, dived in to save McHugh, but both drowned. Their deaths resulted in a push to develop professional stunt actors to handle dangerous action sequences in movie production.
  • Born: Stephen Juba, Canadian politician, 37th Mayor of Winnipeg, first Ukrainian Canadian to hold political high office, in Winnipeg (d. 1993); Sara Seegar, American actress, best known for the role of "Mrs Wilson" in the 1960s TV series Dennis the Menace, in Greentown, Indiana (d. 1990); Christl Cranz, German alpine skier, gold medal winner at the 1936 Winter Olympics, in Brussels (d. 2004)
  • Born: Mahmood Khan Durrani, Indian-Pakistani soldier during World War Two, recipient of the George Cross, in Multan, British India (d. 1995); Rudolf Pflanz, German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War Two, in Ichenheim, Germany (d. 1942, killed in combat); Orli Wald, French-German resistance fighter, member of the German Resistance during World War Two, known as the "Angel of Auschwitz" which she escaped in 1945, in Bourell, France (d. 1962)
  • Died: Edmund Payne, British actor, major comedic lead in many of the 1800s Edwardian musical comedies (b. 1865)

    • July 2, 1914 (Thursday)

  • July Crisis – Kaiser Wilhelm II received recommendation from the German military for Austria-Hungary to attack Serbia as quickly as possible, since Germany was more prepared to mobilize than either Russia or France.
  • After delays, the first issue of the Vorticism art magazine Blast was distributed.
  • Born: Frederick Fennell, American conductor, best known for his recordings with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, in Cleveland (d. 2004)
  • Died: Joseph Chamberlain, British politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1895 to 1903 (b. 1836)

    • July 3, 1914 (Friday)

  • The Simla Accord was sealed by Great Britain and Tibet despite objections from China, which rejected the Accord entirely. British and Tibetan plenipotentiaries attached a note denying China any privileges under the Accord and sealed it as a bilateral agreement. The Accord redefined borders between Tibet and British India. It also divided Tibet into two political regions, with the "outer" territory under Tibetan rule from the capital of Lhasa while the "inner" region fell under Chinese control.
  • A state funeral was held for Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Vienna, with Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and other members of the imperial family in attendance.
  • Born: Pat Pattle, South African-British World War Two Royal Air Force fighter pilot and flying ace, in Butterworth, Eastern Cape, South Africa (d. 1941, killed at the Battle of Athens); George Bruns, American composer, composed many film scores for Disney Films including "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" for Pirates of the Caribbean, in Sandy, Oregon (d. 1983)
  • Born: Don Haggerty, American actor, known for roles in Sands of Iwo Jima and Angels in the Outfield, in Poughkeepsie, New York (d. 1988); Carl Scarborough, American racer, whose his death from heat exhaustion during the 1953 Indianapolis 500 resulted in new rules implemented to ensure all drivers have proper heat ventilation (d. 1953)
  • Died: Henry Willard Denison, American diplomat, U.S. ambassador to Japan during the Meiji period (b. 1846)

    • July 4, 1914 (Saturday)

  • July Crisis – On the same day Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg were interred at Artstetten Castle, Kaiser Wilhelm II declared that he was entirely for “settling accounts with Serbia”.
  • Lexington Avenue explosion – Arthur Caron, a member of Industrial Workers of the World, and three other people were killed in New York City when a bomb intended to kill John D. Rockefeller exploded prematurely in an apartment used as a base for the assassination plot.
  • The 38th staging of the Wimbledon Championships was held in England, but would not be staged for another four years due to World War One.
  • Australian tennis player Norman Brookes defeated New Zealander Tony Wilding with scores 6–4, 6–4, and 7–5 in the men's singles.
  • The two contenders in the men's singles finals teamed up on men's doubles finals and defeated Great Britain's Herbert Roper Barrett and Charles P. Dixon with scores of 6–1, 6–1, 5–7, and 8–6.
  • British tennis player Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers defeated compatriot Ethel Thomson Larcombe in the women's singles finals with scores of 7–5 and 6–4.
  • Larcombe also didn't fare so well with partner Edith Hannam in women's doubles finals, with both getting beaten by American tennis player Elizabeth Ryan and British partner Agnes Morton with scores of 6–1 and 6–3.
  • Larcombe did walk away with a championship title in the mixed doubles finals with James Parke, with the two defeating Wilding and French partner Marguerite Broquedis with scores of 4–6, 6–4, and 6–2.
  • The Paris Yiddish-language labour movement journal The Jewish Worker published its last issue, after its pacifist stance led to a break away from the rest of the French labour movement.
  • Born: Nuccio Bertone, Italian automobile designer, designed many renowned Fiat and Lamborghini models, in Turin, Italy (d. 1997); Timmie Rogers, American comedian, often referred to as the Jackie Robinson of comedy since he was the first African-American stand-up comedian to interact directly with the audience, in Detroit (d. 2006)
  • Died: James Lawrence, American politician, 17th Ohio Attorney General (b. 1851); Sydney Grundy, British dramatist, best known for the comedic opera Haddon Hall (b. 1848)

    • July 5, 1914 (Sunday)

  • July Crisis – A council was held at Potsdam, where leaders from Austria-Hungary and Germany met to discuss possibilities of war with Serbia, Russia, and France, concluding it had become necessary "to eliminate Serbia" in spite of expected resistance from her allies. Their option to go to war was further reinforced by letters from Helmuth von Moltke, Chief of the German General Staff, and Emperor Franz Joseph that both stated war was necessary to preserve the monarchy.
  • July Crisis – Based on further police interrogations, Governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina Oskar Potiorek telegraphed Vienna to report Serbian Major Voja Tankosić had given instruction to the Serbian nationalists involved in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.
  • July Crisis – A revised letter from Austria-Hungary was sent to Germany proposing an alliance with Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire against Russia, with the addition of action against Serbia. Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph added his own letter to Kaiser Wilhelm II where he advocated ending Serbia as a political power.
  • Born: Jean Tabaud, French artist, known for portraits of many of famous families including the Fords and the Duponts, in Saujon, France (d. 1996); Alain de Boissieu, French army chief-of-staff from 1971 to 1975, recipient of the Order of Liberation, in Chartres, France (d. 2006); Toralf Westermoen, Norwegian engineer, developer of high speed craft (d. 1986)
  • Born: Jim Watt, New Zealand rugby player and medical academic, New Zealand's first professor of paediatrics, appointed at the University of Otago in 1967, in Dunedin, New Zealand (d. 1988); Annie Fischer, Hungarian classical pianist, known for her recorded performances of Beethoven and other classical composers through BBC Records and various other recording companies, in Budapest (d. 1995)

    • July 6, 1914 (Monday)

  • Komagata Maru incident – The Court of Appeal of British Columbia gave a unanimous judgement that under new orders-in-council, it had no authority to interfere with the decisions of the Department of Immigration and Colonization, allowing the Canadian government legal standing to order Vancouver harbour's tug Sea Lion to push the Japanese vessel out to sea with more than 300 Sikhs and other British Indian subjects on board.
  • July Crisis – British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey received warning from German ambassador Karl Max of likely war in the Balkans, but Grey was optimistic “that a peaceful solution would be reached” through Anglo-German co-operation. Meanwhile, Kaiser Wilhelm II went on his annual cruise of the North Sea at the insistence of his courtiers, even though he wished to remain in Berlin until the crisis was resolved.
  • The 6th French Grand Prix, organised by the Automobile Club de France (ACF), was run at Lyon over 752.58 km (37.629 km x 20 laps). The winner was Christian Lautenschlager of Germany driving a Mercedes 18/100 in 7:08:18.4. The race was retrospectively referred to as the XIV Grand Prix de l´ACF.
  • Celebrated Uruguayan poet Delmira Agustini (b. 1886) was murdered in her Montevideo home by her ex-husband Enrique Job Reyes, a month after the couple had divorced. Reyes shot her twice before turning the gun on himself. They had married in 1913 but Agustini left Reyes a month later. On the centennial of her death, the city of Montevideo unveiled a statue of her by artist Martín Sastre in memory of the poet and other victims of gender-based violence.
  • A French fishing vessel in the English Channel off Boulogne, France found a body floating in the water. Although they did not retrieve the corpse, the crew described the body's clothing as belonging to a pilot and recovered from it a road map of southern England. The evidence suggested the body was of Gustav Hamel, who disappeared while flying on May 23.
  • Born: Vince McMahon, Sr., America professional wrestling promoter, manager of the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (now WWE), father of Vince McMahon, in New York City (d. 1984); Viola Desmond, Canadian black civil rights advocate, known for her court case that challenged racial segregation in Nova Scotia, in Halifax (d. 1965); Glenn Dunaway, American racer, won and then was disqualified from the first NASCAR race in 1949, in Kings Mountain, North Carolina (d. 1964, killed in a train collision)

    • July 7, 1914 (Tuesday)

  • July Crisis – Austria-Hungary convened a Council of Ministers, including Ministers for Foreign Affairs and War, the Chief of the General Staff and Naval Commander-in-Chief; the Council lasted from 11.30 a.m. to 6.15 p.m.
  • Serbian Prime Minister Nikola Pašić contradicted previous statements by his diplomats saying Serbia had warned Austria-Hungary about plots to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand, saying to the Hungarian daily newspaper Az Est that his foreign affairs office made no such warnings (and repeating it again to the Paris Edition of the New York Herald on July 20).
  • The Canadian Pacific Railway, owner of the ocean liner Empress of Ireland which sank in May, took possession of SS Storstad, the vessel that collided with the "Empress", and then sold it for $175,000 as part of its $2,000,000 lawsuit for damages against the Swedish ship's owners A. F. Klaveness & Co.
  • Regular scheduled service began on the Portland–Lewiston Interurban in Maine.
  • Barrow County, Georgia was founded with the county seat in Winder, Georgia.
  • Freddie Welsh defeated Willie Ritchie in over 20 rounds to win the World Lightweight Championship in London. Welsh held the title until 1917.
  • Born: Harry Strom, Canadian politician, 9th Premier of Alberta, in Burdett, Alberta (d. 1984); Anil Biswas, Indian film composer, known for scores in Kismet and Journey Beyond Three Seas, in Barisal, British India (d. 2003); Harvey B. Scribner, American educator and administrator, oversaw the integration of Teaneck Public Schools in New Jersey in 1965, in Albion, Maine (d. 2002)

    • July 8, 1914 (Wednesday)

  • July Crisis – The Council of Ministers for Austria-Hungary sent two recommended options to Emperor Franz Joseph on how to handle its crisis with Serbia. The first option was a surprise attack against the Balkan country and the second option was to place demands on Serbia before mobilization to provide a proper "juridical basis for a declaration of war".
  • Mexican Revolution – Mexican forces with revolutionary leader Álvaro Obregón defeated 6,000 federal troops sent out from Guadalajara to halt his progress.
  • While exiled in Tokyo, Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen reorganized the Kuomintang party under the new name Chinese Revolutionary Party after Yuan Shikai, self-proclaimed emperor of China, outlawed the political party.
  • John D. Rockefeller celebrated his 75th birthday playing golf in a foursome with Frank C. Folger, president of Standard Oil, Elias Johnson of New York and A.L. Gifford of Tarrytown. Rockfeller won the game, remarking "It takes us young boys to win."
  • Born: Jyoti Basu, Indian politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1977 to 2000, in Calcutta, British India (d. 2010); Sarah P. Harkness, American architect, co-founder of The Architects Collaborative, in Swampscott, Massachusetts (d. 2013); Billy Eckstine, jazz musician and singer, known for hits "I Apologize" and "My Foolish Heart", in Pittsburgh (d. 1993)
  • Born: Arthur Edward Ellis, British referee for association football, officiated for the 1950, 1954 and 1958 World Cups, in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England (d. 1999); Elisabeth Bing, German-American physical therapist, co-founder of Lamaze International, in Berlin (d. 2015)

    • July 9, 1914 (Thursday)

  • Mexican Revolution – Rebel soldiers under command of Alvaro Obregon captured Guadalajara. The revolutionaries routed 12,000 federal soldiers, killing 8,000 and capturing 5,000 more along with much of the federal army's artillery. The battle effectively ended the Victoriano Huerta regime.
  • July Crisis – Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph was advised the council was working on an ultimatum containing demands that were designed to be rejected, thus ensuring a war without the “odium of attacking Serbia without warning, put her in the wrong.”
  • Charlie Chaplin starred as a hapless dental assistant in Laughing Gas.
  • Born: Willi Stoph, German politician, Prime Minister of East Germany from 1964 to 1973, and 1976 to 1989, in Berlin (d. 1999); Curt Carlson, American businessman, founder of the hotel and travel chain Carlson, in Minneapolis (d. 1999)
  • Died: Henry Emmerson, Canadian politician, 8th Premier of New Brunswick (b. 1853); Fred A. Busse, American politician, 39th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1866); Jan Władysław Dawid, Polish psychologist, pioneer of educational psychology in Poland (b. 1859)

    • July 10, 1914 (Friday)

  • The Provisional Government of Ulster met for the first time in the Ulster Hall, where it vowed to keep Ulster in trust for the King and the British constitution.
  • July Crisis – Nicholas Hartwig, Russian Minister to Serbia, died suddenly while visiting Austrian minister Wladimir Giesl von Gieslingen at the Austrian Legation in Belgrade.
  • Rodmond Roblin and his Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba won the majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba during the Canadian province's 1914 general election.
  • German Reinhold Böhm flew his Albatros-biplane nonstop for 24 hours and 12 minutes without refueling. His one-man-flight record lasted until 1927.
  • The renowned Herald Square Theatre on Broadway was demolished to make room for expansion of the Garment District.
  • Born: Charles Donnelly, Irish poet and partisan fighter for the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War, in Killybrackey, Ireland (d. 1937, killed in action); Joe Shuster, Canadian-American comic book artist, co-created Superman with Jerry Siegel, in Toronto (d. 1992); William Anthony Paddon, Canadian physician and civic leader, 7th Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, in Indian Harbour, Labrador (d. 1995); Thein Pe Myint, Burmese journalist, author of Wartime Traveller and Over the Ashes, in Budalin, British Burma (d. 1978)

    • July 11, 1914 (Saturday)

  • July Crisis – The German foreign office sent a telegram on behalf of Kaiser Wilhelm II congratulating King Peter of Serbia on his birthday. Wilhelm ordered the goodwill telegram to be sent even though the German government knew of Austria-Hungary's intention to provoke war with Serbia: “As Vienna has so far inaugurated no action of any sort against Belgrade, the omission of the customary telegram would be too noticeable and might be the cause of premature uneasiness.... It should be sent.”
  • USS Nevada, the United States Navy's first "super-dreadnought" battleship, was launched, in sponsorship by Miss Eleanor Anne Seibert, niece of Nevada Governor Tasker Oddie and a descendant of the first Secretary of the Navy, Benjamin Stoddert. The launch was attended by several prominent members of the government, including Governor Oddie, Governor David I. Walsh of Massachusetts, Senator Key Pittman of Nevada, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels and Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt, who would later become the 32nd President of the United States.
  • Over 5,000 attended a rally in Union Square, Manhattan, called by the Anti-Militarist League to commemorate the anarchists killed in the July 4 Lexington Avenue bombing.
  • Baseball legend Babe Ruth made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox.
  • American aviator Walter L. Brock won the London-Paris return air race.
  • Publisher William P. Beard, an ally to South Carolina politician Coleman Livingston Blease, ran the first edition of the weekly newspaper Abbeville Scimitar in Abbeville, South Carolina. The paper became notorious for racist editorials, including the endorsement of lynching. The paper was closed in 1917 after Beard was convicted of sedition for opposing the United States entrance to World War One on racist grounds.
  • The Karkamış to Ceylanpınar line of the Baghdad Railway opened in Iraq.
  • Born: George Malcher, Polish historian, author of Poland's Politicized Army (1984), and Blank Pages, Soviet Genocide Against the Polish People (1993), in Upper Silesia, German Empire (now part of Poland) (d. 2001); Tommy Bartlett, American water skier and entertainment mogul, best known for the Tommy Bartlett's Thrill Show tourist attraction in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, in Milwaukee (d. 1998); John Hall Archer, Canadian academic, author of Saskatchewan: A History, first president of the University of Regina, in Broadview, Saskatchewan (d. 2004)

    • July 12, 1914 (Sunday)

  • July Crisis – In response to pressure from the German government on Austria-Hungary's Council of Ministers to resolve their indecision about whether to choose war or peace, Foreign Minister Count Leopold Berchtold presented the German foreign office with a draft of the ultimatum which would be presented to Serbia after the summit between French President Raymond Poincaré and Nicholas II of Russia.
  • July Crisis – Muhamed Mehmedbašić was the last of the group of assassins to be apprehended for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. He escaped to Montenegro during unrest following the death of the Archduke but was arrested and imprisoned in Nikšić. After admitting his involvement in the assassination plot, Mehmedbašić escaped two days later to Serbia and eluded capture throughout the entire war.
  • Rebel forces capture Berat in southern Albania.
  • A Chinese naval gunboat exploded in Shanghai harbour, killing 35 naval cadets.
  • Casale F.B.C. beat S.S. Lazio with an aggregate score of 9-1 to win the Italian Football Championship.
  • Born: Mohammad Moin, Iranian scholar, lead researcher in Persian literature, in Rasht, Iran (d. 1971); Davis McCaughey, Irish-Australian politician and pastoral minister, Governor of Victoria from 1986 to 1992, in Belfast (d. 2005)
  • Died: Horace H. Lurton, Supreme Court of the United States judge (b. 1844)

    • July 13, 1914 (Monday)

  • July Crisis – The Austrian investigation into the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria reported to Vienna there was little evidence to support the Serbian government in general was accessory to the plot.
  • Captain Robert Bartlett of the HMCS Karluk departed from Alaska on the Bear for Wrangel Island in the Bering Sea after obtaining permission from the United States government. Unknown to him, there were now only 14 survivors from the shipwreck still on the island.
  • Born: Sam Hanks, American racer, winner of the 1957 Indianapolis 500 (d. 1994); Franz von Werra, Swiss-German Luftwaffe pilot, only German POW to successfully escape from an Allied prison camp and return to Germany, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, in Leuk, Switzerland (d. 1941, killed in plane crash)
  • Died: Joan Röell, Dutch politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1894 to 1897 (b. 1844); Peter Youree, American businessman, developed key public works and real estate landmarks in Shreveport, Louisiana (b. 1843); Charles Buls, Belgian politician, mayor of Brussels, advocated preserving much of Brussels historic neighbourhoods (b. 1837)

    • July 14, 1914 (Tuesday)

  • The Government of Ireland Bill completed its passage through the House of Lords of the United Kingdom. It allowed Ulster counties to vote on whether or not they wish to participate in Home Rule from Dublin.
  • July Crisis – Hungarian Prime Minister István Tisza broke after holding out for days for a peaceful solution with Serbia and agreed with the rest of the Council of Ministers to support war, since he feared a policy of peace would lead to Germany renouncing the Dual Alliance of 1879.
  • Born: George Putnam, American news reporter and news anchor, anchored for all four independent news stations in Los Angeles, in Breckenridge, Minnesota (d. 2008); Lloyd G. Davies, American businessman and civic politician, city council member for Los Angeles from 1943 to 1951, in Los Angeles (d. 1957); Wim Hora Adema, Dutch author, co-founder of the feminist magazine Opzij, in Leeuwarderadeel, Netherlands (d. 1998)
  • Died: Maria Zambaco, Greek artist and model for the Pre-Raphaelites (b. 1843)

    • July 15, 1914 (Wednesday)

  • Mexican Revolution – Victoriano Huerta resigned as president of Mexico and left for Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz. Francisco S. Carvajal succeeded him as the 36th President of Mexico, holding the office for a month while power was transitioned to Venustiano Carranza.
  • Doctors in Tyumen, Russia declared Grigori Rasputin out of medical danger as the monk and spiritual adviser to the Romanov royal family recovered from an assassination attempt in Siberia. Rasputin was attacked and stabbed in the abdomen by a peasant woman who believed he was spreading temptation among the innocent. Tsar Nicholas II of Russia sent his own royal physician to Tyumen to treat Rasputin.
  • Bowring Park was officially opened by Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
  • Born: Akhtar Hameed Khan, Pakistani social scientist, pioneer of micro-crediting in developing countries, in Agra, British India (d. 1999); Gavin Maxwell, Scottish naturalist and leader researcher in otters, author of Ring of Bright Water, Elrig, Scotland (d. 1969); Hammond Innes, British novelist, known for adventure novels such as The Wreck of the Mary Deare and Golden Soak, in Horsham, England (d. 1998)
  • Born: Michael Maccagno, Italian-Canadian politician, leader of the Alberta Liberal Party from 1964 to 1968, in Piozzo, Italy (d. 2000); Jack French, Australian soldier during World War Two, recipient of the Victoria Cross, in Crows Nest, Queensland, Australia (d. 1942, killed at the Battle of Milne Bay); Hans Ehlers, German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War Two, in Hennstedt, Germany (d. 1944, killed in combat)

    • July 16, 1914 (Thursday)

  • July Crisis – The Russian ambassador to Austria-Hungary warned St. Petersburg that "the Austro-Hungarian government at the conclusion of the inquiry intends to make certain demands on Belgrade" and would be deemed "unacceptable” by Russia.
  • Maurice Guillaux left Melbourne to fly to Sydney in a Blériot monoplane in the first delivery of airmail. He arrived in Sydney on 18 July after nine and a half hours of flying time.
  • The Sopwith Type 807 made its maiden flight as a landplane before it was outfitted with a floatplane undercarriage.
  • The first Japanese philatelic magazine Yuraku was published as the organ of The Yurakukai (Philatelic Society of Japan).
  • Born: Ruth M. Jefford, American aviator, first woman licensed to be a flight instructor out of Merrill Field, in Anchorage, Alaska (d. 2007); Joseph A. Sims, political lawyer, legal adviser to Louisiana Governor Earl Long, in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 1973)
  • Died: Montgomery Schuyler, American arts journalist, columnist for the New York Times and managing editor for Harper's Weekly from 1885 to 1887 (b. 1843)

    • July 17, 1914 (Friday)

  • July Crisis – The German Army's quartermaster general wrote to Foreign Minister Gottlieb von Jagow to confirm, “I can move at a moment’s notice. We in the General Staff are ready: there is nothing more for us to do at this juncture.”
  • After valiant attempt rebelling against press censorship by the Russian government, Yiddish journalists in St. Petersburg were forced to shut down the bi-weekly Undzer Tsayt (Our Times) again, not long after their original paper, Di Tsayt (The Time), was muzzled in June.
  • Born: Eleanor Steber, American opera singer, soprano singer for the Metropolitan Opera, in Wheeling, West Virginia (d. 1990); Paul Brand, British-American physician, lead researcher in treating leprosy, in Tamil Nadu, British India (d. 2003)
  • Died: Luis Uribe, Chilean naval officer, Vice-Admiral of the Chilean Navy and a hero of the War of the Pacific (b. 1847); William Piguenit, Australian artist, best known for his landscapes of Tasmania (b. 1836); Ernest E. West, American football player, head coach and player of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team (b. 1867); George Madison Bodge, American historian, author of Soldiers in King Philip's War (b. 1841)

    • July 18, 1914 (Saturday)

  • July Crisis – In response to rumors about an Austrian ultimatum, Serbian Prime Minister Nikola Pašić stated that he would not accept any measures that compromised Serbian sovereignty.
  • The United States Congress created an Aviation Section in the United States Army Signal Corps, giving definitive status to its air service for the first time.
  • British monarch George V inspected the British fleet at Spithead, which included 260 Royal Navy ships and 17 seaplanes.
  • Spectator seats for the trial of Henriette Caillaux, wife of French minister Joseph Caillaux, for the murder of newspaper editor Gaston Calmette were reported to be going for as high as $US 200.
  • Labor activist Joe Hill was sentenced to death by Utah state jury for the alleged murders of Salt Lake City store owner John G. Morrison and his son in January despite tenuous evidence.
  • Mahatma Gandhi left South Africa for Great Britain en route to India.
  • Born: Gino Bartali, Italian road cyclist, three-time winner of the Giro d'Italia and two-time champion of the Tour du France, in Florence, Italy (d. 2000); Anne Clark Martindell, American politician and diplomat, U.S. ambassador to New Zealand from 1979 to 1981, in New York City (d. 2008)

    • July 19, 1914 (Sunday)

  • Komagata Maru incident – The tugboat Sea Lion, with 35 armed immigration officers and 125 Vancouver police officers on board, attempted to force the Japanese vessel from Vancouver harbour. Passengers on the ship resisted, pelting the officers with coal and bricks while another with an ax chopped at a line the tug boat used to tie to the ship. When a gunman on board the Komagata Maru opened fire, the Sea Lion backed off.
  • July Crisis – The Council of Ministers in Vienna finalized the wording of the ultimatum to be presented to Serbia.
  • British monarch George V summoned a conference to discuss the Irish Home Rule problem. The meetings lasted from July 21 to July 24 without reaching consensus.
  • Born: John Kenneth Macalister, Canadian World War Two SOE agent, operated in France in 1943 to 1944 for the "Archdeacon" network, in Guelph, Ontario (d. 1944, executed in Buchenwald concentration camp); Marius Russo, American baseball player, pitcher for the New York Yankees from 1939 to 1946, in New York City (d. 2005)
  • Died: Francis Munroe Ramsay, American naval officer, commander of the USS Choctaw during the American Civil War (b. 1835); Johann Puch, Slovene mechanical engineer, founder of auto manufacturer Puch AG (b. 1862)

    • July 20, 1914 (Monday)

  • July Crisis – Germany began making preparations for war by mobilizing the German Navy and informing shipping companies to start withdrawing their ships from foreign waters back to German ports.
  • The trial of Henriette Caillaux began in Paris, with the accused murderer reportedly being kept in the same cell that held Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution between court appearances.
  • The final issue of La Vie Ouvrière (The Worker's Life) was published as part of a symbolic decision in the face of the outbreak of World War One.
  • The village of Highland, Alberta was incorporated before it was renamed Delia a year later.
  • Born: Dobri Dobrev, Bulgarian philanthropist, who collected an estimated 80,000 Bulgarian lev (40,000 euros) for charitable causes at the Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky in Sofia, Bulgaria since 2000 (still alive in 2014); Charilaos Florakis, Greek politician, leader of the Communist Party of Greece from 1972 to 1989, in Paliozoglopi, Greece (d. 2005); Masa Niemi, Finnish actor, best for known the character "Pätkä" (in English: Stub) in all thirteen original Pekka ja Pätkä movies, in Viipuri, Finland (d. 1960)
  • Born: Ersilio Tonini, Italian Roman Catholic cardinal, Archbishop for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia from 1975 to 1990, in San Giorgio Piacentino, Italy (d. 2013); Clayton Heafner, American golfer, seven-time winner of the PGA Tour, father of Vance Heafner, in Charlotte, North Carolina (d. 1960); Dilworth Wayne Woolley, Canadian-American biochemist, first to study the role serotonin plays in brain chemistry, in Raymond, Alberta (d. 1966)
  • Born: Richard J. Collins, American film and TV producer and director, known for TV programs Bonanza and Matlock, in New York City (d. 2013); John Pennington Harman, British soldier during World War Two, recipient of the Victoria Cross, in Beckenham, England (d. 1944, died at the Battle of Kohima)

    • July 21, 1914 (Tuesday)

  • Buckingham Palace Conference – Both Irish Nationalists and Irish Unionists met at the Royal Palace in London for a three-day peace conference. Those who attended were the Prime Minister H. H. Asquith, David Lloyd George, the Irish Parliamentary Party leader John Redmond, and his deputy John Dillon. The Unionists included Edward Carson, leader of the Irish Unionist Alliance, with Bonar Law, James Craig and Lord Henry Lansdowne. The Speaker of the House of Commons presided.
  • Komagata Maru incident – The Canadian government mobilized HMCS Rainbow, a former Royal Navy ship, with troops from the 11th Regiment Irish Fusiliers of Canada, 72nd Regiment "Seaforth Highlanders of Canada", and the 6th Regiment "The Duke of Connaught's Own Rifles", to force the Japanese vessel to return to India.
  • Astronomer Seth Barnes Nicholson first observed Sinope, one of the moons of the planet Jupiter at the Lick Observatory, although the satellite would not receive a name until 1975 when it was named after one of the daughters of the god Asopus.
  • Born: Philippe Ariès, French medievalist and historian, author of Centuries of Childhood, in Blois, France (d. 1984); Aleksander Kreek, Estonian athlete, gold medal winner of shot put at the 1938 European Athletics Championships, grandfather to Canadian Olympic rower Adam Kreek, in Lihula, Estonia (d. 1977); Markus Faulhaber, German officer in the Waffen SS during World War Two, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, Rottweil, Germany (d. 1945, killed in an auto accident)

    • July 22, 1914 (Wednesday)

  • Enver Pasha, Minister of War for the Ottoman Empire, proposed an Ottoman–German alliance to Baron Hans Freiherr von Wangenheim, the German ambassador in Constantinople, but had it turned down on the grounds the Empire had nothing of value to offer German. The grand vezir Said Halim Pasha also made similar propositions to Austria-Hungary.
  • The Austro-Hungarian Navy battleships Erzherzog Franz Ferdinand, Radetzky, and SMS Zrínyi each transported one flying boat from Pola to the Gulf of Cattaro. The following day they carried out a reconnaissance of the border with Montenegro. These were the first operational flights in Europe by naval aircraft.
  • The last issue of French anarchist journal L'Anarchie was published. It would be re-launched in 1926 by Louis Louvet.
  • Born: Richard Lankford, American politician, U.S. Representative for Maryland, Wilmington, Delaware from 1955 to 1965 (d. 2003); Lionel Casson, American academic, leading expert in classics including maritime history, author of The Ancient Mariners: Seafarers and Sea Fighters of the Mediterranean in Ancient Times, in New York City (d. 2009)
  • Born: Robert G. Emmens, United States Air Force officer, one of the members of the Doolittle Raid in 1942, in Medford, Oregon (d. 1992); Wayne Robbins, American horror writer, best known for short stories published through Popular Publications including the acclaimed Test Tube Frankenstein in the pulp magazine Terror Tales, in Stillwater, Oklahoma (d. 1958)

    • July 23, 1914 (Thursday)

  • July Ultimatum – Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with an unconditional ultimatum, which among its provisions included Serbia to formally and publicly condemn the "dangerous propaganda" against Austria-Hungary and to "suppress by every means this criminal and terrorist propaganda".
  • July Crisis – In attempt to stem the tide of emerging war, British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey offered to Russia and Germany to mediate a discussion with their respective allies that would influence Austria-Hungary to back off on Serbia while allowing each nation to save face. Russian foreign minister Sergey Sazonov agreed to the offer for conference, but Kaiser Wilhelm II instructed his British ambassador to reject Grey's "condescending orders".
  • Komagata Maru incident – After earlier resistance to police, passengers on the Komagata Maru complied and allowed the ship's crew to charter the Japanese vessel out of Canadian waters. Only 20 of the 376 Sikh and Hindu passengers were allowed into Canada as they already had residential papers.
  • The Moro Province in the Philippines, along with Agusan, Bukidnon and Surigao was divided into the current provinces/regions of Zamboanga, Lanao, Cotabato, Davao, and Jolo.The political reorganization was completed under the authority of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu.
  • The Dutch football association club RAP merged with Volharding sport club as a means to preserve membership in the Netherlands Football League. The new club VRA Amsterdam was established in September.
  • Born: Virgil Finlay, American artist, illustrator for speculative fiction magazines including Amazing Stories and Weird Tales, in Rochester, New York (d. 1971); Alf Prøysen, Norwegian writer of children's literature, author of the popular Mrs. Pepperpot books, in Rudshøgda, Norway (d. 1970)
  • Born: Alice Arden, American athlete, competed in high jump in the 1936 Summer Olympics, active in Olympic committees in New York City, in Philadelphia (d. 2012); Evelyn Lambart, Canadian animator, best known for animation work for the National Film Board of Canada with Norman McLaren including Begone Dull Care, in Ottawa (d. 1999)
  • Died: Charlotte Forten Grimké, African American poet, prominent member of the American Anti-Slavery Society (b. 1837)

    • July 24, 1914 (Friday)

  • July Ultimatum – Expecting a declaration against them, Serbia mobilized for war while Austria-Hungary broke off diplomatic relations. The British Ambassador to Austria-Hungary reported to London: “War is thought imminent. Wildest enthusiasm prevails in Vienna.”
  • The Russian Council of Ministers met after Austria-Hungary presented their ultimatum to Serbia. Alexander Krivoshein, close adviser to Nicholas II of Russia, noted the "rearmament programme had not been completed and it seemed doubtful whether our Army and Fleet would ever be able to compete with those of Germany and Austria-Hungary." It was decided Russia would partially mobilize against Austria-Hungary to deter war.
  • Buckingham Palace Conference – The conference broke up after three days without agreement on resolving the issue of Irish Home Rule, but there was understanding from both sides that if Ulster were to be excluded, the Irish province should come in or out as a whole.
  • Mexican Revolution – Exiled former Mexican president Victoriano Huerta reached Kingston, Jamaica aboard the German cruiser SMS Dresden where he resided with his family before journeying to the United States in the spring of 1915.
  • Born: Frances Oldham Kelsey, Canadian pharmacologist, advocated to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to not authorize thalidomide for sale, in Cobble Hill, British Columbia (d. 2015); Ed Mirvish, American-Canadian businessman and philanthropist, owner of Honest Ed's landmark store in Toronto, in Colonial Beach, Virginia (d. 2007)
  • Born: William Abercrombie, American naval officer during World War Two, recipient of the Navy Cross, in Medford, Oregon (d. 1942, killed at the Battle of Midway); Walter Kutschmann, German SS-Untersturmführer and Gestapo officer during World War Two, culpable for the massacre of 1,500 Polish Jews in Lwów, Poland from 1941 to 1942, in Dresden (d. 1986)
  • Died: James D. Richardson, American politician, U.S. Representative for Tennessee from 1885 to 1905 (b. 1843)

    • July 25, 1914 (Saturday)

  • July Crisis – Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria signed a mobilization order for eight army corps to begin operations against Serbia within 72 hours, while Austro-Hungarian ambassador Baron Wladimir Giesl von Gieslingen left Belgrade. Radomir Putnik, Chief of the Serbian General Staff, was arrested in Budapest but subsequently allowed to return to Serbia.
  • Born: Lionel Van Deerlin, American politician, U.S. Representative from California from 1963 to 1981, in Los Angeles (d. 2008); Winifred Foley, English writer, author of A Child in the Forest, in Brierley, Gloucestershire, England (d. 2009); Vũ Văn Mẫu, Vietnamese politician, last Prime Minister of South Vietnam, in Hanoi, Indochina (d. 1998); Arthur Widmer, American film special effects artist, developed the early version of blue screen, in Washington, D.C. (d. 2006)

    • July 26, 1914 (Sunday)

  • July Crisis – An offer for Great Britain to mediate a resolution to the political crisis between Austria-Hungary, Germany, Serbia, and Russia was rejected by Germany and Russia.
  • Howth gun-running – Robert Erskine Childers and his wife Molly sailed into Howth on his yacht Asgard and landed 2,500 guns for the Irish Volunteers. The King's Own Scottish Borderers of the British Army, having been called out to assist police in attempting to prevent the Volunteers from moving the arms to Dublin, fired on a crowd of protesters at Bachelors Walk, killing three and injuring 38 (a fourth man later died from bayonet wounds).
  • Belgian cyclist Philippe Thys won the 12th Tour de France with a total race time of 200 hours, 28 minutes and 48 seconds.
  • The Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville was officially opened to the public.
  • Born: Erskine Hawkins, American jazz trumpeter and bandleader, known for the hit "Tuxedo Junction" with partner Bill Johnson, in Birmingham, Alabama (d. 1993); Ralph Blane, American composer and singer, composed with partner Hugh Martin "The Boy Next Door", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "The Trolley Song" for the film musical Meet Me in St. Louis, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (d. 1995)
  • Born: Yang Lien-sheng, Chinese-American Harvard professor of Chinese studies, author of Money and Credit in China, in Baoding, Hebei, China (d. 1990); Raymond P. Ahlquist, American pharmacologist, leader researcher in adrenoceptors that led the groundwork to developing beta blockers for many prescription drugs, in Missoula, Montana (d. 1983); Juan Francisco Fresno, Chilean clergy, Archbishop of Santiago de Chile from 1983 to 1990, in Santiago (d. 2004)
  • Died: Henry Strutt, British politician, held the office of Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms in the House of Lords from 1895 to 1905 (b. 1840)

    • July 27, 1914 (Monday)

  • July Crisis – Great Britain made a final push for peace, warning Germany and Austria-Hungary it would be forced to side with France and Russia should war break out.
  • With the July Crisis reaching the breaking point, Kaiser Wilhelm II returned from vacation to meet with his war council in Berlin.
  • Brother Felix Ysagun Manalo registered the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) with the government of the Philippines.
  • Born: Gusti Huber, Austrian actress, best known for the role of Ann Frank's mother Edith in The Diary of Ann Frank, in Wiener Neustadt, Austria (d. 1993); Emerson Woelffer, American painter, leading artist of abstract expressionism in the United States, in Chicago (d. 2003); Miles White, American costumer designer, best known for costume designs in Oklahoma! and Carousel, as well as the film Around the World in 80 Days (d. 2000)
  • Born: George Allen, Canadian hockey player, played left wing of the Chicago Blackhawks from 1939 to 1946, in Bayfield, New Brunswick (d. 2000); Dorothee Metlitzki, German-American academic, Yale English literature professor and Zionist advocate, worked as press secretary for the Israeli government under Golda Meir in the 1970s, in Königsberg, East Prussia (d. 2001)

    • July 28, 1914 (Tuesday)

  • World War One – At 11:00 a.m., Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia by telegram. Tsar Nicholas II of Russia ordered a partial mobilization against Austria-Hungary.
  • Pursuit of Goeben and Breslau – While the ships of the Imperial German Navy Mediterranean Division were under repair in the Adriatic Sea, Counter Admiral Wilhelm Souchon learned that British and French naval forces had been ordered to capture the ships. He ordered the repairs stopped and the ships to set course for the Dardanelles, a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey, as a means to escape the naval blockade.
  • A French jury acquitted Henriette Caillaux, wife of French minister Joseph Caillaux, of the murder of newspaper editor Gaston Calmette after defense lawyer Fernand Labori (who famously defended Alfred Dreyfus) successfully argued the homicide was a crime of passion and not premeditated. Cailllaux shot the editor of Le Figaro in March after she believed Calmette would publish love letters between her and her husband indicating they were intimate while Joseph was still married to his first wife.
  • Royal Naval Air Service Squadron Commander Arthur M. Longmore successfully released a 14-inch (356-mm) torpedo from a Short Admiralty Type 81 floatplane, possibly the first successful aerial launch of a torpedo, although Captain Alessandro Guidoni of Italy's drop of a dummy torpedo from the experimental Pateras Pescara monoplane may have occurred earlier that year.
  • Born: Carmen Dragon, American film composer, known for film scores including Invasion of the Body Snatchers, in Antioch, California (d. 1984); Kenneth Neate, Australian opera singer, tenor for the Bayreuth Festspielhaus in Germany, in Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia (d. 1997)

    • July 29, 1914 (Wednesday)

  • World War One – The first shots of the war were fired at 1:00 a.m. when Austria's river monitor SMS Bodrog bombarded Belgrade in response to Serbia blowing up the only major bridge across the river Sava which linked the two countries.
  • The new Cape Cod Canal opened in Massachusetts, shortening the trip between New York City and Boston by 66 miles, but also turning Cape Cod into an island.
  • The first transcontinental telephone line was completed between New York City and San Francisco.
  • West Green, Georgia was incorporated as a town until 1995.
  • In what became one of the first major motorcycle promotions, Della Crewe of Waco, Texas and her dog "Trouble" traveled 2,147 miles (1,845 kilometres) to Milwaukee on a Harley-Davidson and sidecar. They would eventually do 10 U.S. states by Christmas.
  • Born: Irwin Corey, American actor and comic, considered influential in the comedic styles of Lenny Bruce and Tom Smothers, in New York City (d. 2017); Abram Games, English graphic designer,known for many logos and designs, including for the Conquest of the Desert 1953 world's fair exhibition in Jerusalem, in London (d. 1996); Cedric Tallis, American Major League Baseball executive, first general manager of the Kansas City Royals (d. 1991)
  • Born: Jake Milford, Canadian hockey coach, general manager of the Los Angeles Kings from 1973 to 1977, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (d. 1984); Marcel Bich, Italian-French inventor, manufacturer and co-founder of the Bic ballpoint pen, in Turin, Italy (d. 1994); Herbert Bareuther, German Luftwaffe pilot during World War Two, credited to shooting down 55 enemy aircraft, in Egerland, Germany (d. 1945, killed in combat)
  • Died: Johann Sperl, German painter, known for his pastoral landscapes of Germany (b. 1840)

    • July 30, 1914 (Thursday)

  • The American Consul at Canton reported massive flooding from the West River in the Kwangtung and Kwangsi provinces of China resulted in 3,300 deaths and $43 million in property damage. Around 112,000 homes were lost and close to 8 million people in need of emergency supplies.
  • Pursuit of Goeben and Breslau – Winston Churchill, the First Lord of the Admiralty, instructed Admiral Sir Archibald Berkeley Milne, commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet, "to aid the French in the transportation of their African Army by covering, and if possible, bringing to action individual fast German ships, particularly Goeben, who may interfere in that action."
  • A fireworks explosion during a festival in Tudela, Spain killed 25 people and injured another 50.
  • A fire destroyed Seattle's Grand Trunk Pacific Dock, the largest wooden pier structure on America’s west coast, leaving five dead and 29 injured.
  • Norwegian aviator Tryggve Gran made the first crossing of the North Sea by aeroplane, flying a Blériot XI-2 monoplane Ca Flotte 465 km (289 mi) from Cruden Bay, Scotland, to Jæren, Norway, in 4 hours 10 minutes.
  • Born: Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin, Irish-British journalist and sports leader, 6th president of the International Olympic Committee, in London (d. 1999); André Nocquet, French aikido teacher, one of the first non-Japanese to practice the art and reach the rank of 8th dan (d. 1999); Ken Bell, Canadian war photographer, photographed the Canadian armed forces in the Normandy Landings and the liberation of France, the Netherlands and Belgium during World War Two, in Toronto (d. 2000)

    • July 31, 1914 (Thursday)

  • World War One – Bound by treaty to defend Serbia, Nicholas II of Russia ordered full mobilization of Russian forces against Austria-Hungary.
  • A price surge caused by the outbreak of the World War One pushed Great Britain to shut down the London Stock Exchange and prevent a run on the banks. The London Stock Exchange remained closed until the New Year.
  • French Socialist leader Jean Jaurès was assassinated in a Parisian café by Raoul Villain, a 29-year-old French nationalist. Jaurès had been due to attend a conference of the International on 9 August, in an attempt to dissuade France from going ahead with the war.
  • The post office in Polaris, Arizona closed, officially making the mining community a ghost town.
  • Born: Louis de Funès, French actor, best known for his adaptation of the Molière classic The Miser, in Hauts-de-Seine, France (d. 1983); Isolde Ahlgrimm, Austrian pianist, best known for her performances of Bach's The Art of Fugue and The Musical Offering in their original forms, in Vienna (d. 1995); Edgar J. Lesher, American aircraft designer, known for innovative aircraft such as the Lesher Nomad and the Lesher Teal, in Detroit (d. 1998)
  • Born: Betty Lowman Carey, Canadian athlete, first woman to row the Inside Passage of British Columbia using a traditional dugout canoe in 1937 (d. 2011); Ignacy Jeż, Polish clergy, Bishop of Koszalin-Kołobrzeg in Poland from 1960 to 1992, in Radomyśl Wielki, Poland (d. 2007); Mary Fair Burks, American academic and civil rights activist, founder of the Women's Political Council, in Montgomery, Alabama (d. 1991)

    • References

    July 1914 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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