What Happened in 1912

Elihu Root Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Elihu Root (February 15, 1845 – February 7, 1937) was an American lawyer and statesman and the 1912 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He was the... Read more

U.S. Occupation of Nicaragua

The United States occupied Nicaragua from 1912-1933 and intervened in the country several times before that. The US military interventions in... Read more

Sea Scouting Becomes an Official Program of the Boy Scouts of America

Almost from the start of the Scouting program in the US in 1910, the issue of the "older boy problem" arose. The age of Boy Scouts ran from 12 to... Read more

Louis Armstrong drops out of school

After dropping out of the Fisk School at eleven, Armstrong joined a quartet of boys that sang in the streets for money. But he also started to get... Read more

Joseph Stalin Becomes Editor of 'Pravda'

Stalin served as the editor of Pravda {Truth} in 1913 and wrote his first treatise, Marxism and the National Question in 1914. Just prior to its... Read more

New Mexico is the 47th State Admitted to the Union

Struggle for Statehood In no part of the United States has there ever been such a protracted struggle for self-government as in New Mexico. In... Read more

Overseas Railway Linking The Florida Keys To The Mainland Is Completed

On January 22, 1912, the nearly twenty thousand residents of the city of Key West, Florida, located on a small island some 128 miles south of the... Read more

Arizona is the 48th State Admitted to the Union

Arizona became a U.S. state on February 14, 1912. The major result being the end to the territorial colonization of Continental America. Arizona... Read more

The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is Founded

Girl Scouting in the United States of America began on 12 March 1912 when Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low organized the first Girl Scout troop meeting... Read more

Quebec Bulldogs win Stanley Cup

The 1911–12 NHA season was the third season of the now defunct National Hockey Association. Four teams played 18 games each. The Quebec Bulldogs... Read more

Helen Herron Taft And The Viscountess Chinda Plant Yoshino Cherry Trees On The Potomac River

On March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted two Yoshino cherry trees on... Read more

RMS Titanic Sinks after Striking an Iceberg

Walter Belford was Titanic's night chief baker. "We were working on the fifth deck amidships baking for the next day. There was a shudder all... Read more

David Langton Is Born

David Muir Langton (born Basil Muir Langton-Dodds; 16 April 1912 – 25 April 1994) was a Scottish actor who is best remembered for playing Richard... Read more

Fenway Park Opens

After two rain delays, Fenway Park finally hosted its first professional baseball game on April 20, 1912. (The first official game played in Fenway... Read more

Games of the V Olympiad Held in Stockholm, Sweden

The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1912 in... Read more

The Progressive Party Is Born

On the evening of June 22, 1912, former President Theodore Roosevelt asked his supporters to leave the floor of the Republican National Convention... Read more

Houdini Performs Overboard Box Escape

Another one of Houdini's most famous publicity stunts (Dalton) was to escape from a nailed and roped packing crate after it had been lowered into... Read more

Milton Friedman is Born

Milton Friedman (July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist, statistician, and a recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in... Read more

Jane Addams seconds Theodore Roosevelt's nomination for the Progressive Party

At the first national convention of the Progressive Party, in Chicago in August of 1912, all observers noted the prominence of women, women... Read more

Julia Child is Born

Julia Child (August 15, 1912 - August 13, 2004) was an American chef, author, and television personality. She introduced French cuisine and cooking... Read more

Gene Kelly is Born

Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and... Read more

Arthur Rose Eldred Becomes the first Eagle Scout

Eldred completed the required 21 merit badges for Eagle in April of 1912. In the August 1912 issue of Boy’s Life, Eldred was listed in the Honor... Read more

Houdini Performs The Chinese Water Torture Cell

In 1912, the vast number of imitators prompted Houdini to replace his Milk Can act with the Chinese Water Torture Cell. In this escape, Houdini's... Read more

William Christopher Handy's "Memphis Blues" Is Published

On September 28, 1912, the publication of William Christopher Handy's "Memphis Blues" changed the course of American popular song. Handy introduced... Read more

1912 World Series

In the 1912 World Series, the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Giants four games to three (with one tie). This dramatic series showcased great... Read more