360What happened in 1910?
7 moments from 1910 on 360n60, each told in 60 words or fewer.
- On this day · 13 January 1910
The first public radio broadcast
On 13 January 1910, the inventor Lee de Forest broadcast a live opera performance, featuring the tenor Enrico Caruso, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Only a few listeners with receivers could hear it, faintly. Within two decades, radio had become a mass medium in homes worldwide.
- On this day · 8 February 1910
The Boy Scouts of America is founded
On 8 February 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated, inspired by Robert Baden-Powell's scouting movement in Britain. Scouting taught young people outdoor skills, first aid and community service. The world scouting movement today has tens of millions of members in more than 170 countries.
- On this day · 19 May 1910
Earth passes through the tail of Halley's Comet
On 19 May 1910, the Earth passed through the tail of Halley's Comet. Newspapers had reported that the tail contained poisonous gas, and some people panicked and bought 'comet pills'. Scientists explained the gas was far too thin to harm anyone, and nothing happened. Halley's Comet returns in 2061.
- On this day · 11 June 1910
Jacques Cousteau is born
On 11 June 1910, the French ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau was born. He co-invented the Aqua-Lung, which let divers breathe underwater for long periods, and his films and television series showed millions of people the life of the oceans for the first time.
- On this day · 25 June 1910
Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird is first performed
On 25 June 1910, The Firebird, a ballet with music by the young Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, was first performed in Paris by the Ballets Russes. Its colourful, dramatic score made Stravinsky famous overnight, and he became one of the most influential composers of the 20th century.
- On this day · 5 October 1910
Portugal becomes a republic
On 5 October 1910, a revolution in Lisbon ended the monarchy in Portugal, and the country became a republic. King Manuel II went into exile in England. The date is a national holiday in Portugal.
- On this day · 11 October 1910
Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first president to fly
On 11 October 1910, former US President Theodore Roosevelt took a short flight in a Wright Flyer piloted by Arch Hoxsey, at Kinloch Field near St Louis, Missouri. He was the first American president, current or former, to fly in an aeroplane.