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Home > History > Mercer County History Timeline 1901-1950
1800-1850      1851-1900     1901-1950      1951-2000     References
Mercer County History Timeline
Courtesy of the Mercer County Historical Society and Autumn Buxton
The World  1901-1950 Mercer County  1901-1950
1901
(Nov. 16) Three car racers in Brooklyn speed over the Ocean Parkway at 60 mph, the first drivers to achieve such a record; first automobile law is passed (Connecticut)  and sets speed limit at 12 mph; Theodore Roosevelt becomes the 26th president; the washing machine is invented
1902
(Apr. 2) America's first moving-picture theater opens in Los Angeles ($.10 for a one-hour show); (Apr. 20) Marie and Pierre Curie discover the atomic weight of radium; the American Automobile Association (AAA) is founded in Chicago
1903
(Dec. 17) The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, make the first successful airplane flights in history; the windshield wiper is invented by Mary Anderson; Billy Sunday is ordained (famous big league baseball player who becomes famous as an evangelist)
1904
(May 14) The Olympic Games are held in the United States (St. Louis) for the first time; (Jul. 23) the ice cream cone is invented; (Aug. 28) the first jail sentence for the crime of speeding in an automobile is handed down
1905
(May 15) Las Vegas, Nevada, is founded
1907
(Nov. 16) Oklahoma becomes the 46th state
1909
(Apr. 6) American Robert Peary is first to discover the North Pole; William H. Taft becomes the 27th president
1910
The population of the United States is 92,407,000; (Feb. 8) the Boy Scouts of America is incorporated; the Pennsylvania Station in New York City is opened
1911
(Dec. 14) Ronald Amundsen, a Norwegian explorer, discovers the South Pole; air conditioning is invented by Willis H. Carrier
1912
(Jan. 6) New Mexico and (Feb. 14) Arizona become the 47th and 48th states; (Feb. 12) China becomes a republic; (Apr. 15) the Titanic sinks at 2:27 a.m. after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic; (Dec. 28) the first municipally owned street cars appear on the streets of San Francisco, California
1913
(Feb. 25) Congress is empowered to levy income taxes by the 16th Amendment to the US Constitution; Woodrow Wilson becomes the 28th president
1914
(Jan. 14) Henry Ford revolutionizes the manufacture of automobiles by inaugurating the "assembly line";     (May 9) the first "Mother's Day" is observed; (Jun. 28) Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife are assassinated in Sarajevo, beginning WWI
1917
(Mar. 8) The Russian Revolution begins with street rioting in St. Petersburg; (Oct. 15) the most famous spy of WWI, code name "Mata Hari," is executed
1918
(Dec. 4) Woodrow Wilson becomes the first American president to visit a foreign country; the Spanish flu epidemic kills 600,000 Americans
1920
The population of the United States is 106,461,000; (Aug. 26) American women receive the right to vote;       (Nov. 25) the first play-by-play description of a football game is broadcasted over a radio station in Texas
1921
Warren Harding becomes the 29th president; Albert Einstein gives lectures in New York on his new theory of relativity
1922
(Jan. 11) Insulin is first administered to a diabetic patient
1923
(Mar. 2) TIME magazine is published for the first time; Calvin Coolidge becomes the 30th president; (Jun. 12) magician Harry Houdini struggles free from a straightjacket hanging head-down 40 feet above the ground; first nonstop transcontinental flight is made
1924
Frozen packaged food is invented by Clarence Birdseye
1925
(Jul. 21) School teacher John Scopes is found guilty of teaching evolution in a public school
1926
(Aug. 6) Gertrude Ederle becomes first American woman to swim across the English Channel
1927
(Apr. 7) The first successful long distance transmission of television is demonstrated; (May 26) Ford discontinues production of the Model T
1928
(Jul. 30) The first color motion picture is demonstrated by George Eastman
1929
(May 28) The first "talking" movie filmed in color, "On With the Show" is released; (Oct. 29) the stock market crashes beginning the Great Depression; (Dec. 31) Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians play "Auld Lang Syne" as a New Year's Eve song for the first time
1930
The population of the United States is 123,076,741; (Feb. 18) the planet Pluto is discovered by American astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh
1931
(Mar. 3) "The Star-Spangled Banner" is designated by an act of Congress to be "the national anthem of the United States of America"; (May 1) the Empire State Building is dedicated
1932
(Jan. 12) Mrs. Hattie W. Caraway becomes the first woman to be elected to the US Senate
1933
(Jan. 30) The famous radio western, "The Lone Ranger", is heard for the first time; Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the 32nd president
1934
(Sep. 24) Babe Ruth makes his final appearance as a regular player with the New York Yankees
1936
(Nov. 23) The Hoover Dam is completed; the first issue of Life magazine is published
1937
Connecticut becomes the first state to issue permanent license plates for cars; (Mar. 15) the first Blood Bank is established; (May 27) the Golden Gate Bridge opens; Amelia Earhart disappears over the Pacific
1938
(Oct. 30) Orson Welles causes a national panic with a radio dramatization of "The War of the Worlds," a story of an alien invasion
1939
(Sep. 30) The first televised football game (Fordham vs. Waynesboro College) airs; (Feb. 27) the US Supreme Court outlaws "sit-down strikes"
1937
Connecticut becomes the first state to issue permanent license plates for cars; (Mar. 15) the first Blood Bank is established; (May 27) the Golden Gate Bridge opens; Amelia Earhart disappears over the Pacific
1938
(Oct. 30) Orson Welles causes a national panic with a radio dramatization of "The War of the Worlds," a story of an alien invasion
1939
(Sep. 30) The first televised football game (Fordham vs. Waynesboro College) airs; (Feb. 27) the US Supreme Court outlaws "sit-down strikes"
1940
The population of the United States is 132,122,446; (Jun. 5) the Germans begin the Battle of France; (Sep. 15) the climax and turning point in WWII's Battle of Britain takes place when the British destroy 185 German aircraft
1941
(Feb. 4) The United Service Organization (USO) is founded to serve the social and educational needs of men and women in the US Armed Forces; (Dec. 7) Japan bombs Pearl Harbor and the United States officially enters WWII
1942
(Dec. 2) The Atomic Age is born when a self-sustaining nuclear reaction is demonstrated for the first time
1943
(Jun. 9) Congress passes a law authorizing employers to withhold income tax from paychecks
1944
(Aug. 25) The US troops liberate Paris in WWII
1945
(Apr. 1) The Americans invade Okinawa; (Jul. 16) the first test of the atomic bomb takes place in New Mexico; (Aug. 14) Japan surrenders after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending WWII; (Dec. 28) Congress officially recognizes the "Pledge of Allegiance" to the American flag
1946
The Cold War begins as an "iron curtain" descends across Europe
1947
The microwave oven is invented by Percy L. Spencer
1948
Velcro is invented by Georges de Mestral
1950
The population of the United States is 152,271,417; (Jun. 25) the Korean Conflict begins
1901
(Mar. 15) The first rural mail route occurs in the county from the Jamestown post office4
1903
Wayside Inn is built in Grove City by Odd Fellow's (forerunner of Fellowship    Manor)29
1904
(Feb. 15) The first countywide individual mail routes begin (67 routes are laid out);4 (Jul. 4) Isaiah Jones is elected first Justice of the 4th District in Mercer;4 the volunteer fire department is organized in Grove City29
1905
First medical hospital opens in Grove City29
1906
(Aug. 17) The courthouse gets its first toll phone in the corridor4
1907
The Sharon Herald Publishing Company is formed;25 (Nov. 25) the clock in the cupola of the courthouse is completed; (Dec. 15) a fire that started in the clock tower destroys the courthouse4
1908
Billy Sunday holds weeklong revival;   (Feb. 1) 18 architectural firms submit plans for the third courthouse;4 Greenville Cottage Hospital (one of forerunners to UPMC Horizon) opens29
1909
Billy Whitla is kidnapped; (May 6) James Boyle's trial for kidnapping Whitla is held at the temporary courthouse and lasted for less than a day;25 the Sharon Herald becomes a daily newspaper after 45 years as a weekly newspaper;4 (May 29) the cornerstone is laid for the new courthouse;4 Dr. John Goodsell, later a Mercer County resident, accompanies Peary to discover the North Pole;29 a book covering the history of Mercer County is published;29 George Junior Republic opens in Grove City as a home for wayward boys and girls29
1910
The county's population is 77,699;14 two coffins are discovered on Fourth Street in Sharon when workman are excavating to put in curbs28
1911
(Jun. 25) Thunderstorm hits Mercer and lightning strikes the new dome of the courthouse; (Sep. 19) the first marriage license is issued at the new courthouse around 3:00 p.m. to John W. Fier and Edna E. Cornelius; (Oct. 12) the new (third) courthouse is dedicated4
1912
First osteopathic hospital opens in Grove City; South Sharon becomes Farrell29
1913
Grove City witnesses the county's first plane crash;29 (Mar. 23) the Shenango River floods  with 16.87 feet of water and causes an estimated damage of $200,0004, 25
1914
(Aug. 25) Stephan Banic (an immigrant coal miner who lived in Greenville) is granted a patent for the first workable parachute;4 South Pymatuning Township is created29
1915
The Grove City Creamery opens29
1917
(Jun. 5) All single men between the ages of 21-30 are required to register for the draft; the county's first 800 soldiers leave to serve in WWI4
1918
Heatless Mondays, Meatless Tuesdays and Wheatless Wednesdays are observed due to rationing;25 (Jun. 7) Frank Buhl dies at home and leaves $2,000,000 to war-torn Northern France and Belgium in his will;4 the Spanish flu epidemic hits the county4
1919
(Aug. 2) Sharon's Welcome Home Day for 1,000 soldiers is held at Buhl Farm (between 25,000-30,000 people were in the crowd); (Sep. 22) the steel strike suspends five blast furnaces, and other plants in the Valley become idle or part time4
1920
The county's population is 93,788;14      (Jan. 15) the night before Prohibition begins, Greenville ministers and the Women's Christian Temperance Union hold a symbolic funeral for "John Barleycorn";4 (Apr.) switchmen on the eastern railroads go on strike25
1922
(Jan.) 67 of 119 cases tried in the county courts are for liquor violations; (Oct. 26)  Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing acquires Savage Arms Corp (an ordinance firm employing 300 people) and becomes one of the world's largest transformer manufacturing facilities;16 (Nov. 29) no expense is spared at the formal opening of the Columbia Theatre in Sharon4
1923
Thomas Edison and his wife pass through the county enroute to New York;25
(Feb. 2) the Sharon Public Library opens at the Buhl Club;4 record-making transcontinental flight is made by Grove City pilot Oakley Kelly29
1924
(Aug. 5) S. F. Stambaugh's estate gives Sharon land;4 the Telegraph and the Farrell News merge25
1925
Earthquake tremors startle basketball fans at West Middlesex29
1926
(Aug. 23) Porter Smith is injured in a 38 feet fall from scaffolding erected under the south portico of the courthouse4
1927
Pardoe Mines close29
1928
The last cattle show is held in Grove City's Memorial Park; the Stoneboro Fire Department is organized29
1929
(Apr. 4) A "vivid and vicious bolt of lightning" strikes the courthouse tower (several people felt the shock, and County Treasurer McQuiston received a "rude jolt" while using the telephone);25  (Aug. 12) an earthquake rocks Sharon;25 Cooper-Bessemer is formed29
1930
The county's population is 99,246;4 (Jan. 2) a bright flash of meteor at 5:30 a.m. alarms many residents of Sharon22
1931
(Feb. 13) The Farrell Tribune publishes its first issue;11 (Oct.) ground is broken near Jamestown for the Pymatuning Dam;25 the first buildings are erected on Grove City College's upper campus29
1932
Wendell August moves his aluminum forge to Grove City29
1933
(Nov. 7) The county votes to repeal Prohibition; the first public playground opens at Buhl Farm (more than 1,000 children attend);25 the first no-direct-contact continuous process is placed into operation at the Sharon Steel Hoop Corporation11
1934
Police search for infamous bank robber, John Dillinger, who may have robbed the Sol J. Gully bank in Farrell;25 (Aug. 17) the Pymatuning Reservoir is dedicated4
1935
The Farrell Public Library board formally opens library and arts center; a merger of the News Telegraph with the Sharon Herald leaves the new Sharon Herald as the Shenango Valley's only daily paper;11 (Jan. 2) the Better Housing Campaign begins22
1936
(Mar. 3) The Sharon Steel Hoop Corporation changes its name to Sharon Steel;11 (Jul. 31) the "Human Fly" attempts to scale the courthouse; (Aug. 23) GOP candidate for US President, Alf Landon, delivers his opening address to 10,000 people on the Tam O' Shanter Golf Course4
1938
(Jun. 28) Flood Control Act authorizes the Shenango River Reservoir project;4 first air mail is flown out from Mercer Airport29
1939
(Oct. 12) The last trolley car is removed from the runs in Farrell11
1940
The county's population is 101,039;14 (Jan. 3) the Home Economic building at the Fredonia-Delaware High School is destroyed by fire;5 (Mar. 9) the Sawhill Manufacturing Company announces it will establish a plant in Wheatland;4 (Dec. 16) the Federal Food Stamps Program is established in the county4
1942
Westinghouse accepts a US navy contract to produce the "Wakeless Torpedo," delivering more than 10,000 torpedoes and credited with sinking almost 400 enemy ships;16 (Jun. 23) US engineers survey Pymatuning Township to build an army base4
1943
The county's most gruesome murder takes place (3 people killed at the Wilson farm in Lackawannock Township)28
1944
(Apr. 4) Camp Reynolds Prisoner Of War (POW) Camp is established; POWs are working at Meadville Iron Works and National Radiator Company; (Dec. 11) troops and operators are transferred to Fort Indian Town Gap2
1945
The US War Department designates Camp Reynolds an "inactive installation"; (Mar. 31) Greenville and Buhl Club USOs close, Greenville's USO entertained 812,530 servicemen and Buhl's entertained 475,000 soldiers4
1946
(Oct. 12) A meeting is held at the courthouse and reorganizes the Mercer County Historical Society4
1947
(Jun. 7) Tornado rips through the county and 14 are killed4
1948
The Grove City Creamery closes29
1950
The county's population is 111,954;14 Buhl Hospital changes its name to Sharon General Hospital; (Nov. 24) the county is buried by a snowstorm that measures just over four feet (damage in Sharon is estimated at $110,000)7

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Home > History > Mercer County History Timeline 1901-1950
1800-1850      1851-1900     1901-1950      1951-2000     References

Last Updated  05/18/2015 04:48 PM