January 1914

[January 1], 1914 (Thursday)

• British governor Sir Frederick Lugard successfully completed amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates of Nigeria to form a united country that was presided over by a proconsul entitled the Governor-General of Nigeria. Although formally the country's name was derived from the Niger River, some accounts attribute the name of the country to Lady Lugard, wife of the governor, in a letter she wrote to The Times on 8 January 1897. Lady Lugard suggested the name Nigeria as a shortened alternative to the Royal Niger Company's Territories, in reference to the mercantile company chartered by the British government to operate in that region.
• Battle of Ojinaga – About 6,000 of Pancho Villa's soldiers under command of Gen. Toribio Ortega Ramírez attacked 4,000 federal troop occupying Ojinaga, a town on the Mexican-U.S. border. Ramírez's men forced federal troops out of outlying outposts into the adobe buildings of the town, but were stalled by artillery bombardment.
• The St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line in the United States started services between St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida, becoming the first airline to provide scheduled regular commercial passenger services with winged aircraft, with Tony Jannus conveying passengers in a Benoist flying boat. Abram C. Pheil, former mayor of St. Petersburg, was the first airline passenger and over 3,000 people witnessed the first departure.
• The Naval Wing of the Royal Flying Corps was given the responsibility for the operation of all British military airships. The Royal Navy retained control of all British airships until December 1919.
• Horatio Clarence Hocken was reelected mayor of Toronto, defeating Fred McBrien with over 21,000 votes to the challenger's 16,000. The city also elected to city council Louis Singer, the first representative of Toronto's large Jewish community.
• Kornelis ter Laan, member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, was appointed mayor of Zaandam, becoming the first politician from the Social Democratic Workers' Party to hold a municipal leadership position. He would remain mayor until 1937.
• The Toyokawa Railway opened in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, with stations Higashi-Akasaka and Higashi-Shimmachi serving the line.
• The Southern Line of the State Railway of Thailand was extended in the Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Thailand, with stations Thung Song Junction serving the line.
• Francis W. Martin assumed office as the first Bronx County District Attorney in New York City as The Bronx became New York state's newest county.
• The Five Nations Championship – an international rugby tournament – commenced with England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in competition. Originally started out as the Home Nations Championships involving only the countries in the British Isles, the name was changed to reflect the inclusion of France. Ten matches were spread out over weeks with the final played in April.
• World Baseball Tour – The tour reached Australia and played a New Year's Day game in Brisbane, with the New York Giants beating the Chicago White Sox 2–1.
• The copyright on the Richard Wagner opera Parsifal expired allowing it to be staged outside of Bayreuth, Germany. Over 50 opera houses around Europe stage performances over a seven-month period.
• French artist Charles Ginner introduced the concept of neorealism in a manifesto published in the art magazine New Age.
• The Hurtig & Seamon's New Burlesque Theater opened in Harlem, New York City. It was renamed the Apollo Theater in 1934 when the music hall began allowing black patrons, becoming one of the most famous venues for African-American music and live performers.
• The first edition of The Moldovan Word was published in Bessarabia, Austria-Hungary, and lasted until 1919. The paper was revived in 1943.
• Daily newspaper The Tweed Daily was first published in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia.
• The West Tampa Free Public Library opened in Tampa, Florida and the first public library of Hillsborough County, Florida. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
• The sports club Grüner was established in Oslo, starting with the association football club and followed by ice hockey and handball programs.
• Berlevåg Municipality and Gamvik Municipality were established in Norway.
• Born:
• *Noor Inayat Khan, British intelligence officer, member of the Special Operations Executive embedded with the French Resistance during World War II, recipient of the George Cross; in Moscow, Russian Empire
• *Adwaita Mallabarman, Bengali writer, author of the novel A River Called Titas; in the Brahmanbaria District, Bengal, British India
• *L. S. N. Prasad, Indian pediatrician, professor of pediatrics at Patna Medical College and Hospital; as Lala Suraj Nandan Prasad, in Bihar Sharif, British India
• Died: Alice Brady, Irish labor activist, youth leader in the Dublin lock-out, died of complications from gunshot wound

  [January 2], 1914 (Friday)

• Battle of Ojinaga – An estimated 1,000 casualties were reported as the battle moved into its second day, with Pancho Villa's troops under the command of Gen. Toribio Ortega Ramírez slowly gaining ground against defending federal troops in Ojinaga, Mexico in spite of constant artillery bombardment. Many federal troops deserted and crossed the Mexican-U.S. border into Presidio, Texas where the United States Army assisted the Red Cross in setting up a mobile hospital to treat wounded while at the same time disarming and turning away hundreds of others.
• British aviator Eleanor Trehawke Davies became the first woman to experience an aerobatic loop as a passenger in a Morane-Saulnier monoplane piloted by fellow countryman Gustav Hamel.
• The Cleveland Trust Bank established the Cleveland Foundation in Cleveland to support community initiatives in the surrounding counties.
• Born:
• *Vivian Stuart, British writer for best-selling romantic single novels and series; as Violet Vivian Finlay, in Berkshire, England
• *Rachel Saint, American missionary, known for her missionary work with the Waorani people in Ecuador; in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, United States
• Died: Raoul Pugno, French composer, best known for his piano interpretations of Mozart

  [January 3], 1914 (Saturday)

• Battle of Ojinaga – An estimated 2,000 wounded or deserting Mexican federal troops crossed the Mexican–U.S. border into Presidio, Texas as Pancho Villa's revolutionary troops pounded federal defenses in the town of Ojinaga, Mexico.
• The returned Mona Lisa only received 60 visits at the Louvre in Paris. The painting had been missing for about years before Vincenzo Peruggia, a Louvre employee who had stolen the painting, attempted to sell it to museum officials in Florence.
• Caffè San Marco officially opened for business in Trieste, Italy, becoming a famous rendezvous for many artists and intellectuals including James Joyce, Umberto Saba and Italo Svevo. The café would be destroyed in World War I and rebuilt.
• The musical Nuts and Wine – with lyrics by C. H. Bovill and P. G. Wodehouse and music by Frank E. Tours – premiered at the Empire Theatre in London.
• World Baseball Tour – The New York Giants and the Chicago White Sox entertained crowds in Sydney, Australia with an exhibition game of baseball, with the Sox beating the Giants, 5–4.
• Born:
• *Adelheid Habsburg-Lorraine, member of Austrian Imperial family; at Schloss Hetzendorf in Vienna, Austria-Hungary
• *Madman Muntz, American entrepreneur, creator of the "madman" advertising persona; as Earl Williams Muntz, in Elgin, Illinois, United States
• Died: John Willms, American clergy, missionary for Pennsylvania, rector of the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost and director of the Association of the Holy Childhood

  [January 4], 1914 (Sunday)

• Ion I. C. Brătianu became Prime Minister of Romania for the second time, replacing Titu Maiorescu, and formed his third cabinet for the Government of Romania.
• Tanker on her return trip to Port Arthur, Texas ran into a strong gale while approximately south east of Cape May, New Jersey and broke in two with the loss of one passenger and 25 of her 38 crew. Survivors were rescued by German liner Bavaria and the steamer Gregory.
• Battle of Ojinaga – Pancho Villa relieved General Toribio Ortega Ramírez of command after the officer ordered his men to withdraw after four days of fruitless attacks against federal troops barricaded in the town of Ojinaga, Mexico. An additional 1,000 revolutionary soldiers were brought up from Chihuahua City to strengthen the current attacking force.
• Thomas Winsmore, a three-masted schooner ran aground on a shoal during a storm in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Carolina. Her crew were rescued by and the ship was towed back to shore.
• Canadian schooner Ionia sank during a storm off Sable Island – located 109 miles southeast of Nova Scotia – with all seven crew reported lost.
• The Short Admiralty aircraft was first flown near Eastchurch, England, with aviation designer Charles Richard Fairey as passenger. The model would be used by the Royal Navy during World War I.
• Born:
• *Herman Franks, American baseball player, catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Athletics, and New York Giants from 1939 to 1949; in Price, Utah, United States
• *Jean-Pierre Vernant, French historian and anthropologist, specialized in ancient Greece; in Provins, France
• Died:
• *Silas Weir Mitchell, American physician, credited for discovering causalgia
• *Mark Melford, British stage actor and playwright, pioneer of British farce