December 31, 1913

It's December 31, 1913. Revolution is in the air and the map is rapidly changing. Outside of the Americas, the world is still largely divided into weakening empires run by autocrats and colonists. The Republic of China is about to celebrate its 2nd birthday. (Its people, sick of having been left in the dark ages like feudal serfs while Westerners defined and dominated the modern world, had just ended 2000 years of monarchical rule in a series of revolts and uprisings.)

 
Vladimir Lenin has been living in exile in Austria and other places in Western Europe since the first, failed Russian Revolution (1905), which is where he will remain for 3 more years until a series of uprisings (over food shortages, inflation, long work hours, dangerous work conditions, and urban overcrowding as a result of rapid industrialization) will depose Nicholas II and bring an end to tsarist Russia. 

Cleanliness: The National Past-time

What better place to begin to relive the year 1914 than in 1913. Every December, year-in-review lists are in vogue, and 1913 journals are no exception.

The most popular method of offing oneself was
carbolic acid (a disinfectant, readily available at
pharmacies, that causes severe chemical burns
and Oscar-worthy death scenes--think "drain
cleaner" from "Heathers").

Of the more tantalizing stats, the Detroit Free Press reports some record-breaking highs in "necrology" (obituaries) in the Detroit area for 1913. In particular, there were 569 lives lost violently; 106 suicides (both numbers a bit higher than the national average); a doubling of drownings, homocides, and automobile deaths (which, for the first time, exceed injuries by any other vehicle, horse-drawn or otherwise); and a rise in train and miscellaneous fatal accidents (including drinking poison mistaken as medicine).

Just to put the stats into perspective: Detroit in 1913 is already a prospering manufacturing center and is about to get more so thanks to the coming boom in the automobile industry. The city has been growing by 3,000 people a month for a few years, and has reached 80% of its 2010 population, but packed into 1/3 of the space.

Shout Out: Guest Blogging on Detroit Moxie

Becks over at Detroit Moxie let me take over her blog one day last October. For a little bit of philosophizing and unrestrained Detroit fangirl gushing, check out "Some People Get New Cars for Their Midlife Crisis. One Woman Wants the Motor City".

If you are just getting to know us here at Detroit 1914, this is a good place to start. Be sure to add Detroit Moxie to your newsfeed. We'll be updating there about our upcoming move to The D and what we discover along the way.

Why 1914?

I am not a history buff. I mean, the older I get, the more appreciation I have for the "long arc", as they say. But before my more creative half and I got interested in this house, I wouldn't have been able to tell you the difference between the Spanish-American War and the Louisiana Purchase, other than that one involved some damned irresistible, 3-tiered pastries. When really did electricity come to homes? The telephone? Kitchen appliances? Based on my exposure to "Leave it to Beaver" reruns, I am solidly certain it was some time before 1950, but whether it was closer to the civil war or to WWII? Well, let's say, I'm not a fan of "Jeopardy" or homework that involves memorization.

I've glossed over this lack of well-roundedness thus far by nodding my head a lot in conversations, looking inquisitive, and changing the subject. So, it's actually kinda fun for me to now finally get around to learning the stuff I sucked at as a kid and thought was totally irrelevant to me and the rest of the MTV generation.

The plan for this blog is to relive the year 1914 (the year my house was built) and cram at least as much book knowledge as actual hammering and painting and check writing into this home renovation project. In the end, maybe I'll have both leveled up the house and my understanding of my place in history. And when 2014 rolls around, I'll be ready to host the most kickass, costumed, period themed, 100-year-old birthday bash a house could ever want.

And now ... the reason for all this fuss.

Pretty cool, eh?