he industrial era continued to grow and progress in the decade of the 1910's. During this ten year period, giant leaps in the telecommunication and transportation industries brought a more modern age to America. Movements such as Prohibition and Womans Suffrage also helped shape a new society.
The biggest event to take place during this decade however was "The Great War." The four year war would not affect the game of baseball until June of 1918 when the "work or fight" order was issued by the U.S. government. This resulted in the loss of baseball personnel including star players Grover Alexander, Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson and George Sisler, all of whom served overseas. It also brought a shortened regular season, which ended on Labor Day, September 2.
The summer of 1918 also saw an outbreak of the "Spanish flu" or influenza. By the end of 1919, 30 million people worldwide, including 500,000 Americans would die as a result of this deadly epidemic.
