Today -100: April 5, 1916: All armor plate and no brains

The Netherlands calls its furloughed soldiers back to duty, setting off fears that the country is about to enter the war. On which side, is not clear. One theory is that they’re trying to scare off a German invasion while also reassuring Germany by reinforcing the country’s shores against the possibility of British troops landing to attack Germany.

Daniel Hoan is elected mayor of Milwaukee, its second Socialist mayor. He will be mayor until 1940, implementing socialist reforms such as public housing (the first in the nation), public buses, and municipal ownership of sewage works.

There will be a meeting in Carnegie Hall tomorrow to oppose Wilson’s military Preparedness program. To advertise it, the organizers are wheeling a papier-maché dinosaur around the city. Called Jingo, it is “All Armor Plate and No Brains. This animal believed in Huge Armament – He is Now Extinct.”

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