February 13 - Copyright: In New York City the ASCAP (for American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) is established to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members
March 10 – Suffragette Mary Richardson damages Velasquez painting Rokeby Venus in London’s national gallery with a meat chopper
March 16 - Wife of French minister Joseph Caillaux shoots Gaston Calmet, the editor of le Figaro because he threatened to publish Caillaux's love letters to her during his previous marriage (she is later acquitted)
August 4 - German troops invade neutral Belgium in advance on France. Britain declares war on Germany after the latter fails to undertake to respect Belgian neutrality. The United States declares neutrality
September 5 - World War I: First Battle of the Marne begins - Northeast of Paris, the French 6th Army under General Michel-Joseph Maunoury attack German forces who are advancing on the capital. Over 2 million troops will fight in the battle and 100,000 will be killed or wounded in this significant Allied victory
September 6 - French and British counterattack at Marne ends German advance on Paris