May 25
Niagara Falls illuminated with 1.3 billion candle power of electric
light generated by the Falls' own power.August 28
The Muscle Shoals, Alabama power plant begins operation in effort to
remedy power shortages caused by low water levels in the area. The
Wilson Dam, completed in 1925, tames this shallow, hard to navigate
section of the Tennessee River and helps provide hydroelectric power
to parts of southern Tennessee, northwest Alabama and northeast
Mississippi. In 1933, when the Tennessee Valley Authority is
established, its birthplace will be generally accepted as Muscle
Shoals.
November 22
Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, Tennessee, begins regular Saturday night
broadcasts over new local radio station WSM. Originally a nameless
music show, the first country performer is an 80-year old
hard-drinking fiddler named Uncle Jimmy Thompson. White bearded and
outspoken, Thompson brags that he can "fiddle the bugs off a 'tater
vine." He plays nonstop for an hour, fielding requests by telegraph
and telephone after saying on the air that he knows "a thousand
tunes" and promises to play all requests. Broadcasting later as the
"WSM Barn Dance", the show will thrive over the years reinventing
itself and playing in larger venues. It renames itself the Grand Ole
Opry in 1928. Regulars on the show in its early days included banjo
playing Uncle Dave Macon and harmonica wizard Deford Bailey.
Also in 1925:
The Combined Line and Recording (CLR)
method of handling toll calls over long distances (100 miles or
more) is introduced experimentally by Bell Systems, reducing
handling of toll calls from 13 minutes to 7 minutes.
Ben-Hur,
starring Ramin Novarro costing a record-setting $3.95 million to
produce, is released. This is actually the second filming of the Lew
Wallace's classic novel, the first being a 20-minute quickie
adaptation shot in Brooklyn, New York.