Beginning at the Strand.

In March 1917, a month before the American declaration of war against the Central Powers in Europe, a group of young Chicago businessmen followed the suggestion of Sen. Joseph Medill McCormick (R-Ill.) and organized a committee. Their purpose was to send speakers to Chicago movie theaters to explain the new legislation for universal military training. The group named itself the Four Minute Men, referring to their self-imposed time limit for their speeches, and alluding to the Minutemen of Revolutionary War fame. The committee president, Donald Ryerson, gave the first speech at Chicago's Strand Theater in early April.

Creel Jumps on the Bandwagon.

After the war began, Ryerson traveled to Washington to gain more information about the draft. Spotting George Creel, the director of the Committee on Public Information, in a crowded hallway, Ryerson cornered him. Ten minutes later, Creel...