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Benjamin Harrison Becomes President
Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833 – March 13, 1901) was an American politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. At 5'6", he was fondly nicknamed "Little Ben" by Democrats. -
Vision of the Ghost Dances
During a solar eclipse, Wovoka, a religious leader of the Northern Paiute tribe, had a vision that God had appeared as a Native American and revealed to him a land of love and peace. To bring this prophecy to pass, Native Americans needed to live righteously, create bonds with other Nations, and perform a traditional round dance - The Ghost Dance. Wovoka’s messages included teachings of nonviolence, but the movement was not received as peaceful by non-Natives. -
First African American Football Players on a White College Team
William Henry Lewis and William Tecumseh Sherman Jackson became the first African-American football players on a White college team. William Henry Lewis was born in Berkeley, VA, in 1868 to formerly enslaved slaves. He transferred to Amherst College, MA, where he joined William Tecumseh Sherman Jackson as the first African-Americans to play college football at a predominantly white university. Jackson also was the first student to be awarded the degree of Bachelor of Social Science. -
Nelly Bly's Journey Ends
Nellie Bly, born Elizabeth Han Cochran, was a journalism pioneer not just for women but all reporters. She circumnavigated the world in just 72 days, beating the fictional Phileas Fogg’s 80-day odyssey and- unbeknownst to her- beating her competitor, Elizabeth Bisland of Cosmopolitan Magazine.
Her journey spanned from November 14, 1889, to January 25, 1890, lasting exactly 72 days, 6 hours, and 11 minutes. -
National Afro-American League Founded
On January 25, the National Afro-American League was founded in Chicago by New York Age editor Timothy Thomas Fortune, becoming one of America's earliest civil rights organizations. In 1887, Fortune wrote editorials calling for forming a National Afro-American League. He planned for the league to seek the elimination of disfranchisement, lynching, segregation on railroads and in public accommodations, and abuse of black prisoners. -
NAWSA is Created
On February 18, 1890, NAWSA (National American Woman Suffrage Association) emerged from two rival factions- the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), led by Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), led by Lucy Stone, Henry Blackwell, and Julia Ward Howe. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was the first Federal act that outlawed monopolistic business practices on July 2, 1890. It was enacted in 1890 to curtail the combination of powers that interfere with trade and reduce economic competition, outlawing formal cartels and attempts to monopolize any part of commerce in the United States. -
Idaho Becomes a State
On July 3, 1890, Idaho was admitted to the US as the 43rd state. Nicknamed the Gem State, Idaho’s largest city, Boise, ID, became the capital of the territory of Idaho nearly 30 years later on December 24, 1864. -
Wyoming Becomes a State
Wyoming was admitted on July 10, 1890, as the 44th state. Nicknamed the Equality State, Wyoming territory became the first nation to grant women the right to vote on December 10, 1869 -
John C. Frémont Dies
On July 13, 1890, John Charles Frémont died in New York City at 77. He was born on January 21, 1813 in Savannah, Georgia, US. The US War Department sent Frémon on an expedition to survey the route west from the Mississippi River to the Wyoming region. He was elected as one of California's first two senators, ran for the presidency in 1856, and was appointed a major general of Union troops in Missouri after the American Civil War began. -
Sherman Silver Purchase Act
On July 14, 1890, Congress passed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890, a bill backed by Ohio Senator John Sherman. It increased the amount of silver the US Treasury had to buy each month to 4.5 million ounces to mint coins and legal tender. The main purpose of the act was to boost the economy and cause inflation, allowing farmers to pay their debts with “cheaper” dollars. -
First Person Executed by Electric CHair
At Auburn Prison in New York, murderer William Kemmler (May 9, 1860 – August 6, 1890) became the 1st person to be executed by an electric chair. Thomas Edison described the new method as effective and humane. In May 1890, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Kemmler’s challenge that the electric chair was cruel and unusual punishment. “Punishments are cruel when they involve torture or a lingering death,” the Court wrote. Kemmler was convicted of murdering his wife, Matilda "Tillie" Ziegler. -
Tariff Act of 1890
The Tariff Act of 1890, commonly known as the McKinley Tariff, was an act by the US Congress backed by Representative William McKinley and became law on October 1, 1890. It raised the average tax of imports to almost 50% and protected manufacturing industries developing in the nation to increase revenue for the federal government. -
Yosemite Becomes a National Park
At the urging of John Muir, The U.S. Congress designated Yosemite a National Park. Ahwaneechees were the main residents of Yosemite Valley, located in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range, until 1849. Tensions between White settlers and the native Ahwaneechees resulted in the Mariposa War ('50-'51) and ended with California state military forces burning hundreds of aboriginal villages, destroying their food stores, killing the chief's sons, and forcing the tribe out of Yosemite. -
Ghost Dance War Legally Ends
The Ghost Dance War officially ended, according to the US government, on December 29, 1890, after the Wounded Knee Massacre. The movement did not die according to Native Americans, and simply moved underground. It was the military reaction of the US government against the spread of the Ghost Dance movement on Lakota Sioux reservations in 1890 and 1891. -
Liliuokalani is Proclaimed Queen of Hawaii
"Queen Liliʻuokalani lived a life of leadership, dedication, and service to the people of Hawaiʻi. As a member of the Hawaiian royalty, she was loved and respected by her people. The Queen was an inspiring role model and a model of hope and perseverance. Her legacy of love (aloha) is captured in her story, her music, and also in her special commitment to care for needy Hawaiian children." Excerpt from the Foreword of Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen Liliuokalani, published by Hui Hānai in 2013 -
First Great Train Robbery by the Dalton Gang
On February 6, 1891, Bob, Grat, and Bill tried to rob a Southern Pacific train near Alila, California. While Bill kept passengers from interfering by shooting over their heads, Bob and Grat forced the engineer to show them the location of the cash-carrying express car. The robbery was unsuccessful but was the first mark in a career of crime by the Dalton Gang. -
First Shipment of Asparagus
On February 9, 1891, the first shipment of asparagus arrived in San Francisco from Sacramento. -
William Tecumseh Sherman Dies
On February 14, 1891, William Tecumseh Sherman, a Civil War general, died in New York City at 71 due to pneumonia. He led Union forces to burn the captured Confederate city of Atlanta, Georgia- one of his many military victories. However, he was also known for the role he played in America’s war on Native Americans in the West and for supporting U.S. mistreatment of the native population. -
First Black Hospital Opens
Provident Hospital, the first Black American-owned hospital, was established by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, who also became a pioneer in heart surgery. -
Music Hall Opens
Music Hall opened in New York City, with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky conducting the first performance as a guest conductor of the New York Music Society Orchestra. Music Hall was later named Carnegie Hall after the famous American industrialist Andrew Carnegie. The Carnegie family owned the hall until 1925, when Robert E. Simon and his son, Robert E. Simon, Jr., became owners. -
Herman Melville Dies
Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick, died in New York City at the age of 72. At the time of his death, he was not well remembered for his classic novel about whaling but more for earlier books set in the South Seas. -
Baltimore Crisis
The Baltimore Crisis was a diplomatic incident between Chile and America after the Chilean Civil War of 1891. On October 16, 1891, two US Navy sailors aboard the USS Baltimore were stabbed to death in front of the “True Blue Saloon” in Valparaiso, Chile. It began after one of the American sailors spat on a picture of one of Chile’s national heroes, Arturo Pratto. -
Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All its Phases is Published
Ida Bell Wells was an African American civil rights advocate, and an early women's rights advocate active in the Woman Suffrage Movement. She -
Ellis Island Opens
The Ellis Island Immigration Station began accepting immigrants to the US on January 1, 1892. Annie Moore, a seventeen-year-old teenager from Ireland, became the first immigrant to be processed on Ellis Island, along with her two brothers, on January 1, 1892. -
Labor Day Becomes National Holiday
During the Labor Movement following the Pullman strike, President Grover Cleveland made Labor Day a national holiday to honor the nation's workers. -
Basketball Rules Published
Basketball rules were first published in Triangle Magazine, written by James Naismith. -
The Coca-Cola Company is Founded
The Coca-Cola Company was officially founded after Dr. John Pemberton brought his perfected syrup to Jacobs' Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta where the first glass of Coca‑Cola was poured. Starting at nine drinks per day in its first year, Coca-Cola soon erupted into a powerful multinational corporation. -
Abraham Lincoln's Birthday Becomes National Holday
Former President Abraham Lincoln's birthday is declared a national public holiday in the United States. Today, this public holiday is only recognized in some states such as Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri, and New York. -
Chinese Exclusion Act Ends, Geary Act Extends CEA
In the spring of 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Chester A. Arthur. This act provided a 10-year ban on Chinese laborers immigrating to the United States. For the first time, federal law proscribed entry of an ethnic working group on the premise that it endangered the good order of certain localities. -
First Black American to Perform at Carnegie Hall
Opera soprano Sissieretta Jones becomes the first Black American to perform at Carnegie Hall. Jones will be "heralded as the greatest singer of her generation and a pioneer in the operatic tradition at a time when access to most classical concert halls in the U.S. was closed to black performers and patrons," according to PBS on its noted documentary show, "American Masters," adding that Jones also performs at the White House and overseas. -
The Baltimore Afro-American is Established
A Black American newspaper, The Baltimore Afro-American, was established by formerly enslaved man John H. Murphy in Baltimore, Maryland. He created the paper with the help of his wife, Martha Howard Murphy in hopes of advancing and bringing together Baltimore's Black community. It was the longest-running family-owned African-American newspaper in the United States, lasting from 1893 to 2010. -
Ida B. Wells Launches Her Anti-Lynching Campaign
Ida B. Wells launched her anti-lynching campaign by publishing a pamphlet, "Southern Horrors: Lynch Laws and in All Its Phases." -
Ida B. Wells Gives Anti-Lynching Speech in New York
On October 5, 1892, the journalist Ida B. Wells delivered a powerful and incisive denunciation of lynching to a room of prominent African American women in New York City's Lyric Hall. Wells had spent months investigating the systematic torture and murder of Black Americans in the South. Her groundbreaking speech to those supporters led to the publication of Southern Horrors only a few weeks later. -
First American Football Game is Played
"...Allegheny Athletic Association football team defeated the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. The game in itself was not a momentous event. But the game's circumstances did make it a never-to-be-forgotten moment in sports history – one of the AAA players, William (Pudge) Heffelfinger, was openly paid $500 to play the game. While it is possible that others were paid to play before 1892, the AAA expense sheet provides the first irrefutable evidence . . . as 'pro football's birth certificate.'" (HOF) -
Oil is Found on Osage Indian Reservation
In the early 20th century, the members of the Osage Nation became the richest people per capita in the world after oil was discovered under their reservation in Northeast Oklahoma. Tribe members were mysteriously murdered, their case becoming one of the FBI's first major homicide investigations. -
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Panic of 1893 Crisis
The Panic of 1893 was a national economic crisis set off by the collapse of two of the country's largest employers, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and the National Cordage Company. The stock market collapsed in response and proved that the notion of laissez-faire was not working. The crisis in banking ended with the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act late in 1893. The 1893 Depression continued until 1897, which is also referred to as 0the Panic of 1893 in some cases. -
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Depression of 1893
The Depression of 1893 was a severe financial panic lasting from May of 1893 to November 1893, with a worsening exchange rate, banks closing, and businesses and manufacturers not being able to open because they had no cash to pay workers or buy materials. The panic included steep declines in the stock market, the failure of Wall Street brokerage houses, and the failure of 158 national banks in 1893, mostly in the South and West. It followed the Panic of 1893, which lasted until August of 1893. -
1st US Commemoratives and1st US stamp of a Woman Issued
1st US commemoratives & 1st US stamp to picture a woman issued (Queen Isabella, patron of Columbus). Queen Isabella I unified Spain through her marriage to Ferdinand II of Aragon. She also financed the expedition of Christopher Columbus, leading the discovery of the Americas. -
Signal of 1893 Depression in Arkansas
Arkansas Gazette reported “a financial flurry” in response to a run on First National Bank in Little Rock, Pulaski County. The article described how prominent bankers carried many gold and silver notes (greenbacks) into First National Bank, where “speculators and anxious depositors” had gathered. The bankers displayed these liquid assets to prevent mass withdrawal of deposits over fear about the bank's ability to meet long-term debts and other financial obligations (solvency). -
The Last Queen of Hawaii is Overthrown
Queen Lili‘uokalani’s main goals as queen were to amend the constitution and restore power to the monarchy and her people. Local sugar planters and businessmen instigated an overthrow, fearing a loss of revenue and the influence of the Queen. With the help of U.S. Marines, they forced Queen Lili‘uokalani to surrender the Hawaiian Kingdom to the United States in 1893. A provisional government was established and named the Republic of Hawai‘i, proclaiming Sanford B. Dole as president. -
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Go Bankrupt
The railroads had created an economic bubble by investing and building beyond what could be used. This was followed by the failure of the National Cordage Company, which began in 1893 when the company gave shareholders shares for free and a ten percent annual cut from their profits to keep them interested. Cordage, or rope, was used in railroads for securing, fastening, and carrying trains as a means of cable transportation. -
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Grover Cleveland Becomes President
Cleveland ((March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908) was the first Democrat elected after the Civil War in 1885 and served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. He was also the first to leave the White House and return four years later. -
New York Stock Exchange Crashed
The Arkansas Gazette headlined May 5th's news: “Wall Street Topsy-Turvy, The Famous ‘Street’ Passes Another Eventful Black Friday.” The article states, “It is said at the Treasury that the time has passed when the Government can aid Wall Street.” John Gould Fletcher wrote of the panic: “Such were the nineties, now qualified as being ‘gay’ but in reality marked in the North and the East by violent labor disturbances and huge financial panics." -
Lizzie Borden is Aquitted
Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts, on June 20, 1893. -
New York Stock Exchange Crashes Again
On June 27, the New York Stock Exchange crashed again, and the nation was left without a system of credit. As stocks fell, people exchanged greenbacks (silver notes) for gold. The U.S. Treasury could not give people gold in exchange for currency, which worsened the crisis, as the treasury was required by the Sherman Silver Purchase Act to provide silver or gold in exchange for these notes. In response to the panic, Congress repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893. -
First Successful Heart Surgery
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, a biracial cardiologist, successfully performs an open-heart surgery in Provident Hospital, the first such procedure performed on a human, notes Jackson State University, which further explains: "The operation (is performed) without X-rays, antibiotics, surgical prep-work, or tools of modern surgery. Dr. Williams' skills (places) him and Provident Hospital at the forefront of one of Chicago’s medical milestones. His patient, James Cornish, survives." -
53rd Congress (1893-95) Convenes
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Hurricane Hits East Coast
One of the deadliest hurricanes in American history made landfall south of Tybee Island near Savannah, Georgia on August 27, 1893. Now known as the 1893 Sea Island Hurricane, the storm had winds as high as 120 mph and a sixteen-foot storm surge—the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane on the modern-day Saffir-Simpson scale. -
Colorado Allows Women Suffrage
The women's suffrage movement was a sociopolitical movement in the late nineteenth century that secured voting rights for Colorado women by state referendum on November 7, 1893. The movement's success made Colorado the first state to enact women's suffrage by popular referendum -
1st State Anti-Lynching Statute Approved in Georgia, Atlanta
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Oil is Found on Osage Land
After large deposits were discovered in 1894, the Osage, who retained communal mineral rights, came into enormous wealth: Prospectors had to pay the tribe for leases to extract the oil and royalties on the profits. In 1923 alone, the Osage earned $30 million in royalties, roughly $540 million today. The Osage were among the few American Indian nations to buy their reservation. -
Hershey Chocolate Company Established
Milton S. Hershey created the Hershey chocolate company in Lancaster, PA. He pioneered the manufacturing of caramel by using fresh milk. Today, Hershey's chocolates are ubiquitous all around the world. -
Coxey's Army March Begins
On March 25, 1894, Coxey's Army departed from Ohio on its way to Washington, D.C. Coxey's Army was a protest march by unemployed workers from the United States, led by Ohio businessman Jacob Coxey, and resulted from the Panic of 1893. -
Kate Chopin's Feminist Story, "The Story of an Hour" is Written
"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin is about Louise Mallard, a woman in a traditional Victorian marriage who receives the news that her husband was killed in an accident. After her grief subsides, she begins to see opportunity and freedom in her future. Among "The Story of an Hour" themes is the notion that freedom for women might only be found in death. It was a morbid but true reflection on life for women and girls in the late 19th century. -
Coxey's Army Reaches Washington, D.C.
Coxey's Army reached Washington, D.C., and its leaders were arrested the next day. The demands of Jacob Coxey, which focused on great government intervention in the economy, would eventually move into the public eye. -
May Day Riots of 1894
The May Day riots of 1894 were a series of violent demonstrations throughout Cleveland, Ohio, on May 1, 1894, or May Day. Cleveland's unemployment rate increased dramatically during the Panic of 1893. Finally, riots broke out among the unemployed, who condemned city leaders for their ineffective relief measures.[1] According to the New York Times, "[t]he desire to stop work seemed to take possession of every laborer...". -
Strike by American Railway Union Against Pullman Factory
This strike began with a walkout by Pullman Palace Car Company factory workers after negotiations over declining wages failed. As the Panic of 1893 weakened much of the economy, railroad companies ceased purchasing new passenger cars made by Pullman, leading George Pullman to lay off workers and lower wages. These workers then appealed for support to the American Railway Union (ARU), which argued unsuccessfully for their arbitration. -
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National Boycott Against Pullman Factory
The boycott followed ARU's previous strike against the Pullman factory in the spring of 1894, which had ultimately failed. It lasted three months, from May 11 to July 20, 1894, and was a turning point for US labor law. -
International Olympic Committee
On June 22, 1894, Pierre de Coubertin organized a meeting that led to the creation of the International Olympic Committee -
The Great Tailors' Strike
Twelve thousand New York tailors went on strike on September 4, 1894, to protest the sweatshop system that exploited their labor for half a year and gave them no work off for the other half. According to The Outlook (September 15, 1894), a New York magazine, their demands were “for a ten hours’ day, from 7 A.M. to 6 P.M., with an hour off at noon, a weekly minimum wage, and a weekly pay-day.” -
Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour" is Published in Vogue Magazine
It was originally published in Vogue on December 6, 1894, as "The Dream of an Hour" -
National Medical Association is Established
The National Medical Association was established in Silver Spring, Maryland, by African-American doctors because they were barred from the American Medical Association. Robert F. Boyd was the group's first president with Daniel Hale Williams as vice president. -
Panic of 1896
The Panic of 1896 was a continuation of the Panic of 1893. There was a brief pause after the 1893 Panic before the US economy fell into another recession. The Panic of 1896 was caused by a significant drop in the silver reserves, which also impacted the standard of gold. This caused deflation to occur, which led to the prices of commodities decreasing. The drop in prices of commodities drove the stock market into a downward trend of new lows until the 1896 Klondike Gold Rush -
First African American to Receive at Harvard University
W.E.B. DuBois became the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He used his talent and intellect to pave a path toward racial uplift. W. E. B. Du Bois was a scholar, public intellectual, author, orator, and activist who used his powerful voice and influence to illuminate issues of race, racism, and Black consciousness. -
Mintonette (Volleyball) is Created
Mintonette, later known as volleyball, was created by William G. Morgan at Holyoke, Massachusetts. -
William Lyne Wilson is appointed United States Postmaster General
May 3, 1843 – October 17, 1900) was an American politician and lawyer from West Virginia. He was a Democrat aligned with classical liberalism and supported the Confederate Army. He was elected to the United States Congress in 1882 and served six terms of office, ending in 1895. -
Military Suppression of the Pullman Strike is Legalized
The Supreme Court of the United States decided that the federal government has the right to regulate interstate commerce, legalizing the military suppression of the Pullman Strike. -
American the Beautiful is First Published
Katharine Lee Bates' lyrics for "America the Beautiful" were first published On July 4, 1895. Bates was an American author and poet who wrote the famous anthem when she was 34 years old after a visit to a summit in the Rocky Mountains. When she and a group of teachers at the Colorado Summer School in Colorado Springs reached the top, joy at the beauty of the landscape replaced Bates's exhaustion. Back at her hotel, she wrote the first draft of the poem that would become "America the Beautiful. -
First Public Municipal Golf Course in the United States Opens
Van Cortlandt Golf Course, named after the Dutch family that settled on the land in the late 17th Century, is the oldest public golf course in America. It opened on July 6, 1895. hat spring, prominent members of the Mosholu Golf Club in Riverdale, including T. McClure Peters, B.W. "Gus" Schwab, Moses T. "Percy" Pyne, and Cleveland H. Dodge, petitioned James A. Roosevelt, a member of the Board of Parks Commissioners, to build a golf course in Van Cortlandt Park. -
First Professional Amerian Football Game
The first professional American football game is played in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, between the Latrobe YMCA and the Jeannette Athletic Club (Latrobe won 12–0) -
Atlanta Compromise Speech (Atlanta Exposition Speech)
Booker T. Washington delivered the Atlanta Compromise at the Atlanta Cotton States Exposition. Considered the definitive statement of what Washington termed the “accommodationist” strategy of Black response to Southern racial tensions, it is widely regarded as one of the most significant speeches in American history. According to Washington, Blacks had to accept segregation in the short term as they focused on economic gain to achieve political equality in the future. -
George Washington Carver and Tuskegee Institute
George Washington Carver was selected to head the agricultural research department at Tuskegee Institute. Carver's research advances the growth of soybean, peanut, and sweet potato farming. -
US Government Arrests Aguirre and Chapa
In March 1896, the US government arrested Aguirre and Chapa because the Mexican consul accused them of conspiring to re-enter Mexico and engage in revolutionary actions. However, both men were acquitted in federal court after the American consul's investigation concluded that they were innocent. -
Utah Becomes a State
On January 4, Utah was admitted as the 45th U.S. state. Utah first became part of the US after the Mexican-American War in 1848 and was established as a territory two years later in 1850. -
Plans for the Yaqui Uprising Begin
In February, the Mexican revolutionary Lauro Aguirre drafted a plan to overthrow the government of President Porfirio Díaz. Aguirre and Flores Chapa established a newspaper against Mexico's dictator, Porfirio Díaz, in southern Arizona. On February 5, 1896, they wrote the 'Plan Restaurador de Constitucion y Reformista.' The plan claimed that Díaz had violated the Constitution of 1857 in multiple ways and was mistreating native Mexicans, particularly by deporting them to the Yucatán area. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
The Supreme Court ruled in the Plessy v. Ferguson case that separate but equal laws are constitutional and do not contradict the 13th and 14th Amendments. This upheld a Louisiana state law that allowed for "equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races" in passenger railroad cars. -
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Tornado Outbreak of May 1896
The tornado outbreak sequence of May 1896 was a series of violent and fatal tornado outbreaks that struck much of the Central and Southern United States from May 15 to 28, 1896. It was considered one of the worst tornado outbreak sequences on record, with at least 38 tornadoes occurring and three of the deadliest tornadoes in US history. -
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Leadville Strike of 1896–97
The Leadville strike of 1896–97 was a nine-month labor conflict pitting the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) against the owners of the district’s mines. The strike began in June 1896, when miners requested higher wages and were rejected. -
National Association of Colored Women
The National Association of Colored Women was established. Mary Church Terrell was elected as the organization's first president. -
Expedition to Capture Custom House Along Mexico Border
Aguirre's cause appealed to the local Native Americans, such as the Yaqui, who organized an expedition to capture the customs house in the border town of Nogales on August 12. Nogales, Sonora, and Nogales, Arizona are opposite of each other on the US–Mexico border, so when a rebel group known as the Teresitas attacked, the Mexican consulate, Manuel Mascarena, requested aid from the Americans nearby. A militia was assembled on the Arizona side of the border and sent in to help defeat the rebels. -
Americans Dispatched to Help Mexico
American Brigadier General Frank Wheaton dispatched elements of the 24th Infantry on August 13. At least three men were killed in the fighting, and several others were wounded, but other sources claim that seven Mexicans died while the Teresitas lost about the same amount. When the rebels retreated, they were pursued by Sonoran policemen. The police eventually caught up with the Teresitas later that day and fought another skirmish, which left the Mexican commander dead. -
Mexican Army Troops Joins Fight
A large force of Mexican Army troops, under the command of Colonel Emilio Kosterlitzky, joined in the pursuit while two companies of the 24th Infantry conducted separate operations. Both parties failed to catch up with the rebels, some of whom dispersed to their homes in southern Arizona. After that, there was no further conflict, and the successful defense of Nogales effectively suppressed the uprising. -
Klondike Gold Rush Begins
On August 16, 1896, American George Carmack, along with Jim Mason and Tagish Charlie and later Dawson Charlie (Kaa Goox), all Tagish First Nation members—discovered Yukon gold on Rabbit Creek (later renamed Bonanza Creek). This Klondike River tributary ran through both Alaskan and Yukon Territory. -
National Afro-American Council is Established
The National Afro-American Council was the first national civil rights organization in the United States. The group was led by Bishop Alexander Walters who served as president from 1898 to 1902. Like its predecessor, NAAL ( National Afro-American League), the AAC opposed lynching, disfranchisement of black voters, and racial discrimination against all African Americans. The brutal murder of Frazier Baker, an African-American postmaster, sparked the AAC's initial founding. -
M. H. Cannon Becomes 1st Woman State Senator
Dr. Martha "Mattie" Hughes Cannon blazed trails for women as a skilled physician, ardent suffragist, progressive public health reformer, and, most notably, the first female state senator in the United States. -
1st Showing of a Motion picture in Hawaii
“It produces life!” “It baffles analysis!” “It amazes all!” The advertisement announces the “modern miracle,” Thomas Edison's Veriscope, as it would show the first motion picture screening in Hawaii at the Opera House on February 5, 1897. The first motion pictures included “A Watermelon Contest,” “Arrival of the Empire State Express,” “The Great McKinley Parade,” and “New York Fire Department on Active Duty.” The audience watched the flickering black-and-white films with no sound. -
"All the News That's Fit to Print" Becomes the New York Time's Motto
In 1897, Adolph S. Ochs, the owner of The New York Times, created the famous slogan "All the News That's Fit to Print," which still appears on the newspaper's masthead today. He wrote the saying to declare the newspaper's intention to report the news without bias. -
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William McKinley became America’s 25th President
William McKinley (January 29, 1843 – September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. He died due to complications from bullet wounds inflicted by Leon Czolgosz. Czolgosz, an anarchist, shot the President during one of his public appearances at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. -
American Negro Academy is Founded
The American Negro Academy is founded in Washington, D.C. The organization aimed to promote African-American work in the fine arts, literature, and other areas of study. Prominent members included Du Bois, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. It was the first organization in the United States to support African-American academic scholarship. -
First Boston Marathon
The first Boston Marathon was run, with fifteen men competing. John McDermott won the race. -
Mark Twain Denies Reports of his Death
In 1897, an English journalist from the New York Journal contacted Twain to ask whether rumors that he was gravely ill or already dead were true. His response made it into the Journal later: "Mark Twain was undecided whether to be more amused or annoyed when a Journal representative informed him today of the report in New York that he was dying . . . He said: The report of my illness grew out of [James Ross Clemens, a cousin of mine] 's llness. The report of my death was an exaggeration.’” -
Lattimer Massacre
The Lattimer Massacre stands out as one of the most important events in labor and ethnic history. On September 10, 1897, nearly 400 immigrant coal miners began a peaceful march from Harwood to Lattimer in search of better pay and conditions in the coal fields of Pennsylvania. By the end of the day, over 30 of them would be injured and 19 killed as they were fired upon on the road to Lattimer. -
USS Maine Explodes
A massive explosion of unknown origin sank the battleship USS Maine in Cuba’s Havana harbor on February 15, 1898, killing 260 of the 400 American crew members aboard. -
African-Americans Recruited
When the Spanish-American War began, sixteen African-American regiments were recruited. Four regiments fought in Cuba and the Philippines, with several African-American officers commanding troops. As a result, five Black soldiers won the Congressional Medal of Honor. -
US Congress declares war on Spain
After the explosion of the USS Maine, an official Naval Court of Inquiry ruled in March of 1898 that a mine blew up the ship, avoiding placing direct blame on Spain. However, much of Congress and the American public expressed little doubt that Spain was responsible and called for a declaration of war. Diplomatic failures, along with the United States' indignation over Spain’s brutal suppression of the Cuban rebellion and continued losses to American investment, led to the start of the fighting. -
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Spanish American War
The Spanish–American War ended Spain's colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere and secured the position of the United States as a Pacific power. It began after the USS Maine exploded in Havan Harbor in Cuba and the US declared war on Spain. The war mainly focused on the independence of the island. -
US Troops Land in Cuba to Re-enforce Spanish-American War
On June 10, US troops landed in Guantanamo Bay. Additional forces wouldn't come until about two weeks later, on June 22 and June 24. -
Additional Troops are Deployed to Cuba
On June 22, 1898, US troops landed near Daiquiri, Cuba. For months, troops had been stationed in Tampa, Florida, where Brigadier General William had chosen as the staging ground for eventual troop deployment to Cuba. The next day, the Americans moved landing operations to Siboney, Cuba, seven miles away, because of the area's more suitable landing beach and infrastructure. -
Battle of San Juan Heights
US forces defeated the Spanish at the Battle of San Juan Heights. As part of their campaign to capture Spanish-held Santiago de Cuba on the southern coast of Cuba, the US Army Fifth Corps engaged Spanish forces at El Caney and San Juan Hill. 500 Spanish defenders of the village put up fierce resistance and held off 10 times their number. Some 8,000 Americans pressed forward toward San Juan Hill, eventually finding themselves overlooking Santiago and beginning siege the next day. -
U.S. forces Destroy the Spanish Fleet off Santiago Bay, Cuba
After isolating and defeating the Spanish Army garrisons in Cuba, the U.S. Navy destroyed the Spanish Caribbean squadron on July 3 as it attempted to escape the U.S. naval blockade of Santiago. -
Wilmington Coup and Massacre
During the Wilmington Coup and Massacre, the multiracial Fusionist (Republican and Populist) government of Wilmington, North Carolina, was violently overthrown on November 10, 1898. As many as 60 Black Americans were killed in a premeditated murder spree that was the climax of an organized months-long statewide campaign by white supremacists to eliminate African-American participation in government and permanently deprive Black citizens of North Carolina of suffrage. -
Treaty of Paris
The 1898 Treaty of Paris awarded the US annexation of the former Spanish colonies of Puerto Rico, Guam, Cuba, and the Philippines. It concluded the Spanish-American War and was signed by representatives of Spain and the United States in Paris on December 10, 1898. -
Cuba Liberated from Spain
Cuba was liberated from Spanish rule by the US, and American occupation continued until 1902/ -
Queens and Staten Island Merge with New York City
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First Use of "Automobile"
1st known use of the word "automobile" appears in an editorial in The New York Times -
US Takes Possession of Wake Island in the Pacific
Wake Island is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, about 2,300 miles west of Honolulu, H.A. It is an unincorporated territory of the United States and was first visited by British mariner William Wake in 1796. A U.S. expedition under Lieut Charles Wilkes charted the land, and the atoll was formally claimed by the U.S. in 1899 for the site of a cable station. -
Period: to
Philippine-American War, 1899–1902
After the Treaty of Paris, fighting broke out between American forces and Filipino nationalists led by Emilio Aguinaldo, who sought independence rather than a change in colonial rulers. The ensuing Philippine-American War lasted three years and resulted in the death of over 4,200 American and over 20,000 Filipino combatants. As many as 200,000 Filipino civilians died from violence, famine, and disease. In the end, the Philippines became an unincorporated territory of the United States, -
Great Blizzard of 1899 Begins
Temperatures fell to 0ºF along the Gulf Coast, and ice flowed from the mouth of the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico. Record minimum temperatures were established across twelve states, spanning the central and southern Plains, the Ohio Valley, the southeastern United States, and the District of Columbia. The blizzard was largely due to a series of anticyclones in Canada and the North Pole that sent waves of cold air through the US. -
Record Minimum Temperature for Ohio is Recorded
-39°F: Milligan, Ohio -
Record Minimum Temperature for Washington, D.C.
-15°F: Washington, D.C. -
Minimum State Temperature for Nebraska is Established
-47ºF: Camp Clarke, Nebraska -
Minimum State Temperature for Lousiana is Established
-16ºF: Minden, Louisiana -
Duke Ellington is Born
Duke Ellington was born on April 29, 1899, in Washington, D.C., and died May 24, 1974, in New York, N.Y. He was an American pianist and is considered one of the greatest jazz composers and bandleaders of his time. One of the originators of big-band jazz, Ellington led his band for more than half a century, composed thousands of scores, and created one of the most distinctive ensemble sounds in all of Western music. -
Bicycle Frame Patended
Isaac R. Johnson was born in New York sometime during 1812. While he was not the first person to invent the bicycle frame, he was the first African American to develop and patent bike frames, especially one that could be folded or taken apart for easy storage. His version is very similar to today's bikes, besides the fact that we do not typically fold ours. -
US Population Exceeds 75 Million
According to the 1900 census, the population of the United States was 76.3 million. Nearly 14 percent of the population—approximately 10.4 million people—was born outside of the United States. -
Open Door Policy is Announced
The Open Door Policy was proposed by John Hay, Secretary of State, in which all nations would have equal opportunities to trade in China. This policy attempted to protect Chinese independence and American interests in China and was supported by President William McKinley. The Open Door Policy formed the foundation of U.S. foreign policy in East Asia for more than 40 years. It mainly involved the U.S., Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and Russia. -
Anglo-German Treaty
The United States Senate accepted the Anglo-German treaty of 1899. The United States, Germany, and Great Britain all had trading posts on the four main islands of Samoa. As they grew, the competition for regional dominance threatened to cause a war. In 1887, the three nations met in Washington to try and resolve their differences, as the Samoans were infighting amongst themselves. It resulted in Britain renouncing its claims to the lands and the Germans and Americans splitting Samoa. -
US Currency Goes on Gold Standard After Congress Passes the Currency Act
The Gold Standard Act (Currency Act of 1900) was ratified, placing the United States currency on the gold standard. Following century-long fluctuations in the valuation of US currency, Congress adopted gold as the nation's sole monetary standard. The goal of the act was to prevent inflation as governments and banks are unable to manipulate the money supply. The gold standard also stabilizes prices and foreign exchange rates. -
Foraker Act is Established
The Foraker Act, signed into law by President William McKinley, designated Puerto Rico as an “unorganized territory” of the United States and gave it limited self-government. The act also stated that Puerto Ricans were “entitled to the protection of the United States,” but were not citizens. It became effective on May 1. -
1st Books of Postage Stamps Issued
Stamp booklets were first issued on April 16, 1900. They contained 12, 24, or 48 two-cent stamps. Waxed paper was placed between sheets of stamps to keep them from sticking together. The books, which carried a one-cent premium until 1963, had light cardboard covers printed with information about postage rates. -
Hoboken Docks Fire
The 1900 Hoboken Docks fire occurred on June 30, 1900, and killed at least 326 people in and around the Hoboken, New Jersey, piers of the Norddeutscher Lloyd shipping company. -
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Founded
On August 3, 1900, Harvey S. Firestone founded Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. It initially supplied solid rubber tires for fire fighting equipment and, later, tires for wagons, buggies, and other common forms of transportation. Firestone became the original supplier of the Ford Motor Company automobiles and sold the company in 19888 to the Japanese Bridgestone Corporation. -
Forces to Bring Down Boxer Rebellion
An allied expeditionary force, made up of Japanese, Russian, British, French, and American troops, sets off from Tientsin for Peking, China, to put down the Boxer rebellion. The Boxer Rebellion was an uprising against foreigners that occurred in China about 1900, begun by peasants but eventually supported by the government. A Chinese secret society known as the Boxers embarked on a violent campaign to drive all foreigners from China. -
First Modern Submarine
The U.S. Navy commissioned the first modern submarine, the USS Holland. It was named after its designer, John Philip Holland. Holland was an Irish engineer who remade maritime history despite having no formal mechanical, engineering, or military training.