1900-1920

  • Open Door Policy

    John Hay announces the Open Door Policy, which will encourage more trade with China
  • William McKinley relelcted

    Willian McKinley is reelected as president, defeating William Bryan
  • Spindletop

    Oil is discovered in Teas at Spindletop
  • Roosevelt becomes President

    Vice President Theodore Roosevelt becomes president after the death of current president, William McKinley
  • First Flight

    The first heavier than air flight is made by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk Beach, North Carolina.
  • Work on the Panama Canal Begins

    US Army Engineers begins work on the Panama Canal, seeking to join the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
  • Roosevelt Elected President

    Theodore Roosevelt defeats Alton Parker in the presidential election, maintaining his position.
  • Atlanta Race Riots

    White Americans attack African Americans, resulting in the death of 27 and severe damage to Black-owned businesses
  • Oklahoma becomes a State

    Indian territory and Oklahoma Territory are combined, and Oklahoma becomes the 46th state.
  • Model T Introduced

    Henry Ford's model T automobile is officially launched, on sale for $850
  • Taft wins the election

    William Taft defeats William Bryan, winning the presidency
  • Pearl Harbor becomes a naval base

    The United States Navy founds a naval base at Pearl Harbor
  • M1911

    The US Army formally adopts the M1911 pistol as a standard issue sidearm
  • Standard Oil Dissolved

    The US Supreme court finds Standard Oil to be a Monopoly and orders it to be dissolved.
  • New Mexico becomes a State

    New Mexico becomes the 47th state to join the United States
  • Arizona becomes A State

    Arizona is granted state hood and becomes the 48th State
  • Period: to

    Sinking of RMS Titanic

    Passenger ship RMS Titanic collides with an iceberg and sinks, killing upwards of 1,500 people
  • Woodrow Wilson elected President

    Governor of New Jersey, Woodrow Wilson, is elected president, defeating William Taft in a landslide victory.
  • Ford starts Production of the Model T

    Production of the Model T begins, utilizing the assembly line. While Ford is not the first to do so, it sparks an era of mass production.
  • Franz Ferdinand Shot

    Archduke Franz Ferdinand is shot to death, sparking the first world war.
  • RMS Lusitania Sunk

    While the Lusitania was a British ship, there were Americans onboard, and this pushes many Americans away from neutrality and towards supporting a war with Germany.
  • Zimmerman Telegram

    The Zimmerman telegram is intercepted, which promises Mexico American territory in return for declaring war on the United States.
  • War Declared on Germany

    President Woodrow Wilson and Congress declare war on Germany
  • World War I Ends

    On the 11th Hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the war in Europe ends.
  • Boston Molasses Disaster

    A tank of 2.3 million gallons of Molasses breaks, flooding the streets of Boston, killing 21.