-
The Gold Standard Act is ratified, putting the United States dollar on the gold standard.
-
A Hurricane hits the city of Galveston, Texas killing over 8,000 with winds exceeding 100 MPH. It remains the most deadly natural disaster in American history.
-
Earlier on September 6 while greeting visitors to the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York President William McKinley was shot. He died of wounds sustained two weeks later on September 14.
-
The "Electric Theater" opens its doors in Los Angeles, California as the first movie theater in the United States.
-
The nation of Cuba gains Independence from the United States. Cuba was initially gained a s a United States territory in 1898 when it was taken from Spain after the Spanish-American War.
-
Wilbur and Orville Wright are successful in their attempt at the first sustained manned flight with their airplane design. It flew 859 feet over the course of 59 seconds.
-
The San Francisco Earthquake occurs, killing 478 and causing over $350 million in damages to the city. It measured a 7.8 on the Richter scale.
-
President Theodore Roosevelt authorizes presidents to designate lands as national monuments. This would be used to begin the National Parks system that runs throughout the United States.
-
The first official trip abroad by an an acting United States President occurs when President Theodore Roosevelt traveled to Panama to view the progress on the Panama Canal
-
The first passenger flight on a plane occurs when Wilbur Wright escorts Charles W. Furnas in the Wright Flyer III at Huffman Prairie Flying Field in Dayton, Ohio.
-
The National Conference of the Negro occurs. This conference would set the outline for the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
-
The Boy Scouts of America is founded. In the coming years the Boy Scouts of America would become an immensely popular program for United States youth, teaching practical skills as well as fostering leadership.
-
The 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, allowing the United States government's treasury department to impose an income tax on the population.
-
Baseball superstar Babe Ruth plays his first game in Major League baseball.
-
President Woodrow Wilson gives a speech in which he announces that the United States will remain neutral in the war going on in Europe eventually known as World War 1.
-
Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas A. Watson engage in the first telephone conversation between San Francisco and New York.
-
The United States Coast Guard is established, replacing the U.S. Life-Saving Services and taking over their r=former duties.
-
The British passenger ship Lusitania is torpedoed and sunk by a German u-boat. 128 American passengers are killed in the attack, and the American public grows in favor of intervention in World War 1.
-
The Zimmermann Telegram is given to the United States by the United Kingdom. It had been an intercepted message from the German government asking the Mexican government to preemptively attack the United States.
-
Congress agrees with President Wilson's request and the United States declares war on Germany and their allies, officially joining World War 1 on the side of the entente.
-
The 18th Amendment to The United States Constitution is passed, making the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages illegal in the United States.
-
The Treaty of Versailles is signed, officially ending World War 1 with the victory of the United States and allies.