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McKinley for President
William McKinley is re-elected for the president of the United States. -
Platt Amendment
U.S. Congress passes the Platt Amendment. This established the U.S. stopping its military occupation of Cuba, which would allow Cuba to govern itself if it fulfilled all of the terms. -
Wright Brothers Fly
The Wright Brothers accomplished their first successful flight by airplane in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Both Orville and Wilbur Wright had several successful flights this day, all under a minute and flying over several hundred feet of ground. -
Teddy Roosevelt for President
Theodore Roosevelt is elected for president of the United States. -
Roosevelt Corollary
The Roosevelt Corollary is announced following the Monroe Doctrine, entailing that the U.S. would be able to intervene in international affairs if it threatened the American republic. -
Meat Inspection Act and Food & Drug Act passed
The Meat Inspection Act and the Food and Drug Act are passed. The Meat Inspection Act was mainly as result of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, which revealed the disgusting and unsanitary conditions of meat factories in the United States. These inspections confirmed the truths unveiled in The Jungle. As for the Food and Drug Act, its main purpose was to protect Americans from purchasing foods that were falsely advertised as healthy, as well as adulterated foods. -
Federal Reserve Act passed
The Federal Reserve Act is passed in order to investigate U.S. businesses that were participating in illegal activities. It allowed 12 U.S. Federal Banks to print money so as to keep inflation low and employment high. -
Lusitania sinks
German U-boats sink the Lusitania, with 159 Americans on board. This infuriated Americans, and was one of the main triggers for the U.S. officially entering into World War II.