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Boxer Rebellion
A violent anti-imperialism, anti-Christian movement by the "Righteous Fists of Harmony," or Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists in China. -
Italy's King Umberto Assassinated
He was deeply loathed in far-left circles, especially among anarchists, because of his conservatism and support of the Bava-Beccaris massacre in Milan. He was killed by anarchist Gaetano Bresci two years after the incident. -
Queen Victoria Dies
She had been the Queen of Great Britain for 63 years, presiding over the industrialization of Britain and the expansion of the British Empire overseas. But perhaps her most lasting influence was on the values of the time: the Victorian age became synonymous with prudish gentility and repression. -
President McKinley Assassinated
At the Temple of Music in Buffalo, New York. United States President William McKinley, attending the Pan-American Exposition, was shot twice by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist sympathizer. -
First Nobel Prize
Alfred Nobel created a will that left the bulk of his fortune to the establishment of five prizes (physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace). On December 10, 1901, five years after Alfred Nobel's death, the first five Nobel Prizes were awarded. -
Mt. Pelee Eruption
The eruption killed around 30,121 people. -
Teddy Bear
In 1902 after Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt lost his bear hunting his host captured the bear and teathered it to give it as a gift. Later on that month shop owners started making stuffed bears and calling them Teddy's Bear. -
Silent Movie
Produced by Thomas Edison but directed and filmed by Edison Company employee Edwin S. Porter, The Great Train Robbery was the first narrative movie, one that told a story. The film is a classic western with four bandits who rob a train and its passengers of their valuables and then make their grand escape only to be killed in a shootout by a posse sent after them. -
License Plates
The first state-issued license plates were issued in Massachusetts, beginning in 1903. The very first plate, featuring the number "1," was issued to Frederick Tudor. -
Russo-Japanese War Begins
A military conflict in which a victorious Japan forced Russia to abandon its expansionist policy in the Far East, becoming the first Asian power in modern times to defeat a European power. -
Trans-Siberian Railway Completed
The Trans-Siberian was the most spectacular achievement of a period in which the Russian rail network grew from 1,000 miles in 1860 to 45,000 miles by 1917. -
Bloody Sunday
George Gapon led a large procession of workers to the Winter Palace in order to present the petition to Nicholas II. When the procession of workers reached the Winter Palace it was attacked by the police and the Cossacks. Over 100 workers were killed and some 300 wounded. The incident, known as Bloody Sunday, signalled the start of the 1905 Revolution. -
Einstein
The theory of relativity states that objects will move slower and shorten in length from the point of view of an observer on Earth. -
San Francisco Earthquake
The maelstrom destroyed 490 city blocks, a total of 25,000 buildings, made over 250,000 homeless and killed between 450 and 700. Damage estimates topped $350,000,000. -
Kellogg's
The company that makes breakfast and snacks for millions began with only 44 employees in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1906. Today Kellogg Company employs nearly 32,000 people, manufactures in 19 countries and sells its products in more than 180 countries. -
Picasso
A collaboration between Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque was beginning. The two artists worked side by side, both experimenting with a system which sought to totally flatten space. One of the primary goals of cubism was to depart from the traditional understanding of perspective and spacial cues. -
Model T
The Model T made its debut in 1908 with a purchase price of $825.00. Over ten thousand were sold in its first year, establishing a new record. Four years later the price dropped to $575.00 and sales soared. -
Italy Earthquake
an earthquake of Richter magnitude 7.5 occurred centered on Messina, a city in Sicily. Reggio Calabria on the Italian mainland also suffered heavy damage. The ground shook for some 30 to 40 seconds, and the destruction was felt within a 300 km radius. Moments after the earthquake, a 40 feet tsunami struck nearby coasts causing even more devastation. 91% of structures in Messina were destroyed and some 70,000residents were killed -
Plastic
Patent for First Synthetic Plastic Issued. -
Boy Scouts
The Boy Scouts of America was founded by Chicago publisher William Boyce. At that time in the US, there were several other loosely structured outdoor-oriented youth organizations, some using the name "Boy Scout" and some using other names, and there were already a number of troops in existence using some variation of the British Scout program.