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Death of William McKinley
President McKinley died on September 14, 1901, several days after being shot on September 5 by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition. He was succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt. -
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Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt became president upon the death of William McKinley on September 14, 1901, and was reelected in his own right in 1904. Priorities of Roosevelt's presidency included strengthening America's foreign policy, environmental conservation, as well as intervening against trusts and monopolies. -
First Successful Aircraft Flight
The Wright brothers made their first brief, but successful, aircraft test flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, heralding the dawn of air travel. -
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Presidency of William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was Theodore Roosevelt's preferred successor and won the 1908 election with his support, but his more conservative economic policies ultimately disappointed Roosevelt. He was defeated for re-election in a four-way race in 1912. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
A fire caused by unsafe working conditions at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York killed 146 factory workers, drawing significant attention to the abuses and corruption of industrial corporations. -
Ratification of the 16th Amendment
The 16th Amendment, which authorized a federal income tax, was ratified on February 3, 1913, in a victory for the Progressive movement. -
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Presidency of Woodrow Wilson
Democrat Woodrow Wilson was elected in a four-way race in 1912, defeating incumbent William Howard Taft. The defining event of his presidency was America's involvement of World War I, which further enhanced the nation's global power but also caused a domestic backlash. -
Ratification of the 17th Amendment
Another Progressive cause was successful with the ratification of the 17th Amendment on April 8, 1913, which allowed the people of each state to directly elect their U.S. senators, rather than the state legislatures. -
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World War I
Started by the assassination of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian teenager, World War I was the deadliest conflict in human history up to that point, engulfing most of Europe in brutal trench warfare and causing tens of millions of deaths. The United States entered the war in 1917 and played a key role in ending it. -
United States Enters World War I
Following aggressive submarine warfare by Germany, as well as the Zimmerman Telegram in which Germany conspired with Mexico to capture American territory, the United States declared war against Germany on April 6, 1917, entering the war on the side of Britain and France. -
Ratification of the 18th Amendment
The 18th Amendment, which prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages, was ratified on January 16, 1919, inaugurating the Prohibition era.