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Theodore Roosevelt becomes President
President William McKinley was shot twice and later died on September 14, 1901. He was succeeded by Vice President Theodore Roosevelt. -
Panama Canal Construction Begins
American construction began on the Panama Canal and takes 10 years to complete, -
The Jungle
Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, the most famous work of muckraking fiction, exposed terrible health and labor conditions in meat-packing plants. -
Titanic Sinks
The world’s largest passenger steamship, the Titanic, sank in the Atlantic Ocean after hitting an iceberg during its maiden voyage, killing 1,517 aboard. -
Election of Woodrow Wilson
Democratic Party nominee Woodrow Wilson won the presidential election -
Sixteenth Amendment Ratified
Allowed the federal government to collect taxes on incomes. -
Federal Reserve System begun
The Federal Reserve Act created the Federal Reserve System to serve as the nation’s central bank. -
U.S. enters WW1
The United States officially declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917 after about 3 years of neutrality. -
Influenza Epidemic
Spanish flu spreads between 1918 and 1919, killing as many as 50 million people worldwide. -
Eighteenth Amendment is ratified
Prohibition had profound consequences: it made brewing and distilling illegal, expanded state and federal government, inspired new forms of sociability between men and women, and suppressed elements of immigrant and working-class culture. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending World War I.
