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Spanish American War
U.S. victory in the war produced a peace treaty that compelled the Spanish to relinquish claims on Cuba, and to cede sovereignty over Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the United States. The United States also annexed the independent state of Hawaii during the conflict. -
The U.S. currency is placed on the gold standard
This allows for money and gold to be exchanged and gold to be used to buy items -
The passing of the Platt Amendment
The amendment also demanded that Cuba sell or lease lands to the United States necessary for coaling or the development of naval stations. -
The inauguration of President William McKinley
He was our 25th president, and Theodore Rosevelt was his Vice President -
President McKinley is assassinated
He was assassinated is Buffalo New York, making Theodore Rosevelt president. -
Cuba declares independence from U.S.
After the Spanish–American War, Spain and the United States signed the 1898 Treaty of Paris, by which Spain ceded Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam to the United States for the sum of $20 million. Cuba gained formal independence from the U.S. on May 20, 1902, as the Republic of Cuba. -
The first Major League World Series of Baseball
The 1903 World Series was the first modern World Series to be played in Major League Baseball. It matched the American League (AL) champion Boston Americans against the National League (NL) champion Pittsburgh Pirates in a best-of-nine series, with Boston prevailing five games to three, winning the last four. -
The Wright Brothers make their first flight
On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright made four brief flights at Kitty Hawk with their first powered aircraft. The Wright brothers had invented the first successful airplane. The Wrights used this stopwatch to time the Kitty Hawk flights. -
United States acquires the Panama Canal zone
The Canal Zone came into being on May 4, 1904 ("Acquisition Day"), under the terms of the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty of 1903 (see below) by which Panama granted to the United States, in return for annual payments, the sole right to operate and control the canal and about 5 miles (8 km) of land on each side. -
President Theodore Roosevelt is inaugurated for the second time
The second inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt as President of the United States, took place on Saturday, March 4, 1905. The inauguration marked the beginning of the second (only full) term of Theodore Roosevelt as President and the only term of Charles W. Fairbanks as Vice President. -
"The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair is written
Upton Sinclair's The Jungle: Muckraking the Meat-Packing Industry. Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle to expose the appalling working conditions in the meat-packing industry. His description of diseased, rotten, and contaminated meat shocked the public and led to new federal food safety laws. -
The San Francisco earthquake occurs
At 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, the people of San Francisco were awakened by an earthquake that would devastate the city. The main temblor, having a 7.7–7.9 magnitude, lasted about one minute and was the result of the rupturing of the northernmost 296 miles of the 800-mile San Andreas fault. -
The Antiquities Act is passed
The law was enacted in 1906 to prevent looting of Indian artifacts from archaeological sites. The act has mostly been used since then by presidents to turn public land into national monuments protected forever from commercial development or future mineral exploitation. -
The RMS Lusitania makes its FIRST voyage
It was sank by a German U boat on May 7, 1915. -
Oklahoma is admitted as a state
On September 17, 1907 the people of the Indian and Oklahoma Territories voted favorably on statehood. The vote was certified and delivered to the President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt and on November 16, 1907, Roosevelt issued Presidential Proclamation 780 admitting Oklahoma as the forty-sixth state. -
The NAACP is established
On February 12, 1909, a diverse group of people, whites, blacks and Jews founded the NAACP. Many founders were also part of the Niagra Movement. The goal of the group was to fight for civil rights in the U.S., and many claim that the 1908 Race Riot in Springfield, Illinois sparked its formation. -
The inauguration of William Howard Taft
The inauguration of William Howard Taft as the 27th President of the United States was held on Thursday, March 4, 1909 in the Senate Chamber at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.