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American Statesman and diplomat John Hay announces the Open-Door Policy to promote trade with China.
The Open Door Policy stated that all nations, including the United States, could enjoy equal access to the Chinese market. Hay's logic was that American economic power would then be able to dominate the Chinese market and fend off other foreign competitors. -
The United States and the United Kingdom sign a treaty for the Panama Canal.
Hay–Pauncefote Treaty, either of two agreements between Britain and the United States, the second of which freed the United States from a previous commitment to accept international control of the Panama Canal. -
The Germany German liner SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse becomes the first ship to send Wireless telegraphy wireless signals to shore.
Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse became the first liner to have a commercial wireless telegraphy system when the Marconi Company installed one in February 1900. -
Philippine–American War: Filipinos Filipino guerrillas launch a surprise attack on U.S. infantry and begin a Siege of Catubig four-day siege of Catubig, Northern Samar Catubig, Philippines.
In the Siege of Catubig, Filipino guerrillas launch a surprise attack against a detachment of American soldiers, and after a four-day siege, Americans evacuate the town of Catubig in Samar. June – General Arthur MacArthur, Jr. proclaims a 90-day amnesty and offers 30 pesos per rifle. -
Second Boer War: The United Kingdom annexes the Orange Free State.
The Second Boer War also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics over the Empire's influence in Southern Africa. -
The Reichstag (German Empire) called Reichstag approves a second law that allows the expansion of the German navy.
Second German Naval Law to challenge Royal Navy. Fleet to be doubled to 38 battleships, 20 armoured cruisers and 38 light cruisers . Anglo-French Entente Cordiale highlighted German concerns about British future intentions and the threat of the Royal Navy. -
Boxer Rebellion: The Imperial Chinese Army begins a Siege of the International Legations called 55-day siege of the Beijing Legation Quarter or Legation Quarter in Beijing, China.
Siege of the International Legations engagement of the Boxer Rebellion in China. Placed under siege by Chinese soldiers, the foreign legations in Peking held out for fifty-five days until relieved by an international expeditionary force. -
In Italy, King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by the Anarchism or anarchist Gaetano Bresci.
In Monza, Italy, King Umberto I is shot to death by Gaetano Bresci, an Italian-born anarchist who resided in America before returning to his homeland to murder the king. -
Philippine–American War: Filipino people Filipinos under Juan Cailles defeat United States Americans under Colonel (United States) Colonel Benjamin F. Cheatham at Mabitac.
On Sociego Street in Santa Mesa, a Filipino private named Will Grayson spots Corporal Anastacio Felix and shoots. The killing of Felix sparks a gun battle between the two forces, the first skirmish in a war that lasts for more than four years. -
Battle of Leliefontein, a battle during which the Royal Canadian Dragoons win three Victoria Crosses.
Three members of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, including Sergeant Holland, Lieutenant Turner, and Lieutenant Cockburn were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions at Leliefontein. The Royal Canadian Dragoons remains the only Canadian unit where three of its members were awarded the Victoria Cross in a single day. -
The Australian colonies federate.
Australia became a nation on 1 January 1901, when the British Parliament passed legislation enabling the six Australian colonies to collectively govern in their own right as the Commonwealth of Australia. It was a remarkable political accomplishment that had taken many years and several referenda to achieve. -
Edward VII becomes King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India upon the death of Queen Victoria.
Edward was 59 when he became King on 22 January 1901, on the death of his mother Queen Victoria. The Coronation was set for 26 June 1902, but only two days beforehand the King was forced to postpone it until 9 August, owing to an attack of appendicitis which required an emergency operation. -
Platt Amendment limits the autonomy of Cuba in exchange for withdrawal of American troops.
The Platt Amendment, an amendment to a U.S. army appropriations bill, established the terms under which the United States would end its military occupation of Cuba. -
The first Tour de France is held.
The first Tour de France was held in 1903 – with the aim of selling more newspapers… It was set up and sponsored by French sports paper L'Auto, which hoped a tough new endurance race around the country would capture the public's attention and boost its declining sales figures. -
Assassination of William McKinley. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt assumes office as President of the United States following McKinley's death on September 14.
Vice President Theodore Roosevelt assumes the presidency. A funeral train carrying McKinley's casket travels from Buffalo to the Capitol in Washington, DC, and finally to Ohio, where McKinley is buried. Czolgosz's trial begins. Three days later, the jury finds him guilty and sentences him to death -
Boxer Rebellion defeated by international coalition. They impose heavy financial sanctions on China.
The Republic of China was established the following year, bringing an end to more than 2,000 years of imperial dynastic rule. -
Guglielmo Marconi receives the first trans-Atlantic radio signal.
At Signal Hill on December 12, 1901, Guglielmo Marconi and his assistant, George Kemp, confirmed the reception of the first transatlantic radio signals. With a telephone receiver and a wire antenna kept aloft by a kite, they heard Morse code for the letter "S" transmitted from Poldhu, Cornwall. -
Unification of Saudi Arabia begins.
a royal decree was issued announcing the unification of the country under the name (The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. -
Cuba given independence by the United States.
Following the defeat of Spain in 1898, the United States remained in Cuba as an occupying power until the Republic of Cuba was formally installed. -
Second Boer War ends in British victory.
By 1902, the British had crushed the Boer resistance, and on May 31 of that year, the Peace of Vereeniging was signed, ending hostilities. The treaty recognized the British military administration over Transvaal and the Orange Free State, and authorized a general amnesty for Boer forces. -
Arthur Balfour becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Arthur James Balfour was elected to Parliament in 1874 and acted as private secretary to his uncle, Lord Salisbury, leader of the Conservative Party. He was Secretary of State for Scotland, then Chief Secretary for Ireland and leader of the House of Commons before taking over as Prime Minister. -
Willis Carrier invents the first modern electrical air conditioning unit.
On July 17, 1902, Willis Haviland Carrier designed the first modern air-conditioning system, launching an industry that would fundamentally improve the way we live, work and play. Genius can strike anywhere. -
The first teddy bear is invented.
Morris Michtom saw the Berryman drawing of Roosevelt and was inspired to create a teddy bear. He created a tiny soft bear cub and put it in his candy shop window at 404 Tompkins Avenue in Brooklyn with a sign "Teddy's bear." The toys were an immediate success and Michtom founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Co -
King Alexander I of Serbia and his wife Queen Draga are assassinated in a military coup.
The May Coup was a coup d'état involving the assassination of the Serbian King Alexander Obrenović and his consort Queen Draga inside the Royal Palace in Belgrade. -
Pius X becomes Pope.
Pope Pius X was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. -
Independence of Panama, the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty is signed by the United States and Panama.
President Theodore Roosevelt therefore supported the cause of Panamanian independence with the Canal in mind. His support paid off, and on November 18, 1903, the United States signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, establishing permanent U.S. rights to a Panama Canal Zone that stretched across the isthmus. -
First controlled heavier-than-air flight of the Wright Brothers.
After several unsuccessful attempts, on December 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright completed the first powered flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft known as the Wright Flyer. The flight lasted just 12 seconds, traveled 120 feet, and reached a top speed of 6.8 miles per hour -
A Japanese surprise attack on Port Arthur (Lushun) starts the Russo-Japanese War.
, Japan launched a surprise attack against the Russian-held Port Arthur, along the coast of Manchuria. -
Entente cordiale signed between Britain and France.
Entente Cordiale Anglo-French agreement that, by settling a number of controversial matters, ended antagonisms between Great Britain and France and paved the way for their diplomatic cooperation against German pressures in the decade preceding World War I. -
Trans-Siberian railway is completed.
The original train with its marble-tiled bathrooms, a grand piano in the music room, a library and a gym, as well as caviar and sturgeon in the first-class dining room, proceeded at a stately 20mph or so and took nearly four weeks for the journey. -
The Russo-Japanese War ends in Japanese victory.
The complete victory of the Japanese military surprised international observers and transformed the balance of power in both East Asia and Europe, resulting in Japan's emergence as a great power and a decline in the Russian Empire's prestige and influence in Europe. -
The Revolution of 1905 in Russia erupts.
On January 22, 1905, a group of workers led by the radical priest Georgy Apollonovich Gapon marched to the czar's Winter Palace in St. Petersburg to make their demands. Imperial forces opened fire on the demonstrators, killing and wounding hundreds. -
The Norwegian Parliament declares the union with Sweden dissolved, and Norway achieves full independence.
Union resolution for 1905 : After the warmongering and hard negotiations was the Norwegian union with Sweden formally dissolved when the Swedish parliament recognized Norway as a separate state. -
Albert Einstein's formulation of special relativity.
Special relativity is an explanation of how speed affects mass, time and space. The theory includes a way for the speed of light to define the relationship between energy and matter — small amounts of mass (m) can be interchangeable with enormous amounts of energy (E), as defined by the classic equation E = mc^2. -
The British Indian Province of Bengal, partitioned by the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, despite strong opposition.
Partition of Bengal carried out by the British viceroy in India, Lord Curzon, despite strong Indian nationalist opposition. It divided Bengal into Hindu dominated west which consisted of Bihar, Odisha, etc. and Muslim dominated East Bengal with Assam. -
Liberal Henry Campbell-Bannerman becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman was a British statesman and Liberal politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and Leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 1908. -
An earthquake in San Francisco, California, magnitude 7.9, kills 3,000.
More than 3,000 people died, and over 80% of the city was destroyed. The event is remembered as the deadliest earthquake in the history of the United States. The death toll remains the greatest loss of life from a natural disaster in California's history and high on the lists of American disasters -
Alfred Dreyfus is exonerated and reinstated as a major in the French Army; the Dreyfus Affair ends.
n 1906, Dreyfus was exonerated. After being reinstated as a major in the French Army, he served during the whole of World War I, ending his service with the rank of lieutenant colonel. -
An earthquake in Valparaíso, Chile, magnitude 8.2, kills 20,000.
Originating off the coast of southern Chile, the temblor caused substantial damage and loss of life both in that country and—as a result of the tsunamis that it generated—in distant Pacific coastal areas. -
The US begins the Second Occupation of Cuba.
The U.S. intervention in Cuba in 1906, commonly referred to as the Second Intervention, began on September 28, 1906 with the resignation of the Cuban president and his cabinet and ended on January 28, 1909 when the U.S. relinquished control of the state to its newly elected president. -
Brazilian inventor Alberto Santos-Dumont takes off and flies his 14-bis to a crowd in Paris.
While some remained skeptical of the reported achievements of the Wright Brothers, which were conducted in secrecy away from the public eye, the success of the flamboyant Santos-Dumont was plain for all to see on October 23, 1906, when his 14-bis biplane flew about 200 feet at a height of around 15 feet. -
The Muslim League is formed by Nawab Salimullah Khan of Dacca.
Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah Bahadur was the fourth Nawab of Dhaka and one of the leading Muslim politicians during the British rule in India. On 30 December 1906, the All-India Muslim League was officially founded at the educational conference held in Dhaka. -
Elections to the new Parliament of Finland are the first in the world with woman candidates, as well as the first elections in Europe where universal suffrage is applied.
Parliamentary elections were held in the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland on 15 and 16 March 1907. They were the first parliamentary election in which members were elected to the new Parliament of Finland by universal suffrage and the first in the world in which female members were elected. -
Japan–Korea Treaty of 1907.
The treaty provided that Korea should act under the guidance of a Japanese resident general. The effect of the treaty's provisions was that the administration of internal affairs was turned over to Japan. -
Liberal H. H. Asquith becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
In 1908 he became Prime Minister following the resignation of Henry Campbell-Bannerman. Asquith took on the House of Lords, which often blocked reforming Liberal bills, preventing them becoming law. -
First commercial Middle-Eastern oilfield established, at Masjed Soleyman in southwest Persia.
Oil was discovered at Masjed Soleymān in 1908, and the town early became one of Iran's leading oil centres. -
The Tunguska impact devastates thousands of square kilometres of Siberia.
The explosion over the sparsely populated East Siberian taiga flattened an estimated 80 million trees. -
Young Turk Revolution in the Ottoman Empire.
The Young Turk Revolution of 1908 reverberated across the Middle East and Europe and ushered in a new era for the Ottoman Empire. The initial military uprising in the Balkans triggered a constitutional revolution, in which social mobilization and the political aspirations of the Young Turks played a crucial role. -
Founding of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI)
The FBI has traditionally accepted July 26, 1908 as its birth date. -
The Ford Motor Company invents the Model T.
The Model T was introduced to the world in 1908. Henry Ford wanted the Model T to be affordable, simple to operate, and durable. -
Independence of Bulgaria.
Bulgaria celebrates one of the most significant events in recent history. On this date in 1908 the Bulgarian state, one of the oldest in Europe, declared its independence -
Pu Yi, the last Emperor of China, assumes the throne.
Emperor of China Chosen by Empress Dowager Cixi, Puyi became emperor at the age of 2 years and 10 months in December 1908 after the Guangxu Emperor, Puyi's half-uncle, died childless on 14 November. -
The 1908 Messina earthquake in southern Italy, magnitude 7.1, kills 70,000 people.
The earthquake almost levelled Messina. At least 91% of structures in Messina were destroyed or irreparably damaged and 75,000 people were killed in the city and suburbs. Reggio Calabria and other locations in Calabria also suffered heavy damage, with some 25,000 people killed. -
William Howard Taft is inaugurated as President of the United States; deep divisions in his Republican Party over tariffs.
The new Payne–Aldrich Tariff Act of 1909 raised rates when most people expected reductions. Taft expanded Roosevelt's efforts to break up trusts. -
Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 signed (effective on July 9).
Bangkok Treaty signed on March 10, 1909, with ratifications exchanged in London on July 9, 1909. -
Indian Councils Act passed.
The Indian Councils Act transformed the viceroy's Executive Council into a miniature cabinet run on the portfolio system, and each of the five ordinary members was placed in charge of a distinct department of Calcutta's government—home, revenue, military, finance, and law. -
Robert E. Peary claims to have reached the North Pole though the claim is subsequently heavily contested.
Frederick A. Cook challenged their distinction of being the first to reach the North Pole. A former associate of Peary, Cook claimed he had already reached the pole by dogsled the previous year. A major controversy followed -
A countercoup fails in the Ottoman Empire.
A number of developments contributed to the empire's final collapse, including social unrest, lack of industrial capacity, and what happened to the Ottoman Empire after World War I. -
A revolution forces Mohammad Ali Shah, Persian Shah of the Qajar dynasty to abdicate in favor of his son Ahmad Shah Qajar.
On 16 July 1909, the parliament voted to place Mohammad Ali Shah's 11-year-old son, Ahmad Shah on the throne. Mohammad Ali Shah abdicated following the new Constitutional Revolution and he has since been remembered as a symbol of dictatorship. -
Boy Scouts of America is founded.
As a result, William Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910. He also created the Lone Scouts, which merged with the Boy Scouts of America in 1924. James E. West was appointed the first Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America in 1911. -
George V becomes King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India upon the death of Edward VII.
On Victoria's death in 1901, George's father ascended the throne as Edward VII, and George was created Prince of Wales. He became king-emperor on his father's death in 1910. -
Union of South Africa created.
On May 31, 1910, four colonies were joined together to create the Union of South Africa, a self-governing Dominion in the British Empire. While the new nation was sovereign when it came to its domestic affairs, the United Kingdom maintained control over its relations with the wider world. -
Kingdom of Montenegro is proclaimed independent.
Following the dissolution of the Federation of Yugoslavia in 1989, Montenegro had been part of Yugoslavia's successor state (named the State Union of Serbia & Montenegro in 2003) until declaring independence. -
Imperial Japan annexes Korea.
Japan effectively annexed Korea with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910 signed by Ye Wanyong, Prime Minister of Korea. -
The 5 October 1910 revolution in Portugal and proclamation of the First Portuguese Republic.
The 5 October 1910 revolution was the overthrow of the centuries-old Portuguese monarchy and its replacement by the First Portuguese Republic. It was the result of a coup d'état organized by the Portuguese Republican Party. -
Beginning of the Mexican Revolution (Plan of San Luis Potosí).
According to his plan, he would establish democracy throughout the country, contracts and government transactions previously made would be respected, government would transparent and accountable, and the economy would favor Mexican enterprises instead of foreign businesses. -
Eugene B. Ely lands on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania stationed in San Francisco harbor, marking the first time an aircraft lands on a ship.
Ely piloting his Curtiss Model D biplane for an imminent landing on platform constructed (note sandbags on either side of platform) on the stern of US Navy ship USS Pennsylvania (Armored Cruiser # 4, later CA-4), anchored in San Francisco Bay, California on January 18, 1911. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City results in the deaths of 146 workers and leads to sweeping workplace safety reforms.
Workers in the factory, many of whom were young women recently arrived from Europe, had little time or opportunity to escape. The rapidly spreading fire killed 146 workers. The building had only one fire escape, which collapsed during the rescue effort. Long tables and bulky machines trapped many of the victims. -
The Italo-Turkish war which led to the capture of Libya by Italy, begins.
Nine days later, the Italian ambassador in Istanbul gave an ultimatum to the Ottoman government: Libya had to be ceded to the Kingdom of Italy in 24 hours. The Turks did not respond in time to the ultimatum and on 29 September 1911, the war began. -
Xinhai Revolution, which overthrew the Qing dynasty of China, begins.
In October of 1911, a group of revolutionaries in southern China led a successful revolt against the Qing Dynasty, establishing in its place the Republic of China and ending the imperial system. -
Swiss race car driver and automotive engineer Louis Chevrolet co-founds the Chevrolet Motor Company in Detroit with his brother Arthur Chevrolet, William C. Durant and others.
The Chevrolet Motor Car Company was founded on November 3, 1911 in Detroit. It was co-founded by Louis Chevrolet, a Swiss race car driver and automotive engineer, and William C. -
New Delhi becomes the capital of British India.
On 12th December, 1911, at the historic Delhi Durbar, the George V, the Emperor of the British Empire proclaimed the shifting of the capital of India from Calcutta to Delhi. After announcement of Delhi as the Capital of India, the preparation for the building a new city started with majesty, pomp and show. -
Roald Amundsen first reaches the South Pole.
At around 3pm on 14 December 1911, Amundsen raised the flag of Norway at the South Pole. He had reached the Pole a full 33 days before Captain Scott arrived. Amundsen and his crew returned to their base camp on 25 January 1912, 99 days and roughly 1400 nautical miles after their departure. -
The African National Congress is founded.
John Dube, the founding President of the SANNC. The organisation was founded as the South African Native National Congress. -
End of the Chinese Empire. Republic of China established.
a group of revolutionaries in southern China led a successful revolt against the Qing Dynasty, establishing in its place the Republic of China and ending the imperial system. -
Arizona becomes the last state to be admitted to the continental Union.
For both New Mexico and Arizona, the road to statehood was protracted and contentious. However, after much effort, on January 6, 1912 New Mexico became the 47th state and on February 14, 1912 Arizona became the 48th state in the Union. -
Morocco becomes a protectorate of France.
France established a protectorate over Morocco as a result of the signing of the Treaty of Fez on March 30, 1912. -
Sinking of the RMS Titanic.
RMS Titanic sank in the early morning hours of 15 April 1912 in the North Atlantic Ocean, four days into her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. -
Emperor Meiji dies, ending the Meiji Era; his son, the Emperor Taishō, becomes Emperor of Japan.
Although the official announcement said he died at 00:42 on 30 July 1912, the actual death was at 22:40 on 29 July. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Emperor Taishō. By 1912, Japan had gone through a political, economic, and social revolution and emerged as one of the great powers in the world. -
The Kuomintang, the Chinese nationalist party, is founded.
Founded in 1912 by Sun Yat-sen, the KMT helped topple the Qing dynasty and promoted modernization along Western lines. The party played a significant part in the first Chinese first National Assembly where it was the majority party. However the KMT failed to achieve complete control. -
The First Balkan War begins.
The first Balkan War began when Serbia and Greece with the support of Montenegro, Bulgaria formed the Balkan League and declared war against the Ottoman Empire in October of 1912. The Ottoman Empire at the time had its greatest power base in the country of Turkey. -
In the 1913 Ottoman coup d'état, Ismail Enver comes to power.
The 1913 Ottoman coup d'éta also known as the Raid on the Sublime Porte was a coup d'état carried out in the Ottoman Empire by a number of Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) members led by Ismail Enver Bey and Mehmed Talaat Be -
La Decena Trágica in Mexico City.
"The Decena Trágica is the best-known episode of Madero's life and movement." It instigated a new phase of the Mexican Revolution. The ten days of violence, the aim was to "create the illusion of chaos necessary to induce Madero to step down" from the presidency. -
Woodrow Wilson is inaugurated as President of the United States.
The first inauguration of Woodrow Wilson as the 28th president of the United States was held on Tuesday, March 4, 1913, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 32nd inauguration and marked the commencement of the first four-year term of Woodrow Wilson as president and Thomas R. -
Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring infamously premiers in Paris.
The work's premiere on May 29, 1913, at the Théatre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, was scandalous. In addition to the outrageous costumes, unusual choreography and bizarre story of pagan sacrifice, Stravinsky's musical innovations tested the patience of the audience to the fullest -
Treaty of London.
Treaty of London is a secret treaty between neutral Italy and the Allied forces of France, Britain, and Russia to bring Italy into World War I. The Allies wanted Italy's participation because of its border with Austria. -
Treaty of Bucharest.
Treaty of Bucharest, settlement, signed on Aug. 10, 1913, that ended the Second Balkan War (1913), in which Bulgaria was defeated by the combined forces of Serbia, Greece, and Romania. -
Ford Motor Company introduces the first moving assembly line.
The Ford Motor Company team decided to try to implement the moving assembly line in the automobile manufacturing process. After much trial and error, in 1913 Henry Ford and his employees successfully began using this innovation at our Highland Park assembly plant. -
The Federal Reserve System is created.
The Federal Reserve System is the central bank of the United States. Founded by an act of Congress in 1913, the Federal Reserve's primary purpose was to enhance the stability of the American banking system.