The 1900s

1901 125 years ago

Marthinus Wessel Pretorius, South African general and politician, 1st President of the South African Republic (born 1819

Marthinus Wessel Pretorius was a South African political leader. An Afrikaner, he helped establish the South African Republic, was the first president of the ZAR, and also compiled…

Marthinus Wessel Pretorius, South African general and politician, 1st President of the South African Republic (born 1819

1901 125 years ago

Joseph Olivier, French rugby player (born 1874)

Joseph Adolphe Théophile Olivier was a French rugby union player who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics. He was a member of the French rugby union team, which won the gold medal.

Joseph Olivier, French rugby player (born 1874)

1901 125 years ago

Gaetano Bresci, Italian-American anarchist, assassin of Umberto I of Italy (born 1869)

Gaetano Bresci was an Italian anarchist who assassinated King Umberto I of Italy. His experience of working as a young weaver led him to realize he was exploited in the workplace, …

Gaetano Bresci, Italian-American anarchist, assassin of Umberto I of Italy (born 1869)

1901 125 years ago

Louis-Zéphirin Moreau, Canadian bishop (born 1824)

Louis-Zéphirin Moreau was a Canadian Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Saint-Hyacinthe from 1875 until his death in 1901. He was also the cofounder of the Sisters of St. Jos…

Louis-Zéphirin Moreau, Canadian bishop (born 1824)

1901 125 years ago

Victor D'Hondt, Belgian mathematician, lawyer, and jurist (born 1841)

Victor Joseph Auguste D'Hondt was a Belgian lawyer and jurist of civil law at Ghent University. He devised a procedure, the D'Hondt method, which he first described in 1878, for al…

Victor D'Hondt, Belgian mathematician, lawyer, and jurist (born 1841)

1901 125 years ago

George Leslie Mackay, Canadian missionary and author (born 1844)

George Leslie Mackay was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary. He was the first Presbyterian missionary to northern Taiwan, serving with the Canadian Presbyterian Mission. Mackay is …

George Leslie Mackay, Canadian missionary and author (born 1844)

1901 125 years ago

Mozaffar ad-Din (pictured), Shah of Persia, granted exclusive rights to prospect for oil in the country to William Knox

Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar was the fifth Qajar shah of Iran, reigning from 1896 until his death in 1907. He is often credited with the creation of the Persian Constitution of 1906,…

Mozaffar ad-Din (pictured), Shah of Persia, granted exclusive rights to prospect for oil in the country to William Knox

1901 125 years ago

Mozaffar ad-Din, Shah of Persia, granted exclusive rights to prospect for oil in the country to businessman William Knox

Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar was the fifth Qajar shah of Iran, reigning from 1896 until his death in 1907. He is often credited with the creation of the Persian Constitution of 1906,…

Mozaffar ad-Din, Shah of Persia, granted exclusive rights to prospect for oil in the country to businessman William Knox

1900

Fires destroy Canadian cities Ottawa and Hull, reducing them to ashes in 12 hours

The Hull-Ottawa fire of 1900 was a devastating fire in 1900 that destroyed much of Hull, Quebec, and large portions of Ottawa, Ontario.

Fires destroy Canadian cities Ottawa and Hull, reducing them to ashes in 12 hours

1900

Hawaii becomes a territory of the United States, with Sanford B

Hawaii is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, it is t…

Hawaii becomes a territory of the United States, with Sanford B

1900

The Scofield Mine disaster kills over 200 men in Scofield, Utah in what is to date the fifth-worst mining accident in Un

The Scofield Mine disaster was a mining explosion that occurred at the Winter Quarters coal mine on May 1, 1900. The mine was located at 39°42′57″N 111°11′17″W near the town of Sco…

The Scofield Mine disaster kills over 200 men in Scofield, Utah in what is to date the fifth-worst mining accident in Un

1900

Opening of World Amateur championship at the Paris Exposition Universelle, also known as Olympic Games

The Exposition Universelle of 1900, better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate …

Opening of World Amateur championship at the Paris Exposition Universelle, also known as Olympic Games

1900

The children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 children's fantasy novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A K…

The children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L

1900

The United Kingdom proclaims a protectorate over Tonga

A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state or dependent territory that foregoes an independent foreign policy in favour of alliance with a protecting pow…

The United Kingdom proclaims a protectorate over Tonga

1900

Second Boer War: British troops relieve Mafeking

The Second Boer War, also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the Boer republics ov…

Second Boer War: British troops relieve Mafeking

1900

Second Boer War: The United Kingdom annexes the Orange Free State

The Second Boer War, also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the Boer republics ov…

Second Boer War: The United Kingdom annexes the Orange Free State

1900

N'Djamena is founded as Fort-Lamy by the French commander Émile Gentil

N'Djamena is the capital and largest city of Chad. It is also a Special Status Province, divided into 10 districts or arrondissements, similar to the city of Paris.

N'Djamena is founded as Fort-Lamy by the French commander Émile Gentil

1900

Great Britain annexes Tonga Island

Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland and Wales. With an area of 209,…

Great Britain annexes Tonga Island

1900

American Civil War: Sergeant William Harvey Carney is awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Assault on the B

The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded from the Union to preserve sl…

American Civil War: Sergeant William Harvey Carney is awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Assault on the B

1900

Thousand Days' War: The Colombian Conservative Party turns the tide of war in their favor with victory against the Colom

The Thousand Days' War was a civil war fought in Colombia from 17 October 1899 to 21 November 1902, at first between the Liberal Party and the government led by the National Party,…

Thousand Days' War: The Colombian Conservative Party turns the tide of war in their favor with victory against the Colom

1900

Polly Adler, Russian-American madam and author (died 1962)

Pearl "Polly" Adler was an American madam and author, best known for her work A House Is Not a Home, which was adapted into a film of the same name. In 2021, Pulitzer Prize–winning…

Polly Adler, Russian-American madam and author (died 1962)

1900

Bertha Isaacs, Bahamian teacher, tennis player, politician and women's rights activist (died 1997)

Dame Albertha Magdelina Isaacs DBE was a Bahamian teacher, tennis player, women's rights activist and politician. After a career as an elementary school teacher, she played on the …

Bertha Isaacs, Bahamian teacher, tennis player, politician and women's rights activist (died 1997)

1900

Iracema de Alencar, Brazilian film actress (died 1978)

Iracema de Alencar was a Brazilian actress. She made her debut as the lead in the 1917 silent film Iracema. After working in theatre for many years she appeared in several other fi…

Iracema de Alencar, Brazilian film actress (died 1978)

1900

Richard Hughes, English author, poet, and playwright (died 1976)

Richard Arthur Warren Hughes was a British writer of poems, short stories, novels and plays.

Richard Hughes, English author, poet, and playwright (died 1976)