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

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

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

Adolf Bötticher, German historian and author (born 1842)

Adolf Bötticher or Adolf Boetticher was a German art historian and conservator.

Adolf Bötticher, German historian and author (born 1842)

1901 125 years ago

Robert Williams Buchanan, Scottish poet, author, and playwright (born 1841)

Robert Williams Buchanan was a Scottish poet, novelist and dramatist. Several of his works were adapted into films.

Robert Williams Buchanan, Scottish poet, author, and playwright (born 1841)

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

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

Johannes Schmidt, German linguist and academic (born 1843)

Johannes Friedrich Heinrich Schmidt was a German linguist. He developed the Wellentheorie of language development.

Johannes Schmidt, German linguist and academic (born 1843)

1901 125 years ago

Chlodwig Carl Viktor, German prince and chancellor (born 1819)

Chlodwig Carl Viktor, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, Prince of Ratibor and Corvey, usually referred to as the Prince of Hohenlohe, was a German statesman, who served as the i…

Chlodwig Carl Viktor, German prince and chancellor (born 1819)

1901 125 years ago

Johanna Spyri, Swiss author (born 1827)

Johanna Spyri was a Swiss author of novels, notably children's stories. She wrote the popular book Heidi. Born in Hirzel, a rural area in the canton of Zürich, as a child she spent…

Johanna Spyri, Swiss author (born 1827)

1901 125 years ago

William Cosmo Monkhouse, English poet and critic (born 1840)

William Cosmo Monkhouse was a British poet and critic.

William Cosmo Monkhouse, English poet and critic (born 1840)

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