Major Events
- Feb 27 The Trades Union Congress and the Independent Labour Party (formed in 1893) meet in London, resulting in a Labour Representative Committee and eventually the modern UK Labour Party in 1906
- Mar 14 Dutch botanist Hugo de Vries rediscovers Gregor Mendel's laws of heredity and genetics
- Mar 14 US currency goes on the gold standard after Congress passes the Currency Act
- Mar 20 US Secretary of State John Hay announces that all nations to whom he sent notes calling for an 'open door' policy in China have essentially accepted his stand
- Apr 16 US Post Office issues its first stamp booklets, containing 12, 24, or 48 two-cent stamps [1]
- Jun 29 The Imperial Chinese Court issues what is essentially a declaration of war against foreigners in China blaming them for hostilities and giving license to the Boxers for even greater ferocity
- Aug 15 The Boxer Rebellion: In China, the Empress, her family and court retainers flee while foreign troops move through Peking in an attempt to quell the rebellion
- Sep 3 With a proclamation by General Lord Roberts, Britain annexes the Boer Republic of South Africa
- Oct 4 In a final confrontation, around 4,000 Ashantis are defeated by the British in the Gold Coast (Ghana)
- Oct 12 The first modern submarine is commissioned by the U.S. Navy as the USS Holland, named for its designer John Philip Holland
- Oct 16 Great Britain and Germany sign the Anglo-German Treaty, agreeing to maintain territorial integrity of China and support 'open door' policy called for by US Secretary of State
- More 1900 Events
1900 in Music
- Jan 14 Giacomo Puccini's opera "Tosca" premieres in Rome
- May 22 American inventor Edwin S Votey receives patent for pneumatic piano player
1900 in Sport
- May 20 Second modern Summer Olympics (Games of the II Olympiad) opens in Paris and continues for 5 months
- Jul 11 Charlotte Cooper beats Hélène Prévost to become the 1st female Olympic tennis champion and the 1st individual female Olympic champion in any sport
- Aug 8 1st International Lawn Tennis Challenge (precursor to Davis Cup) begins at Longwood Cricket Club in Massachusetts, won 3-0 by US over British Isles
- Aug 9 1st International Lawn Tennis Challenge, Boston, MA: Dwight Davis & Holcombe Ward beat Ernest Black & Herbert Roper Barrett 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to give US an unassailable 3-0 lead over British Isles
- Oct 28 II Summer (Modern) Olympic Games, Paris, France: competition ends after 5 months; no opening or closing ceremonies conducted
Did You Know?
The first modern submarine designed and built by John Philip Holland, USS Holland is acquired by the U.S. Navy
Dennis Gabor
Martin Bormann
Lord Mountbatten
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother
Heinrich Himmler
Margaret Mitchell
Spencer Tracy
Coco the Clown
Helen Hayes
Agnes Moorehead
Aaron Copland
Sammy Davis Sr.
Jim Bottomley
Hack Wilson
Bill PonsfordMore People Born in 1900
Fun Fact About 1900
Count Bernard von Bulow becomes Chancellor of Germany, famous for first referring to Germany's need for 'place in the sun' and global empire
David Edward Hughes
Gottlieb Daimler
Thomas Elkins
Friedrich Nietzsche
Arthur Sullivan
Oscar WildeMore 1900 Deaths
Famous Weddings in 1900
- Jul 1 Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand (36) weds countess Sophie Chotek (32) in Reichstadt, Bohemia
- Aug 22 Oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny (44) weds Carrie Estelle Betzold in New Mexico Territory
- Oct 2 Belgium crown prince Albert von Saksen-Coburg weds Elisabeth of Bayern
More Weddings in 1900
Nicholas II
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
Wilhelm II
William McKinley