What happened from 1900 to 1909?
The 20th century opened with the first powered flight, the first Nobel Prizes and the first mass-produced cars.
69 events, oldest first.
Timeline of 1900–1909
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1900
Croquet's only Olympic appearance
All the players were French, and one event reportedly drew a single paying spectator.
History of sport
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1900
Sponge divers discover the Antikythera wreck
Its treasures included the Antikythera mechanism, often called the first analogue computer.
History of exploration
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1900
The Boxer Rebellion
Foreign diplomats in Beijing were besieged for 55 days.
Modern history
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1900
The first Davis Cup
Harvard student Dwight Davis donated the trophy.
History of sport
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1900
The first Michelin Guide is published
Michelin, a tyre company, published it to encourage people to drive more.
Food & brand history
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1900
The Galveston hurricane
It remains the deadliest natural disaster in US history.
Natural history & deep time
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1900
The Hershey's milk chocolate bar goes on sale
Milton Hershey had already made a fortune from caramels before switching to chocolate.
Food & brand history
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1900
The Paris Metro opens
Its Art Nouveau entrances were designed by Hector Guimard.
Science & technology history
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1900
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is published
L. Frank Baum said he got the name Oz from a filing drawer labelled 'O-Z'.
Art & literature history
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1900
Women compete at the Olympics for the first time
Tennis player Charlotte Cooper became the first individual female Olympic champion.
History of sport
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1901
Annie Edson Taylor goes over Niagara Falls in a barrel
The first person to survive it was a 63-year-old schoolteacher.
History of exploration
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1901
Australia becomes a federation
Six British colonies united to form the Commonwealth of Australia.
Politics & society history
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1901
Hubert Booth's vacuum cleaner is patented
His horse-drawn machine parked outside and fed its hoses in through the windows.
Science & technology history
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1901
Irn-Bru is launched in Scotland
In Scotland it has long rivalled Coca-Cola in sales.
Food & brand history
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1901
Karl Landsteiner discovers blood groups
His discovery made blood transfusions far safer.
Science & technology history
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1901
Queen Victoria dies
She had 42 grandchildren, many of whom married into Europe's royal families.
Modern history
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1901
The first Nobel Prizes are awarded
Alfred Nobel funded them with a fortune made largely from dynamite.
Politics & society history
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1901
The Mercedes car name is first used
It was named after Mercedes Jellinek, the young daughter of a car dealer.
Food & brand history
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1901
The okapi becomes known to science
Scientists first thought this shy giraffe relative was a kind of zebra.
Natural history & deep time
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1901
Theodore Roosevelt becomes president
At 42, he is still the youngest person to become US president.
Politics & society history
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1901
Walt Disney is born
He was born in the same year that Queen Victoria died.
Pop culture history
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1902
A Trip to the Moon is released
In Georges Méliès's film, a rocket famously lands in the Man in the Moon's eye.
Pop culture history
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1902
Marmite is first made
It is made from leftover yeast from beer brewing.
Food & brand history
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1902
Mount Pelée destroys Saint-Pierre
One of the few survivors was a prisoner protected by his thick-walled cell.
Natural history & deep time
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1902
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo opens
It holds more than 100,000 ancient objects.
Art & literature history
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1902
The first Rose Bowl game
Michigan won 49-0, and the next game wasn't played until 1916.
History of sport
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1902
The Tale of Peter Rabbit is published
Beatrix Potter had first printed it herself after publishers turned it down.
Art & literature history
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1902
The teddy bear is named after Theodore Roosevelt
It was inspired by a cartoon of the president refusing to shoot a captive bear.
Pop culture history
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1903
Britain introduces car number plates
London's first plate, A 1, went to Earl Russell for his Napier car.
Science & technology history
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1903
Crayola crayons go on sale
The first box held eight colours and cost a nickel.
Pop culture history
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1903
Emmeline Pankhurst founds the WSPU
Its members became known as the suffragettes.
Politics & society history
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1903
Harley-Davidson builds its first motorcycle
The first one was built in a small wooden shed in Milwaukee.
Food & brand history
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1903
Marie Curie wins her first Nobel Prize
She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.
Science & technology history
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1903
The first Tour de France
Only 21 of the 60 starters finished the gruelling 2,428 km race.
History of sport
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1903
The first World Series
Boston beat Pittsburgh in a best-of-nine series.
History of sport
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1903
The Wright brothers' first powered flight
Orville Wright lived until 1948 - after a jet had already broken the sound barrier.
Science & technology history
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1904
Charles Rolls meets Henry Royce
They met at the Midland Hotel in Manchester.
Food & brand history
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1904
FIFA is founded
Its seven founding members were all European.
History of sport
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1904
Gillette's safety razor is patented
King C. Gillette's real money came from selling the disposable blades.
Science & technology history
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1904
Peter Pan first appears on stage
J. M. Barrie later gave the rights to Great Ormond Street children's hospital.
Art & literature history
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1904
Rodin's The Thinker is cast in bronze
It was first conceived as Dante, gazing down from The Gates of Hell.
Art & literature history
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1904
The New York subway opens
About 150,000 people rode it on its first evening.
Science & technology history
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1905
Albert Einstein publishes special relativity
He was working as a clerk at the Swiss patent office at the time.
Science & technology history
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1905
Cadbury Dairy Milk is launched
Its name refers to the high proportion of milk in the recipe.
Food & brand history
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1905
Dippy the Diplodocus goes on show in London
Andrew Carnegie gave casts of his Diplodocus to museums around the world.
Natural history & deep time
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1905
Japan defeats Russia in the Russo-Japanese War
It was the first major defeat of a European power by an Asian nation in modern times.
Modern history
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1905
Rolex is founded
It was founded in London, not Switzerland.
Food & brand history
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1905
The All Blacks' first tour of Britain
The team won 34 of 35 matches, losing only to Wales.
History of sport
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1905
Tyrannosaurus rex is named
Henry Fairfield Osborn gave it a name meaning 'tyrant lizard king'.
Natural history & deep time
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1906
Amundsen sails through the Northwest Passage
His small ship, Gjøa, took three years to make the voyage.
History of exploration
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1906
Finnish women gain the vote
Finland was the first European country to give women full voting rights.
Politics & society history
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1906
Kellogg's Corn Flakes go on sale
W. K. Kellogg added sugar to the recipe, angering his health-food brother.
Food & brand history
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1906
The first radio broadcast of music
Reginald Fessenden played 'O Holy Night' on the violin to ships at sea.
Science & technology history
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1906
The San Francisco earthquake
Most of the damage came from fires that burned for days afterwards.
Natural history & deep time
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1907
Hershey's Kisses are introduced
No one is quite sure where the name came from - possibly the sound of the machine.
Food & brand history
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1907
Picasso paints Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
Even his friends were shocked when they first saw it.
Art & literature history
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1908
Bisto gravy is launched
The name is said to come from 'Browns, Seasons, Thickens In One'.
Food & brand history
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1908
Britain introduces the old age pension
It paid five shillings a week to people over 70.
Politics & society history
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1908
Gustav Klimt paints The Kiss
The Austrian state bought it before it was even finished.
Art & literature history
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1908
Jack Johnson becomes heavyweight champion
He was the first Black world heavyweight boxing champion.
History of sport
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1908
The first Model T Ford is built
Ford's moving assembly line later cut its build time from about 12 hours to 90 minutes.
Science & technology history
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1908
The London Olympic marathon is run over 26.2 miles
The odd distance came from the route, from Windsor Castle to the royal box, and became the standard in 1921.
History of sport
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1908
The Tunguska explosion flattens a Siberian forest
It flattened about 80 million trees, but no crater was ever found.
Natural history & deep time
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1908
Toblerone is created
Its name combines Tobler with torrone, Italian for nougat.
Food & brand history
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1908
Vimto is invented
It was first sold as a health tonic in Manchester.
Food & brand history
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1909
Louis Blériot flies across the English Channel
He won a £1,000 prize offered by the Daily Mail.
History of exploration
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1909
Peary claims to reach the North Pole
Whether he actually got there is still disputed.
History of exploration
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1909
Sweden opens Europe's first national parks
Nine parks were created in a single year.
Natural history & deep time
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1909
The first Giro d'Italia
The leader's pink jersey matches the pink pages of the newspaper that founded the race.
History of sport
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