1900

Events in 1900 42

• 1819 – 1900 John Ruskin (1819-1900) Died 20 January 1900, aged 80 Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, championing painters such as J. M. W. Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites. He also wrote influential works of social and economic criticism that shaped early British socialism. He died at his home in the Lake District.
• 1823 – 1900 Max Muller (1823-1900) Died 28 October 1900, aged 76 A German-born philologist and orientalist, Muller spent most of his career at Oxford University, where he pioneered the comparative study of religion and translated Sanskrit texts including the Rig Veda. His work helped establish the academic discipline of comparative mythology. He was a leading Western authority on Indian religion and language of his era.
• 1826 – 1900 Wilhelm Liebknecht (1826-1900) Died 7 August 1900, aged 74 A founder of the German Social Democratic Party, Liebknecht was a leading figure of 19th-century German socialism and a prominent Reichstag deputy. He was imprisoned repeatedly for his political activities under Bismarck's anti-socialist laws. His son Karl Liebknecht later co-founded the German Communist Party.
• 1834 – 1900 Gottlieb Daimler (1834-1900) Died 6 March 1900, aged 65 A German engineer and industrial designer, Daimler pioneered the high-speed petrol engine and co-founded Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. His engines powered some of the earliest automobiles, motorcycles, and boats. The Mercedes and Daimler-Benz marques trace their lineage to his work.
• 1836 – 1900 Wilhelm Steinitz (1836-1900) Died 12 August 1900, aged 64 Born in Prague, Steinitz became the first officially recognized World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1886 to 1894. He developed positional chess theory that shifted the game away from purely tactical attacking play. He died in poverty in New York.
• 1842 – 1900 Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) Died 22 November 1900, aged 58 An English composer best known for his comic operas written with librettist W. S. Gilbert, including H.M.S. Pinafore and The Mikado. He also composed the hymn tune "Onward, Christian Soldiers". The Gilbert and Sullivan partnership remains a cornerstone of the English light-opera tradition.
• 1844 – 1900 Umberto I (1844-1900) Died 29 July 1900, aged 56 King of Italy from 1878, Umberto I was shot and killed in Monza by the anarchist Gaetano Bresci, who said he was avenging victims of an earlier crackdown on protesters. His assassination brought his son Victor Emmanuel III to the throne. It was one of several anarchist killings of European heads of state around the turn of the century.
• 1844 – 1900 Friedrich Nietzsche German philosopher Nietzsche challenged morality and religion, influencing existentialism and modern philosophy.
• 1854 – 1900 Oscar Wilde Irish playwright and writer Wilde wrote witty plays and The Picture of Dorian Gray, critiquing Victorian morality and aesthetics.
• 1871 – 1900 Stephen Crane (1871-1900) Died 5 June 1900, aged 28 An American novelist and poet best known for his Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage, Crane wrote vividly despite never having witnessed battle when he composed it. He also worked as a war correspondent covering conflicts in Greece and Cuba. He died of tuberculosis in Germany at age 28.
• 1900 – 1965 Adlai Stevenson II (1900-1965) Died 14 July 1965, aged 65 Adlai Stevenson II was an American politician who served as Governor of Illinois, ran twice as the Democratic presidential nominee against Dwight Eisenhower, and later served as US Ambassador to the United Nations. He was known for his eloquence and intellectual approach to politics. He died of a heart attack in London on 14 July 1965.
• 1900 – 1944 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944) Died 31 July 1944, aged 44 French writer and aviator, author of The Little Prince, Night Flight and Wind, Sand and Stars. He disappeared over the Mediterranean on a reconnaissance flight for the Free French Air Force. Wreckage of his aircraft was found off Marseille in 2000.
• 1900 – 1945 Ernie Pyle (1900-1945) Died 18 April 1945, aged 44 Pyle was an American journalist whose columns brought the day-to-day experience of ordinary soldiers to millions of newspaper readers during World War II. He was killed by Japanese machine-gun fire on the island of Ie Shima during the Okinawa campaign. He had won the Pulitzer Prize for his wartime reporting in 1944.
• 1900 – 1945 Heinrich Himmler (1900-1945) Died 23 May 1945, aged 45 Himmler led the SS and Gestapo and was the chief architect of the Holocaust's administrative machinery. Captured by British forces after fleeing in disguise, he killed himself with a cyanide capsule while in custody. He was among the most powerful and feared figures in Nazi Germany.
• 1900 – 1950 Kurt Weill (1900-1950) Died 3 April 1950, aged 50 Kurt Weill was a German-born composer famous for The Threepenny Opera, written with Bertolt Brecht, and for later Broadway works after emigrating to the United States. His music blended popular and classical idioms and influenced generations of composers. He died in New York City of a heart attack.
• 1900 – 1949 Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949) Died 16 August 1949, aged 48 Margaret Mitchell was the American author of Gone with the Wind, the only novel she published, which won the Pulitzer Prize and became one of the best-selling books ever written. She died in Atlanta after being struck by a car.
• 1900 – 1927 Quantum mechanics Planck, Bohr, Heisenberg, Schrödinger — the physics of the very small Max Planck's discovery that energy is emitted in discrete quanta (1900) launched quantum theory. Bohr's atomic model (1913), Heisenberg's uncertainty principle (1927), and Schrödinger's wave equation (1926) completed a revolution that showed nature at the atomic scale is fundamentally probabilistic. Quantum mechanics underlies lasers, transistors, MRI scanners, and the entire electronics industry.
• 1900 Sigmund Freud publishes The Interpretation of Dreams Foundational text of psychoanalysis appears Freud's book argued that dreams are disguised expressions of unconscious wishes and introduced ideas central to psychoanalytic theory. Though initial sales were slow, the work became one of the most influential texts in the history of psychology. It is dated 1900 though released in late 1899.
• 1900 – 1967 Spencer Tracy (1900-1967) Died 10 June 1967, aged 67 The American actor won two Academy Awards and was nominated nine times over a four-decade film career. He died just weeks after completing his final film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, alongside longtime partner Katharine Hepburn.
• 1900 – 1938 Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938) Died 15 September 1938, aged 37 Thomas Wolfe was an American novelist and the author of Look Homeward, Angel. He died of tuberculosis of the brain.
• 1900 – 1958 Wolfgang Pauli (1900-1958) Died 15 December 1958, aged 58 The Austrian-born theoretical physicist formulated the Pauli exclusion principle, a cornerstone of quantum mechanics, for which he won the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physics. He also predicted the existence of the neutrino.
• 1900 – 1955 Yves Tanguy (1900-1955) Died 15 January 1955, aged 55 Yves Tanguy was a French-American surrealist painter known for his dreamlike, biomorphic landscapes. He emigrated to the United States in 1939 and became a naturalized citizen. He died in Woodbury, Connecticut, following a stroke.
• 1900 – 2002 Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900-2002) Died 13 March 2002, aged 102 The German philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer founded philosophical hermeneutics with his 1960 work Truth and Method, which argued that all understanding is shaped by tradition and prior expectation. He taught for decades, latterly at Heidelberg, and remained active past his hundredth year. His exchanges with thinkers such as Jurgen Habermas and Jacques Derrida framed much of late-century Continental philosophy.
• 1900 Labour Representation Committee founded Trade unions and socialist groups form a new political body British trade unions, the Independent Labour Party, and other socialist societies met in London to form a committee to secure working-class representation in Parliament. The organization won two seats in that year's general election. It was renamed the Labour Party in 1906.
• 1900 Exposition Universelle opens in Paris World's fair draws tens of millions of visitors The 1900 Paris World's Fair showcased new technologies including the Grande Roue de Paris, moving walkways, and early sound and film exhibits. It ran from April to November and drew over 50 million visitors, making it one of the largest world's fairs ever held. The Petit Palais and Grand Palais were built for the occasion.
• 1900 Hawaii Organic Act establishes territorial government Hawaii formally organized as a United States territory President William McKinley signed the Hawaii Organic Act, establishing a formal territorial government for the islands annexed two years earlier. The act granted United States citizenship to Hawaiian residents and created a territorial legislature. Sanford Dole became the first territorial governor.
• 1900 1900 Summer Olympics held in Paris Second modern Olympic Games, staged alongside the World's Fair The Games were held in Paris as part of the Exposition Universelle and were spread over several months. Women competed in the Olympics for the first time, in tennis and golf. The event lacked a distinct opening or closing ceremony and was overshadowed by the surrounding World's Fair.
• 1900 L. Frank Baum publishes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Illustrated children's novel introduces Dorothy and Oz Baum's novel, illustrated by W. W. Denslow, told the story of a Kansas girl swept to a magical land. It became one of the best-selling American children's books and the basis for numerous stage and film adaptations, most famously the 1939 MGM film. Baum went on to write thirteen sequels.
• 1900 Relief of Mafeking British garrison relieved after a 217-day siege A British garrison under Robert Baden-Powell held the South African town of Mafeking against Boer forces for over seven months. Its relief on 17 May 1900 triggered wild public celebration in Britain, giving rise to the verb "mafficking". It became one of the most celebrated episodes of the Second Boer War.
• 1900 Siege of the International Legations Boxer rebels besiege foreign diplomats in Beijing Chinese Boxer rebels and imperial troops besieged the foreign legation quarter in Beijing for 55 days. An Eight-Nation Alliance force fought its way into the city and relieved the legations on 14 August 1900. The episode marked a major escalation of foreign intervention in China.
• 1900 – 1979 Louis Mountbatten (1900-1979) Died 27 August 1979, aged 79 Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India and a second cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, was killed when the IRA planted a bomb on his fishing boat off the coast of County Sligo, Ireland. Three others, including his 14-year-old grandson, also died in the attack. His assassination was one of the most prominent killings of the Troubles.
• 1900 First flight of the Zeppelin LZ 1 Maiden voyage of the first rigid airship Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin's first airship flew over Lake Constance in southern Germany, staying aloft for about 18 minutes. The flight demonstrated the viability of rigid-frame airship design. It launched a line of Zeppelin craft used for both civilian travel and military reconnaissance.
• 1900 Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act receives royal assent Legislation federating the Australian colonies The British Parliament passed the act uniting six separate colonies into the federated Commonwealth of Australia, to take effect on 1 January 1901. Queen Victoria gave royal assent on 9 July 1900. It remains the founding constitutional document of modern Australia.
• 1900 Paris Métro opens First line of the Paris underground railway begins service Line 1 of the Paris Métro opened between Porte Maillot and Porte de Vincennes to coincide with the World's Fair. The system used a distinctive design of cast-iron station entrances by Hector Guimard. It grew into one of the busiest metro networks in the world.
• 1900 – 2002 Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1900-2002) Died 30 March 2002, aged 101 Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married the future King George VI in 1923 and became queen consort on his unexpected accession in 1936. Her decision to stay in London during the Blitz made her a symbol of wartime resolve. After the King's death in 1952 she remained a popular public figure for another half-century as the Queen Mother.
• 1900 – 1986 Urho Kekkonen Longest Serving President President for 26 years; he balanced Finnish autonomy with the realities of the Cold War.
• 1900 Galveston hurricane Deadliest natural disaster in United States history A powerful hurricane struck Galveston, Texas on 8 September 1900, killing an estimated 6,000 to 12,000 people. The storm surge inundated the low-lying island city, destroying much of its housing stock. It remains the deadliest natural disaster in United States history.
• 1900 – 1993 Helen Hayes (1900-1993) American actress known as the First Lady of the American Theatre, one of few performers to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.
• 1900 – 1991 Jean Arthur (1900-1991) American actress, Frank Capra's favourite comic heroine in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
• 1900 – 1990 Aaron Copland Voice of American music American composer who created a distinctly American classical sound with Appalachian Spring, Fanfare for the Common Man and Rodeo.
• 1900 William McKinley re-elected President of the United States McKinley defeats William Jennings Bryan a second time Incumbent Republican William McKinley, running with vice-presidential candidate Theodore Roosevelt, defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan in a rematch of the 1896 election. McKinley campaigned on economic prosperity and overseas expansion following the Spanish-American War. He would be assassinated less than a year into his second term.
• 1900 – 1974 Agnes Moorehead (1900-1974) American actress of Orson Welles's Mercury Theatre, famous as Endora in Bewitched.