Timeline December 1909

Events in December 1909 5

• 1835 – 1909 Leopold II of Belgium (1835-1909) Died 17 December 1909, aged 74 Leopold II reigned as King of the Belgians from 1865 until his death and personally owned the Congo Free State as a private colonial venture. His administration there was marked by forced labour and mass killing that drew international condemnation, forcing Belgium to annex the territory in 1908. He died at Laeken on 17 December 1909.
• 1909 – 2000 Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (1909-2000) American actor, son of Douglas Fairbanks, a swashbuckling star who became a war hero and an honorary British knight.
• 1909 Douglas Fairbanks Jr. born in New York Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is born in New York.
• 1909 – 1934 Albert I King during World War I Albert I became a symbol of Belgian resistance during the German invasion of Belgium in World War I.
• 1909 Manhattan Bridge opens in New York City New suspension bridge links Manhattan and Brooklyn The Manhattan Bridge across the East River opened to traffic on 31 December 1909, becoming the third fixed crossing between Manhattan and Brooklyn. Designed with innovative deflection theory suspension engineering, it added crucial subway, rail, and road capacity to the growing city. It remains one of New York's major East River crossings today.