- March 5
- American Hall of Fame is founded. [1]
- March 14
- US Congress passes the Gold Standard Act, fixing gold value of dollar at 25.8 grains, 0.900 fine as standard unit of money of the US. [484.110] [606.38] [709.36]
- March 25
- US Socialist Party is formed at Indianapolis, Indiana. [1]
- April 11
- US Navy's first submarine makes its debut. [1]
- April 16
- US Post Office issues first books of postage stamps. [1]
- April 17
- Seven high chiefs of American Samoa sign Instrument of Cession. [1]
- April 23
- First known occurrence of word "hillbillie" (New York Journal). [1]
- April 30
- John Luther Jones AKA Casey Jones dies in Cannonball Express train wreck in Vaughan, Mississippi, USA. [1]
- May 1
- Premature blast collapses mine tunnel killing 200 at Scofield, Utah. [1]
- May 19
- Jim Butler discovers an outcrop of gold ore in the Nevada desert, setting off a gold rush. [495.36]
- May 22
- Associated Press organizes in New York City as non-profit news cooperative. [1]
- May 31
- US troops arrive in Peking, China, to help put down Boxer Rebellion. [1]
- June 30
- Four German liners burn at Hobokon Docks, New Jersey, USA; 326 die. [1]
- July 12
- 114 degrees F (46 degrees C), Basin, Wyoming (state record). [1]
- July 24
- Race riot in New Orleans, Louisiana; two white policemen are killed. [1]
- July 28
- The hamburger is created by Louis Lassing in Connecticut, USA. [1]
- August 14
- International forces including US Marines enter Beijing, China to put down Boxer Rebellion, which was aimed at ridding China of foreigners. [1]
- August 23
- National Negro Business League organizes (Boston). [1]
- September 8
- 6,000 killed when a hurricane and tidal wave destroy Galveston, Texas, most deadly in US history. [1]
- September 19
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid commit their first robbery together. [5]
- November 3
- First US national automobile show opens at Madison Square Garden (New York City). [1]
- November 6
- US President William McKinley (Republican) re-elected, beating William Jennings Bryan. [1]
- December 17
- New Ellis Island Immigration station completed, at cost of $1.5 million. [1]
1901
- January 10
- A drilling derrick at Spindletop Hill near Beaumont, Texas, produces a gusher of crude oil from at a depth of over 1,000 feet. [1] [129]
- February 2
- Female Army Nurse Corps established as a permanent organization. [1]
- February 20
- First US territorial legislature of Hawaii convenes. [1]
- February 25
- US Steel Corporation organizes under directorship of J. Pierpoint Morgan. [1]
- March 3
- US Congress creates National Bureau of Standards, in Department of Commerce. [1]
- March 4
- President William McKinley is inaugurated for a second term as President of the USA. [1]
- Term of George H White, last of post-Reconstruction Congressmen, ends. [1]
- March 15
- Horse racing is banned in San Francisco, California, last race is held March 16th. [1]
- March 25
- 55 die as Rock Island train derails near Marshalltown, Iowa, USA. [1]
- April 25
- New York becomes first U.S. state requiring automobile license plates ($1 fee). [1] [5]
- May 1
- Pan-American Exposition opens in Buffalo, New York. [1]
- May 3
- Fire destroys 1,700 buildings in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. [1]
- May 23
- US captures leader of Philippine rebels, Emilio Aguinaldo. [1]
- May 28
- Laws against phosphor matches is enacted (inhibition of white phosphorous). [1]
- May 30
- The Hall of Fame for Great Americans is dedicated on the campus of New York University. [1] [415.52]
- June 17
- The American College Board introduces its first standardized test, the forerunner to the SAT. [5]
- August 15
- Arch Rock, danger to San Francisco Bay shipping, is blasted with 30 tons of nitroglycerine. [1]
- September 2
- US Vice President Theodore Roosevelt advises "Speak softly and carry a big stick". [1]
- September 6
- President William McKinley is shot by Leon Czologosz in Buffalo, New York (dies 8 days later). [1]
- September 24
- Theodore Roosevelt inaugerated as President of the USA. [450.78]
- October 29
- Leon Czolcosz, assassin of US President William McKinley, is executed. [1]
- November 27
- Army War College established in Washington DC. [1]
- December 12
- Marconi receives first transatlantic radio signal, England to US. [1]
1902
- January 1
- Nathan Stubblefield makes the first public demonstration of radio in Pennsylvania, USA. [1] [457]
- January 11
- Popular Mechanics magazine is first published, in the USA. [5]
- January 27
- Five workers are killed in an explosion during IRT subway construction (New York City, New York). [1]
- January 28
- The Carnegie Institute is founded in Washington, D.C. [1]
- February 6
- Young Women's Hebrew Association organized in New York City, New York. [1]
- February 21
- Dr Harvey Cushing, first US brain surgeon, does his first brain operation. [1]
- March 4
- American Automobile Association (AAA) is founded in Chicago, Illinois. [1]
- March 28
- 27.9 cm precipitation at McMinnville, Tennessee, USA (state record). [1]
- April 2
- First motion picture theater opens (Los Angeles, California, USA). [1]
- April 4
- Cecil Rhodes scholarship fund is established with US$10 million. [1]
- April 7
- Texas Oil Company (Texaco) forms. [1]
- April 12
- US Congress passes the Congressional Act, creating the Third Charter Period, allowing bank charters to be renewed another 20 years. [650.74]
- April 13
- JC Penney opens his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming, USA. [1]
- April 15
- Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical On the Church in the US. [1]
- May 20
- US military occupation of Cuba (since January 1, 1899) ends. [1]
- June 2
- Second statewide initiative and referendum law adopted, in Oregon. [1]
- July 1
- US Congress establishes a Mint at Manilla for the Philippines. [446.58]
- November 15
- A meteorite falls to earth, landing in Sharpsburg, Kentucky, USA. The main piece weighs 181 pounds. [416.89]
- December 8
- Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior became Associate Justice on US Supreme Court. [1]
- December 14
- The Commercial Pacific Cable Company lays the first Pacific telegraph cable, from Ocean Beach, San Francisco to Honolulu, Hawaii. [5]
1903
- January 2
- US President Theodore Roosevelt shuts down post office in Indianola, Michigan, for refusing to accept its appointed postmistress because she was black. [1]
- January 5
- San Francisco-Hawaii telegraph cable opens for public use. [1]
- January 9
- Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, is established. [1]
- January 19
- First regular transatlantic radio broadcast between US and England. [1]
- February 14
- US Department of Commerce and Labor is established. [1]
- February 15
- First Teddy Bear introduced in America, made by Morris and Rose Michtom. [1]
- February 16
- -59 degrees F (-51 degrees C), Pokegama Dam, Minnesota (state record low). [1]
- February 21
- Cornerstone laid for US army war college, Washington DC. [1]
- February 22
- Due to drought the US side of Niagara Falls runs short of water. [1]
- February 24
- US signs agreement acquiring a naval station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. [1]
- March 3
- North Carolina becomes first US state requiring registration of nurses. [1]
- March 10
- Harry Gammeter of Cleveland, Ohio, USA patents multigraph duplicating machine. [1]
- March 14
- First US national bird reservation established in Sebastian, Florida. [1]
- March 22
- Niagara Falls runs out of water because of a drought. [1]
- April 10
- Birth of Clare Boothe Luce; US ambassador to Vatican. [1]
- April 14
- Dr Harry Plotz discovers vaccine against typhoid (New York City, New York). [1]
- April 22
- American Power Boat Association forms. [1]
- April 27
- Jamaica Race Track opens in Long Island, New York. [1]
- May 15
- US Treasury Department purchases 250,000 ounces of silver for the San Francisco Mint. [406.88]
- May 16
- First transcontinental motorcycle trip begins at San Francisco (George Wymann). [1]
- May 23
- First automobile trip across US from San Francisco to New York begins (ends April 1). [1]
- First direct primary election law in US adopted, by Wisconsin. [1]
- June 16
- Ford Motors incorporates. [1]
- June 18
- First transcontinental auto trip begins in San Francisco; arrives New York three months later. [1]
- July 4
- Pacific Cable (San Francisco, Hawaii, Guam, Philippines) opens, US President Theodore Roosevelt sends first message. [1]
- July 20
- Ford Motor Company ships its first car. [5]
- July 23
- The Ford Motor Company sells its first car. [5]
- August 1
- First US coast-to-coast automobile trip (San Francisco to New York) completed. [1]
- September 7
- Federation of American Motorcyclists organized in New York. [1]
- September 11
- The first race is held at the oldest major speedway in the world, The Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin, USA. [5]
- October 9
- 11 inches rainfall in 24 hours in New York City, New York. [1]
- October 20
- US wins disputed boundary between the District of Alaska and Canada. [1]
- October 25
- US Senate begins investigating Teapot Dome scandals of President Warren Harding administration. [1]
- October 26
- Yerba Buena is first Key System ferry to cross San Francisco Bay, California. [1]
- November 18
- Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty gives US exclusive canal rights in Panama. [1]
- November 23
- Enrico Caruso makes his US debut (Metropolitan Opera House, New York) in Rigoletto. [1]
- December 14
- William Ennis is first US policeman to die in the electric chair. [1]
- December 17
- At 10:35 AM, the first sustained, controlled, powered aircraft flight is made by Orville Wright of Dayton, Ohio, in 12hp Flyer I at Kill Devil Hills, Kittyhawk, North Carolina. The flight lasts 12 seconds. [1] [55.10] [456.34] [648.41]
- December 19
- Williamsburg suspension bridge opens between Brooklyn and Manhattan, New York. [1]
- December 30
- 602 die as flames sweep through Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois, USA. [1]
- American Political Science Association founded at New Orleans, Louisiana. [1]
1904
- January 4
- US Supreme Court rules Puerto Ricans cannot be denied admission to US. [1]
- January 5
- -34 degrees F (-36.7 degrees C), River Vale, New Jersey (state record low). [1]
- -42 degrees F (-41.1 degrees C), Smethport, Pennsylvania (state record low). [1]
- January 25
- 179 die in coal mine explosion at Cheswick, Pennsylvania, USA. [1]
- February 5
- American occupation of Cuba ends. [1]
- February 7
- Baltimore, Maryland, USA catches fire (1500 buildings destroyed in 80 blocks). [1]
- February 21
- National Ski Association formed in Ishpeming, Michigan. [1]
- February 23
- Control of Panamá Canal Zone acquired by US for $10 million. [1]
- February 29
- US President Theodore Roosevelt appoints seven-man committee to study Panamá Canal. [1]
- March 12
- Andrew Carnegie establishes Carnegie Hero Fund. [1]
- April 8
- Longacre Square in Midtown Manhattan is renamed Times Square (after the New York Times). [5]
- April 23
- American Academy of Arts and Letters forms. [1]
- April 30
- The Louisiana Purchase Exposition opens in Saint Louis, Missouri. [491.48]
- May 4
- Americans begin canal construction work in Panama. [150.61]
- May 6
- American Lung Association holds its first meeting. [1]
- May 18
- American businessman Ion Perdicaris is kidnapped in Morocco. [1]
- June 6
- National Tuberculosis Association organized, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA. [1]
- June 15
- Side-wheeler ship General Slocum burns in New York's East River (1,031 die). [1]
- July 15
- First Buddhist temple in US established, Los Angeles, California. [1]
- July 16
- Islands of the Manu'a group (Samoa) ceded to US by their chiefs. [1]
- September 1
- The Denver Assay Office opens for business. [545.36]
- October 17
- Bank of Italy (Bank of America) opens its doors. [1]
- October 27
- New York City Mayor George McClellan operates the inaugural run of the city's new subway rapid transit system. The line, operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, travels 9.1 miles through 28 stations, running from lower Manhattan to Harlem. In the evening, the subway opens to the general public, at a cost of 5 cents each. [1] [129]
- October 28
- Saint Louis, Missouri, police try a new investigation method: fingerprints. [1]
- October 29
- First intercity trucking service (Colorado City and Snyder, Texas). [1]
- November 8
- US President Theodore Roosevelt (Republican) defeats Alton B Parker (Democrat). [1]
- December 6
- Theodore Roosevelt confirms Monroe-doctrine (Roosevelt Corollary). [1]
- December 31
- The first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Longacre Square (later known as Times Square) in New York City, New York. [5]
1905
- January 5
- US National Association of Audubon Society incorporates. [1]
- January 31
- Carroll Wright is appointed first US Commissioner of Labor. [1]
- February 7
- Dominican Republic signs treaty turning over customs collection to USA. [1]
- Oklahoma admitted to statehood of USA. [1]
- February 13
- -29 degrees F (-34 degrees C) in Pond, Arkansas (state record low). [1]
- -40 degrees F (-40 degrees C) in Lebanon, Kansas (state record low). [1]
- -40 degrees F (-40 degrees C) in Warsaw, Missouri (state record low). [1]
- February 16
- First US Esperanto club organizes in Boston, Massachusetts. [1]
- February 23
- Rotary Club International established by four men in Chicago, Illinois, USA. [1]
- March 3
- US Forest Service forms. [1]
- March 4
- Theodore Roosevelt begins second term in office as US President. [450.78]
- March 25
- Rebel battle flags captured during war are returned to Southern states. [1]
- April 12
- Hippodrome arena opens (New York City, New York). [1]
- April 17
- US Supreme court judges rule maximum work day is unconstitutional. [1]
- May 15
- A land auction is held in the founding of Las Vegas, Nevada. In two days, 2000 lots are sold for US$265,000. [1] [5] [80.303]
- May 25
- The Commonwealth statue is placed atop the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. [496.32]
- June 1
- Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition opens in Portland, Oregon, USA. [1]
- June 10
- First forest fire lookout tower placed in operation, Greenville, Maine, USA. [1]
- June 11
- Pennsylvania Railroad debuts fastest train in world (New York-Chicago in 18 hours). [1]
- July 7
- 127 degrees F (53 degrees C), Parker, Arizona (state record high). [1]
- July 8
- Part of Angel Island, California, allocated for Immigration Detention Center. [1]
- September 5
- Treaty of Portsmouth USA, ends Russo-Japanese War. [1]
- September 22
- Race riot in Atlanta, Georgia, USA; 10 blacks and two whites killed. [1]
- November 23
- Henry Watson Furness, an Indiana physician, named minister of Haiti. [1]
1906
- February 1
- First federal penitentiary building completed, Leavenworth, Kansas. [1]
- February 19
- W K Kellogg and Charles D Bolin incorporate Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company, Battle Creek, Michigan. [1]
- March 12
- The Denver Mint begins its first production of coins, 1906 gold $10 eagles. [442.24]
- April 14
- US President Theodore Roosevelt denounces "muckrakers" in US press. [1]
- April 18
- At 5:13 a.m., an earthquake estimated at close to 8.0 on the Richter scale strikes San Francisco, California, caused by a slip of the San Andreas Fault over a segment about 275 miles long. An estimated 3,000 people die from the quake and fires. Almost 30,000 buildings are destroyed, including most of the city's homes and nearly all the central business district. [1] [129] [648.41]
- May 19
- Federated Boys' Club (Boys' Club of America) organizes. [1]
- May 22
- The Wright brothers are granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their "Flying-Machine." [1] [5]
- May 26
- Archaeological Institute of America forms. [1]
- June 8
- US Congress passes the Antiquities Act, to preserve historic sites against unauthorized excavation or destruction. [504.50]
- June 30
- The Pure Food and Drug Act, and the Meat Inspection Act are adopted in the USA. [1]
- (month unknown)
- Philadelphia firm Numismatists, S.H. and R.H. Chapman conduct auction of Harlan P. Smith collection. An 1822 $10 gold coin sells for $2165, a record price for any single US coin. [205.32]
- August 13
- Black soldiers raid Brownsville, Texas. [1]
- August 15
- First freight delivery tunnel system begins, underneath Chicago, Illinois, USA. [1]
- September 24
- US President Theodore Roosvelt declares Devil's Tower in Wyoming as the first National Monument. [5]
- September 28
- US troops reoccupy Cuba, stay until 1909. [1]
- October 22
- 3000 blacks demonstrate and riot in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [1]
- November 6
- Charles Evans Hughes (Republican) is elected New York governor, beating William Randolph Hearst. [1]
- November 14
- US President Theodore Roosevelt becomes first US President to visit a foreign country (Panama) while in office, to see work on the Panama Canal. [1] [150.61]
- December 9
- New York American reports Belgian King Leopold II bribed US Senate commission on the Congo. [1]
- December 10
- First American awarded Nobel Peace Prize - President Theodore Roosevelt. [1]
- December 11
- US President Theodore Roosevelt attacks abuses in the Congo. [1]
- December 12
- Oscar Straus is appointed US Secretary of Commerce. [1]
- December 24
- In Massachusetts, USA, Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast, consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech. [1] [5]
- December 27
- First annual meeting of American Sociological Society, in Providence, Rhode Island. [1]
1907
- January 26
- First federal corrupt election practices law passed. [1]
- February 11
- Passenger ship Larchmont sinks by Block Island, 322 die. [1]
- February 14
- First US fox hound association forms in New York City, New York. [1]
- February 25
- US proclaims protectorate over Dominican Republic. [1]
- February 26
- US Congress raises their own salaries to $7500. [1]
- March 4
- George B. Cortelyou takes office as Treasury Secretary. [706.70]
- March 9
- First involuntary sterilization law enacted in USA, in Indiana. [1]
- March 19
- 18.8cm precipitation at Lewer's Ranch, Nevada, USA (state record). [1]
- March 21
- April 17
- The Ellis Island immigration center in New York, USA, processes 11,747 people, more than any other day. [1] [5]
- April 26
- Jamestown Virginia Tercentenary Exposition opens. [1]
- May 27
- Bubonic Plague breaks out in San Francisco, California, USA. [1]
- May 31
- Taxicabs first begin running in New York City, New York, USA. [1]
- June 13
- Lowest temperature to date in 48 US states for June, 2 degrees F in Tamarack, California. [1]
- July 8
- Florenz Ziegfeld stages first 'Follies' on New York Theater roof. [1]
- August 1
- Bank of Italy opens first branch at 3433 Mission Street, San Francisco. [1]
- August 28
- United Parcel Service (UPS) is founded by James E. Casey in Seattle, Washington. [1] [5]
- September 7
- Sutro's ornate Cliff House in San Francisco is destroyed by fire. [1]
- September 19
- Frank A. Leach becomes US Mint director. [502.38]
- September 29
- Construction begins on Washington National Cathedral. [1]
- October 22
- New York City's Knickerbocker Trust Company fails, leading to Panic of 1907. [555.30]
- November 16
- Oklahoma becomes 46th US state. [1]
- November 30
- Pike Place Market is dedicated in Seattle, Washington. [1]
- December 6
- Coal mine explosions in Monongah, West Virginia, kills 361. [1]
- December 7
- In Bellefontaine, Ohio, USA, a falling meteorite starts a fire, destroying a house. [521]
- December 16
- The U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet is launched from Hampton Roads, Virginia, on an around-the-world voyage. [450.78]
- December 19
- 239 workers die in a coal mine explosion in Jacobs Creek Pennsylvania. [1]
- December 20
- Explosion at coal mine in Yolande, Alabama, USA, kills 91. [1]
- December 23
- First all-steel passenger railroad coach completed, in Altoona, Pennsylvania. [1]
- December 31
- For the first time, a ball drops in New York City's Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight. [1] [5]
1908
- January 9
- Muir Woods National Monument is established in California. [1]
- January 11
- U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt declares the Grand Canyon in northwestern Arizona a national monument. [129]
- January 13
- Rhoads Opera House burns in Boyertown, Pennsylvania, USA, killing 170. [1]
- January 16
- Pinnacles National Monument is established in California. [1]
- January 21
- New York City, New York regulation makes it illegal for a woman to smoke in public. [1]
- January 23
- US and Great Britain demand end of abuses in Congo. [1]
- February 3
- US Supreme Court rules a union boycott violates Sherman Antitrust Act. [1]
- February 25
- First tunnel under the Hudson River (railway tunnel) opens in New York. [1]
- February 27
- Star number 46 is added to US flag, for Oklahoma. [1]
- February 29
- Death of Patrick Garret near Organ, New Mexico, USA, shot by Wayne Brazel in a dispute over a herd of goats. Garrett was former Sherriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, and killed William H. Bonney "Billy the Kid". [645.50]
- March 8
- Collingwood Elementary school (Cleveland, Ohio) burns, killing 173 kids and two teachers. [1]
- Demonstration in New York City by women garment workers demanding better working conditions. [287.124]
- April 12
- Fire makes 17,000 homeless in Chelsea, Massachusetts, USA. [1]
- April 16
- Natural Bridges National Monument is established (Lake Powell, Utah). [1]
- April 24
- Mr and Mrs Jacob Murdock become the first to travel across the US by car, they leave Los Angeles in a Packard and arrive in New York City in 32 days, 5 hours, 25 minutes. [1]
- May 10
- First official Mother's Day service is held, at the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, organized by Anna Jarvis. [1] [404.82]
- May 18
- US Congress mandates that "In God We Trust" appear on all US coins. [406.88]
- May 23
- Dirigible explodes over San Francisco Bay, California; 16 passengers fall, none die. [1]
- May 30
- The Emergency Currency Act authorizes $500, $1000, and $10000 national bank notes, and allows chartered banks to substitute other securities besides US bonds as reserves against circulating currency. The Act is to remain in effect until June 30, 1915. [415.52] [496.32] [650.75] (May 20 [407.60])
- First US federal workmen's compensation law approved. [1]
- US Assay Office in Salt Lake City, Utah, is authorized by Congress. [1]
- June 10
- First flying club, Aeronautical Society of New York, opens. [1]
- July 26
- US Federal Bureau of Investigation is established. [1]
- August 14
- Race riot in Springfield, Illinois. [1]
- August 29
- New York gives a ticker tape parade to returning US Olympians from London. [1]
- September 9
- Orville Wright makes first one-hour airplane flight, in Fort Myer, Virginia. [1]
- September 16
- General Motors is founded by William C Durant. [1] [5]
- October 1
- Henry Ford introduces the Model T car in the US (costs $825). [1] [5]
- November 3
- William Howard Taft (Republican) elected 27th President over William Jennings Bryan. [1]
- November 28
- 154 men die in coal mine explosion at Marianna, Pennsylvania, USA. [1]
- December 16
- First credit union in US forms (Manchester, New Hampshire). [1]
- December 29
- Patent granted for a 4-wheel automobile brake, Clintonville, Wisconsin. [1]
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