On This Day

Denmark and the United States sign a treaty whereby the Danish West Indies, including the Virgin Islands, are ceded to t

Denmark and the United States sign a treaty whereby the Danish West Indies, including the Virgin Islands, are ceded to the US in 1917 for $25 million

The United States Virgin Islands, often abbreviated USVI, are a group of islands and cays located in the Lesser Antilles of the Eastern Caribbean, consisting of three main islands (Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas) and fifty smaller islets and cays. Like many of their Caribbean neighbors, the history of the islands is characterized by native Amerindian settlement, European colonization, and the Atlantic slave trade.

Before the colonial period, the islands were inhabited at different times by the Arawak, Ciboney, and Kalinago peoples. Europeans first encountered the islands during Columbus' second voyage. Over the next century, settlers from across Western Europe laid claim to the land and the majority of Indigenous peoples either perished or were displaced.

Historical Significance

The United States Virgin Islands, often abbreviated USVI, are a group of islands and cays located in the Lesser Antilles of the Eastern Caribbean, consisting of three main islands (Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas) and fifty smaller islets and cays.

Events Before

  1. "The Birth of a Nation" the first 12-reel film in America, directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Lillian Gish and Mae Mar

    "The Birth of a Nation" the first 12-reel film in America, directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Lillian Gish and Mae Marsh, premieres at Clune's Auditorium in Los Angeles

  2. French forces attempt to drive the Germans back into the Champagne region during World War I, gaining a few hundred yard

    French forces attempt to drive the Germans back into the Champagne region during World War I, gaining a few hundred yards at the cost of 50,000 casualties

  3. First military use of poison gas occurs when Germany uses chlorine gas against the Allies along the Western Front at Ypr

    First military use of poison gas occurs when Germany uses chlorine gas against the Allies along the Western Front at Ypres, France in World War I [1]

  4. First landings at Gaba Tepe and Cape Helles on the Gallipoli Peninsula by ANZAC forces during World War I

    The landing at Anzac Cove on Sunday, 25 April 1915, also known as the landing at Gaba Tepe and, to the Turks, as the Arıburnu Battle, was part of the amphibious invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula by...

  5. RMS Lusitania is sunk by a German submarine off the southern coast of Ireland, with 1,198 lives lost

    RMS Lusitania is sunk by a German submarine off the southern coast of Ireland, with 1,198 lives lost

Events After

  1. Sculptor Auguste Rodin (76) weds Rose Beuret

    Sculptor Auguste Rodin (76) weds Rose Beuret

  2. First major strike of the Russian "February Revolution" starts at the giant Putilov factory in Petrograd [NS=Mar 3]

    First major strike of the Russian "February Revolution" starts at the giant Putilov factory in Petrograd [NS=Mar 3]

  3. First jazz records are recorded: "Dixie Jazz Band One Step" and "Livery Stable Blues" by the Original Dixieland Jass Ban

    First jazz records are recorded: "Dixie Jazz Band One Step" and "Livery Stable Blues" by the Original Dixieland Jass Band for the Victor Talking Machine Company in NYC

  4. First major strike of the Russian "February Revolution" starts at the giant Putilov factory in Petrograd [OS=Feb 18]

    First major strike of the Russian "February Revolution" starts at the giant Putilov factory in Petrograd [OS=Feb 18]

  5. First jazz record is released on a 78 by the Original Dixieland Jass Band for the Victor Talking Machine Company ("Dixie

    First jazz record is released on a 78 by the Original Dixieland Jass Band for the Victor Talking Machine Company ("Dixie Jazz Band One Step" on one side, "Livery Stable Blues" on the other)

More from the 1910s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 4, 1916?
The United States Virgin Islands, often abbreviated USVI, are a group of islands and cays located in the Lesser Antilles of the Eastern Caribbean, consisting of three main islands (Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas) and fifty smaller islets and cays. Like many of their Caribbean neighbors, the history of the islands is characterized by native Amerindian settlement, European colonization, and the Atlantic slave trade. Before the colonial period, the islands were inhabited at different times by the Arawak, Ciboney, and Kalinago peoples.
Why is Denmark and the United States sign a treaty whereby the Danish West Indies, i... significant?
The United States Virgin Islands, often abbreviated USVI, are a group of islands and cays located in the Lesser Antilles of the Eastern Caribbean, consisting of three main islands (Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas) and fifty smaller islets and cays.

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