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US takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific

Wake Island, also known as Wake Atoll (Chamorro: Islan Wake), is a coral atoll in the Micronesia subregion of the Pacific Ocean.

Wake Island, also known as Wake Atoll (Chamorro: Islan Wake), is a coral atoll in the Micronesia subregion of the Pacific Ocean. The atoll is composed of three islets – Wake, Wilkes, and Peale Islands – surrounding a lagoon encircled by a coral reef. The nearest inhabited island is Utirik Atoll in the Marshall Islands, located 592 miles (953 kilometers) to the southeast.

The island may have been found by prehistoric Austronesian mariners before its first recorded discovery by Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira in 1568. Ships continued visiting the area in the following centuries, but the island remained undeveloped until the United States claimed it in 1899.

Historical Significance

Wake Island, also known as Wake Atoll (Chamorro: Islan Wake), is a coral atoll in the Micronesia subregion of the Pacific Ocean.

Events Before

  1. Brooklyn merges with New York City to form the present-day City of New York

    The City of Greater New York was the consolidation of the City of New York with Brooklyn, western Queens County, and Staten Island, which took effect on January 1, 1898.

  2. Painter Henri Matisse (28) weds Amélie Noellie Parayre

    Painter Henri Matisse (28) weds Amélie Noellie Parayre

  3. Australian cricketer Joe Darling hits the first six in Test cricket (out of the ground)

    Australian cricketer Joe Darling hits the first six in Test cricket (out of the ground)

  4. Poet Paul Laurence Dunbar (25) weds political activist and poet Alice Ruth Moore (22) in New York

    Poet Paul Laurence Dunbar (25) weds political activist and poet Alice Ruth Moore (22) in New York

  5. Battle of Atbara River: Anglo-Egyptian forces defeat 15,000 Sudanese during the Mahdist War, a turning point in the reco

    Battle of Atbara River: Anglo-Egyptian forces defeat 15,000 Sudanese during the Mahdist War, a turning point in the reconquest of Sudan

Events After

  1. Compulsory primary school education in the Netherlands goes into effect

    Education in the Netherlands is characterized by division: education is oriented toward the needs and background of the pupil.

  2. Giacomo Puccini's opera "Tosca", with a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, premieres at Teatro Costanzi in R

    Giacomo Puccini's opera "Tosca", with a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, premieres at Teatro Costanzi in Rome, Italy

  3. The Trades Union Congress and the Independent Labour Party (formed in 1893) meet in London, resulting in a Labour Repres

    The Trades Union Congress and the Independent Labour Party (formed in 1893) meet in London, resulting in a Labour Representative Committee and eventually the modern UK Labour Party in 1906

  4. Dutch botanist Hugo de Vries rediscovers Gregor Mendel's laws of heredity and genetics

    Dutch botanist Hugo de Vries rediscovers Gregor Mendel's laws of heredity and genetics

  5. US Secretary of State John Hay announces that all nations to whom he sent notes calling for an 'open door' policy in Chi

    US Secretary of State John Hay announces that all nations to whom he sent notes calling for an 'open door' policy in China have essentially accepted his stance

More from the 1890s

Physicist J. J. Thomson (33) weds Rose Elisabeth Paget

Physicist J. J. Thomson (33) weds Rose Elisabeth Paget

Ellis Island opens as a US immigration inspection station and becomes the gateway to the United States for more than 12

Ellis Island opens as a US immigration inspection station and becomes the gateway to the United States for more than 12 million people

German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen announces his discovery of X-rays

German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen announces his discovery of X-rays

Eritrea is consolidated into a colony by the Italian government

Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. Its capital and largest city is Asmara.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 17, 1899?
Wake Island, also known as Wake Atoll (Chamorro: Islan Wake), is a coral atoll in the Micronesia subregion of the Pacific Ocean. The atoll is composed of three islets – Wake, Wilkes, and Peale Islands – surrounding a lagoon encircled by a coral reef. The nearest inhabited island is Utirik Atoll in the Marshall Islands, located 592 miles (953 kilometers) to the southeast.
Why is US takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific significant?
Wake Island, also known as Wake Atoll (Chamorro: Islan Wake), is a coral atoll in the Micronesia subregion of the Pacific Ocean.

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January 17 in HistoryYear 1899