Year 1903 in History

First Powered Flight by the Wright Brothers

Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

science technology

German theoretical physicist Albert Einstein (23) weds Serbian physicist and mathematician Mileva Marić (27); divorce in

German theoretical physicist Albert Einstein (23) weds Serbian physicist and mathematician Mileva Marić (27); divorce in 1919

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung (27) weds Swiss watch heiress Emma Rauschenbach (19), until her death in 1955

Fall of the Sokoto Caliphate in Northern Nigeria, British claim supremacy over 500,000 square miles

NY Highlanders (Yankees) play their first MLB game, losing 3-1 before 11,950 spectators against the Washington Senators

NY Highlanders (Yankees) play their first MLB game, losing 3-1 before 11,950 spectators against the Washington Senators at American League Park

1st Tour de France: French rider Maurice Garin wins inaugural event

Maurice-François Garin (pronounced [mɔʁis fʁɑ̃swa ɡaʁɛ̃, moʁ-]; 3 March 1871 – 19 February 1957) was an Italian-French road bicycle racer best known for winning the inaugural Tour de France in 1903,...

New Zealand's All Blacks play their first rugby test match against Australia's Wallabies at the Sydney Cricket Ground, t

New Zealand's All Blacks play their first rugby test match against Australia's Wallabies at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the All Blacks win 22-3

Joseph Pulitzer donates $1 million to Columbia University and begins the Pulitzer Prizes in the United States

1st Baseball World Series: Boston Americans beat Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-0 in Game 8 at Huntington Avenue for a 5-3 series

1st Baseball World Series: Boston Americans beat Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-0 in Game 8 at Huntington Avenue for a 5-3 series victory

The first Western film, "The Great Train Robbery," is released, starring Justus D. Barnes and G. M. Anderson

The Great Train Robbery is a 1903 American silent Western action film made by Edwin S. Porter for the Edison Manufacturing Company.

At 10:35 am, Orville Wright pilots the first sustained, powered, and controlled flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft at

At 10:35 am, Orville Wright pilots the first sustained, powered, and controlled flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; the flight lasts 12 seconds and covers 120 feet

French Equatorial Africa separates into Gabon, Chad and Ubangi-Shari (Central African Republic)

Ubangi-Shari (French: Oubangui-Chari) was a French colony in central Africa, a part of French Equatorial Africa.

Baseball's National & American Leagues make peace

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and...

Rhodes Opera House burns in Boyertown, Pennsylvania killing 170

The first transatlantic radio transmission to originate in the United States is sent by a transmitter in Massachusetts

First regular transatlantic radio broadcast between the US and England

The Hay-Herran Treaty concerning the US right to the Panama Canal is signed by the Colombian Charge d'affaires in Washin

The Hay-Herran Treaty concerning the US right to the Panama Canal is signed by the Colombian Charge d'affaires in Washington, D.C, however it is never ratified

Dutch railroad workers strike

The railroad strikes of 1903 were strikes in the Netherlands by the railway staff regarding the right of workers to organize into a union and negotiate and implement the right to strike. At the...

The Imperial Library first opens to the public in Calcutta - now the National Library of India, the country's largest li

The Imperial Library first opens to the public in Calcutta - now the National Library of India, the country's largest library [1]

Frederick Lugard occupies Kano, West Africa

Stanley Cup: Montreal HC beats Winnipeg Victorias, 4-1 for a 2-1 challenge series win

VVV '03 soccer club is established in the Dutch southeastern city of Venlo

First teddy bear introduced in America, made by Morris and Rose Michtom

-59°F (-51°C), Pokegama Dam, Minnesota (state record)

Nick Young remains as NL president as AG Spalding ends challenge

Cornerstone laid for US army war college, Washington, D.C.

Roosevelt Hall is an immense Beaux Arts-style building housing the National War College on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., United States.

The Sultan agrees to an Austro-Russian plan to reform the government of Macedonia in yet another effort to stifle the ri

The Sultan agrees to an Austro-Russian plan to reform the government of Macedonia in yet another effort to stifle the rising disorder among the rival Bulgarian

Barney Dreyfuss & James Potter buy Philadelphia Phillies for $170,000

Major League Baseball Rules Committee rule that pitcher's mound must not be more than 15 inches higher than the baseline

Major League Baseball Rules Committee rule that pitcher's mound must not be more than 15 inches higher than the baselines or home plate

North Carolina becomes 1st state requiring registration of nurses

Stanley Cup, Montreal Arena, Westmount, Quebec: Montreal HC beats Winnipeg Victorias, 4-1 for a 2-1 challenge series vic

Stanley Cup, Montreal Arena, Westmount, Quebec: Montreal HC beats Winnipeg Victorias, 4-1 for a 2-1 challenge series victory

Definitive treaty for construction of Baghdad railway drawn up

Harry Gammeter of Cleveland patents multigraph duplicating machine

New York Highlanders (Yankees) baseball franchise is approved as a member of the American League

1st national bird reservation established in Sebastian, Florida

Following through on its attacks on Roman Catholic institutions, the French Government dissolves the Catholic religious

Following through on its attacks on Roman Catholic institutions, the French Government dissolves the Catholic religious orders

The Wright brothers 1st file a patent for a flying machine, which is granted 3 years later

Racing Club de Avellaneda, one of the big five of Argentina, is founded.

Racing Club is a professional sports club based in Avellaneda, Argentina. The institution is mostly known for its football team, which competes in the Primera División, the top tier of the Argentine...

American Hotel opens in Amsterdam

The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater at 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S.

Richard Pearse flies a monoplane several hundred yards in New Zealand

General railroad strike against "worgwetten" (anti-strike laws)

American Power Boat Association forms

NY Highlanders (Yankees) win their first game; beat Washington Senators, 7-2 at American League Park

1st Highlander (Yankee) shut-out, Philadelphia A's win 6-0

Limestone slide at Turtle Mountain drops 30 million cubic metres (82 million tons) on to town of Frank, Alberta, Canada,

Limestone slide at Turtle Mountain drops 30 million cubic metres (82 million tons) on to town of Frank, Alberta, Canada, kills 70-90 residents

NY Highlanders (Yankees) inaugural home opener at Hilltop Park, Manhattan; beat Washington Senators, 6-2

Chicago White Sox commit 11 errors against Detroit Tigers but win 10-9 at South Side Park. Chicago

The first transcontinental motorcycle trip begins in San Francisco by George A. Wyman, who arrives in New York on July 6

Cleveland Indians beat NY Highlanders 9-2 in Columbus Ohio

Britain's House of Commons begins a debate on the charges of poor administration and ill treatment of natives in Belgium

Britain's House of Commons begins a debate on the charges of poor administration and ill treatment of natives in Belgium's colony in the Congo Free State

Launch of the White Star Liner SS Ionic.

The White Star Line was a British shipping line. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually grew to become one of the most prominent shipping companies in the world,...

1st automobile trip across US leaves San Francisco for New York, (arrives July 26)

May coup d'etat: Alexander Obrenovich, King of Serbia, and Queen Draga, are assassinated in Belgrade by the Black Hand (

May coup d'etat: Alexander Obrenovich, King of Serbia, and Queen Draga, are assassinated in Belgrade by the Black Hand (Crna Ruka) organization

First patent for adrenaline (epinephrine) granted to Japanese-American chemist Jokichi Takamine [1]

President Emile Loubet of France and Minister of Foreign Affairs Theophile Declasse visit London, furthering the cause o

President Emile Loubet of France and Minister of Foreign Affairs Theophile Declasse visit London, furthering the cause of Entente Cordiale between Britain and France

King Alexander I and his wife Queen Draga Mašin of Serbia are assassinated in the royal palace in Belgrade by a group of

King Alexander I and his wife Queen Draga Mašin of Serbia are assassinated in the royal palace in Belgrade by a group of army officers led by Captain Dragutin Dimitrijević, as part of a military coup

Niagara Falls, Ontario incorporated as a city

Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada, adjacent to, and named after, Niagara Falls. As of the 2021 census, the city had a population of 94,415.

The Serbian Assembly meets and elects Prince Peter Karageorgevich king

1st Highlander (Yankee) shut-out victory 1-0 over White Sox

New York Central Railroad begins building Grand Central Terminal, designed by the architectural firms of Reed & Stem (ov

New York Central Railroad begins building Grand Central Terminal, designed by the architectural firms of Reed & Stem (overall) and Warren & Wetmore (exterior) [1]

Charlotte Maxeke (née Mannya) becomes the first native African to graduate from a US college (Wilberforce University in

Charlotte Maxeke (née Mannya) becomes the first native African to graduate from a US college (Wilberforce University in Ohio)

Russia prohibits meetings dealing with Zionism

Boston Beaneater Wiley Piatt is only 20th-century pitcher to lose 2 complete games in one day, falling to Pittsburgh 1-0

Boston Beaneater Wiley Piatt is only 20th-century pitcher to lose 2 complete games in one day, falling to Pittsburgh 1-0 & 5-3

British government protests against abuses in Belgian Congo

The Congo Free State (CFS), also known as the Independent State of the Congo, was a large state and absolute monarchy in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908.

Tour de France: Inaugural race begins in Montgeron, a south-eastern suburb of Paris

National League MLB batting champion Ed Delahanty, disappears after being removed intoxicated from a train by force; fou

National League MLB batting champion Ed Delahanty, disappears after being removed intoxicated from a train by force; found dead at bottom of Niagara Falls 2 weeks later

Pacific Cable (San Francisco, Hawaii, Guam, Philippines) opens, President Theodore Roosevelt sends a message

George Wyman arrives in NYC by motorcycle 51 days out of San Francisco

The Russian Social Democratic Workers Party meets, first in Brussels and then London because their leaders have been for

The Russian Social Democratic Workers Party meets, first in Brussels and then London because their leaders have been forced into exile by the Russian Government

Castle on top of Telegraph Hill, San Francisco, closes

Horatio Nelson Jackson, Sewall K. Crocker, and a bulldog named Bud complete the first automobile trip across the United

Horatio Nelson Jackson, Sewall K. Crocker, and a bulldog named Bud complete the first automobile trip across the United States, traveling from San Francisco to New York in a two-cylinder Winton in 63 days, 12 hours, and 30 minutes

Unsuccessful uprising of Macedonians against the Ottoman Empire

The Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising, consisting of the Ilinden Uprising and Preobrazhenie Uprising, was an organized revolt against the Ottoman Empire from August to October 1903.

Cardinal Giuseppe Sarto of Venice is elected Pope Pius X, known as the "Pope of the Poor and Humble"

Tommy Corcoran sets an MLB record for shortstops by recording 14 assists in Cincinnati's 4-2 win against the St. Louis C

Tommy Corcoran sets an MLB record for shortstops by recording 14 assists in Cincinnati's 4-2 win against the St. Louis Cardinals

Famous Viking ship, the Oseberg, dating to 820 AD, is uncovered in a burial mound near Tønsberg, Norway, with two female

Famous Viking ship, the Oseberg, dating to 820 AD, is uncovered in a burial mound near Tønsberg, Norway, with two female skeletons and the bones of 15 horses [1]

Japanese Minister to Russia presents a note to the Russian government protesting its failure to evacuate Manchuria

Philadelphia Phillies suffer a record ninth consecutive postponed game

Phillies walk 17 Dodgers in a game

The Finance Minister, Count Witte, is dismissed in what is seen as a victory for those in Russia who want their country

The Finance Minister, Count Witte, is dismissed in what is seen as a victory for those in Russia who want their country to expand into Manchuria and Korea in defiance of Japan

New York Giants future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Joe McGinnity wins his 3rd doubleheader of month, beating the Phila

New York Giants future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Joe McGinnity wins his 3rd doubleheader of month, beating the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-1 and 9-2 at the Polo Grounds

American yacht Reliance, the largest gaff-rigged cutter ever built, defends America's Cup for the NYYC, beating UK chall

American yacht Reliance, the largest gaff-rigged cutter ever built, defends America's Cup for the NYYC, beating UK challenger Shamrock III off the New Jersey shore for a 3-0 series win

Federation of American Motorcyclists is formed in New York

6 km long Engadin railroad tunnel is inaugurated in Switzerland

The first race at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin is held, making it the oldest major speedway in the world

Boston Pilgrims clinch AL pennant, beating Cleveland 14-3

Phillies' Chick Fraser no-hits Chicago Cubs 10-0

The 1903 Philadelphia Phillies season was a season in American baseball. The team finished seventh in the National League with a record of 49–86, 39+1⁄2 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.

First cowboy film "Kit Carson" premieres in US

Wreck of the Old 97, a train crash near Danville, Virginia, inspires a railroad song of the same name, to be released in

Wreck of the Old 97, a train crash near Danville, Virginia, inspires a railroad song of the same name, to be released in 1924, which becomes the first song to sell 1 million copies in the US

New Gresham's School is officially opened by Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood in Norfolk, England (expansion of the origina

New Gresham's School is officially opened by Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood in Norfolk, England (expansion of the original school founded in 1555)

The High Court of Australia sits for the first time

The High Court of Australia is the apex court of the Australian legal system. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified in the Constitution of Australia and supplementary...

J.M. Synge's play "In the Shadow of the Glen" premieres in Dublin

11 inches (28.4 cm) of rainfall in 24 hours in New York City

According to the Köppen climate classification, New York City features a humid subtropical climate (Cfa).

Lyric Theater opens at 213 W 42nd St NYC

Homel, the first Jewish self-defense organization, is founded in Russia

US wins the disputed boundary between the District of Alaska and Canada

First trotter to run a mile under 2 minutes (Lou Dillon 1:58.1)

Yerba Buena is first Key System ferry to cross San Francisco Bay

The Key System (or Key Route) was a privately owned company that provided mass transit in the cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, San Leandro, Richmond, Albany, and El Cerrito...

In violation of their promise to evacuate Manchuria, the Russian reoccupy Mukden and reinforce their troops in Manchuria

British newspaper "Daily Mirror" begins publishing

Colombia grants independence to Panama

The secession of Panama from Colombia was formalized on 3 November 1903, with the establishment of the Republic of Panama and the abolition of the Colombia-Costa Rica border.

Harvard Stadium, the first stadium built specifically for American football, holds its first game

USA recognizes independence of Panama

The national flag of Panama was made by María de la Ossa de Amador and was officially adopted by the "ley 48 de 1925".

Eugen d'Albert's opera "Tiefland" premieres at the Neues Deutsches Theater in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia

Dahomey (Benin) becomes a French protectorate

The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within the present-day Republic of Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904.

Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty gives US exclusive canal rights in Panama

The Panama Canal Zone (Spanish: Zona del Canal de Panamá), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979.

Temperance activist Carrie Nation attempts to address the US Senate

Colorado Governor James Peabody sends the state militia into the town of Cripple Creek to break up a miners' strike.

Clyde Coleman of NYC patents automobile electric starter

Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's opera "Die Neugierigen Frauen" premieres in Munich, Germany

The Sultanate of Aceh's Panglima Polim surrenders to Dutch Army Captain Hendrikus Colijn at Atjeh

Sumatra Atjehs guerilla leader Panglima Polim surrenders

Norwegian parliament votes unanimiously for female suffrage

British forces under MacDonald & Younghusband march into Tibet

The British expedition to Tibet, also known as the Younghusband expedition, began in December 1903 and lasted until September 1904.

Roger Casement completes report about abuses in Belgian Congo

The Congo Free State (CFS), also known as the Independent State of the Congo, was a large state and absolute monarchy in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908.

England cricket batsman R. E. Foster completes 287 on debut in 1st Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground

The England men's cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket.

New York Wall Street vendor Italo Marchiony is granted a patent for a mound apparatus for making ice cream cones

Majestic Theater in New York City becomes the first theater in the US to employ women ushers

Williamsburg suspension bridge opens between Brooklyn and Manhattan

The Williamsburg Bridge is a suspension bridge across the East River in New York City, connecting the Lower East Side of Manhattan with the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.

"Sweet Adeline", a barbershop quartet favorite, with lyrics by Richard Husch Gerard and music by Harry Armstrong, is fir

"Sweet Adeline", a barbershop quartet favorite, with lyrics by Richard Husch Gerard and music by Harry Armstrong, is first sung

American Political Science Association founded at New Orleans

Famous Births

Tunku Abdul Rahman is born

Aleksei Leontiev is born

Giulio Natta is born

Giulio Natta, Italian chemist, known for italian chemist, was born on 1903-02-26. Giulio Natta was an Italian chemical engineer and Nobel laureate.

James Franklin Hyde is born

James Franklin Hyde, American chemist and inventor, known for american chemist and inventor, was born on 1903-03-11. James Franklin Hyde was an American chemist and inventor.

Mickey Cochrane is born

Mickey Cochrane, American athlete, known for american baseball player and manager, was born on 1903-04-06.

José Antonio Primo de Rivera is born

José Antonio Primo de Rivera, Spanish politician and founder of falange española, known for spanish politician and founder of falange española, was born on 1903-04-24.

Bing Crosby is born

Bing Crosby singer and actor, known for american singer and actor, was born on 1903-05-03. Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor.

Bob Hope is born

Bob Hope, American entertainer, known for american entertainer, was born on 1903-05-29.

Red Grange is born

Red Grange, American athlete, known for american football player, was born on 1903-06-13.

John Dillinger is born

John Dillinger, American bank robber, known for american bank robber, was born on 1903-06-22.

Carl Hubbell is born

Carl Hubbell, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1903-06-22.

Amy Johnson is born

Amy Johnson, English aviator, known for british aviator, was born on 1903-07-01. Amy Johnson was a pioneering English pilot who was the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia.

Alec Douglas-Home is born

Louis Leakey is born

Louis Leakey, British archaeologist and naturalist, known for british archaeologist and naturalist, was born on 1903-08-07.

Arthur Godfrey is born

Arthur Godfrey, American radio personality and television entertainer, known for american radio personality and television entertainer, was born on 1903-08-31.

Claudette Colbert is born

Claudette Colbert, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1903-09-13. Claudette Colbert; September 13, 1903 – July 30, 1996) was an American actress.

Tony Lazzeri is born

Tony Lazzeri, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1903-12-06.

John von Neumann is born

John von Neumann, American american mathematician and physicist, known for hungarian and american mathematician and physicist, was born on 1903-12-28.

Alan Paton is born

Alan Paton, South African african author, known for south african author, was born on 1903-01-11.

Theodor W. Adorno is born

Theodor W. Adorno philosopher, sociologist, and theorist, known for german philosopher, sociologist, and theorist, was born on 1903-09-11. Theodor W.

Haldan Keffer Hartline is born

Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist, known for american physiologist, was born on 1903-12-22.

Notable Deaths

Richard Jordan Gatling dies

Richard Jordan Gatling, American inventor, known for american inventor, died on 1903-02-26. Richard Jordan Gatling (September 12, 1818 – February 26, 1903) was an American inventor.

Paul Gauguin dies

Paul Gauguin, French artist, known for french artist, died on 1903-05-08. Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily…

William Ernest Henley dies

William Ernest Henley, English poet, critic and editor, known for english poet, critic and editor, died on 1903-07-11.

Leo XIII dies

Theodor Mommsen dies

Theodor Mommsen, German classical scholar and historian, known for german classical scholar and historian, died on 1903-11-01.