Explore the major historical events, famous births, and notable deaths that occurred in the year 1904. This year saw 122 significant events. 22 notable figures were born. 2 notable figures passed away.
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies, was a Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which declared independence on 17 August 1945.
Future German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (28) weds Emma Weyer at St. Stephan Catholic Church in Lindenthal, Germany, until her death in 1916
Japanese torpedo boats launch a surprise attack on Russian ships at the Port Arthur naval base in Manchuria, beginning the Russo-Japanese War. Japanese troops also land at Chemulpo (Incheon), near Seoul, Korea; in three weeks, they advance to the Yalu River, the border of Manchuria.
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.
The Panama Canal (Spanish: Canal de Panamá) is an artificial 82-kilometer (51-mile) waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.
The Panama Canal (Spanish: Canal de Panamá) is an artificial 82-kilometer (51-mile) waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.
Ty Cobb makes his professional debut for the Augusta Tourists in the South Atlantic League
The history of the Australian Labor Party (federally spelt Labour prior to 1912) has its origins in the Labour parties founded in the 1890s in the Australian colonies prior to federation.
The Panama Canal (Spanish: Canal de Panamá) is an artificial 82-kilometer (51-mile) waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.
Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA; lit. 'International Association Football Federation' or 'International Federation of Association Football') is an international...
Ragtime composer Scott Joplin (35) weds Freddie Alexander (19) in Arkansas
Bloomsday (Irish: Lá Bloom) is a commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce, observed annually in Dublin and elsewhere on 16 June.
Prime Minister of Canada Arthur Meighen (30) weds Canadian Jessie Isabel Cox (22), until his death in 1960
After 13 years, the 4,607-mile Trans-Siberian Railway is completed
Sinclair Oil founder Harry Ford Sinclair (28) weds Elizabeth Farrell
Novelist Hermann Hesse (27) weds Maria Bernoulli
A safety razor is a shaving implement with a protective device positioned between the edge of the blade and the skin.
The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St.
In 'Gonzales v Williams', the US Supreme Court rules that Puerto Ricans are not aliens and may not be refused admission into continental United States; not until 1917 will citizenship rights be granted
-34°F (-36.7°C), River Vale, New Jersey (state record)
Pope Pius X banned low cut dresses in the presence of churchmen
The Herero and Nama genocide or the Namibian genocide was the extermination of the Herero and the Nama people in German South West Africa (now Namibia) by the German Empire between 1904 and 1908.
Béla Bartók's symphonic poem "Kossuth" premieres by the Budapest Philharmonic Society in Budapest, Hungary
The Harwick Mine disaster was a mining accident on January 25, 1904 in Cheswick, Pennsylvania, some sixteen mi (26 km) east of Pittsburgh in the western part of the state.
1st college sports letters given to Seniors who played on University of Chicago's football team are awarded blankets with letter "C" on them
1st athletic letters given (University of Chicago football team)
John Millington Synge's play "Well of Saints" premieres in Dublin
American occupation of Cuba ends
Japan notifies Russia that in view of Russia's delaying tactics and provocative military action, Japan is ending negotiations and recalling its members from Moscow
Baltimore catches fire (1500 buildings destroyed in 80 blocks)
The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire.
National Ski Association forms in Ishpeming, Michigan
The Hague Tribunal gives its decision in claims against Venezuela; it sets the sum to be paid by Venezuela and gives preferential treatment to the three powers that initiated the block - Britain, Germany, and Italy
Fiordland National Park in New Zealand is created, home to the Milford Track and at 4,600 square miles (12,000 square km), one of the world's largest
J M Synge's "Riders to the Sea" opens at Irish National Theater Society
Sport Lisboa e Benfica, commonly known as Benfica, is a professional football club based in Lisbon, Portugal, that competes in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football. Founded on 28...
The Battle of the Yellow Sea was a naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 10 August 1904. In the Russian Navy, it was referred to as the Battle of 10 August.
Australian cricket spin bowler Hugh Trumble dismisses England batsmen Bernard Bosanquet, Plum Warner and Dick Lilley for his second Test hat-trick in 5th Test victory in Melbourne; Trumble's final Test
The legendary Lester Patrick becomes first ice hockey defenseman to score a goal in Brandon Wheat City's 6-3 defeat to Ottawa HC in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals
Stanley Cup: Ottawa Silver Sevens beat Brandon Wheat City, 2-0 at the Aberdeen Pavilion, Ottawa for a 2 game sweep and back-to-back titles
Liverpool is a port city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, 178 miles (286 km) north-west of London.
Bronze statue of Christ on Argentine-Chilean border dedicated
In a landmark case, Northern Securities Company v United States, the US Supreme Court finds the company has violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act; first case in T. Roosevelt's 'trust-busting' campaign
"Bailundo Revolt" ends after almost 2-years in Portuguese victory over Ovimbundu kingdom & allies
The first international rugby league match is played between England and an Other Nationalities team (Welsh & Scottish players) in Central Park, Wigan, England.
British mystic Aleister Crowley transcribes the first chapter of the Book of the Law
A squadron of the Russian fleet is decoyed out of Port Arthur by Japanese maneuvers, when they realize they are sailing into a trap; their battleship Petropavlovsk hits a mine and sinks, with a loss of 700 men
L'Humanité, under Jean Jaurès, begins publication
The Great Fire of Toronto of 1904 destroyed a large section of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada on April 19, 1904. It was the second such fire for the city in its history.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition opens in St. Louis
The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art.
Bell Telephone Company of Antwerp, Belgium, forms
Ice cream cone makes its debut at St. Louis World's Fair invented by Ernest A. Hamwi (independently of other claimant Italo Marchiony in NY)
American Lung Association holds its 1st meeting
Flexible Flyer trademark registered
Steam locomotive City of Truro becomes the first steam engine to exceed 100 mph
In Morocco, a brigand, Raizuli, kidnaps Ion H. Perdicaris, an American citizen
In two days of bitter fighting, the Japanese Army soundly defeats the Russians at Kinchan and captures the forts at Nanshan
NY Giants first baseman Dan McGann collects MLB record 5 stolen bases in 3-1 win over the Brooklyn Superbas at the Polo Grounds in NYC; record broken in 1991 by Otis Nixon
Frank Chance gets hit by pitch 5 times in a doubleheader
German professor Otto von Schron gives a public demonstration of a microbe that causes phthisis (pulmonary tuberculosis)
National Tuberculosis Association organized, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Chicago Cubs pitcher Bob Wicker no-hits NY Giants, wins in 12th on 1 hitter, 1-0
At the battle of Telissu, the Japanese rout the Russians and inflict heavy casualties
Side-wheeler passenger paddlesteamer "General Slocum" burns in NY's East River (1,031 die)
Boston Herald tells of Red Sox trade "Dougherty as a Yankee," 1st known reference to NY club as Yankees (became Yankees in 1913)
Chinese laborers arrive in South Africa following a severe labor shortage
International Anti-Military Cooperation (IAMV) forms in Amsterdam
Two prehistoric bones are found in Weerdingerveen, Drenthe in the Netherlands
NY Giants 18-game winning streak ends as Phillies win 6-5 in 10 innings at Huntington Park
First Buddhist temple in US forms in Los Angeles, California
Islands of Manu'a group (Samoa) ceded to US by their chiefs
Dutch Premier Kuypers disbands 1st Chamber
Ice cream cone is created during the St. Louis World's Fair, reputedly first by Charles E. Menches
Interior Minister of Russia, Vyacheslav Plehve, is assassinated; as leader of the most reactionary elements of government, he is hated for his repressive policies
British journalist Francis Younghusband visits the forbidden city of Lhasa
Train derails on a bridge in Eden, Colorado, due to a flash flood, killing 96 people
Libanus McLouth Todd of Rochester, New York, patents his check-writing machine, the Protectograph, designed to protect against check forgery
German-Italian General Von Trotha defeats the Herero in Southwest Africa
The Boston Red Sox are a Major League Baseball franchise based in Boston, Massachusetts, also known in their early years as the "Boston Americans" (1901–1907).
Automobile tire chain patented
Battle of Liao-Yang: 200,000 Japanese against 150,000 Russians; Japanese achieve a tactical victory
American runner Thomas Hicks wins the marathon gold medal with a time of 3:28:53 over a 40 km course at the St. Louis Olympics
For the first time in Olympic Games history, there is a throw-off in the discus final after Americans Martin Sheridan and Ralph Rose tie with a best throw of 128 ft 10½ in (39.28 m) in St. Louis; Sheridan wins with 127 ft 10¼ in (38.97 m)
Dalai Lama signs treaty allowing British commerce in Tibet
British forces in Tibet force the 13th Dalai Lama to sign a treaty granting Britain trading posts in Tibet and guaranteeing that Tibet will not concede territory to foreign powers
The Boston Herald again refers to the NY baseball club as Yankees when it reports "Yankees take 2," although the Yankee name is not official until 1913
Gen Nogi's assault on Port Arthur: 16,000 Japanese casualties
George Ade's "The College Widow" premieres in NYC
A general strike (or mass strike) is a strike action in which a substantial proportion of the total labour force in a city, region, or country participates.
British Colonel Francis Younghusband and his expedition, along with an accompanying military force, leave Lhasa, Tibet
Charles Follis becomes the first African American man contracted to play professional football on an integrated team when he signs with the Shelby Blues of the Ohio League
Charles Klein's "The Music Master" premieres in New York City
Woman is arrested for smoking a cigarette in a car on 5th Avenue, New York City
First monument honoring Spanish–American War is erected in Monroeville, Ohio
White Sox lefty Doc White pitches his fifth shutout in 18 days
Joannes Benedictus "Jo" van Heutsz was a Dutch military officer who was appointed governor general of the Dutch East Indies in 1904, years after he had become famous for bringing to an end the long...
German General Lothar von Trotha issues an order to exterminate the native Herero and Namaqua peoples of German South West Africa (present-day Namibia), resulting in the first genocide of the 20th century, which kills 65,000 Herero and 10,000 Namaqua
France and Spain sign a treaty for Morocco's independence
New York Highlanders beat Boston Americans 3-2 at Hilltop Park, NYC, for pitcher Jack Chesbro's MLB record 41st win of the season (41-12)
Vanderbilt Cup, the first major trophy in American auto racing, is conducted on public roads in the Nassau County area of Long Island, NY; the inaugural winner is American driver George Heath in a Panhard
Boston pitchers achieve 148 complete games, an AL record, also a record for total complete games: AL 1,098, NL 1,089
The Russians are driven back by the Japanese in the Battle of Shaho; both sides suffer heavy casualties: Japanese (16,000) and Russians (60,000)
The Imperial Russian Navy operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917.
Polytechnic University of the Philippines is founded as Manila Business School under the superintendence of American C. A. O'Reilley
Bolivia and Chile sign a treaty ending the War of the Pacific, recognizing Chile's possession of the coast and providing for the construction of a railway linking La Paz, Bolivia, to Arica on the coast
Russian fleet shoots at British fishing ship
The first section of the New York subway, running from Lower Manhattan to Broadway Harlem for a fare of one nickel and built by the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT), opens
St. Louis police try a new investigative method, fingerprints
First intercity trucking service (Colorado City and Snyder, Texas)
John Bull's Other Island is a comedy about Ireland, written by George Bernard Shaw in 1904.
First airplane flight to last more than 5 minutes, when Wilbur Wright flies the Wright Flyer II for 5 minutes and 4 seconds, covering 2.75 miles (4.4 km)
General Esteban Huertas steps down after the government of Panama fears he wants to stage a coup
German forces defeat the Bondelswarts (Hottentots) in Warmbad, German South-West Africa
Pi Kappa Phi (ΠΚΦ), commonly known as Pi Kapp (s), is an American Greek Letter secret and social fraternity. It was founded by Andrew Alexander Kroeg Jr., Lawrence Harry Mixson, and Simon Fogarty Jr.
John William Strutt [Lord Rayleigh] and William Ramsay are presented with the Nobel Prize for Physics for their discovery of Argon
CMS McClellan's "Leah Kleschna" premieres in NYC
Dawson City hockey team begins 9 day walk to get a boat to Seattle to catch a train to Ottawa to play in Stanley Cup on Jan 13 1905
German South West Africa abolishes the slavery of young children
London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.1 million people in 2024.
One Times Square (also known as 1475 Broadway, the New York Times Building, the New York Times Tower, the Allied Chemical Tower or simply as the Times Tower) is a 25-story, 363-foot-high (111 m)...
Cary Grant, American british-american actor, known for british-american actor, was born on 1904-01-18. Cary Grant was an English-American actor.
George Balanchine musician, known for georgian-american ballet choreographer, was born on 1904-01-22. George Balanchine (born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; January 22, 1904 [O.S.
Pretty Boy Floyd is born
Glenn Miller, American musician, known for american big band musician, was born on 1904-03-01.
Dr. Seuss, American author and cartoonist, known for american author and cartoonist, was born on 1904-03-02.
John Gielgud, English actor and theatre director, known for english actor and theatre director, was born on 1904-04-14.
Red Ruffing, American athlete, known for american baseball player and coach, was born on 1904-05-03.
Umm Kulthum is born
Fats Waller, American musician, known for american jazz pianist and composer, was born on 1904-05-21.
René Lacoste, French athlete, known for french and jamaican tennis player, was born on 1904-07-02. Jean René Lacoste was a French tennis player and businessman.
Pablo Neruda, Chilean chilean poet, diplomat, and politician, known for chilean poet, diplomat, and politician, was born on 1904-07-12.
Ralph Bunche is born
Alexei Nikolaevich, Russian heir to the russian throne, known for heir to the russian throne, was born on 1904-08-12. Alexei Nikolaevich was the last Russian tsesarevich (heir apparent).
Greer Garson, American american actress, known for british and american actress, was born on 1904-09-29.
Chuck Klein, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1904-10-07.
Moss Hart is born
Denny Shute, American athlete, known for american professional golfer, was born on 1904-10-25.
Keith Holyoake, New Zealand zealand politician, known for new zealand politician, was born on 1904-02-11.
Alexei Kosygin soviet politician, known for soviet politician, was born on 1904-02-20. Alexei Nikolayevich Kosygin (21 February [O.S.
Reinhard Heydrich, German high-ranking nazi official, known for german high-ranking nazi official, was born on 1904-03-07.
John Sirica, American federal judge, known for american federal judge, was born on 1904-03-19.
Kurt Georg Kiesinger is born
James Longstreet, Confederate confederate army general, known for confederate army general, died on 1904-01-02.
Paul Kruger, South African african politician, known for south african politician, died on 1904-07-14.
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies, was a Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which declared independence on 17 August 1945.
Future German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (28) weds Emma Weyer at St. Stephan Catholic Church in Lindenthal, Germany, until her death in 1916
Japanese torpedo boats launch a surprise attack on Russian ships at the Port Arthur naval base in Manchuria, beginning the Russo-Japanese War. Japanese troops also land at Chemulpo (Incheon), near Seoul, Korea; in three weeks, they advance to the Yalu River, the border of Manchuria.
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.
The Panama Canal (Spanish: Canal de Panamá) is an artificial 82-kilometer (51-mile) waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.
The Panama Canal (Spanish: Canal de Panamá) is an artificial 82-kilometer (51-mile) waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.
Ty Cobb makes his professional debut for the Augusta Tourists in the South Atlantic League
The history of the Australian Labor Party (federally spelt Labour prior to 1912) has its origins in the Labour parties founded in the 1890s in the Australian colonies prior to federation.
The Panama Canal (Spanish: Canal de Panamá) is an artificial 82-kilometer (51-mile) waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.
Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA; lit. 'International Association Football Federation' or 'International Federation of Association Football') is an international...
Ragtime composer Scott Joplin (35) weds Freddie Alexander (19) in Arkansas
Bloomsday (Irish: Lá Bloom) is a commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce, observed annually in Dublin and elsewhere on 16 June.
Prime Minister of Canada Arthur Meighen (30) weds Canadian Jessie Isabel Cox (22), until his death in 1960
After 13 years, the 4,607-mile Trans-Siberian Railway is completed
Sinclair Oil founder Harry Ford Sinclair (28) weds Elizabeth Farrell
Novelist Hermann Hesse (27) weds Maria Bernoulli
A safety razor is a shaving implement with a protective device positioned between the edge of the blade and the skin.
The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St.
In 'Gonzales v Williams', the US Supreme Court rules that Puerto Ricans are not aliens and may not be refused admission into continental United States; not until 1917 will citizenship rights be granted
-34°F (-36.7°C), River Vale, New Jersey (state record)
Pope Pius X banned low cut dresses in the presence of churchmen
The Herero and Nama genocide or the Namibian genocide was the extermination of the Herero and the Nama people in German South West Africa (now Namibia) by the German Empire between 1904 and 1908.
Béla Bartók's symphonic poem "Kossuth" premieres by the Budapest Philharmonic Society in Budapest, Hungary
The Harwick Mine disaster was a mining accident on January 25, 1904 in Cheswick, Pennsylvania, some sixteen mi (26 km) east of Pittsburgh in the western part of the state.
1st college sports letters given to Seniors who played on University of Chicago's football team are awarded blankets with letter "C" on them
1st athletic letters given (University of Chicago football team)
John Millington Synge's play "Well of Saints" premieres in Dublin
American occupation of Cuba ends
Japan notifies Russia that in view of Russia's delaying tactics and provocative military action, Japan is ending negotiations and recalling its members from Moscow
Baltimore catches fire (1500 buildings destroyed in 80 blocks)
The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire.
National Ski Association forms in Ishpeming, Michigan
The Hague Tribunal gives its decision in claims against Venezuela; it sets the sum to be paid by Venezuela and gives preferential treatment to the three powers that initiated the block - Britain, Germany, and Italy
Fiordland National Park in New Zealand is created, home to the Milford Track and at 4,600 square miles (12,000 square km), one of the world's largest
J M Synge's "Riders to the Sea" opens at Irish National Theater Society
Sport Lisboa e Benfica, commonly known as Benfica, is a professional football club based in Lisbon, Portugal, that competes in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football. Founded on 28...
The Battle of the Yellow Sea was a naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 10 August 1904. In the Russian Navy, it was referred to as the Battle of 10 August.
Australian cricket spin bowler Hugh Trumble dismisses England batsmen Bernard Bosanquet, Plum Warner and Dick Lilley for his second Test hat-trick in 5th Test victory in Melbourne; Trumble's final Test
The legendary Lester Patrick becomes first ice hockey defenseman to score a goal in Brandon Wheat City's 6-3 defeat to Ottawa HC in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals
Stanley Cup: Ottawa Silver Sevens beat Brandon Wheat City, 2-0 at the Aberdeen Pavilion, Ottawa for a 2 game sweep and back-to-back titles
Liverpool is a port city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, 178 miles (286 km) north-west of London.
Bronze statue of Christ on Argentine-Chilean border dedicated
In a landmark case, Northern Securities Company v United States, the US Supreme Court finds the company has violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act; first case in T. Roosevelt's 'trust-busting' campaign
"Bailundo Revolt" ends after almost 2-years in Portuguese victory over Ovimbundu kingdom & allies
The first international rugby league match is played between England and an Other Nationalities team (Welsh & Scottish players) in Central Park, Wigan, England.
British mystic Aleister Crowley transcribes the first chapter of the Book of the Law
A squadron of the Russian fleet is decoyed out of Port Arthur by Japanese maneuvers, when they realize they are sailing into a trap; their battleship Petropavlovsk hits a mine and sinks, with a loss of 700 men
L'Humanité, under Jean Jaurès, begins publication
The Great Fire of Toronto of 1904 destroyed a large section of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada on April 19, 1904. It was the second such fire for the city in its history.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition opens in St. Louis
The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art.
Bell Telephone Company of Antwerp, Belgium, forms
Ice cream cone makes its debut at St. Louis World's Fair invented by Ernest A. Hamwi (independently of other claimant Italo Marchiony in NY)
American Lung Association holds its 1st meeting
Flexible Flyer trademark registered
Steam locomotive City of Truro becomes the first steam engine to exceed 100 mph
In Morocco, a brigand, Raizuli, kidnaps Ion H. Perdicaris, an American citizen
In two days of bitter fighting, the Japanese Army soundly defeats the Russians at Kinchan and captures the forts at Nanshan
NY Giants first baseman Dan McGann collects MLB record 5 stolen bases in 3-1 win over the Brooklyn Superbas at the Polo Grounds in NYC; record broken in 1991 by Otis Nixon
Frank Chance gets hit by pitch 5 times in a doubleheader
German professor Otto von Schron gives a public demonstration of a microbe that causes phthisis (pulmonary tuberculosis)
National Tuberculosis Association organized, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Chicago Cubs pitcher Bob Wicker no-hits NY Giants, wins in 12th on 1 hitter, 1-0
At the battle of Telissu, the Japanese rout the Russians and inflict heavy casualties
Side-wheeler passenger paddlesteamer "General Slocum" burns in NY's East River (1,031 die)
Boston Herald tells of Red Sox trade "Dougherty as a Yankee," 1st known reference to NY club as Yankees (became Yankees in 1913)
Chinese laborers arrive in South Africa following a severe labor shortage
International Anti-Military Cooperation (IAMV) forms in Amsterdam
Two prehistoric bones are found in Weerdingerveen, Drenthe in the Netherlands
NY Giants 18-game winning streak ends as Phillies win 6-5 in 10 innings at Huntington Park
First Buddhist temple in US forms in Los Angeles, California
Islands of Manu'a group (Samoa) ceded to US by their chiefs
Dutch Premier Kuypers disbands 1st Chamber
Ice cream cone is created during the St. Louis World's Fair, reputedly first by Charles E. Menches
Interior Minister of Russia, Vyacheslav Plehve, is assassinated; as leader of the most reactionary elements of government, he is hated for his repressive policies
British journalist Francis Younghusband visits the forbidden city of Lhasa
Train derails on a bridge in Eden, Colorado, due to a flash flood, killing 96 people
Libanus McLouth Todd of Rochester, New York, patents his check-writing machine, the Protectograph, designed to protect against check forgery
German-Italian General Von Trotha defeats the Herero in Southwest Africa
The Boston Red Sox are a Major League Baseball franchise based in Boston, Massachusetts, also known in their early years as the "Boston Americans" (1901–1907).
Automobile tire chain patented
Battle of Liao-Yang: 200,000 Japanese against 150,000 Russians; Japanese achieve a tactical victory
American runner Thomas Hicks wins the marathon gold medal with a time of 3:28:53 over a 40 km course at the St. Louis Olympics
For the first time in Olympic Games history, there is a throw-off in the discus final after Americans Martin Sheridan and Ralph Rose tie with a best throw of 128 ft 10½ in (39.28 m) in St. Louis; Sheridan wins with 127 ft 10¼ in (38.97 m)
Dalai Lama signs treaty allowing British commerce in Tibet
British forces in Tibet force the 13th Dalai Lama to sign a treaty granting Britain trading posts in Tibet and guaranteeing that Tibet will not concede territory to foreign powers
The Boston Herald again refers to the NY baseball club as Yankees when it reports "Yankees take 2," although the Yankee name is not official until 1913
Gen Nogi's assault on Port Arthur: 16,000 Japanese casualties
George Ade's "The College Widow" premieres in NYC
A general strike (or mass strike) is a strike action in which a substantial proportion of the total labour force in a city, region, or country participates.
British Colonel Francis Younghusband and his expedition, along with an accompanying military force, leave Lhasa, Tibet
Charles Follis becomes the first African American man contracted to play professional football on an integrated team when he signs with the Shelby Blues of the Ohio League
Charles Klein's "The Music Master" premieres in New York City
Woman is arrested for smoking a cigarette in a car on 5th Avenue, New York City
First monument honoring Spanish–American War is erected in Monroeville, Ohio
White Sox lefty Doc White pitches his fifth shutout in 18 days
Joannes Benedictus "Jo" van Heutsz was a Dutch military officer who was appointed governor general of the Dutch East Indies in 1904, years after he had become famous for bringing to an end the long...
German General Lothar von Trotha issues an order to exterminate the native Herero and Namaqua peoples of German South West Africa (present-day Namibia), resulting in the first genocide of the 20th century, which kills 65,000 Herero and 10,000 Namaqua
France and Spain sign a treaty for Morocco's independence
New York Highlanders beat Boston Americans 3-2 at Hilltop Park, NYC, for pitcher Jack Chesbro's MLB record 41st win of the season (41-12)
Vanderbilt Cup, the first major trophy in American auto racing, is conducted on public roads in the Nassau County area of Long Island, NY; the inaugural winner is American driver George Heath in a Panhard
Boston pitchers achieve 148 complete games, an AL record, also a record for total complete games: AL 1,098, NL 1,089
The Russians are driven back by the Japanese in the Battle of Shaho; both sides suffer heavy casualties: Japanese (16,000) and Russians (60,000)
The Imperial Russian Navy operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917.
Polytechnic University of the Philippines is founded as Manila Business School under the superintendence of American C. A. O'Reilley
Bolivia and Chile sign a treaty ending the War of the Pacific, recognizing Chile's possession of the coast and providing for the construction of a railway linking La Paz, Bolivia, to Arica on the coast
Russian fleet shoots at British fishing ship
The first section of the New York subway, running from Lower Manhattan to Broadway Harlem for a fare of one nickel and built by the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT), opens
St. Louis police try a new investigative method, fingerprints
First intercity trucking service (Colorado City and Snyder, Texas)
John Bull's Other Island is a comedy about Ireland, written by George Bernard Shaw in 1904.
First airplane flight to last more than 5 minutes, when Wilbur Wright flies the Wright Flyer II for 5 minutes and 4 seconds, covering 2.75 miles (4.4 km)
General Esteban Huertas steps down after the government of Panama fears he wants to stage a coup
German forces defeat the Bondelswarts (Hottentots) in Warmbad, German South-West Africa
Pi Kappa Phi (ΠΚΦ), commonly known as Pi Kapp (s), is an American Greek Letter secret and social fraternity. It was founded by Andrew Alexander Kroeg Jr., Lawrence Harry Mixson, and Simon Fogarty Jr.
John William Strutt [Lord Rayleigh] and William Ramsay are presented with the Nobel Prize for Physics for their discovery of Argon
CMS McClellan's "Leah Kleschna" premieres in NYC
Dawson City hockey team begins 9 day walk to get a boat to Seattle to catch a train to Ottawa to play in Stanley Cup on Jan 13 1905
German South West Africa abolishes the slavery of young children
London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.1 million people in 2024.
One Times Square (also known as 1475 Broadway, the New York Times Building, the New York Times Tower, the Allied Chemical Tower or simply as the Times Tower) is a 25-story, 363-foot-high (111 m)...
Cary Grant, American british-american actor, known for british-american actor, was born on 1904-01-18. Cary Grant was an English-American actor.
George Balanchine musician, known for georgian-american ballet choreographer, was born on 1904-01-22. George Balanchine (born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; January 22, 1904 [O.S.
Pretty Boy Floyd is born
Glenn Miller, American musician, known for american big band musician, was born on 1904-03-01.
Dr. Seuss, American author and cartoonist, known for american author and cartoonist, was born on 1904-03-02.
John Gielgud, English actor and theatre director, known for english actor and theatre director, was born on 1904-04-14.
Red Ruffing, American athlete, known for american baseball player and coach, was born on 1904-05-03.
Umm Kulthum is born
Fats Waller, American musician, known for american jazz pianist and composer, was born on 1904-05-21.
René Lacoste, French athlete, known for french and jamaican tennis player, was born on 1904-07-02. Jean René Lacoste was a French tennis player and businessman.
Pablo Neruda, Chilean chilean poet, diplomat, and politician, known for chilean poet, diplomat, and politician, was born on 1904-07-12.
Ralph Bunche is born
Alexei Nikolaevich, Russian heir to the russian throne, known for heir to the russian throne, was born on 1904-08-12. Alexei Nikolaevich was the last Russian tsesarevich (heir apparent).
Greer Garson, American american actress, known for british and american actress, was born on 1904-09-29.
Chuck Klein, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1904-10-07.
Moss Hart is born
Denny Shute, American athlete, known for american professional golfer, was born on 1904-10-25.
Keith Holyoake, New Zealand zealand politician, known for new zealand politician, was born on 1904-02-11.
Alexei Kosygin soviet politician, known for soviet politician, was born on 1904-02-20. Alexei Nikolayevich Kosygin (21 February [O.S.
Reinhard Heydrich, German high-ranking nazi official, known for german high-ranking nazi official, was born on 1904-03-07.
John Sirica, American federal judge, known for american federal judge, was born on 1904-03-19.
Kurt Georg Kiesinger is born