1900

1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar, the 1900th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 900th year of the 2nd millennium, the 100th and last year of the 19th century, and the 1st year of the 1900s decade. As of the start of 1900, the Gregorian calendar was 12 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.

From left to right, top to bottom:

John Hay, The American Secretary of State who signed the Open Door Policy;
Max Planck's formulation of Planck's law of black-body radiation in October 1900 layed the foundation for quantum mechanics;
Paul Villard's discovery of gamma rays in 1900 expanded our knowledge of the universe;
German and Indian troops during the Battle of Peking (1900) during the Boxer Rebellion;
Boers at the Battle of Spion Kop in 1900 during the Second Boer War;
Australians in 1900 voting for the referendum for Australia to be made into one nation;
The British Labour party was founded on 1900, it would become a significant political force in Britain;
Destruction after the 1900 Galveston hurricane which would kill 6,000 to 12,000 people, becoming the deadliest natural disaster in American history.

Quick Facts

1900 in various calendars
Gregorian calendar	1900 MCM
Ab urbe condita	2653
Armenian calendar	1349 ԹՎ ՌՅԽԹ
Assyrian calendar	6650
Baháʼí calendar	56–57
Balinese saka calendar	1821–1822
Bengali calendar	1306–1307
Berber calendar	2850
British Regnal year	63 Vict. 1 – 64 Vict. 1
Buddhist calendar	2444
Burmese calendar	1262
Byzantine calendar	7408–7409
Chinese calendar	己亥年 (Earth Pig) 4597 or 4390 — to — 庚子年 (Metal Rat) 4598 or 4391
Coptic calendar	1616–1617
Discordian calendar	3066
Ethiopian calendar	1892–1893
Hebrew calendar	5660–5661
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	1956–1957
- Shaka Samvat	1821–1822
- Kali Yuga	5000–5001
Holocene calendar	11900
Igbo calendar	900–901
Iranian calendar	1278–1279
Islamic calendar	1317–1318
Japanese calendar	Meiji 33 (明治３３年)
Javanese calendar	1829–1830
Julian calendar	Gregorian minus 12 or 13 days
Korean calendar	4233
Minguo calendar	12 before ROC 民前12年
Nanakshahi calendar	432
Thai solar calendar	2442–2443
Tibetan calendar	阴土猪年 (female Earth-Pig) 2026 or 1645 or 873 — to — 阳金鼠年 (male Iron-Rat) 2027 or 1646 or 874

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As of March 1 (O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 (O.S. February 15), 2100.

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Summary

Summarize

Perspective

Political and military

The year 1900 was the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Two days into the new year, the U.S. Secretary of State John Hay announced the Open Door Policy regarding China, advocating for equal access for all nations to the Chinese market. The Galveston hurricane would become the deadliest natural disaster in United States history, killing between 6,000 and 12,000 people, mostly in and near Galveston, Texas, as well as leaving 10,000 people homeless, destroying 7,000 buildings of all kinds in Galveston. As of 2025, it remains the fourth deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record. An ongoing Boxer Rebellion in China escalates with multiple attacks by the Boxers on Chinese and European civilians, killing hundreds; the rebellion would progress with the Russian Empire's invasion of Manchuria and the Battle of Peking (1900). During the Scramble for Africa, the Battle of Kousséri would see French forces secure their domination of Chad, which would become a French colony. Britain would annex the South African Republic and the Orange Free State in Southern Africa, becoming the Orange River Colony until 1910.

For Britain, developments such as the Battle of Platrand, Battle of Spion Kop and the Battle of Paardeberg in the Second Boer War highlighted the harsh nature of Boer guerrilla tactics. The British Labour Party was founded in 1900, emerging out of the Labour movement and socialist parties of the 19th century; it would go on to become a major political force in Britain after the First World War. The Federation of Australia is enacted, marking the unification of its colonies into a single country.

Science

Four main scientific discoveries were achieved in the year 1900:

Max Planck formulates Planck's law of black-body radiation, marking the birth of modern quantum mechanics, which would revolutionize humanity's understanding of the universe, leading to groundbreaking discoveries in technology, energy, and the fabric of reality itself.
Botanist Hugo de Vries would rediscover Mendel's laws of heredity, laying the foundation for the field of genetics.
The ABO blood group system, which becomes fundamental in transfusion medicine is discovered by Karl Landsteiner, saving countless numbers of lives across the globe.
Gamma Rays are discovered by French physicist Paul Villard, while studying uranium decay, unveiling the mystery of the universe's most powerful phenomena and marking an important advancement in nuclear physics.

Cultural and artistic

Giacomo Puccini's opera Tosca premiers, one of the most frequently performed operas worldwide, a melodramatic piece set in Rome in June 1800, with the Kingdom of Naples's control of Rome threatened by Napoleon's invasion of Italy. It contains depictions of torture, murder, and suicide, as well as some of Puccini's best-known lyrical arias.

L. Frank Baum, an American author, publishes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a cornerstone of American children’s literature, marking the first book of the Oz series.

Miscellaneous

The U.S. Senate accepts the British-German Treaty of 1899 on January 14. This formally ended U.S. claims to the Samoan Islands. The U.S.-UK Treaty for a Central American Canal would be signed on February 5. While the initial plan for a Nicaraguan canal did not materialize, this treaty laid the groundwork for the construction of the Panama Canal, a project of immense geopolitical and economic importance.

The year 1900 also marked the Year of the Rat on the Chinese calendar.

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Events

January

c. January – The first Michelin Guide is published for French motorists.^[1]
January 2 – U.S. Secretary of State John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote American trade with China.
January 6 – Second Boer War: Boers attempt to end the Siege of Ladysmith, which leads to the Battle of Platrand.
January 14
- Puccini's opera Tosca premieres in Rome.
- The U.S. Senate accepts the British-German Treaty of 1899, in which the United Kingdom renounces its claims to the American Samoa portion of the Samoan Islands.

January 24 – Second Boer War: Battle of Spion Kop – Boer troops defeat the British Army.
January 27 – Boxer Rebellion: Foreign diplomats in Peking, Qing dynasty China, demand that the Boxer rebels (who oppose foreign interests in the country) be disciplined.
January 31 – Datu Muhammad Salleh, leader of the Mat Salleh Rebellion in North Borneo, is shot dead in Tambunan.

February

February 5 – The United Kingdom and the United States sign a treaty for the building of a Central American shipping canal across Central America in Nicaragua.
February 6 – The International Arbitration Court at The Hague is created, when the Netherlands' Senate ratifies an 1899 peace conference decree.
February 8 – Second Boer War: British troops defeat the Boers at Ladysmith, South Africa.
February 15 – Second Boer War: The Siege of Kimberley is lifted.
February 16 – The Southern Cross expedition led by Carsten Borchgrevink achieves a new Farthest South of 78° 50'S, making the first landing at the Great Ice Barrier.^[2]
February 17 – Second Boer War: Battle of Paardeberg – British troops defeat the Boers.
February 27
- The British Labour Party is officially established, at a meeting in the Congregational Memorial Hall in London, and Ramsay MacDonald is appointed as its first secretary.
- Second Boer War: British military leaders accept the unconditional notice of surrender from Boer General Piet Cronjé.
- FC Bayern, Germany's most successful football club, is founded in Munich.

March

March 5 – Two U.S. Navy cruisers are sent to Central America to protect American interests in a dispute between Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
March 6 – A coal mine explosion in West Virginia, United States, kills 50 miners.
March 14 – Botanist Hugo de Vries rediscovers Mendel's laws of heredity.
March 16 – British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans purchases the land on Crete on which the ruins of the Palace of Knossos stand. He begins to unearth some of the palace three days later.
March 23 – Karl Landsteiner first reports his discovery of an accurate means for classifying a system of blood type, which will universally be referred to as the ABO blood group system^[3] and for which he will be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1930.

April

April 14 – The Exposition Universelle, a world's fair, opens in Paris.
April 22 – Battle of Kousséri: French forces secure their domination of Chad. Warlord Rabih az-Zubayr is defeated and killed.

May

May – American explorer Robert Peary is the first person to sight Kaffeklubben Island.^[4]
May 1 – Scofield Mine disaster: An explosion of blasting powder in a coal mine in Scofield, Utah, kills 200 people.
May 14 – The second Olympic Games, Paris 1900, open (as part of the Paris World Exhibition).
May 17
- Second Boer War: The British Army relieves the Siege of Mafeking.
- Boxer Rebellion: Boxers destroy three villages near Peking and kill 60 Chinese Christians.
- L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is published in Chicago, the first of Baum's Oz books, chronicling the fictional Land of Oz for children.
May 18 – The United Kingdom proclaims a protectorate over Tonga.^[5]
May 21 – The Chinese province of Manchuria is invaded by the Russian Empire.
May 24 – Second Boer War: The British annex the Orange Free State, as the Orange River Colony.
May 28 – Boxer Rebellion: Boxers attack Belgians in the Fengtai railway station.
May 29 – N'Djamena, the capital city of Chad, is founded as Fort-Lamy by French commander Émile Gentil.
May 31 – Boxer Rebellion: Peacekeepers from various European countries arrive in China, where they eventually unite with Japanese forces.

June

June 5 – Second Boer War: British soldiers take Pretoria.
June 11 – 1899–1900 peasant unrest in Bulgaria starts to turn passive.^[6]
June 14 – The Reichstag approves the second of the German Naval Laws allowing expansion of the Imperial German Navy.
June 17 – Boxer Rebellion: Battle of Dagu Forts – Naval forces of the Eight-Nation Alliance capture the Taku Forts, on the Hai River estuary in China.
June 20 – Boxer Rebellion: Boxers gather about 20,000 people near Peking, and kill hundreds of European citizens, including the German ambassador.
June 25 – Taoist monk Wang Yuanlu discovers the Dunhuang manuscripts, a cache of ancient texts that are of great historical and religious significance, in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, China, where they have been sealed since the early 11th century.
June 30 – Hoboken Docks fire: A wharf fire at the docks in Hoboken, New Jersey, spreads to German passenger ships Saale, Main and Bremen. The fire engulfs the adjacent piers and nearby ships, killing 326 people.

July

July 1 – Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria makes a morganatic marriage with Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg.
July 2 – The first zeppelin airship flight, by Zeppelin LZ 1, is carried out over Lake Constance, near Friedrichshafen, Germany.
July 9 – The Federation of Australia is enacted, marking the unification of its colonies into a single country.
July 12 – The new German cruise liner SS Deutschland breaks the record for the Blue Riband on her maiden transatlantic voyage with an average speed of 22.4 knots (41.5 km/h).
July 19 – The first line of the Paris Métro opens.
July 23 – 25 – The First Pan-African Conference is held in London.
July 29 – King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by Italian-born anarchist Gaetano Bresci in Monza.

August

August 14 – Boxer Rebellion: An international contingent of troops, under British command, invades Peking and frees the European hostages.

September

September 8 – The 1900 Galveston hurricane, killing around 8,000 people. It is the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history.
September 12 – Admiral Fredrik von Otter becomes Prime Minister of Sweden.
September 13 – Philippine–American War: Battle of Pulang Lupa – Filipino resistance fighters defeat a detachment of American soldiers.
September 17 – Philippine–American War: Battle of Mabitac – Filipinos under Juan Cailles defeat the Americans.

October

October 9 – The Cook Islands become a territory of the United Kingdom.
October 19 – Max Planck first states Planck's law of black-body radiation to a meeting of the German Physical Society in Berlin, marking the birth of modern quantum mechanics.^[7] He restates it on December 14.
October 24 – 1900 United Kingdom general election: voting concludes with the Unionists led by the Marquess of Salisbury re-elected.
October 25 – The United Kingdom annexes the Transvaal.

November

November 6 – 1900 United States presidential election: Republican incumbent William McKinley is re-elected by defeating Democratic challenger William Jennings Bryan in a rematch.
November 7 – 1900 Canadian federal election: Liberal incumbent Sir Wilfrid Laurier is reelected by defeating Conservative leader Sir Charles Tupper again after having done that in the 1896 Canadian federal election.
November 29 – Herbert Kitchener succeeds Frederick Roberts as commander-in-chief of the British forces in South Africa and implements a scorched earth strategy.^[8]

December

December 5 – The final Anglo-Ashanti War, "War of the Golden Stool", is declared over. Most of the British troops and Governor James Willcocks depart the city of Kumasi.
December 14 – History of quantum mechanics: Max Planck presents his groundbreaking paper on quantum theory to the German Physical Society in Berlin.
December 16 – The German training frigate Gneisenau, with 450 naval cadets on board, sinks in a storm during exercises off of the Spanish coast at Málaga, drowning 136.
December 17 – The Prix Guzman, first and only prize ever offered for communication with extraterrestrial life, is announced in Paris. A prize of 100,000 francs is provided, except for communication with Mars, which is considered too easy.
December 19 – Hopetoun Blunder: The first Governor-General of Australia, John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun, appoints Sir William Lyne premier of the new state of New South Wales, but he is unable to persuade other colonial politicians to join his government, and is forced to resign.
December 23 – Reginald Fessenden makes the first use of amplitude modulation (the basis for AM radio) for wireless transmission of the human voice, from Cobb Island (Maryland).
December 24 – Boxer Rebellion Demands: The foreign powers present their 12 conditions for reform to the Chinese Imperial government, including the payment of a large indemnity.
December 28 – The first steel produced by electrometallurgy (from an electric furnace) is delivered.

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