January 1 Australia declares independence from federation of U.K. colonies Commonwealth of Australia established January 8 NSW score 918 all out vs South Australia in 560 minutes January 9 NSW (918) defeat S Australia (157 and 156) by innings and 605 January 10 Oil discovered in Texas January 18 Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Graves De Communi Re January 21 Clyde Fitch's "Climbers," premieres in New York City January 22 After 63 years England stops sale of Queen Victoria postage stamps series and begins King Edward VII series January 24 1st games played in baseball's American League Emily Hobhouse view lord Kitcheners concentration camp at Bloemfontein January 31 Boer general John Smuts and De la Rey conqueror Mud river Transvaal Chekhov's "Three Sisters" opens at Moscow Art Theater Winnipeg Victorias sweep Montreal Shamrocks in 2 for Stanley Cup February 2 Female Army Nurse Corps established as a permanent organization February 3 Dutch troops under General Van Heutsz conquer Batu Ilie on Sumatra February 5 Loop-the-loop centrifugal RR (roller coaster) patented by Ed Prescot Pierpont Morgan forms U.S. Steel Corp February 7 Queen Wilhelmina marries Prince Heinrich von Mecklenburg-Schwerin February 12 Dutch Penitentiary children's law proclaimed February 18 H Cecil Booth patented a dust removing suction cleaner February 20 1st territorial legislature of Hawaii convenes February 25 George Cohan's musical "Governor's Son," premieres in New York City U.S. Steel Corp organized under J. P. Morgan February 27 NL Rules Committee decrees that all fouls are to count as strikes except after two strikes March 2 Hawaii's 1st telegraph company opens March 3 Congress creates National Bureau of Standards, in Department of Commerce March 4 1st advanced copy of inaugural speech (Jefferson-National Intelligencer) President William McKinley inaugurated for 2nd term as president Term of George H. White, last of post-Reconstruction congressmen, ends March 11 Cincinnati Enquirer reports Baltimore manager John McGraw signed Cherokee Indian Tokohoma, who is really black 2nd baseman Charlie Grant March 12 Ground is broken for Boston's 1st AL ballpark (Huntington Ave Grounds) March 14 1st performance of Anton Bruckner's 6th Symphony in A March 15 Horse racing is banned in San Francisco, last race Mar 16th March 17 Free thinking-Democratic Union forms in Netherlands March 23 Dame Nellie Melba, reveals secret of her now famous toast March 25 55 die as Rock Island train derailed near Marshalltown Iowa April 7 SDAP demands general voting right/abolishing First Chamber April 15 1st British motorized burial April 19 5th Boston Marathon won by Jim Caffrey of Canada in 2:29:23.6 James J Caffrey wins Boston marathon (2:29:23.6) April 24 1st AL game, Chicago beats Cleveland Blues 8-2, 3 other games rained out April 25 Erve Beck hits American League's 1st home run In last of 9th, Detroit Tigers, trailing by 13-4, score 10 runs to win one of greatest comebacks in baseball (1st game in Detroit) New York becomes 1st state requiring auto license plates ($1 fee) April 28 1st soccer game between Belgium (8) and Netherlands (0) Cleveland's Bock Baker gives up a record 23 singles as White Sox beat Blues (Cleveland Blues!) 13-1 April 29 27th Kentucky Derby: Jimmy Winkfield on His Eminence wins in 2:07.75 Anti semitic riot in Budapest May 1 Detroit Tigers commit 12 errors against Chicago White Sox Herb McFarland hit 1st grand slam in American League Pan-American Exposition opens in Buffalo May 3 Fire destroyed 1,700 buildings in Jacksonville, Florida May 8 In their long-delayed AL home opener, Boston defeats Philadelphia 12-4 May 9 Australia opens its 1st parliament in Melbourne Cleveland's Earl Moore no-hits Chicago White Sox 9 inn but loses in 10th 4-2 May 12 President McKinley visits San Francisco May 16 Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Priory School" May 23 35th Belmont: H Spencer aboard Commando wins in 2:21 Indians score 9 runs after 2 outs in 9th to beat Senators 14-13 Ottawa Mint Act receives Royal Assent U.S. captures leader of Philippine rebels, Emilio Aguinaldo May 28 26th Preakness: Fred Landry aboard The Parader wins in 1:47.2 Laws against phosphor matches enacted (inhibition white phosphorous) May 30 Hall of Fame for Great American on NYU campus dedicated Memorial Day 1st observed in U.S. June 2 Benjamin Adams arrested for playing golf on Sunday, New York June 9 New York Giants get record 31 hits to beat Cincinnati Reds 25-13 June 11 Cook Islands annexed and proclaimed part of New Zealand June 14 1st golf championship is played June 15 7th U.S. Golf Open: Willie Anderson shoots a 331 at Myopia Hunt Club, Massachusetts June 20 Charlotte Manye is 1st native African to graduate from a U.S. college June 24 1st exhibition by Pablo Picasso, 19, opens in Paris Jewish National Fund starts July 2 Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid rob train of $40,000 at Wagner Montana July 12 Cy Young wins his 300th game July 15 New York Giant Christy Mathewson no-hits St. Louis, 5-0 July 22 Serbia reactivates diplomatic relations with Montenegro July 31 Abraham Kuyper becomes premier of Netherlands August 1 Burial within San Francisco City limits prohibited August 5 Peter O'Connor of Ireland, sets then long jump record at 24' 11 3/4" August 9 34-35 degrees N/98-99 degrees W open for U.S. colonization August 10 Chicago White Sox Frank Isbell strands record 11 teammate base runners August 12 Boer general Kritzinger driven out of Cape colony August 14 SS Islander hits iceberg near Alaska and sinks killing 70 August 15 Arch Rock, danger to Bay shipping, blasted with 30 tons of nitro August 20 Fawcett committee visits Mafeking concentration camp in Cape Colony August 21 21st U.S. Mens Tennis: William Larned beats Beals C Wright (62 68 64 64) Joe McGinnity, suspended from NL for punching and spitting on an ump August 22 Cadillac Co forms August 30 Hubert Cecil Booth patents vacuum cleaner September 1 Construction begins on New York Stock Exchange September 2 Vice President Theodore Roosevelt advises, "Speak softly and carry a big stick" September 3 Boer General Smuts enters Kiba Drift in Cape Colony September 5 National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues forms September 6 President William McKinley, shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at Pan American Exposition in Buffalo NY, he dies 8th days later September 7 Peace of Peking - Ends Boxer Rebellion in China September 12 Arabs attack Gedara, Palestine September 17 Battle at Blood River Port: Boer General Botha beats Major Goughs cavalry Battle at Elands River Port: Boer General Smuts destroys unit 17th Lancers September 19 11 baseball games canceled due to funeral of President William McKinley September 26 Great Britain annexes Gold Coast (Ghana) September 28 Guerrilla's assault unarmed U.S. soldiers in Balangiga Phil, 38 killed October 2 1st Royal Naval submarine launched at Barrow October 12 Theodore Roosevelt renames "Executive Mansion," "The White House" October 14 Justin Huntly McCarthy's "If I were King," premieres in New York City October 18 Belgium's Louise of den Plas begins activities towards women rights October 19 Edward Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance March," premieres in Liverpool Santos-Dumont proves airship maneuverable by circling Eiffel Tower October 24 1st woman to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel (Anna Taylor) October 26 1st use of "getaway car" occurs after holding up a shop in Paris October 27 1st complete performance of Debussy's "Nocturnes" October 30 Battle at Bakenlaagte: Lt-colonel Bensons unit vs Boers November 4 Clyde Fitch' "Way of the World," premieres in New York City November 11 Maurice Ravel composition "Jeux d'eau" premieres November 15 James J. Jeffries TKOs Gus Ruhlin in 6 for heavyweight boxing title November 16 3 autos race on Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, fastest speed achieved by Henry Fournier who drives a mile in 51 4/5 seconds November 20 Opera "Griselidis" is produced (Paris) November 21 Richard Strauss' opera "Feuersnot," premieres in Dresden November 27 Army War College forms in Washington D.C. Gerhart Hauptmanns "Der rote Hahn," premieres in Berlin November 28 Gustav Mahler's 4th Symphony in G, premieres November 29 East 182nd Street in Bronx is paved and opened December 2 Gillette patents 1st disposable razor King Camp Gillette begins selling safety razor blades December 3 Milwaukee is dropped from the AL and replaced by St. Louis Browns December 4 Anne Russell's "Girl and the judge," premieres in New York City December 10 1st Nobel Peace Prizes (to Jean Henri Dunant, Frederic Passy) December 11 Marconi sends 1st transatlantic radio signal, Cornwall to Nfld December 12 Marconi receives 1st transatlantic radio signal, England to US December 13 Test debut of S F Barnes vs. Australia SCG, took 5-65 in 1st innings December 14 1st table tennis tournament is held (London Royal Aquarium) December 16 Boer general Kritzinger captured December 25 Battle at Tweefontein Orange-Free state: Boers surprise attack Brits
