1905 Facts, Fun Trivia and History

1905 Facts, Fun Trivia and History

Top Ten Baby Names of 1905

Mary, Helen, Margaret, Anna, Ruth, John, William, James, George, Charles

US Life Expectancy

(1905) Males: 47.3 years, Females: 50.2 years

Firsts, Inventions and Wonders

The Welsh rugby union team started the tradition of national anthems before sporting events, who sang “Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau” in response to New Zealand’s haka before the inaugural 1905 match between the two teams.

Rotary International opened in Chicago.

The United States Forest Service (USFS) was formed.

Variety Magazine began publishing in New York City.

The National Audubon Society (Audubon) was founded.

Popsicle ice pops were initially known as Epsicles, invented in 1905 by 11-year-old Frank Epperson. Epperson shared the frozen treat with his kids many years later, at which point they became known as “Pop’s Sickles,” leading up to a patent on the frozen treat in 1923.

America’s first theater devoted exclusively to moving pictures appeared in Pittsburgh in 1905. Its founders called the place Nickelodeon, from the price of admission (a nickel) and “Odeon,” the ancient Greek word for theatre.

First running of the Shelsley Walsh Speed Hill Climb, in Shelsley Walsh, Worcestershire, England.

Alfred Einhorn patented novocaine (procaine) in Germany.

The Niagara Movement was founded and later became The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

The Trans-Siberian Railway officially opened after its completion on July 21, 1904.

America’s first pizzeria opened in 1905 and is still open today. Lombardi’s is a pizzeria located at 32 Spring Street on the corner of Mott Street in the Nolita neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City.

The Most Popular Singers and Artists of 1905 include

Harry Anthony, Albert Campbell, Enrico Caruso, Arthur Collins, Lew Dockstader, S.H. Dudley, Byron G. Harlan, James F. Harrison, The Hayden Quartet, Ada Jones, Richard Jose, Harry Macdonough, Corinne Morgan, Billy Murray, Vess Ossman, The Peerless Quartet, Arthur Pryor’s Band, Bob Roberts, John Philip Sousa’s Band, Len Spencer, Frank Stanley, Cal Stewart

US Politics

March 4, 1905 (Saturday): Second inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt

Pop Culture Facts & History

The illiteracy in the US was 106.6 per 1,000 people.

Montenegro and Japan were at war from 1904 to 2006. Montenegro assisted Russia in the Russo-Japanese War but was not present at the peace treaty signing in 1905. Both countries signed the treaty in 2006 when Montenegro became independent.

After moving to Paris in 1903, Mata Hari became an exotic dancer in 1905.

The Ford Model F car was produced.

When Prince Carl of Denmark was offered the throne of newly independent Norway in 1905, he refused to take it unless the Norwegian people agreed that they wanted a monarchy rather than a republic. He won the referendum with 79% and became King Haakon VII.

Las Vegas was founded.

The Cullinan Diamond, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, weighing 3,106.75 carats (621.35 g), was discovered at the Premier No. 2 mine in Cullinan, modern-day South Africa.

The New York Hippodrome (1905-1939) opened.

The Grover Shoe Factory disaster was a boiler explosion, building collapse, and fire that killed 58 people and injured 150 when it leveled the R.B. Grover shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts.

Teddy Roosevelt helped save American Football by urging rules changes to make the game safer, by allowing the Forward pass, after over a dozen players died during the 1905 season.

In 1905, at age 26, Einstein authored four papers dubbed the “Annus Mirabilis (extraordinary year) Papers,” which included his Special Theory of Relativity. They were about the Photoelectric Effect, Brownian Motion, Special Relativity, and Mass-Energy Equivalence. These papers are considered the foundation of modern physics.

Nobel Prize Winners

Physics – Philipp Eduard Anton von Lenard
Chemistry – Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer
Medicine – Robert Koch
Literature – Henryk Sienkiewicz
Peace – Bertha von Suttner

Popular and Best-selling Books From 1905

Fiction Bestsellers

1. The Marriage of William Ashe by Mary Augusta Ward
2. Sandy by Alice Hegan Rice
3. The Garden of Allah by Robert Hichens
4. The Clansman by Thomas Dixon Jr
5. Nedra by George Barr McCutcheon
6. The Gambler by Katherine Cecil Thurston
7. The Masquerader by Katherine Cecil Thurston
8. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
9. The Princess Passes by C.N. and A.M. Williamson
10. Rose o’ the River Critically Acclaimed and Historically Significant by Kate Douglas Wiggin

Other Books of Note

Shame of the Cities by Lincoln Steffens
The Clansman by Thomas Dixon, Jr
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Diary from Dixie by Mary Chesnut

Sports

World Series Champions: New York Giants
Challenge Cup Champs: Ottawa Hockey Club
U.S. Open Golf: Willie Anderson
U.S. Tennis (Men/Ladies): Beals Wright/Elisabeth Moore
Wimbledon (Men/Women): Laurence Doherty/May Sutton
NCAA Football Champions: Chicago
Kentucky Derby Winner: Agile
Boston Marathon Winner: Frederick Lorz Time: 2:38:25

More 1905 Facts & History Resources:

Most Popular Baby Names (BabyCenter.com)
Popular and Notable Books (popculture.us) 
Broadway Shows that Opened in 1905
1905 Calendar, courtesy of Time and Date.com 
Fact Monster 
1905 in Movies (according to IMDB) 
Wikipedia 1905