1901 History, Trivia and Fun Facts

Firsts, Inventions and Wonders: 
The United States Army Nurse Corps was established as a permanent part of the U.S. Army’s Medical Department, allowing women to join the US Army.

The Cadillac Motor Company was founded.

Founded in 1865, the US Secret Service was originally formed to combat (rampant) counterfeit currency. It wasn’t until 1901, after the assassination of President William McKinley, that their responsibilities broadened to presidential protection.

John Nordstrom opened his first retail store in 1901.

Aviation pioneer Gustave Whitehead flew a motor-powered aircraft in Connecticut. Many consider this the first manned, powered, controlled flight.

The College Board introduced its first standardized test, later becoming the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT).

Nikola Tesla’s “Apparatus for the Utilization of Radiant Energy” was patented (#685,957).

The First Nobel Peace Prizes were awarded to Red Cross founder Jean Henri Dunant and peace activist Frederic Passy.

Pop Culture History: 
The world’s longest burning light bulb was turned on in 1901, at Fire Station No. 6 in Livermore, CA and has still been working, last we heard.

Sixty-nine coal miners at the Wellington Colliery Company, near Cumberland, British Columbia were killed in an explosion.

Since Abraham Lincoln’s first burial in 1865, his coffin had been moved 17 times and opened 6 times. On the last time the coffin was opened (1901) reports say his face was still recognizable

The last Passenger Pigeon in the wild was shot in 1901. The last in captivity, Martha, died on September 1, 1914, in the Cincinnati Zoo.

Things you taste are spread throughout your whole mouth, and the idea that you taste sweet or sour on different areas of the tongue is based on a misinterpretation of one experiment in 1901, Zur Psychophysik des Geschmackssinnes, by German scientist David P Hänig.

Charlotte Anne Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain claimed to have traveled back in time while in the Palace of Versailles seeing 18th-century gardens and Marie Antoinette.

The first known person ever to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel and survive was Annie Taylor on October 24, 1901.

Teddy Roosevelt presented his “Controlling the Trusts” speech to Congress on December 3, 1901. In the speech, he asked Congress to curb the corporation’s power to “within reasonable limits”.

The Year 2038 Problem, which is that because of the way that many computer systems (32 bit) track time, they cannot go past January 19, 2038, and will instead go back to 1901.

The Horrible:
Blanche Monnier (1849–1913) was held captive by her mother for over 24 years before she was rescued by police in 1901. Her mother did not approve of the man she wanted to marry in 1874.

The assassination of President William McKinley on September 6, 1901, at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY.

Popular and Best-selling Books From 1901: