1901 Fun Facts, Trivia and History

1901 Fun Facts, Trivia and History

Top Ten Baby Names of 1901

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

US Life Expectancy

(1901) Males: 47.6 years, Females: 50.6 years

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 initially 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.

US Politics

March 4, 1901 (Monday): Second inauguration of William McKinley
September 14, 1901 (Saturday): First inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt

The Most Popular Singers and Artists of 1901 include

Joe Belmont, Arthur Collins, Emilio DeGogorza, Will Denny, S.H. Dudley, George J. Gaskin, The Georgia Minstrel Company, The Gilmore’s Band, Billy Golden, Byran G. Harlan, Mina Hickman, Silas Leachman, Harry Macdonough, J.W. Meyers, Vess Ossman, Dan Quinn, John Philip Sousa’s Band, Len Spencer, Cal Stewart

Pop Culture Facts & History

The world’s longest burning light bulb was turned on in 1901, at Fire Station No. 6 in Livermore, CA, and has 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 has been moved 17 times and opened six 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 previous in captivity, Martha, died in the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914.

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 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 disapproved 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.

The Quote

“The role of a newspaper, however, is not limited solely to the dissemination of ideas, to political education, and to the enlistment of political allies. A newspaper is not only a collective propagandist and a collective agitator, it is also a collective organizer.”
– Vladimir Lenin

Predictions for America in 2001

There will be no “C,” “B,” or “Q” in our alphabet.
There will be no more flies or mosquitoes.
Strawberries will be as large as Apples.
University Education will be free for everybody.
Trains will go 150 miles per hour.
Rats and Mice will be exterminated, and Horses will be nearly extinct.
Ready-cooked meals will be available by walk-in or car.

Nobel Prize Winners

Physics – Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen
Chemistry – Jacobus Henricus van ‘t Hoff
Medicine – Emil Adolf von Behring
Literature – Sully Prudhomme
Peace – Jean Henri Dunant and Frédéric Passy

Popular and Best-selling Books From 1901

Fiction Bestsellers

1. The Crisis by Winston Churchill
2. Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson
3. The Helmet of Navarre by Bertha Runkle
4. The Right of Way by Gilbert Parker
5. Eben Holden by Irving Bacheller
6. The Visits of Elizabeth by Elinor Glyn
7. The Puppet Crown by Harold MacGrath
8. Richard Yea-and-Nay by Maurice Hewlett
9. Graustark by George Barr McCutcheon
10. D’ri and I by Irving Bacheller

Other Books of Note

The Octopus by Frank Norris
Social Control by E. A. Ross
Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington
Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw
New Epoch for Faith by George A. Gordon
Kim by Rudyard Kipling

Sports

American League Baseball Champions: Chicago White Sox
National League Baseball Champions: Pittsburg Pirates
Challenge Cup Champs: Montreal Shamrocks
U.S. Open Golf: Willie Anderson
U.S. Tennis (Men/Ladies): William Larned/Elisabeth Moore
Wimbledon (Men/Women): Arthur Gore/Charlotte Sterry
NCAA Football Champions: Michigan
Kentucky Derby Winner: His Eminence
Boston Marathon Winner: John “Jack” Caffery Time: 2:29:23

More 1901 History Resources

Most Popular Baby Names (BabyCenter.com)
Popular and Notable Books (popculture.us) 
Broadway Shows that opened in 1901
1901 Calendar, courtesy of Time and Date.com 
Fact Monster 
Wikipedia 1901