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The first issue of National Geographic Magazine is published, nine months after the founding of the National Geographic Society. The initial publication was a scholarly journal, focusing on geographical topics and lacking photographs. In January 1905 the first photo feature appeared, depicting views of Lhasa, Tibet, leading to the magazine becoming known for its innovative use of photography to document discovery and travel.
Church President Wilford Woodruff releases its Anti-polygamy "Manifesto" officially advising the Mormon community, against any future plural marriage in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Upon its issuance, the LDS Church in conference accepted Woodruff's Manifesto as "authoritative and binding".
While the Manifesto officially ended new plural marriages, it did not affect the status of those already in practice. Many polygamists continued to live with their plural wives. Reportedly, Wilford Woodruff practiced plural marriage at the time. In 1904 the Church made polygamy a cause for excommunication. The Manifesto was a response to mounting anti-polygamy pressure from the United States Congress, which by 1890 had disincorporated the church, escheated its assets to the U.S. federal government, and imprisoned many prominent polygamist Mormons. The declaration was a significant step for the Mormon Church to gain statehood for Utah and to integrate into mainstream American society by officially ending the practice of polygamy.
James J. Corbett defeats John L. Sullivan in the first heavyweight championship boxing match using boxing gloves, on September 7, 1892, in New Orleans, under Marquess of Queensberry rules.
The largest land run in U.S. history occurred as more than 100,000 white settlers rushed to claim over more than 6 million acres of land to claim valuable land that had once belonged to Native Americans in what is now northern Oklahoma. The mad dash began with a single gun shot, and land-hungry pioneers on horseback and in carriages raced forward to stake their claims to the best acres.
Under the provisions of the Homestead Act of 1862, a legal settler could claim 160 acres of public land, and those who lived on and improved the claim for five years could receive a title to the land. More
New Zealand governor, Lord Glasgow, signs a new Electoral Act into law which makes New Zealand the first self-governing country in the world in which women had the right to vote in parliamentary elections. Teo months later, on November 28, 1893 Women in New Zealand become the first in the world to vote in a national election. More
US President Grover Cleveland signs Proclamation 369 - Granting Amnesty and Pardon to the Mormon community, members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), for the Offenses of Polygamy, Bigamy, Adultery, or Unlawful Cohabitation. The pardon helped clear the path for Utah to achieve statehood in 1896. More
The United States second-class battleship Maine is commissioned on September 17, 1895 at the New York Navy Yard. The 6,682-ton armored vessel was designed to modernize the fleet but was largely considered obsolete upon completion. The Maine, famously sank in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898 killing over 260 American crew members.
The first ever recorded drunk driving arrest takes place in London on September 10, 1897. The driver was a man named George Smith who was a taxi cab driver in London. He was drinking and driving and crashed into a building, he was arrested for drunk driving and pleaded guilty to the charge. Smith was sentenced to pay 25 shillings.
The first DUI charge in the United States occurred in 1910 when New York became the first state to prohibit drunk driving. No specific individual name was recorded.
The world's first recorded automobile accident occurs in New York City, involving a motor vehicle and a cyclist.
Gold is discovered in Nome, Alaska, on September 20, 1898 by the "Three Lucky Swedes" (Jafet Lindeberg, Erik Lindblom, and John Brynteson) on Anvil Creek, leading to a massive gold rush. More
The United States captures the city of Manila during the Spanish-American War, establishing American control over the Philippines. Spanish - American War Historical Timeline
A major hurricane, the nation's deadliest natural disaster, destroys the island city of Galveston,on September 8, 1900, with winds of 130 to 140 miles per hour and a storm surge in excess of 15 feet. It is believed that more than 8,000 lives on Galveston Island and several thousand more on the mainland were lost.
In Galveston, it destroyed at least 2,600 houses and left thousands more damaged. The city's property losses were estimated at $30 million Dollars. More
Image Credit: : The Galvenston History Org.
William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States, is shot and mortally wounded by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. President McKinley died days later on September 14. Theodore Roosevelt was immediately sworn in as president.
He was the third American president to be assassinated, following Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and James A. Garfield in 1881. More
The Boxer Rebellion officially ends with the signing of the Boxer Protocol treaty between China's Qing Dynasty and the Eight-Nation Alliance. The Boxer Rebellion had started circa November 1899. The protocol also imposed a massive war indemnity on China and weakened the already struggling Qing government. The Qing dynasty was overthrown in 1911 and the Republic of China was established the following year, bringing an end to more than 2,000 years of imperial dynastic rule.
The Protocol authorized the stationing of foreign troops in China, It also mandated the dismantling of Chinese defenses, prohibited the importation of arms, and forced the disbandment of anti-foreign groups.The protocol solidified foreign influence and control over China's affairs and served as a symbol of China's then weakness and vulnerability to foreign powers.
Theodore Roosevelt is inaugurated as the 26th President of the United States following the assassination of William McKinley.
Chief Joseph, of the Nez Perce Native American tribe, of the interior Pacific Northwest region of the US died in Nespelem, Washington, of an undiagnosed illness and what his doctor called "a broken heart." His tomb remains in Nespelem today. More
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William Durant creates General Motors which included Buick and Oldsmobile on September 16, 1908. Less than 16 months later, Durant purchased other companies including Cadillac, Oakland (Pontiac), McLaughlin (GM Canada) and GMC. More
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria Independence day from the Ottoman Empire. Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, and Romania to the north. Bulgaria's estimated 2025 population is 6.5 Million and its capital city is Sofia.
The very first Ford Model T, finishes assembly at the Piquette plant in Detroit. The production card lists it as Model 2090, car #1. It had 4 cylinders, 2 levers (the second for reverse), and 2 foot pedals. About 1,000 of these early Ts were produced. More
Inventor Rudolf Diesel disappeared from a steamer in route to London. His body was recovered on the shore days later. The circumstances surrounding his death are still a mystery. Some believe he may have committed suicide, while others speculate that he was murdered by coal industrialists. More
