The world in
What happened in 1901?
17 events across 8 world regions, each with its sources.
East Asia
Boxer RebellionIn the final years of the Qing dynasty, the popular movement known as the Boxers swept North China, violently targeting foreign missionaries and Chinese Christians under an anti-foreign banner. Beginning in 1899, the uprising ultimately drew in the Eight-Nation Alliance of foreign powers, which defeated it by 1901.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Stereo copyrighted 1901 by Whiting View Company / Public domain ↗
Founding of Shandong UniversityIn 1901, Shandong University was founded in Shandong Province, becoming one of China's earliest modern universities, second only to Imperial University of Peking.
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Beijing Railway Station (Zhengyangmen East) CompletedBeijing Railway Station was completed in 1901 near the southeastern corner of the Inner City of Beijing. Originally named Zhengyangmen East Station, it featured traditional Chinese architecture and served as a major railway hub in the capital.
Establishment of Hongjialou CathedralAround the early 20th century, the Hongjialou Cathedral, the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jinan, was established in Jinan, Shandong. It is the largest church in the region and a landmark of the city.
Europe
The Dreyfus affair breaks outThe Dreyfus affair was a major political scandal in France in the late 19th century. It began in 1894 when Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer, was wrongly convicted of treason. This caused deep divisions in French society between Dreyfusards who believed in his innocence and anti-Dreyfusards. Émile Zola's open letter in 1898 was a turning point. The affair lasted until 1906 and had a profound political impact.
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Victoria Memorial Commissioned and DesignedIn 1901, the large-scale Victoria Memorial was designed and commissioned, with the sculpture by Sir Thomas Brock. As the centrepiece of a grand urban planning scheme, the monument was intended to honour Queen Victoria. Its creation also led to the refacing of Buckingham Palace and the layout of the Queen's Gardens.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Loco Steve from Bromley , UK / CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗
Completion of the Santa Justa LiftThe Santa Justa Lift was completed in Lisbon around the turn of the 20th century, linking the Baixa district with the higher Bairro Alto and becoming a notable transport feature in the city's historic center.
Sub-Saharan Africa
- Atrocities in the Congo Free State
Between 1885 and 1908, in the Congo Free State under the personal rule of King Leopold II of Belgium, colonial administrators enforced harsh labour policies to collect natural rubber, resulting in widespread atrocities. These, combined with disease, famine, and displacement, led to a sharp decline in the Congolese population, estimated in the millions to tens of millions.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Second Boer WarFrom 1899 to 1902, the British Empire fought the South African Republic and the Orange Free State for influence in Southern Africa, continuing from the First Boer War; the British ultimately won.
Central & South America
Banana WarsBetween 1898 and 1934, the United States carried out a series of military occupations, police actions, and interventions in Central America and the Caribbean. These operations were primarily conducted by the United States Marine Corps, which compiled the Small Wars Manual (1921) based on its experiences.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: A. R. Harrison, United States Marine Corps / Public domain ↗
Inauguration of Luz StationAround the early 20th century, Luz Station was inaugurated in São Paulo, Brazil, as part of the metropolitan rail system, serving commuter and intercity lines, with connections to subway lines. The station houses the Museum of the Portuguese Language.
South Asia
Outbreak of the Aceh WarIn early 1873, discussions between representatives of the Aceh Sultanate and the United States in Singapore provoked the Netherlands, leading to a Dutch military attack on Aceh and the start of the Aceh War. The conflict was part of a series of late 19th-century wars that consolidated Dutch rule over modern-day Indonesia, ultimately ending in 1904 with the Dutch annexation of Aceh and control over the entire Indonesian archipelago. The war lasted over three decades, resulting in around 4,000 Dutch and 25,000 Acehnese deaths.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Unknown author Unknown author / Public domain ↗
Founding of SantiniketanIn 1901, the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore established Santiniketan, a residential school and art centre in rural West Bengal, India. Based on ancient Indian traditions, it aimed for the unity of humanity beyond religious and cultural boundaries, later evolving into Visva-Bharati University.
SourcesUNESCO World Heritage listing ↗Wikipedia ↗Image: Name - Sagnik Samanta Email Address - sagniksamanta1@gmail.com / CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
North America
Outbreak of the Caste War of YucatánIn 1847, the Indigenous Maya people of the Yucatán Peninsula launched an armed revolt against the Hispanic population, known as the Caste War. The uprising stemmed from the latter's political and economic dominance since the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, and it is considered one of the most successful modern Native American revolts. The conflict primarily unfolded between government forces in the northwest and independent Maya groups in the southeast, lasting nearly five decades.
Completion of Philadelphia City HallPhiladelphia City Hall was completed in the early 20th century on Penn Square in Philadelphia. Built in the Second Empire style, the building has since housed the city’s municipal government, its city council, and the mayor’s office, and it also serves as the seat of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania and the civil courts of Philadelphia County.
North Africa
French conquest of AlgeriaBetween 1830 and 1904, France launched a military invasion and prolonged war of conquest in Algeria. In June 1830, French forces landed near Algiers, quickly seizing the capital and coastal areas. Over the following decades, despite internal political strife, France repeatedly reinforced its military presence to suppress resistance in the interior, gradually extending control southward into the Sahara, and finalizing its colonial borders by 1904.
West Asia
Foundation of Holy Myrrhbearers CathedralThe Holy Myrrhbearers Cathedral was founded in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, built over the shrine of the Apostle Bartholomew. It later became the center of the Baku diocese of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Around 1901
These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.
- Completion of the Taipei Grand Mosque
- Establishment of Women's Suffrage Worldwide
- Establishment of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
- Construction of Grimeton Longwave Radio Station
- Construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway begins
- Construction of the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright Begins
- Construction of the Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in 'The Centre of Heaven and Earth'
- Establishment of the Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains