The world in
What happened in 1908?
17 events across 7 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
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1908 Messina earthquakeOn 28 December 1908, a powerful earthquake struck the Strait of Messina, hitting Sicily and Calabria, and was followed by a tsunami. Cities including Messina and Reggio Calabria suffered near-total destruction. Estimates range from 75,000 to 120,000 deaths, making it the deadliest earthquake in European history.
- Denmark Expedition
From 1906 to 1908, Denmark organized the ship Danmark to explore northeastern Greenland. The expedition aimed to complete mapping of the last uncharted stretches of that coast and gather scientific data from little-studied areas, including information on the remaining Inuit of northeastern Greenland. Its name derives from the vessel Danmark.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Completion of the Quinta da Regaleira estateBetween 1904 and 1910, the Quinta da Regaleira estate was constructed near Sintra, Portugal, and later became part of the Cultural Landscape of Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Completion of Mukhtarov MosqueIn 1908, the Mukhtarov Mosque in Vladikavkaz, Russia was completed, serving the local Ossetian Muslim minority. It was financed by the Azerbaijani oil millionaire Murtuza Mukhtarov and designed by architect Józef Plośko, inspired by Cairo's Al-Azhar and other mosques.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Иосиф Короткий (Iosif Korotkij) / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
Opening of Bilbao Fine Arts MuseumThe Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, situated in the Doña Casilda Iturrizar park in Bilbao, Spain, opened to the public in the early 20th century. Its creation was made possible by the patronage of local collectors, establishing a significant collection of painting and sculpture in a region with a relatively short artistic tradition.
West Asia
Young Turk Revolution (1908)In July 1908, a constitutionalist uprising by the Young Turks began among garrisons in Macedonia, spreading through mutinies and demonstrations that forced Sultan Abdul Hamid II to restore the 1876 Constitution on July 24. The empire then reintroduced multiparty and bicameral politics, recalled parliament, and held elections, opening the Second Constitutional Era.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Charles Roden Buxton / Public domain ↗
Iranian Constitutional Revolution (1905–1911)A political movement from 1905 to 1911 in Persia that sought to replace the absolute rule of the Qajar shahs with a constitutional monarchy. The revolution was short-lived but resulted in the creation of a constitution and a parliament, driven by widespread discontent among various social groups.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Unknown author Unknown author / Public domain ↗
- Persian Constitutional Revolution
The Persian Constitutional Revolution was a revolution that took place between 1905 and 1911 in Persia under the Qajar dynasty, leading to the establishment of a parliament. It has been described as an epoch-making episode in the modern history of Persia.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
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 ↗
Founding of Fort CopacabanaIn the early 20th century, Fort Copacabana, a military base at the south end of Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was founded. It later became a coastal defense fort and houses the Army Historical Museum, being open to the public.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Gabriel Heusi/Brasil2016.gov.br / CC BY 3.0 br ↗
North Africa
Founding of Cairo UniversityOn December 21, 1908, Cairo University (then known as the Egyptian University) was officially founded as a private institution.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Sara Yasser Soliman / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
Outbreak of the French conquest of MoroccoIn 1907, France began its conquest of the Sultanate of Morocco by occupying Oujda on 29 March. Subsequent military campaigns led to the Treaty of Fes in 1912, establishing the French protectorate, while pacification operations continued until 1934.
North America
Founding of the University of British ColumbiaThe University of British Columbia was founded in 1908 in Vancouver, Canada.
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Opening of Washington Union StationWashington Union Station opened in 1907 as the main railway station and transportation hub in Washington, D.C. Designed by Daniel Burnham, it serves as Amtrak's headquarters and the southern terminus of the Northeast Corridor, an electrified rail line linking major cities including Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. The station quickly became one of the busiest passenger rail facilities in the United States.
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 ↗
University of Pretoria foundedThe University of Pretoria originated in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johannesburg-based Transvaal University College, starting with 32 students. It is the fourth South African institution in continuous operation to attain university status, later growing into a multi-campus public research university with tens of thousands of students.
Oceania
Establishment of Franklin–Gordon Wild Rivers National ParkA national park named after the Franklin and Gordon rivers was established in Tasmania, Australia, about 117 km west of Hobart.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: JJ Harrison ( https://www.jjharrison.com.au/ ) / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
Around 1908
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