A decade in review

The 1900s

11 moments we logged from 1900–1909.

People born in the 1900s Bhagat, Walt, Frida…

Notable figures who grew up in this decade.

world1907
Bhagat Singh
Revolutionary martyr for India's independence.
Wiki
culture1901
Walt Disney
Founded Disney, created Mickey Mouse.
Wiki
culture1907
Frida Kahlo
Mexican painter, feminist icon.
Wiki
culture1904
Salvador Dalí
Spanish artist (1904–1989).
Wiki
culture1903
George Orwell
British writer and journalist (1903–1950).
Wiki
culture1901
Marlene Dietrich
German and American actress and singer (1901–1992).
Wiki
culture1905
Jean-Paul Sartre
French existentialist philosopher (1905–1980).
Wiki
world1908
Simone de Beauvoir
French philosopher, social theorist and activist (1908–1986).
Wiki

1900tech
Paris Exposition Universelle
The World's Fair showcased the future: moving sidewalks, talking films, and electric lighting. A vision of the 20th century.
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1900science
Quantum theory born
Max Planck proposed that energy comes in discrete packets called quanta. Modern physics was born.
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1901tech
First transatlantic radio signal
Marconi received the first transatlantic radio signal in Newfoundland. The world got smaller.
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1902tech
Air conditioning invented
Willis Carrier invented modern air conditioning. Tropical cities would never be the same.
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1903tech
Wright Brothers fly
Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first controlled, powered, sustained flight at Kitty Hawk. 12 seconds, 120 feet, history changed.
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1905science
Einstein's miracle year
Einstein published four papers including E=mc². Physics would never be the same.
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1907tech
Plastic invented (Bakelite)
Leo Baekeland invented Bakelite, the first fully synthetic plastic. The Age of Plastic began.
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1908tech
Ford Model T launches
The first affordable mass-produced car. Cars became something ordinary people could own.
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1909science
Plate tectonics evidence
Alfred Wegener developed continental drift theory. Continents moved. People laughed for 50 years.

1900world
Great Famine of 1899-1900
A devastating famine struck large parts of India under British rule. Millions died.
1905world
Partition of Bengal
British India partitioned Bengal, sparking the Swadeshi Movement and a wave of Indian nationalism.