1899 in the United States

1899 in the United States
Decades:	1870s 1880s – 1890s – 1900s 1910s
Years:	1896 1897 1898 – 1899 – 1900 1901 1902
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45 stars (1896 – 1908)
Timeline of United States history History of the United States (1865–1918)

Events from the year 1899 in the United States.

Incumbents

• President: William McKinley (Republican)
• Vice President: Garret Hobart (Republican) (until November 21), vacant (starting November 21)
• Chief Justice: Melville Fuller
• Speaker of the House of Representatives: Thomas Brackett Reed (R-Maine) (until March 4), David B. Henderson (R-Iowa) (starting December 4)
• Congress: 55th (until March 4), 56th (starting March 4)

Events

January

• January 1 – Queens and Staten Island merge with New York City.
• January 10 – The Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity is founded at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois.
• January 17 – The United States takes possession of Wake Island.

February

February 4: Philippine–American War starts in Manila

• February 4 – The Philippine-American War begins as hostilities break out in Manila.
• February 6 – Spanish-American War: A peace treaty between the United States and Spain is ratified by the United States Senate.
• February 12–14 – Great Blizzard of 1899: Freezing temperatures and snow extend well south into North America, including southern Florida. It is the latest in a series of disasters to Florida's citrus industry.
• February 14 – Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.

March

• March 2 – In Washington State, USA, Mount Rainier National Park is established.
• March 24 – George Dewey is made Admiral of the US Navy.

April

• April 15 – Students at the University of California, Berkeley steal the Stanford Axe from Stanford University yell leaders following a baseball game, thus establishing the Axe as a symbol of the rivalry between the schools.

May

• May 31 – The launch of the Harriman Alaska Expedition.

June

• June 12 – A tornado completely destroys the town of New Richmond, Wisconsin, killing 117 and injuring more than 200.
• June 25 – Three Denver, Colorado newspapers publish a story (later proved to be a fabrication) that the Chinese government under the Guangxu Emperor is going to demolish the Great Wall of China.
• June 30 – Mile-a-Minute Murphy earns his famous nickname this day, after he becomes the first man to ride a bicycle for one mile in under a minute on Long Island.

July

• July 17 – America's first juvenile court is established in Chicago.
• July 19 – The Newsboys Strike takes place when the Newsies of New York go on strike (strike lasts until August 2).
• July 30 – The Harriman Alaska Expedition ends successfully.

August

• August 3 – The John Marshall Law School is founded in Chicago, Illinois.
• August 10 – Marshall "Major" Taylor wins the world 1-mile professional cycling championship in Montreal, securing his place as the first African American world champion in any sport.^[1]
• August 17 – A hurricane makes landfall in North Carolina's Outer Banks, completely destroying the town of Diamond City.

September

• September 14 – Henry H. Bliss becomes the first motor vehicle accident fatality in the US. On disembarking from a streetcar in New York City, an electric-powered taxicab strikes and crushes him and he dies from his injuries next morning.

October

• October 30 – The Augusta High School Building is completed in Augusta, Kentucky; Augusta Methodist College shuts down.

November

• November 4 – The Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority is founded in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
• November 8 – The Bronx Zoo opens in New York City.

December

• December 2 – Philippine-American War – Battle of Tirad Pass: ("The Filipino Thermopylae") General Gregorio del Pilar and his troops are able to guard the retreat of Philippine President Emilio Aguinaldo before being wiped out.

Undated

• The North Carolina General Assembly incorporates the town of Manteo, which was originally laid out as the Dare county seat in 1870.
• Gold is discovered in Nome, Alaska.

Ongoing

• Gay Nineties (1890–1899)
• Progressive Era (1890s–1920s)
• Lochner era (c. 1897–c. 1937)
• Philippine–American War (1899–1902)

Births

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Deaths

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References

External links

• Media related to 1899 in the United States at Wikimedia Commons