Major Events
- Feb 9 Japanese torpedo boats make a surprise attack on Russian ships Port Arthur naval base, Manchuria, beginning the Russo-Japanese War. Japanese also land troops at Chemulpo (Inchon), near Seoul, Korea; in 3 weeks they advance to the Yalu River, the border of Manchuria.
- Feb 23 United States acquires control of the Panama Canal Zone for $10 million
- Feb 29 Theodore Roosevelt, appoints 7-man Panama Canal Commission to proceed with completing a canal at the Isthmus
- Apr 27 The Australian Labor Party under Prime Minister Chris Watson becomes the first Labor government in the world
- May 4 Construction begins by the United States on the Panama Canal
- Jun 16 Bloomsday (date of events in James Joyce's novel "Ulysses")
- Jul 21 After 13 years, the 4,607-mile Trans-Siberian railway is completed
- Oct 28 St Louis police try a new investigation method - fingerprints
- Nov 15 King C. Gillette patents the Gillette razor blade
- More 1904 Events
1904 in Music
- Feb 17 Giacomo Puccini's opera "Madama Butterfly" premieres at La Scala in Milan, Italy
1904 in Sport
Did You Know?
First New Year's Eve celebration held in Times Square, New York City
Pretty Boy Floyd
Dr. Seuss
Reinhard Heydrich
Robert Oppenheimer
Alexei Nikolaevich
Deng Xiaoping
Cary Grant
John Gielgud
Johnny Weissmuller
Greer Garson
George Balanchine
Glenn Miller
Fats Waller
Count Basie
Frederick Ashton
Red Ruffing
René Lacoste
Chuck Klein
Denny ShuteMore People Born in 1904
Fun Fact About 1904
First section of New York subway - Lower Manhattan to Broadway Harlem, opened by Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT), fare one nickel
James Longstreet
Henry Morton Stanley
Theodor Herzl
Paul Kruger
Anton Chekhov
Frédéric-Auguste BartholdiMore 1904 Deaths
Articles About 1904
The Name Is Bond – Cary Bond!
They wanted Cary Grant to take the part of James Bond when the film series was launched with Dr No in the early Sixties. But the debonair actor turned it down.January 18
A Humorous Diplomatic Atlas of Europe and Asia
Japanese anti-Russian satirical map titled "A Humorous Diplomatic Atlas of Europe and Asia"February 9
Swinging Miller Puts Fans In The Mood
Glenn Miller, the band leader who was born on this day, managed to create a unique sound that put fans In The Mood for his brand of swinging music.March 1
First Labour Government
Australia's first Labor ministry, the first in the worldApril 27
The Loudest Noise in a Rolls-Royce is the Electric Clock
One was from an impoverished background; the other was a member of the aristocracy. They came together to form Rolls-Royce, the iconic car manufacturer.May 4
1st US Olympic Games
Poster promoting the 1904 Summer Olympic Games in St. LouisJuly 1
Money From The Sky – a Nazi War Weapon
Adolf Hitler would have given almost anything to defeat Great Britain – and that is possibly why he sanctioned one of the most bizarre plots to harm his enemy.November 26
Famous Weddings in 1904
- Jan 28 German chancellor Konrad Adenauer (28) weds Emma Weyer at St. Stephan Catholic Church in Lindenthal, Germany
- Feb 2 American blues singer Gertrude Pridgett (17) weds American minstrel & vaudeville comic William "Pa" Rainey; she becomes known as Ma Rainey; divorce in 196
- Jun 14 Ragtime composer Scott Joplin (35) weds Freddie Alexander (19) in Arkansas
More Weddings in 1904
Arthur Balfour
Nicholas II
Theodore Roosevelt
Wilhelm II