The 1900s

1907

René Char, French poet and author (died 1988)

René Émile Char was a French poet and member of the French Resistance in World War II.

René Char, French poet and author (died 1988)

1907

James Robertson Justice, English actor and educator (died 1975)

James Robertson Justice was a British actor. He often portrayed pompous authority figures in comedies, including each of the seven films in the Doctor series. He also co-starred wi…

James Robertson Justice, English actor and educator (died 1975)

1907

Jack Albertson, American actor (died 1981)

Harold "Jack" Albertson was an American actor, comedian, dancer and singer who also performed in vaudeville. Albertson was a Tony, Oscar, and Emmy winning actor, which ranks him am…

Jack Albertson, American actor (died 1981)

1907

Maurice Cloche, French director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1990)

Maurice Cloche was a French film director, screenwriter, photographer and film producer. Best known for his Oscar-winning film Monsieur Vincent (1947) he won a 1948 Special Academy…

Maurice Cloche, French director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1990)

1907

Frithjof Schuon, Swiss-American metaphysicist, philosopher, and author (died 1998)

Frithjof Schuon was a Swiss philosopher and spiritual leader, belonging to the Traditionalist School of Perennialism. He was the author of more than twenty works in French on metap…

Frithjof Schuon, Swiss-American metaphysicist, philosopher, and author (died 1998)

1907

Clarence Wiseman, Canadian 10th General of the Salvation Army (died 1985)

Clarence Dexter Wiseman, was the tenth General of The Salvation Army from 1974 to 1977.

Clarence Wiseman, Canadian 10th General of the Salvation Army (died 1985)

1907

Jimmy Driftwood, American singer-songwriter and banjo player (died 1998)

James Corbitt Morris, known professionally as Jimmy Driftwood or Jimmie Driftwood, was an American folk-style songwriter and musician, most famous for his songs "The Battle of New …

Jimmy Driftwood, American singer-songwriter and banjo player (died 1998)

1907

Grigorios Maraslis, Greek philanthropist (born 1831)

Grigorios Maraslis was an official of the Russian Empire and long-time mayor of Odesa (1878–1895) of Greek origin. A noted philanthropist, he sponsored many buildings and education…

Grigorios Maraslis, Greek philanthropist (born 1831)

1907

Şeker Ahmed Pasha, Turkish soldier and painter (born 1841)

Ahmed Ali Pasha, better known as "Şeker" Ahmed Pasha, was an Ottoman painter, soldier and government official. His nickname "Şeker" meant "sugar" in Turkish, which he earned due to…

Şeker Ahmed Pasha, Turkish soldier and painter (born 1841)

1907

Alferd Packer, American prospector and convicted cannibal (born 1842)

Alfred Griner Packer, also known as the "Colorado Cannibal", was an American prospector and self-proclaimed wilderness guide who confessed to cannibalism during the winter of 1874.…

Alferd Packer, American prospector and convicted cannibal (born 1842)

1907

Emanuele Luigi Galizia, Maltese architect and civil engineer (born 1830)

Emanuele Luigi Galizia was a Maltese architect and civil engineer, who designed many public buildings and several churches. He is regarded as "the principal Maltese architect throu…

Emanuele Luigi Galizia, Maltese architect and civil engineer (born 1830)

1907

Edmund G

Edmund Gibson Ross was an American politician who represented Kansas after the American Civil War and was later the governor of New Mexico Territory. His vote against convicting Pr…

Edmund G

1907

Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author and critic (born 1848)

Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans was a French novelist and art critic who published his works as Joris-Karl Huysmans. He is most famous for the novel À rebours. He supported himself …

Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author and critic (born 1848)

1907

Benjamin Baker, English engineer, designed the Forth Bridge (born 1840)

Sir Benjamin Baker was an English civil engineer who worked in mid to late Victorian era. He helped develop the early underground railways in London with Sir John Fowler, but he is…

Benjamin Baker, English engineer, designed the Forth Bridge (born 1840)

1907

William Le Baron Jenney, American architect and engineer, designed the Home Insurance Building (born 1832)

William Le Baron Jenney was an American architect and engineer known for building the first skyscraper in 1884.

William Le Baron Jenney, American architect and engineer, designed the Home Insurance Building (born 1832)

1907

Bartolomé Masó, Cuban soldier and politician (born 1830)

Bartolomé de Jesús Masó Márquez was a Cuban politician and military patriot for Cuban independence from the colonial power of Spain, and later President of the República en Armas.

Bartolomé Masó, Cuban soldier and politician (born 1830)

1907

Minas Geraes (pictured), the first of three Brazilian dreadnought battleships, was laid down, sparking a vastly expensiv

Minas Geraes, spelled Minas Gerais in some sources, was a dreadnought battleship of the Brazilian Navy. Named in honor of the state of Minas Gerais, the ship was laid down in April…

Minas Geraes (pictured), the first of three Brazilian dreadnought battleships, was laid down, sparking a vastly expensiv

1906 120 years ago

The 7

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was a major earthquake which struck the coast of Northern California at 05:12 am Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. With an estim…

The 7

1906 120 years ago

The 1906 Intercalated Games open in Athens

The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games, held from 22 April 1906 to 2 May 1906, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated in Athens, Greece. It was at th…

The 1906 Intercalated Games open in Athens

1906 120 years ago

Cunard Line's RMS Lusitania is launched from the John Brown Shipyard, Glasgow (Clydebank), Scotland

The Cunard Line is a British shipping company and an international cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corpor…

Cunard Line's RMS Lusitania is launched from the John Brown Shipyard, Glasgow (Clydebank), Scotland

1906 120 years ago

Sultan Abdelaziz of Morocco ratifies the agreement reached in the Algeciras Conference in a personal decree

Moulay Abd al-Aziz bin Hassan was sultan of Morocco from 9 June 1894 to 21 August 1908, as a ruler of the 'Alawi dynasty. He was proclaimed sultan at the age of sixteen after the d…

Sultan Abdelaziz of Morocco ratifies the agreement reached in the Algeciras Conference in a personal decree

1906 120 years ago

Sidney Garfield, American physician, co-founded Kaiser Permanente (died 1984)

Sidney R. Garfield was an American physician and a pioneer of health maintenance organizations. He co-founded the Kaiser Permanente healthcare system with businessman Henry J. Kais…

Sidney Garfield, American physician, co-founded Kaiser Permanente (died 1984)

1906 120 years ago

Eric Fenby, English composer and educator (died 1997)

Eric William Fenby OBE was an English composer, conductor, pianist, organist and teacher who is best known for being Frederick Delius's amanuensis from 1928 to 1934. He helped Deli…

Eric Fenby, English composer and educator (died 1997)

1906 120 years ago

The State Duma of the Russian Empire meets for the first time

The State Duma, also known as the Imperial Duma, was the lower house of the legislature in the Russian Empire, while the upper house was the State Council. It held its meetings in …

The State Duma of the Russian Empire meets for the first time