1900 |
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National Negro Business League is formed in Boston, sponsored by Booker T. Washington. |
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L. Frank Baum writes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. |
1901 |
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Carrie Nation begins a crusade against alcohol, using an ax to demolish the interiors of saloons. |
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A Frenchman sails around the Eiffel Tower in Paris in a dirigible balloon. |
1902 |
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Congress makes free mail delivery to rural residents a permanent part of the United States postal system. |
1903 |

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Wright Brothers fly the first airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. |
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President Teddy Roosevelt designates Pelican Island, Florida, as the first national wildlife refuge. |
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Henry Ford founds the Ford Motor Company and begins building Ford automobiles. |
1904 |
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New York City gets it first subway line. |
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Ice cream cones are introduced at the St. Louis World's Fair. |
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National Child Labor Committee organized to encourage laws banning the employment of young children. |
1905 |
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The first nickelodeon, a theater where people could see a short "moving picture" for a nickel, opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. |
1906 |

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Earthquake and fire destroy most of San Francisco, California. |
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Pure Food and Drug Act made it illegal to make or sell food, drugs and alcohol containing improper ingredients, or to give false information on product labels. |
1907 |
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Immigration to the United States peaks at 1.2 million, with most immigrants coming from southern or eastern Europe. |
1908 |

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Henry Ford introduces his Model T automobile. |
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Americans are singing hit songs like, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." |
1909 |
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Matthew Henson, an African-American, becomes the first man to reach the North Pole. |
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W.E.B. DuBois helped found the National Association for Colored People (NAACP) to fight southern lynching and racial segregation. |
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Coffee, a favorite American beverage since the Civil War, is now marketed in an "instant" form. |