Year by year · 20th century

1901

1901 in world history: 16 events, 25 births, 20 deaths, 1 work, 5 states founded and 11 that came to an end. 832 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 1 January

    Six British colonies federate as the Commonwealth of Australia

    New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania united under a federal constitution. Edmund Barton was sworn in as the first Prime Minister in Sydney's Centennial Park.

    Australia

  2. 10 January

    Spindletop gusher erupts in Texas

    Oil burst from the Lucas well at Spindletop near Beaumont, spouting over 40 metres high for nine days. The strike created the Texas oil boom and made petroleum cheap enough to fuel the motor age.

  3. 22 January

    Queen Victoria dies at Osborne House

    Victoria died on the Isle of Wight aged 81 after reigning for 63 years, then the longest reign in British history. Her son succeeded as Edward VII.

  4. 6 September

    President McKinley is shot in Buffalo

    Anarchist Leon Czolgosz shot William McKinley twice at the Pan-American Exposition. The president died eight days later, and Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him.

  5. 14 September

    McKinley dies and Theodore Roosevelt becomes president

    William McKinley died of gangrene from his gunshot wounds. Theodore Roosevelt, aged 42, became the youngest president in US history.

  6. 12 December

    Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal

    At Signal Hill in Newfoundland, Guglielmo Marconi heard the Morse letter 'S' sent from Poldhu in Cornwall, some 3,500 kilometres away. The feat showed that radio could span oceans.

    Newfoundland

  7. Treaty

    Ankole Agreement

    The Ankole Agreement was signed in 1901 between Britain and the king and chiefs of Ankole in present-day south-western Uganda.

  8. Event

    Riccheri Law

    The Riccheri Law was the Argentine law of 1901 that introduced compulsory military service for young men, named after the minister of war, Pablo Riccheri.

  9. Event

    Immigration Restriction Act 1901

    The Immigration Restriction Act 1901 was among the first laws of the new Australian federal parliament and the legal basis of the White Australia policy.

ProfileState743 states with a known seat in 1901Open the atlas at 1901 →

In the profiles

Wars and longer events

Born in 1901 25

Show all 25

Died in 1901 20

Works 1

States founded 5

States that came to an end 11

Great speeches

The Empress Dowager's Edict of ReformEmpress Dowager Cixi

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1901. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1901
MLA
“1901.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1901. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1901.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1901.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1901’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1901 (Accessed: ).