Year by year · 20th century

1903

1903 in world history: 17 events, 11 births, 14 deaths, 3 works, 9 states founded and 8 that came to an end. 812 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 16 June

    Ford Motor Company is incorporated

    Henry Ford and eleven investors founded the company in Detroit. Its Model T and moving assembly line made cars affordable to millions.

  2. 17 December

    The Wright brothers make the first powered flights

    At Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright flew the Wright Flyer for 12 seconds and about 37 metres. Of four flights that day, Wilbur's longest lasted 59 seconds.

  3. Treaty

    Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty

    The Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty was signed on 18 November 1903 by US Secretary of State John Hay and Philippe Bunau-Varilla, acting for the newly independent Panama.

  4. Treaty

    Hay–Herrán Treaty

    The Hay–Herrán Treaty was signed in January 1903 by US Secretary of State John Hay and the Colombian chargé d'affaires Tomás Herrán.

  5. Treaty · Peace

    Treaty of Petrópolis

    The Treaty of Petrópolis, signed on 17 November 1903, ended the dispute between Bolivia and Brazil over Acre, a rubber-rich Amazon territory settled by Brazilian rubber tappers who had rebelled against Bolivian rule.

  6. Battle

    Battle of Burmi

    The Battle of Burmi was fought in 1903 in north-eastern Nigeria between British colonial forces and followers of the deposed caliph Attahiru I, who had fled after the fall of Sokoto.

  7. Revolt

    Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising

    The Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising was a revolt against Ottoman rule organised by the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organisation in August 1903.

  8. Revolution

    May Coup (Serbia)

    The May Coup was the assassination of King Alexander Obrenović of Serbia and his wife Draga by army officers in Belgrade in June 1903 (May by the Julian calendar).

  9. Battle

    British conquest of Kano

    The British conquest of Kano took place in February 1903, when forces of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria under Frederick Lugard captured the city after a brief engagement.

  10. Treaty

    Treaty of Kiganda

    The Treaty of Kiganda was the agreement of June 1903 by which Mwami Mwezi IV Gisabo of Burundi submitted to German authority after years of resistance and a German punitive campaign.

ProfileState729 states with a known seat in 1903Open the atlas at 1903 →

In the profiles

Wars and longer events

Born in 1903 11

Died in 1903 14

Works 3

States founded 9

States that came to an end 8

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1903. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1903
MLA
“1903.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1903. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1903.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1903.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1903’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1903 (Accessed: ).