Year by year · 20th century

1908

1908 in world history: 10 events, 20 births, 19 deaths, 2 works, 2 states founded and 3 that came to an end. 762 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 12 January

    First long-distance radio message sent from the Eiffel Tower

    A transmitter on the Eiffel Tower sent a wireless message over a record distance. The tower's value for military radio helped secure its future after its original 20-year permit.

  2. 21 January

    New York passes an ordinance banning women from smoking in public

    The Sullivan Ordinance barred managers of public places from allowing women to smoke. Mayor George McClellan vetoed it two weeks later, but it reflected anxieties about women's changing roles.

    New York

  3. 24 January

    Baden-Powell publishes 'Scouting for Boys'

    The first instalment of Robert Baden-Powell's handbook on outdoor skills and citizenship appeared in London. Boys began forming patrols of their own, and the Scout movement spread worldwide.

    London

  4. 30 June

    Tunguska explosion flattens Siberian forest

    An asteroid or comet fragment exploded above the Tunguska river, levelling some 2,000 square km of forest. It is the largest impact event in recorded history.

  5. 26 July

    The Bureau of Investigation, forerunner of the FBI, is created

    Attorney General Charles Bonaparte set up a force of special agents in the US Justice Department. Renamed the FBI in 1935, it grew under J. Edgar Hoover into America's main federal police agency.

  6. 16 September

    William Durant incorporates General Motors

    Buick head William Durant formed General Motors as a holding company, soon adding Oldsmobile, Cadillac and others. GM became for decades the world's largest car maker.

  7. 28 December

    An earthquake and tsunami destroy Messina

    A powerful earthquake and tsunami struck the Strait of Messina, destroying Messina in Sicily and Reggio Calabria. Around 75,000 to 80,000 people died, making it Europe's deadliest recorded earthquake.

    Sicily
ProfileState693 states with a known seat in 1908Open the atlas at 1908 →

In the profiles

Wars and longer events

Born in 1908 20

Died in 1908 19

Works 2

States founded 2

States that came to an end 3

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1908. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1908
MLA
“1908.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1908. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1908.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1908.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1908’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1908 (Accessed: ).