January 1 d'Annunzio's "Sogno d'un mattino di primavera," premieres in Rome January 1 Lightship replaces whistling buoy at mouth of San Francisco Bay January 4 1st installment of William Dean Howell's "Life and Letters" appears January 6 1st telephone message from a submerged submarine, by Simon Lake January 13 Emile Zola publishes his open letter (J'accuse) in defense of Dreyfus January 14 Joe Darling hits the 1st six in Tests (out of the ground) January 19 Brown defeats Harvard 6-0 in 1st intercollegiate hockey game February 1 1st auto insurance policy in U.S. issued, by Travelers Insurance Co February 8 John Ames Sherman patents 1st envelope folding and gumming mach (Mass) February 11 Owen Smith of NC, AME Zion minister, named minister to Liberia February 15 USS Maine sinks in Havana harbor, cause unknown, 258 sailors die February 23 In France, Emile Zola is imprisoned for writing his "J'accuse" letter accusing government of anti-Semitism and wrongly jailing Alfred Dreyfus March 2 Australia complete a 4-1 series annihilation of England March 8 Richard Straus' "Don Quixote," premieres in Keulen March 17 1st practical submarine 1st submerges, New York City (for 1 hour 40 minutes) March 24 1st automobile sold March 25 Intercollegiate Trapshooting Association formed in New York City April 8 Battle of Atbara River, Anglo-Egyptian forces crush 6,000 Sudanese April 11 President McKinley asks for Spanish-American War declaration April 12 Army transfers Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco Bay to Navy April 19 2nd Boston Marathon won by Ron McDonald of Mass in 2:42:00 April 20 U.S. Assay Office in Deadwood, South Dakota opens April 21 Phillies' pitcher Bill Duggleby hits a grand slam on 1st at bat April 21 Spanish-American War begins April 22 1st Spanish-American War action: USS Nashville, takes enemy ship April 22 Baltimore James Hughes no-hits Boston Braves 8-0 April 22 Cincinnati Red Theodore Breitenstein no-hits Pirates 11-0 April 22 Congress passes Volunteer Army Act calling for a Volunteer Cavalry April 22 U.S. President McKinley orders blockade of Cuban harbors April 24 Spain declares war on U.S. rejecting ultimatum to withdraw from Cuba April 24 U.S. fleet under commodore Dewey sails from Hong Kong to Philippines April 25 U.S. declares war on Spain over Cuba April 30 Championship wrestling match at Met turns into a brawl May 3 Camp Merriman forms at Presidio May 4 24th Kentucky Derby: Willie Simms aboard Plaudit wins in 2:09 May 12 Louisiana adopts new constitution with "grandfather clause" designed to eliminate black voters May 17 Camp Merritt forms in Presidio May 19 Post Office authorizes use of postcards May 21 U.S. Assay Office in Seattle, Washington authorized May 23 1st Philippine Expeditionary Troops sail from San Francisco May 25 1st U.S. troop transport to Manila leaves San Francisco May 26 32nd Belmont: F Littlefield aboard Bowling Brook wins in 2:32 May 26 San Francisco approves City Charter, allows Municipal ownership of utilities May 27 Arthur Pinero's "Trelawney of the 'Wells'," premieres in London June 1 Trans-Mississippi International Exposition opens in Omaha June 7 Social Democracy of America party holds 1st national convention, Chic June 9 China leases Hong Kong's new territories to Britain for 99 years June 10 U.S. Marines land in Cuba, during Spanish-American War June 11 1st U.S. Marines land in Cuba during Spanish-American War June 11 23rd Preakness: Willie Simms aboard Sly Fox wins in 1:49.75 June 11 600 U.S. Marines land at Guantanamo Cuba June 11 Emperor De Zong proclaims reforms in Peking June 12 Philippine nationalists declares independence from Spain to U.S. control June 13 Yukon Territory of Canada organized, Dawson chosen as capital June 14 France signs Niger Convention June 15 U.S. House of Representatives accept annexation of Hawaii June 15 U.S. Marines attack Spanish off Guantanamo, Cuba June 16 China's emperor De Zong (Guang Xu) receives Kang Youwei June 17 U.S. Senate agrees to annex Hawaii June 18 1st amusement pier opens in Atlantic City, New Jersey June 18 4th U.S. Golf Open: Fred Herd shoots a 328 at Myopia Hunt Club Mass June 21 Guam becomes a territory of U.S. June 24 American troops, drive Spanish forces from La Guasimas Cuba July 1 Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders charge up San Juan Hill July 3 American troops captured deserted Wake Island July 3 Dutch Automobile Club forms (KNAC) July 3 Joshua Slocum completes 1st solo circumnavigation of the globe July 3 U.S. Navy defeats Spanish fleet in Santiago harbor, Cuba July 4 French liner "La Bourgogne" collides with bark Cromartyshire, 560 die July 4 U.S. flag hoisted over Wake Island (Spanish-American War) July 7 U.S. annexes Hawaii July 8 Phillies Red Donahue no-hits Boston Braves, 5-0 July 8 U.S. battle fleet under Admiral Dewey occupies Isla Grande at Manila July 10 Jean-Baptiste Marchands expedition reaches Fashoda at White Hippo July 12 Jean-Baptiste Marchand hoists French flag in Fashoda, Sudan July 13 Guglielmo Marconi patents radio July 13 San Francisco Ferry Building at foot of Market St. opens July 17 Spanish American War-Spaniards surrender to U.S. at Santiago Cuba July 21 Spain cedes Guam to U.S. July 22 Belgica crew see 1st sunrise in 1600 hours, 1st to endure Antarct winter July 25 1st U.S. troops land and occupy Puerto Rice, at Guanica Bay July 27 Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Dancing Men" July 28 Spanish troops in Ponce, Puerto Rico, surrender July 28 Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Retired Colourman" July 30 Will Kieth Kellogg invents Corn Flakes August 12 Hawaii formally annexed to U.S. August 12 Peace protocol ends Spanish-American War, signed August 13 U.S. forces under George Dewey captures Manila during Spanish-Amer war August 16 Edwin Prescott patents roller coaster August 23 18th U.S. Mens Tennis: Malcolm Whitman beats Dwight Davis (36 62 62 61) September 1 Dutch soccer team Receiver forms September 1 Lord Kitcheners army bombs Omdurman Sudan September 2 Battle of Omdurman: Lord Kitchener retakes Sudan for Britain September 2 Machine gun 1st used in battle September 6 Lord Kitchener destroys Mahdi's tomb in Omdurman September 9 Ottawa Football Club re-organizes into the Rough Riders September 10 Lord Kitchener's ships sails from Kartoum to Fashoda September 13 20,000 Paris construction workers go on strike September 13 Hannibal Goodwin patents celluloid photographic film September 15 National Afro-American Council forms in Rochester NY September 18 Lord Kitcheners ships reach Fashoda Sudan September 21 China's empress-mother Ci Xi and emperor De Zong arrested September 26 Victor Herbert/Harry Smith' musical premieres in New York City September 29 French troops reach Guinea and Sudan, Samori caught September 30 City of New York established October 1 Dutch railway Alkmaar-Receiver opens October 1 Henry Huntington buys LA Railway October 1 Jews are expelled from Kiev, Russia October 6 Gustav Mahler conducts 1st Wiener Philharmonic October 8 1st Canadian Intercollegiate football game: McGill beats Queen's, 3-2 October 18 American flag raised in Puerto Rico October 20 North Carolina Mutual and Provident Insurance Company forms November 2 French government-Dupuy forms November 2 Theodor Herzl arrives in Jerusalem November 5 Gerhart Hauptmanns "Fuhrmann Henschel," premieres in Berlin November 10 Race riot in Wilmington North Carolina (8 blacks killed) November 22 Opera "Iris" premieres (Rome) November 26 SS Portland leaves for Cape Cod, 157 killed November 27 Side-wheeler "Portland" sinks off Cape Cod, 190 die December 10 Spanish-American War ends; U.S. acquires Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam December 12 1st 1st-class game between NSW and Tasmania December 18 Automobile speed record set-63 kph (39 mph) December 21 Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discovers radium December 24 Herman Heijermans' "Ghetto," premieres in Amsterdam
