The World in 1906
by Darla Bracken
San Francisco City Hall after 1906 Earthquake
San Francisco City Hall after 1906 Earthquake
The year 1906 dawns with the 26th U S President Theodore Roosevelt beginning the second year of his elected presidency. He became president in Sept. 1901 when William McKinley was assassinated. Roosevelt, a Republican, will not survive a second bid, losing to Howard Taft. Roosevelt is remembered by many as leader of the famouse Rough Riders in the Spanish American War in 1898.
The Titanic is still on the drawing board, but the British Warship HMS Dreadnaught is launced in February, the largest of its kind ever built with ten-12 inch big guns. It sports a steam turbine engine and will operate at a maximum speed of 21 knots (the speed at which the Titanic will be travelling when it hits an iceberg on its ill-fated maiden voyage April 14, 1912).
Planters Nut and Chocolate Company is founded by Amedeo Obici & Mario Peruzzi after having developed their own method of blanching whole roasted peanuts. The Mr. Peanut logo will be originated by a 13 year old student, Antonio Gentile, by winning a logo contest in 1916.
At 5:12 AM on April 18th, the San Franciso Earthquake and subsequent fire destroys $25 million dollars worth of property and takes over 3,000 lives. Occurring along the San Andreas Fault, the quake is felt as far north as southern Oregon, as far south as below Los Angeles and as far inland as Nevada. It will be studied for years and will yeild much in the field of seismagraphical research.
The term ‘hot dog’ is coined by a cartoonist Thomas Dorgan in a drawing showing a dachshund inside a frankfurter bun. (It’s truly a wonder that this food ever became so popular.)
The Olympics are held in Athens, Greece. The United States sends its first official team which also includes official team uniforms. 887 athletes from 20 countries participate. Although not included in the official Olympic records, these games help to revive the tradition of holding the world sports competition.
The 1906 Stanley Steamer is produced at a cost of $600 (a working man’s average salary is less than $300 per year). Powered by gasoline, water and steam, the vehicle, when purged of its steam at the end of a driving session, fills an entire football field.
President Roosevelt investigates the world of college football for unnecessary roughness and creates the IAAUS, forerunner of the NCAA, to come up with new rules after the 1905 season results in 18 deaths. Many think the game is too rough to be allowed to continue.
Mark Twain and Rudyard Kipling are two of the famous authors of the day. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1876 and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1884 are still popular. Kipling will be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. Upton Sinclair’s novel, The Jungle, is published in 1906 exposing unsanitary conditions in Chicago’s meat packing industry. Upon reading this book, President Roosevelt launches an investigation that will lead to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration. More muckrakers, or reality novels will be written to expose other social problems. House of Mirth by Edith Wharton was written the year before in 1905.
Fashion includes large hats, long dresses, button shoes and many petticoats. Hats are the norm for men, women and children. Most women’s outfits consist of two pieces: the blouse and the skirt. Ready-to-wear garments are just beginning and the one-piece dress will soon become quite fashionable. The long dresses and coats are unbearably hot, but must be worn because automobile/train travel is so nasty. Even walking results in soiled petticoats and dresses although protected with removable dust ruffles. The Floradora Fob becomes popular: the fob attached to the waist allows the wearer to hold at least one fold of the garment up from the street.
Mesa Verde National Park is created in Colorado as part of Roosevelt’s plan to perserve our national natural attractions on public lands.
An all-Chicago World Series emerges with the Chicago White Sox against the Chicago Cubs. The White Sox will win 4 games to 2.
The United States Flag has 45 stars. Oklahoma will be added in 1907.
President Theodore Roosevelt visits the Panama Canal which is still under construction. He is also awarded the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating peace in the Russo-Japanese War.
Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity was published in 1905.
At 9 PM on Christmas Eve, the first wireless radio broadcast including voice and music is broadcast by Canadian physicist, Reginald Fessenden. A violin solo and singing is heard all up and down the east coast on ships’ radios. The Alexanderson Alternator operates at a frequency of 42 KHz and 1 kilowatt of power. The story of the birth of Christ in Luke 2 is also read over the airwaves.
Mobeetie, Tascosa, Channing, Clarendon and Amarillo are among the Panhandle’s established cities most owing their development to cattle production and related industry. S.W.T. Lanham is governor of Texas. The XIT Ranch, after some 20 years of operation, is being sold to land developers and settlers, George G. Wright among them. Friona, a little town on the prairie begins its journey of progress on the prairie...
