Centuries:
19th century – 20th century – 21st century
Decades:
1870s 1880s 1890s – 1900s – 1910s 1920s 1930s
Years:
1906 1907 1908 – 1909 – 1910 1911 1912
Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar).
Events of 1909
January


Jan. 1: Lakeview Gusher
- January – The Old Age Pensions Act 1908 comes into force in Britain.
- 1 January – Drilling begins on the Lakeview Gusher.
- 5 January – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama.
- 16 January – Ernest Shackleton’s expedition claims to have found the magnetic South Pole, but the location recorded for it may be incorrect.
- 27 January – The Young Left is founded in Norway.
- 28 January – United States troops leave Cuba after being there since the Spanish-American War.
February


24 February: Hudson is founded.
- 12 February – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded.
- 23 February – The Silver Dart makes the first powered flight in Canada.
- 24 February – The Hudson Motor Car Company is founded.
March
April
- April 4 – Sport Club Internacional is founded, Porto Alegre – RS – Brazil
- 6 April – Robert Peary, Matthew Henson, and four Eskimo explorers allegedly reach the North Pole.
- 18 April – Joan of Arc is beatified in Rome.
- 27 April – Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Abdul Hamid II is overthrown and succeeded by his brother, Mehmed V. He was sent to the Ottoman port city of Thessaloniki (Selanik) next day.
May
- 13 May – Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna wins the first Giro d'Italia in Milan.
June
- 1 June – The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition opens in Seattle.
- 2 June – Alfred Deakin becomes Prime Minister of Australia for the third time.
- 9 June – Alice Huyler Ramsey, a 22-year-old housewife and mother from Hackensack, New Jersey, becomes the first woman to drive across the United States. With three female companions, none of whom could drive a car, for fifty-nine days she drives a Maxwell automobile 3,800 miles, from Manhattan, New York to San Francisco, California.
- 15 June – Representatives from England, Australia and South Africa meet at Lord’s and form the Imperial Cricket Conference.
- 22 June – Construction begins on the Cape Cod Canal, which would separate Cape Cod from mainland Massachusetts, United States.
July
- 13 July – Gold discovered near Cochrane, Ontario.
- 16 July – A revolution forces Mohammad Ali Shah, Persian Shah of the Qajar dynasty to abdicate in favour of his son Ahmad Shah Qajar. He proceeds in leaving Persia for Imperial Russia, reportedly seeking the assistance of Nicholas II of Russia in regaining the throne.
- 25 July – Louis Bleriot is the first man to fly across the English Channel(thus a large open body of water) in a heavier-than-air craft.
- 26 July – Work on the anti-aircraft gun commences.
August
- 8 August – Launching of The Rosicrucian Fellowship at Seattle, Washington.
- 12 August – The first event is held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
- 23 August – Welshman Fred ‘Tenby’ Davies beats Irishman Bert Day at Pontypridd to become world champion over the half-mile distance run.
September
- 4 September – Japan and Qing signed Jiandao/Gando Treaty, which gave Imperial Japan a way to receive railroad concessions in Manchuria.
October
- October – The Trade Boards Act, a form of Minimum wage legislation, is passed in the UK.
8 October
The first rugby football match to be played at Twickenham Stadium is won by Harlequins when they defeat Richmond at the brand new ground.
8 October
An earthquake in the Zagreb area leads Andrija Mohorovičić to identify the Mohorovičić discontinuity.
13 October – Agreement by Germany, Italy and Switzerland giving the Germans and Italians access to the St. Gotthard Railway tunnel
- 26 October – Korean nationalist An Jung-geun assassinates Ito Hirobumi, a former Prime Minister of Japan, in Harbin, China, in protest of the Japanese annexation of Korea.
November
- 2 November – Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity is founded at Boston University.
- 11 November – US Navy founds a navy base in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii.
- 13 November – Ballinger-Pinchot scandal begins: Collier’s magazine accuses US Secretary of the Interior Richard Ballinger of questionable dealings in Alaskan coal fields.
- 18 November – Two United States warships are sent to Nicaragua after 500 revolutionaries (including two Americans) are executed by order of dictator Jose Santos Zelaya.
December
4 December
The first Grey Cup Championship game is played.
- The Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club is founded.
The University of Bristol is founded and receives its Royal Charter.
17 December – Leopold II of Belgium dies and is succeeded by his nephew Albert I of Belgium.
- 31 December – Manhattan Bridge opens.
Undated
- Karl Landsteiner develops system of blood grouping.
- Opening of Leon’s, Canadian furniture store.
- The laboratory of Paul Ehrlich creates the Salvarsan treatment for syphilis.
- Centennial anniversary is held for Miami University (Ohio).
- American Issue Publishing House of Anti-Saloon League is incorporated.
- Building of the modern city of Tel Aviv, Israel, begins; it is known initially as Ahuzat Bayit.
Ongoing
- Unification of Saudi Arabia
Births
1909 in other calendars
Gregorian calendar
1909
MCMIX
Ab urbe condita
2662
Armenian calendar
1358
ԹՎ ՌՅԾԸ
Bahá'í calendar
65 – 66
Berber calendar
2859
Buddhist calendar
2453
Burmese calendar
1271
Byzantine calendar
7417 – 7418
Chinese calendar
戊申年十二月初十日
(4545/4605-12-10)
— to —
己酉年十一月十九日
(4546/4606-11-19)
Coptic calendar
1625 – 1626
Ethiopian calendar
1901 – 1902
Hebrew calendar
5669 – 5670
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat
1964 – 1965
- Shaka Samvat
1831 – 1832
- Kali Yuga
5010 – 5011
Holocene calendar
11909
Iranian calendar
1287 – 1288
Islamic calendar
1326 – 1327
Japanese calendar
Meiji 42
(明治42年)
Korean calendar
4242
Thai solar calendar
2452
January-February
- 1 January – Barry Goldwater, American politician (d. 1998)
- 3 January – Victor Borge, Danish entertainer (d. 2000)
- 4 January – J. R. Simplot, American businessman (d. 2008)
- 5 January – Stephen Cole Kleene, American mathematician (d. 1994)
- 8 January – Willy Millowitsch, German actor (d. 1999)
- 9 January – Anthony Mamo, Maltese President (1974-1976) (d. 2008)
- 13 January – Marinus van der Lubbe, Dutch communist accused of setting fire to the Reichstag (d. 1934)
15 January
Jean Bugatti, German-born automobile designer (d. 1939)
Gene Krupa, American drummer (d. 1973)
16 January – Clement Greenberg, American art critic (d. 1994)
- 19 January – Hans Hotter, German bass-baritone (d. 2003)
- 21 January – Todor Skalovski, Macedonian composer (d. 2004)
22 January
Ann Sothern, American actress (d. 2001)
U Thant, Burmese United Nations Secretary General (d. 1974)
24 January – Martin Lings, British Islamic scholar (d. 2005)
- 1 February – George Beverly Shea, American gospel singer and Songwriter
- 3 February – Simone Weil, French philosopher (d. 1943)
9 February
Carmen Miranda, Portuguese-born actress and singer (d. 1955)
- Dean Rusk, United States Secretary of State (d. 1994)
Harald Genzmer, German composer (d. 2007)
11 February
Max Baer, American boxer and actor (d. 1959)
Joseph Mankiewicz, American filmmaker (d. 1993)
15 February
Guillermo Gorostiza Paredes, Spanish footballer (d. 1966)
16 February – Hugh Beaumont (d. 1982)
Miep Gies, Dutch friend and biographer of Anne Frank
18 February – Wallace Stegner, American writer (d. 1993)
- 19 February – Enrico Donati, Italian-born American painter (d. 2008)
- 21 February – Hans Erni, Swiss painter and sculptor
- 22 February – Edmund Berkeley, American scientist (d. 1988)
- 24 February – August Derleth, American writer (d. 1971)
- 26 February – King Talal of Jordan (d. 1972)
March-April
May-June
- 6 May – Loyd Sigmon, American amateur (“ham”) radio broadcastor (d. 2004)
- 7 May – Edwin H. Land, American camera inventor (d. 1991)
- 10 May – Mother Maybelle Carter, American musician (d. 1978)
- 15 May – James Mason, British actor (d. 1984)
- 18 May – Fred Perry, English tennis player (d. 1995)
- 19 May – Nicholas Winton, British humanitarian
- 20 May – Matt Busby, Scottish football manager (Manchester United) (d. 1994)
- 23 May – Hugh E. Blair, American linguist (d. 1967)
- 24 May – Victoria Hopper, Blonde Canadian stage and film actress and singer (d. 2007)
- 27 May – Dolores Hope, American singer, wife of Bob Hope
- 30 May – Benny Goodman, American musician (d. 1986)
- 3 June – Ira D. Wallach, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2007)
- 6 June – Isaiah Berlin, Russian historian of ideas (d. 1997)
- 7 June – Jessica Tandy, English actress (d. 1994)
- 12 June – Archie Bleyer, American song arranger & band leader (d. 1989)
- 14 June – Burl Ives, American singer (d. 1995)
- 17 June – Elmer Lee Andersen, Governor of Minnesota (d. 2004)
- 20 June – Errol Flynn, Australian actor (d. 1959)
- 26 June – Colonel Tom Parker, Dutch-born celebrity manager (d. 1997)
July-August
- 3 July – Earl Butz, Former United States Secretary of Agriculture under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford (d. 2008)
- 11 July – Fritz Leonhardt, German structural engineer (d. 1999)
- 18 July – Mohammed Daoud Khan, President of Afghanistan (d. 1978)
- 23 July – John William Finn, World War II hero
- 28 July – Malcolm Lowry, British novelist (d. 1957)
- 30 July – C. Northcote Parkinson, British historian and author (d. 1993)
- 9 August – Adam von Trott zu Solz, German lawyer and diplomat (d. 1944)
- 10 August – Leo Fender, One of the most influential people in the development of electrical instruments (d. 1991)
25 August
Ruby Keeler, Canadian singer and actress (d. 1993)
Michael Rennie, English actor (d. 1971)
26 August – Jim Davis, American actor (d. 1981)
- 31 August – Ferenc Fejtő, Hungarian-born French journalist and political scientist (d. 2008)
September-October
- 1 September – E. Herbert Norman, Canadian diplomat (d. 1957)
- 7 September – Elia Kazan, Hungarian-born film director (d. 2003)
- 14 September – Peter Scott, British ornithologist and painter (d. 1989)
- 15 September – Jean Batten, New Zealand aviator (d. 1982)
- 17 September – Ernie Koy, former baseball player (d. 2007)
- 21 September – Kwame Nkrumah, Ghanaian politician (d. 1972)
- 24 September – Carl Sigman, American songwriter (d. 2000)
- 28 September – Al Capp, American cartoonist (d. 1979)
- 5 October – Tony Malinosky, former baseball player
- 10 October – Robert F. Boyle, American production designer and art director
- 14 October – Bernd Rosemeyer, German race car driver (d. 1938)
- 19 October – Cozy Cole, American jazz drummer (d. 1981)
- 24 October – Bill Carr, American athlete (d. 1966)
- 27 October – Henry Townsend, American blues musician (d. 2006)
- 28 October – Francis Bacon, Irish painter (d. 1992)
November-December
- 4 November – Skeeter Webb, baseball player (d. 1986)
- 9 November – Kay Thompson, American author and actress. (d. 1998)
- 10 November – Pawel Jasienica, Polish historian (d. 1970)
- 18 November – Johnny Mercer, American songwriter (d. 1976)
- 22 November – Mikhail Mil, Russian constructor of Mil helicopters and founder of the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant (d. 1970)
- 23 November – Nigel Tranter, Scottish historian and writer (d. 2000)
- 24 November – Gerhard Gentzen, German mathematician (d. 1945)
- 26 November – Eugene Ionesco, Romanian-born playwright (d. 1994)
- 27 November – James Agee, American writer (d. 1955)
- 4 December – Jimmy Jewel, English actor (d. 1995)
- 14 December – Edward Lawrie Tatum, American geneticist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1975)
- 16 December – Emil Mailho, former baseball player (d. 2007)
20 December
Vakkom Majeed, Indian freedom fighter, Travancore-Cochin Legislative member (d. 2000)
Vagn Holmboe, Danish composer (d. 1996)
21 December – Seicho Matsumoto, Japanese mystery writer and journalist (d. 1992)
- 22 December – Alan Carney, American actor (d. 1973)
23 December
Barney Ross, American boxer (d. 1967)
Donald Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 2000)
23 December – Giulio Racah, Israeli mathematician and physicist (d. 1965)
Deaths
January – June
- 8 January – Harry Seeley, palaeontologist (b. 1839)
- 10 January – Charles Vernon Culver, US politician (b. 1830)
- 12 January – Hermann Minkowski, German mathematician (b. 1864)
- 14 January – Arthur William a Beckett, British journalist (b. 1844)
- 15 January – Saint Arnold Janssen (b.1837)
- 17 February – Geronimo, Apache leader (b. 1829)
- 16 March – Wilbraham Egerton, 1st Earl Egerton of Tatton, chairman of the Manchester Ship Canal. (b. 1832)
- 10 April – Algernon Charles Swinburne, English poet (b. 1837)
- 28 April – Frederick Holbrook, Vermont governor (b. 1813)
- 10 May – Futabatei Shimei, author and translator (b. 1864)
- 18 May – Isaac Albéniz, Spanish composer (b. 1860)
- 24 June – Sarah Orne Jewett, American writer (b. 1849)
July – December
- 18 July – Carlos, Duke of Madrid (b. 1848)
- 19 July – Arai Ikunosuke, samurai (b. 1836)
- 5 August – Miguel Antonio Caro, Colombian political leader (b. 1843)
- 15 August – Euclides da Cunha, Brazilian author (b.1866)
- 27 August – Emil Christian Hansen, Danish fermentation physiologist (b. 1842)
- 2 September – Louis Delacenserie, Belgian architect (b. 1838)
- 4 September – Clyde Fitch, American dramatist (b. 1865)
- 27 September – Gyula Donáth, sculptor (b. 1850)
- 29 September – Vladimir Vidrić, poet (b. 1875)
- 26 October – Ito Hirobumi, 1st Prime Minister of Japan (assassinated) (b. 1841)
- 9 November – William Powell Frith, painter (b. 1819)
- 10 December – Red Cloud
- 15 December – Francisco Tárrega, guitarist and composer (b. 1852)
- 17 December – Leopold II of Belgium (b. 1835)
- 26 December – Frederic Remington, cowboy artist and sculptor (b. 1864)
- date unknown – Gideon T. Stewart, American educator and politician (b. 1824)
Nobel Prizes
- Physics – Guglielmo Marconi, Karl Ferdinand Braun for the development of wireless telegraphy (radio).
- Chemistry – Wilhelm Ostwald for his work on catalysis, chemical equilibria, and reaction velocities.
- Medicine – Emil Theodor Kocher for his work on the physiology, pathology, and surgery of the thyroid gland.
- Literature – Selma Lagerlöf (“in appreciation of the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual perception that characterize her writings”).
- Peace – Auguste Marie Francois Beernaert and Paul-Henri-Benjamin d'Estournelles de Constant.
Table of contents
Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1909”