1900
Planck proposes the quantum
Trying to patch a small crack in the physics of glowing objects, Max Planck suggested energy might come in tiny indivisible packets.
Boxers besiege Beijing legations
Armed with martial-arts mysticism and grievances against foreign missionaries, the Righteous Harmony Society swept into Beijing and cornered diplomats inside…
Freud publishes Interpretation of Dreams
A Viennese neurologist insisted the mind harbored a hidden basement where wishes, fears, and forbidden longings dressed themselves in symbols each night.
Zeppelin's airship takes flight
Over Lake Constance, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin's cigar-shaped behemoth LZ-1 lifted its aluminum frame and canvas skin into the July sky.
Italian king assassinated at Monza
An Italian-American anarchist from Paterson, New Jersey, shot King Umberto I four times at point-blank range in front of his carriage, in revenge…
Conrad publishes Lord Jim
A Polish-born sea captain writing in his third language put out a novel about a young English officer's moment of cowardice and his long attempt to make…
Irish Literary Renaissance begins
W.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1900?
Saeculum lists 7 events from 1900. The most significant is Planck proposes the quantum: Trying to patch a small crack in the physics of glowing objects, Max Planck suggested energy might come in tiny indivisible packets.
What era was 1900 part of?
1900 falls within the Industrial Age (1801-1900). Steam, empire, and the unmaking of the old order.
Which regions saw notable events in 1900?
The events from 1900 span Europe and East Asia.