January 13
January 13
First group of Korean immigrants enter Hawaii
On January 13, 1903, the RMS Gaelic arrives in Honolulu, bringing with it the first Korean immigrants to the United States. The Hawaiian Star calls the 102 newcomers “a possible…
A Year In History: 1903
This Year in History:
1903
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
February 15
February 15
First Teddy bear goes on sale
On February 15, 1903, toy store owner and inventor Morris Michtom places two stuffed bears in his shop window, advertising them as Teddy bears. Michtom had earlier petitioned President Theodore…
March 11
March 11
Lawrence Welk is born
On March 11, 1903, musician and entertainer Lawrence Welk is born. For the generation that grew up on the big bands of the 1930s and ’40s, The Lawrence Welk Show…
March 16
March 16
Judge Roy Bean dies
On March 16, 1903, Roy Bean, the self‑proclaimed “law west of the Pecos,” dies in Langtry, Texas. A saloonkeeper and adventurer, Bean’s claim to fame rested on the often humorous…
May 12
May 12
Teddy Roosevelt’s trip to San Francisco is captured on film
On May 12, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt’s trip to San Francisco is captured on moving‑picture film, making him one of the first presidents to have an official activity recorded in…
June 16
June 16
Ford Motor Company incorporated
At 9:30 in the morning on June 16, 1903, Henry Ford and other prospective stockholders in the Ford Motor Company meet in Detroit to sign the official paperwork required to…
July 15
July 15
Ford Motor Company takes its first order
On July 15, 1903, the newly formed Ford Motor Company takes its first order from Chicago dentist Ernst Pfenning: an $850 two‑cylinder Model A automobile with a tonneau (or backseat).…
October 1
October 1
Pittsburgh beats Boston in first World Series game
In Boston on October 1, 1903, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Americans, 7‑3, in the first professional baseball World Series game. Pirates right fielder Jimmy Sebring hits the first…
November 3
November 3
Panama declares independence from Colombia
With the support of the U.S. government, Panama issues a declaration of independence from Colombia. The revolution was engineered by a Panamanian faction backed by the Panama Canal Company, a…
November 10
November 10
Mary Anderson patents windshield wiper
The patent office awards U.S. Patent No. 743,801 to a Birmingham, Alabama woman named Mary Anderson for her “window cleaning device for electric cars and other vehicles to remove snow,…
November 20
November 20
Tom Horn is hanged in Wyoming for the murder of Willie Nickell
On November 20, 1903, the infamous hired killer Tom Horn is hanged for having allegedly murdered Willie Nickell, the 14‑year‑old son of a southern Wyoming sheep rancher. Some historians have…
December 10
December 10
Marie and Pierre Curie are awarded Nobel Prize for their work with radium
On December 10, 1903, Marie and Pierre Curie are awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics for their groundbreaking investigations of radioactivity, sharing the prize with French scientist A. Henri Becquerel.…
December 17
December 17
First airplane flies
Near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first successful flight in history of a self‑propelled, heavier‑than‑air aircraft on December 17, 1903. Orville piloted the gasoline‑powered, propeller‑driven…
December 30
December 30
Fire breaks out in Chicago theater
A fire in the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois, kills more than 600 people on December 30, 1903. It was the deadliest theater fire in U.S. history. Blocked fire exits…
