January 11
January 11
Grand Canyon National Monument is created
Declaring that “The ages had been at work on it, and man can only mar it,” President Theodore Roosevelt designates the mighty Grand Canyon a national monument. Home to Native…
A Year In History: 1908
Also Within This Year in History:
1908
In a year that would revolutionize transportation, Henry Ford’s introduced his first Model T and the Wright Brothers’ made their first public flight to demonstrate the airplane they’d invented several years earlier. In Europe, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, now seen as a prelude to World War I. In America, Sears started selling "kit" homes through its mail-order catalog, starting for $650. And the charismatic outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid reportedly met their end in Bolivia—although not everyone believed it.
January 11
January 11
Theodore Roosevelt makes Grand Canyon a national monument
On January 11, 1908, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt declares the massive Grand Canyon in northwestern Arizona a national monument. Though Native Americans lived in the area as early as the…
January 11
January 11
Roosevelt dedicates the Grand Canyon as a national monument
On this day in 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt places the Grand Canyon under public protection, declaring it a national monument. In a statement made during a visit to the Grand…
January 24
January 24
Boy Scouts movement begins
On January 24, 1908, the Boy Scouts movement begins in England with the publication of the first installment of Robert Baden‑Powell’s Scouting for Boys. The name Baden‑Powell was already well…
February 1
February 1
Portuguese king and heir assassinated
On February 1, 1908, King Carlos I of Portugal and his eldest son, Luis Filipe, are assassinated by revolutionaries while riding in an open carriage through the streets of Lisbon,…
March 22
March 22
Louis L’Amour born
Louis L’Amour, the prolific author of scores of bestselling western novels, is born in Jamestown, North Dakota. An indifferent student, L’Amour dropped out of high school at age 15. Over…
April 12
April 12
Fire threatens Massachusetts oil refineries
A fire in Chelsea, Massachusetts, leaves 12 dead, 85 missing and presumed dead and more than 17,000 homeless on this day in 1908. The fire nearly spread to nearby Boston…
April 24
April 24
Tornado flattens towns in Louisiana and Mississippi
A single tornado travels 150 miles through Louisiana and Mississippi, leaving 143 dead in its wake. In total, 311 people lost their lives to twisters during the deadly month of…
July 3
July 3
M.F.K. Fisher is born
Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher is born on this day in Albion, Michigan. Her father, a fourth‑generation writer, purchased a newspaper in Whittier, California, where the family moved in 1911. In…
July 24
July 24
Sultan of Turkey restores constitution at demand of Young Turk rebels
On this day in 1908, amid turmoil in the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Abdul Hamid decrees restoration of the constitution, fulfilling the main demand of the Committee of Union and Progress…
July 26
July 26
FBI founded
On July 26, 1908, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is born when U.S. Attorney General Charles Bonaparte orders a group of newly hired federal investigators to report to Chief…
August 27
August 27
Lyndon B. Johnson is born
On August 27, 1908, future President Lyndon Baines Johnson is born on a farm near Stonewall, Texas. The brash, outspoken Johnson grew up in an impoverished rural area and worked…
August 31
August 31
William Saroyan is born
William Saroyan, the son of an Armenian immigrant, is born in Fresno on this day in 1908. Saroyan’s father died when the boy was only three, and he was raised…
September 16
September 16
William Durant creates General Motors
On September 16, 1908, Buick Motor Company head William Crapo Durant spends $2,000 to incorporate General Motors in New Jersey. Durant, a high‑school dropout, had made his fortune building horse‑drawn…
September 23
September 23
Controversial call ties Cubs the pennant
On September 23, 1908, a game between the New York Giants and Chicago Cubs ends in 1‑1 tie after a controversial call at second base. The officials ruled that Giants…
October 1
October 1
Ford Motor Company unveils the Model T
On October 1, 1908, the first production Model T Ford is completed at the company’s Piquette Avenue plant in Detroit. Between 1908 and 1927, Ford would build some 15 million…
October 6
October 6
Austria‑Hungary annexes Bosnia‑Herzegovina
On October 6, 1908, the Dual Monarchy of Austria‑Hungary announces its annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, dual provinces in the Balkan region of Europe formerly under the control of the…
October 30
October 30
Queen of American high society dies
Caroline Schermerhorn Astor, wife of businessman and racehorse breeder William Backhouse Astor, Jr., dies at the age of 78. Even before her union with William Astor—the grandson of the American…
December 26
December 26
Jack Johnson wins heavyweight boxing title
On this day in 1908, the boxer John Arthur Johnson defeats Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia, becoming the first black heavyweight champion of the world and an international icon. Born…
December 26
December 26
Jack Johnson wins heavyweight title
Jack Johnson becomes the first African American to win the world heavyweight title when he knocks out Canadian Tommy Burns in the 14th round in a championship bout near Sydney,…
