The Year 1899 in Review: Fun Facts, Trivia, and Historic Highlights

This quick read is a collection of fun facts, trivia, and historic events from the year 1899. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, sports facts, erratic weather patterns, entertainment trivia, and much more.

1. In 1899, William McKinley (R-Ohio) was the 25th president of the United States. Garret Hobart (R-New Jersey) was the nation’s 24th vice president until November 21, when he passed away from heart failure.
2. The U.S. unemployment rate ranged from 6.5% to 8.7%, and the nation’s inflation rate was 0.00%.
3. The average wage in the United States was 22 cents per hour—and the typical American worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
4. The Beech-Nut baby food brand, Bergdorf Goodman, Bumble Bee Foods, Equifax, Kmart, Republic Steel, Ry-Krisp, Sonoco Petroleum, and Wilson’s Leather were among the American companies and brands launched in 1899.
5. On January 17, the United States annexed Wake Island, “a small coral atoll” located in the Pacific Ocean.
6. On February 4, the Philippine-American War began when “Filipino independence fighters clashed with U.S. troops [in Manila], marking the start of a conflict that would last until 1902.”
7. On February 11, the temperature fell to −61°F at Fort Logan, Montana, the coldest temperature ever recorded in the continental United States up until that time. This extreme temperature was part of a severe cold snap—known as the Great Arctic Outbreak of 1899, which “brought record-breaking cold to the continental United States, with temperatures plummeting as far south as Florida.”
8. On February 14, Congress approved using mechanical voting machines for federal elections.
9. On February 28, President McKinley approved a law that increased the pensions for American Civil War veterans—both Union and Confederate—to $25.00 a month.
10. On March 2, Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state was established.
11. On March 6, the Friedrich Bayer & Company of Germany received a patent for aspirin, a pain reliever. Felix Hoffmann, a chemist who worked at Bayer, had “synthesized” acetylsalicylic acid, the chemical compound that later became known as aspirin, in 1897.
12. On May 20, Jacob German, a New York City cab driver, became the first motorist in the U.S. to be arrested for speeding. He was caught driving his taxi at 12 miles per hour, more than twice the speed limit on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.
13. On June 7, American temperance advocate Carry Nation entered Dobson’s Saloon in Kiowa, Kansas, and destroyed the tavern’s entire liquor stock with her cache of rocks.
14. On July 3, the Illinois Juvenile Court Act took effect in Chicago, “marking the beginning of a separate court experience for children 16 and under.”
15. July 19 to August 2: The Newsboys’ Strike unfolded throughout New York City. According to the Library of Congress, a sudden rise in newspaper prices prompted a group of NYC’s newsboys “to stage a strike against big-time publishers like Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst.”
16. On July 21, Chattanooga, Tennessee, attorneys Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead “signed an agreement with Asa Candler, president of the Coca-Cola Company, to receive exclusive rights to bottle the soft drink throughout most of the United States.”
17. On July 27, gold was discovered in Nome, Alaska, leading to the Nome Gold Rush, which lasted until 1909.
18. On September 7, America’s first horseless carriage parade took place in Newport, Rhode Island.
19. On November 6, the first Packard luxury car was manufactured in Detroit, Michigan.
20. On November 8, the Bronx Zoo opened in New York City.
21. In 1897, Pearle and May Waite invented a revolutionary new dessert called Jell-O. However, they didn't have enough money to advertise and promote their new treat. As a result, they “sold the formula, patent, and name to a neighbor, Orator Frank Woodward, for $450 in 1899.”
22. British inventor David Misell was issued a U.S. patent for the first battery-operated flashlight.
23. Albert T. Marshall of Brockton, Massachusetts, received the first patent for a refrigerator.
24. John S. Thurman of St. Louis received a U.S. patent for a motorized vacuum cleaner.
25. Jules Alciatore, owner of Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans, created oysters Rockefeller—named after John D. Rockefeller, the wealthiest American at the time.
26. The Carnation Company began to manufacture evaporated milk, known at the time as Carnation sterilized cream.
27. Dentyne chewing gum and Wesson cooking oil appeared in the marketplace for the first time.
28. Famous people born in 1899 included Alfred Hitchcock (director), Duke Ellington (pianist), Ernest Hemingway (novelist), Fred Astaire (movie actor), Gloria Swanson (movie actress), and Noel Coward (playwright).
29. Famous people who died in 1899 were Charles Alfred Pillsbury (American industrialist), Johann Strauss II (Austrian composer), and Robert Bunsen (German chemist).
30. Popular movies were A Kiss in the Tunnel, Cinderella, Cleopatra’s Tomb, The Dreyfus Affair, and The Sign of the Cross.
31. Here are some sports facts from 1899: Manuel was the winning horse in the Kentucky Derby, Lawrence Brignolia won the Boston Marathon, and Harvard and Princeton were the NCAA football champions.
32. In 1899 as well, the words "aspirin," "bargain basement," "bath salts," "bawl out," "copy editor," "cover girl," "dollars-and-cents," "golf cart," "grass roots," "high blood pressure," "hit-and-run," "juvenile court," "meal ticket," "restroom," "scratch paper," "scrooge," "tongue-in-cheek," "tonsillectomy," and "x-ray" all appeared in print for the first time.
33. National League baseball champions: Brooklyn Superbas
34. U.S. Open Golf: Willie Smith
35. U.S. Tennis (Men/Women): Malcolm Whitman/Marion Jones

References:

1. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-1895.html
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1899_in_the_United_States
3. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1899
4. https://www.imdb.com/list/ls063865282/
5. https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/single/1899/
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1899_in_literature
7. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/year/1899.html
8. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/deceased/1899.html

Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor