Tag Archives: 1901

31 January 1901

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Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters premieres at Moscow Art Theatre in Russia

Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters (1901) is a poignant drama that explores themes of longing, stagnation, and the search for meaning in life. Set in a provincial Russian town, the play revolves around the three Prozorov sisters—Olga, Masha, and Irina—who dream of escaping their mundane existence and returning to the vibrant city of Moscow, a symbol of hope and fulfillment. However, their aspirations remain unfulfilled as they grapple with personal disillusionment, unrequited love, and the constraints of social and familial duty. Chekhov masterfully captures the subtleties of human emotion and the inevitability of change through his signature realism and deeply nuanced characters. The play’s melancholic tone underscores the existential frustrations of the sisters and those around them, reinforcing Chekhov’s broader themes of the futility of ambition and the passage of time. Despite their dreams, the sisters remain trapped in their circumstances, making Three Sisters a powerful meditation on the complexities of desire, resignation, and the human condition.

24 October 1901

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Annie Edson Taylor becomes the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel

Annie Edson Taylor, a 63-year-old schoolteacher from Michigan, became the first person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Her motivation was largely financial—she hoped the stunt would bring her fame and fortune, allowing her to live comfortably.

The Barrel: Taylor used a specially designed barrel made of oak and iron, padded with a mattress to protect her from the impact. It was about 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide, large enough for her to fit inside but small enough to float and be manageable.
The Plunge: Taylor entered the barrel near the American shore and was set adrift in the Niagara River. After floating towards the edge, the barrel went over the 167-foot Horseshoe Falls.
Survival: Miraculously, Taylor survived the fall with only minor injuries—a small cut on her head—but the fame and fortune she sought didn’t materialize as she had hoped. Despite her survival, she warned others never to attempt the stunt, saying, “No one ought ever do that again.”

12 October 1901

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President Theodore Roosevelt officially renames the “Executive Mansion” to the White House.

The White House is the official residence and workplace of the President of the United States. It’s one of the most iconic buildings in the country and serves as a symbol of the U.S. government.

Location
The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. It’s situated at the heart of the nation’s capital and is surrounded by other important government buildings and landmarks.

History
The White House was designed by James Hoban, an Irish-born architect, and its construction began in 1792. The building was completed in 1800, during the presidency of John Adams, who became the first president to live there.
The structure has gone through several renovations and restorations. Notably, it was set on fire by British forces during the War of 1812, and major reconstruction was required.

Architecture
The White House is built in the neoclassical architectural style, which was popular at the time. It has a prominent portico and is made of white-painted sandstone, giving it its characteristic look.
The building consists of six stories, including two basements. It houses both living quarters for the president’s family and rooms used for official business and ceremonial events.

Role and Functions
The White House is both a residential and working space. The West Wing of the White House is where the president’s offices are located, including the famous Oval Office.
The East Wing is primarily used for events and includes the offices of the First Lady and social events staff. It also contains the White House Visitor Center, where public tours are coordinated.

Public Access
While the White House is a working government building, parts of it are open to the public through scheduled tours. These tours allow people to visit historic rooms like the East Room, the State Dining Room, and the Blue Room.

Cultural Significance
Beyond its role as the residence of the sitting president, the White House is a symbol of the U.S. presidency and democracy. It is the backdrop for many important state functions, meetings with foreign leaders, and national addresses.

19 January 1901

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Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom, stricken with paralysis. She dies three days later at the age of 81.

Queen Victoria, who reigned as the Queen of the United Kingdom from 1837 until her death in 1901, passed away on January 22, 1901, at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Her death marked the end of the Victorian era, a period characterized by significant cultural, political, and industrial changes.

Queen Victoria’s decline in health leading up to her death was attributed to a combination of factors, including her advanced age, numerous medical issues, and the emotional toll of the death of her beloved husband, Prince Albert, in 1861. In the later years of her life, Victoria faced several health challenges, including rheumatism and diminishing eyesight. However, it was a cerebral hemorrhage that ultimately caused her death.

On the evening of January 22, 1901, Queen Victoria suffered a stroke or cerebral hemorrhage while at Osborne House. She was surrounded by her family, including her son, the future King Edward VII, and her grandson, the German Emperor Wilhelm II. Queen Victoria’s condition deteriorated rapidly, and she passed away at the age of 81.

Following her death, Queen Victoria’s body was placed in her White Drawing Room at Osborne House, where she lay in state for a few days. Her funeral took place on February 2, 1901, and she was interred beside her husband, Prince Albert, at the Frogmore Mausoleum near Windsor Castle. Queen Victoria’s death marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter in British history.

2 February 1901

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The funeral of Queen Victoria takes place.

The funeral of Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, occurred on 2 February 1901. It was one of the largest gatherings of European royalty ever to take place.

In 1897, Victoria had written instructions for her funeral, which was to be military as befitting a soldier’s daughter and the head of the army, and white instead of black. On 25 January, Edward VII, the Kaiser and Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, helped lift her body into the coffin. She was dressed in a white dress and her wedding veil. An array of mementos commemorating her extended family, friends and servants were laid in the coffin with her, at her request, by her doctor and dressers. One of Albert’s dressing gowns was placed by her side, with a plaster cast of his hand, while a lock of John Brown’s hair, along with a picture of him, was placed in her left hand concealed from the view of the family by a carefully positioned bunch of flowers. Items of jewellery placed on Victoria included the wedding ring of John Brown’s mother, given to her by Brown in 1883. Her funeral was held on Saturday, 2 February, in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, and after two days of lying-in-state, she was interred beside Prince Albert in Frogmore Mausoleum at Windsor Great Park.

The state funeral of Queen Victoria took place in February 1901; it had been 64 years since the last burial of a monarch. Victoria left strict instructions regarding the service and associated ceremonies and instituted a number of changes, several of which set a precedent for state funerals that have taken place since. First, she disliked the preponderance of funereal black; henceforward, there would be no black cloaks, drapes or canopy, and Victoria requested a white pall for her coffin. Second, she expressed a desire to be buried as “a soldier’s daughter”. The procession, therefore, became much more a military procession, with the peers, privy counsellors and judiciary no longer taking part en masse. Her pallbearers were equerries rather than dukes, and for the first time, a gun carriage was employed to convey the monarch’s coffin. Third, Victoria requested that there should be no public lying in state. This meant that the only event in London on this occasion was a gun carriage procession from one railway station to another: Victoria having died at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, her body was conveyed by boat and train to Waterloo Station, then by gun carriage to Paddington Station and then by train to Windsor for the funeral service itself.

The funeral procession
The rare sight of a state funeral cortège travelling by ship provided a striking spectacle: Victoria’s body was carried on board HMY Alberta from Cowes to Gosport, with a suite of yachts following conveying the new king, Edward VII, and other mourners. Minute guns were fired by the assembled fleet as the yacht passed by. Victoria’s body remained on board ship overnight before being conveyed by gun carriage to the railway station the following day for the train journey to London. Victoria broke convention by having a white draped coffin.

Victoria’s children had married into the great royal families of Europe and a number of foreign monarchs were in attendance including Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany as well as the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

16 December 1901

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Beatrix Potter publishes The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

On December 16, 1901, Beatrix Potter published The Tale of Peter Rabbit. It was privately published and became one of the best selling books of all time, eventually selling 45 million copies.

Peter Rabbit is a mischievous bunny who gets in trouble by disobeying his mother and going into Mr. McGregor’s garden. After many adventures, he returns safely to his mother.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit was rejected by many publishers for various reasons?—?some wanted to change the text extensively or have Potter do so, others wanted her to change the illustrations. But Potter, whose parents had encouraged her interests in education, was insistent on how the book should look. Among her varied interests, she was an artist.

So, she published it privately at first, but eventually reached agreement with Frederick Warne & Co on how the book should look. She also had a lot of ideas of how to merchandise the book.

27 November 1901

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The US Army War College is established.

Established from the principles learned in the Spanish–American War, the College was founded by Secretary of War Elihu Root and U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, and formally established by General Order 155 on 27 November 1901. Washington Barracks—now called Fort Lesley J. McNair—in Washington, D.C. was chosen as the site. Roosevelt attended the Masonic laying of the cornerstone of Roosevelt Hall on 21 February, 1903.

The first president of the Army War College was Major General Samuel B. M. Young in July 1902 and the first students attended the College in 1904.

During the presidency of Montgomery M. Macomb in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson accused students and staff of planning for taking part in an offensive war, even though the United States had not entered World War I. Wilson was unconvinced by Macomb’s explanation that the college was concerned only with the intellectual growth and professional development of its students, and insisted that the school curtail its activities in order to ensure that the U.S. maintained its neutrality.

The College remained at Washington Barracks until the 1940s, when it was closed due to World War II. It reopened in 1950 at Fort Leavenworth, and moved one year later to its present location.

The Center for Strategic Leadership areas of emphasis are experiential education, Senior Leader education, support to Army Senior Leader research, and support to both US Army War College and Army Senior Leader strategic communication efforts. CSL’s professional staff and Collins Hall facility host, support, develop, and conduct world-class events focused on a broad range of strategic leadership and national security issues and concepts in support of the USAWC, the Army, and the Interagency and Joint Communities.

The Basic Strategic Art Program is one of the academic programs taught at the U.S. Army War College. When the program was founded in 2003, its purpose was to provide those officers who had been newly designated into Functional Area 59 an introduction to strategy and to the unique skills, knowledge, and attributes needed as a foundation for their progressive development as army strategists. FA 59 officers have deployed to combat since the onset of the Global War on Terror in 2001. Since then, graduates of this program served in key positions in Iraq, Afghanistan, all combatant commands, and at the Pentagon.

The Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute is located at the War College. The institute’s mission is to serve as the U.S. Military’s Center of Excellence for Stability and Peace Operations at the strategic and operational levels in order to improve military, civilian agency, international, and multinational capabilities and execution.