7th January » The distress signal "CQD" is established only to be replaced two years later by "SOS".
8th January » The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system.
23rd January » Ålesund Fire: the Norway Norwegian coastal town Ålesund is devastated by fire, leaving 10,000 people homeless and one person dead. Kaiser William II, German Emperor Wilhelm II funds the rebuilding of the town in Art Nouveau Jugendstil style.
7th February » A Great Baltimore Fire called fire in Baltimore, Maryland destroys over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
8th February » Battle of Port Arthur: A surprise torpedo attack by the Japanese at Lushun known as Port Arthur, China starts the Russo-Japanese War.
9th February » Russo-Japanese War: Battle of Port Arthur concludes.
17th February » 'Madama Butterfly' receives its première at La Scala in Milan.
22nd February » The United Kingdom sells a meteorological station on the South Orkney Islands to Argentina, the islands are subsequently claimed by the United Kingdom in 1908.
5th April » The first international rugby league match is played between England national rugby league team named England and an Other Nationalities team (Welsh & Scottish players) in Central Park (Wigan) called Central Park, Wigan, England.
8th April » The French Third Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland sign the 'Entente cordiale'.
8th April » United Kingdom e.g British mystic Aleister Crowley transcribes the first chapter of 'The Book of the Law'.
8th April » Longacre Square in Midtown Manhattan is renamed Times Square after 'The New York Times'.
10th April » British mystic Aleister Crowley transcribes the third and final chapter of 'The Book of the Law'.
24th April » The Lithuanian press ban is lifted after almost 40 years.
27th April » The Australian Labor Party becomes the first such party to gain Central government or national government, under Chris Watson.
4th May » The United States begins construction of the Panama Canal.
4th May » Charles Rolls Charles Stewart Rolls meets Henry Royce Frederick Henry Royce at the Midland Hotel (Manchester) Midland Hotel in Manchester, England.
5th May » Pitcher Pitching against the Oakland Athletics Philadelphia Athletics at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Cy Young of the Boston Red Sox Boston Americans throws the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball.
9th May » The steam locomotive 'GWR 3440 City of Truro City of Truro' becomes the first steam engine in Europe to exceed convert 100 mph km/h abbr=on.
10th May » The Horch named Horch & Cir. Motorwagenwerke AG is founded.
21st May » The FIFA called Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is founded in Paris.
16th June » Eugen Schauman assassinates Nikolai Ivanovich Bobrikov known as Nikolai Bobrikov, Governor-General of Finland.
16th June » Irish author James Joyce begins a relationship with Nora Barnacle and subsequently uses the date to set the actions for his novel 'Ulysses (novel) named Ulysses'; this date is now traditionally called "Bloomsday".
21st July » Louis Rigolly, a Frenchman, becomes the first man to break the convert 100 mph 0 abbr=on barrier on land. He drove a 15-liter Gobron-Brille in Ostend, Belgium.
31st July » Russo-Japanese War: Battle of Hsimucheng: Units of the Imperial Japanese Army defeat units of the Imperial Russian Army in a strategic confrontation.
10th August » Russo-Japanese War: the Battle of the Yellow Sea between the Russian and Japanese battleship fleets takes place.
23rd August » The tire chain e.g automobile tire chain is patented.
8th October » Edmonton, Alberta is incorporated as a city.
8th October » Prince Albert, Saskatchewan is incorporated as a city.
15th October » The Russian Baltic Fleet leaves Reval, Estonia for Lüshunkou called Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War.
20th October » Chile and Bolivia sign the Treaty of Peace and Friendship (1904) called Treaty of Peace and Friendship, delimiting the border between the two countries.
27th October » The first underground New York City Subway line opens; the system becomes the biggest in United States, and one of the biggest in world.
28th October » Panama and Uruguay establish Panama–Uruguay relations called diplomatic links.
16th November » English engineer John Ambrose Fleming receives a patent for the vacuum tube e.g thermionic valve (vacuum tube).
18th November » General Esteban Huertas steps down after the government of Panama fears he wants to stage a coup.
6th December » Theodore Roosevelt articulated his Roosevelt Corollary or "Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine, stating that the U.S. would intervene in the Western Hemisphere should Latin American governments prove incapable or unstable.