1903–1905: Хроника событий года

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January 7 – The distress signal CQD is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by SOS. January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. January 12 – The Herero Wars in German South West Africa begin. January 17 – Anton Chekhov's last play, The Cherry Orchard («Вишнëвый сад», Vishnevyi sad), opens at the Moscow Art Theatre directed by Constantin Stanislavski, 6 month's before the author's death. January 23 – The Ålesund fire destroys most buildings in the town of Ålesund, Norway, leaving about 10,000 people without shelter. January 25 – Halford Mackinder presents a paper on "The Geographical Pivot of History" to the Royal Geographical Society of London in which he formulates the Heartland Theory, originating the study of geopolitics.

February 7 – The Great Baltimore Fire in Baltimore, Maryland, destroys over 1,500 buildings in 31 hours. February 8–9 – Battle of Port Arthur: A surprise Japanese naval attack on Port Arthur (Lüshun) in Manchuria starts the Russo Japanese War. February 10 – Roger Casement publishes his account of Belgian atrocities in the Congo. February 17 – Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly, with a background theme of Japan–United States relations, debuts at La Scala in Milan, to no great acclaim. On May 28 a revised version opens in Brescia, to huge success. February 23 – For $10 million, the United States gains control of the Panama Canal Zone. February 26 – The Wisconsin State Capitol, in Madison, Wisconsin, is almost entirely destroyed by fire after a gas jet ignites the newly varnished ceiling.

March 3 – Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany becomes the first person to make a recording of a political document, using Thomas Edison's cylinder. March 4 – Russo Japanese War: Russian troops in Korea retreat toward Manchuria, followed by 100,000 Japanese troops. March 6 – Scottish National Antarctic Expedition: Led by William Speirs Bruce, the Antarctic region of Coats Land is discovered from the Scotia. March 26 – 20,000 demonstrators gather in Hyde Park, London, to protest against the importation of Chinese labourers to South African gold mines. March 31 – British expedition to Tibet: The Battle of Guru – British troops under Colonel Francis Younghusband defeat ill equipped Tibetan troops.

July – Pavlos Melas enters Macedonia with a small unit of men during the Macedonian Struggle. July 1 – The third Modern Olympic Games open in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, as part of the World's Fair. July 22 – The first 2,000 of 62,000 contracted Chinese coolies arrive at Durban in South Africa from Qinhuangdao to relieve the shortage of unskilled labourers in the Transvaal Colony gold mines, recruited and shipped by the Chinese Engineering and Mining Corporation (CEMC), of which Herbert Hoover is a director. July 23 – A continuous track tractor is patented by David Roberts of Richard Hornsby & Sons of Grantham in England.

August 3 – British expedition to Tibet: The British expedition under Colonel Francis Younghusband takes Lhasa, Tibet. August 11 – Battle of Waterberg: Lothar von Trotha defeats the Herero people in German South West Africa, and drives them into the Omaheke desert, starting the Herero and Namaqua genocide. August 14 – Ismael Montes becomes President of Bolivia. August 17 – Russo Japanese War: A Japanese infantry charge fails to take Port Arthur. August 18 – Chris Watson resigns as the first Labor Prime Minister of Australia and is succeeded by George Reid (Free Trade Party). August 24 – Faroese Association football club Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag is established. Summer – Henri Matisse paints Luxe, Calme et Volupté at Saint Tropez; it will be considered the starting point of Fauvism.

September – Stuyvesant High School opens in New York City as Manhattan's first manual trade school for boys. September 1 – Griffin Park football ground, home of Brentford F. C., opens in London. September 2 – John Voss sails the rigged dugout canoe Tilikum into the River Thames in England after a 3 year voyage from Victoria, British Columbia, westabout. September 7 – British expedition to Tibet: The Dalai Lama signs the Anglo Tibetan Treaty with Colonel Francis Younghusband. September 17 – An early study on the relationship between alcohol and cardiovascular disease is published in the United States. September 26 – New Zealand dolphin Pelorus Jack is individually protected by Order in Council under the Sea Fisheries Act.

Global cosmetics companies are founded in Paris (France): Coty, by François Coty, and Garnier, by Alfred Amour Garnier. Canada Dry Ginger Ale is created by John J. McLaughlin.