Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century
Decades: 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s - 1900s - 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s
Years: 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 - 1904 - 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
Events:
- February 8 - Japanese surprise attack on Port Arthur (Lushun) starts Russo-Japanese War
- The second Summer Olympic Games are held in St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- November - Theodore Roosevelt defeats Alton B. Parker in the U.S. presidential election
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Joseph F. Smith issues a "Second Manifesto" against polygamy
Births:
- February 11 - Henry LaBouisse, head of UNICEF (1965-1979)
- February 11 - Sir Keith Holyoake, New Zealand Prime Minister (1960-1972)
- March 23 - Joan Crawford, actress
- March 26 - Joseph Campbell, author and expert on mythology
- June 2 - Johnny Weissmuller, American swimmer and actor
- July 12 - Deng Xiaoping, Chinese politician and leader
- July 13 - Pablo Neruda, poet
Deaths:
- July 14 - Anton Chekhov, Russian playwright and short story writer
Films:
- The Great Train Robbery, by Siegmund Lubin (a remake of the 1903 classic...)