The following events occurred in October 1909:
October 1, 1909 (Friday) Bhupinder Singh, the Maharaja of the Sikh princely state of Patiala, assumed full power upon attaining his 18th birthday. A Council of Regency had ruled in his name when he had assumed the throne at the age of 9. Bhupinder Singh ruled until his death in 1938. Famous Sikhs blogspot
October 2, 1909 (Saturday) In Berlin, Orville Wright became the first person to fly an airplane to an altitude of , and eventually reached . The same day, Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany became the first member of royalty to fly in an airplane, as Orville's passenger on a ten-minute flight. Twickenham Stadium, Britain's second largest stadium and the London home of the Rugby Football Union, hosted its first rugby match. Harlequin F.C. defeated Richmond F.C. 14–10.Rugby Football Union website Born: Alex Raymond, creator of Flash Gordon; in New Rochelle, New York (d. 1956 following automobile accident)
October 3, 1909 (Sunday) James Reid Moore of Ipswich, East Anglia, discovered what he believed to be flint tools dating from the Pliocene era, and evidence of the first human habitation of Britain. The flint objects, dubbed eoliths, were later determined to have been natural phenomena created by erosion of flint.Anne O'Connor, Finding Time for the Old Stone Age: A History of Palaeolithic Archaeology and Quaternary Geology in Britain, 1860–1960 (Oxford University Press, 2007), p151 The cornerstone for the Saskatchewan Legislative Building was laid by the Earl Grey, Governor General of Canada, who placed a time capsule inside.Province With a Heart: Celebrating 100 Years in Saskatchewan (CanWest Books, 2005), p37
October 4, 1909 (Monday) As Dr. Frederick Cook's claim of being first to reach the North Pole, was being questioned, his claim to have made the first ascent of Denali was called into doubt. Cook had stated in his book, To the Top of the Continent, that he had reached the summit of the Alaskan mountain on September 16, 1906. His mountain guide, Edward N. Barrill, swore out an affidavit that he and Cook had never been closer than to Denali, and that Cook had ordered him to alter his diary entries. The October 4 affidavit was published ten days later in a New York newspaper, the Globe and Commercial Advertiser. Born: Murray Chotiner, American political advisor to Richard Nixon; in Pittsburgh (d. 1974)
The Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg finished his groundbreaking opera, the atonal monodrama Erwartung. However, the opera did not premiere until June 6, 1924.
October 5, 1909 (Tuesday) Henry Ford and William C. Durant reached an agreement whereby Ford Motor Company would be acquired by General Motors for eight million dollars. Durant was unable to obtain the financing to make the agreed upon down payment of $2,000,000. "Ford wishes GM a happy 100th birthday", autoblog.com, September 18, 2008; Lawrence Howard Seltzer, A Financial History of the American Automobile Industry (A.M. Kelley, 1973), p36 The first classes were conducted at East Carolina University, as 104 women and 19 men began their studies at the East Carolina Teachers Training School in Greenville, North Carolina. East Carolina University website Born: Tony Malinosky, oldest living MLB player after the death of Bill Werber in 2009; in Collinsville, Illinois (d. 2011) (Connie Marrero, born April 25, 1911, would be considered the oldest until his death on April 23, 2014)
October 6, 1909 (Wednesday) An explosion at the Wellington Colliery at Nanaimo, British Columbia, killed 32 coal miners. "Thirty Die in a Mine", The New York Times, October 7, 1909, p1 Twenty-two years earlier, 150 miners had died at the company's mines. Roger Stonebanks, "No. 1 Mine: Racism Revisited", historycooperative.org Martha Rendell was executed at Fremantle Prison in Perth, Western Australia for the murder of three children.True Crime Library, "Martha Rendell- Australia", truecrimelibrary.com Born: Robert Potter, English architect noted for his work on church buildings.
October 7, 1909 (Thursday) William H. Taft became the last American president to ride in a stagecoach (as opposed to an open horse-drawn carriage). President Taft and naturalist John Muir rode for ten hours on a trip through the Yosemite National Park from El Portal to Wawona, California. "Long Ride For Taft Through Yosemite", The New York Times, October 8, 1909, p1 Born: Herblock, (Herbert Lawrence Block) American editorial cartoonist; in Chicago; (d. 2001)
October 8, 1909 (Friday) Seismologist Andrija Mohorovičić of Zagreb obtained laboratory data from an earthquake that struck to the southeast of the Croatian city. By analyzing the behavior of the seismic waves from different locations, Mohorovičić established the existence of a layer between the Earth's crust and its Mantle (geology). The layer, more than 20 miles (30 km) underground, is now referred to as Mohorovičić discontinuity or the "Moho". Hiroo Kanmori, "Small Science and Unexpected Discoveries in Seismology" Lt. Frank Lahm became the first person to receive flight instruction from the U.S. Army, as Wilbur Wright showed him how to pilot the Wright Flyer at College Park, Maryland. 2nd Lt. Frederic E. Humphreys began instruction later that day. National Museum of the US Air Force, Fact Sheet: "First Military Pilots"
October 9, 1909 (Saturday) William James Sidis of Brookline, Massachusetts, became the youngest student ever admitted into Harvard University. The 11-year-old son of two Russian physicians began studies in mathematics. "Child Enters Harvard", The New York Times, October 10, 1909, p1 In college football, Kentucky defeated Illinois, 6–2. At a chapel service following the game, ROTC Commandant Philip Carbusier noted that the team "fought like wildcats", inspiring the team's nickname.Michael Leo Donovan, Yankees to Fighting Irish: What's Behind Your Favorite Team's Name (Taylor Trade Publications, 2004), p107
October 10, 1909 (Sunday) Backed by American businessmen, General Juan José Estrada began a revolution in Nicaragua to overthrow President José Santos Zelaya. Under pressure from the United States, Zelaya resigned in December, and Estrada became president in August with American support. An observer later noted, "The overthrow of President Zelaya in Nicaragua was the first real American coup."Stephen Kinzer, Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq (Times Books, 2006), pp66–70
October 11, 1909 (Monday) The Convention Internationale Relative à la Circulation des Automobiles was signed in Paris by 17 European nations, establishing common rules for rules of the road in the signatory nations. The treaty included the first four universal traffic signs (intersection, railroad crossing, curve and ditch), rules on passing and overtaking, and letter symbols for a car's nation of origin (A-Austria, B-Belgium, CH-Switzerland, D-Germany, E-Spain, F-France, GB-Great Britain, GR-Greece, H-Hungary, I-Italy, MC-Monaco, MN-Montenegro, NL-Netherlands, P-Portugal, R-Russia, RM-Romania, S-Sweden, SB-Serbia)."Automobile Traffic", Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements, (Taylor & Francis, 2003), Vol. I, p152
October 12, 1909 (Tuesday) The Amish bishops of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, denied a request by 35 families—one-fifth of the community—to ease a ban on use of electricity and telephones. The "Schism of 1910" followed in February and the group, dubbed the "Peachey Church" separated from the Old Order Amish church.Donald B Kraybill, The Riddle of Amish Culture (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001), pp189–212 The association football team Coritiba was founded in Curitiba, Brazil.
October 13, 1909 (Wednesday) Professor Francisco Ferrer was executed by a firing squad in Barcelona after a military court convicted him of inciting the Catalan uprising against the Kingdom of Spain. Outrage over Ferrer's execution led to riots outside Spain's embassies in Paris and other European capitals. "Ferrer is Shot; Riots in Paris", The New York Times, October 14, 1909, p1; "Ferrer Died Standing"; "Riots Over Ferrer Spread In Europe" The New York Times, October 15, 1909, p1; Ferrer Modern School papers The Ontario Provincial Police was created in Toronto."Ontario Provincial Police". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Born: Art Tatum, American jazz pianist; in Toledo, Ohio; (d.1956)
October 14, 1909 (Thursday) The first Provincial Assemblies were opened in China, followed a year later by a National Assembly."The Chinese Revolt: A Survey", by Adachi Kinnosuke, American Review of Reviews (December 1911) p718 In Game 6 of the 1909 World Series, the Detroit Tigers tied the best-of-7 series by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5–4. "Pirates and Tigers Tied For Honors", The New York Times, October 15, 1909, p12 The Federación Española de Clubes de Fútbol (FECF), the first national Spanish football federation, was founded in Spain on October 14, 1909. In 1913, the circuit was superseded by the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF). IFFHS history website Born: Bernd Rosemeyer, German race car driver; in Lingen (killed in auto accident, 1938).
October 15, 1909 (Friday) The Dover Harbour was opened as a suitable port for the British Navy after eleven years and $20,000,000 worth of improvements. The Prince of Wales dedicated the harbor, which could now accommodate the largest British dreadnoughts."Dover Opens $20,000,000 Harbor", The Washington Post, October 16, 1909, p1; "Dover Naval Port Completed At Last", The New York Times, October 17, 1909, p10 Born: Margie Hines, American voice actress, in Glendale, Queens, New York (d. 1985)
October 16, 1909 (Saturday) The world's first passenger airline, DELAG (DEutsche Luftschiffahrt AktienGesellschaft), was founded in Frankfurt, Germany. Zeppelin's Hamburg-America Line; Gerhard Katzch, "Regional Airport: Hamburg", in Putnam Aeronautical Review (October 1989), p125 The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Detroit Tigers 8–0 to win Game 7 of the 1909 World Series and baseball's world championship. "Pirates Triumph; World's Champions", The New York Times, October 17, 1909, pIV-1 The Board of Directors of General Motors approved a plan to buy the Ford Motor Company for eight million dollars. The deal fell through when GM could not obtain financing.John K. Winkler, The Dupont Dynasty (Doubleday, 1948), p253 William H. Taft, the President of the United States, met Porfirio Díaz, the President of Mexico, at the Chamber of Commerce in El Paso, Texas. That evening, Taft became the first American President to visit a foreign nation when he crossed over to Ciudad Juárez for a banquet hosted by Diaz. "An interesting incident of the day was the declaration of neutrality over the El Chamizal territory", wrote The New York Times. Both nations agreed that the area, which had been south of the Rio Grande until a rerouting of that river, should be considered neutral territory. "Taft and Diaz Meet; Talk of Friendship", The New York Times, October 17, 1909, p1 In Seattle, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition world's fair closed after 4 months. Seattle Times, May 17, 2009 Stanley Ketchel fought heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson in a match at Colma, California. In the 12th round, Ketchel knocked the champ down with his first punch. Enraged, Johnson struck back with a right uppercut that broke Ketchel's front teeth and knocked out the challenger., Sports Illustrated, October 18, 1954, pp80–81
October 17, 1909 (Sunday) Lt. George Sweet became the first U.S. Navy officer to fly in an aircraft, as a passenger of Orville Wright.Norman Polmar and Dana Bell, One Hundred Years of World Military Aircraft (Naval Institute Press, 2004), p15 Died: Sagen Ishizuka, Japanese physician and nutritionist, proponent of macrobiotic diet.
October 18, 1909 (Monday)