Race riots inflame Springfield, Illinois. William Knox D'Arcy strikes oil in the Middle East in what will later be recognized as the largest oil reserve in the world. Jack Johnson becomes the world's first black heavyweight boxing champion. J.C. Penney founds his chain of department stores. Orville and Wilbur Wright sign a contract which makes them the first-ever producers of planes for the U.S military.
Contestants compete in the first New York-Paris auto race.
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, and Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Range Co. Henri Matisse exhibits at Stieglitz' Gallery 291 in New York. Can school of American realistic painting. Theodore Roosevelt creates Muir Woods National Monument and Grand Canyon National Monument. He also convenes a special White House Conference on Conservation to stress the importance of protecting natural areas.