January 28 » Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent, becomes the first person to be convicted of speeding. He was fined one shilling, plus costs, for speeding at 8mph (13km/h), thereby exceeding the contemporary speed limit of 2mph (3.2km/h).
February 21 » An Englishman raised in Australia, Bob Fitzsimmons, fought an Irishman, Peter Maher, in an American promoted event which technically took place in Mexico, winning the 1896 World Heavyweight Championship in boxing.
May 18 » Khodynka Tragedy: A mass panic on Khodynka Field in Moscow during the festivities of the coronation of Russian Tsar Nicholas II results in the deaths of 1,389 people.
August 30 » Philippine Revolution: After Spanish victory in the Battle of San Juan del Monte, eight provinces in the Philippines are declared under martial law by the Spanish Governor-General Ramón Blanco y Erenas.
November 17 » The Western Pennsylvania Hockey League, which later became the first ice hockey league to openly trade and hire players, began play at Pittsburgh's Schenley Park Casino.
December 10 » Alfred Jarry's Ubu Roi premieres in Paris. A riot breaks out at the end of the performance.
Day of death March 31, 1908
The temperature on March 31, 1908 was between 3.6 °C and 9.2 °C and averaged 6.7 °C. There was 6.1 mm of rain. There was 5.9 hours of sunshine (46%). The average windspeed was 5 Bft (very strong wind) and was prevailing from the west. Source: KNMI
In The Netherlands , there was from August 17, 1905 to February 11, 1908 the cabinet De Meester, with Mr. Th. de Meester (unie-liberaal) as prime minister.
In The Netherlands , there was from February 12, 1908 to August 29, 1913 the cabinet Heemskerk, with Mr. Th. Heemskerk (AR) as prime minister.
January 13 » The Rhoads Opera House fire in Boyertown, Pennsylvania kills 171 people.
July 1 » SOS is adopted as the international distress signal.
August 17 » Fantasmagorie, the first animated cartoon, created by Émile Cohl, is shown in Paris, France.
October 14 » The Chicago Cubs defeat the Detroit Tigers, 2–0, clinching the 1908 World Series; this would be their last until winning the 2016 World Series.
December 2 » Puyi becomes Emperor of China at the age of two.
December 28 » The 7.1 Mw Messina earthquake shakes Southern Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing between 75,000 and 200,000.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: J Eijsermans, "Eijsermans family tree", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/stamboom-eijsermans/I368364.php : accessed January 8, 2026), "Laurentia van Esch (1896-1908)".
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