January 23 » Second Boer War: The Battle of Spion Kop between the forces of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State and British forces ends in a British defeat.
January 24 » Second Boer War: Boers stop a British attempt to break the Siege of Ladysmith in the Battle of Spion Kop.
February 14 » British forces begin the Battle of the Tugela Heights in an effort to lift the Siege of Ladysmith.
February 18 » Second Boer War: Imperial forces suffer their worst single-day loss of life on Bloody Sunday, the first day of the Battle of Paardeberg.
March 13 » British forces occupy Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, during the Second Boer War.
July 2 » Jean Sibelius' Finlandia receives its première performance in Helsinki with the Helsinki Philharmonic Society conducted by Robert Kajanus.
Day of death August 17, 1909
The temperature on August 17, 1909 was between 14.7 °C and 21.5 °C and averaged 17.4 °C. There was 6.2 mm of rain. There was 5.4 hours of sunshine (37%). The average windspeed was 3 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the west. Source: KNMI
January 16 » Ernest Shackleton's expedition finds the magnetic South Pole.
March 10 » By signing the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909, Thailand relinquishes its sovereignty over the Malay states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu, which become British protectorates.
July 16 » Persian Constitutional Revolution: Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar is forced out as Shah of Persia and is replaced by his son Ahmad Shah Qajar.
September 20 » The South Africa Act 1909 creates the Union of South Africa from the British Colonies from four smaller colonies.
September 30 » The Cunard Line's RMS Mauretania makes a record-breaking westbound crossing of the Atlantic, that will not be bettered for 20 years.
October 16 » William Howard Taft and Porfirio Díaz hold the first summit between a U.S. and a Mexican president. They narrowly escape assassination.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: Gert Esterhuizen, "Family tree Eric Esterhuizen", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/stamboom-eric-esterhuizen/I10818.php : accessed January 16, 2026), "Philippus Johannes de WITT (1844-1909)".
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