March 16 » In Melbourne the representatives of five colonies adopted a constitution, which would become the basis of the Commonwealth of Australia.
April 20 » U.S. President William McKinley signed a joint resolution to Congress for declaration of war against Spain, beginning the Spanish–American War.
July 3 » A Spanish squadron, led by Pascual Cervera y Topete, is defeated by an American squadron under William T. Sampson in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.
August 23 » The Southern Cross Expedition, the first British venture of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, departs from London.
October 18 » The United States takes possession of Puerto Rico from Spain.
December 3 » The Duquesne Country and Athletic Club defeated an all-star collection of early football players 16–0, in what is considered to be the very first all-star game for professional American football.
Christening day February 26, 1899
The temperature on February 26, 1899 was about -1.6 °C. The airpressure was 77 cm mercury. The atmospheric humidity was 94%. Source: KNMI
March 30 » German Society of Chemistry issues an invitation to other national scientific organizations to appoint delegates to the International Committee on Atomic Weights.
June 7 » American Temperance crusader Carrie Nation begins her campaign of vandalizing alcohol-serving establishments by destroying the inventory in a saloon in Kiowa, Kansas.
July 11 » Fiat founded by Giovanni Agnelli in Turin, Italy.
July 26 » Ulises Heureaux, the 27th President of the Dominican Republic, is assassinated.
September 13 » Henry Bliss is the first person in the United States to be killed in an automobile accident.
November 29 » FC Barcelona is founded by Catalan, Spanish and Englishmen. It later develops into one of Spanish football's most iconic and strongest teams.
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/I9766.php : accessed February 21, 2026), "Herbert Lionel PRETORIUS (1898-????)".
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