January 4 » Topsy, an elephant, is electrocuted by the owners of Luna Park, Coney Island. The Edison film company records the film Electrocuting an Elephant of Topsy's death.
January 17 » El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico becomes part of the United States National Forest System as the Luquillo Forest Reserve.
March 2 » In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women.
September 11 » The first race at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin is held. It is the oldest major speedway in the world.
October 6 » The High Court of Australia sits for the first time.
November 18 » The Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty is signed by the United States and Panama, giving the United States exclusive rights over the Panama Canal Zone.
Day of death August 31, 1904
The temperature on August 31, 1904 was between 11.3 °C and 21.7 °C and averaged 16.2 °C. There was 0.2 hours of sunshine (1%). The average windspeed was 2 Bft (weak wind) and was prevailing from the south. Source: KNMI
February 8 » Battle of Port Arthur: A surprise torpedo attack by the Japanese at Port Arthur, China starts the Russo-Japanese War.
February 28 » S.L. Benfica is founded in Portugal.
June 28 » The SSNorge runs aground on Hasselwood Rock in the North Atlantic 430 kilometres (270mi) northwest of Ireland. More than 635 people die during the sinking.
July 21 » Louis Rigolly, a Frenchman, becomes the first man to break the 100mph (161km/h) barrier on land. He drove a 15-liter Gobron-Brillié in Ostend, Belgium.
July 31 » Russo-Japanese War: Battle of Hsimucheng: Units of the Imperial Japanese Army defeat units of the Imperial Russian Army in a strategic confrontation.
November 16 » English engineer John Ambrose Fleming receives a patent for the thermionic valve (vacuum tube).
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: Peeters Mathieu, "FutureHistory", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/stamboom-riske/I22930.php : accessed September 24, 2026), "Benedicus Bijl (1903-1904)".
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