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 9 » Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, son of the poet Alfred Tennyson, becomes the second Governor-General of Australia.
February 11 » Anton Bruckner's 9th Symphony receives its first performance in Vienna, Austria.
February 14 » The United States Department of Commerce and Labor is established (later split into the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor).
June 16 » Roald Amundsen leaves Oslo, Norway, to commence the first east–west navigation of the Northwest Passage.
September 11 » The first race at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin is held. It is the oldest major speedway in the world.
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 17 » Madama Butterfly receives its première at La Scala in Milan.
February 22 » The United Kingdom sells a meteorological station on the South Orkney Islands to Argentina; the islands are subsequently claimed by the United Kingdom in 1908.
May 15 » Russo-Japanese War: The Russian minelayer Amur lays a minefield about 15 miles off Port Arthur and sinks Japan's battleships Hatsuse, 15,000 tons, with 496 crew and Yashima.
June 16 » Eugen Schauman assassinates Nikolay Bobrikov, Governor-General of Finland.
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.
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 February 8, 2026), "Benedicus Bijl (1903-1904)".
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