World Events in 1906
San Francisco Earthquake
A massive earthquake estimated at magnitude 7.9 struck San Francisco on 18 April, followed by fires that burned for three days. Over 3,000 people died and more than half the city's 400,000 residents were left homeless. It was one of the worst natural disasters in American history.
HMS Dreadnought launched
Britain launched HMS Dreadnought, a revolutionary battleship whose speed and all-big-gun armament made every existing warship obsolete. It triggered a naval arms race, particularly with Germany, that contributed to the tensions leading to World War I.
Finland grants women the vote
Finland became the first country in Europe, and the first in the world alongside New Zealand, to grant women full political rights including the right to stand for parliament. Nineteen women were elected to the Finnish parliament the following year.
Dreyfus fully exonerated
Alfred Dreyfus, the French Jewish army officer falsely convicted of treason in 1894, was formally exonerated and reinstated in the army. The affair had bitterly divided France for over a decade along lines of antisemitism, militarism, and republicanism.
Algeciras Conference
An international conference in Spain resolved the First Moroccan Crisis, largely in France's favour. Germany found itself diplomatically isolated, with only Austria-Hungary supporting its position, reinforcing the division of Europe into rival alliance blocs.
Music in 1906
"Waiting at the Church (My Wife Won't Let Me)"
Vesta Victoria
A comic music hall song performed by Vesta Victoria about a bride left waiting at the altar. It was a massive hit and one of the most remembered music hall numbers of the Edwardian era.
"You're a Grand Old Flag"
Billy Murray (recorded)
Written by George M. Cohan for the musical George Washington Jr., it was originally titled 'You're a Grand Old Rag' but changed after public objection. It became one of the most popular patriotic songs in American history.
#1 Film of 1906
The Story of the Kelly Gang
Box Office: N/A
Produced in Australia, this film about bushranger Ned Kelly is widely considered the world's first feature-length narrative film at over 60 minutes. Box office data was not formally recorded, but it was a commercial success in Australia.
Born in 1906
Samuel Beckett
Irish playwright and Nobel laureate, author of Waiting for Godot
Josephine Baker
American-French entertainer, civil rights activist, and Resistance hero
Dmitri Shostakovich
Russian composer, one of the most important of the 20th century
Billy Wilder
Austrian-American filmmaker, director of Some Like It Hot and Sunset Boulevard
Lost in 1906
Henrik Ibsen
Norwegian playwright, father of modern drama, author of A Doll's House
Age 78
Paul Cézanne
French Post-Impressionist painter, precursor to Cubism
Age 67
Susan B. Anthony
American women's suffrage pioneer and civil rights activist
Age 86
Pierre Curie
French physicist and Nobel laureate, co-discoverer of radioactivity
Age 46
Technology in 1906
HMS Dreadnought revolutionised naval warfare with its all-big-gun design. Lee de Forest invented the triode vacuum tube, enabling amplification of electronic signals. The SOS distress signal was adopted internationally. Kellogg's Corn Flakes went on sale.
- ● HMS Dreadnought launched, revolutionising battleship design
- ● Lee de Forest invents the Audion triode vacuum tube
- ● SOS adopted as the international distress signal
- ● Kellogg's Corn Flakes introduced commercially
Cost of Living in 1906
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £165 | $3,100 |
| Average salary | £60 | $485 |
| Pint of milk | 1½d | 3¢ |
| Loaf of bread | 2½d | 5¢ |
| Dozen eggs | 9d | 16¢ |
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The Zeitgeist of 1906
The Edwardian era reached its peak of confidence and style. Motoring was becoming fashionable among the wealthy, and women's fashion was shifting toward the S-bend corset silhouette. In America, the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed after revelations about tainted food. Nickelodeons continued to boom, and vaudeville remained the dominant entertainment.
In the News in 1906
The San Francisco earthquake and fire devastated the city. The launch of HMS Dreadnought made every other battleship in the world obsolete overnight. The Dreyfus Affair in France finally concluded with Alfred Dreyfus's exoneration. Finland became the first European country to grant women the right to vote.