1901 President McKinley is assassinated. This event shocked Americans and paved the way for the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt and his Progressive Party that would curb the power of big business in favor of working Americans.
1903 First flight at Kitty Hawk. The Wright brothers took flight at Kitty Hawk, an event that made way for American air travel and eventually space travel while demonstrating American innovation worldwide.
1904 First popular American film is introduced. This form of entertainment enabled Americans to spend their leisure time in a new way, one that would eventually become a hallmark of American culture via Hollywood cinema.
1906 Upton Sinclair wrote and published The Jungle. This book on the unfair labor practices and harsh conditions in the meatpacking industry was instrumental in helping raise the call for workersÆ rights and fairer labor practices.
1909 The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded. This organization represented a step forward for African American rights and remained instrumental as an organization to assist people of color throughout the century.
1910 Boy Scouts established in the United States. This organization for boys was instrumental in helping prepare children to become self-reliant, helpful and skilled and successful citizens.
1911 Standard Oil Company is broken up. This company represented a monopoly and ushered in a new era of government regulation and control over business, including anti-trust legislation like the Sherman Act.
1913 Henry Ford creates the assembly line. This innovative method of manufacturing enabled cheaper production of vehicles, making them within the price reach of many Americans and paved the way for greater freedom and mobility.
1917 The United States enters World War I. AmericaÆs involvement in this largely European conflict began a history of American intervention in international confl...