Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
Feb
08
Feb
17
On February 17, 1904, Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly premieres at the La Scala theatre in Milan, Italy.
A poster for Madame Butterfly, an opera.
Universal History Archive/Getty Images
Mar
02
Theodor Geisel, better known to the world as Dr. Seuss, the author and illustrator of such children’s books as “The Cat in the Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham,” is born in Springfield, Massachusetts on March 2, 1904. Geisel, who used his middle name (which was also his mother’s maiden name) as his pen name, wrote 48 books—including some for adults—that have sold well over 200 million copies and been translated into multiple languages. Dr. Seuss books are known for their whimsical rhymes and quirky characters, which have names like the Lorax and the Sneetches and live in places like Whoville.
Geisel poses with models of his characters in 1958. (Credit: John Bryson/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images)
Getty Images / John Bryson / Contributor
Jun
15
Oct
27
At 2:35 on the afternoon of October 27, 1904, New York City Mayor George McClellan takes the controls on the inaugural run of the city’s innovative new rapid transit system: the subway.
1903: American merchant and politician Seth Low (1850-1916), mayor of New York City, presides over the official opening of the New York Subway, New York City. (Photo by Edwin Levick/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Dec
27
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