June 15, 1902: The 20th Century Limited begins serviceJune 12, 1902: Suffragette Mary Lee lives to see Australia grant women the right to voteJune 19, 1902: King Albert of Saxony dies after a 28-year reign
Canada's amendment to its Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 took effect, doubling the "head tax" of C$50 to C$100 per person, with exceptions for tourists, diplomats and students. British Columbia, where most of the immigrants initially settled, was allowed to keep half of the tax.[1] In 1903, the rate would be increased to C$500 per person.
Sir Daniel Cooper, 80, English-Australian politician who served as the first speaker of the legislature of the Colony of New South Wales when the colony was first granted self-government in 1856; at the time, the colony included the territory of the present states of New South Wales and Queensland (which was made a separate colony in 1859). (b. 1821)
Louis J. Weichmann, 60, a leading prosecution witness in the trial of the co-conspirators of John Wilkes Booth in the attempted assassination of various members of the U.S. government in 1865 (b. 1842) [5]
The SS Thomas Wilson, an American whaleback freighter operating in the Great Lakes, collided with the steamer George Hadley and sank in minutes, with the loss of its cargo and nine crew members.[8]
Thomas Thornycroft's statue of Boadicea and Her Daughters, erected on Victoria Embankment in London, was made visible to the public by removal of the surrounding hoardings, without an official unveiling. The sculptor had died 17 years earlier.[11]
The Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 received Royal Assent, granting universal suffrage for federal elections in Australia for British subjects over 21 years of age who have lived in Australia for six months. This made Australia the second country to grant women's suffrage at a national level and the first to allow women to stand for parliament. However, indigenous people from Australia, Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands (with the exception of Māori) were disqualified.[13]
George Herman Ruth, Jr., an uncontrollable 7-year-old truant, was turned over to the St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys in Baltimore after his mother was unable to take care of him. George would spend the next 12 years living and working at the school, and develop his athletic ability to become one of the greatest Major League Baseball players in history and acquire the nickname "Babe Ruth".[14][15]
The U.S. state of Texas passed an appropriations bill for one million dollars to excavate a ship channel to turn the town of Houston (population 45,000) into a deepwater port, despite the town's distance of 50 miles (80km) from the Gulf of Mexico.[16] The channel was constructed from Galveston to the city of Harrisburg, which would be annexed into Houston in 1926. Houston is now the fourth-most populous city in the United States with a population of 2.3 million people and a metropolitan area of seven million.
KingAlbert of Saxony, 74, German monarch within the German Empire since 1873 (b. 1828). He was succeeded by his 69-year-old brother, King George, who would reign for two years.
Lord Acton, 68, British historian and political adviser known for coining the phrase "absolute power corrupts absolutely" (b. 1834)
The White House in Washington, D.C. announced that it would temporarily discontinue visits by the general public and state dinners because of extensive remodeling and construction to be made on the first and second floors of the U.S. presidential residence and offices. Effective Saturday, "only Cabinet Officers, Senators, Representatives and such other callers as may have business of such urgency as to require his personal attention"[27] would be received by President Theodore Roosevelt, pending completion of the renovation of the Executive Mansion and the building of a new Executive Office Building.[28]
Twenty-five people were killed and 35 seriously injured when lightning struck a church during a funeral service at the village of Piñeiro in the Province of Ourense, Spain.[30][31]
Lord Milner was sworn into office as the first British colonial governor of the Orange River Colony, formerly the independent Orange Free State, which ceased to be a republic following its May 31 surrender to the British Empire to close the Second Boer War. Milner had previously been administrator of British-occupied portions of the republic before the creation of the colonial government.[29]
The Target department store chain was founded, as Minneapolis financier George Dayton acquired Goodfellow's Dry Goods Store. After moving into a newly built six-story building in 1903, Goodfellow's would be renamed the Dayton Department Store and would open the first Target store on May 1, 1962, in the nearby suburb of Roseville.
Born: Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu, member of the Japanese royal family and Japanese Imperial Navy admiral; in Tokyo. The second son of Emperor Yoshihito and younger brother of the Emperor Hirohito, he was second in line for succession during Yoshihito's reign from 1912 to 1925, but never the crown prince. He died of tuberculosis in 1950.
France's government ordered the closing of 120 schools for girls that had been established illegally after the passage of the Religious Associations Law.[29]
Following the failure of his legislation for reform of voting rights, Fredrik von Otter announced his resignation as Prime Minister of Sweden, along with his entire cabinet.[29] Otter's predecessor, Erik Boström, was asked by KingOscar II to form a new government, which was constituted on July 5.
Born:Richard Rodgers, American melody composer for stage musicals as part of the songwriting team of Rodgers and Hart, and later for Rodgers and Hammerstein; in New York City (d. 1979)
The "Paris-Vienna Trail" motor race was won by Marcel Renault (France) driving a Renault in a time of 15 hours, 47 minutes and 43 seconds. The race, in retrospect, is sometimes referred to as the VII Grand Prix de l'ACF.[38]
The New York Times Story of the Yankees: 382 Articles, Profiles and Essays from 1903 to Present, ed. by Dave Anderson (Black Dog & Leventhal, Inc., 2012), p. 2
Minnesota Mining & Mfg. Co. v. Minnesota Linseed Oil Paint Co., in Decisions of the Commissioner of Patents and of the United States Courts in Patent and Trade-mark Cases 1956 (U.S. Government Printing office, 1957) p131
Ginter, Val (1995). "Twentieth Century Limited". In Jackson, Kenneth T. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of New York City. The New York Historical Society, Yale University Press. p.1207. Retrieved 19 January 2023– via Internet Archive.
Lee, Sir Sidney, ed. (1912). Dictionary of National Biography, Second Supplement, Volume I. Smith, Elder & Co.Article by "E.M.L." (Colonel E.M. Lloyd).
"White House Now Undergoing Repairs— Only Callers With Business Requiring President's Personal Attention to Be Received From Now On", Washington Times, June 21, 1902, p. 5
"White House in Builder's Hands— Separate Structure for Offices Will Leave Ample Rom for President's Family", Chicago Daily Tribune, June 21, 1902, p. 4
David M. Roth (January 17, 2010). Texas Hurricane History(PDF). Weather Prediction Center (Report). Camp Springs, Maryland: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. pp.30–31. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
