1903

1903 was a year of significant developments across several domains, notably in aviation, manufacturing, sports, and geopolitics. It featured the Wright brothers' first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, the founding of the Ford Motor Company, the debut of the Tour de France, the first modern World Series, and notable milestones in cinema. The year also saw Kishinev experience a pogrom and Panama gain independence from Colombia, followed by the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty, which established U.S. rights related to a future canal.

Notable events of 1903 include the Wright brothers’ successful powered flight, which demonstrated controllable heavier-than-air flight; the establishment of the Ford Motor Company in Detroit, a development that would influence mass production and automotive culture; the inaugural Tour de France, marking a landmark in professional cycling; and the first World Series, introducing a structured championship for major league baseball. In cinema, Edwin S. Porter’s The Great Train Robbery appeared, a work influential in the development of narrative film technique. In Eastern Europe, the Kishinev pogrom drew international attention to ethnic violence in the Russian Empire. In Central America, Panama declared independence from Colombia, and the subsequent Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty granted the United States rights to build and operate a canal zone, shaping regional geopolitics and global trade.