1906

1906 was a common year marked by major disasters, diplomatic efforts, and social reform. It saw seismic destruction in San Francisco, significant international diplomacy over Morocco, and influential cultural and scientific developments.

On April 18, a powerful earthquake and subsequent fires devastated San Francisco and surrounding areas, with deaths estimated in the thousands and widespread destruction that reshaped the city’s rebuilding in stone and fireproof construction.

In international diplomacy, European powers met at the Algeciras Conference (January–April 1906) to resolve the Moroccan crisis, clarifying spheres of influence for France and Germany and influencing subsequent imperial policies.

In the United States, Progressive Era reforms culminated in the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act, both signed into law on June 30, 1906, to regulate food safety, labeling, and sanitation.

Culturally, Upton Sinclair published The Jungle in 1906, a muckraking novel that exposed conditions in the meatpacking industry and helped spur regulatory reforms.

The year also saw the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens and the awarding of several Nobel Prizes: Theodore Roosevelt received the Peace Prize; J. J. Thomson the Physics Prize; Henri Moissan the Chemistry Prize; Camillo Golgi and Santiago Ramón y Cajal the Medicine Prize.