WHAT ALL HAPPENED JANUARY TO JUNE 1909
Find out what all happened January to June 1909

Sultan of Ottoman Empire Abdul Hamid II is overthrown, and is succeeded by his brother, Mehmed V. (27. April 1909)

The U.S. Congress passes the Payne–Aldrich Tariff Act. (9. April 1909)

Ernest Shackleton, leading the Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole, plants the British flag 97 nautical miles (180 km; 112 mi) from the South Pole, the farthest anyone had ever reached at that time. (9. January 1909)

Mary Pickford made her screen debut at the age of 16. (7. June 1909)

The first Giro d'Italia starts from Milan. Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna will be the winner. (13. May 1909)

Serbia accepts Austrian control over Bosnia and Herzegovina. (31. March 1909)

Representatives from England, Australia and South Africa meet at Lord's and form the Imperial Cricket Conference. (15. June 1909)

Robert Peary and Matthew Henson reach the North Pole. (6. April 1909)

Drilling begins on the Lakeview Gusher. (1. January 1909)

Theodore Roosevelt leaves New York for a post-presidency safari in Africa. The trip is sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society. (23. March 1909)

Alfred Deakin becomes Prime Minister of Australia for the third time. (2. June 1909)

Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. (5. January 1909)

The Science Museum in London comes into existence as an independent entity. (26. June 1909)

U.S. President William Taft used what became known as a Saxbe fix, a mechanism to avoid the restriction of the U.S. Constitution's Ineligibility Clause, to appoint Philander C. Knox as U.S. Secretary of State (4. March 1909)

Ernest Shackleton's expedition finds the magnetic South Pole. (16. January 1909)

United States troops leave Cuba with the exception of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base after being there since the Spanish–American War. (28. January 1909)

The AEA Silver Dart makes the first powered flight in Canada and the British Empire. (23. February 1909)

The National Negro Committee, forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, convenes for the first time. (31. May 1909)

The Queensboro Bridge opens, linking Manhattan and Queens. (30. March 1909)

Richard Strauss's opera Elektra receives its debut performance at the Dresden State Opera. (25. January 1909)