WHAT ALL HAPPENED AUGUST TO SEPTEMBER 1909
Find out what all happened August to September 1909

The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the South Africa Act 1909, creating the Union of South Africa from the British Colonies of the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Orange River Colony, and the Transvaal Colony. (20. September 1909)

Eugene Lefebvre crashes a new French-built Wright biplane during a test flight at Juvisy, south of Paris, becoming the first 'pilot' in the world to lose his life in a powered heavier-than-air craft. (7. September 1909)

Workers start pouring concrete for the Panama Canal. (24. August 1909)

Alice Huyler Ramsey and three friends become the first women to complete a transcontinental auto trip, taking 59 days to travel from New York, New York to San Francisco, California. (7. August 1909)

A group of mid-level Greek Army officers launches the Goudi coup, seeking wide-ranging reforms. (28. August 1909)

The first automobile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway takes place. (19. August 1909)

The Phantom of the Opera (original title: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra), a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux, is first published as a serialization in Le Gaulois. (23. September 1909)

Burgess Shale fossils are discovered by Charles Doolittle Walcott. (30. August 1909)