U.S. in 1899 Awaited a Century of Wonders

They were a nation of the optimistic and the euphoric, those Americans awaiting their new century 100 years ago. The Spanish-American War was behind them. They flocked to the Tournament of Roses. The economy boomed, and Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” was a hit.

In short, they looked forward to the 20th century as an era that would be filled with more promise than peril. A Times editorial on Jan. 1, 1900, spoke of the nation’s contentment: “The future for all the people of America is brighter than at any time in the history of the republic.”

In some ways, the mood then was not unlike the mood now. On the eve of our new century, polls report that we also are a nation of optimists, and with reason: The economy is doing well, unemployment is at record lows, the Cold War is over, and, in general, good feelings abound.

At the same time, there are different anxieties today, concerns arising from issues unknown 100 years ago. Among them: the fear of terrorism, nuclear weapons, rampant crime. And, of course, the dangers of Y2K fallout, nonexistent in that computer-free world.

The century’s start was far from trouble-free. Overseas, the British were at war with the Boers in South Africa and the Boxers in China were rebelling against foreigners. In the Philippines, the battle for independence from the United States was underway, and in India, famine. All of it made front-page news.

For their part, Americans were clear about where they had been, but not where they were going. It was the beginning of an amazing century, but who could have predicted just how amazing?

Life may well be unfair some of the time, but it is unpredictable just about all of the time. Americans lived to the end of the 19th century without cars, television, antibiotics and gourmet pizza. They never imagined then how vital all of that would become.

There were some hints of great things ahead. Writing of a booming Los Angeles, with its 100,000 people, The Times had a prediction:

“What Athens, Rome and Egypt were to the old past, Southern California may be to the newer civilization and grandeur of the Twentieth Century.

“We may build no mighty pyramids for the ages, but we will build homes, and schools, churches, art galleries and libraries that shall be more enduring monuments of our greatness.”

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Americans in 1900 had hoped that terrible things were behind them. It took but a year to prove otherwise, when President William McKinley was assassinated.

Just two years out of the Spanish-American War, they hoped for the end of conflict. Yet the future held two world wars, the atomic bomb, Korea, Vietnam and more.

They hoped for unending economic growth. But ahead lay the Great Depression, suicides, bankruptcies, dust bowls and songs asking, “Brother, can you spare a dime?”

They hoped, in general, for a better life. And indeed, the century produced incredible achievements in science, medicine, technology, art, drama, music and sports.

They hoped for “solutions,” and here the United States excels, even if results fall short. Few nations in the world struggle with problems the way this one did and does. The New Deal, civil rights legislation, committees here, study groups there.

For the optimists, of course, the first decade alone provided enough excitement and change for a whole century.

Henry Ford started his auto company, the Wright brothers went into the air, work started on the Panama Canal, Clark Gable and Louis Armstrong were born, the population of the 45 states rose to more than 75 million. The banana split was invented. Hawaii became a territory, and “Peter Rabbit” emerged from the pen of Beatrix Potter.

As if to counter the contentment of those first 10 years, fate produced the earthquake that nearly destroyed San Francisco, panic on Wall Street, coal mine disasters, and a catalog of overseas catastrophes. And, a real shock: A president, Theodore Roosevelt, actually attacked the press.

Hopes in the century were raised, dashed and sometimes realized: war and peace, prosperity, poverty, penicillin, democracy, dictatorship, triumph, tragedy, Earth Days and earthquakes.

One hundred years ago, there was no shortage of counsel on what to expect in the next hundred. And a Times columnist at the time, Robert J. Burdette, had this advice:

“What will we do with the new century? Just live it a day at a time, so long as it lasts for us. That’s the best way to get the best good out of it. Don’t worry about its ‘tomorrows.’ ”

In 1900, that was easy for him to say.

Alvin Shuster is senior consulting editor of The Times.

About This Series

For the remainder of the year and ending Jan. 1, 2000, The Times will reproduce a page from its archives recording events that shaped the history of the 20th century. An accompanying essay will help place the events in historical context.

Many major moments were fully covered in The Times. Yet the pages also illustrate the limitations of newspapers as omniscient chroniclers. Albert Einstein’s publication of the general theory of relativity during World War I, for example, did not result in newspaper coverage until many years later.

Although the pages will be published sequentially, not every year will be represented. Any list of this sort is necessarily subjective. The editors sought a balance of local, national, international and cultural events to provide current readers with a sense of how The Times covered the century.

To supplement that effort, we invite your participation. In 200 words or less, send us your memories, comments or eyewitness accounts of events you believe shaped the century. We will publish as many as we can on this page until the end of the year. Write to Century, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, or e-mail century@latimes.com. Because of the volume of mail, we regret we cannot acknowledge individual submissions.