January 1900 - January 1, 1900 (Monday)

January 1, 1900 (Monday)

• The Fists of Righteous Harmony, popularly known as the "Boxers" stepped up their opposition to the foreign presence in China, killing the first foreign missionary. Reverend S.M. Brooke from Britain was kidnapped on the day before while returning to his home in Tainanfu, and beheaded on New Year's Day.
• What would, more than 90 years later, be called the Year 2000 problem or Y2K was based on the six digit programming of dates. Since 12/31/99 would be followed by 01/01/00, the fear was that programs would interpret January 1, 1900, as the day after December 31, 1999. There was a parallel in 1900 technology, for persons who owned a calendar clock. Because 1900 was not a leap year, the clocks became inaccurate on March 1.
• Born: Xavier Cugat, bandleader, as Francesc Xavier Cugat de Bru i Deuflofeu, in Girona, Catalonia, Spain (d. 1990)