January 1900 - January 7, 1900 (Sunday)

January 7, 1900 (Sunday)

• Melville E. Ingalls, President of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, known commonly as the "Big Four", reported that William K. Vanderbilt had taken control of that line. Vanderbilt had also taken control of the Lake Erie & Western, and the Chesapeake and Ohio railroads. Ingalls was quoted as saying,"There is no doubt that the Vanderbilts now own the 'Big Four'. As a matter of fact, they have controlled it for some time, but the practical ownership has just been secured." A meeting was held the following day, at Vanderbilt's office in Grand Central Station, of the directors of Big Four railroads
• General A.W. Greely, arctic explorer and Chief Signal Officer of the U.S. Army, was beaten unconscious at his home in Washington
• Nikola Tesla closed down his experimental laboratory in Colorado Springs, Colorado. During his seven months there, he made numerous discoveries in the long distance transmission of energy.