The Cullinan Diamond is the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, at over three thousand carats. It was discovered at the Premier Mine near Pretoria in South Africa and named after the mine's chairman, Thomas Cullinan. The Transvaal government bought it and presented it to King Edward VII in 1907 as a gesture of reconciliation after the Boer War. It was cleaved and cut in Amsterdam by the firm of Joseph Asscher into nine major stones and many smaller ones. The two largest, known as Cullinan I and II, are part of the British Crown Jewels, set in the Sovereign's Sceptre and the Imperial State Crown.
Before and after
- 1905Henry Fairfield Osborn names Tyrannosaurus rex
- 2 January 1905Discovery of Elara
- 9 January 1905Bloody Sunday
- from 22 January 1905 to 16 June 1907Russian Revolution of 1905
- 26 January 1905Discovery of Cullinan Diamond
- 2 February 1905Birth of Ayn Rand
- 23 February 1905Founding of Rotary International
- 10 March 1905Founding of Chelsea F.C.
- 24 March 1905Death of Jules Verne
More in Science & technology
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- 1771Discovery of oxygen
- 1789Discovery of carbon
- 1825Discovery of aluminium
- 18 August 1868Discovery of helium
- 1898Discovery of krypton
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.
