On 1 July 1903, sixty cyclists left the Reveil-Matin cafe in Montgeron, near Paris, on the first Tour de France, a race devised by the journalist Geo Lefevre and the editor Henri Desgrange of the sports newspaper L'Auto to boost its sales. It had six stages, totalling 2,428 km, with riders pedalling day and night over bad roads. The stage winner of the first stage was Maurice Garin, who won the race ending in Paris on 19 July in front of a crowd, with only 21 finishing. Circulation of L'Auto increased dramatically. The race now covers 3,500 km in three weeks and is the most famous cycle race in the world.
Before and after
- 24 May 1903Birth of Aram Khachaturian
- 16 June 1903Founding of Ford Motor Company
- 25 June 1903Birth of George Orwell
- 28 June 1903Founding of Deutsches Museum
- from 1 July 1903 to 19 July 1903The first Tour de France starts
- from 20 July 1903 to 1 October 1903Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising
- 11 September 1903Birth of Theodor W. Adorno
- 6 October 1903Birth of Ernest Walton
- 31 October 1903Construction of Hampden Park
More in Society, economy & sport
- 25 March 1807Britain abolishes the slave trade
- from 19 July 1848 to 20 July 1848The Seneca Falls Convention
- 14 September 1867Karl Marx publishes Das Kapital
- 1869Founding of Goldman Sachs
- 1874Founding of Universal Postal Union
- 23 September 1889Founding of Nintendo
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.