Editing 1901 in science (section)

==Technology==
* May 16 – [[TS King Edward|TS ''King Edward'']] is launched at [[William Denny and Brothers]]' shipyard in [[Dumbarton]], [[Scotland]]. The first commercial merchant vessel propelled by [[steam turbine]]s, she enters excursion service on the [[Firth of Clyde]] on July 1.
* July 10 – The world's first passenger-carrying [[trolleybus]] in regular service operates on the [[Biela Valley Trolleybus]] route at [[Königstein, Saxony|Koeninggstein]] in Germany, pioneering Max Schiemann's under-running trolley current collection system.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Frank|last=Dittmann|title=Die gleislose Bielatalbahn|journal=Sächsische Heimatblätter|issue=3|year=1991|issn=0486-8234|pages=177–180}}</ref>
* August 30 – [[Hubert Cecil Booth]] [[patent]]s the electrically powered [[vacuum cleaner]] in the United Kingdom<ref>{{cite book|title=Penguin Pocket On This Day|publisher=Penguin Reference Library|isbn=0-14-102715-0|year=2006}}</ref>
* November 30 – [[Frank Hornby]] of [[Liverpool]] is granted a U.K. patent for the construction toy that will become [[Meccano]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=GB190100587&F=0|accessdate=2010-08-14|title=Hornby's 1901 patent}}</ref>
* December 3 – [[King C. Gillette]] files a U.S. patent application for his design of [[safety razor]] utilizing thin, disposable blades of stamped [[Razor blade steel|steel]].<ref>{{patent|US|775134|"Razor"}}</ref>
* {{not a typo|[[Theodor Rall]]}} patents his design of [[rolling lift bridge]].<ref name="Rall patent">{{cite web|title=Patent number 669348: T. Rall movable bridge|date=1901|publisher=[[United States Patent and Trademark Office]] (referenced online by [[Google Patents]])|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US669348|access-date=April 21, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Mike|last=Clarke|title=A Brief History of Movable Bridges|url=http://www.mikeclarke.myzen.co.uk/Movable%20Bridges.html|date=2009-01-05|accessdate=2012-02-09}}</ref>
* German engineer [[Richard Fiedler]] invents the modern [[flamethrower]], the [[Kleinflammenwerfer]].
* [[Ernest Godward]] invents the [[spiral hairpin]] in New Zealand.