Scott Joplin Publishes 'Maple Leaf Rag,' Launching the Ragtime Era

Scott Joplin's 'Maple Leaf Rag,' published by John Stark in Sedalia, Missouri, becomes the first sheet music to sell one million copies. Joplin's syncopated piano compositions formalize ragtime as a distinct American art form rooted in Black musical tradition. Ragtime's popularity in white parlors and concert halls marks the first mass-market success of Black-created popular music.