Events
January–March
*
January 4 – ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States.
*
January 10 – A
fire at the Newhall Hotel in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people.
*
January 16 – The
Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act is a United States federal law passed by the 47th United States Congress and signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur on January 16, 1883. The act mandates that most positions within the federal govern ...
, establishing the
United States civil service
The United States federal civil service is the civilian workforce (i.e., non-elected and non-military public sector employees) of the United States federal government's departments and agencies. The federal civil service was established in 1871 ( ...
, is passed.
*
January 19
Events Pre-1600
* 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to ''Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
* 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrend ...
– The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires begins service in
Roselle, New Jersey, United States, installed by
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...
.
*
February – ''
The Adventures of Pinocchio
''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' ( ; it, Le avventure di Pinocchio ; commonly shortened to ''Pinocchio'') is a children's fantasy novel by Italian author Carlo Collodi. It is about the mischievous adventures of an animated marionette named Pi ...
'' by
Carlo Collodi
Carlo Lorenzini (24 November 1826 – 26 October 1890), better known by the pen name Carlo Collodi (), was an Italian author, humourist, and journalist, widely known for his fairy tale novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio''.
Early life
Co ...
is first published complete in book form, in Italy.
*
February 15 – Tokyo Electrical Lightning Grid, predecessor of Tokyo Electrical Power (
TEPCO
, also known as or TEPCO, is a Japanese electric utility holding company servicing Japan's Kantō region, Yamanashi Prefecture, and the eastern portion of Shizuoka Prefecture. This area includes Tokyo. Its headquarters are located in Uchi ...
), one of the largest
electrical grids in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
and the world, is founded in Japan.
*
February 16
Events Pre-1600
*1249 – Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire.
*1270 – Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battle of Kar ...
– The ''
Ladies' Home Journal'' is published for the first time, in the United States.
*
February 23 –
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
becomes the first U.S. state to enact an
antitrust law
Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust ...
.
*
February 28 – The first
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
theater is opened, in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
.
*
March 2
Events Pre-1600
* 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his '' bucellarii'' are almost cut o ...
– The
Hong Kong Observatory
The Hong Kong Observatory is a weather forecast agency of the government of Hong Kong. The Observatory forecasts the weather and issues warnings on weather-related hazards. It also monitors and makes assessments on radiation levels in ...
is established.
*
March 20
Events Pre-1600
* 673 – Emperor Tenmu of Japan assumes the Chrysanthemum Throne at the Palace of Kiyomihara in Asuka.
* 1206 – Michael IV Autoreianos is appointed Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
* 1600 – The Link ...
– The
Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property
The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, signed in Paris, France, on 20 March 1883, was one of the first intellectual property treaties. It established a Union for the protection of industrial property. The convention is c ...
is held.
*
March 28
Events Pre-1600
* AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate.
* 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Di ...
–
Battle of Gia Cuc: A French force defeats the Vietnamese in northern
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
in the run-up to the
Sino-French War.
April–June
*
April 5 –
Oxygen
Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as ...
is liquefied for the first time.
*
April 28
Events Pre-1600
* 224 – The Battle of Hormozdgan is fought. Ardashir I defeats and kills Artabanus V effectively ending the Parthian Empire.
* 357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory ...
– The first
rugby sevens tournament is played at
Melrose RFC Melrose may refer to:
Places
United Kingdom
* Melrose, Scottish Borders, a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland
** Melrose Abbey, ruined monastery
** Melrose RFC, rugby club
Australia
* Melrose, Queensland, a locality in the South Burnett ...
in Scotland.
*
May 23
Events Pre-1600
* 1430 – Joan of Arc is captured at the Siege of Compiègne by troops from the Burgundian faction.
*1498 – Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence, Italy.
* 1533 – The marriage of King Henry VI ...
–
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
's children's pirate adventure novel ''
Treasure Island
''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...
'' is first published in book format, in London.
*
May 24 –
Brooklyn Bridge is opened to traffic in New York City, after 13 years of construction.
*
May 30 – A rumor that the
Brooklyn Bridge is going to collapse causes a stampede, which crushes 12 people.
*
June 13
Events Pre-1600
* 313 – The decisions of the Edict of Milan, signed by Constantine the Great and co-emperor Valerius Licinius, granting religious freedom throughout the Roman Empire, are published in Nicomedia.
* 1325 – Ibn Battuta ...
– Count
Arvid Posse
Count Arvid Rutger Fredriksson Posse (15 February 1820 – 24 April 1901) was the prime minister of Sweden from 1880 to 1883.
Family background and education
Posse was born at Rosendal manor in Malmöhus County, as the son of Governor Count Fred ...
leaves office as
Prime Minister of Sweden
The prime minister ( sv, statsminister ; literally translating to "Minister of State") is the head of government of Sweden. The prime minister and their cabinet (the government) exercise executive authority in the Kingdom of Sweden and are su ...
. He is succeeded by
Carl Johan Thyselius, the first non-aristocrat (Swedish ; "''ofrälse''") to serve as Swedish head of government, and Prime Minister.
*
June 16
Events Pre-1600
* 363 – Emperor Julian marches back up the Tigris and burns his fleet of supply ships. During the withdrawal, Roman forces suffer several attacks from the Persians.
* 632 – Yazdegerd III ascends the throne as king ...
–
Victoria Hall disaster
The Victoria Hall disaster occurred on 16 June 1883 at the Victoria Hall in Sunderland, England, when a stampede for free toys caused 183 children (aged between 3 and 14 years old) to be crushed to death due to compressive asphyxia.
Events
On ...
: A rush for treats results in 183 children being
asphyxiated
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can ...
in a concert hall in
Sunderland, England.
*
June 28 – In
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, Italy, the first central European electricity
power station
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.
Many ...
is inaugurated.
*
June 30
Events Pre-1600
* 296 – Pope Marcellinus begins his papacy.
* 763 – The Byzantine army of emperor Constantine V defeats the Bulgarian forces in the Battle of Anchialus.
*1422 – Battle of Arbedo between the duke of Milan ...
–
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
's novel ''
The Black Arrow
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' first appears as a serial in the British magazine ''
Young Folks; A Boys' and Girls' Paper of Instructive and Entertaining Literature'' as by 'Captain George North'. Stevenson completes writing it at the end of the
summer in France.
July–September
*
July 3
Events Pre-1600
* 324 – Battle of Adrianople: Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium.
* 987 – Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that would rule France until the French Revolut ...
– The
SS ''Daphne'' sinks on launch in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, Scotland, leaving 124 dead.
*
July 4
Events Pre-1600
*362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans.
* 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his older sister Aelia Pulcheria, who reigned as regent and proclaime ...
– The world's first
rodeo is held in
Pecos, Texas
Pecos ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Reeves County, Texas, United States. It is in the valley on the west bank of the Pecos River at the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas and just so ...
.
*
July 22
Events Pre-1600
* 838 – Battle of Anzen: The Byzantine emperor Theophilos suffers a heavy defeat by the Abbasids.
*1099 – First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of J ...
–
Zulu King
Cetshwayo
King Cetshwayo kaMpande (; ; 1826 – 8 February 1884) was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1873 to 1879 and its Commander in Chief during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. His name has been transliterated as Cetawayo, Cetewayo, Cetywajo and Ketchw ...
barely escapes a rebel attack with his life.
*
August
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...
–
King William's College
King William's College (nicknamed KWC or King Bill's; gv, Colleish Ree Illiam) is an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 18, located near Castletown on the Isle of Man. It is a member of the International Baccalaureate and Headmasters' and ...
is opened on the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
.
*
August 12
Events Pre-1600
*1099 – First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid forces led by Al-Afdal Shahanshah. This is considered the last engagement of the First Crusade.
* 1121 – B ...
– The last
quagga
The quagga ( or ) (''Equus quagga quagga'') is a subspecies of the plains zebra that was endemic to South Africa until it was hunted to extinction in the late 19th century. It was long thought to be a distinct species, but early genetic ...
dies at the
Artis Magistra zoo
Artis may refer to:
People Surname
* Dominic Artis (born 1993), American basketball player
* Jamareo Artis (born 1989), American bass guitarist
* Jamel Artis (born 1993), American basketball player
* Orsten Artis (1943–2017), American baske ...
in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
.
*
August 21 –
1883 Rochester tornado
Events
January–March
* January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States.
* January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people.
* Ja ...
: An F5 tornado strikes
Rochester, Minnesota, leading to the creation of the
Mayo Clinic.
*
August 26
Events Pre-1600
* 683 – Yazid I's army kills 11,000 people of Medina including notable Sahabas in Battle of al-Harrah.
*1071 – The Seljuq Turks defeat the Byzantine army at the Battle of Manzikert, and soon gain control of most ...
–
27 –
1883 eruption of Krakatoa: The
volcanic
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
of
Krakatoa
Krakatoa (), also transcribed (), is a caldera in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in the Indonesian province of Lampung. The caldera is part of a volcanic island group ( Krakatoa archipelago) comprising four islands. T ...
erupts at 10:02 AM (local time); 163 villages are destroyed, 36,417 killed by tsunami.
*
August 29
Events Pre-1600
* 708 – Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708).
* 870 – The city of Melite surrenders to an Aghlabid army following a siege, putting an end to Byzantine M ...
–
Dunfermline Carnegie Library, the first
Carnegie library, is opened in
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...
's hometown,
Dunfermline, Scotland.
*
September 1
Events Pre-1600
*1145 – The main altar of Lund Cathedral, at the time seat of the archiepiscopal see of all the Nordic countries, is consecrated.
*1173 – The widow Stamira sacrifices herself in order to raise the siege of Ancona b ...
–
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
publishes the encyclical ''
Supremi apostolatus officio'' ("On Devotion of the Rosary").
*
September 11
Events Pre-1600
* 9 – The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends: The Roman Empire suffers the greatest defeat of its history and the Rhine is established as the border between the Empire and the so-called barbarians for the next four hu ...
– Major
Evelyn Baring becomes
Consul-General
A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...
of
Egypt under British rule.
*
September 15
Events Pre-1600
* 994 – Major Fatimid victory over the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of the Orontes.
*1440 – Gilles de Rais, one of the earliest known serial killers, is taken into custody upon an accusation brought against him by ...
** The Bombay Natural History Society is founded in India.
** The University of Texas at Austin opens to students.
* September 29 – A consortium of flour mill operators in Minneapolis forms the Minneapolis, Sault Ste. Marie and Atlantic Railway, as a means to get their product to the Great Lakes ports, avoiding the high tariffs of Chicago.
October–December
* October 1
** Sydney Boys High School is founded in Sydney, Australia, the first boys' public school.
** In
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
, the first International Colonial and Export Exhibition closes, having had over 1 million visitors.
* October 4
** The Boys' Brigade (the first uniformed youth organization in existence) is founded in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, Scotland.
** The Orient Express train begins to run through from Gare de Paris-Est, Paris Gare de l'Est to Giurgiu in Romania, with onward ferry and train connections to Istanbul (the train has been running since June 5 as far as Vienna).
* October 15 – The Supreme Court of the United States declares part of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 to be unconstitutional, allowing individuals and corporations to discriminate based on Race (classification of human beings), race.
* October 20 – Peru and Chile sign the Treaty of Ancón, by which the Tarapacá Region, Tarapacá province is ceded to Chile, ending Peru's involvement in the War of the Pacific.
* October 22 – The Mödling and Hinterbrühl Tram in Vienna (Austria) is the first electric tram powered by overhead wire.
* October 24 – Cardiff University, Wales, opens (under the name of University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire).
* October 30 – Two Clan na Gael dynamite bombs explode in the London Underground, injuring several people. The next day, British Home Secretary William Vernon Harcourt (politician), Vernon Harcourt drafts 300 policemen to guard the underground, and introduces the Explosives Bill.
* November 3
** The 14th Century AH begins in the Islamic calendar on the 1st of Muharram, 1301 AH.
** American Old West: Self-described ''Black Bart (outlaw), Black Bart the Po-8'' makes his last stagecoach robbery, but leaves a handkerchief with a laundry mark that eventually leads to his capture.
* November 14 – Library of Congress of Chile, Chile's National Library of Congress is founded.
* November 18 – U.S. and Canadian railroads institute 5 standard continental time zones, ending the confusion of thousands of local times.
* November 28 – Whitman College is chartered as a 4-year college in Walla Walla, Washington.
* December 1 – Battleford Industrial School, the first government-operated Canadian Indian residential school system, Indian residential school opens in Canada.
* December 5 – Bisbee Massacre: Five people are killed in the robbery of a general store by bandits in Bisbee, Arizona.
* December 16 – Tonkin Campaign: French forces capture the Sơn Tây citadel.
* December 21 – The Royal Canadian Dragoons and The Royal Canadian Regiment, the first Permanent Force cavalry and infantry regiments of the Canadian Army, are formed.
Date unknown
* German bacteriologist Robert Koch discovers the cholera bacillus.
* Antoni Gaudí begins to work on the Sagrada Família Cathedral in Barcelona (it will be consecrated in 2010).
* Construction of Speicherstadt as a List of free ports, free zone in the Port of Hamburg begins.
* During construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1883, blasting and excavation reveal high concentrations of nickel–copper ore at Murray Mine, on the edge of the Sudbury Basin, located near Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
* Otto von Bismarck pushes the first social security law through the Reichstag (German Empire), Reichstag.
* The British Parliament considers a major bill to allow Indian judges to try Europeans in India. The British community rises in protest, and defeats the measure.
* The Mexican government passes a law allowing real estate companies (controlled by General Porfirio Díaz's political associates) to survey public and "vacant" lands, and to retain one third of the land they survey.
* Bernard Kroger establishes the first Kroger grocery store, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
* The first purebred Percheron (horse) stud book is created in France.
* ASEA is founded by Ludvig Fredholm in Sweden, predecessor of the global electronic equipment and engineering business ABB Group.
* Founding of:
** Houghton College in New York State
** Wagner College in New York City
** Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in Maryland
** Raith Rovers F.C. in Scotland
** The Black Arabs F.C (later Bristol Rovers) in England
** Dunstable Town F.C. in England
Births
January–February
* January 1 – Ichirō Hatoyama, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1959)
* January 3 – Clement Attlee, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1967)
*
January 4 – Johanna Westerdijk, Dutch plant pathologist (d. 1961)
* January 5 – Döme Sztójay, Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1946)
* January 6 – Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese poet, painter and novelist (d. 1931)
*
January 10
** Francis X. Bushman, American screen actor (d. 1966)
** Hubert Latham, pioneer French aviator of the pre-World War I era (d. 1912)
** Florence Reed, American actress (d. 1967)
** Aleksei Nikolaevich Tolstoy, Russian writer (d. 1945)
*
January 19
Events Pre-1600
* 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to ''Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
* 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrend ...
– Waite Phillips, American businessman, philanthropist (d. 1964)
* January 20
** Enoch L. Johnson, American political boss, racketeer (d. 1968)
** Bertram Ramsay, British admiral (d. 1945)
* February 8 – Joseph Schumpeter, Austrian economist (d. 1950)
*
February 15 – Sax Rohmer, English author (d. 1959)
*
February 16
Events Pre-1600
*1249 – Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire.
*1270 – Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battle of Kar ...
**Elizabeth Craig (writer), Elizabeth Craig, British writer (d. 1980)
**Koshirō Oikawa, Japanese admiral (d. 1958)
* February 22
** Abe Attell, American boxer (d. 1970)
** Marguerite Clark, American silent film actress (d. 1940)
*
February 23 – Karl Jaspers, German philosopher (d. 1969)
*
February 28 – Gheorghe Argeșanu, Romanian general and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1940)
March–April
*
March 2
Events Pre-1600
* 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his '' bucellarii'' are almost cut o ...
– Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek writer (d. 1957)
* March 3
** Cyril Burt, British educational psychologist (d. 1971)
** Edwin Carewe, Native American director (d. 1940)
* March 4
** Sam Langford, Canadian boxer (d. 1956)
** Maude Fealy, American actress (d. 1971)
* March 7 – Michael Somogyi, Hungarian-American biochemist (d. 1971)
* March 19
** Norman Haworth, British chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1950)
** Joseph Stilwell, American general (d. 1946)
* March 24 – Dorothy Campbell, Scottish golfer (d. 1945)
* April 1
**Laurette Taylor, American actress (d.1946)
**Lon Chaney, American actor (d. 1930)
* April 3 – Henry Diesen, Norwegian admiral (d. 1953)
*
April 5 – Walter Huston, Canadian-born American actor (d. 1950)
* April 11 – Leonard Mudie, English actor (d. 1965)
* April 12 – Dally Messenger, Australian rugby league player (d. 1959)
* April 15 – Stanley Bruce, 8th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1967)
* April 25 – Semyon Budyonny, Cossack cavalryman, Marshal of the Soviet Union (d. 1973)
* April 27 – Hubert Harrison, African-American writer, critic, and activist (d. 1927)
* April 30 – Jaroslav Hašek, Czech writer (d. 1923)
May–June
* May 1 – Thomas J. Moore, Tom Moore, Irish-American actor (d. 1955)
* May 5
** Eleazar López Contreras, 32nd President of Venezuela (d. 1973)
** Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, British field marshal (d. 1950)
* May 9 – José Ortega y Gasset, Spanish philosopher (d. 1955)
* May 10 – Eugen Leviné, Communist leader of the Munich Soviet Republic (d. 1919)
* May 16
** Celâl Bayar, Turkish politician, statesman, 3rd President of Turkey (d. 1986)
** Solomone Ula Ata, Prime Minister of Tonga (d. 1950)
* May 18
** Walter Gropius, German architect (d. 1969)
** Hasui Kawase, Japanese painter, printmaker (d. 1957)
** Eurico Gaspar Dutra, Brazilian marshal, 16th President of Brazil (d. 1974)
*
May 23
Events Pre-1600
* 1430 – Joan of Arc is captured at the Siege of Compiègne by troops from the Burgundian faction.
*1498 – Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence, Italy.
* 1533 – The marriage of King Henry VI ...
– Douglas Fairbanks, American actor (d. 1939)
*
May 24 – Elsa Maxwell, American gossip columnist, international party giver (d. 1963)
* May 25 – Lesley J. McNair, American general (d. 1944)
* May 27 – Jessie Arms Botke, American artist (d. 1971)
* May 28 – Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian pro-independence activist, Hindu nationalist (d. 1966)
* May 31 – Lauri Kristian Relander, President of Finland (d. 1942)
* June 5
** John Maynard Keynes, English economist (d. 1946)
** Mary Helen Young, Scottish nurse and resistance fighter during World War II (died 1945)
* June 7 – Sylvanus Morley, American scholar, World War I spy (d. 1948)
* June 11 – Aubrey Fitch, American admiral (d. 1978)
* June 18 – Mary Alden, American stage, screen actress (d. 1946)
* June 20 – Royal E. Ingersoll, American admiral (d. 1976)
* June 24 – Victor Francis Hess, Austrian-born American physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1964)
*
June 28 – Pierre Laval, Prime Minister of France (d. 1945)
* June 29 – Lothrop Stoddard, American Eugenics, eugenicist, radical scientific racist (d. 1950)
July–August
* July 1 – István Friedrich, 24th Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1951)
*
July 3
Events Pre-1600
* 324 – Battle of Adrianople: Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium.
* 987 – Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that would rule France until the French Revolut ...
– Franz Kafka, Austrian writer (d. 1924)
*
July 4
Events Pre-1600
*362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans.
* 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his older sister Aelia Pulcheria, who reigned as regent and proclaime ...
– Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist (d. 1970)
* July 6 – Godfrey Huggins, English-born Rhodesian politician and physician, Prime Minister of Rhodesia (d. 1971)
* July 10 – Johannes Blaskowitz, German general (d. 1948)
* July 16 – Charles Sheeler, American photographer, artist (d. 1965)
* July 19
** Max Fleischer, Austrian animator, film producer (Betty Boop) (d. 1972)
** Beatrice Forbes, Countess of Granard, American-born heiress (d. 1972)
* July 20 – Catherine Bramwell-Booth, English Salvation Army officer (d. 1987)
* July 23
**Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, British field marshal (d. 1963)
** Oscar Westover, United States Army Air Corps general (d. 1938)
* July 25 – Alfredo Casella, Italian composer (d. 1947)
* July 26 – Edwin Balmer, American science fiction, mystery writer (d. 1959)
* July 29
** Henry Robertson Bowers, Scottish polar explorer (d. 1912)
** Benito Mussolini, dictator of Italy (d. 1945)
* July 31 – Ramón Fonst, Cuban fencer (d. 1959)
* August 2 – Aurelio Mosquera, Ecuadorian politician, 25th President of Ecuador (d. 1939)
* August 6 – Scott Nearing, American political activist, economist, and simple living advocate (d. 1983)
* August 9 – Chester Gillette, American murderer (execution) (d. 1908)
*
August 12
Events Pre-1600
*1099 – First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid forces led by Al-Afdal Shahanshah. This is considered the last engagement of the First Crusade.
* 1121 – B ...
**Pauline Frederick, American stage, screen actress (d. 1938)
**Marion Lorne, American film, stage and television actress (d. 1968)
* August 15 – Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor and architect (d. 1962)
* August 19
** Coco Chanel, French fashion designer (d. 1971)
** Elsie Ferguson, American actress (d. 1961)
** José Mendes Cabeçadas, 9th President of Portugal and 94th Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1965)
** Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp, 24th Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 1954)
* August 23
** Jesse Pennington, English footballer (d. 1970)
** Jonathan M. Wainwright (general), Jonathan M. Wainwright, American general (d. 1953)
* August 30 – Theo van Doesburg, Dutch artist, painter, architect, and poet (d. 1931)
September–October
* September 2 – Rudolf Weigl, Polish biologist (d. 1957)
* September 5 – Mel Sheppard, American Olympic athlete (d. 1942)
* September 13 – August Zaleski, 6th President of Poland (d. 1972)
*
September 15
Events Pre-1600
* 994 – Major Fatimid victory over the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of the Orontes.
*1440 – Gilles de Rais, one of the earliest known serial killers, is taken into custody upon an accusation brought against him by ...
– Esteban Terradas i Illa, Catalan mathematician, scientist, and engineer (d. 1950)
* September 28 – Berta Pīpiņa, Latvian politician (d. 1942)
* October 2 – Karl von Terzaghi, Austrian civil engineer and "father of soil mechanics" (d. 1963)
* October 5 – Joseph Hubert Priestley, British botanist (d. 1944)
* October 8 – Otto Heinrich Warburg, German physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1970)
* October 15 – Robert L. Ghormley, American admiral (d. 1958)
* October 21 – D. S. Senanayake, 1st Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (d. 1952)
* October 26 – Paul Pilgrim, American athlete (d. 1958)
* October 30 – Bob Jones Sr., American evangelist, religious broadcaster, and founder of Bob Jones University (d. 1968)
* October 31 – Anthony Wilding, New Zealand tennis player (d. 1915)
November–December
* November 4 – Nikolaos Plastiras, Greek general and politician (d. 1953)
* November 8 – Arnold Bax, English composer (d. 1953)
* November 9 – Edna May Oliver, American stage and film character actress (d. 1942)
* November 11 – Ernest Ansermet, Swiss conductor (d. 1969)
* November 14 – Ado Birk, 3rd Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1942)
* November 18 – Carl Vinson, U.S. congressman (d. 1981)
* November 25
** Harvey Spencer Lewis, American occultist (b. 1939)
** Diego Martínez Barrio, Spanish politician, 2-time Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1962)
* November 26 – Belle da Costa Greene, American librarian, bibliographer, and archivist (d. 1950)
* November 29
** Lev Galler, Soviet admiral (d. 1950)
** Max Horton, British admiral (d. 1951)
* December 3 – Anton Webern, Austrian composer (d. 1945)
* December 9
** Alexander Papagos, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1955)
** Joseph Pilates, German physical culturist and developer of Pilates (d. 1967)
* December 10 – Giovanni Messe, Italian field marshal and politician (d. 1968)
* December 12 – Maxey Dell Moody, American businessman and founder of M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. (d. 1949)
* December 14 – Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist and founder of aikido (d. 1969)
* December 16 – Max Linder, French actor (d. 1925)
* December 22 – Edgard Varèse, French composer (d. 1965)
* December 25 – Hugo Bergmann, German and Israeli Jewish philosopher (d. 1975)
* December 26 – Maurice Utrillo, French artist and illustrator (d. 1955)
* December 28 – Lloyd Fredendall, American general (d. 1963)
* December 29 – Forrest Taylor, American stage, film and television actor (d. 1965)
Date unknown
* Lotte Herrlich, German photographer (d. 1956)
* Constantin Noe, Megleno-Romanian editor and professor (d. 1939)
* Ali Ahmad Khan, Afghan politician and emir (d. 1929)
* Ernest Spybuck, Native American artist (d. 1949)
* Trần Trọng Kim, Vietnamese historian and Prime Minister of the Empire of Vietnam (d. 1953)
Deaths
January–June
*
January 4 – Antoine Chanzy, French general and colonial governor (b. 1823)
* January 8 – Miska Magyarics, Slovenes, Slovene poet in Hungary (b. 1825)
*
January 10
** Samuel Mudd, American doctor to John Wilkes Booth (b. 1833)
** Elling Eielsen, Norwegian Lutheran leader (b. 1804)
* January 23 – Gustave Doré, French artist (b. 1832)
* January 24 – Friedrich von Flotow, German composer (b. 1812)
* February 13 – Richard Wagner, German composer (b. 1813)
*
February 15 – Prince Kachō Hiroatsu of Japan (b. 1875)
* February 17
** Napoléon Coste, French guitarist and composer (b. 1806)
** Vasudev Balwant Phadke, Indian revolutionary (b. 1845)
* February 18 – Francis Abbott, Australian astronomer (b. 1799)
* March 4 – Alexander Hamilton Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America (b. 1812)
* March 14 – Karl Marx, German communist philosopher (b. 1818)
*
March 20
Events Pre-1600
* 673 – Emperor Tenmu of Japan assumes the Chrysanthemum Throne at the Palace of Kiyomihara in Asuka.
* 1206 – Michael IV Autoreianos is appointed Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
* 1600 – The Link ...
– Charles Lasègue, French physician (b. 1816)
* March 21 – Grigol Orbeliani, Georgian poet and soldier (b. 1804)
*March 27 - John Brown (servant), John Brown, Scottish personal servant and favourite of Queen Victoria (b. 1826)
*
March 28
Events Pre-1600
* AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate.
* 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Di ...
– Napoleon Bonaparte Buford, American general and railroad executive (b. 1807)
* April 4 – Peter Cooper, American industrialist, inventor and philanthropist (b. 1791)
* April 15 – Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (b. 1823)
* April 16 – Charles II, Duke of Parma (b. 1799)
* April 26 – Napoleon Orda, Belarusian composer and artist (b. 1807)
* April 30 – Édouard Manet, French painter (b. 1832)
*
May 24 – Keʻelikōlani, princess of Hawaii (b. 1826)
* May 26 – Abdelkader El Djezairi, Algerian leader (b. 1808)
* June 6 – Ciprian Porumbescu, Romanian composer (b. 1853)
* June 11 – Caroline Leigh Gascoigne, English writer (b. 1813)
* June 20 – John Colenso, English-born mathematician and theologian, Bishop of Natal (b. 1814)
* June 26 – Edward Sabine, Irish astronomer (b. 1788)
July–December
* July 15 – General Tom Thumb, American circus performer and entertainer (b. 1838)
*
July 22
Events Pre-1600
* 838 – Battle of Anzen: The Byzantine emperor Theophilos suffers a heavy defeat by the Abbasids.
*1099 – First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of J ...
– Edward Ord, U.S. Army officer (b. 1818)
* July 23 – Rose Massey, English actress (b. 1851?)
* July 24 – Matthew Webb, English sailor, first recorded person to swim the English Channel without the use of artificial aids (b. 1848)
* July 27 – Montgomery Blair, American politician (b. 1813)
* July 28 – Carlo Pellion di Persano, Italian admiral and politician (b. 1806)
* August 24 – Henri, Count of Chambord, pretender to the French throne (b. 1820)
* August 25 – Louise Lateau, Belgian mystic and stigmatist (b. 1850)
* September 3 – Ivan Turgenev, Russian writer (b. 1818)
* September 10 – Otto Pius Hippius, Baltic German architect (b. 1826)
* September 17 – Junius Brutus Booth Jr., American actor and theatre manager (b. 1821)
* October 5 – Joachim Barrande, French palaeontologist (b. 1799)
* October 14 – Sir Arthur Elton, 7th Baronet, English writer and Liberal Party politician (b. 1818)
* October 20 – George Chichester, 3rd Marquess of Donegall, Anglo-Irish landowner, courtier and politician (b. 1797)
* October 22 – Thomas Mayne Reid, Irish-American novelist (b. 1818)
* October 30
** Dayananda Saraswati, Hindu religious leader (b. 1824)
** Robert Volkmann, German composer (b. 1815)
* November 19 – Carl Wilhelm Siemens, German engineer (b. 1823)
* November 20 – Tenshoin, wife of 13th Shōgun of Japan, Tokugawa Iesada (b.1836)
*November 29 – Elisabeth Dieudonné Vincent, Haitian-born migrant and free woman of colour (b. 1798)
* December 13 – Victor de Laprade, French poet and critic (b. 1812)
* December 27 – Andrew A. Humphreys, American general and civil engineer (b. 1810)
Dates unknown
*Margaret Agnes Bunn, British actress (b. 1799)
*Jules Miot, French republican socialist (b. 1809)
*Mary S. B. Shindler, American poet (b. 1810)
References
Further reading and year books
*
''1883 Annual Cyclopedia'' (1884) online highly detailed coverage of "Political, Military, and Ecclesiastical Affairs; Public Documents; Biography, Statistics, Commerce, Finance, Literature, Science, Agriculture, and Mechanical Industry" for 1883; massive compilation of facts and primary documents; worldwide coverage. 897pp
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1883,