Events

January–March

January 1 January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...

–

Upper Burma Upper Myanmar ( my, အထက်မြန်မာပြည်, also called Upper Burma) is a geographic region of Myanmar, traditionally encompassing Mandalay and its periphery (modern Mandalay, Sagaing, Magway Regions), or more broadly speak ...

is formally annexed to

British Burma British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, following its conquest in the

Third Anglo-Burmese War The Third Anglo-Burmese War ( my, တတိယ အင်္ဂလိပ် – မြန်မာစစ်, Tatiya Anggalip–Mran cac), also known as the Third Burma War, took place during 7–29 November 1885, with sporadic resistance conti ...

November November is the eleventh and penultimate month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars, the fourth and last of four months to have a length of 30 days and the fifth and last of five months to have a length of fewer than 31 days. No ...

1885 Events January–March * January 3– 4 – Sino-French War – Battle of Núi Bop: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing Chinese force, in northern Vietnam. * January 4 – ...

. *

January 5 Events Pre-1600 *1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Duchy of Burgundy, Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France. 1601–1900 *1675 – Battle of Turckh ...

– 9 –

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 novella '' Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is published in New York and London. *

January 16 Events Pre-1600 * 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire. * 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Spear ...

– A resolution is passed in the German Parliament to condemn the Prussian deportations, the politically motivated mass expulsion of ethnic Poles and Jews from

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

, initiated by

Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...

. *

January 18 Events Pre-1600 * 474 – Seven-year-old Leo II succeeds his maternal grandfather Leo I as Byzantine emperor. He dies ten months later. * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople fail. * 1126 – Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chi ...

– Modern

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...

is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. *

January 29 Events Pre-1600 * 904 – Sergius III is elected pope, after coming out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher. * 946 – Caliph Al-Mustakfi is blinded and deposed by Emir Mu'izz al-Dawla, ruler o ...

–

Karl Benz Carl Friedrich Benz (; 25 November 1844 – 4 April 1929), sometimes also Karl Friedrich Benz, was a German engine designer and automotive engineer. His Benz Patent Motorcar from 1885 is considered the first practical modern automobile and fir ...

patents the first successful

gasoline Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...

-driven

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

, the

Benz Patent-Motorwagen The Benz Patent-Motorwagen ("patent motorcar"), built in 1885 by the German Carl Benz, is widely regarded as the world's first practical modern automobile and was the first car put into series production. It was patented and unveiled in 1886. T ...

(built in

). *

February 6 Events Pre-1600 * 1579 – The Archdiocese of Manila is made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop. 1601–1900 * 1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of ...

– 9 –

Seattle riot of 1886 The Seattle riot of 1886 occurred on February 6–9, 1886, in Seattle, Washington, amidst rising anti-Chinese sentiment caused by intense labor competition and in the context of an ongoing struggle between labor and capital in the Western United S ...

: Anti-Chinese sentiments result in riots in Seattle, Washington. *

February 8 Events Pre-1600 * 421 – Constantius III becomes co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir. *1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of Al ...

– The

West End Riots The West End Riots were disorders in the West End of London on 8 February 1886 following a counter-demonstration by the Social Democratic Federation in Trafalgar Square against a meeting of the Fair Trade League. They were also known as the Trafa ...

following a popular meeting in

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. *

February 14 Events Pre-1600 * 748 – Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt. * 842 – Charles the Bald and Louis ...

– The first train load of

oranges An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae (see list of plants known as orange); it primarily refers to ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related ''Citrus × ...

leaves Los Angeles via the United States transcontinental railroad. *

March 3 Events Pre-1600 * 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japan. * 1575 &nd ...

– The Treaty of Bucharest ends the

Serbo-Bulgarian War The Serbo-Bulgarian War or the Serbian–Bulgarian War ( bg, Сръбско-българска война, ''Srăbsko-bălgarska voyna'', sr, Српско-бугарски рат, ''Srpsko-bugarski rat'') was a war between the Kingdom of Serb ...

in the Balkans. * March 16 – A law establishing the Kiel Canal is adopted in the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. * March 17 &ndash
Carrollton Massacre
20

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

s are killed in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. * March 29 – Wilhelm Steinitz becomes the first recognized World Chess Champion. * March –

Gottlieb Daimler Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler (; 17 March 1834 – 6 March 1900) was a German engineer, industrial designer and industrialist born in Schorndorf (Kingdom of Württemberg, a federal state of the German Confederation), in what is now Germany. He was a ...

assembles his first automobile, in Germany.

April–June

April 4 Events Pre-1600 * 503 BC – Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrates a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines. * 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground. * 611 – ...

–

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

introduces the First Irish Home Rule Bill in the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

; it is defeated on

June 8 Events Pre-1600 * 218 – Battle of Antioch: With the support of the Syrian legions, Elagabalus defeats the forces of emperor Macrinus. * 452 – Attila leads a Hun army in the invasion of Italy, devastating the northern provinces ...

. * April 6 – The settlement of

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

is incorporated. * April 24 – Father

Augustine Tolton John Augustus Tolton (April 1, 1854 – July 9, 1897), baptized Augustine Tolton, was the first Catholic priest in the United States publicly known to be African American, Black. (The Healy family, Healy brothers, who preceded him, all Passing ( ...

, the first

Roman Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

from the United States to identify himself publicly as

, is ordained in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. * April 25 –

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

occurs on the latest possible date (the next time is in

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...

). *

April April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. It is the first of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the second of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. April is commonly associated with ...

– The Swedish Dress Reform Society is established. * May 1 – A

general strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...

begins in the United States, which escalates on May 4 into the Haymarket affair in Chicago, and eventually wins the eight-hour day for workers. * May 4 – Emile Berliner starts work that leads to the invention of the

gramophone A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

. *

May 8 Events Pre-1600 * 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin. * 413 – Emperor Honorius signs a ...

– American pharmacist Dr.

John Pemberton John Stith Pemberton (July 8, 1831 – August 16, 1888) was an American pharmacist and Confederate States Army veteran who is best known as the inventor of Coca-Cola. In May 1886, he developed an early version of a beverage that would later bec ...

invents a carbonated beverage that will be named '

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

'. *

May 15 Events Pre-1600 * 221 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty. * 392 – Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbog ...

– Portugal and France agree to regulate the borders of their colonies in Guinea. * May 17 ** '' Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad'': The

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

rules that

corporations A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...

have the same rights as living persons. **

Motherwell Football Club Motherwell Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. Motherwell have not dropped out of the top-flight of Scottish football since 1985, and have lif ...

is founded in Scotland. * May 29 –

begins to advertise

(in '' The Atlanta Journal''). * June 2 – U.S. President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

marries

Frances Folsom Frances Clara Cleveland Preston ( née Folsom born as Frank Clara; July 21, 1864 – October 29, 1947) was an American socialite, education activist, and the first lady of the United States from 1886 to 1889, and again from 1893 to 1897 as ...

in the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

(Washington, D.C.), becoming the only

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

to wed in the executive mansion. She is 27 years his junior. *

June 3 Events Pre-1600 * 350 – The Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators. * 713 – The Byzantine Empire, Byzantine emperor Philippikos Ba ...

– Uganda Martyrs:

Charles Lwanga Charles Lwanga (Luganda: Kaloli Lwanga; 1 January 18603 June 1886) was a Ugandan convert to the Catholic Church who was martyred with a group of his peers and is revered as a saint by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. A memb ...

, 12 other Catholic boys and men, and 9 Anglicans, are burned (and another Catholic speared) to death, at the orders of Kabaka Mwanga II of Buganda in Namugongo. * June 10 – The Mount Tarawera volcano erupts in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, resulting in the deaths of over 150 people and the destruction of the famous

Pink and White Terraces The Pink and White Terraces ( and ), were natural wonders of New Zealand. They were reportedly the largest silica sinter deposits on earth. Until recently, they were lost and thought destroyed in the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera, while new hy ...

. *

June 12 Events Pre-1600 * 910 – Battle of Augsburg: The Hungarians defeat the East Frankish army under King Louis the Child, using the famous feigned retreat tactic of the nomadic warriors. * 1240 – At the instigation of Louis IX of Fr ...

– King

Ludwig II of Bavaria Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886) was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He is sometimes called the Swan King or ('the Fairy Tale King'). He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the ...

is detained as part of a deposition, drowning the following day under mysterious circumstances. Six weeks later his unfinished

Neuschwanstein Castle Neuschwanstein Castle (german: Schloss Neuschwanstein, , Southern Bavarian: ''Schloss Neischwanstoa'') is a 19th-century historicist palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The pa ...

is opened to the public. * June 13 – The

Great Vancouver Fire The Great Vancouver Fire destroyed most of the newly incorporated city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on June 13, 1886. It started as two land clearing fires to the west of the city. The first fire was further away from the city and wa ...

devastates much of

. * June 25 –

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

makes his conducting debut, with an Italian opera company visiting

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. *

June 30 Events Pre-1600 * 296 – Pope Marcellinus begins his papacy. * 763 – The Byzantine Empire, Byzantine army of emperor Constantine V defeats the First Bulgarian Empire, Bulgarian forces in the Battle of Anchialus (763), Battle of Anc ...

– The

Royal Holloway College Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...

for women is opened by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

, near London, England.

July–September

* July 3 –

officially unveils the Benz Patent Motorwagen. *

July 9 Events Pre-1600 *118 – Hadrian, who became emperor a year previously on Trajan's death, makes his entry into Rome. * 381 – The end of the First Council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Theodos ...

– American inventor

Charles M. Hall Charles Martin Hall (December 6, 1863 – December 27, 1914) was an American inventor, businessman, and chemist. He is best known for his invention in 1886 of an inexpensive method for producing aluminum, which became the first metal to att ...

files a patent for his inexpensive method of refining

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

(discovered on February 23); independently and near-simultaneously discovered in France by Paul Héroult it becomes known as the Hall–Héroult process. * July 23 – Steve Brodie is reported to have made a jump from the

Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/ suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River ...

, a claim subsequently disputed. *

July 25 Events Pre-1600 * 306 – Constantine I is proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops. * 315 – The Arch of Constantine is completed near the Colosseum in Rome to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge. ...

–

Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for a total of over thirteen y ...

(

Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party and also known colloquially as the Tories, is one of the Two-party system, two main political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party. ...

) becomes Great Britain's 30th

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

. *

August 13 Events Pre-1600 * 29 BC – Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes. * 523 – John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas. * 554 – Em ...

–

Nagasaki Incident The , also known as the Nagasaki―Qing Navy Incident (長崎清国水兵事件), was an August 1886 riot involving Chinese Beiyang Fleet sailors in Nagasaki. Outline On 1 August 1886 ( Meiji 19), the Qing dynasty's Beiyang Fleet, consist ...

: Chinese troops riot during shore leave in Nagasaki, Japan. *

August 19 Events Pre-1600 *295 BC – The first temple to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, is dedicated by Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges during the Third Samnite War. *43 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, later know ...

– The Christian Union (Church of God) is established. * August 20 – A massive

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

demolishes the town of

Indianola, Texas Indianola is a ghost town located on Matagorda Bay in Calhoun County, Texas, United States. The community, once the county seat of Calhoun County, is a part of the Victoria, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1875, the city had a populatio ...

. * August 31 – The 7.0 Charleston earthquake affects southeastern South Carolina, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''); 60 people are killed, and damage is estimated at $5–6 million. *

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 Ancon ...

–

Grasshopper Club Zürich Grasshopper Club Zürich, commonly referred to as simply GC, GCZ, or Grasshoppers, is a multisports club based in Zürich, Switzerland. The oldest and best known department of the club is its football team. With 27 titles, Grasshopper holds the ...

is founded as the first football club in the Swiss city of

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

by English students. * September 4 – American Indian Wars: After almost 30 years of fighting,

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

leader

Geronimo Geronimo ( apm, Goyaałé, , ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache ba ...

surrenders, with his last band of warriors, to General

Nelson Miles Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was an American military general who served in the American Civil War, the American Indian Wars, and the Spanish–American War. From 1895 to 1903, Miles served as the last Commanding Gen ...

, at Skeleton Canyon in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. * September 9 – The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is signed. *

September 21 Events Pre-1600 * 455 – Emperor Avitus enters Rome with a Gallic army and consolidates his power. * 1170 – The Kingdom of Dublin falls to Norman invaders. * 1217 – Livonian Crusade: The Estonian leader Lembitu and Livonian ...

– American physicist

William Stanley Jr. William Stanley Jr. (November 28, 1858 – May 14, 1916) was an American physicist born in Brooklyn, New York. During his career, he obtained 129 patents covering a variety of electric devices. In 1913, he also patented an all-steel vacuum bot ...

patents the first practical

alternating current Alternating current (AC) is an electric current which periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time in contrast to direct current (DC) which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in whic ...

transformer A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...

device, the

induction coil An induction coil or "spark coil" (archaically known as an inductorium or Ruhmkorff coil after Heinrich Rühmkorff) is a type of electrical transformer used to produce high-voltage pulses from a low-voltage direct current (DC) supply. p.98 To ...

October–December

* October 7 – Spain abolishes

slavery in Cuba Slavery in Cuba was a portion of the larger Atlantic Slave Trade that primarily supported Spanish plantation owners engaged in the sugarcane trade. It was practised on the island of Cuba from the 16th century until it was abolished by Spanish ro ...

. * October 24 – The British merchant vessel ''Normanton'' sinks off the coast of Japan, triggering the

Normanton incident The was a set of reactions and events surrounding the sinking of a British merchant vessel named ''Normanton'' off the coast of what is now Japan's Wakayama Prefecture on October 24, 1886. When the Normanton ran aground, the ship's officers app ...

. *

October 28 Events Pre-1600 * 97 – Roman emperor Nerva is forced by the Praetorian Guard to adopt general Marcus Ulpius Trajanus as his heir and successor. * 306 – Maxentius is proclaimed Roman emperor. * 312 – Constantine I defeats ...

– In

New York Harbor New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...

, U.S. President

dedicates the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...

, a gift from France. The ensuing spontaneous celebration in New York City leads to the first

ticker tape parade A ticker-tape parade is a parade event held in an urban setting, characterized by large amounts of shredded paper thrown onto the parade route from the surrounding buildings, creating a celebratory flurry of paper. Originally, actual ticker tap ...

. *

– The extremely harsh

winter of 1886–87 in the United States Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures de ...

begins, killing tens of thousands of cattle on the

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...

of North America. *

November 1 Events Pre-1600 * 365 – The Alemanni cross the Rhine and invade Gaul. Emperor Valentinian I moves to Paris to command the army and defend the Gallic cities. * 996 – Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk, Bishop of Freising, ...

– The biggest Buddhist boys' school in Sri Lanka,

Ananda College ''Appamādo Amathapadan'' (Buddhist quote from the Apramada Vagga in the Dhammapada) , motto_translation = Heedfulness, Punctuality leads to Nirvana , location = P De S Kularatne Mawatha , city = Colom ...

, is founded in Colombo. *

November 3 Events Pre-1600 * 361 – Emperor Constantius II dies of a fever at Mopsuestia in Cilicia; on his deathbed he is baptised and declares his cousin Julian rightful successor. *1333 – The River Arno floods causing massive damage in F ...

– In the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

, what will become one of the biggest boys' schools in Pakistan,

Aitchison College Aitchison College ( ur, ایچیسن کالج) is an independent, semi-private boys school for boarding and day students from grade 1–13 in Lahore, Pakistan. It has a tradition of providing an education that uses academics, sports, and co-curri ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

, is founded under the auspices of Sir

Charles Umpherston Aitchison Sir Charles Umpherston Aitchison (20 May 1832 – 18 February 1896) was a Scottish colonial administrator who was Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab, then a province of British India. He founded Aitchison College, Lahore in 1886. He ser ...

. *

November 11 Events Pre-1600 * 308 – At Carnuntum, Emperor ''emeritus'' Diocletian confers with Galerius, ''Augustus'' of the East, and Maximianus, the recently returned former ''Augustus'' of the West, in an attempt to end the civil wars of the T ...

–

Heinrich Hertz Heinrich Rudolf Hertz ( ; ; 22 February 1857 – 1 January 1894) was a German physicist who first conclusively proved the existence of the electromagnetic waves predicted by James Clerk Maxwell's Maxwell's equations, equations of electrom ...

verifies the existence of

electromagnetic waves In physics, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) consists of waves of the electromagnetic (EM) field, which propagate through space and carry momentum and electromagnetic radiant energy. It includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared, (visible) lig ...

, at the

University of Karlsruhe The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; german: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie) is a public research university in Karlsruhe, Germany. The institute is a national research center of the Helmholtz Association. KIT was created in 2009 w ...

. *

November 14 Events Pre-1600 1601–1900 *1680 – German astronomer Gottfried Kirch discovers the Great Comet of 1680, the first comet to be discovered by telescope. * 1770 – James Bruce discovers what he believes to be the source of the Nile. * ...

– German inventor

Friedrich Soennecken Friedrich Soennecken (20 September 1848 – 2 July 1919) was an entrepreneur and inventor. He was the founder of Soennecken, a German office supplier. Soennecken was born in Iserlohn-Dröschede, Sauerland in 1848, the son of a blacksmith. On ...

first develops the hole puncher, a type of office tool capable of punching small holes in paper. *

November 15 Events Pre-1600 * 655 – Battle of the Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. *1315 – Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy: The Schweizer Eidgenossenschaft ambushes the army of Leopold I in the Battle of Morg ...

– A worldwide

home appliance A home appliance, also referred to as a domestic appliance, an electric appliance or a household appliance, is a machine which assists in household functions such as cooking, cleaning and food preservation. Appliances are divided into three ty ...

and power tool brand,

Robert Bosch GmbH Robert Bosch GmbH (; ), commonly known as Bosch and stylized as BOSCH, is a German multinational engineering and technology company headquartered in Gerlingen, Germany. The company was founded by Robert Bosch in Stuttgart in 1886. Bosch is 9 ...

was founded in

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. *

November 30 Events Pre-1600 * 978 – Franco-German war of 978–980: Holy Roman Emperor Otto II lifts the siege of Paris and withdraws. 1601–1900 * 1707 – Queen Anne's War: The second Siege of Pensacola comes to end with the failure of the Br ...

– The '' Folies Bergère'' stages its first revue in Paris. * December 11 – London

Association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, founded as Dial Square by workers at the

Royal Arsenal The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England, that was used for the manufacture of armaments and ammunition, proofing, and explosives research for the Britis ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...

, play their first match (on the

Isle of Dogs The Isle of Dogs is a large peninsula bounded on three sides by a large meander in the River Thames in East London, England, which includes the Cubitt Town, Millwall and Canary Wharf districts. The area was historically part of the Manor, Ham ...

). The club is renamed Royal Arsenal soon afterwards, supposedly on December 25. *

December 17 Events Pre-1600 * 497 BC – The first Saturnalia festival was celebrated in ancient Rome. * 546 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoths under king Totila plunder the city, by bribing the Byzantine garrison. * 920 – Romanos I Lekap ...

– English adventurer Thomas Stevens concludes the first

circumnavigation Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical object, astronomical body (e.g. a planet or natural satellite, moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circ ...

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, having set out on his

penny-farthing The penny-farthing, also known as a high wheel, high wheeler or ordinary, is an early type of bicycle. It was popular in the 1870s and 1880s, with its large front wheel providing high speeds (owing to its travelling a large distance for every r ...

from

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

1884 Events January–March * January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London. * January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Princess Ida'' premières at the Savoy Theatre, London. * January 18 – Dr. William Price atte ...

Date unknown

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

is founded in the

Ethiopian Empire The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historical ...

. * The village of Skorenovac is founded, mostly by

Székely Székely may refer to: *Székelys, Hungarian people from the historical region of Transylvania, Romania **Székely Land, historic and ethnographic area in Transylvania, Romania * Székely (village), a village in northeastern Hungary *Székely (sur ...

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...

. *

Scotch whisky Scotch whisky (; sco, Scots whisky/whiskie, whusk(e)y; often simply called whisky or Scotch) is malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distil ...

distiller

William Grant & Sons William Grant & Sons Ltd is an independent, family-owned Scottish company that distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was established in 1887 by William Grant, and is run by Grant's descendants as of 2018. It is the ...

is founded. *

Yorkshire Tea Yorkshire Tea is a black tea Tea blending and additives, blend produced by the Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate, Bettys & Taylors Group since 1977. It is the most popular traditional black tea brand sold in the UK. In 1886 Charles Edward Taylor F ...

is established in

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

, England. *

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...

, which becomes a multinational brand, begins manufacturing

healthcare Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

products in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States. * Emily Ruete publishes her landmark memoir, ''Memoirs of an Arabian Princess: An Autobiography''. * Bedford Rugby Club is formed in England. * Horse-drawn streetcars in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, France, Germany and Great Britain are carrying c. 900 million riders per year. *

Avon Products Avon Products, Inc. or simply known as Avon, is an American-British multinational cosmetics, skin care, fragrance and personal care company, based in London. It sells directly to the public. Avon had annual sales of $9.1 billion worldwide in 2 ...

, a

cosmetics Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...

and

household A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is im ...

brand on worldwide, founded in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, United States. * Food product and processing brand,

Del Monte Foods Del Monte Foods, Inc (trading as Del Monte Foods) is an American food production and distribution company headquartered in Walnut Creek, California. Del Monte Foods is one of the country's largest producers, distributors and marketer of bran ...

was founded in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States.

Births

January–February

Aeneas Francon Williams (right, holding a hat) standing on the steps of Wolseley House, Kalimpong 1914

Oskar Kokoschka (1963) by Erling Mandelmann

January 2 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor. * 366 – The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Empi ...

–

Florence Lawrence Florence Lawrence (born Florence Annie Bridgwood; January 2, 1886 – December 28, 1938) was a Canadian-American stage performer and film actress. She is often referred to as the "first movie star", and was thought to be the first film actor to ...

, Canadian-born actress (d.

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

) *

–

Markus Reiner Markus Reiner ( he, מרכוס ריינר, born 5 January 1886, died 25 April 1976) was an Israeli scientist and a major figure in rheology. Biography Reiner was born in 1886 in Czernowitz, Bukovina, then part of Austria-Hungary, and obtained ...

, Israeli scientist (d.

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

) *

January 7 Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – The Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army. This prompts the tribunes who support him to flee to Ravenna, where Caesar is waiting. * 1325 – Alfonso IV ...

–

Amedeo Maiuri Amedeo Maiuri (January 7, 1886 – April 7, 1963) was an Italian archaeologist, famous for his archaeological investigations of the Roman city of Pompeii which was destroyed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in August of AD 79. He was the first ...

, Neapolitan archaeologist (d.

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

) *

January 11 Events Pre-1600 * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence. * 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muhamma ...

George Zucco George Zucco (11 January 1886 – 27 May 1960) was a British character actor who appeared in plays and 96 films, mostly American-made, during a career spanning over two decades, from the 1920s to 1951. In his films, he often played a suave ...

, English–born character actor (d.

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

) ** Chester Conklin, American actor (d.

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

) *

January 13 Events Pre-1600 * 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years. * 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the racing ...

–

Sophie Tucker Sophie Tucker (born Sofia Kalish; January 13, 1886 – February 9, 1966) was an American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertaine ...

, Russian-born singer, comedian (d.

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

) *

January 14 Events Pre-1600 *1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence. *1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary. 1601–1900 *1639 – The "Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, Fundamenta ...

–

Hugh Lofting Hugh John Lofting (14 January 1886 – 26 September 1947) was an English American writer trained as a civil engineer, who created the classic children's literature character Doctor Dolittle. The fictional physician to talking animals, based in a ...

, English-born author (d.

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

) *

January 17 Events Pre-1600 * 38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey. * 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on ...

– Joe Masseria, Italian-born American gangster (d.

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

) *

– Clara Nordström, German writer, translator (d.

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

) *

January 25 Events Pre-1600 * 41 – After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman emperor by the Senate. * 750 – In the Battle of the Zab, the Abbasid rebels defeat the Umayyad Caliphate, leading to the overthrow of the dynasty ...

– Wilhelm Furtwängler, German conductor (d.

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

) *

January 27 Events Pre-1600 * 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule the Roman Empire will reach its maximum extent. * 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to becom ...

–

Frank Nitti Frank Ralph Nitto (born Francesco Raffaele Nitto, ; January 27, 1886 – March 19, 1943), known as Frank Nitti, was an Italian-American organized crime figure based in Chicago. The first cousin and bodyguard of Al Capone, Nitti was in charge of ...

, Italian-born American gangster (d.

) *

January 28 Events Pre-1600 * 98 – On the death of Nerva, Trajan is declared Roman emperor in Cologne, the seat of his government in lower Germany. * 814 – The death of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, brings about the accession o ...

Hidetsugu Yagi was a Japanese electrical engineer from Osaka, Japan. When working at Tohoku Imperial University, he wrote several articles that introduced a new antenna designed by his assistant Shintaro Uda to the English-speaking world. The Yagi antenna, ...

, Japanese electrical engineer (d.

) **

Sam McDaniel Samuel Rufus McDaniel (January 28, 1886September 24, 1962)Tanner, Beccy (November 7, 1991)"McDaniel Opened Doors; 'Gone With the Wind' Was Actress' Most Famous Film" ''The Wichita Eagle''. Retrieved January 3, 2021. was an American actor who ap ...

, African-American actor (d.

) *

January 31 Events Pre-1600 * 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades. * 1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on the t ...

–

Alfonso López Pumarejo Alfonso López Pumarejo (31 January 1886 – 20 November 1959) was a Colombian political figure, who twice served as President of Colombia, as a member of the Colombian Liberal Party. He served as President of Colombia for the first time between ...

, 14th and 16th President of Colombia (d.

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

) *

February 2 Events Pre-1600 * 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (''Breviarium Alaricianum'' or ''Lex Romana Visigothorum''), a collection of "Roman law". * 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King ...

– Frank Lloyd, English-born film director, scriptwriter and producer (d.

) *

February 4 Events Pre–1600 * 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrellin ...

–

Edward Sheldon Edward Brewster Sheldon (Chicago, Illinois, February 4, 1886 – April 1, 1946, New York City) was an American dramatist. His plays include ''Salvation Nell'' (1908) and ''Romance'' (1913), which was made into a motion picture with Greta Garbo. ...

, American playwright (d.

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

) *

February 7 Events Pre-1600 * 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor. * 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II. * 1301 &nd ...

– Yehezkel Abramsky, eminent Russian-born rabbi, head of the London Beth Din for 17 years (d.

) *

– Charles Ruggles, American actor (d.

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

) *

February 9 Events Pre-1600 * 474 – Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. * 1003 – Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I the Brave of Poland. * 1539 – The first recorded race is hel ...

– Edwin Maxwell, Irish actor (d.

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

) *

February 12 Events Pre-1600 *1404 – The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sophie performed the first post-mortem autopsy for the purposes of teaching and demonstration at the Heiligen–Geist Spital in Vienna. *1429 – English forces under ...

–

Margarita Fischer Margarita Fisher (née Fischer, February 12, 1886 – March 11, 1975) was an American actress in silent motion pictures and stage productions. Newspapers sometimes referred to her as "Babe" Fischer. Early life Margarita Fischer was born on Fe ...

, American silent film actress (d.

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

) *

February 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1370 – Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau. * 1411 – Following the successful campaigns during the Ottoman Interregnum, Musa Çelebi, one of the sons of ...

–

Aeneas Francon Williams Aeneas Francon Williams, FRSGS (17 February 1886 – 9 December 1971) was a Minister of the Church of Scotland, a Missionary, Chaplain, writer and a poet. Williams was a missionary in the Eastern Himalayas and China and writer of many publishe ...

, English-born missionary, Church of Scotland minister, writer and poet (d.

) *

February 19 Events Pre-1600 * 197 – Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies. * 356 – The anti-paganism policy of Constantius II forbids the worship of pagan ...

– José Abad Santos, Filipino jurist, lawyer (d.

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

) *

February 22 Events Pre-1600 * 1076 – Having received a letter during the Lenten synod of 14–20 February demanding that he abdicate, Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. * 1316 – The Battle of Picotin, between Ferdina ...

– Oskar Kokoschka, Austrian artist and poet (d.

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

) *

February 27 Events Pre-1600 * 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity. * 425 – The University of Constantinople ...

–

Hugo Black Hugo Lafayette Black (February 27, 1886 – September 25, 1971) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist who served as a U.S. Senator from Alabama from 1927 to 1937 and as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1937 to 1971. A ...

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is any member of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the Judiciary Act of 18 ...

(d.

)

March–April

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-E05367A, Johann von Daranyi

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 ...

Willis H. O'Brien Willis Harold O'Brien (March 2, 1886 – November 8, 1962) was an American motion picture special effects and stop-motion animation pioneer, who according to ASIFA-Hollywood "was responsible for some of the best-known images in cinema history," ...

, American stop motion animator (d.

) ** Vittorio Pozzo, Italian football player and manager (d.

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

) **

Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg Leo Dietrich Franz Reichsfreiherr Geyr von Schweppenburg (2 March 1886 – 27 January 1974), was a German general during World War II, noted for his pioneering stance and expertise in the field of armoured warfare. He commanded the 5th Panzer Arm ...

, German general (d.

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

) *

–

Tore Ørjasæter Tore Ørjasæter (3 March 1886 – 29 February 1968) was a Norwegian educator and poet.

Biography

� ...

, Norwegian poet (d.

) *

March 4 Events Pre-1600 *AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title '' princeps iuventutis'' (head of the youth). * 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia. * 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a st ...

–

Kazimierz Świtalski Kazimierz Stanisław Świtalski (; 4 March 1886, Sanok – 28 December 1962, Warsaw, Poland) was a Polish politician, diplomat, soldier, military officer in the Polish Legions and 18th Prime Minister of Poland between April and December 1929. Ea ...

, Polish diplomat, politician, soldier and military officer, 18th Prime Minister of Poland (d.

) * March 6 ** Saburō Kurusu, Japanese diplomat (d.

) **

Ola Solberg Ola Solberg (4 March 1886 – 1977) was a Norwegian newspaper editor and politician for the Labour Party. He was born in Heradsbygd as a son of painter and smallholder Otto Solberg (1861–1928) and his wife Olava Oppegaard (1863–1942). He st ...

, Norwegian newspaper editor, politician (d.

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

) ** Nella Walker, American actress, vaudevillian (d.

) *

March 7 Events Pre-1600 * 161 – Marcus Aurelius and L. Commodus (who changes his name to Lucius Verus) become joint emperors of Rome on the death of Antoninus Pius. * 1138 – Konrad III von Hohenstaufen was elected king of Germany at Cob ...

** Virginia Pearson, American silent film actress (d.

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

) **

Jacques Majorelle Jacques Majorelle (7 March 1886 – 14 October 1962), son of the celebrated Art Nouveau furniture designer Louis Majorelle, was a French painter. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Nancy in 1901 and later at the Académie Julian in Paris ...

, French painter (d.

) * March 8 – Edward Calvin Kendall, American chemist, recipient of the

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, accord ...

(d.

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

) *

March 9 Events Pre-1600 *141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China. *1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg. * 1226 – ...

–

Robert L. Eichelberger Robert Lawrence Eichelberger (9 March 1886 – 26 September 1961) was a general officer in the United States Army who commanded the Eighth United States Army in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II, Southwest Pacific Area during Wo ...

, American general (d.

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

) * March 11 – Edward Rydz-Śmigły, Polish politician, Marshal of Poland (d. 1941) * March 15 – Sergey Kirov, Soviet revolutionary (d. 1934) * March 18 ** Edward Everett Horton, American actor (d.

) ** Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, German U-boat ace (d. 1941) * March 19 – Giuseppe Mario Bellanca, Giuseppe Bellanca, Italian-born American airplane designer, manufacturer (d.

) * March 20 – Murder of Grace Brown, Grace Brown, American murder victim whose story became a famous court case (d. 1906) * March 22 – Kálmán Darányi, 31st Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1939) * March 24 – Edward Weston, American photographer (d.

) * March 25 – Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople (d.

) * March 27 ** Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, German architect (d. 1969) ** Wladimir Burliuk, Ukrainian artist (d. 1917) * April 2 – Reginald Barker, American film director (d. 1945) *

– William R. Munroe, American admiral (d.

) * April 8 – Margaret Ayer Barnes, American playwright, novelist, and short-story writer (d. 1967) * April 5 – Gustavo Jiménez, President of Peru (d. 1933) * April 14 – Ernst Robert Curtius, Alsatian philologist (d. 1956) * April 15 – Tadeusz Kutrzeba, Polish general (d.

) * April 16 ** Ernst Thälmann, German Communist Leader (d. 1944) ** Margaret Woodrow Wilson, American singer; Woodrow Wilson, Presidential daughter (d. 1944) * April 21 – Gheorghe Cialâk, Romanian general (d.

) * April 25 ** Marie Brémont, French supercentenarian, last surviving person born in 1886 (d. 2001) ** Vasile Atanasiu, Romanian general (d. 1964) * April 26 – Ma Rainey, American singer (d. 1939) * April 30 – Dick Elliott, American actor (d.

)

May–June

* May 2 – Gottfried Benn, German poet (d. 1956) * May 3 – Marcel Dupré, French composer (d.

) * May 4 – Aubrey Abbott, Australian politician and administrator of the Northern Territory (d.

) * May 10 ** Karl Barth, Swiss Protestant theologian (d.

) ** Felix Ysagun Manalo, first Executive Minister (''Tagapamahalang Pangkalahatan'') of the ''Iglesia ni Cristo'' (d.

) ** Olaf Stapledon, British author, philosopher (d. 1950) * May 17 – King Alfonso XIII of Spain (d. 1941) * May 18 – Ture Nerman, Swedish communist leader (d. 1969) * May 20 – John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever, British businessman (d.

) * May 26 – Al Jolson, American entertainer (d. 1950) * June 2 – Grover Whalen, American politician (d.

) *

– Benjamin McCandlish, Governor of Guam (d.

) * June 6 – William A. Glassford, American admiral (d.

) * June 7 – Henri Coandă, Romanian aerodynamics pioneer (d.

) * June 9 – Kosaku Yamada, Japanese composer, conductor (d. 1965) * June 18 – George Mallory, English climber (d. 1924) * June 21 – William Ibbett, English submariner (d.

) * June 23 – Olaf M. Hustvedt, American admiral (d. 1978) * June 24 ** Ion Gigurtu, 42nd Prime Minister of Romania (d.

) ** George Shiels, Northern Irish dramatist (d. 1949) * June 25 ** Alimihan Seyiti, Chinese supercentenarian ** Henry H. Arnold, Henry "Hap" Arnold, American general, aviation pioneer (d. 1950) * June 27 ** Sally Crute, American actress (d.

) ** Carroll McComas, American actress (d.

) * June 28 – Hitoshi Imamura, Japanese general (d.

) * June 29 ** Robert C. Giffen, American admiral (d.

) ** Robert Schuman, German-French politician, a Founding fathers of the European Union, founding father of the European Union (d.

)

July–August

* July 3 ** Giovanni Battista Caproni, Italian aeronautical, civil, and electrical engineer, aircraft designer, and industrialist (d. 1957) ** Raymond A. Spruance, American admiral, ambassador (d. 1969) * July 5 ** Willem Drees, Dutch politician, prime minister, and centenarian (d. 1988) ** Oskar Leimgruber, Swiss politician (d.

) * July 6 – Lou Skuce, Canadian cartoonist (d. 1951) * July 12 – Jean Hersholt, Danish-born actor (d. 1956) * July 15 **Arthur L. Bristol, American admiral (d.

) **William Edmunds (actor), William Edmunds, Italian stage, screen character actor (d. 1981) * July 16 – Frank Hastings Griffin, American engineer (d.

) * July 18 – Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., American general (d. 1945) * July 19 ** Edward Sloman, English silent film director, actor, screenwriter and radio broadcaster (d.

) ** Michael Fekete, Hungarian-born Israeli mathematician (d. 1957) * July 21 – Masaomi Yasuoka, Japanese general (d.

) * July 23 – Walter H. Schottky, German physicist (d.

) * July 24 – Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, Japanese writer (d. 1965) *

– Bror von Blixen-Finecke, Danish big-game hunter (d.

) * July 31 – Fred Quimby, American film producer (d. 1965) * August 2 – John Alexander Douglas McCurdy, John A.D. McCurdy, Canadian aviation pioneer, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (d.

) * August 6 – Inez Milholland, American suffragist, labor lawyer, World War I correspondent and public speaker (d. 1916) * August 12 – Campbell Tait, Governor of Southern Rhodesia (d.

) * August 20 – Paul Tillich, German-American Christian existentialist philosopher, theologian (d. 1965) * August 26 – Ceferino Namuncurá, Argentine Roman Catholic lay brother and blessed (d. 1905) * August 27 ** Nicolette Bruining, Dutch theologian, humanitarian (d.

) ** Rebecca Helferich Clarke, English composer, violist (d. 1979) ** Eric Coates, English composer (d. 1957) * August 28 – Andrew Higgins, American boatbuilder, industrialist (d. 1952)

September–October

** Tarsila do Amaral, Brazilian painter, considered to be one of the leading Latin American modernist artists (d. 1973) ** Othmar Schoeck, Swiss composer (d. 1957) * September 4 – Albert Orsborn, the 6th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1967) * September 5 – Nell Brinkley, American illustrator, comic artist (d. 1944) * September 8 – Siegfried Sassoon, British poet (d. 1967) * September 11 – John H. Hester, American general (d.

) * September 13 – Robert Robinson (organic chemist), Robert Robinson, British chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (d.

) * September 14 – Jan Masaryk, Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia (d.

) * September 16 – Jean Arp, Alsatian sculptor, painter, and poet (d.

) * September 20 **Charles Williams (UK writer), Charles Williams, British author (d. 1945) **John Murray Anderson, American actor, dancer, theatre director (d.

) * September 24 ** Roberto María Ortiz, President of Argentina (d.

) ** Edward Bach, English metaphysician, homeopath (d. 1936) * September 25 – Nobutake Kondō, Japanese admiral (d. 1953) * September 26 – Archibald Hill, English physiologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize laureate (d.

) * September 28 – Alice Hollister, American silent film actress (d. 1973) * October 2 – Jisaburō Ozawa, Japanese admiral (d.

) * October 3 – Alain-Fournier, Henri Alban-Fournier, French author of ''Le Grand Meaulnes'' (d. 1914) * October 6 – Edwin Fischer, Swiss pianist, conductor (d.

) * October 11 – Conrad Helfrich, Dutch admiral (d.

) * October 15 – Jonas H. Ingram, American admiral (d. 1952) * October 16 – David Ben-Gurion, first Prime Minister of Israel (d. 1973) * October 17 **Andrej Bicenko, Russian fresco painter, muralist (d. 1985) **Spring Byington, American actress (d.

) * October 22 – Oscar Griswold, American general (d.

) * October 30 – Zoë Akins, American playwright, poet, and author (d.

)

November–December

**Gheorghe Băgulescu, Romanian general and diplomat (d.

) **Hermann Broch, Austrian author (d. 1951) * November 2 – Gheorghe Tătărescu, 2-time prime minister of Romania (d. 1957) * November 6 – André Marty, French Communist Party leader (d. 1956) * November 9 ** Edward Lindberg, American Olympic athlete (d. 1978) ** Ed Wynn, American actor (d.

) * November 10 – Walden L. Ainsworth, Walden L. "Pug" Ainsworth, American admiral (d.

) *

– Ali Jawdat al-Aiyubi, 11th Prime Minister of Iraq (d. 1969) * November 12 – Alfonso de Orleans y Borbón, Spanish prince, military aviator (d.

) *

– René Guénon, French-Egyptian author (d. 1951) * November 17 – Walter Terence Stace, British philosopher (d. 1967) * November 18 – Ferenc Münnich, 47th Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1967) * November 20 – Karl von Frisch, Austrian zoologist, recipient of the

(d. 1982) * November 26 – Margaret Caroline Anderson, American publisher, editor (d. 1973) * December 3 – Manne Siegbahn, Swedish physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1978) * December 5 – Rose Wilder Lane, American author (d.

) * December 8 – Diego Rivera, Mexican painter (d. 1957) * December 10 – Victor McLaglen, English actor, boxer (d.

) * December 12 – Owen Moore, Irish actor (d. 1939) * December 18 ** Heisuke Abe, Japanese general (d.

) ** Ty Cobb, American baseball player and a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Baseball Hall of Fame (d.

) * December 19 – Charles M. Cooke Jr., American admiral (d.

) * December 25 **Gotthard Heinrici, German general (d.

) **Kid Ory, American jazz musician (d. 1973) * December 26 – Gyula Gömbös, 30th Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1936) * December 30 – Austin Osman Spare, English artist, magician (d. 1956)

Date unknown

* Khaled Chehab, 2-Time Prime Minister of Lebanon (d. 1978) * Émile Eddé, 4th Prime Minister and 3rd President of Lebanon (d. 1949) * Abdur Rahim Khan (governor), Abdur Rahim Khan, Afghan governor of Herat (d. unknown)

Deaths

January–June

– Amilcare Ponchielli, Italian composer (b. 1834) *

– Baldassare Verazzi, Italian painter (b. 1819) * January 26 – David Rice Atchison, American politician (b. 1807) *

– Winfield Scott Hancock, Union general of the American Civil War, Democratic political candidate (b. 1824) * February 10 – Laura Don, American actress (b. 1852) *

– Horatio Seymour, List of Governors of New York, 18th Governor of New York, 1868 United States presidential election, 1868 Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party presidential nominee (b. 1810) * February 15 – Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell, British politician (b. 1813) * February 18 – Dave Rudabaugh, American outlaw, gunfighter (b. 1854) * February 24 – Hugh Stowell Brown, Manx people, Manx preacher (b. 1823) *

– William S. Clark, American chemist (b. 1826) * March 17 – Pierre-Jules Hetzel, French editor, publisher (b. 1814) * April 9 – Joseph Victor von Scheffel, German poet (b. 1826) * April 16 – Andrew Nicholl, Northern Irish painter (b. 1804) * April 20 – Louis Melsens, Belgian chemist and physicist (b. 1814) * April 27 – Henry Hobson Richardson, American architect (b. 1838) * May 9 – Facundo Bacardí, Cuban rum manufacturer (b. 1814) *

– Emily Dickinson, American poet (b. 1830) * May 17 – John Deere (inventor), John Deere, American inventor (b. 1804) * May 23 – Leopold von Ranke, German historian (b. 1795) * June 13 ** Bernhard von Gudden, German neuroanatomist and psychiatrist (b. 1824) ** King

(b. 1845) * June 19 – Sir Charles Trevelyan, British civil servant and colonial administrator (b. 1807) * June 21 – Daniel Dunglas Home, Scottish medium (b. 1833)

July–December

* July 1 – Otto Wilhelm Hermann von Abich, German geologist (b. 1806) * July 4 ** Poundmaker, Aboriginal Canadian leader (b. c. 1842) ** Prince Arisugawa Takahito, Japanese Prince (b. 1813) * July 16 – Ned Buntline (Edward Zane Carroll Judson Sr.), American publisher, dime novelist and publicist (b. 1821) *

– Eliza Lynch, First Lady of Paraguay (b. 1833) * July 31 – Franz Liszt, Hungarian pianist, composer (b. 1811) * August 4 – Samuel J. Tilden, List of Governors of New York, 25th Governor of New York, 1876 United States presidential election, 1876 Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party presidential nominee (b. 1814) * August 9 ** Samuel Ferguson, Sir Samuel Ferguson, Northern Irish poet, artist (b. 1810) ** Bill Smith (outfielder), Bill Smith, Major League Baseball player (b. 1865) * August 11 – Lydia Koidula, Estonian poet (b. 1843) * August 16 – Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Indian spiritual figure (b. 1836) * August 30 – Ferris Jacobs Jr., American politician (b. 1836) * September 3 – William W. Snow, American politician (b. 1812) * September 4 – Benjamin F. Cheatham, Confederate general (b. 1820) * September 14 – Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard, American land speculator (b. 1802) * September 25 – Hannah T. King, British-born American writer and pioneer (b. 1808) * October 6 – Edward William Godwin, English architect (b. 1833) * October 8 – Austin F. Pike, American politician from New Hampshire (b. 1819) * October 9 – Jean-Jacques Uhrich, French general (b. 1802) * November 4 – James Martin (premier), Sir James Martin, 4th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1820) Chester Alan Arthur

* November 18 – Chester A. Arthur, 21st

(b. 1829) * November 20 – William Bliss Baker, American painter (b. 1859) * November 21 – Charles Francis Adams Sr., American historical editor, politician and diplomat (b. 1807) * December 8 ** Isaac Lea, American conchologist, geologist and publisher (b. 1792) ** William Fraser Tolmie, Scottish-Canadian scientist, politician (b. 1812) * December 26 – John A. Logan, American soldier, political leader (b. 1826)

Date unknown

* Harriet Bates, American author (b. 1856)

References

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