Events
January–March

*
January 2 – The
Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the
Boer
Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled this a ...
s.
*
January 4
Events Pre-1600
*46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.
* 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army.
1601–1900
*1649 – E ...
–
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...
is admitted as the 45th
U.S. state.
*
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; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.
1601–1900
*1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French army ...
– An Austrian newspaper reports that
Wilhelm Röntgen
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (; ; 27 March 184510 February 1923) was a German mechanical engineer and physicist, who, on 8 November 1895, produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range known as X-rays or Röntgen rays, an achie ...
has discovered a type of
radiation
In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes:
* ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, vi ...
(later known as
X-ray
X-rays (or rarely, ''X-radiation'') are a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. In many languages, it is referred to as Röntgen radiation, after the German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who discovered it in 1895 and named it ' ...
s).
*
January 6
Events Pre-1600
* 1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will ...
–
Cecil Rhodes
Cecil John Rhodes (5 July 1853 – 26 March 1902) was a British mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896.
An ardent believer in British imperialism, Rhodes and his B ...
is forced to resign as Prime Minister of the
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa.
A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is ...
, for his involvement in the
Jameson Raid.
*
January 7 – American culinary expert
Fannie Farmer
Fannie Merritt Farmer (23 March 1857 – 16 January 1915) was an American culinary expert whose '' Boston Cooking-School Cook Book'' became a widely used culinary text.
Education
Fannie Farmer was born on 23 March 1857 in Boston, Massachusetts, ...
publishes her first cookbook.
*
January 12
Events Pre-1600
* 475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.
*1528 – Gustav I of Sweden is crowned King of Sweden, having already reig ...
– H. L. Smith takes the first
X-ray
X-rays (or rarely, ''X-radiation'') are a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. In many languages, it is referred to as Röntgen radiation, after the German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who discovered it in 1895 and named it ' ...
photograph.
*
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 o ...
–
Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War: British
redcoats enter the
Ashanti capital,
Kumasi
Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is t ...
, and Asantehene Agyeman
Prempeh I
Prempeh I (Otumfuo Nana Prempeh I; 18 December 1870 – 12 May 1931) was the thirteenth king ruler of the Ashanti Empire and the Oyoko Abohyen Dynasty. King Prempeh I ruled from March 26, 1888 until his death in 1931, and fought an Ashanti war ag ...
is deposed.
*
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 Chine ...
– The
X-ray
X-rays (or rarely, ''X-radiation'') are a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. In many languages, it is referred to as Röntgen radiation, after the German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who discovered it in 1895 and named it ' ...
machine is exhibited for the first time.
*
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 ...
– Walter Arnold, of
East Peckham
East Peckham is a village and civil parish in Kent, England on the River Medway. The parish covers the main village as well as Hale Street and Beltring.
History
The Domesday entry for East and West Peckham reads:-
:'' The Archbishop himsel ...
,
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, England, is fined 1 shilling for
speeding
Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed - expres ...
at (exceeding the contemporary
speed limit
Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed - expre ...
of , the first speeding fine).
*
February 1 –
Puccini
Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long li ...
's opera ''
La bohème
''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '' quadri'', '' tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuse ...
'' premieres in
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. Th ...
, Italy.
*
February 11
Events Pre-1600
*660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.
* 55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman empire, on the eve of his coming ...
–
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
's play ''
Salomé'' premieres in Paris.
*
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 ...
–
Braamfontein Explosion
The Braamfontein Explosion was an explosion of a freight train carrying dynamite in Braamfontein, a suburb of Johannesburg, in 1896. It was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.
Explosion
On 16 February 1896, a freight train ...
: A train carrying 56 tons of
dynamite explodes at
Braamfontein,
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...
, killing more than 78 people.
[''The Great Dynamite Explosion'', report by Mr. J.G. Blumberg, Fairmount School, Johannesburg, excerpt from the autobiography of Dutch immigrant Jan de Veer who came to South Africa in 1893.]
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor Diocletian and ...
–
Battle of Adwa:
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...
defends its independence from Italy, ending the
First Italo-Ethiopian War.
*
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 & ...
– Publication begins for ''
Der Eigene'', the world's first magazine with an orientation to male
homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...
, by
Adolf Brand in Berlin.
*
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 &nda ...
– Responding to national outrage at the defeat at Adwa, Italian Prime Minister
Francesco Crispi
Francesco Crispi (4 October 1818 – 11 August 1901) was an italy, Italian patriot and statesman. He was among the main protagonists of the Risorgimento, a close friend and supporter of Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi, and one of the arc ...
resigns.
*
March 23
Events Pre-1600
*1400 – The Trần dynasty of Vietnam is deposed, after one hundred and seventy-five years of rule, by Hồ Quý Ly, a court official.
*1540 – Waltham Abbey is surrendered to King Henry VIII of England; the last rel ...
– The
New York State Legislature
The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an officia ...
passes the
Raines law
The New York State liquor tax law of 1896, also known as the Raines law, was authored by the New York State Senator John Raines and adopted in the New York State Legislature on March 23, 1896. It took effect on April 1, 1896, was amended in 1917 a ...
, restricting Sunday alcoholic beverage sales to hotels.
April–June
*
April – The first study of
the sensitivity of global climate to atmospheric carbon dioxide is published.
Svante Arrhenius
Svante August Arrhenius ( , ; 19 February 1859 – 2 October 1927) was a Swedish scientist. Originally a physicist, but often referred to as a chemist, Arrhenius was one of the founders of the science of physical chemistry. He received the N ...
presents his findings in his paper, "On the Influence of Carbonic Acid in the Air upon the Temperature of the Ground", the ''London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science'', as an extract of a paper that had been presented to the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on December 11, 1895.
*
April 3
Events Pre-1600
* 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' assumes the crown of Calakmul.
*1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England.
*1077 – The Patriarchate of Friûl, the first Friulian state, is created.
...
– The first edition of the Italian sports newspaper ''
La Gazzetta dello Sport'' is published.
*
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 – ...
– The first known
women's basketball game between two colleges is played between
Stanford
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
and
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
.
*
April 6 – The opening ceremonies of the
1896 Summer Olympics
The 1896 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 1896, Therinoí Olympiakoí Agónes 1896), officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 1ης Ολυμπιάδας, Agónes tis 1is Ol ...
, the first modern
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...
, are held in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...
, Greece.
*
April 9 – The National Farm School (later
Delaware Valley College) is chartered in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
*
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 ...
–
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
: Against
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
sets a still-standing
County Championship
The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It b ...
record, when they accumulate an innings total of 887.
*
May 13 – The Franchise Bill is passed by the
Colony of Natal
The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on 4 May 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to ...
's Legislative Assembly, disfranchising natives of other countries.
*
May 18 – ''
Plessy v. Ferguson'': The
U.S. Supreme Court introduces the
separate but equal
Separate but equal was a legal doctrine in United States constitutional law, according to which racial segregation did not necessarily violate the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which nominally guaranteed "equal protecti ...
doctrine, and upholds
racial segregation
Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the Statute of the Intern ...
.
*
May 26 – Eleven years after its foundation, a group of 12 purely industrial stocks were chosen to form the
Dow Jones Industrial Average
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), Dow Jones, or simply the Dow (), is a stock market index of 30 prominent companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States.
The DJIA is one of the oldest and most commonly followed equity indexe ...
. The index is composed entirely of industrial shares for the first time.
*
May 27
Events Pre-1600
*1096 – Count Emicho enters Mainz, where his followers massacre Jewish citizens. At least 600 Jews are killed.
*1120 – Richard III of Capua is anointed as Prince two weeks before his untimely death.
* 1153 &ndash ...
–
St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado: The costliest and third deadliest tornado in U.S. history levels a mile wide swath of downtown
St. Louis, Missouri, incurring US$2.9 billion (1997 USD) in normalized damages, killing more than 255 and injuring over 1,000 people.
*
June 4 – The
Ford Quadricycle, the first vehicle
Henry Ford
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of ...
developed, is completed, eventually leading Ford to build the empire that "put America on wheels".
*
June 7 –
Mahdist War –
Battle of Ferkeh: British and Egyptian troops are victorious.
*
June 12 –
J.T. Hearne
John Thomas Hearne (3 May 1867 – 17 April 1944)
cricinfo.com (known as Jack Hearne, J. T. Hearne or Old Jack Hearne ...
sets a record for the earliest date of taking 100 wickets in cricket (it is equalled by
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
in
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 ...
).
*
June 15 – The 8.5
Sanriku earthquake and
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...
kills 22,000 in northeastern Japan.

*
June 18
Events Pre-1600
* 618 – Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang dynasty rule over China.
* 656 – Ali becomes Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate.
* 860 – Byzantine–Rus' War: A fleet of abo ...
– The
New York Telephone
The New York Telephone Company (NYTel) was organized in 1896, taking over the New York City operations of the American Bell Telephone Company.
Predecessor companies
The Telephone Company of New York was formed under franchise in 1876. The princ ...
Company is formed, succeeding the Metropolitan Telephone and Telegraph Company, to control telephone service within New York City.
*
June 23
Events Pre-1600
* 229 – Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu.
*1266 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships.
*1280 – The Spanish Re ...
– Liberal leader
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minis ...
defeats
Charles Tupper
Sir Charles Tupper, 1st Baronet, (July 2, 1821 – October 30, 1915) was a Canadian Father of Confederation who served as the sixth prime minister of Canada from May 1 to July 8, 1896. As the premier of Nova Scotia from 1864 to 1867, he led ...
during
Canadian federal elections for the
8th Canadian Parliament
The 8th Canadian Parliament was in session from August 19, 1896, until October 9, 1900. The membership was set by the 1896 federal election on June 23, 1896. It was dissolved prior to the 1900 election.
It was controlled by a Liberal Party maj ...
, to become the first Francophone
Prime Minister of Canada
The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as suc ...
.
*
June 28 –
Twin Shaft disaster: An explosion in the Newton
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as stratum, rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen ...
Company's Twin Shaft Mine in
Pittston, Pennsylvania results in a massive cave-in that kills 58
miners.
July–September
*
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 ...
–
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the Democratic Party, running three times as the party's nominee for President ...
delivers his
Cross of Gold speech at the
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...
, which nominates him for president of the United States.
*
July 11
Events Pre-1600
* 472 – After being besieged in Rome by his own generals, Western Roman Emperor Anthemius is captured in St. Peter's Basilica and put to death.
* 813 – Byzantine emperor Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, ...
–
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minis ...
becomes Canada's seventh
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 ...
, and the first French-speaker to hold that office.
*
July 21 – In Washington, D.C., in response to a "call to confer" issued by
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin to all women of color, the
National Association of Colored Women's Clubs
The National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACWC) is an American organization that was formed in July 1896 at the First Annual Convention of the National Federation of Afro-American Women in Washington, D.C., United States, by a merger of t ...
is organized.
*
July 26 – The
International Socialist Workers and Trade Union Congress opens in London.
*
July 27 – A
causeway
A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet ...
is opened between the islands of
Saaremaa
Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring . The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island and west of Muhu island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago. The capital of the islan ...
and
Muhu in
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and t ...
.
*
July 30 –
Atlantic City rail crash: Shortly after 6:30 pm, at a crossing just west of Atlantic City, New Jersey, two trains collide, crushing five loaded passenger coaches, killing 50 and seriously injuring approximately sixty.
*
August – The
1896 Eastern North America heat wave kills 1,500 people from Chicago, Illinois to Boston, Massachusetts.
*
August 1
Events Pre-1600
*30 BC – Octavian (later known as Augustus) enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Republic.
*AD 69 – Batavian rebellion: The Batavians in Germania Inferior (Netherlands) revolt und ...
– The Park Seung-jik Shop, as predecessor of
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
n
conglomerate enterprises,
Doosan Group founded in former
Kingdom of Korea
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...
.
*
August 14
Events Pre-1600
* 74 BC – A group of officials, led by the Western Han minister Huo Guang, present articles of impeachment against the new emperor, Liu He, to the imperial regent, Empress Dowager Shangguan. The articles, enumerating t ...
– The
Uganda Railway
The Uganda Railway was a metre-gauge railway system and former British state-owned railway company. The line linked the interiors of Uganda and Kenya with the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa in Kenya. After a series of mergers and splits, the li ...
Act, 1896, is approved in the United Kingdom, for construction of a railway in Africa, from
Mombasa
Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
to
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface area after ...
.
*
August 16 –
Skookum Jim Mason
Keish ( – July 11, 1916), also known as James Mason and by the nickname Skookum Jim Mason, was a member of the Tagish First Nation in what became the Yukon Territory of Canada. He was born near Bennett Lake on what is now the British Colu ...
,
George Carmack and Dawson Charlie discover
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
in the
Klondike, Yukon.
*
August 17 –
Bridget Driscoll
The death of Bridget Driscoll (c. 185117 August 1896) was the first recorded case of a pedestrian killed in a collision with a motor car in Great Britain. Driscoll, in the company of her teenage daughter May and her friend Elizabeth Murphy, was ...
is run over by a
Benz
Benz, an old Germanic clan name dating to the fifth century (related to "bear", "war banner", "gau", or a "land by a waterway") also used in German () as an alternative for names such as Berthold, Bernhard, or Benedict, may refer to:
People Sur ...
car on the grounds of
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibitors from around ...
, London (the world's first motoring fatality).
*
August 23 – The
Cry of Pugad Lawin initiates the
Philippine Revolution.
*
August 27
** The shortest war in recorded history, the
Anglo-Zanzibar War, starts at 9:00 in the morning, and lasts for 45 minutes of shelling.
** Britain establishes a Protectorate over the
Ashanti concluding the
Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War.
*
September 2
Events
Pre-1600
* 44 BC – Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion.
* 44 BC – Cicero launches the first of his '' Philippicae'' (oratorical attacks) on Mark Antony. He will make 14 of th ...
–
Clarkson University holds its first classes, with 17 students attending in
Potsdam, New York.
*
September 15 – The
Crash at Crush train wreck stunt is held in Texas.
*
September 22
Events Pre-1600
* 904 – The warlord Zhu Quanzhong kills Emperor Zhaozong, the penultimate emperor of the Tang dynasty, after seizing control of the imperial government.
*1236 – The Samogitians defeat the Livonian Brothers of the ...
–
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 her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...
surpasses her grandfather
King George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great B ...
as the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
*
September 28
Events Pre-1600
*48 BC – Pompey disembarks at Pelusium upon arriving in Egypt, whereupon he is assassinated by order of King Ptolemy XIII.
* 235 – Pope Pontian resigns. He is exiled to the mines of Sardinia, along with Hippolytus o ...
–
Pathé or Pathé Frères a French film company and one of the oldest film companies is founded by the brothers
Charles Pathé
Charles Morand Pathé (; 26 December 1863 – 25 December 1957) was a pioneer of the French film and recording industries. As the founder of Pathé Frères, its roots lie in 1896 Paris, France, when Pathé and his brothers pioneered the dev ...
, Théophile Pathé, Émile Pathé and Jacques Pathé.
*
September 30 – Italy and France sign a treaty, whereby Italy virtually recognizes
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
as a French dependency.
October–December
*
October 1 –
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 wa ...
builds the first worldwide gasoline truck.
*
October 2 – The
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). I ...
is established as
Aussie rules football in Australia (a predecessor for the
Australian Football League).
*
October 16 – The design of the
flag of Knoxville, Tennessee is officially approved by the Knoxville City Council.
*
October 30 –
Augusta, Kentucky: The Augusta High School cornerstone is laid, marking the end of the
Augusta Methodist College.
*
November 3 –
1896 United States presidential election
The 1896 United States presidential election was the 28th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1896. Former Governor William McKinley, the Republican candidate, defeated former Representative William Jennings Brya ...
: Republican
William McKinley
William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in t ...
defeats
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the Democratic Party, running three times as the party's nominee for President ...
. The event is viewed by some as a
political realignment for the
United States Republican Party
The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP ("Grand Old Party"), is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. The GOP was founded in 1854 by anti-slavery activists who opposed the Kansas–Nebraska Act, ...
.
*
November 27 – ''
Also sprach Zarathustra (Strauss)
', Op. 30 (, ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' or ''Thus Spake Zarathustra'') is a tone poem by Richard Strauss, composed in 1896 and inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical 1883–1885 novel '' Thus Spoke Zarathustra''.[Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...]
.
*
November 30
** The
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a f ...
is founded.
** ''
St. Augustine Monster'': A large carcass, later postulated to be the remains of a
gigantic octopus
The kraken () is a legendary sea monster of enormous size said to appear off the coasts of Norway.
Kraken, the subject of sailors' superstitions and mythos, was first described in the modern age at the turn of the 18th century, in a travel ...
, is found washed ashore near
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabit ...
.
*
December 1
Events Pre-1600
* 800 – A council is convened in the Vatican, at which Charlemagne is to judge the accusations against Pope Leo III.
*1420 – Henry V of England enters Paris alongside his father-in-law King Charles VI of France.
...
– Archaeologist
Alois Anton Führer, Nepalese General Khadga Samsher Rana, and an expedition, rediscover the great stone pillar of
Ashoka
Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, ...
at
Lumbini, traditionally the spot of the birthplace of
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in ...
, after using
Faxian
Faxian (法顯 ; 337 CE – c. 422 CE), also referred to as Fa-Hien, Fa-hsien and Sehi, was a Chinese Buddhist monk and translator who traveled by foot from China to India to acquire Buddhist texts. Starting his arduous journey about age 60, ...
's records.
*
December 10
**
New York Aquarium opens.
**The premiere of
Alfred Jarry's absurdist play ''
Ubu Roi'' in Paris causes a near-riot.
*
December 14 – The
Glasgow Subway, the third-oldest
underground metro system in the world, opens.
*
December 25 –
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to di ...
composes his
magnum opus
A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...
, ''
The Stars and Stripes Forever
"The Stars and Stripes Forever" is a patriotic American march written and composed by John Philip Sousa in 1896. By a 1987 act of the U.S. Congress, it is the official National March of the United States of America.
History
In his 1928 autobi ...
''.
*
December 30 –
José Rizal
José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national h ...
, Filipino scholar and poet, is
executed
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the State (polity), state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to ...
by Spanish authorities in the Philippines.
Date unknown
* The
Pontifical University of Maynooth
St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland. The college and national seminary on its grounds are often referred t ...
is established by decree of the
Vatican.
* France establishes an administrative post in
Abengourou,
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
.
* Sperry & Hutchinson begin offering
S&H Green Stamps to U.S. retailers.
*
Devonport High School for Boys is founded (in
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymout ...
, UK)
*
Blackpool Pleasure Beach, a popular English theme park (''Britain's Biggest Tourist Attraction''), is founded by Alderman William George Bean.
* A school of mines opens in
Kimberley
Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to:
Places and historical events
Australia
* Kimberley (Western Australia)
** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley
* Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania
* Kimberley, Tasmania a small town
* County of Kimberley, a ...
and will later form the core of the
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...
.
* Racing Club de Lyon, a football club in France, is officially founded and becomes a predecessor for
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais (), commonly referred to as simply Lyon () or OL, is a men and women's French professional football club based in Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The men play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. Founded in 1950, ...
.
* A pharmaceutical and
healthcare brand
Hoffmann-La Roche
F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, commonly known as Roche, is a Swiss multinational healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, Roche Holding AG, has shares listed on the SIX ...
was founded in
Switzerland.
Births
January–February

*
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 year. ...
–
Hankyu Sasaki, Japanese admiral (d.
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
)
*
January 2 –
Dziga Vertov
Dziga Vertov (russian: Дзига Вертов, born David Abelevich Kaufman, russian: Дави́д А́белевич Ка́уфман, and also known as Denis Kaufman; – 12 February 1954) was a Soviet pioneer documentary film and newsre ...
, Russian filmmaker (d.
1954)
*
January 4
Events Pre-1600
*46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.
* 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army.
1601–1900
*1649 – E ...
**
Everett Dirksen
Everett McKinley Dirksen (January 4, 1896 – September 7, 1969) was an American politician. A Republican, he represented Illinois in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. As Senate Minority Leader from 1959 u ...
, American politician (d.
1969)
**
André Masson, French artist (d.
1987)
*
January 8
**
Arthur Ford, American psychic spiritual medium, clairaudient (d.
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
)
**
Clifton Sprague, American admiral (d.
1955)
*
January 12
Events Pre-1600
* 475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.
*1528 – Gustav I of Sweden is crowned King of Sweden, having already reig ...
–
Uberto De Morpurgo
Uberto De Morpurgo (12 January 1896 – 26 February 1961) was a male tennis player from Italy.
Uberto De Morpurgo was born in Trieste when it was part of Austria, but became an Italian citizen when the city changed hands after World War I. His ...
, Italian tennis player (d.
1961)
*
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", the first written ...
–
John Dos Passos
John Roderigo Dos Passos (; January 14, 1896 – September 28, 1970) was an American novelist, most notable for his ''U.S.A.'' trilogy.
Born in Chicago, Dos Passos graduated from Harvard College in 1916. He traveled widely as a young man, visit ...
, American author (d.
1970)
*
January 20
Events Pre-1600
* 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution.
* 649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom.
*1156 &nda ...
–
George Burns, American actor, comedian (d.
1996)
*
January 21
Events Pre-1600
* 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa.
*1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when Co ...
–
J. Carrol Naish, American
character actor (d.
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
)
*
January 23
Events Pre-1600
* 393 – Roman emperor Theodosius I proclaims his eight-year-old son Honorius co-emperor.
* 971 – Using crossbows, Song dynasty troops soundly defeat a war elephant corps of the Southern Han at Shao.
* 1264 &n ...
–
Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
Charlotte (Charlotte Adelgonde Elisabeth Marie Wilhelmine; 23 January 1896 – 9 July 1985) reigned as List of monarchs of Luxembourg, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 14 January 1919 until her abdication on 12 November 1964.
She acceded to th ...
(d.
1985)
*
January 26
Events Pre-1600
* 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph.
*1531 – The 6.4–7.1 Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people.
*1564 – The Council of Trent ...
–
József Kiss, Austro-Hungarian fighter pilot (d.
1918
This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide.
Events
Below, the events ...
)
*
February 1 –
Anastasio Somoza García,
21st President of Nicaragua (d.
1956)
*
February 2 –
Ramón Franco, Spanish aviation pioneer (d.
1938)
*
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 quarrelling ...
–
Friedrich Hund, German physicist (d.
1997)
*
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 Karuse. ...
–
Eugénie Blanchard, French
supercentenarian (d.
2010)
*
February 18
Events Pre-1600
* 1229 – The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signs a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem with neither military engagements nor support from the papacy.
*1268 &nd ...
–
Li Linsi, Chinese educator and diplomat (d.
1970)
*
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 ...
–
André Breton
André Robert Breton (; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') o ...
, French writer (d.
1966)
*
February 23
Events Pre-1600
* 303 – Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution.
* 532 – Byzantine emperor Justinian I lays the foundation stone of a ...
–
Herbert Weichmann, German politician,
mayor of Hamburg
The government of Hamburg is divided into executive, legislative and judicial branches. Hamburg is a city-state and municipality, and thus its governance deals with several details of both state and local community politics. It takes place in two ...
(d.
1983)
*
February 25
Events Pre-1600
*138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
* 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
*13 ...
–
Heinrich Gontermann, German World War I fighter ace (d.
1917)
*
February 28 –
Philip Showalter Hench, American physician, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ( sv, Nobelpriset i fysiologi eller medicin) is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute, Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or ...
(d.
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
)
*
February 29
**
Morarji Desai
Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (29 February 1896 – 10 April 1995) was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the 4th Prime Minister of India between 1977 to 1979 leading the government formed by the Janata Party. During his ...
, Indian politician (d.
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...
)
**
William A. Wellman, American motion picture director (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. ...
)
March–April

*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor Diocletian and ...
–
Dimitri Mitropoulos
Dimitri Mitropoulos ( el, Δημήτρης Μητρόπουλος; The dates 18 February 1896 and 1 March 1896 both appear in the literature. Many of Mitropoulos's early interviews and program notes gave 18 February. In his later interviews, howe ...
, Greek conductor, pianist and composer (d.
1960)
*
March 13
Events Pre-1600
*624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh.
* 1567 – The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War.
* 1591 – At the Battle of ...
–
Field Eugene Kindley, American World War I fighter pilot (d.
1920)
*
March 20 –
Wop May, Canadian World War I pilot (d.
1952)
*
March 22
Events Pre-1600
*106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea.
* 235 – Roman emperor Severus Alexander is murdered, marking the start of the Crisis of the Third Century.
* 871 – Æthelr ...
–
Joseph Schildkraut, Austrian-American actor (d.
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
)
*
March 29
Events Pre-1600
* 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
*1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of ...
–
Wilhelm Ackermann, German mathematician (d.
1962)
*
April 13 –
Ira C. Eaker, World War II United States Army Air Forces general (d.
1987)
*
April 15
**
Gerhard Fieseler
Gerhard Fieseler (15 April 1896 – 1 September 1987) was a German World War I flying ace, aerobatics champion, and aircraft designer and manufacturer.
From birth to the 1918 armistice
Born in Glesch (near Cologne), Fieseler joined the Air S ...
, German World War I flying ace, aerobatics champion, aircraft designer and manufacturer (d.
1987)
**
Nikolay Semyonov, Russian chemist,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfre ...
laureate (d.
1986)
*
April 16 –
Árpád Weisz, Hungarian footballer (d.
1944)
*
April 17
Events Pre-1600
* 1080 – Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized.
*1349 – The rule of the Bavand dynasty in Mazandaran is brought to an end by the murder of H ...
–
Señor Wences, Spanish ventriloquist (d.
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...
)
*
April 21
**
Ralph Hungerford, 33rd
Governor of American Samoa
This is a list of governors, etc. of the part of the Samoan Islands (now comprising American Samoa) under United States administration since 1900.
From 1900 to 1978 governors were appointed by the Federal government of the United States. Since ...
(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 Democrati ...
)
**
Geertruida Wijsmuller-Meijer, Dutch war hero, resistance fighter and humanitarian (d.
1978)
*
April 26 –
Ernst Udet, German World War I fighter ace, Nazi ''Luftwaffe'' official (d.
1941
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January– August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar E ...
)
*
April 27 –
Rogers Hornsby, American baseball player (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 Co ...
)
*
April 30
Events Pre-1600
* 311 – The Diocletianic Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire ends.
* 1315 – Enguerrand de Marigny is hanged at the instigation of Charles, Count of Valois.
*1492 – Spain gives Christopher Columb ...
**
Hans List, Austrian founder of the AVL List (d.
1996)
**
Gary Davis, American musician (d.
1972)
May–June

*
May 1
Events Pre-1600
* 305 – Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor.
* 880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.
*1169 &ndas ...
**
Mark W. Clark, American general (d.
1984)
**
J. Lawton Collins, American general (d.
1987)
*
May 2 –
Helen of Greece and Denmark, Queen Mother of Romania (d.
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., Un ...
)
*
May 3 –
Karl Allmenröder, German World War I fighter pilot (d.
1917)
*
May 5 –
Kaju Sugiura Kaju ( fa, كاجو, links=no, also rendered as Kahju or Kachu), may refer to:
* Kaju, Sistan and Baluchestan, a village in Iran
* Kaju-ye Pain, South Khorasan Province
Kaju (Hindi, ' cashew nuts') is used in dish names such as:
* Kaju katli
* ...
, Japanese admiral (d.
1945)
*
May 6 –
Rolf Maximilian Sievert, Swedish medical physicist (d.
1966)
*
May 19
Events
Pre-1600
* 639 – Ashina Jiesheshuai and his tribesmen assaulted Emperor Taizong at Jiucheng Palace.
* 715 – Pope Gregory II is elected.
* 1051 – Henry I of France marries the Rus' princess, Anne of Kiev.
*1445 &nd ...
–
Jorge Alessandri, 27th
President of Chile
The president of Chile ( es, Presidente de Chile), officially known as the President of the Republic of Chile ( es, Presidente de la República de Chile), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is re ...
(d.
1986)
*
May 24
Events Pre-1600
* 919 – The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as king of the East Frankish Kingdom.
*1218 – The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
* 1276 – Magnus La ...
–
Fernando Soler, Mexican actor, director, screenwriter, and producer (d.
1979)
*
May 30
Events Pre-1600
* 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus and his Roman legions breach the Second Wall of Jerusalem. Jewish defenders retreat to the First Wall. The Romans build a circumvallation, cutting down all trees within fifteen kilometres ...
–
Howard Hawks
Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the Classical Hollywood cinema, classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is ...
, American director (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 Democrati ...
)
*
June 2 –
Nubar Gulbenkian, Ottoman-born Armenian-British oil trader, socialite and intelligence operative (d.
1972)
*
June 6
**
Henry Allingham, British World War I veteran, world's oldest man (d.
2009)
**
Italo Balbo
Italo Balbo (6 June 1896 – 28 June 1940) was an Italian fascist politician and Blackshirts' leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force, Governor-General of Libya and Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa. Due to his young ...
, Italian Fascist leader, aviator (d.
1940)
*
June 7
**
Robert S. Mulliken, American chemist,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfre ...
laureate (d.
1986)
**
Imre Nagy
Imre Nagy (; 7 June 1896 – 16 June 1958) was a Hungarian communist politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (''de facto'' Prime Minister) of the Hungarian People's Republic from 1953 to 1955. In 1956 Nagy became leader ...
, 3-time prime minister of Hungary (d.
1958)
**
Douglas Campbell, American World War I flying ace (d.
1990)
**
Hope Summers
Sarah Hope Summers (June 7, 1902 – June 22, 1979) was an American character actress known for her work on CBS's '' The Andy Griffith Show'' and '' Mayberry RFD'', portraying Clara Edwards.
Early life
Hope Summers was born in Mattoon, Il ...
, American actress (d.
1979)
*
June 15
**
Ion Constantinescu, Romanian general (death date unknown)
*
June 19 –
Wallis Simpson, American-born Duchess of Windsor (d.
1986)
*
June 23
Events Pre-1600
* 229 – Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu.
*1266 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships.
*1280 – The Spanish Re ...
–
Francisco Malabo Beosá, Equatoguinean royalty (d.
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...
)
*
June 25
**
Alfred Anderson Alfred Anderson may refer to:
* Alfred Anderson (American football) (born 1961), former American football running back
*Alfred Anderson (entrepreneur) (1888–1956), Australian butcher and entrepreneur
* Alfred Anderson (pianist) (1848–1876), Aus ...
, Scottish joiner and veteran of the First World War (d.
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...
)
**
Keizō Komura, Japanese admiral (d.
1978)
*
June 28 –
Constance Binney
Constance Binney (June 28, 1896 – November 15, 1989) was an American stage and film actress and dancer.
Biography
Born in New York City, Binney was educated at Westover School, a private college preparatory boarding school for girls in M ...
, American actress (d.
1989)
*
June 29
Events Pre-1600
* 226 – Cao Rui succeeds his father as emperor of the Kingdom of Wei.
*1149 – Raymond of Poitiers is defeated and killed at the Battle of Inab by Nur ad-Din Zangi.
*1194 – Sverre is crowned King of Norway, le ...
–
Boris Podolsky
Boris Yakovlevich Podolsky (russian: link=no, Бори́с Я́ковлевич Подо́льский; June 29, 1896 – November 28, 1966) was a Russian-American physicist of Jewish descent, noted for his work with Albert Einstein and Nathan ...
, Russian-American physicist (d.
1966)
July–August

*
July 2
Events Pre-1600
* 437 – Emperor Valentinian III begins his reign over the Western Roman Empire. His mother Galla Placidia ends her regency, but continues to exercise political influence at the court in Rome.
* 626 – Li Shimin ...
–
Quirino Cristiani, Argentine animated film director (d.
1984)
*
July 4 –
Mao Dun, Chinese novelist, cultural critic, and Minister of Culture (d.
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...
)
*
July 5 –
Thomas Playford IV
Sir Thomas Playford (5 July 1896 – 16 June 1981) was an Australian politician from the state of South Australia. He served continuously as Premier of South Australia and leader of the Liberal and Country League (LCL) from 5 November 1938 to 1 ...
, South Australian politician (d.
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...
)
*
July 7 –
Harold Beamish, New Zealand World War I flying ace (d.
1986)
*
July 10
**
Stefan Askenase, Polish-Belgian classical pianist and pedagogue (d.
1985)
**
Maurice Zbriger, Canadian violinist, composer and conductor (d.
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...
)
*
July 13
Events Pre-1600
* 1174 – William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173–74, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Henry II of England.
* 1249 – Coronation of Alexander III as King of Scots.
*1260 – The Livo ...
**
Mordecai Ardon, Israeli painter (d.
1992)
**
John Henry Cates, American businessman, political figure (d.
1986)
*
July 14 –
Grigore Bălan, Romanian general (d.
1944)
*
July 15 –
Gladys Edgerly Bates
Gladys Edgerly Bates (July 15, 1896 – July 28, 2003) was an American sculptor known for her figure carving. Her work is in permanent collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She was a member o ...
, American sculptor (d.
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...
)
*
July 16
**
Léon Weil
Léon Roger Weil (16 July 1896 – 6 June 2006) was one of the last two surviving veterans of the battle of Val-de-Marne in the First World War. He was almost 110 when he died at the Val-de-Grâce military hospital in Paris, France.
Joining th ...
, French veteran of World War I (d.
2006)
**
Gertrude Welcker
Gertrude Welcker (16 July 1896 – 1 August 1988) was a German stage and silent film actress. She appeared in 64 films between 1917 and 1925.
Biography
Gertrude Welcker was born in Dresden on 16 July 1896. Her father, who was editor-in-chief an ...
, German actress (d.
1988)
**
Trygve Lie
Trygve Halvdan Lie ( , ; 16 July 1896 – 30 December 1968) was a Norwegian politician, labour leader, government official and author. He served as Norwegian foreign minister during the critical years of the Norwegian government in exile in Lo ...
, Norway-born United Nations Secretary General (d.
1968
The year was highlighted by Protests of 1968, 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 Czechos ...
)
*
July 17 –
Dumitru Dămăceanu, Romanian general and politician (d.
1978)
*
July 18
**
Thelma Payne
Thelma R. Payne (later ''Sanborn'', July 18, 1896 – September 7, 1988) was an American diver won the bronze medal in the 3 meter springboard at the 1920 Summer Olympics. She also won the springboard at the AAU Championships in 1918–1920. Pay ...
, American diver (d.
1988)
**
Patrick O'Boyle, American prelate (d.
1987)
*
July 19
Events Pre-1600
* AD 64 – The Great Fire of Rome causes widespread devastation and rages on for six days, destroying half of the city.
* 484 – Leontius, Roman usurper, is crowned Eastern emperor at Tarsus (modern Turkey). He is ...
–
Stafford L. Warren, American physician and radiologist; inventor of the mammogram (d.
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...
)
*
July 20 –
Ellen Louise Mertz, Denmark's first female geologist (d.
1987)
*
July 27 –
Henri Longchambon, French politician (d.
1969)
*
July 28 –
Vasile Chițu, Romanian general (d.
1968
The year was highlighted by Protests of 1968, 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 Czechos ...
)
*
August 9
Events Pre-1600
*48 BC – Caesar's Civil War: Battle of Pharsalus: Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Ancient Egypt, Egypt.
* 378 – Gothic War (376–382), Gothic War: Battle of Adrianople: A la ...
** Erich Hückel, German physicist, physical chemist (d. 1980)
** Jean Piaget, Swiss psychologist (d. 1980)
** Léonide Massine, Russian ballet dancer, choreographer (d.
1979)
* August 12 – Ejner Federspiel, Danish actor (d.
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...
)
* August 13 – Rudolf Schmundt, German general (d.
1944)
*
August 14
Events Pre-1600
* 74 BC – A group of officials, led by the Western Han minister Huo Guang, present articles of impeachment against the new emperor, Liu He, to the imperial regent, Empress Dowager Shangguan. The articles, enumerating t ...
– Albert Ball, British World War I fighter ace, Victoria Cross recipient (d.
1917)
* August 15
** Gerty Cori, Austrian-born biochemist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ( sv, Nobelpriset i fysiologi eller medicin) is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute, Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or ...
(d. 1957)
** Paul Outerbridge, American photographer (d.
1958)
* August 18 – Jack Pickford, Canadian-born American actor, film director, and producer (d. 1933)
*
August 27 – Léon Theremin, Russian inventor (d. 1993)
* August 28
** Morris Ankrum, American actor (d.
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
)
** Arthur Calwell, Australian politician (d.
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
)
* August 30 – Raymond Massey, Canadian-born American actor (d.
1983)
September–October

* September 1 – A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Indian religious leader, founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (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 Democrati ...
)
* September 4 – Antonin Artaud, French stage actor, director (d. 1948)
* September 8 – Marion Ellen Lea Allnutt, Marion Allnutt, welfare worker and full-time secretary and commanding officer of the NGO, Women's Australian National Services (WANS) (d. 1980)
* September 10 – Adele Astaire, American dancer (d.
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...
)
* September 14 – José Mojica, Fray José de Guadalupe Mojica, Mexican Franciscan friar, tenor and film actor (d. 1974)
*
September 15 – Robert B. McClure, American general (d.
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
)
*
September 22
Events Pre-1600
* 904 – The warlord Zhu Quanzhong kills Emperor Zhaozong, the penultimate emperor of the Tang dynasty, after seizing control of the imperial government.
*1236 – The Samogitians defeat the Livonian Brothers of the ...
– Uri Zvi Greenberg, Israeli poet and journalist (d.
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...
)
* September 24 – F. Scott Fitzgerald, American writer (d.
1940)
* September 25 – Sandro Pertini, President of Italy (d.
1990)
*
September 30 – Jolie Gabor, Hungarian-American entrepreneur, jeweler and memoirist (d.
1997)
*
October 1 – Abraham Sofaer, Burmese-born actor (d.
1988)
* October 3 – Auvergne Doherty, Australian businesswoman (d.
1961)
* October 7 – Paulino Alcántara, Filipino-Spanish soccer player (d.
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
)
* October 12 – Eugenio Montale, Italian writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (d.
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...
)
* October 14 – Bud Flanagan, British entertainer, comedian (d.
1968
The year was highlighted by Protests of 1968, 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 Czechos ...
)
* October 17 – Prince Roman Petrovich of Russia (d.
1978)
* October 22 – Earle Clements, American politician, Governor of Kentucky (1947–1950), Senate Whip
* October 27 – Edith Haisman, South African-born RMS Titanic survivor (d.
1997)
* October 28 – Howard Hanson, American composer (d.
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...
)
[''The New York Times'' – Obituaries. Harold C. Schonberg. February 28, 1981 p. 1011]
''Howard Hanson is Dead; Composer and Teacher''
/ref>
* October 30 – Ruth Gordon, American actress, screenwriter, and playwright (d. 1985)
* October 31 – Ethel Waters, American singer, actress (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 Democrati ...
)
November–December
* November 1
** Lawrence Riley, American playwright and screenwriter (d. 1974)
* November 4
** Carlos P. Garcia, 8th President of the Philippines (d. 1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
)
** Ian Wolfe, American actor (d. 1992)
* November 8
** Erika Abels d'Albert, Austrian artist (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. ...
)
** Marie Prevost, Canadian-born American actress (d. 1937)
* November 10
** Jimmy Dykes, American baseball player, manager (d. 1976)
** Mary, Lady Heath (born Sophie Mary Peirce-Evans), Irish aviator (d. 1939)
**Andreas Stihl, Swiss engineer, inventor and businessman (d. 1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
)
* November 13 – Nobusuke Kishi, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1987)
* November 14 – Mamie Eisenhower, First Lady of the United States (d. 1979)
* November 15 – Giovanni Ancillotto, Italian World War I flying ace (d. 1924)
* November 16
** Jim Jordan (actor), Jim Jordan, American actor (d. 1988)
** Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists (d. 1980)
** Lawrence Tibbett, American opera singer, actor (d. 1960)
* November 17 – Lev Vygotsky, Russian psychologist (d. 1934)
* November 23 – Klement Gottwald, Czechoslovak communist politician (d. 1953)
* November 25
** Virgil Thomson, American composer, critic (d. 1989)
** Jessie Royce Landis, American actress (d. 1972)
** Priscilla Dean, American actress (d. 1987)
** Albertus Soegijapranata, Indonesian Jesuit priest (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 Co ...
)
* November 26 – Manuel A. Odría, 79th President of Peru (d. 1974)
* November 28 – Lilia Skala, Austrian-American actress (d. 1994)
* December 1
Events Pre-1600
* 800 – A council is convened in the Vatican, at which Charlemagne is to judge the accusations against Pope Leo III.
*1420 – Henry V of England enters Paris alongside his father-in-law King Charles VI of France.
...
– Georgi Zhukov, Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union (d. 1974)
* December 2 – Alfons Tracki, German-Albanian priest (martyred 1946)
* December 5 – Carl Ferdinand Cori, Austrian-born biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ( sv, Nobelpriset i fysiologi eller medicin) is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute, Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or ...
(d. 1984)
* December 6 – Ira Gershwin, American lyricist (d. 1983)
* December 8 – Christl Mardayn, German actress (d. 1976)
* December 12 – Vasily Gordov, Soviet general (d. 1950)
* December 14 – Jimmy Doolittle, American aviation pioneer, World War II United States Army Air Forces general (d. 1993)
* December 15 – Miles Dempsey, British general (d. 1969)
* December 16 – Anna Anderson, pretender to the Russian throne (d. 1984)
* December 21 – Eleni Skoura, Greek politician (d. 1991)
* December 23 – Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Italian writer (d. 1957)
* December 27 –
** Louis Bromfield, American writer (d. 1956)
** Carl Zuckmayer, German writer, playwright (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 Democrati ...
)
* December 28 – Roger Sessions, American composer (d. 1985)
* December 29 – David Alfaro Siqueiros, Mexican muralist (d. 1974)
Deaths
January–June
* January 4
Events Pre-1600
*46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.
* 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army.
1601–1900
*1649 – E ...
– Joseph Hubert Reinkens, German Old Catholic bishop (b. 1821)
* 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; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.
1601–1900
*1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French army ...
– Charlie Bassett, American sheriff (b. 1847)
* January 6
Events Pre-1600
* 1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will ...
– Thomas W. Knox, American author, journalist (b. 1835)
* January 8 – Paul Verlaine, French lyric poet (b. 1844)
* January 15 – Mathew Brady, American photographer (b. 1822)
* 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 Chine ...
– Charles Floquet, Prime Minister of France (b. 1828)
* January 20
Events Pre-1600
* 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution.
* 649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom.
*1156 &nda ...
** Prince Henry of Battenberg, Lombardy-born British royal, married to Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom (b. 1858)
** Graciano López Jaena, Filipino journalist, writer and patriot (b. 1856)
* February 7 – William Hayden English, American politician (b. 1822)
* February 25
Events Pre-1600
*138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
* 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
*13 ...
– Joseph P. Fyffe, American admiral (b. 1832)
* March 30 – Charilaos Trikoupis, 7-time prime minister of Greece (b. 1832)
* April 9 – Gustav Koerner, German-American statesman (b. 1809)
* April 27 – Henry Parkes, Sir Henry Parkes, Australian politician, Premier of New South Wales (b. 1815)
* April 30
Events Pre-1600
* 311 – The Diocletianic Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire ends.
* 1315 – Enguerrand de Marigny is hanged at the instigation of Charles, Count of Valois.
*1492 – Spain gives Christopher Columb ...
– Hamilton Disston, American industrialist and land developer (b. 1844)
* May 1
Events Pre-1600
* 305 – Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor.
* 880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.
*1169 &ndas ...
– Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, Shah of Persia, King of Herat (b. 1831)
* May 7 – H. H. Holmes, American serial killer (executed) (b. 1861)
* May 10 – Antti Ahlström, Finnish industrialist, founder of Ahlstrom (b. 1827)
* May 13 – Nora Perry (writer), Nora Perry, American newspaper correspondent (b. 1831)
* May 17 – Muhammad Al-Sabah, emir of Kuwait (b. 1831)
* May 18 – Daniel Pollen, 9th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1813)
* May 19
Events
Pre-1600
* 639 – Ashina Jiesheshuai and his tribesmen assaulted Emperor Taizong at Jiucheng Palace.
* 715 – Pope Gregory II is elected.
* 1051 – Henry I of France marries the Rus' princess, Anne of Kiev.
*1445 &nd ...
– Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, father of Archduke Ferdinand (b. 1833)
* May 20 – Clara Schumann, German composer, pianist (b. 1819)
* May 24
Events Pre-1600
* 919 – The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as king of the East Frankish Kingdom.
*1218 – The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
* 1276 – Magnus La ...
– Luigi Federico Menabrea, Italian soldier, statesman (b. 1809)
* June 19 – Louis Brière de l'Isle, French general (b. 1827)
July–December
* July 1 – Harriet Beecher Stowe, American author (b. 1811)
* July 4 – Marcelo H. del Pilar, Filipino writer, journalist (b. 1850)
* July 11
Events Pre-1600
* 472 – After being besieged in Rome by his own generals, Western Roman Emperor Anthemius is captured in St. Peter's Basilica and put to death.
* 813 – Byzantine emperor Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, ...
– Ernst Curtius, German historian (b. 1814)
* July 13
Events Pre-1600
* 1174 – William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173–74, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Henry II of England.
* 1249 – Coronation of Alexander III as King of Scots.
*1260 – The Livo ...
– August Kekulé, German chemist (b. 1829)
* July 16 – Edmond de Goncourt, French writer, co-founder of the Académie Goncourt (b. 1822)
* July 19
Events Pre-1600
* AD 64 – The Great Fire of Rome causes widespread devastation and rages on for six days, destroying half of the city.
* 484 – Leontius, Roman usurper, is crowned Eastern emperor at Tarsus (modern Turkey). He is ...
– Abraham H. Cannon, American Mormon apostle (b. 1859)
* August 10 – Otto Lilienthal, German aviation pioneer (b. 1848)
* August 12 – Harry Burnett Lumsden, Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden, British army general (b. 1821)
* August 13 – Sir John Everett Millais, British Pre-Raphaelite painter (b. 1829)
* August 17 – Bridget Driscoll
The death of Bridget Driscoll (c. 185117 August 1896) was the first recorded case of a pedestrian killed in a collision with a motor car in Great Britain. Driscoll, in the company of her teenage daughter May and her friend Elizabeth Murphy, was ...
, early British automobile fatality (b. c. 1851)
* August 18 – Richard Avenarius, German-Swiss philosopher (b. 1843)
* August 25 – Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini of Zanzibar (b. 1857)
* September 18 – Hippolyte Fizeau, French physicist (b. 1819)
* September 22
Events Pre-1600
* 904 – The warlord Zhu Quanzhong kills Emperor Zhaozong, the penultimate emperor of the Tang dynasty, after seizing control of the imperial government.
*1236 – The Samogitians defeat the Livonian Brothers of the ...
– Pavlos Kalligas, Greek jurist, politician (b. 1814)
* September 23 – Ivar Aasen, Norwegian philologist, lexicographer, playwright, and poet (b. 1813)
* September 24 – Louis Gerhard De Geer, 1st Prime Minister of Sweden (b. 1818)
* October 3 – William Morris, English designer, poet and political activist (b. 1834)
* October 6 – James Abbott (Indian Army officer), Sir James Abbott, British army officer and colonial administrator in India (b. 1807)
* October 7 – Louis-Jules Trochu, French general and politician, 26th Prime Minister of France (b. 1815)
* October 8 – George du Maurier, French-born British cartoonist and writer (b. 1834)
* October 10 – Ferdinand von Mueller, German-born Australian botanist (b. 1825)
* October 11
** Anton Bruckner, Austrian composer (b. 1824)
** Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1829)
* October 12 – Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs, Prime Minister of Denmark (b. 1817)
* October 19 – Emmy Rappe, Swedish nursing pioneer (b. 1835)
* October 21 – James Henry Greathead, British engineer and inventor (b. 1844)
* October 23 – Columbus Delano, American statesman (b. 1809)
* October 26 – Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour, French statesman (b. 1827)
* October 30 – Carol Benesch, Silesian and Romanian architect (b. 1822)
* November – Margaret Eleanor Parker, English social activist; first president of the British Women's Temperance Association (b. 1827)
* November 12 – Joseph James Cheeseman, Liberian politician, 12th President of Liberia (b. 1843)
* November 16 – Josip Šokčević, Croatian viceroy (b. 1811)
* November 22 – George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., American inventor of the Ferris wheel (b. 1859)
* November 23 – Ichiyō Higuchi, Japanese poet and novelist (b. 1872)
* November 26
** Benjamin Apthorp Gould, American astronomer (b. 1824)
** Coventry Patmore, English poet (b. 1823)
* December 10 – Alfred Nobel, Swedish inventor of dynamite, creator of the Nobel Prize (b. 1833)
** Jacob ben Moses Bachrach, noted Polish apologist of Rabbinic Judaism (b. 1824)
** Sir Alexander Milne, 1st Baronet, British admiral of the fleet (b. 1806)
* December 30 – José Rizal
José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national h ...
, national hero of the Philippines (b. 1861)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1896
1896,
Leap years in the Gregorian calendar