References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2008 April 30.

1895 January 1 Norway adopts Mid-European time. [1] January 5 French Captain Alfred Dreyfus, convicted of treason, publicly stripped of his rank; later declared innocent. [1] Henry James' play "Guy Domville" opens in London. [1] Victor Trumper makes first-class debut for New South Wales 17 years 64 days. [1] January 10 Benjamin Louis Paul Godard composer, dies at 45. [1] January 13 Oscar Wilde's "Ideal Husband" premieres in London. [1] January 15 French fleet reaches Majunga, Madagascar. [1] Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake" premieres, Saint Petersburg. [1] January 17 French President Casimir-Perier resigns. [1] Félix Faure installed as President of France. [1] January 22 Edward Solomon composer, dies at 39. [1] National Association of Manufacturers organized in Cincinnati Ohio. [1] January 26 Arthur Cayley mathematician, dies. [1] January 28 François Certain de Canrobert French marshal, dies at 85. [1] January 29 King Koko's Kopermannen assault on Akassa Niger, 100's killed. [1] January 30 C J Eady (Tasmania) first Australian to score twin centuries (vs Victoria). [1] SS Elbe sinks after collision in North Sea, 332 killed. [1] January 31 José Martí and others leave New York City, New York for invasion of Spanish Cuba. [1] February 4 First rolling lift bridge opens, Chicago, Illinois. [1] Faustina Hasse Hodges composer, dies at 71. [1] February 8 Tchaikovsky/Petipa's "Swan Lake" premieres in Petersburg. [1] February 11 -17 degrees F (-27.2 degrees C) in Braemar, Grampian (United Kingdom record). [1] Georgetown became part of Washington DC. [1] February 13 Moving picture projector patented. [1] February 14 Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" opens in London. [1] February 15 23 cm (9") of snow falls on New Orleans. [1] February 18 Albrecht arch duke of Austrian (Battle at Custozza), dies at 77. [1] February 20 US Congress authorizes a US mint at Denver CO. [1] Frederick Douglass escaped slave, anti-slavery leader, dies at 78. [1] February 21 North Carolina Legislature, adjourns for day to mark death of Frederick Douglass. [1] February 23 William Heard, AME minister and educator, named minister to Liberia. [1] February 24 Cuban war of independence begins. [1] Ignaz Lachner composer, dies at 87. [1] February 26 Michael Owens of Toledo Ohio patents a glass-blowing machine. [1] March 2 Berthe Member of Parliament Morisot French painter/aquarelliste, dies at 54. [1] Ismail Pasha kedive of Egypt (1863-79), dies at 64. [1] March 4 Gustav Mahler's second Symphony, premieres in Berlin. [1] March 5 Nikolai Leskow writer, dies at 64. [1] March 9 Leopold von Sacher-Masoch Austrian writer (Masochism), dies at 59. [1] March 11 Spanish cruiser Reina Regenta sinks at Gibraltar, 400 killed. [1] March 18 200 blacks leave Savannah Georgia for Liberia. [1] March 19 Los Angeles Railway established to provide streetcar service. [1] March 22 Auguste and Louis Lumiere show their first movie to an invited audience. [1] March 25 Italian troops invade Abyssinia (Ethiopia). [1] March 26 King Alfonso plants pine sapling in Madrid, starts Spain's Arbor Day. [1] March 30 British inventor Birt Acres films Oxford-Cambridge. [1] April 5 Oscar Wilde loses libel case against Marquess of Queensberry, who accused him of homosexual practices. [1] Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of the 3 Students" (BG). [1] April 11 Anaheim completes its new electric light system. [1] April 13 Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist" (BG). [1] April 14 First performance of Gustav Mahler's (incomplete) second Symphony. [1] April 17 Treaty of Shimonoseki signed, ends first Sino-Japanese War (1894-95). [1] April 19 George Scharf critic, dies. [1] Victor J van Hinsbergh South Netherlands engraver (PTT-stempels), dies at 70. [1] April 23 Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig physiologist, dies. [1] April 24 Joshua Slocum completes around-the-world voyage in 11-m boat. [1] April 30 Gustav Freytag writer, dies at 78. [1] May 8 China cedes Taiwan to Japan under Treaty of Shimonoseki. [1] May 11 Feliks Jaronski composer, dies at 71. [1] May 15 Joseph Whitaker British publisher (Whitaker' Almanack), dies at 75. [1] May 17 W G Grace completes his 100th 100 vs Somerset at Bristol. [1] May 19 José J Marti y Perez Spanish/Cuban poet (Versos sencillos), dies. [1] May 20 First commercial movie performance (153 Broadway, New York City). [1] Ratu Agung-Agung Gdé Ngurah radja van Mataram, Lombok, dies. [1] May 21 Franz von Suppe Austrian composer (Poet und Bauer), dies at 76. [1] May 23 Franz E Neumann German mineralogist/physicist, dies at 96. [1] May 24 Henry Irving becomes first theatrical knight. [1] Joseph Quinaux Belgian painter, dies at 73. [1] May 25 Ahmed Djevdet Pasja Turkish minister of Justice, dies at 73. [1] Oscar Wilde sentenced to two years hard labor for being a sodomite. [1] May 27 British inventor Birt Acres patents film camera/projector. [1] June 11 First auto race. [1] June 13 Émile Levassor wins first Paris-Bordeaux-Paris auto race (24 kph). [1] June 17 US Ship Canal (W 225th St) in the Bronx completed; cutting Marble. [1] June 20 First female doctor of science earned (Caroline Willard Baldwin). [1] A Charlois discovers asteroid #404 Arsinoe. [1] Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras form a short-lived confederation. [1] July 3 Start of Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of Black Peter" (BG). [1] July 23 A Charlois discovers asteroid #405 Thia. [1] August 20 Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Norwood Builder" (BG). [1] September 12 Defender (US) beats Valkyrie III (Engld) in 10th America's Cup. [1] September 18 Booker T Washington delivers "Atlanta Compromise" address. [1] D.D. Palmer of Davenport, Iowa, becomes first chiropractor. [1] September 21 First auto manufacturer opens-Duryea Motor Wagon Company. [1] September 24 First round-the-world trip by a woman on a bicycle (took 15 months). [1] September 28 Louis Pasteur dies. [5] (September 28 [1]) September 30 France proclaims a protectorate over Madagascar. [1] October 31 In Charleston, Missouri, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurs. [53] November 5 First US patent granted for auto (George B Selden). [1] November 8 Wilhelm Rontgen discovers x-rays. [1] November 11 Bechuanaland becomes part of the Cape Colony. [1] November 13 First shipment of canned pineapple from Hawaii. [1] November 21 Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Bruce Partington Plans" (BG). [1] November 26 Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association formed. [1] November 27 Alfred Nobel of Sweden writes his will. He directs that most of his estate be invested, with the interest used as prizes to those making the greatest contributions to mankind, in the subjects of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. [1] [7] November 28 America's first auto race starts; 6 cars, 55 miles, winner averages 7 MPH. [1] December 2 54thUS Congress (1895-97) convenes. [1] December 7 Battle at Amba Alagi: Abyssinians beat Italian armies. [1] December 8 Battle at Amba Alagi: Ethiopian emperor Menelik II drives Italian General Baratieri's out. [1] December 13 First complete execution of Gustav Mahlers second Symphony. [1] December 17 Anti-Saloon League of America formed, Washington DC. [1] George Brownell patents a machine to make paper twine (Massachusetts). [1] December 25 Raul d'Avila Pompeia Brazilian writer (Boarding-school), dies at 32. [1] December 28 The Lumière brothers have their first paying audience at the Grand Cafe in Boulevard des Capucines, in Paris, France, marking the debut of the cinema. [1] [5] December 29 Dr L S Jameson begins failed raid on Johannesburg. [1] December 30 LP Hartley British writer, dies. [1] 1896 January 1 Wilhelm Röntgen announces his discovery of x-rays. [1] January 2 Battle at Doornkop, South Africa (Boers beat Dr Jamesons troops). [1] January 3 Emperor Wilhelm congratulates President Kruger on the Jameson Raid. [1] January 4 AFL charters Actors' National Protective Union, New York City, New York. [1] Following Mormon abandonment of polygamy, Utah admitted as 45th state. [1] January 5 Austrian newspaper "Wiener Presse" publishes first public account of. [1] German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen's discovers x-rays. [1] Isaac Albeniz' opera "Pepita Jiminez" premieres in Barcelona. [1] January 6 Cecil Rhodes resigns as premier of Cape colony. [1] January 7 Fanny Farmer publishes her first cookbook. [1] January 8 Paul M Verlaine French poet (Elégies, Bonne Chanson), dies at 51. [1] January 12 First X-ray photo in US (Dr Henry Smith, Davidson North Carolina). [1] January 15 Henry Arthur Jones' "Michael and his Lost Angel" premieres in London. [1] Matthew B Brady US photographer (Civil War), dies at about 72. [1] January 18 First demonstration of an x-ray machine in the US, New York City, New York. [1] [5] British troops occupy Kumasi, West Africa. [1] January 20 Heinrich M von Battenberg German son-in-law of Victoria, dies at 37. [1] January 23 Edward Macdowell's second Suite in E, premieres. [1] January 25 Birth of John Moores British gambling magnate/multi-millionaire. [1] Frans C Baeckelmans Flemish architect (Court of Justice), dies at 68. [1] Frederic Leighton President of the Royal Academy (1878-96), dies. [1] January 28 Joseph Barnby composer, dies at 57. [1] January 29 Emile Grubbe is first doctor to use radiation treatment for breast cancer. [1] February 1 Giacomo Puccini's Opera "La Boheme" premieres in Turin. [1] February 4 Henry David Leslie composer, dies at 73. [1] February 6 Abraham Czn van Stolk Dutch art collector, dies at 82. [1] February 8 Georges Feydeaus' "Le Dindon" premieres in Paris. [1] Western Conference forms of Midwestern University, later renamed Big 10 Conference. [1] February 11 Oscar Wildes "Salomé" premieres in Paris. [1] February 12 Charles Louis Ambrose Thomas French composer (Mignon), dies at 84. [1] February 13 Karl Reinthaler composer, dies at 73. [1] February 14 Theodor Herzl publishes "Der Judenstaat". [1] February 15 E J Nicholson writer, dies. [1] February 17 London Country Councils' Muzzling Order becomes effective. [1] February 18 Cave of Winds at Niagara Falls goes almost dry for first time in 50 years. [1] February 22 Thomas Hughes politican/author of Tom Brown's Schooldays, Brighton. [1] February 23 Tootsie Roll introduced by Leo Hirshfield. [1] February 25 Italian government decides to attack governor Baratieri of Eritrea. [1] February 28 France dismisses Queen Ranavalona of Madagascar. [1] March 1 ... Albertone Italian General (Eritrea), dies in battle. [1] ... Arimondi Italian General (Eritrea), dies in battle. [1] ... Dabormida Italian General (Eritrea), dies in battle. [1] Battle of Adua: 80,000 Ethiopians destroy 20,000 Italians. [1] March 2 Battle of Aduwa, Abyssinia (Ethiopia) defeats invading Italians. [1] George Lohmann takes 9-28 vs South Africa at Johannesburg. [1] March 5 Italian Governor of Eritrea, General Baldissera, reaches Massawa. [1] Italian premier Crispi resigns. [1] March 6 First auto in Detroit Michigan, Charles B King rides his "Horseless Carriage". [1] March 7 Gilbert and Sullivan's last operette "Grand Duke" premieres in London. [1] March 8 Volunteers of America forms (New York City, New York). [1] March 10 The Bronx acquires O'Brien Square. [1] March 12 First movie in Netherlands (Kalverstr 220). [1] March 14 Sutro Baths (San Francisco) opens by Cliff House (closed Sept 1, 1952). [1] March 16 Premiere of Mahler's "Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen". [1] March 20 Marines land in Nicaragua to protect US citizens. [1] Uprising in Matabeleland. [1] March 23 Umberto Giordano's opera "Andrea Chénier" premieres in Milan. [1] March 26 Nanny v Hof writer, dies. [1] March 28 E Rundle Charles writer, dies. [1] The opera "Andrea Chenier" is produced (Milan). [1] March 31 Whitcomb Judson, Chicago Illinois, patents a hookless fastening (zipper). [1] April 4 Announcement of Gold in the Yukon. [1] April 5 John Rogers Thomas composer, dies at 66. [1] April 12 Alexander Ritter composer, dies at 62. [1] April 14 John Philip Sousa's "El Capitan", premieres (New York City). [1] April 19 Herzl's "The Jewish State" is published. [1] April 20 First public film showing in US John Philip Sousa's "El Capitán", premieres in New York City. [1] April 23 Vitascope system of movie projection first demonstrated (Koster and Bial's Music Hall, New York City). [1] April 25 Fight in Central Dance Hall starts fire (Cripple Creek CO). [1] Sidney Jones and Harry Greenbacks musical premieres in London. [1] April 28 Heinrich von Treitschke German historian, dies. [1] April 30 Antonio Cagnoni composer, dies at 68. [1] May 1 Naser ed-Din shah of Persia (1848-96), murdered at 65. [1] May 4 First edition of London Daily Mail (half penny). [1] Grease fire ignites half ton of dynamite at Cripple Creek CO. [1] May 9 First horseless carriage show in London (featured 10 models). [1] May 12 Juan Morel Campos composer, dies at 38. [1] May 13 Nora Perry writer, dies. [1] May 14 Lowest US temperature in May recorded (-10 degrees F - Climax CO). [1] May 15 Tornado kills 78 in Texas. [1] May 18 US Supreme court affirms "separate but equal" policy (Plessy v Ferguson). [1] May 19 First auto (Benz) to arrive in Netherlands. [1] May 20 Clara Josephine Wieck Schumann composer/pianist, dies at 76. [1] May 26 Dow Jones begins an index of 12 industrial stocks (closing is 40.94). [1] Last Czar of Russia, Nicholas II, crowned. [1] May 27 First major tornado to strike urban US (Saint Louis and E Saint Louis Missouri); killing 255 and leaving thousands homeless. [1] Allard Pierson theologist/philosopher/art historian/poet, dies. [1] Bay District Race Track closes. [1] May 30 First car accident occurs, Henry Wells hit a bicyclist (New York City). [1] June 4 Henry takes his first Ford through streets of Detroit. [1] June 6 George Samuelson leaves New York harbor to row across the Atlantic. [1] June 7 G Harpo and F Samuelson leave New York to row the Atlantic (takes 54 days). [1] June 11 US Assay Office in Deadwood, South Dakota authorized. [1] June 15 Off Sanriku, Japan, a magnitude 8.5 earthquake occurs. 28,000 people were killed and 170 miles of coastline were destroyed by the resulting 25-metre (80-foot) tsunami. In Hawaii, wharves were demolished. In California, a 9.5-foot wave was observed. [1] [53] June 16 Temperture hits 127 degrees F at Fort Mojave, California. [1] June 26 First cinema, 400 seat Vitascope Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana. Admission is 10 cents. The cinema uses Edison's Vitascope projector. [55.38] July 8 William Jennings Bryan "cross of gold" speech at Democratic convention. [1] July 21 National Federation of Afro-American Women and Colored Women's. [1] August 1 George Samuelson completes rowing the Atlantic (New York to England). [1] August 9 Otto Lilenthal killed during a glider test. [1] August 16 Gold discovered in the Klondike, found at Bonanza Creek, Ala. [1] August 17 Gold is discovered on Klondike River. [1] August 20 Dial telephone patented. [1] August 27 Zanzibar loses to England in a 38 minute war (9:02 AM-9:40 AM). [1] August 29 Chop suey invented in New York City by chef of visiting Chinese Ambassador. [1] September 7 First closed-circuit auto race, at Cranston, Rhode Island. [1] A. H. Whiting won first closed-circuit auto race held. [1] September 9 First operation involving a suture of the heart, to close a 1.5-cm knife wound to the right ventricle. Patent makes a complete recovery. [55.33] September 26 John Philip Sousa led band's first performance (Plainfield, New Jersey). [1] October 1 Sherlock Holmes adventure "The Veiled Lodger" takes place (BG). [1] October 8 Dow Jones starts reporting an average of industrial stocks. [1] October 27 First Pali Road completed in Hawaii (winds so strong streams flow UP!). [1] November 3 William McKinley (Republican) defeats William Jennings Bryan (Democrat) for President. [1] November 14 Power plant at Niagara Falls begins operation. [1] November 16 Electricity is first transmitted between a power plant (in Niagara Falls) and a city (Buffalo, New York). [5] November 19 Start of Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of The Sussex Vampire" (BG). [1] November 22 George Washington Gale Ferris inventor (Ferris wheel), dies. [1] November 24 First US absentee voting law enacted by Vermont. [1] December 1 First certified public accountants receive certificates (New York). [1] December 2 Gerhart Hauptmann's "Die versunkene Glocke" premieres in Berlin. [1] December 5 Henrik Ibsen's "Kejsor og Galileer" premieres in Leipzig. [1] December 6 D T Suzuki found the awakening at Engakuji temple, in Kamakura. [1] December 8 Earnest Angel German statistician (Law of Angel), dies at 75. [1] Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Missing 3 Quarter" (BG). [1] December 10 Alfred Jarry's "Ubu Roi" premieres in Paris. [1] Alfred Nobel of Sweden dies. Over his lifetime, 355 patents had been registered in his name, and he owned 93 factories around the world. [1] [7] December 15 John Acquoy Dutch theologist/church historian, dies at 67. [1] December 25 "Stars and Stripes Forever" written by John Philip Sousa. [1] December 30 José Mercado Rizal anti-Spanish rule of Philippines proponent, dies. [1] December 31 25th auto built in US. [1] 1897 January 1 Brooklyn merges with New York to form present City of New York. [1] January 10 Henrik Ibsen's "John Gabriel Borkman" premieres in Helsingfors. [1] Vincent d'Indy's "Istar" premieres in Amsterdam and Brussels. [1] January 11 M H Cannon becomes first woman state senator in US (Utah). [1] January 12 Birth of Hendrik J Valk painter/cartoonist/graphic artist. [1] January 14 6,960-m (22,834 feet) Cerro Aconcagua (Argentina) first climbed. [1] January 16 John Dewey's essay "My Pedagogic Creed" appears in School Journal. [1] January 23 Start of Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of the Abbey Grange" (BG). [1] January 26 Battle at Bida Gold Coast British troops beat Nupe's army. [1] January 27 British troops occupy Bida Gold Coast (Ghana). [1] February 5 Marcel Proust meets Jean Lorrain in a pistol duel. [1] February 6 Ebenezer C Brewer British writer (Dictionary of Phrase and Fable), dies. [1] February 7 Galileo Ferraris Italian physicist (Ferrari), dies at 49. [1] February 8 Antonio Cánovas del Castillo premier of Spain, murdered at 69. [1] February 10 New York Times begins using slogan "All the News That's Fit to Print". [1] February 11 White Rose Mission opens on East 97th Street, New York City. [1] February 17 National Congress of Parents and Teachers (PTA) organizes (Washington DC). [1] February 19 Karl T Weierstrass German mathematician, dies at 81. [1] February 23 Woldemar Bargiel composer, dies at 68. [1] March 4 William McKinley inaugurated as 25th President of US. [1] March 5 American Negro Academy forms. [1] March 9 Cleveland Spiders sign Louis Sockalexis, full-blooded Penobscot. [1] Premiere of (parts of) Gustav Mahler's third Symphony (Berlin). [1] March 10 Teodulo Mabellini composer, dies at 79. [1] March 11 Berthold Tours composer, dies at 58. [1] Henry Drummond Scottish geologist/evangelist, dies at 45. [1] March 12 Vincent d'Indy's opera "Fervaal" premieres in Brussel. [1] March 16 Start of Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of The Devil's Foot" (BG). [1] March 19 Antoine T d'Abbadie French explorer (Ethiopia), dies at 87. [1] March 20 First US orthodox Jewish Rabbinical seminary (RIETS) incorporates in New York. [1] France signs treaty with emperor Menelik II of Abyssinia. [1] March 29 Japan adopts Gold Standard. [1] April 3 Johannes Brahms German composer/conductor (Hung Dances), dies at 63. [1] April 8 George Garrett composer, dies at 62. [1] Heinrich von Stephan United Kingdom politician, dies. [1] April 19 First performance of Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande". [1] April 22 New York City Jewish newspaper "Forward" begins publishing (stiil active). [1] April 23 Clement Harris composer, dies at 25. [1] April 24 First reporter, William Price (Washington Star), is assigned to White House. [1] April 27 Grant's Tomb (famed of song and legend) dedicated. [1] May 2 William Cleaver Francis Robinson composer, dies at 63. [1] May 4 Fire in Paris France bazaar at Rue Jean Goujon kills 200. [1] May 10 William Thomas Best composer, dies at 70. [1] May 12 1800-1900 year old fossil of "girl of Yde" found in Drente Netherlands. [1] Battle at Thessalië: Turkish army beats Greece. [1] Ulrika "Minna" Cant-Johnstown Finnish playwright, dies at 53. [1] Willem Roelofs painter/lithographer, dies. [1] May 14 Great-Britain signs treaty with emperor Menelik II of Abyssinia. [1] May 18 Irish Music Festival first held (Dublin). [1] Paul Dukas "L'Apprenti Sorcier Pruimtabak on the Market" premieres. [1] May 21 Karol Mikuli composer, dies at 77. [1] Yerkes Observatory 40" (1 metre) refractor used for first time. [1] May 23 Aleko Konstantinov Bulgarian writer (To Chicago and Back), dies at 34. [1] May 31 In Giles County, Virginia, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurs. [53] June 9 Alvin Graham Clark dies three weeks after first use of Yerkes 40" lens. [1] June 12 In Assam, India, a magnitude 8.3 earthquake occurs. Complete devastation of over 9,000 square miles and was felt over 1.75 million square miles. Over 1500 deaths. [1] [53] June 24 Hail injures 26 in Topeka Kansas. [1] July 1 The Bronx acquires Hutton Square. [1] July 8 Harbor Hospital formally opens. [1] July 17 First ship arrives in Seattle carrying gold from the Yukon. [1] July 27 37.5 cm (14.75") of rainfall, Jewell, Maryland (state 24-hr record). [1] August 31 Thomas Edison receives a patent on the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector. [1] [5] September 21 New York Sun runs famous "Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus," editorial. [1] September 23 First frontier days rodeo celebration (Cheyene Wyoming). [1] October 21 Yerkes Observatory of the University of Chicago is dedicated. [1] October 24 First comic strip in a newspaper, "The Yellow Kid" by Richard Outcault in New York Journal. [55.42] November 15 John Mercer Langston dies at 67. [1] November 25 Spain grants Puerto Rico autonomy. [1] December 12 Anti-Jewish violence breaks out in Bucharest Romania. [1] Rudolph Dirks' first Katzenjammer cartoon strip in New York Journal. [1] December 16 First submarine with an internal combustion engine demonstrated. [1] Alphonse Daudet French writer (Tartarin sur les Alpes), dies at 57. [1] December 18 Carlo A Alfieri Italian Member of parliament, dies at 70. [1] December 28 Edmond Rostand's "Cyrano de Bergerac" premieres in Paris. [1] December 30 Province of Zululand annexed to Natal colony. [1] December 31 Brooklyn's last day as a city, it incorporates into New York City (1/1/1898). [1]