Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Jan 5 "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson published by Longmans, Green & Co.
State of Emergency in Seattle
Feb 9 US President Grover Cleveland declares a state of emergency in Seattle because of anti-Chinese violence
- Feb 12 2nd British Conservative government of Marquess of Salisbury forms in alliance with Liberal Unionist Party
Event of Interest
Feb 13 Painter Thomas Eakins resigns from Philadelphia Academy of Art after controversial over use of male nudes in a coed art class
- Feb 23 "The Times" of London newspaper publishes world's 1st classified ad
- Feb 23 Aluminum manufacturing process developed
- Mar 1 The Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore is founded by Bishop William Oldham.
- Mar 6 1st US alternating current power plant starts, Great Barrington, Massachusetts
- Mar 6 1st US nurses' magazine, The Nightingale, 1st appears, NYC
- Mar 17 Carrollton Massacre (Mississippi) 20 African Americans killed
- Mar 20 1st AC power plant in US begins commercial operation in Massachusetts
Manfred
Mar 23 Tchaikovsky's "Manfred" symphony premieres in Moscow, Russia, conducted by Max Erdmannsdörfer
Irish Home Rule Bill
Apr 8 William Ewart Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill into the British House of Commons.
Freud Opens Practice
Apr 25 Sigmund Freud opens his first neurologist practice at Rathausstrasse 7 in Vienna
- Apr 29 1st public Dutch electricity service begins
- May 1 US general strike for 8-hour working day begins
- May 3 M. A. Maclean elected 1st mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia
- May 4 Haymarket riot in Chicago; bomb kills 7 policemen
- May 5 The Bay View Tragedy occurs, as militia fires upon a crowd of protesters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin killing seven.
- May 8 Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta sells the first Coca-Cola (contained cocaine)
- May 14 12th Kentucky Derby: Paul Duffy aboard Ben Ali wins in 2:36.50
Beatty Gets a Promotion
May 15 British sailor David Beatty is promoted to midshipman
Music Premiere
May 19 Camille Saint-Saëns' 3rd Symphony in C premieres at St. James Hall, London, with the composer conducting
- May 21 14th Preakness: S Fisher aboard Bard wins in 2:45
Pemberton Advertises Coca-Cola
May 29 American pharmacist John Pemberton begins to advertise his patent medicine - Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Georgia
- Jun 1 The railroads of the Southern United States convert 11,000 miles of track from a five foot rail gauge to standard gauge, beginning May 31
- Jun 3 24 Christians burn to death in Namgongo, Uganda
- Jun 5 20th Belmont: Jim McLaughlin aboard Inspector B wins in 2:41
- Jun 8 First Home Rule Bill for Ireland defeated by 343 votes to 313 in the British House of Common
- Jun 10 Eruption of Tarawera volcano destroys famous pink and white calcium carbonate hot-spring terraces (North Island, New Zealand)
- Jun 13 Fire destroys nearly 1,000 buildings in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Jul 3 1st NY Tribune printing using 1st commercial linotype machine
- Jul 3 In Germany, Karl Benz first drives the first automobile in Mannheim at a top speed of 16 km/h (10 mph)
- Jul 4 1st scheduled transcontinental passenger train reaches Port Moody, British Columbia
- Jul 6 Horlick's of Wisconsin offers 1st malted milk to public
- Jul 10 George Goldie gets charter for Royal Niger Company
- Jul 13 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: William Renshaw beats Herbert Lawford for the 3rd straight year 6-0, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 for his 6th consecutive Wimbledon championship
- Jul 14 The Temple Street Cable Railway begins cable car service in Los Angeles, California
Wimbledon Women's Championship
Jul 17 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Blanche Bingley defeats 2-time defending champion Maud Watson 6–3, 6-3
Lord Salisbury Government
Jul 28 British Conservative government led by Lord Salisbury forms
W. G. Grace's Highest Score
Aug 12 W. G. Grace makes his highest Test Cricket score, scoring 170 vs Australia at The Oval
Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway
Aug 13 John A. Macdonald uses a silver hammer to pound a gold spike, officially completing the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway in British Columbia
Second Salon Opens
Aug 20 Second Salon exhibition by Society of Independent Artists held in Paris; includes Georges Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte"
- Aug 25 1st international polo meet (US vs England)
US Men's Championship
Aug 28 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Newport R.I.: Richard Sears beats R. Livingston Beeckman 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 for his 6th consecutive US singles title
- Aug 31 1st major earthquake recorded in eastern US, at Charleston, South Carolina, 110 die
Crocker-Woolworth Bank
Aug 31 Crocker-Woolworth National Bank organized in San Francisco
- Sep 1 The Netherlands New Code of Criminal Law is enforced
Distinguished Service Order
Sep 6 Queen Victoria establishes Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
- Sep 9 The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is finalized
- Sep 11 6th America's Cup: Mayflower (NY Yacht Club) beats Galatea (Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club, Scotland) for 2-0 series victory
- Sep 14 George K Anderson of Memphis, Tennessee, patents typewriter ribbon
- Sep 25 Comedy opera "Dorothy" first produced in London
- Oct 1 US mint at Carson City, Nevada, closes
- Oct 7 Spain abolishes slavery in Cuba
- Oct 10 1st dinner jacket (tuxedo) worn to autumn ball at Tuxedo Park, NY
- Oct 12 Hurricane & sea surge kills 250 at Indianola Texas
Night on Bald Mountain
Oct 15 Modest Mussorgsky's musical fantasy "Night on Bald Mountain" premieres at Kononov Hall, in St. Petersburg, Russia
- Oct 23 "World Championship" Baseball Series, Sportsman's Park, St. Louis: St.L Browns edge Chicago White Stockings, 4-3 in 10 innings in Game 6 to take series, 4-2
Statue of Liberty
Oct 28 Statue of Liberty dedicated by US President Grover Cleveland, celebrated by first confetti (ticker tape) parade in New York City
- Oct 30 Great Britain and Germany agree boundaries in East Africa
- Nov 1 Ananda College, a leading Buddhist school in Sri Lanka was established with 37 students.
- Nov 2 German patent granted to inventor Carl Benz for "vehicle with gas engine operation", the first automobile (No. DE37435C)
- Nov 3 Friars of Tilburg arrives on Curacao
- Nov 4 Edward MacDowell's orchestra suite "Ophelia" premieres
- Nov 5 British Open Men's Golf, Musselburgh Links: David Brown beats fellow Scot Willie Campbell by 2 strokes
- Nov 20 Sherlock Holmes's first story "A Study in Scarlet" is accepted by publisher Ward and Lock with payment of £25
- Nov 22 Victoria Street Cable Tram route begins in Melbourne, Australia
- Nov 30 First commercially successful AC electric power plant opens, Buffalo, NY
- Nov 30 The Folies Bergère stages its first revue
American Federation of Labor Forms
Dec 8 American Federation of Labor (AFL) formed by 26 craft unions Samuel Gompers elected AFL president
Admirals
Aviators
Gangsters
Generals
Industrialists
Suffragists