Sherlock Holmes Appears
Dec 1 Sherlock Holmes first appears in print in "Study in Scarlet" by Arthur Conan Doyle
- Dec 1 Sino-Portuguese treaty recognizes Portugal's control of Macao
- Dec 2 Amsterdam's Oscar Carrés Circus Theater opens
- Dec 2 French president Jules Grévy resigns
- Dec 2 International Baseball League disbands; teams in Syracuse, Toronto, Hamilton, and Buffalo form the International Association; those in Newark, Jersey City, Wilkes-Barre, and Scranton become the Central League
- Dec 5 Stanley's expedition reaches plateau at Lake Albert Congo
- Dec 10 Austria-Hungary, Italy and Great Britain sign Balkan military treaty
- Dec 17 Georges Feydeau's "Tailleur Pour Dames" premieres in Paris
- Dec 19 Jake Kilrain & Jem Smith fight 106 round bare knuckle draw
- Dec 28 John Layton Jarvis becomes first British race horse trainer to be knighted for services to racing
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