Late 1800s timeline: what happened from 1850 to 1899?
Evolution, electric light, the telephone and the motor car: the second half of the 19th century invented much of the modern world.
236 events, oldest first.
Timeline of The late 1800s
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1850
Britain's Public Libraries Act is passed
It allowed towns to set up free public libraries.
Politics & society history
-
1850
The Taiping Rebellion begins in China
Its leader claimed to be the younger brother of Jesus.
Modern history
-
1851
Isaac Singer patents his sewing machine
Singer's company pioneered selling machines on instalment plans.
Science & technology history
-
1851
Louis-Napoleon seizes power in France
Napoleon's nephew made himself Emperor Napoleon III a year later.
Politics & society history
-
1851
Moby-Dick is published
It sold poorly, and Herman Melville died with it largely forgotten.
Art & literature history
-
1851
The Australian gold rush begins
Australia's population nearly tripled within a decade.
Modern history
-
1851
The first America's Cup race
The schooner America beat 15 British yachts in a race around the Isle of Wight.
History of sport
-
1851
The Great Exhibition opens in London
Visitors paid a penny to use George Jennings' flushing public toilets.
Modern history
-
1852
Britain's first pillar box is installed
Novelist Anthony Trollope, then a Post Office official, championed them.
Modern history
-
1852
Augustus Dowd stumbles on California's giant sequoias
A felled giant's stump was later used as a dance floor.
Natural history & deep time
-
1852
Roget's Thesaurus is published
Peter Mark Roget began it as a private list of words for his own use.
Art & literature history
-
1852
Uncle Tom's Cabin is published
It was the best-selling novel of the 19th century.
Art & literature history
-
1853
Commodore Perry arrives in Japan
His 'black ships' forced Japan to end more than two centuries of isolation.
Modern history
-
1853
Richard Burton enters Mecca in disguise
He travelled disguised as a Muslim pilgrim.
History of exploration
-
1853
The Crimean War begins
It was one of the first wars covered by newspaper correspondents and photographers.
Modern history
-
1854
Florence Nightingale arrives in Crimea
Soldiers called her 'The Lady with the Lamp' for her night rounds of the wards.
Modern history
-
1854
John Snow traces cholera to a water pump
He had the handle of the Broad Street pump removed.
Science & technology history
-
1854
Louis Vuitton founds his luggage company
He made his name with flat-topped trunks that could be stacked, unlike rounded ones.
Food & brand history
-
1854
Miners rebel at the Eureka Stockade
The short battle is often seen as the birth of Australian democracy.
Modern history
-
1854
The Charge of the Light Brigade
Tennyson's poem about the disastrous cavalry charge was published within weeks.
Modern history
-
1854
The Crystal Palace dinosaur sculptures are unveiled
A dinner party was held inside the mould of the Iguanodon.
Natural history & deep time
-
1855
Bordeaux wines are officially ranked
The ranking was made for Napoleon III's Paris Exposition and has changed only once since.
Food & brand history
-
1855
Livingstone reaches Victoria Falls
Locally the falls are called 'the smoke that thunders'.
History of exploration
-
1855
Walt Whitman publishes Leaves of Grass
He paid to print the first edition himself.
Art & literature history
-
1856
The Victoria Cross is created
The medals are said to be cast from Russian guns captured in the Crimea.
Politics & society history
-
1857
Commercial toilet paper goes on sale
Joseph Gayetty's "medicated paper" was the first commercially packaged toilet paper in the US.
Food & brand history
-
1857
Madame Bovary is published
Flaubert was put on trial for obscenity because of it, and acquitted.
Art & literature history
-
1857
The Dred Scott decision
The Supreme Court ruled that Black Americans could not be US citizens.
Politics & society history
-
1857
The Indian Rebellion breaks out
Afterwards, the British Crown took control of India from the East India Company.
Modern history
-
1858
Brunel's Great Eastern is launched
It was so big it took three months to get it into the water.
Modern history
-
1858
Gray's Anatomy is first published
Henry Gray died of smallpox just three years later, aged 34.
Science & technology history
-
1858
Speke reaches Lake Victoria
He correctly guessed it was the source of the Nile, though few believed him at first.
History of exploration
-
1858
The can opener is patented
Ezra Warner's patent came nearly half a century after the tin can itself.
Food & brand history
-
1858
The first transatlantic telegraph message
Queen Victoria's 98-word greeting to President Buchanan took about 16 hours to send.
Science & technology history
-
1858
The Great Stink hits London
The stench from the Thames finally pushed Parliament to fund a modern sewer system.
Modern history
-
1858
The Lincoln-Douglas debates
Lincoln lost the Senate race but became famous nationwide.
Politics & society history
-
1858
Wallace sends Darwin his theory of evolution
It pushed Darwin to finally publish his own ideas.
Science & technology history
-
1859
Big Ben's great bell first rings
The bell cracked within months and has rung with a slightly different tone ever since.
Modern history
-
1859
Blondin crosses Niagara Falls on a tightrope
On later crossings he went blindfolded and even stopped to cook an omelette.
History of exploration
-
1859
Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species
Booksellers took up the whole first printing of 1,250 copies on the day it came out.
Science & technology history
-
1859
Thomas Austin releases wild rabbits in Australia
He released 24 rabbits for hunting; their descendants numbered in the hundreds of millions.
Natural history & deep time
-
1859
The Battle of Solferino
The suffering Henri Dunant saw there inspired him to found the Red Cross.
Modern history
-
1859
The Carrington solar storm
Telegraph wires sparked, and auroras were seen as far south as the Caribbean.
Natural history & deep time
-
1860
Abraham Lincoln is elected president
He was not even on the ballot in ten southern states.
Politics & society history
-
1860
Garibaldi's Expedition of the Thousand
His red-shirted volunteers conquered Sicily and Naples for a united Italy.
Modern history
-
1860
The first Open Championship in golf
It was played over three rounds of Prestwick's 12-hole course in a single day.
History of sport
-
1860
The oldest known recording of a voice is made
A phonautograph caught someone singing 'Au clair de la lune' 17 years before Edison's phonograph.
Science & technology history
-
1860
The Pony Express begins
Riders carried mail about 3,000 km in ten days, but the service lasted only 18 months.
Modern history
-
1861
Burke and Wills cross Australia
They reached the north coast but died on the return journey.
History of exploration
-
1861
Italy is unified
Only a small minority of Italians spoke standard Italian at the time.
Modern history
-
1861
Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
Isabella Beeton was only 25 when it was published.
Food & brand history
-
1861
Russia frees its serfs
Tsar Alexander II's decree freed around 23 million people.
Politics & society history
-
1861
The American Civil War begins at Fort Sumter
Nobody was killed in the bombardment that started the war.
Modern history
-
1861
The first Melbourne Cup
Australians call it 'the race that stops a nation'.
History of sport
-
1862
Bacardi is founded in Cuba
Its bat logo came from fruit bats living in the rafters of the first distillery.
Food & brand history
-
1862
Les Misérables is published
Victor Hugo reportedly telegraphed '?' to ask how it was selling, and his publisher replied '!'.
Art & literature history
-
1862
The Homestead Act is signed
It offered 160 acres of free land to settlers who farmed it for five years.
Politics & society history
-
1863
Lincoln gives the Gettysburg Address
It is just 272 words long and took about two minutes to deliver.
Politics & society history
-
1863
Manet's paintings shock the Salon des Refusés
The exhibition showed works rejected by the official Paris Salon.
Art & literature history
-
1863
Pierre de Coubertin is born
He revived the Olympics partly to improve French physical education.
History of sport
-
1863
The Battle of Gettysburg
It was the largest battle ever fought in North America.
Modern history
-
1863
The Football Association writes its first rules
The original FA laws still allowed players to catch the ball.
History of sport
-
1863
The London Underground opens
The world's first underground railway opened while Lincoln was president, using steam locomotives.
Science & technology history
-
1863
The Red Cross is founded
Its founder, Henri Dunant, shared the first Nobel Peace Prize.
Politics & society history
-
1863
The Winged Victory of Samothrace is found
Her head and arms have never been found.
Art & literature history
-
1864
Clifton Suspension Bridge opens in Bristol
Brunel designed it but died five years before it was finished.
Modern history
-
1864
Heineken is founded
Gerard Heineken bought a brewery called De Hooiberg, 'The Haystack'.
Food & brand history
-
1864
Lincoln signs the Yosemite Grant
He protected Yosemite Valley in the middle of the Civil War.
Natural history & deep time
-
1864
The first Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Cricket's 'bible' has been published every year since.
History of sport
-
1865
Abraham Lincoln is assassinated
He died 11 years before the telephone was patented, relying instead on the telegraph.
Politics & society history
-
1865
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is published
Lewis Carroll was an Oxford maths lecturer, and Alice was based on a real girl, Alice Liddell.
Art & literature history
-
1865
Britain's 'Red Flag Act' is passed
Someone had to walk 60 yards ahead of steam road vehicles, carrying a red flag.
Modern history
-
1865
James Clerk Maxwell unifies electricity and magnetism
His equations showed that light is an electromagnetic wave.
Science & technology history
-
1865
Lee surrenders at Appomattox
The surrender was signed in the parlour of a private house.
Modern history
-
1865
Mount Everest gets its English name
It was named after surveyor George Everest, who objected to the honour.
History of exploration
-
1865
Nokia is founded as a paper mill
Before mobile phones, Nokia made paper, rubber boots and cables.
Food & brand history
-
1865
The Matterhorn is first climbed
Edward Whymper's team narrowly beat an Italian party climbing from the other side.
History of exploration
-
1865
The Thirteenth Amendment abolishes US slavery
Mississippi only formally completed its ratification in 2013.
Politics & society history
-
1866
Crime and Punishment is published
Dostoevsky wrote it partly to pay off gambling debts.
Art & literature history
-
1866
Gregor Mendel publishes his pea experiments
His work on heredity was ignored for 34 years before being rediscovered.
Science & technology history
-
1866
Nestlé is founded
Henri Nestlé's first big success was a baby food made from milk and cereal.
Food & brand history
-
1867
Canada becomes a self-governing dominion
Its first prime minister, John A. Macdonald, was born in Glasgow.
Modern history
-
1867
Cattle drives on the Chisholm Trail begin
Millions of cattle were driven from Texas to Kansas railheads along it.
Modern history
-
1867
Japan's last shogun resigns
Tokugawa Yoshinobu lived until 1913, taking up photography and cycling.
Modern history
-
1867
Joseph Lister introduces antiseptic surgery
He used carbolic acid, and Listerine mouthwash was later named after him.
Science & technology history
-
1867
The Queensberry Rules of boxing are published
They introduced three-minute rounds and compulsory gloves.
History of sport
-
1867
The US buys Alaska from Russia
Critics mocked it as 'Seward's Folly'; it cost about 2 cents an acre.
Modern history
-
1868
Helium is discovered in the Sun
It was detected in sunlight 27 years before it was found on Earth.
Science & technology history
-
1868
Little Women is published
Louisa May Alcott based it on her own family.
Art & literature history
-
1868
Tabasco sauce is created
Edmund McIlhenny first bottled it in used cologne bottles.
Food & brand history
-
1868
The first dinosaur skeleton is mounted
Hadrosaurus went on display in Philadelphia, causing a sensation.
Natural history & deep time
-
1868
The first traffic light is installed in London
The gas-lit signal outside Parliament predated the motor car, and it exploded a few weeks later.
Science & technology history
-
1868
The Meiji Restoration begins in Japan
Japan's capital moved from Kyoto to Edo, which was renamed Tokyo.
Modern history
-
1868
The QWERTY typewriter is patented
The QWERTY layout was designed partly to stop the typebars jamming.
Science & technology history
-
1869
John Wesley Powell rafts through the Grand Canyon
Powell led the expedition despite having lost an arm in the Civil War.
Natural history & deep time
-
1869
Mendeleev publishes his periodic table
He left gaps for undiscovered elements and correctly predicted their properties.
Science & technology history
-
1869
Sainsbury's opens its first shop
It began as a dairy shop on Drury Lane in London.
Food & brand history
-
1869
The first professional baseball team takes the field
The Cincinnati Red Stockings went unbeaten in their first season.
History of sport
-
1869
The giant panda becomes known to Western science
French missionary Armand David sent a panda skin back to Paris.
Natural history & deep time
-
1869
The Suez Canal opens
Ships could finally sail between Europe and Asia without going all the way around Africa.
Science & technology history
-
1869
The US transcontinental railroad is completed
A ceremonial golden spike was driven at Promontory Summit, Utah.
Modern history
-
1869
War and Peace is completed
Tolstoy's wife Sophia copied out his drafts by hand several times.
Art & literature history
-
1869
Wyoming gives women the vote
It was the first US territory to grant women the right to vote.
Politics & society history
-
1870
Britain makes elementary schooling available to all
The Education Act set up school boards across England and Wales.
Politics & society history
-
1870
Charles Dickens dies
He was halfway through The Mystery of Edwin Drood, so its ending will never be known.
Art & literature history
-
1870
Old Faithful is named
The geyser erupts roughly every hour or two.
Natural history & deep time
-
1871
Germany is unified
The German Empire was proclaimed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.
Modern history
-
1871
Stanley finds Livingstone
Whether he really said 'Dr Livingstone, I presume?' is doubted - the diary page is missing.
History of exploration
-
1871
The first cat show is held in London
It was held at the Crystal Palace.
Pop culture history
-
1871
The first rugby international
Scotland beat England in Edinburgh.
History of sport
-
1871
The Great Chicago Fire
The story blaming Mrs O'Leary's cow was later admitted to be made up by a reporter.
Modern history
-
1871
The Paris Commune takes over Paris
The revolutionary government lasted about two months.
Modern history
-
1871
The Royal Albert Hall opens
It was named after Prince Albert, who had died a decade earlier.
Art & literature history
-
1871
The Rugby Football Union is founded
It was founded by 21 clubs at the Pall Mall Restaurant near Trafalgar Square.
History of sport
-
1871
Whistler paints 'Whistler's Mother'
Its real title is Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1.
Art & literature history
-
1872
Japan's first railway opens
British engineers helped build the line between Tokyo and Yokohama.
Science & technology history
-
1872
The first FA Cup final
The Wanderers beat the Royal Engineers 1-0 at Kennington Oval.
History of sport
-
1872
The first international football match
Scotland and England drew 0-0 in Glasgow.
History of sport
-
1872
Yellowstone becomes the first national park
It was created before Wyoming, Montana or Idaho had even become states.
Natural history & deep time
-
1873
Levi Strauss patents riveted work jeans
Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis used copper rivets to stop miners' trouser pockets from tearing.
Food & brand history
-
1874
Barbed wire is patented
Joseph Glidden's design helped fence off the open range of the American West.
Science & technology history
-
1874
The first Impressionist exhibition
A critic mocked Monet's 'Impression, Sunrise', and the insult gave the movement its name.
Art & literature history
-
1875
Matthew Webb swims the English Channel
Smeared in porpoise oil, he took nearly 22 hours.
History of exploration
-
1875
Snooker is invented by British officers in India
Army officer Neville Chamberlain is credited with devising it.
History of sport
-
1875
The first Kentucky Derby
It has been run every year since, even through both World Wars.
History of sport
-
1875
The Paris Opera's Palais Garnier opens
The water tank beneath it inspired the underground lake in The Phantom of the Opera.
Art & literature history
-
1876
Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone
Bell's lawyer filed his patent on the same day as a rival claim by Elisha Gray.
Science & technology history
-
1876
Budweiser is launched
It was named after the Czech town of Budweis.
Food & brand history
-
1876
Custer's Last Stand
Lakota and Cheyenne warriors defeated Custer's cavalry at Little Bighorn.
Modern history
-
1876
Grey squirrels are released in Britain
They have since pushed out red squirrels across most of England.
Natural history & deep time
-
1876
Heinz launches its tomato ketchup
Heinz's first product was horseradish sauce, sold in clear glass to show off its purity.
Food & brand history
-
1876
Japan bans samurai from carrying swords
The Haitōrei edict came the same year Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone.
Politics & society history
-
1876
Melvil Dewey publishes his library classification
Dewey was so keen on simplified spelling that he shortened his own first name.
Art & literature history
-
1877
Edison demonstrates his phonograph
The first words he recorded were 'Mary had a little lamb'.
Science & technology history
-
1877
Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake premieres
The premiere was poorly received; it became a classic only after a later revival.
Art & literature history
-
1877
The first Test cricket match
Australia won, and won again by the same margin at the centenary Test in 1977.
History of sport
-
1877
The first Wimbledon Championships
About 200 spectators paid a shilling each to watch Spencer Gore win the first final.
History of sport
-
1878
Cleopatra's Needle arrives in London
The obelisk was already about 1,400 years old when Cleopatra was born.
Art & literature history
-
1878
Muybridge photographs a galloping horse
His photos proved a galloping horse has all four hooves off the ground at once.
Science & technology history
-
1879
Edison tests a long-lasting light bulb
His later carbonised bamboo filaments could burn for over 1,200 hours.
Science & technology history
-
1879
Rodolphe Lindt invents conching
He reputedly left his machine running over a weekend, creating smooth melting chocolate.
Food & brand history
-
1879
The Zulu defeat the British at Isandlwana
It was one of the worst defeats ever suffered by a British army against a local force.
Modern history
-
1879
Thomas Burberry invents gabardine
Roald Amundsen wore Burberry gabardine on his trek to the South Pole.
Food & brand history
-
1879
Woolworth's first 'five-cent store' opens
Frank Woolworth's idea was to sell everything at a fixed low price.
Food & brand history
-
1880
Cologne Cathedral is completed
Work began in 1248, so the cathedral took over six centuries to finish.
Science & technology history
-
1881
Cleopatra's Needle is erected in Central Park
It is the twin of the obelisk on London's Embankment.
Art & literature history
-
1881
Pat Garrett shoots Billy the Kid
Billy was only about 21, and became a legend almost immediately.
Modern history
-
1881
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The famous shootout in Tombstone, Arizona, lasted about 30 seconds.
Modern history
-
1881
The Natural History Museum opens in London
Its building is covered in terracotta carvings of animals and plants.
Art & literature history
-
1882
Construction of the Sagrada Família begins
Gaudí worked on it for over 40 years, and it is still being finished today.
Science & technology history
-
1882
Edison's Pearl Street power station opens
On its first day it lit about 400 lamps for around 80 customers in Manhattan.
Science & technology history
-
1882
Jumbo the elephant is sold to P. T. Barnum
His name gave us the word 'jumbo' for anything huge.
Natural history & deep time
-
1882
The Ashes cricket rivalry gets its name
A mock obituary said English cricket would be cremated and 'the ashes taken to Australia'.
History of sport
-
1882
The Chinese Exclusion Act is passed
It was the first US law to ban immigration by a specific nationality.
Politics & society history
-
1883
Bismarck introduces state health insurance
Germany's scheme became a model for welfare states worldwide.
Politics & society history
-
1883
Krakatoa erupts
The explosion was heard nearly 4,800 km away on the island of Rodrigues.
Natural history & deep time
-
1883
The Brooklyn Bridge opens
P. T. Barnum later led 21 elephants across it to prove it was safe.
Science & technology history
-
1883
The first Home Nations rugby championship
It eventually grew into today's Six Nations.
History of sport
-
1883
The first Yellow Pages directory is printed
It was printed on yellow paper because the printer ran out of white.
Food & brand history
-
1883
The last quagga dies
The last quagga, a half-striped zebra, died in Amsterdam Zoo.
Natural history & deep time
-
1883
Treasure Island is published
Robert Louis Stevenson began it with a map drawn for his stepson.
Art & literature history
-
1884
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published
Hemingway said all modern American literature comes from it.
Art & literature history
-
1884
Marks & Spencer begins as a market stall
Michael Marks's Leeds stall had a sign: 'Don't ask the price, it's a penny'.
Food & brand history
-
1884
The Berlin Conference carves up Africa
Not a single African was present at the talks.
Politics & society history
-
1884
The first women's Wimbledon championship
Maud Watson beat her own sister Lilian in the final.
History of sport
-
1884
The Gaelic Athletic Association is founded
It was founded in the billiard room of a hotel in Thurles.
History of sport
-
1884
The oldest known photo of a tornado is taken
It was taken in Dakota Territory, near the town of Howard.
Natural history & deep time
-
1884
The Washington Monument is completed
Its stone changes colour partway up, where building paused for over 20 years.
Art & literature history
-
1885
Dr Pepper is first served
It was first served in Waco, Texas - a year before Coca-Cola appeared.
Food & brand history
-
1885
Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado premieres
It was set in Japan at a time when Japanese art was all the rage in London.
Art & literature history
-
1885
Pasteur first uses his rabies vaccine
His patient, nine-year-old Joseph Meister, survived and later worked at the Pasteur Institute.
Science & technology history
-
1886
A new process makes aluminium cheap
Napoleon III had served his most honoured guests on aluminium plates, then worth more than gold.
Science & technology history
-
1886
Coca-Cola is invented
Pharmacist John Pemberton first sold it in Atlanta as a medicinal tonic.
Food & brand history
-
1886
Geronimo surrenders
He later rode in Theodore Roosevelt's inaugural parade.
Politics & society history
-
1886
Josephine Cochrane patents the dishwasher
She was a wealthy socialite fed up with servants chipping her china.
Science & technology history
-
1886
Karl Benz patents the motor car
Two years later, Bertha Benz secretly drove it 106 km to her mother's house to prove it worked.
Science & technology history
-
1886
The Statue of Liberty is dedicated
Its copper skin was originally brown; it turned green over about 30 years.
Art & literature history
-
1887
Buffalo Bill performs for Queen Victoria
His Wild West show played to royal guests at her Golden Jubilee celebrations.
Pop culture history
-
1887
Émile Berliner invents the gramophone record
His flat discs were far easier to mass-produce than Edison's cylinders.
Science & technology history
-
1887
Esperanto is published
Ludwik Zamenhof hoped a shared language would reduce conflict between peoples.
Art & literature history
-
1887
Heinrich Hertz detects radio waves
Asked what use they had, Hertz reportedly said, 'Nothing, I guess.'
Science & technology history
-
1887
Sherlock Holmes first appears in print
Arthur Conan Doyle was a doctor, and was paid just £25 for A Study in Scarlet.
Art & literature history
-
1888
Brazil abolishes slavery
It was the last country in the Americas to do so.
Politics & society history
-
1888
Fridtjof Nansen crosses Greenland
He went from east to west so there would be no turning back.
History of exploration
-
1888
The first English Football League season
Preston North End won it without losing a single game.
History of sport
-
1888
The Jack the Ripper murders
The killer was never identified, and the case is still debated today.
Modern history
-
1888
The Kodak camera goes on sale
Its slogan was 'You press the button, we do the rest'.
Science & technology history
-
1888
The oldest surviving film is shot
Louis Le Prince's Roundhay Garden Scene lasts about two seconds.
Science & technology history
-
1889
Charlie Chaplin is born
He was born in London four days before Adolf Hitler, whom he later mocked in The Great Dictator.
Pop culture history
-
1889
Kilimanjaro is first climbed
Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller reached the summit on Meyer's third attempt.
History of exploration
-
1889
Nintendo is founded
It started out making hanafuda, handmade Japanese playing cards, in Kyoto.
Food & brand history
-
1889
The Eiffel Tower is completed
It was built for the 1889 World's Fair and was meant to stand for only 20 years.
Science & technology history
-
1889
Van Gogh paints The Starry Night
He painted it from memory during the day, at an asylum in Saint-Rémy.
Art & literature history
-
1890
Florence Nightingale's voice is recorded
Her short wax-cylinder message can still be heard today.
Science & technology history
-
1890
Japan holds its first general election
Only about 1% of the population was allowed to vote.
Politics & society history
-
1890
Lipton tea goes on sale
Thomas Lipton bought his own tea plantations in Ceylon.
Food & brand history
-
1890
Nellie Bly completes her round-the-world race
She did it in 72 days, beating the fictional Phileas Fogg's 80.
History of exploration
-
1890
Starlings are released in Central Park
About 100 birds released in New York became a population of many millions.
Natural history & deep time
-
1890
The Forth Bridge opens
Repainting it seemed so endless that it became a byword for a never-ending task.
Science & technology history
-
1890
The Picture of Dorian Gray is published
It was later used as evidence against Oscar Wilde in court.
Art & literature history
-
1891
Basketball is invented
James Naismith's first game used peach baskets, so the ball had to be fetched out by hand.
History of sport
-
1891
Carnegie Hall opens in New York
Tchaikovsky conducted at the opening concerts.
Art & literature history
-
1892
James Dewar invents the vacuum flask
He invented it for keeping chemicals cold in the lab, not tea hot.
Science & technology history
-
1892
Keir Hardie becomes Britain's first Labour MP
He shocked MPs by arriving in a tweed suit and cap instead of a top hat.
Politics & society history
-
1892
Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker premieres
The premiere was not a success; it became a Christmas favourite decades later.
Art & literature history
-
1893
Edvard Munch paints The Scream
There are several versions; a pastel one sold for nearly $120 million.
Art & literature history
-
1893
Nansen's ship Fram sets off to drift across the Arctic
The ship was designed to be squeezed up by the ice rather than crushed.
History of exploration
-
1893
New Zealand gives women the vote
It became the first self-governing country where women could vote in national elections.
Politics & society history
-
1893
The first Ferris wheel turns in Chicago
It was built to rival the Eiffel Tower at the World's Columbian Exposition.
Science & technology history
-
1893
The Stanley Cup is first awarded
Lord Stanley paid ten guineas for it, and never saw a final himself.
History of sport
-
1893
Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum is launched
William Wrigley started out giving gum away free with baking powder.
Food & brand history
-
1894
The Dreyfus affair begins
Émile Zola's open letter 'J'accuse...!' took up the wrongly convicted officer's cause.
Modern history
-
1894
The International Olympic Committee is founded
It was set up at a congress in Paris organised by Pierre de Coubertin.
History of sport
-
1894
The Jungle Book is published
Rudyard Kipling wrote it while living in Vermont.
Art & literature history
-
1894
Tower Bridge opens
It is often mistaken for London Bridge, which is the next bridge upstream.
Science & technology history
-
1895
The Lumière brothers' first public film show
Their programme of ten short films lasted about 20 minutes.
Pop culture history
-
1895
W. G. Grace scores his 100th first-class century
He was 46 at the time and went on playing for another decade.
History of sport
-
1895
X-rays are discovered
Wilhelm Röntgen's first X-ray image showed his wife's hand, wedding ring and all.
Science & technology history
-
1896
Ethiopia defeats Italy at the Battle of Adwa
The victory kept Ethiopia independent during the Scramble for Africa.
Politics & society history
-
1896
Gold is found in the Klondike
Prospectors had to haul about a tonne of supplies over the mountains.
Modern history
-
1896
Marconi patents his radio system
Italian officials showed little interest, so he patented it in Britain.
Science & technology history
-
1896
The first modern Olympic Games
The first modern Games were held in Athens, with athletes from 14 nations.
History of sport
-
1896
The first speeding fine is issued
Walter Arnold was caught doing 8 mph in a 2 mph zone - by a policeman on a bicycle.
Modern history
-
1896
The shortest war in history
The Anglo-Zanzibar War lasted about 38 minutes.
Modern history
-
1897
A dentist co-invents the cotton candy machine
Dentist William Morrison and confectioner John Wharton sold it as 'Fairy Floss'.
Food & brand history
-
1897
Aconcagua is first climbed
It is the highest mountain outside Asia.
History of exploration
-
1897
Bram Stoker's Dracula is published
It came out the same year as the first Boston Marathon.
Art & literature history
-
1897
Campbell's condensed soup goes on sale
Removing most of the water made the cans smaller, lighter and cheaper to ship.
Food & brand history
-
1897
Jell-O is launched
Its inventor sold the rights for $450.
Food & brand history
-
1897
The first Boston Marathon
It is the world's oldest annual marathon.
History of sport
-
1898
Joshua Slocum completes the first solo circumnavigation
He sailed a rebuilt oyster boat called Spray.
History of exploration
-
1898
London's first escalator opens at Harrods
Nervous customers were offered brandy or smelling salts at the top.
Science & technology history
-
1898
Marie and Pierre Curie discover radium
Marie Curie's notebooks are still so radioactive they are kept in lead-lined boxes.
Science & technology history
-
1898
Pepsi-Cola gets its name
Pharmacist Caleb Bradham first sold it as 'Brad's Drink'.
Food & brand history
-
1898
The Spanish-American War
It lasted less than four months, and Spain lost Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.
Modern history
-
1899
The Second Boer War begins
Arthur Conan Doyle served as a volunteer doctor in the war.
Modern history
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