Historical Events in 1896
Historical events from year 1896. Learn about 169 famous, scandalous and important events that happened in 1896 or search by date or keyword.
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On This Day
Discovery of X-rays

German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen announces his discovery of x-rays

Battle at Doornkop, South Africa (Boers beat Dr Jamesons troops)

Emperor Wilhelm congratulates President Kruger on the Jameson Raid

American Federation of Labor (AFL) charters Actors' National Protective Union, NYC

Jan 4 Following Mormon abandonment of sanctioned polygamy, Utah is admitted as 45th US state

"Die Presse" newspaper (Germany) publicly announces Wilhelm Röntgen's discovery of X-rays and their potential for new methods of medical diagnoses in a front-page article

Jan 5 Isaac Albéniz' opera "Pepita Jiminez" premieres in Barcelona

1st US women's 6-day bicycle race starts, Madison Square Garden

Cecil Rhodes Resigns

Cecil Rhodes resigns as premier of Cape colony

Fannie Farmer publishes her first cookbook "The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book"

1st X-ray photo in US (Dr Henry Smith, Davidson NC)

Henry Arthur Jones' "Michael & his Lost Angel" premieres in London

Defeat of Cymru Fydd at South Wales Liberal Federation AGM, Newport, Monmouthshire.

1st demonstration of an X-ray machine in US (NYC)

Jan 18 British troops occupy Kumasi, West Africa

Jan 18 First college basketball game with 5 players on each side is conducted by the University of Iowa; invites student athletes from University of Chicago for an experimental game; Chicago beats Iowa 15-12

Edward Macdowell's 2nd Suite in E premieres

Tasmania bowl out Victoria for 65 for their 1st ever innings victory

American Emile Grubbe is the first doctor to use radiation treatment for breast cancer

"La Boheme"

Giacomo Puccini's opera "La Boheme" premieres in Turin

Georges Feydeau's farce "Le Dindon" premieres in Paris

Feb 8 Western Conference forms to be first Western college football season, later renamed Big 10 Conference

Salome

Oscar Wilde's "Salome" premieres in Paris

Der Judenstaat

Austro-Hungarian Zionist Theodor Herzl publishes "Der Judenstaat" (The Jewish State), encouraging Jews to purchase land in Palestine

Sports History

George Lohmann takes a hat-trick for England v South Africa, 8-7 for inning - their lowest ever

Feb 14 Stanley Cup, Victoria Skating Rink, Montreal, Quebec: Winnipeg Victorias beat Montreal Victorias, 2-0

Feb 14 Theodor Hertzl's "Der Judenstaat" (The Jewish State) is published, proposing a Jewish homeland as a means of escaping anti-Semitism in Europe

The Yellow Kid

First US newspaper comic strip, Richard Felton Outcault's "The Yellow Kid," is published in William Randolph Hearst’s "New York Journal" [1]

Muzzling Order on the London County Council enforced

Cave of Winds at Niagara Falls goes almost dry for first time in 50 yrs

Tootsie Roll introduced by Leo Hirshfield

Italian government decides to attack governor Baratieri of Eritrea

France dismisses Queen Ranavalona III of Madagascar and exiles her to the island of Réunion

Battle of Adwa

Battle of Adwa: 80,000 Ethiopians destroy 20,000 Italians in Ethopia, killing two generals and capturing General Matteo Albertone

Radioactivity Discovered

Henri Becquerel discovers radioactivity

Best 9-wicket haul in cricket history; George Lohmann takes 9-28 as England beats South Africa by an innings and 197 runs in 2nd Test at Johannesburg

Italian governor of Eritrea, General Baldissera, reaches Massawa

Mar 5 Italian premier Francesco Crispi resigns

1st auto in Detroit, Charles B King rides his "Horseless Carriage"

The Grand Duke

W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's 14th and final comic opera together "The Grand Duke" premieres at the Savoy Theatre, London

Volunteers of America forms (NYC)

Bronx acquires O'Brien Square

1st movie in Netherlands (Kalverstr 220)

Sutro Baths in San Francisco opens by Cliff House (closed Sept 1, 1952)

Songs of a Wayfarer

Gustav Mahler conducts premiere of his "Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen" (Songs of a Wayfarer), leading the Berlin Philharmonic and Dutch baritone Anton Sistermans as soloist

Marines land in Nicaragua to protect US citizens

Mar 20 Uprising in Matabeleland

Charilaos Vasilakos of Greece wins 1st modern marathon in 3:18 at the Panhellenic Games

The Raines Law is passed by the New York State Legislature, restricting Sunday sale of alcohol to hotels

58th Grand National: Former owner David Campbell wins aboard 40/1 outsider The Soarer

Umberto Giordano's opera "Andrea Chenier" premieres at La Scala, Milan with Giuseppe Borgatti singing the title role; libretto by Luigi Illica

Announcement of the discovery of gold in the Yukon

First modern Summer Olympic Games open in Athens, Greece; American athlete James Connolly becomes first modern Olympic champion when he wins triple jump (then 2 hops and a jump); later 3rd in long jump, 2nd in high jump

American athlete Robert Garrett wins the throwing double at the Athens Olympics by taking out the shot putt (11.22m); wins the discus the previous day

First Olympic 1500m

Australian athlete Edwin Flack wins gold in the first Olympic 1500m final at inaugural modern Games in Athens; goes on to win 800m two days later

Australian athlete Edwin Flack claims the middle distance double at the Athens Olympics winning the 800m final in 2:11.0; his 2nd victory of the Games after success in the 1500m

Apr 9 Greek shooter Pantelis Karasevdas scores a perfect 40 hits to win the military rifle event at the Athens Olympics; Greek 1-2-3 with Pavlos Pavlidis and Nicolaos Trikupis taking out the minor placings

American athlete Thomas Burke claims the sprint double at the Athens Olympics winning the 100m final in 12.0s; his 2nd victory of the Games after success in the 400m

Apr 10 High jumper Ellery Clark leads an American sweep of the placings with a leap of 1.81m at the Athens Olympics; his 2nd victory of the Games after taking out the long jump

1st Olympic Marathon

Spyridon Louis of Greece wins inaugural Olympic marathon (2:58:50) in Athens; runs last lap accompanied by Constantine I

Hungarian swimmer Alfréd Hajós beats Otto Herschmann of Austria by 0.6s to win the inaugural Olympic 100m freestyle final in 1:22.2 at the Athens Games; also takes out the 1,200m on the same day

Apr 11 Irish tennis player John Boland, representing Great Britain wins both the men's singles and doubles finals at the Athens Olympics; Dionysios Kasdaglis of Greece loses both matches

Stamasia Portrisi is 1st woman to win a marathon (5:30 in Athens)

El Capitan

John Philip Sousa's "El Capitan" premieres at the Tremont Theatre in Boston

US Patent Office issues Patent No. 558,393 to Dr John Harvey Kellogg of Battle Creek, Michigan for "flaked cereal, and process of making same"

1st modern Summer Olympic Games close in Athens, Greece; USA wins gold medal count, 11; Greece wins total medal count, 46; IOC has retroactively assigned gold, silver & bronze medals to 3 best placed athletes in each event

John Philip Sousa's operetta "El Capitan" premieres on Broadway at Broadway Theatre, NYC

Vitascope system of movie projection 1st shown at Koster & Bial's Music Hall, New York City

Fight in Central Dance Hall starts fire at Cripple Creek, Colorado

Apr 25 Sidney Jones & Harry Greenbacks musical "The Geisha" premieres at Daly's Theatre, London; runs for 760 performances

PM Charles Tupper

Seven days after parliament was dissolved, Charles Tupper is sworn in as the 6th Prime Minister of Canada

1st edition of London Daily Mail (halfpenny)

May 4 Grease fire ignites half ton of dynamite at Cripple Creek, Colorado

22nd Kentucky Derby: Willie Simms aboard Ben Brush wins first Derby held at the current distance of 1.25 miles (2.0km)

May 6 Samuel Pierpont Langley flies his unpiloted Number 5 aircraft using a catapult launch from a boat on the Potomac River, USA. The aircraft travels almost 3/4 of a mile - ten times further than any previous heavier-than-air flying machine.

Bobby Peel scores 210 not out as Yorkshire is dismissed for 887 in drawn County Cricket match against Warwickshire in Birmingham

1st horseless carriage show in London (featured 10 models)

Lowest US temperature in May recorded (-10°F /-23°C at Climax, Colorado)

Tornado kills 78 in Texas

Khodynka Tragedy

Khodynka Tragedy: A stampeding crowd on Khodynka Field, Moscow, during the festivities for coronation of Russian Tsar Nicholas II, causes the deaths of an estimated 1,300 people

May 18 US Supreme court affirms legitimacy of racial separation (Plessy v Ferguson), a doctrine that came to be known as "separate but equal"

1st Automobile in Netherlands

1st automobile made by Karl Benz, arrives in Netherlands

The six ton chandelier of the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris falls on the crowd resulting in the death of one and the injury of many others

Dow Jones index begins with an average of 12 industrial stocks (closing is 40.94)

May 26 James Dunham murders six people in Campbell, California

May 26 Last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, crowned

May 26 Worst streetcar disaster in North American history when part of Port Ellice Bridge collapses killing 55 people at Victoria harbour, British Columbia [1]

Bay District Race Track in San Francisco closes

May 27 Tornado hit St Louis, killing 255, leaving thousands homeless

First car accident occurs; Henry Wells hits a cyclist in NYC

30th Belmont: Henry Griffin aboard Hastings wins in 2:24.5

Marconi's Wireless Patent

Italian engineer and inventor Guglielmo Marconi applies for the first ever patent for a system of wireless telegraphy in the United Kingdom

Beatty to Egypt

British naval officer David Beatty is seconded to the Egyptian government and appointed second in command of the river flotilla

Henry Ford's 1st Drive

Henry Ford takes his 1st Ford through streets of Detroit

Frank Samuelsen and George Harbo leave NY harbor to row across Atlantic; their 55 day record for rowing was not broken for 114 years

Jun 6 Preakness Stakes: Henry Griffin aboard the Byron McClelland trained Margrave wins in 1:51

First car thief; Baron de Zuylen’s Peugeot is stolen by his mechanic in Paris

US Assay Office in Deadwood South Dakota authorized

England cricket spin bowler Jack Hearne sets record for earliest date taking 100 first-class wickets in a season when he captures 9-73 for the MCC in an innings & 18 run drubbing of Australia at Lord's

36th British Men's Open

British Open Men's Golf, Muirfield: Harry Vardon of Jersey wins first of 6 Open titles by 4 strokes in a 36-hole playoff with defending champion J.H. Taylor

Tsunami strikes Shinto festival on beach at Sanriku, Japan; 27,000 are killed, 9,000 injured and 13,000 houses destroyed

Temperature hits 127°F at Fort Mojave, California

Polar Explorers' Arctic Meeting

Polar explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Frederick Jackson meet by chance in Franz Josef Land, the Arctic

US National Championship Women's Tennis, Philadelphia CC: Elisabeth Moore beats defending champion Juliette Atkinson 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2

Majors and Minors

Review of Paul Laurence Dunbar's second book, "Majors and Minors" by William Dean Howells in "Harper's Weekly" brings the poet to national attention

William S. Hadaway patents an electric stove in the US

Harbor of Ymuiden opens in the Netherlands

First French Speaking PM

Wilfrid Laurier sworn in as 1st French speaking Prime Minister of Canada

Charles Tupper resigns as Prime Minister of Canada after losing the June 23rd election, his 69-day term the shortest in Canadian history

Cross of Gold Speech

Orator William Jennings Bryan's "cross of gold" speech at Democratic convention in Chicago

Wilfrid Laurier sworn in as the 7th Prime Minister of Canada

Philadelphia outfielder Ed Delahanty becomes second major leaguer to hit 4 HRs in a game as Phillies lose 9-8 to Chicago Colts at the West Side Grounds, Chicago

Indian born K S Ranjitsinhji debuts for England v Australia in 2nd Test at Old Trafford; first Indian to play Test cricket

George Giffen is 1st to complete 1000/100 double, in 30th Test Cricket

Jul 18 Indian born K S Ranjitsinhji completes an unbeaten 154 on Test cricket debut for England in 2nd Test against Australia at Old Trafford

Jul 18 US Open Men's Golf, Shinnecock Hills: American-based Scot James Foulis wins by 3 strokes ahead of Englishman Horace Rawlins

Wimbledon Men's Championship

Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Harold Mahony beats 3-time champion Wilfred Baddeley 6-2, 6-8, 5-7, 8-6, 6-3

National Federation of Colored Women established in Washington, D.C.

Wimbledon Women's Championship

Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Defending champion Charlotte Cooper beats Alice Simpson Pickering 6-2, 6-3

Vitascope Hall, the first permanent for-profit movie theatre, opens in New Orleans

City of Miami incorporated

France annexes Madagascar

New Jersey fishermen George Harbo and Frank Samuelson are the first to row across the Atlantic arriving in Le Havre (left Manhattan June 6) [1]

Harvey Hubbell patents electric light bulb socket with a pull chain

Willem II soccer team forms in Tilburg

Gold first discovered in Klondike, found at Bonanza Creek in the Yukon, Canada by George Carmack

Adolph Ochs (39) buys NY Times

Dial telephone patented

First Cry of the Philippine Revolution is made in Pugad Lawin (Quezon City), in the province of Manila.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation assaults the Ottoman Bank in Constantinople to draw attention to the mass-pogroms and massacres of Armenians instigated by the Ottoman Sultan Abdul-Hamid II

National Men's Championship

US National Championship Men's Tennis, Newport R.I.: Robert Wrenn beats Fred Hovey 7-5, 3-6, 6-0, 1-6, 6-1 for his third US singles title

Britain defeats Zanzibar in a 38-minute war (9:02 AM-9:40 AM). Shortest recorded war in history.

Chop suey invented in NYC by chef of visiting Chinese Ambassador

Eight provinces in the Philippines are declared under martial law by the Spanish Governor General Ramon Blanco. Including provinces of Batangas, Rizal, Cavite and Nueva Ecija

Louis Napoleon Parker's play "Rosemary" premieres in NYC

A. H. Whiting wins the 1st automobile race held on a closed-circuit track in Cranston, Rhode Island

Stephen Crane Scandal

Stephen Crane is threatened with arrest after intervening when a woman he was interviewing, Dora Clark, is arrested on suspicion of prostitution

Beginning of the Bombay plague epidemic when Dr.Acacio Gabriel Viegas detects the first case in Mandvi. Goes on to spread and kill 12 million in India.

Kitchener Army Occupies Dongola

British General Kitchener's army occupies Dongola, Sudan

Victoria's Record Reign

Queen Victoria surpasses her grandfather King George III as the (then) longest reigning monarch in British history

William Gillette's dramatic play "Secret Service" premieres in NYC

Arrest of Jose Rizal

Filipino nationalist Jose Rizal is arrested en route to Cuba via Spain and imprisoned in Barcelona

First public screening of a motion picture in New Zealand

Anton Tsjechovs "Chayka" premieres in St Petersburg

Abyssinia & Italy sign peace treaty

1st Pali Road completed in Hawaii (winds so strong streams flow UP!)

Gaelic Symphony

Amy Beach's "Gaelic Symphony" debuts by the Boston Symphony Orchestra; the first major work by an American female composer receives "public and journalistic acclaim."

First bare-breasted women (Zulu) to appear in National Geographic Magazine

J H Hunter patents portable weighing scales

Nov 3 Martha Hughes Cannon of Utah elected 1st female state senator in the US

Jules Vandenpeereboom becomes Belgium's minister of War

Nov 11 Samuel Pierpont Langley's Number 6 'heavier-than-air' aircraft model flies over 1,500 m (5,000 ft).

Power plant at Niagara Falls begins operation

Nov 14 The Emancipation Run: 33 motorists parade from London to Brighton to celebrate England's Locomotives on Highways Act 1896, which increased automobile speed limit to 14 mph

1st US absentee voting law enacted by Vermont

1st large indoor football game, University of Chicago beats University of Michigan 7-6

Nov 26 Amos Alonzo Stagg of University of Chicago creates American football huddle

1st certified public accountants receive certificates (NY)

Die versunkene Glocke

Gerhart Hauptmann's play "Die versunkene Glocke" premieres in Berlin

D T Suzuki found the awakening at Engakuji temple, in Kamakura

Alfred Jarry's play "Ubu Roi" premieres in Paris

Chief Electrical Engineer of the British Post Office, William Preece, gives a public lecture in London called "Telegraphy without Wires", praising the work of 22-year-old Guglielmo Marconi

The Glasgow Underground Railway is opened by the Glasgow District Subway Company

"Stars & Stripes Forever" written by John Philip Sousa

Filipino nationalist José Rizal is executed by firing squad in Manila by the Spanish

Dec 30 Stanley Cup, Granite Rink, Winnipeg, Manitoba: Ernie McLea scores a hat-trick as Montreal Victorias beat Winnipeg Victorias, 6-5; first SC Challenge game played outside of Montreal