Explore the major historical events, famous births, and notable deaths that occurred in the year 1886. This year saw 65 significant events. 14 notable figures were born. 3 notable figures passed away.
Karl Benz patents the "Benz Patent-Motorwagen" in Karlsruhe, Germany, the world's first automobile with an internal combustion engine [1]
Inventor Thomas Edison (38) marries 2nd wife Mina Miller (20) in Akron, Ohio
The Home Rule movement (Irish: Rialtas Dúchais) was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Painter Paul Cézanne (47) weds Marie-Hortense Fiquet (36)
Socialism in the United States has encompassed various types of tendencies, including utopian socialists, anarchists, democratic socialists, social democrats, Marxist–Leninists, and Trotskyists.
U.S. President Grover Cleveland (49) weds Frances Folsom (21), 1st presidential marriage to be held at the White House
Education pioneer Booker T. Washington (30) weds Olivia Davidson (32) Athens, Ohio
The Statue of Liberty is dedicated by President Grover Cleveland and is celebrated with the first confetti (ticker tape) parade in New York City
26th US President Theodore Roosevelt (28) weds second wife Edith Kermit Carow (25) in London
Founder of Girl Scouts of the USA Juliette Gordon Low (26) weds William Mackay Low in Savannah, Georgia
Weekly Herald, 1st newspaper in Vancouver, BC, publishes 1st issue
Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England
Aurora Ski Club, 1st in US, founded in Minnesota
First British government of Salisbury resigns
2nd British Conservative government of Marquess of Salisbury forms in alliance with Liberal Unionist Party
Aluminum manufacturing process developed
Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore and Indonesia. It was founded in 1886 by Bishop William Fitzjames Oldham as an extension of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
1st US alternating current power plant starts, Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Carrollton Massacre (Mississippi) 20 African Americans killed
1st AC power plant in US begins commercial operation in Massachusetts
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia.
1st public Dutch electricity service begins
Malcolm Alexander MacLean (August 14, 1844 – April 4, 1895) was the first mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, serving from 1886 to 1887.
The Haymarket affair, also known as the Haymarket massacre, the Haymarket riot, the Haymarket Square riot, or the Haymarket Incident, was the aftermath of a bombing that took place at a labor...
The Bay View Tragedy occurs, as militia fires upon a crowd of protesters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin killing seven.
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8...
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
24 Christians burn to death in Namgongo, Uganda
First Home Rule Bill for Ireland defeated by 343 votes to 313 in the British House of Common
Eruption of Tarawera volcano destroys famous pink and white calcium carbonate hot-spring terraces (North Island, New Zealand)
Fire destroys nearly 1,000 buildings in Vancouver, British Columbia
The Linotype machine ( LYNE-ə-type) is a "line casting" machine used in printing which is manufactured and sold by the former Mergenthaler Linotype Company and related companies.
British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged...
Horlick's of Wisconsin offers 1st malted milk to public
George Goldie gets charter for Royal Niger Company
The Temple Street Cable Railway begins cable car service in Los Angeles, California
American civilian Steve Brodie allegedly survives a 135-foot plunge from the Brooklyn Bridge
British colonial rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the successive three Anglo-Burmese Wars through the creation of Burma as a province of British India to the establishment of an...
The Kermadec Islands ( KUR-mə-dek; Māori: Rangitāhua) are a subtropical island arc in the South Pacific Ocean 800–1,000 km (500–620 mi; 430–540 nmi) northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and a...
The Political Constitution of Colombia of 1991 (Spanish: Constitución Política de Colombia de 1991), is the Constitution of the Republic of Colombia.
American MLB pitcher Guy Hecker scores 7 runs in 1 game
Carr Baker Neel and Samuel Neel win the US Lawn Tennis Association doubles
The International Polo Cup, also called the Newport Cup and the Westchester Cup, is a trophy in polo that was created in 1886 and is played for by teams from the United States and England.
South Carolina ( KARR-ə-LY-nə) is a state in the Southeastern, South Atlantic and Deep South regions of the United States.
The Netherlands New Code of Criminal Law is enforced
The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is finalized
6th America's Cup: Mayflower (NY Yacht Club) beats Galatea (Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club, Scotland) for a 2-0 series victory
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper...
Dorothy is a comic opera in three acts with music by Alfred Cellier and a libretto by B. C. Stephenson.
US Mint at Carson City, Nevada, closes
Slavery in Cuba was a portion of the larger Atlantic slave trade that primarily supported Spanish plantation owners engaged in the sugarcane trade.
First dinner jacket (tuxedo) is worn to an autumn ball at Tuxedo Park in New York
Hurricane & sea surge kills 250 at Indianola Texas
The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World; French: La Liberté éclairant le monde) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture of a robed and crowned woman on Liberty Island in New York Harbor,...
Great Britain and Germany agree on boundaries in East Africa
Ananda College is a prestigious Buddhist school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is often known as "The Pinnacle of Buddhist education".
German patent granted to inventor Carl Benz for "vehicle with gas engine operation", the first automobile (No. DE37435C)
Friars of Tilburg arrives on Curacao
Edward MacDowell's orchestra suite "Ophelia" premieres
Sherlock Holmes's first story "A Study in Scarlet" is accepted by publisher Ward and Lock with payment of £25
Victoria Street cable tram line opens in Melbourne, Australia, connecting Richmond to the city center via Victoria Street and Collins Street
The Westinghouse Electric Corporation was an American manufacturing company founded in 1886 by George Westinghouse and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Rift at Dutch Reformed Church over "Doleantie"
1st national accountants' society in US formed (NYC)
American inventor Josephine Cochrane is granted a patent for the dishwasher [1]
Frank Lloyd, American film director, known for british film director, was born on 1886-02-02.
Jim Barnes is born
Alfonso XIII, French king of spain from 1886 to 1931, known for king of spain from 1886 to 1931, was born on 1886-05-17.
Al Jolson entertainer, known for american entertainer, was born on 1886-05-26. Al Jolson June 9, 1886 (N.S.) – October 23, 1950) was an American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian.
Nathaniel Niles is born
Inez Milholland, American suffragist, known for american suffragist, was born on 1886-08-06.
Tarsila do Amaral is born
Rube Marquard, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1886-10-09.
David Ben-Gurion is born
Karl Polanyi, Hungarian economist, philosopher and historian, known for economist, philosopher and historian, was born on 1886-10-25.
Victor McLaglen, American british-american actor and boxer, known for british-american actor and boxer, was born on 1886-12-10.
Ty Cobb, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1886-12-18.
Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman is born
Wallace Beery, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1886-04-01. Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor.
Emily Dickinson, American poet, known for american poet, died on 1886-05-15. Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet.
Leopold von Ranke, German historian, known for german historian, died on 1886-05-23.
Franz Liszt, Hungarian composer and pianist, known for hungarian composer and pianist, died on 1886-07-31.
Karl Benz patents the "Benz Patent-Motorwagen" in Karlsruhe, Germany, the world's first automobile with an internal combustion engine [1]
Inventor Thomas Edison (38) marries 2nd wife Mina Miller (20) in Akron, Ohio
The Home Rule movement (Irish: Rialtas Dúchais) was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Painter Paul Cézanne (47) weds Marie-Hortense Fiquet (36)
Socialism in the United States has encompassed various types of tendencies, including utopian socialists, anarchists, democratic socialists, social democrats, Marxist–Leninists, and Trotskyists.
U.S. President Grover Cleveland (49) weds Frances Folsom (21), 1st presidential marriage to be held at the White House
Education pioneer Booker T. Washington (30) weds Olivia Davidson (32) Athens, Ohio
The Statue of Liberty is dedicated by President Grover Cleveland and is celebrated with the first confetti (ticker tape) parade in New York City
26th US President Theodore Roosevelt (28) weds second wife Edith Kermit Carow (25) in London
Founder of Girl Scouts of the USA Juliette Gordon Low (26) weds William Mackay Low in Savannah, Georgia
Weekly Herald, 1st newspaper in Vancouver, BC, publishes 1st issue
Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England
Aurora Ski Club, 1st in US, founded in Minnesota
First British government of Salisbury resigns
2nd British Conservative government of Marquess of Salisbury forms in alliance with Liberal Unionist Party
Aluminum manufacturing process developed
Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore and Indonesia. It was founded in 1886 by Bishop William Fitzjames Oldham as an extension of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
1st US alternating current power plant starts, Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Carrollton Massacre (Mississippi) 20 African Americans killed
1st AC power plant in US begins commercial operation in Massachusetts
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia.
1st public Dutch electricity service begins
Malcolm Alexander MacLean (August 14, 1844 – April 4, 1895) was the first mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, serving from 1886 to 1887.
The Haymarket affair, also known as the Haymarket massacre, the Haymarket riot, the Haymarket Square riot, or the Haymarket Incident, was the aftermath of a bombing that took place at a labor...
The Bay View Tragedy occurs, as militia fires upon a crowd of protesters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin killing seven.
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8...
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
24 Christians burn to death in Namgongo, Uganda
First Home Rule Bill for Ireland defeated by 343 votes to 313 in the British House of Common
Eruption of Tarawera volcano destroys famous pink and white calcium carbonate hot-spring terraces (North Island, New Zealand)
Fire destroys nearly 1,000 buildings in Vancouver, British Columbia
The Linotype machine ( LYNE-ə-type) is a "line casting" machine used in printing which is manufactured and sold by the former Mergenthaler Linotype Company and related companies.
British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged...
Horlick's of Wisconsin offers 1st malted milk to public
George Goldie gets charter for Royal Niger Company
The Temple Street Cable Railway begins cable car service in Los Angeles, California
American civilian Steve Brodie allegedly survives a 135-foot plunge from the Brooklyn Bridge
British colonial rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the successive three Anglo-Burmese Wars through the creation of Burma as a province of British India to the establishment of an...
The Kermadec Islands ( KUR-mə-dek; Māori: Rangitāhua) are a subtropical island arc in the South Pacific Ocean 800–1,000 km (500–620 mi; 430–540 nmi) northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and a...
The Political Constitution of Colombia of 1991 (Spanish: Constitución Política de Colombia de 1991), is the Constitution of the Republic of Colombia.
American MLB pitcher Guy Hecker scores 7 runs in 1 game
Carr Baker Neel and Samuel Neel win the US Lawn Tennis Association doubles
The International Polo Cup, also called the Newport Cup and the Westchester Cup, is a trophy in polo that was created in 1886 and is played for by teams from the United States and England.
South Carolina ( KARR-ə-LY-nə) is a state in the Southeastern, South Atlantic and Deep South regions of the United States.
The Netherlands New Code of Criminal Law is enforced
The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is finalized
6th America's Cup: Mayflower (NY Yacht Club) beats Galatea (Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club, Scotland) for a 2-0 series victory
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper...
Dorothy is a comic opera in three acts with music by Alfred Cellier and a libretto by B. C. Stephenson.
US Mint at Carson City, Nevada, closes
Slavery in Cuba was a portion of the larger Atlantic slave trade that primarily supported Spanish plantation owners engaged in the sugarcane trade.
First dinner jacket (tuxedo) is worn to an autumn ball at Tuxedo Park in New York
Hurricane & sea surge kills 250 at Indianola Texas
The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World; French: La Liberté éclairant le monde) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture of a robed and crowned woman on Liberty Island in New York Harbor,...
Great Britain and Germany agree on boundaries in East Africa
Ananda College is a prestigious Buddhist school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is often known as "The Pinnacle of Buddhist education".
German patent granted to inventor Carl Benz for "vehicle with gas engine operation", the first automobile (No. DE37435C)
Friars of Tilburg arrives on Curacao
Edward MacDowell's orchestra suite "Ophelia" premieres
Sherlock Holmes's first story "A Study in Scarlet" is accepted by publisher Ward and Lock with payment of £25
Victoria Street cable tram line opens in Melbourne, Australia, connecting Richmond to the city center via Victoria Street and Collins Street
The Westinghouse Electric Corporation was an American manufacturing company founded in 1886 by George Westinghouse and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Rift at Dutch Reformed Church over "Doleantie"
1st national accountants' society in US formed (NYC)
American inventor Josephine Cochrane is granted a patent for the dishwasher [1]
Frank Lloyd, American film director, known for british film director, was born on 1886-02-02.
Jim Barnes is born
Alfonso XIII, French king of spain from 1886 to 1931, known for king of spain from 1886 to 1931, was born on 1886-05-17.
Al Jolson entertainer, known for american entertainer, was born on 1886-05-26. Al Jolson June 9, 1886 (N.S.) – October 23, 1950) was an American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian.
Nathaniel Niles is born
Inez Milholland, American suffragist, known for american suffragist, was born on 1886-08-06.
Tarsila do Amaral is born
Rube Marquard, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1886-10-09.
David Ben-Gurion is born
Karl Polanyi, Hungarian economist, philosopher and historian, known for economist, philosopher and historian, was born on 1886-10-25.
Victor McLaglen, American british-american actor and boxer, known for british-american actor and boxer, was born on 1886-12-10.
Ty Cobb, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1886-12-18.
Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman is born
Wallace Beery, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1886-04-01. Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor.
Emily Dickinson, American poet, known for american poet, died on 1886-05-15. Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet.
Leopold von Ranke, German historian, known for german historian, died on 1886-05-23.
Franz Liszt, Hungarian composer and pianist, known for hungarian composer and pianist, died on 1886-07-31.