Explore the major historical events, famous births, and notable deaths that occurred in the year 1897. This year saw 83 significant events. 15 notable figures were born. 2 notable figures passed away.
Invasion of Benin City by British Expeditionary Force; the city is burned and looted, ending the Nigerian Kingdom of Benin formed in the 11th century
British boxer Bob Fitzsimmons KOs American champion 'Gentleman' Jim Corbett in the 14th round to win the World Heavyweight title in Carson City, Nevada
1st Boston Marathon (B.A.A. Road Race), won by John J. McDermott in 2:55:10; the world's oldest annual marathon inspired by success of the first marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics
Salomon August Andrée and crew leave Spitsbergen in northern Norway by balloon, heading for the North Pole
The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device, designed for films to be viewed by one person at a time through a peephole viewer window.
Confederate General James Longstreet (76) weds Helen Dortch (34) at the governor's mansion in Atlanta, Georgia
Michael Eagan wins 1st US national amateur handball championship
Henrik Ibsen's play "John Gabriel Borkman" premieres in Helsingfors
Vincent d'Indy's orchestral piece "Istar" premieres in Amsterdam and Brussels
Martha Maria "Mattie" Hughes Cannon (July 1, 1857 – July 10, 1932) was a Welsh-American politician, physician, Utah women's rights advocate, suffragist, and a polygamous wife.
Cerro Aconcagua mountain in Argentina, 6,960 m (22,834 ft), is first climbed by a European expedition led by British mountaineer Edward FitzGerald
Elva Zona Heaster is found dead in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Resulting murder trial of her husband perhaps only case in US history where the alleged testimony of a ghost helped secure a conviction.
Battle at Bida Gold Coast: British troops beat Nupe's army
British troops occupy Bida Gold Coast (Ghana)
1st auto insurance policy in US issued, by Travelers Insurance Company
First showing of a motion picture in Hawaii takes place at the Hawaii Opera House
NY Times begins using slogan "All the News That's Fit to Print"
White Rose Mission opens on East 97th Street, NYC
Inaugural meeting of the Women's Institute at Stoney Creek, Ontario, set at the suggestion of Adelaide Hoodless, the organization will rapidly spread around the world [1]
In the English language, the term negro is a term historically used to refer to people of Black African heritage.
Cleveland Indians fans start calling the team "Indians" (in 1915 becomes official)
A meteorite enters the earth's atmosphere and explodes over New Martinsville, West Virginia. The debris causes damage but no human injuries are reported.
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California, United States.
1st indoor fly casting tournament opens, at Madison Square Garden
1st US orthodox Jewish Rabbinical seminary (RIETS) incorporates in NY
A gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold.
The Greco-Turkish War of 1897 or the Ottoman-Greek War of 1897 (Turkish: 1897 Osmanlı-Yunan Savaşı or 1897 Türk-Yunan Savaşı), also called the Thirty Days' War and known in Greece as the Black '97 or...
NYC Jewish newspaper "Forward" begins publishing (still active)
First reporter is assigned to the White House, William Price from the "Washington Star"
Grant's Tomb (famed of song & legend) dedicated
Fire in Paris bazaar at Rue Jean Goujon kills 200
Washington Senator catcher Charlie Farrell throws out 8 attempted stealers
-1900 year old fossil of "girl of Yde" found in Drente, Netherlands
The Greco-Turkish War of 1897 or the Ottoman-Greek War of 1897, also called the Thirty Days' War and known in Greece as the Black '97 or the Unfortunate War, was a war fought between the Kingdom of...
Yerkes Observatory 40" (1m) refractor used for 1st time
Blackwall Tunnel officially opens beneath the River Thames in London
Possibly the most severe quake in history strikes Assam, India, Shock waves felt over an area size of Europe (low mortality rate given size of earthquake, 1,500 casualties).
Liberals/social-democrats win Dutch 2nd Parliamentary election
A treaty annexing the Republic of Hawaii to the United States is signed; the Republic would not be dissolved until a year later
US State Department appoints New Jersey educator William Frank Powell as Envoy to Haiti, and Chargé d’Affaires for Dominican Republic
William Henry Keeler (March 3, 1872 – January 1, 1923), nicknamed "Wee Willie" because of his small stature, was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1892 to 1910,...
Bombay plague commissioner Walter Charles Rand shot by Chapekar brothers as protest against his extreme measures to combat city's plague epidemic (dies July 3)
Hail injures 26 in Topeka, Kansas
Marquis C. de Bonchamps' expedition reaches Gore, Ethiopia
Chicago Colts establish MLB record for most runs scored in a game by one team as they maul Louisville Colonels, 36 - 7 at the West Side Grounds, Chicago
Bronx acquires Hutton Square
1st ship arrives in Seattle carrying gold from Yukon
Cap Anson is 1st to get 3,000 hits
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art.
37.5 cm of rainfall is recorded at Jewell, Maryland (state record)
14.75 inches (37.5 cm) of rainfall, Jewell, Maryland (state 24-hour record)
John McNally's musical "Good Mr Best" premieres in NYC
Henry Allen Rucker (November 14, 1852—May 11, 1924) was an African American entrepreneur and politician.
The Royal Automobile Club is a British private social and athletic club. It has two clubhouses: one in London at 89 Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, near Epsom in Surrey.
Anosimena is a municipality in Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Miandrivazo, which is a part of Menabe Region.
W. B. Purvis patents electric railway switch (also known as points)
The Bersey Electric Cab (also known as the London Electrical Cab) was an early electric-powered vehicle and the first electric hackney carriage (black cab) in London.
Oldsmobile (formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors) was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors.
Ambiky is a municipality in Madagascar. Administratively, it is part of the district of Belo sur Tsiribihina, in Menabe Region.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates rapid transit (heavy rail), light rail, and bus rapid transit services in the Boston metropolitan area, collectively referred to as the...
"McCal" magazine first published
George Davis (Giants) hits a home run off Sport McAllister (Spiders) in a doubleheader
The Lattimer massacre was the killing of at least 19 unarmed striking immigrant anthracite miners by a Luzerne County sheriff's posse at the Lattimer mine near Hazleton, Pennsylvania, United States,...
Battle of Saragarhi: Thousands of Orakzai and Afridi tribesmen overwhelm and kill at great cost to themselves 21 British Raj Sikh Soldiers led by Havildar Ishar Singh at Tirah, North-West Frontier Province, British India
Gustave Kecker and Hugh Martin's musical "Belle of New York City" premieres in New York City
NY Sun runs famous "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" editorial in response to a letter from eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon
Cheyenne Frontier Days is an outdoor rodeo and western celebration in the United States, held annually since 1897 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) was a historic railway which operated in southwestern British Columbia, Canada.
Aaron and Samuel Bloch carry the first mail pouch
The Yerkes Observatory is located Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States. It was operated by the University of Chicago Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics from its founding in 1897 until 2018.
Juventus Football Club, commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve, is an Italian professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the top tier of the Italian...
American inventor Andrew Jackson Beard invents the "jerry coupler" to connect railroad cars
Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union forms in Kingston
The Autonomy Charter of Puerto Rico was, alongside the Autonomy Charter of Cuba, the first Statute of Autonomy granted by Spain to a province, in particular to the Captaincy General of Puerto Rico.
First motorcycle race in Surrey, England, is won by Charles Jarrot
London becomes the world's first city to host licenced taxicabs
Marguerite Durand (24 January 1864 – 16 March 1936) was a French stage actress, journalist, and a leading suffragette. She founded her own newspaper, and ran for election.
Anti-Jewish violence breaks out in Bucharest, Romania
1st submarine with an internal combustion engine demonstrated
The Ottawa Capitals were the competing clubs of the Capital Amateur Athletic Association (CAAA) of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Cyrano is an opera in four acts composed by Walter Damrosch to an English language libretto by William James Henderson based on Edmond Rostand's 1897 play, Cyrano de Bergerac.
Province of Zululand annexed to Natal colony
Brooklyn is the most populous of the five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York.
Louis Buchalter, American mob boss, known for american mob boss, was born on 1897-02-06.
Max Newman, British mathematician, known for english mathematician, was born on 1897-02-07.
Marian Anderson, American musician, known for african-american contralto, was born on 1897-02-27. Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897 – April 8, 1993) was an American contralto.
Soong Mei-ling, Chinese wife of chiang kai-shek, known for wife of chiang kai-shek, was born on 1897-03-05.
Thornton Wilder, American playwright and novelist, known for american playwright and novelist, was born on 1897-04-17.
Eddie Eagan, American athlete, known for american olympic athlete, was born on 1897-04-26.
Frank Capra, American italian-born american film director, known for italian-born american film director, was born on 1897-05-18.
Paavo Nurmi, Finnish athlete, known for finnish middle and long distance runner, was born on 1897-06-13. Paavo Johannes Nurmi was a Finnish middle-distance and long-distance runner.
Legs Diamond, American gangster, known for american gangster, was born on 1897-07-10.
Enid Blyton, English children's writer, known for english children's writer, was born on 1897-08-11. Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer.
Fredric March, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1897-08-31. Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor,…
William Faulkner, American writer and novelist, known for american writer and novelist, was born on 1897-09-25. William Cuthbert Faulkner (September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer.
Dorothy Day, American catholic and social activist, known for american catholic and social activist, was born on 1897-11-08.
Fletcher Henderson, American musician, known for american jazz pianist and bandleader, was born on 1897-12-18.
Ludwig Erhard is born
Johannes Brahms, German composer and pianist, known for german composer and pianist, died on 1897-04-03.
Alphonse Daudet, French novelist, known for french novelist, died on 1897-12-16. Alphonse Daudet was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet..
Invasion of Benin City by British Expeditionary Force; the city is burned and looted, ending the Nigerian Kingdom of Benin formed in the 11th century
British boxer Bob Fitzsimmons KOs American champion 'Gentleman' Jim Corbett in the 14th round to win the World Heavyweight title in Carson City, Nevada
1st Boston Marathon (B.A.A. Road Race), won by John J. McDermott in 2:55:10; the world's oldest annual marathon inspired by success of the first marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics
Salomon August Andrée and crew leave Spitsbergen in northern Norway by balloon, heading for the North Pole
The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device, designed for films to be viewed by one person at a time through a peephole viewer window.
Confederate General James Longstreet (76) weds Helen Dortch (34) at the governor's mansion in Atlanta, Georgia
Michael Eagan wins 1st US national amateur handball championship
Henrik Ibsen's play "John Gabriel Borkman" premieres in Helsingfors
Vincent d'Indy's orchestral piece "Istar" premieres in Amsterdam and Brussels
Martha Maria "Mattie" Hughes Cannon (July 1, 1857 – July 10, 1932) was a Welsh-American politician, physician, Utah women's rights advocate, suffragist, and a polygamous wife.
Cerro Aconcagua mountain in Argentina, 6,960 m (22,834 ft), is first climbed by a European expedition led by British mountaineer Edward FitzGerald
Elva Zona Heaster is found dead in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Resulting murder trial of her husband perhaps only case in US history where the alleged testimony of a ghost helped secure a conviction.
Battle at Bida Gold Coast: British troops beat Nupe's army
British troops occupy Bida Gold Coast (Ghana)
1st auto insurance policy in US issued, by Travelers Insurance Company
First showing of a motion picture in Hawaii takes place at the Hawaii Opera House
NY Times begins using slogan "All the News That's Fit to Print"
White Rose Mission opens on East 97th Street, NYC
Inaugural meeting of the Women's Institute at Stoney Creek, Ontario, set at the suggestion of Adelaide Hoodless, the organization will rapidly spread around the world [1]
In the English language, the term negro is a term historically used to refer to people of Black African heritage.
Cleveland Indians fans start calling the team "Indians" (in 1915 becomes official)
A meteorite enters the earth's atmosphere and explodes over New Martinsville, West Virginia. The debris causes damage but no human injuries are reported.
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California, United States.
1st indoor fly casting tournament opens, at Madison Square Garden
1st US orthodox Jewish Rabbinical seminary (RIETS) incorporates in NY
A gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold.
The Greco-Turkish War of 1897 or the Ottoman-Greek War of 1897 (Turkish: 1897 Osmanlı-Yunan Savaşı or 1897 Türk-Yunan Savaşı), also called the Thirty Days' War and known in Greece as the Black '97 or...
NYC Jewish newspaper "Forward" begins publishing (still active)
First reporter is assigned to the White House, William Price from the "Washington Star"
Grant's Tomb (famed of song & legend) dedicated
Fire in Paris bazaar at Rue Jean Goujon kills 200
Washington Senator catcher Charlie Farrell throws out 8 attempted stealers
-1900 year old fossil of "girl of Yde" found in Drente, Netherlands
The Greco-Turkish War of 1897 or the Ottoman-Greek War of 1897, also called the Thirty Days' War and known in Greece as the Black '97 or the Unfortunate War, was a war fought between the Kingdom of...
Yerkes Observatory 40" (1m) refractor used for 1st time
Blackwall Tunnel officially opens beneath the River Thames in London
Possibly the most severe quake in history strikes Assam, India, Shock waves felt over an area size of Europe (low mortality rate given size of earthquake, 1,500 casualties).
Liberals/social-democrats win Dutch 2nd Parliamentary election
A treaty annexing the Republic of Hawaii to the United States is signed; the Republic would not be dissolved until a year later
US State Department appoints New Jersey educator William Frank Powell as Envoy to Haiti, and Chargé d’Affaires for Dominican Republic
William Henry Keeler (March 3, 1872 – January 1, 1923), nicknamed "Wee Willie" because of his small stature, was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1892 to 1910,...
Bombay plague commissioner Walter Charles Rand shot by Chapekar brothers as protest against his extreme measures to combat city's plague epidemic (dies July 3)
Hail injures 26 in Topeka, Kansas
Marquis C. de Bonchamps' expedition reaches Gore, Ethiopia
Chicago Colts establish MLB record for most runs scored in a game by one team as they maul Louisville Colonels, 36 - 7 at the West Side Grounds, Chicago
Bronx acquires Hutton Square
1st ship arrives in Seattle carrying gold from Yukon
Cap Anson is 1st to get 3,000 hits
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art.
37.5 cm of rainfall is recorded at Jewell, Maryland (state record)
14.75 inches (37.5 cm) of rainfall, Jewell, Maryland (state 24-hour record)
John McNally's musical "Good Mr Best" premieres in NYC
Henry Allen Rucker (November 14, 1852—May 11, 1924) was an African American entrepreneur and politician.
The Royal Automobile Club is a British private social and athletic club. It has two clubhouses: one in London at 89 Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, near Epsom in Surrey.
Anosimena is a municipality in Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Miandrivazo, which is a part of Menabe Region.
W. B. Purvis patents electric railway switch (also known as points)
The Bersey Electric Cab (also known as the London Electrical Cab) was an early electric-powered vehicle and the first electric hackney carriage (black cab) in London.
Oldsmobile (formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors) was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors.
Ambiky is a municipality in Madagascar. Administratively, it is part of the district of Belo sur Tsiribihina, in Menabe Region.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates rapid transit (heavy rail), light rail, and bus rapid transit services in the Boston metropolitan area, collectively referred to as the...
"McCal" magazine first published
George Davis (Giants) hits a home run off Sport McAllister (Spiders) in a doubleheader
The Lattimer massacre was the killing of at least 19 unarmed striking immigrant anthracite miners by a Luzerne County sheriff's posse at the Lattimer mine near Hazleton, Pennsylvania, United States,...
Battle of Saragarhi: Thousands of Orakzai and Afridi tribesmen overwhelm and kill at great cost to themselves 21 British Raj Sikh Soldiers led by Havildar Ishar Singh at Tirah, North-West Frontier Province, British India
Gustave Kecker and Hugh Martin's musical "Belle of New York City" premieres in New York City
NY Sun runs famous "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" editorial in response to a letter from eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon
Cheyenne Frontier Days is an outdoor rodeo and western celebration in the United States, held annually since 1897 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) was a historic railway which operated in southwestern British Columbia, Canada.
Aaron and Samuel Bloch carry the first mail pouch
The Yerkes Observatory is located Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States. It was operated by the University of Chicago Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics from its founding in 1897 until 2018.
Juventus Football Club, commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve, is an Italian professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the top tier of the Italian...
American inventor Andrew Jackson Beard invents the "jerry coupler" to connect railroad cars
Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union forms in Kingston
The Autonomy Charter of Puerto Rico was, alongside the Autonomy Charter of Cuba, the first Statute of Autonomy granted by Spain to a province, in particular to the Captaincy General of Puerto Rico.
First motorcycle race in Surrey, England, is won by Charles Jarrot
London becomes the world's first city to host licenced taxicabs
Marguerite Durand (24 January 1864 – 16 March 1936) was a French stage actress, journalist, and a leading suffragette. She founded her own newspaper, and ran for election.
Anti-Jewish violence breaks out in Bucharest, Romania
1st submarine with an internal combustion engine demonstrated
The Ottawa Capitals were the competing clubs of the Capital Amateur Athletic Association (CAAA) of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Cyrano is an opera in four acts composed by Walter Damrosch to an English language libretto by William James Henderson based on Edmond Rostand's 1897 play, Cyrano de Bergerac.
Province of Zululand annexed to Natal colony
Brooklyn is the most populous of the five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York.
Louis Buchalter, American mob boss, known for american mob boss, was born on 1897-02-06.
Max Newman, British mathematician, known for english mathematician, was born on 1897-02-07.
Marian Anderson, American musician, known for african-american contralto, was born on 1897-02-27. Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897 – April 8, 1993) was an American contralto.
Soong Mei-ling, Chinese wife of chiang kai-shek, known for wife of chiang kai-shek, was born on 1897-03-05.
Thornton Wilder, American playwright and novelist, known for american playwright and novelist, was born on 1897-04-17.
Eddie Eagan, American athlete, known for american olympic athlete, was born on 1897-04-26.
Frank Capra, American italian-born american film director, known for italian-born american film director, was born on 1897-05-18.
Paavo Nurmi, Finnish athlete, known for finnish middle and long distance runner, was born on 1897-06-13. Paavo Johannes Nurmi was a Finnish middle-distance and long-distance runner.
Legs Diamond, American gangster, known for american gangster, was born on 1897-07-10.
Enid Blyton, English children's writer, known for english children's writer, was born on 1897-08-11. Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer.
Fredric March, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1897-08-31. Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor,…
William Faulkner, American writer and novelist, known for american writer and novelist, was born on 1897-09-25. William Cuthbert Faulkner (September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer.
Dorothy Day, American catholic and social activist, known for american catholic and social activist, was born on 1897-11-08.
Fletcher Henderson, American musician, known for american jazz pianist and bandleader, was born on 1897-12-18.
Ludwig Erhard is born
Johannes Brahms, German composer and pianist, known for german composer and pianist, died on 1897-04-03.
Alphonse Daudet, French novelist, known for french novelist, died on 1897-12-16. Alphonse Daudet was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet..