Explore 963 historical events from 1880–1889.
Izidor Cankar was a Slovenian author, art historian, diplomat, journalist, translator, and liberal conservative politician. He was one of the most important Slovenian art historian…
Izidor Cankar, Slovenian historian, author, and diplomat (died 1958)
Gertrude "Ma" Rainey was an American blues singer and influential early-blues recording artist. Dubbed the "Mother of the Blues", she bridged earlier vaudeville and the authentic e…
Ma Rainey, American singer-songwriter (died 1939)
Ğabdulla Möxəmmətğərif ulı Tuqay was a Tatar poet, critic, publisher, and towering figure of Tatar literature. Tuqay is often referred to as the founder of modern Tatar literature …
Ğabdulla Tuqay, Russian poet and publicist (died 1913)
Ferdinand Frédéric Henri Moissan was a French chemist and pharmacist who won the 1906 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in isolating fluorine from its compounds. Among his othe…
Henri Moissan isolated elemental Fluorine for the first time
Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest in Canada, and the eighth-largest in North America. Founded in 1642 as Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", it…
The first transcontinental train trip across Canada departs from Montreal, Quebec
Carl Friedrich Benz was a German engine designer and automotive engineer. His Benz Patent-Motorwagen from 1885 is considered the first practical, modern automobile and the first ca…
Karl Benz officially unveils the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first purpose-built automobile.
The New-York Tribune was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker New-York Daily Tribune from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its origin…
The New-York Tribune becomes the first newspaper to use a linotype machine, eliminating typesetting by hand.
The Canadian Pacific Railway, also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is o…
The Canadian Pacific Railway's first scheduled train from Montreal arrives in Port Moody on the Pacific coast, after…
Erich Salomon was a German news photographer known for his pictures in the diplomatic and legal professions and the innovative methods he used to acquire them.
Erich Salomon, German-born news photographer (died 1944)
Arthur Briggs Shaw was an American athlete and member of the Irish American Athletic Club. He won the bronze medal in the men's 110 metres hurdles race at the 1908 Summer Olympics …
Art Shaw, American hurdler (died 1955)
Gottfried Benn was a German poet, essayist, and physician. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times. He was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize in 1951.
Gottfried Benn, German author and poet (died 1956)
Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré was a French organist, composer, and pedagogue.
Marcel Dupré, French organist and composer (died 1971)
Karl Barth was a Swiss Reformed theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary The Epistle to the Romans, his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship of …
Karl Barth, Swiss theologian and author (died 1968)
William Olaf Stapledon was an English philosopher and author of science fiction. In 2014, he was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.
Olaf Stapledon, English novelist and philosopher (died 1950)
Captain Ernst August Lehmann was a German Zeppelin captain. He was one of the most famous and experienced figures in German airship travel. The Pittsburgh Press called Lehmann the …
Ernst A
Alfonso XIII, also known as El Africano or the African for his Africanist views, was King of Spain from his birth until 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaim…
Alfonso XIII of Spain, Spanish monarch (died 1941)
Abbie Jean MacPherson was an American silent actress, writer and director. She is known for her collaborations with directors D. W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille, and was a foundin…
Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter (died 1946)
Francis Beverley Biddle was an American lawyer and judge who was the United States Attorney General during World War II. He also served as the primary American judge during Nurembe…
Francis Biddle, American lawyer and judge, 58th United States Attorney General (died 1968)
Ali Sami Yen, born Ali Sami Frashëri was a Turkish Albanian sports official best known as the founder of the Galatasaray Sports Club.
Ali Sami Yen, Turkish footballer and manager, founded the Galatasaray Sports Club (died 1951)
Paul Marie-Adolphe Charles Paray was a French conductor, organist and composer. After winning France's top musical award, the Prix de Rome, he fought in the First World War and was…
Paul Paray, French organist, composer, and conductor (died 1979)
Rashbehari Bose was an Indian revolutionary leader and freedom fighter who fought against the British Empire. He was one of the key organisers of the Ghadar Mutiny and founded the …
Rash Behari Bose, Indian soldier and activist (died 1945)
Philip Murray was a Scottish-born steelworker and an American labor leader. He was the first president of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC), the first president of the …
Philip Murray, Scottish-American miner and labor leader (died 1952)
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian.
Al Jolson, American singer and actor (died 1950)
Santo Trafficante Sr. was a Sicilian-born mobster, and father of the powerful mobster Santo Trafficante Jr.
Santo Trafficante, Sr