The 1890s

1896 130 years ago

Italo Balbo, Italian air marshal and fascist politician who played a key role in developing Mussolini's air force (died

Italo Balbo was an Italian fascist politician and Blackshirts' leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force, Governor-General of Italian Libya and Commander-in-Chief of It…

Italo Balbo, Italian air marshal and fascist politician who played a key role in developing Mussolini's air force (died

1896 130 years ago

Imre Nagy, Hungarian soldier and politician, 44th Prime Minister of Hungary (died 1958)

Imre Nagy was a Hungarian communist politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Hungarian People's Republic from 1953 to 1955. In 1956 Nagy became leader o…

Imre Nagy, Hungarian soldier and politician, 44th Prime Minister of Hungary (died 1958)

1896 130 years ago

Catherine Filene Shouse, American philanthropist (Wolf Trap Institute) (died 1994)

Catherine Filene Shouse was an American researcher and philanthropist. She graduated in 1918 from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. She worked for the Women's Division of t…

Catherine Filene Shouse, American philanthropist (Wolf Trap Institute) (died 1994)

1896 130 years ago

Murray Leinster, American author and screenwriter (died 1976)

Murray Leinster was a pen name of William Fitzgerald Jenkins, an American writer of genre fiction, particularly of science fiction. He wrote and published more than 1,500 short sto…

Murray Leinster, American author and screenwriter (died 1976)

1896 130 years ago

Blanche Sweet, American actress (died 1986)

Sarah Blanche Sweet was an American silent film actress who began her career in the early days of the motion picture film industry. Throughout her career, Sweet appeared in 121 sil…

Blanche Sweet, American actress (died 1986)

1896 130 years ago

Rajani Palme Dutt, English journalist and politician (died 1974)

Rajani Palme Dutt was a British political figure, journalist and theoretician who served as the fourth general secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain during World War II…

Rajani Palme Dutt, English journalist and politician (died 1974)

1896 130 years ago

Wallis Simpson, American wife of Edward VIII (died 1986)

Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, was an American socialite and the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor. Their intention to marry and her status as a divorcée caused a constitutional …

Wallis Simpson, American wife of Edward VIII (died 1986)

1896 130 years ago

Thomas Meik, English engineer, founded Halcrow Group (born 1812)

Thomas Meik was a 19th-century Scottish engineer.

Thomas Meik, English engineer, founded Halcrow Group (born 1812)

1896 130 years ago

Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (born 1839)

Silas Adams was an American attorney and politician from Kentucky who served for one term as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky's 11th congression…

Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (born 1839)

1896 130 years ago

H

Herman Webster Mudgett, better known as Dr. Henry Howard Holmes or H. H. Holmes, was an American con artist and serial killer active between 1891 and 1894. By the time of his execu…

H

1896 130 years ago

Wilfrid Pelletier, Canadian pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1982)

Joseph Louis Wilfrid Pelletier, was a Canadian conductor, pianist, composer, and arts administrator. He was instrumental in establishing the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, serving as…

Wilfrid Pelletier, Canadian pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1982)

1896 130 years ago

Henry Parkes, English-Australian businessman and politician, 7th Premier of New South Wales (born 1815)

Sir Henry Parkes, was a colonial Australian politician and the longest-serving non-consecutive premier of the Colony of New South Wales, the present-day state of New South Wales in…

Henry Parkes, English-Australian businessman and politician, 7th Premier of New South Wales (born 1815)

1896 130 years ago

Clara Schumann, German pianist and composer (born 1819)

Clara Josephine Schumann was a German virtuoso pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era, she exerted her influen…

Clara Schumann, German pianist and composer (born 1819)

1896 130 years ago

Aleksandr Stoletov, Russian physicist, engineer, and academic (born 1839)

Alexander Grigorievich Stoletov was a Russian physicist, founder of electrical engineering, and professor in Moscow University. He was the brother of general Nikolai Stoletov.

Aleksandr Stoletov, Russian physicist, engineer, and academic (born 1839)

1896 130 years ago

Gabriel Auguste Daubrée, French geologist and academic (born 1814)

Gabriel Auguste Daubrée MIF FRS FRSE was a French geologist, best known for applying experimental methods to structural geology. He served as the director of the École des Mines as…

Gabriel Auguste Daubrée, French geologist and academic (born 1814)

1896 130 years ago

Pavlos Carrer, Greek composer (born 1829)

Pavlos Carrer or Pavlos Carreris, was a Greek composer, one of the leaders of the Ionian art music school and the first to create national operas and national songs on Greek plots,…

Pavlos Carrer, Greek composer (born 1829)

1896 130 years ago

Ruling in the landmark decision Plessy v

The following landmark court decisions changed the interpretation of existing law in the United States. Such a decision may settle the law in more than one way:establishing a new l…

Ruling in the landmark decision Plessy v

1896 130 years ago

The St

The 1896 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado was a historic tornado that caused severe damage to downtown St. Louis, Missouri, East St. Louis, Illinois, and surrounding areas on Wedne…

The St

1896 130 years ago

An earthquake registering 8

The 1896 Sanriku earthquake was one of the most destructive seismic events in Japanese history. The 8.5 magnitude earthquake occurred at 19:32 on June 15, 1896, approximately 166 …

An earthquake registering 8

1895

The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan is signed

The Treaty of Shimonoseki , also known as the Treaty of Maguan in China or the Treaty of Bakan in Japan, was signed in Shimonoseki, Japan, on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of…

The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan is signed

1895

Joshua Slocum, the first person to sail single-handedly around the world, sets sail from Boston, Massachusetts aboard th

Joshua Slocum was the first person to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Nova Scotian-born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he …

Joshua Slocum, the first person to sail single-handedly around the world, sets sail from Boston, Massachusetts aboard th

1895

Émile Levassor wins the world's first real automobile race

Émile Constant Levassor was a French engineer and a pioneer of the automobile industry and car racing in France.

Émile Levassor wins the world's first real automobile race

1895

Ove Arup, English-Danish engineer and businessman, founded Arup (died 1988)

Sir Ove Nyquist Arup was a British engineer with Danish heritage who founded Arup, a multinational corporation offering engineering, design, planning, project management, and consu…

Ove Arup, English-Danish engineer and businessman, founded Arup (died 1988)

1895

Robert Dean Frisbie, American soldier and author (died 1948)

Robert Dean Frisbie was an American writer of travel literature about Polynesia.

Robert Dean Frisbie, American soldier and author (died 1948)