1886

Events in 1886 44

• 1804 – 1886 John Deere (1804-1886) Died 17 May 1886, aged 82 John Deere, the American blacksmith and manufacturer who invented the steel plow, died in Moline, Illinois. His self-scouring plow, introduced in 1837, made farming the tough prairie soils of the American Midwest practical and grew into the company that still bears his name. Deere & Company became one of the world's largest agricultural equipment manufacturers.
• 1811 – 1886 Franz Liszt Romantic piano virtuoso Hungarian composer and pianist who invented the symphonic poem and pushed piano technique to its limits. His transcriptions brought orchestral music to the concert hall.
• 1814 – 1886 Samuel J. Tilden (1814-1886) Died 4 August 1886, aged 72 Samuel J. Tilden, the Democratic governor of New York and presidential candidate, died at his estate in Yonkers. He won the popular vote in the disputed 1876 presidential election but lost the presidency to Rutherford B. Hayes after a contested electoral count. He left much of his fortune to found what became the New York Public Library.
• 1824 – 1886 Winfield Scott Hancock (1824-1886) Died 9 February 1886, aged 61 Winfield Scott Hancock, the Union general famed for his defense of Cemetery Ridge at the Battle of Gettysburg, died at Governors Island, New York. He remained in the army after the Civil War and ran unsuccessfully for president as the Democratic nominee in 1880. He was widely regarded as one of the war's most capable commanders.
• 1829 – 1886 Chester A. Arthur 21st President — reformed civil service Chester A. Arthur (Oct 5, 1829 – Nov 18, 1886) was the 21st President 1881-1885, who succeeded Garfield. Despite a reputation as a machine politician, he championed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883.
• 1830 – 1886 Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) Died 15 May 1886, aged 55 Emily Dickinson, the reclusive American poet, died at her family home in Amherst, Massachusetts. Fewer than a dozen of her nearly 1,800 poems had been published during her lifetime. Her sister discovered the bulk of her manuscripts after her death, and their posthumous publication established her as one of the most important American poets.
• 1830 – 1886 Christina Rossetti English poet Rossetti wrote devotional and lyrical poetry exploring love, faith, and mortality.
• 1845 – 1886 Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845-1886) Died 13 June 1886, aged 40 King Ludwig II of Bavaria died in mysterious circumstances in Lake Starnberg, days after being declared insane and deposed by a government commission. He was known for extravagant building projects, including Neuschwanstein Castle, and for his patronage of the composer Richard Wagner. His death, officially ruled a drowning, remains disputed by historians.
• 1886 – 1950 Al Jolson (1886-1950) Died 23 October 1950, aged 64 Al Jolson was an American singer and actor known for starring in The Jazz Singer, the first feature-length film with synchronized dialogue. He was one of the most popular entertainers of the early 20th century, celebrated for songs such as "Mammy" and "Swanee". He died of a heart attack in San Francisco shortly after performing for troops in Korea.
• 1886 – 1941 Alfonso XIII (1886-1941) Died 28 February 1941, aged 54 Alfonso XIII was King of Spain from his birth until he went into exile when the Second Republic was proclaimed in 1931. He died in Rome.
• 1886 – 1938 Béla Kun (1886-1938) Died 29 August 1938, aged 52 Béla Kun led the short-lived Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919. He was later arrested in the Great Purge and shot in Moscow.
• 1886 – 1973 David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973) Died 1 December 1973, aged 87 David Ben-Gurion, the founding prime minister of Israel and a principal author of its declaration of independence, died at his desert home in Sde Boker. He remains one of the central figures in the establishment of the modern Israeli state.
• 1886 – 1966 Ed Wynn (1886-1966) Died 19 June 1966, aged 79 Ed Wynn was an American comedian and actor known for his stage clowning and later dramatic film roles such as Mary Poppins. He died in Los Angeles on 19 June 1966.
• 1886 – 1944 Ernst Thälmann (1886-1944) Died 18 August 1944, aged 58 Leader of the Communist Party of Germany during the Weimar Republic and a presidential candidate in 1925 and 1932. He was arrested in 1933 and held in solitary confinement for eleven years. He was shot at Buchenwald on Hitler's orders.
• 1886 Jo's Boys The last March novel The final book of the series follows the boys of Plumfield into adulthood.
• 1886 – 1944 Marc Bloch (1886-1944) Died 16 June 1944, aged 57 French medieval historian and co-founder of the Annales school, author of Feudal Society. He joined the French Resistance and was captured by the Gestapo in Lyon. He was tortured and then shot by the Germans.
• 1886 – 1962 Michael Curtiz (1886-1962) Died 10 April 1962, aged 75 Hungarian-American film director Michael Curtiz, best known for directing "Casablanca," died on April 10, 1962. Over his career he directed more than 170 films across numerous genres. "Casablanca" won the Academy Award for Best Picture and is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made.
• 1886 Nietzsche publishes Beyond Good and Evil Philosophical work challenges traditional morality Friedrich Nietzsche published "Beyond Good and Evil," a critique of past philosophers and conventional morality that introduced ideas later associated with his mature thought. The book was largely ignored on publication but became one of the most influential works of modern philosophy. It expanded on themes from his earlier "Thus Spoke Zarathustra."
• 1886 – 1921 Nikolai Gumilyov (1886-1921) Died 26 August 1921, aged 35 Nikolai Gumilyov, a founder of the Acmeist school of Russian poetry and former husband of poet Anna Akhmatova, was executed by the Cheka after being accused of involvement in an anti-Bolshevik conspiracy. He was one of the first major Russian writers killed by the Soviet state. His execution shocked the Russian literary world.
• 1886 – 1934 Sergei Kirov (1886-1934) Died 1 December 1934, aged 48 Head of the Communist Party in Leningrad, shot dead at the Smolny Institute by Leonid Nikolaev. Stalin used the assassination as a pretext for the repression that became the Great Purge.
• 1886 – 1961 Ty Cobb (1886-1961) Died 17 July 1961, aged 74 American baseball player widely regarded as one of the greatest hitters in the sport's history, spending most of his career with the Detroit Tigers. He held the career batting average record and was among the first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• 1886 Witwatersrand gold discovery Major gold reef found in South Africa Prospectors confirmed a major gold-bearing reef on the Witwatersrand ridge in the South African Republic, triggering a gold rush. The discovery led directly to the founding of Johannesburg later that year and transformed the region into the world's leading gold producer. It reshaped southern African economics and politics for the following century.
• 1886 Upper Burma annexed by Britain Britain annexes Upper Burma after the Third Anglo-Burmese War Following the brief Third Anglo-Burmese War, Britain formally annexed Upper Burma, deposing King Thibaw Min and ending the Konbaung dynasty. The annexation completed British control over all of Burma, which was administered as a province of British India. Thibaw was exiled to India for the rest of his life.
• 1886 Stevenson publishes Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Novella explores a duality of human nature Robert Louis Stevenson published "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde," a novella about a respectable doctor who transforms into a violent alter ego. It became an immediate commercial success and gave the English language the enduring phrase "Jekyll and Hyde." The story has since been adapted countless times across theatre and film.
• 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen patented Karl Benz patents the first practical automobile German engineer Karl Benz was granted a patent for his three-wheeled Patent-Motorwagen, powered by a single-cylinder internal combustion engine. It is widely regarded as the first vehicle designed from the outset as a self-propelled automobile rather than a converted carriage. Benz began limited production soon after, laying the groundwork for the modern automotive industry.
• 1886 – present Mercedes-Benz Karl Benz patents the first automobile Mercedes-Benz traces its origins to Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. In 1886, Benz patented the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, widely regarded as the world’s first practical automobile powered by an internal combustion engine. The company later became one of the world’s leading luxury and engineering-focused automotive brands.
• 1886 – 1980 Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980) Died 22 February 1980, aged 93 Austrian-born painter, poet, and playwright associated with Expressionism, known for intense portraits and landscapes. He fled Nazi persecution in the 1930s and later settled in Britain and Switzerland. His work strongly influenced twentieth-century European art.
• 1886 – 1970 Edward Everett Horton (1886-1970) American character actor, the flustered sidekick of the Astaire-Rogers musicals and narrator of Fractured Fairy Tales.
• 1886 Vancouver incorporated City of Vancouver formally established in British Columbia The City of Vancouver was incorporated in British Columbia, shortly before the Canadian Pacific Railway extended its line to the site. A massive fire swept through the new city that June, destroying most of its buildings within an hour. Vancouver was quickly rebuilt and grew into Canada's main Pacific port.
• 1886 Haymarket affair Bombing and riot during a Chicago labor rally A labor rally in support of striking workers at Chicago's Haymarket Square ended when a bomb was thrown at police, killing several officers and triggering gunfire that left both police and civilians dead. Eight anarchist labor activists were controversially tried and convicted, several sentenced to death, in a case that became a global symbol of the struggle for the eight-hour workday. The event helped establish May Day as an international workers' holiday.
• 1886 – present The Coca-Cola Company From Atlanta pharmacy to world's most recognised brand The Coca-Cola Company was founded in Atlanta, Georgia, when pharmacist John Pemberton first served his syrup on May 8, 1886. Today it operates in more than 200 countries, producing over 500 beverage brands, and its trademark script logo is one of the most recognised symbols in history.
• 1886 Irish Home Rule Bill defeated Gladstone's first Home Rule bill fails in the Commons Prime Minister William Gladstone's Government of Ireland Bill, which would have granted Ireland a devolved parliament, was defeated in the House of Commons after splitting the Liberal Party. The defeat brought down Gladstone's government and delayed Irish self-government for decades. It also hardened the divide between Irish nationalists and unionists.
• 1886 – 1973 Sessue Hayakawa (1886-1973) Japanese actor, one of the first Asian film stars in Hollywood, later Oscar-nominated for The Bridge on the River Kwai.
• 1886 Canadian Pacific Railway first transcontinental train First scheduled passenger train crosses Canada The Canadian Pacific Railway's first scheduled transcontinental passenger train departed Montreal and arrived at Port Moody, British Columbia, completing Canada's first coast-to-coast rail link. The line fulfilled a promise made to British Columbia when it joined Confederation and bound the young country together economically. It spurred settlement and trade across the Canadian West.
• 1886 Bulgarian Crisis abdication of Alexander of Battenberg Russian-backed officers force the Bulgarian prince to abdicate A group of pro-Russian army officers kidnapped Prince Alexander of Battenberg and forced him to sign an abdication, plunging Bulgaria into a political crisis. Alexander briefly returned but resigned for good within weeks amid Russian opposition to his rule. The crisis strained relations between Russia and Austria-Hungary and fed into wider Balkan instability.
• 1886 Charleston earthquake Major earthquake devastates South Carolina A magnitude-7 earthquake struck near Charleston, South Carolina, killing around 60 people and destroying much of the city's downtown. It remains the most powerful and damaging earthquake recorded in the southeastern United States. Reconstruction reshaped the city's architecture for decades afterward.
• 1886 Geronimo surrenders Apache leader ends decades of resistance in Arizona The Chiricahua Apache leader Geronimo surrendered to General Nelson Miles at Skeleton Canyon in Arizona Territory, ending the last major armed Native American resistance against the United States. He and his followers were sent into exile as prisoners of war in Florida and later Oklahoma. His surrender marked the effective close of the Apache Wars.
• 1886 Cuba abolishes slavery Spain ends slavery in its Cuban colony A royal decree formally abolished slavery in Cuba, ending an institution that had underpinned the island's sugar economy for centuries. Cuba was one of the last places in the Americas to end slavery. Former slaves continued to face discrimination and economic hardship after emancipation.
• 1886 – 1971 Spring Byington (1886-1971) American actress, Marmee in Little Women and star of December Bride.
• 1886 – 1972 Leo G. Carroll (1886-1972) English actor in six Hitchcock films, later Mr. Waverly in The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
• 1886 Statue of Liberty dedicated Gift from France dedicated in New York Harbor The Statue of Liberty was formally dedicated on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor before a crowd of dignitaries and a flotilla of ships. Designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi with an iron framework by Gustave Eiffel, it was a gift from the people of France marking Franco-American friendship. It became an enduring symbol of the United States and of immigration to America.
• 1886 American Federation of Labor founded Federation of craft unions formed in Columbus, Ohio Samuel Gompers and delegates from dozens of craft unions founded the American Federation of Labor in Columbus, Ohio, with Gompers as its first president. The AFL organized workers by trade rather than industry and focused on practical goals like wages, hours, and working conditions. It became the dominant American labor federation for decades.
• 1886 – 1957 Diego Rivera Muralism · Mexico Diego Rivera (December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957) was a Mexican muralist whose monumental public works depicted Mexican history and society. He was married to Frida Kahlo. His Detroit Industry Murals are among the greatest American public artworks.
• 1886 – 1959 Victor McLaglen (1886-1959) English boxer turned actor, a John Ford regular who won an Oscar for The Informer.