Timeline May 1891

Events in May 1891 5

• 1831 – 1891 Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891) Died 8 May 1891, aged 59 Russian-born occultist who co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. She authored Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine, blending Eastern religious ideas with Western esotericism. Her writings shaped much of modern alternative spirituality.
• 1891 Carnegie Hall opens New York concert hall inaugurated Carnegie Hall opened in New York City with a five-day music festival that included a guest appearance by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie funded the venue's construction. It became one of the most prestigious concert halls in the world.
• 1891 Otsu incident Attack on the Russian tsarevich in Japan Japanese policeman Tsuda Sanzo attacked and wounded Tsarevich Nicholas of Russia during his state visit to Japan, in the town of Otsu. Emperor Meiji personally visited the injured heir to apologize, and Japan feared Russian retaliation. The affair became a major test of Japan's judicial independence from imperial interference.
• 1891 Rerum Novarum issued Papal encyclical on labor and capital Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Rerum Novarum, addressing the condition of workers under industrial capitalism. It affirmed rights to fair wages, safe conditions, and unionization while rejecting socialism. The document became the founding text of modern Catholic social teaching.
• 1891 Trans-Siberian Railway construction begins Tsarevich Nicholas lays the foundation stone Construction began on the Trans-Siberian Railway, a rail line intended to connect European Russia with its Pacific coast. Tsarevich Nicholas laid the foundation stone at Vladivostok. The railway would eventually stretch over 9,000 kilometers and take more than two decades to complete.