1897

Events in 1897 43

• 1815 – 1897 Karl Weierstrass (1815-1897) Died 19 February 1897, aged 81 Karl Weierstrass was a German mathematician known as the father of modern analysis for his rigorous formulation of calculus and continuous functions. He taught at the University of Berlin and mentored a generation of mathematicians including Sofia Kovalevskaya. He died in Berlin on 19 February 1897.
• 1828 – 1897 Antonio Canovas del Castillo (1828-1897) Died 8 August 1897, aged 68 (assassinated) Antonio Canovas del Castillo was a Spanish statesman who served multiple terms as prime minister and architected the political system of the Restoration monarchy. He was shot and killed by the Italian anarchist Michele Angiolillo at a spa in Santa Agueda on 8 August 1897. His death destabilized the political system he had built.
• 1833 – 1897 Johannes Brahms Late Romantic master German composer whose four symphonies, two piano concertos and German Requiem represent the pinnacle of absolute music in the Romantic era.
• 1840 – 1897 Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897) Died 16 December 1897, aged 57 Alphonse Daudet was a French novelist best known for Letters from My Windmill and the comic character Tartarin of Tarascon. He wrote extensively about Provencal life and later works reflecting his long struggle with illness. He died in Paris on 16 December 1897.
• 1844 – 1897 Minna Canth Social Reformer The first major female writer and social activist whose work focused on women’s rights and the poor.
• 1897 – 1960 Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960) Died 6 July 1960, aged 62 Welsh Labour politician who, as Minister of Health, founded Britain's National Health Service in 1948. He died of cancer at his farm in Buckinghamshire.
• 1897 – 1974 Bud Abbott (1897-1974) Died 24 April 1974, aged 76 Bud Abbott was an American comedian and the straight man of the duo Abbott and Costello, famed for the "Who's on First?" routine. The pair were among the most popular film and radio comedy acts of the 1940s.
• 1897 – 1968 Enid Blyton (1897-1968) Died 28 November 1968, aged 71 The prolific British children's author, creator of the Famous Five and Noddy series, died in a nursing home in London after some years of declining health. She was one of the best-selling authors of the twentieth century, with her books translated into dozens of languages. Her work remains widely read by children today.
• 1897 – 1933 Jimmie Rodgers (1897-1933) Died 26 May 1933, aged 35 American singer called the Father of Country Music, famous for his blue yodel. He died of tuberculosis in New York days after his final recording sessions.
• 1897 – 1936 John Gilbert (1897-1936) Died 9 January 1936, aged 38 John Gilbert was one of the biggest male stars of American silent film. He appeared in The Big Parade and in several films opposite Greta Garbo. His career declined after the arrival of sound.
• 1897 – 1945 Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945) Died 1 May 1945, aged 47 Goebbels served as Nazi Germany's Minister of Propaganda, directing the regime's media, censorship, and antisemitic messaging. He killed his six children and himself along with his wife in the Berlin Führerbunker the day after Hitler's suicide. He had briefly succeeded Hitler as Chancellor.
• 1897 Thomson discovers the electron Atoms have internal structure — the first subatomic particle In 1897, J.J. Thomson of Cambridge demonstrated that cathode rays are streams of particles (which he called corpuscles, later named electrons) far lighter than atoms. This proved that atoms are not the smallest particles of matter — they have internal structure. Thomson proposed the plum-pudding model of the atom, which was later replaced by Rutherford's nuclear model, but the discovery of the electron launched the atomic era.
• 1897 – 1975 Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) Died 7 December 1975, aged 78 Thornton Wilder was an American playwright and novelist who won three Pulitzer Prizes, for the novel "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" and the plays "Our Town" and "The Skin of Our Teeth." His work explored universal themes of everyday life and mortality. He died at his home in Hamden, Connecticut.
• 1897 – 1969 Vito Genovese (1897-1969) Died 14 February 1969, aged 71 Vito Genovese was an Italian-American mobster who led the Genovese crime family, one of New York's most powerful Mafia organizations. He died of heart failure while imprisoned at a federal penitentiary on 14 February 1969.
• 1897 – 1972 Walter Winchell (1897-1972) Died 20 February 1972, aged 74 Winchell was an American newspaper and radio commentator who pioneered the modern gossip column and reached tens of millions of readers and listeners at his peak. His breathless, slang-filled style influenced celebrity journalism for decades. He died largely forgotten in Los Angeles.
• 1897 – 1957 Wilhelm Reich (1897-1957) Died 3 November 1957, aged 60 Austrian psychoanalyst known for his early work with Sigmund Freud and his later, widely discredited theories about "orgone energy." He died in a US federal prison after being convicted of contempt of court for violating an injunction against selling his orgone devices.
• 1897 – 1962 William Faulkner (1897-1962) Died 6 July 1962, aged 64 William Faulkner, the Nobel Prize-winning American novelist known for works such as "The Sound and the Fury" and "As I Lay Dying," died of a heart attack on July 6, 1962. His experimental narrative techniques and depictions of the American South profoundly influenced 20th-century literature. He remains one of the most studied American writers.
• 1897 – present Škoda Auto Czech automobile manufacturer founded Škoda began as Laurin & Klement in the Czech lands before evolving into one of Europe’s oldest continuously operating car manufacturers. The company later became part of the Volkswagen Group and gained worldwide success through affordable and reliable vehicles.
• 1897 – 1961 Marion Davies (1897-1961) American actress and comedian, a star of silent film and the companion of William Randolph Hearst.
• 1897 – 1987 Pola Negri (1897-1987) Polish actress, a star of German silent film under Ernst Lubitsch and one of Hollywood's first European imports.
• 1897 – 1992 Judith Anderson (1897-1992) Australian-born actress of stage and film, famous as Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca and as Medea on Broadway.
• 1897 – 1993 Marian Anderson (1897-1993) Died 8 April 1993, aged 96 Marian Anderson was an American contralto whose 1939 open-air concert at the Lincoln Memorial, arranged after she was barred from a segregated concert hall, became a landmark moment in the civil rights movement. She later became the first African American to perform as a member of the Metropolitan Opera. She died in Portland, Oregon.
• 1897 William McKinley inaugurated as US President Republican takes office as 25th president William McKinley was sworn in as the 25th President of the United States on 4 March 1897, succeeding Grover Cleveland. His administration presided over the Spanish-American War and the annexation of Hawaii and the Philippines. He was reelected in 1900 before being assassinated in 1901.
• 1897 – 1977 Sepp Herberger (1897-1977) Died 28 April 1977, aged 80 Sepp Herberger was the German football coach who led West Germany to victory in the 1954 World Cup, a result celebrated as the "Miracle of Bern." He managed the national team for nearly three decades.
• 1897 Greco-Turkish War of 1897 Thirty-day conflict over Crete and the Ottoman-Greek border Greece and the Ottoman Empire fought a brief war triggered by unrest in Crete and Greek nationalist agitation. Ottoman forces won a decisive military victory in Thessaly within weeks, though European powers limited Ottoman territorial gains in the settlement. The Treaty of Constantinople, signed 4 December 1897, ended the war and granted Crete autonomy.
• 1897 First Boston Marathon Inaugural running of the world's oldest annual marathon Fifteen runners started the first Boston Marathon on 19 April 1897, inspired by the marathon event at the 1896 Athens Olympics. John J. McDermott won the 24.5-mile race in just under three hours. The event has been held every year since, becoming the world's oldest continuously run annual marathon.
• 1897 – 1991 Frank Capra (1897-1991) Died 3 September 1991, aged 94 Film director Frank Capra, known for It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and It Happened One Night, died in La Quinta, California. He won three Academy Awards for Best Director during Hollywood's golden age. His optimistic, populist films remain holiday and classroom staples.
• 1897 – 1978 Gene Tunney (1897-1978) Died 7 November 1978, aged 81 Tunney was a world heavyweight boxing champion best remembered for twice defeating Jack Dempsey, including the famous "Long Count" bout of 1927. He died in Greenwich, Connecticut.
• 1897 Publication of Dracula Bram Stoker's gothic novel establishes the modern vampire myth Bram Stoker's novel Dracula was published in London on 26 May 1897, telling the story of Count Dracula's attempt to spread the undead curse from Transylvania to England. The book drew on earlier vampire folklore and fiction to create the most influential vampire story in modern literature. It has never been out of print since.
• 1897 – 1973 Paavo Nurmi The Flying Finn Middle and long-distance runner who won nine Olympic gold medals.
• 1897 – 1975 Moe Howard (1897-1975) American comedian, the bossy leader of the Three Stooges.
• 1897 Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Sixty years on the British throne celebrated across the empire London hosted a grand procession on 22 June 1897 marking the 60th anniversary of Victoria's accession, with troops and dignitaries from across the British Empire. The celebrations became a global display of imperial power and unity at its height. Cities throughout Britain and its colonies held parallel festivities.
• 1897 Klondike Gold Rush begins Ship arrives in Seattle carrying gold from the Yukon The steamer Portland docked in Seattle on 17 July 1897 carrying prospectors and a cargo of Klondike gold, and newspaper reports of a ton of gold triggered a stampede north. Tens of thousands of prospectors set out for the Yukon over the following months, most via the Chilkoot and White Pass trails. The rush transformed towns across the Pacific Northwest and Canada's Yukon Territory.
• 1897 Marconi founds Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company First company formed to commercialize radio communication Guglielmo Marconi established the Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company in London on 20 July 1897 to develop and market his wireless telegraphy patents. The company, later renamed Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company, became the leading early supplier of radio equipment to ships and governments. It laid the commercial foundation for the radio industry.
• 1897 Tate Gallery opens in London New national gallery for British art opens on Millbank The National Gallery of British Art, funded by sugar magnate Henry Tate and soon known as the Tate Gallery, opened to the public on 21 July 1897. It housed British paintings including works donated by Tate himself, forming the core of what is now Tate Britain. The gallery later expanded into one of the world's major collections of British and modern art.
• 1897 – 1979 Jack Haley (1897-1979) American vaudevillian and actor, the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz.
• 1897 Ronald Ross discovers malaria parasite in mosquitoes British doctor identifies the mosquito as malaria's vector Working in Secunderabad, India, British army physician Ronald Ross found malaria parasites in the stomach tissue of an Anopheles mosquito on 20 August 1897. The discovery proved mosquitoes transmit malaria to humans and opened the way for effective disease control measures. Ross received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1902 for the finding.
• 1897 First Zionist Congress Delegates in Basel launch the modern Zionist movement Theodor Herzl convened around 200 delegates in Basel, Switzerland, from 29 to 31 August 1897 to organize the Zionist movement. The congress founded the World Zionist Organization and adopted the Basel Program calling for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. It marked the beginning of organized political Zionism.
• 1897 – 1975 Fredric March (1897-1975) American actor, winner of two Oscars and two Tonys, from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to The Best Years of Our Lives.
• 1897 Publication of The Invisible Man H. G. Wells' science fiction novel of a scientist turned invisible H. G. Wells' novel The Invisible Man was published in book form in September 1897, following its earlier serialization. It tells of a scientist whose experiments in optics render him invisible and drive him to violence and isolation. The story became a staple of science fiction and was adapted into numerous films.
• 1897 – 1984 Walter Pidgeon (1897-1984) Canadian-American actor, Greer Garson's partner in Mrs. Miniver and Madame Curie.
• 1897 – 1978 Pope Paul VI (1897-1978) Died 6 August 1978, aged 80 Born Giovanni Battista Montini, he led the Catholic Church through the closing sessions of the Second Vatican Council and its turbulent aftermath. He died at the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo.
• 1897 – 1987 Hermione Gingold (1897-1987) English actress of revue and film, famous for singing I Remember It Well in Gigi.