What is 1888?
In Germany, 1888 is known as the . Currently, it is the
year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The
next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be
surpassed as late as 2888, which has 14 digits.
Events
January–March

- – The 91-centimeter telescope at
in California is
first used.
- – The hits , the states of
, ,
, , and
, leaving 235 dead, many of them children
on their way home from school.
- – The is founded in
- – The is founded by in the
United States.
- – The is founded in
England.
- – becomes (1888–1889).
- – In , meets with , who proposes a scheme for
.
- – The Agriculture College of Utah
(later ) is
founded in .
- – dies, becomes German
Emperor and King of Prussia.
- – The begins along the of the United
States, shutting down commerce and killing more than 400.
- – is founded in
.
- – The , a British military
expedition to expel the Tibetans from northern
, begins.
- – The foundation stone for a new
is laid in .
- – The first
premieres in Moscow, Russia.
- – A meeting called by , to discuss
establishment of , is held in London.
- – Opening of an international
Congress for Women's Rights organized by in Washington, D.C., leading
to formation of the , a key event in
the international women's movement.
April–June
-
- London prostitute is brutally attacked by
two or three men, dying of her injuries the following day, first
of the ,
but probably not a victim of .
- The Hotel in (New York) is moved , using six
steam , by B. C. Miller, to save it
from ocean storms.
- – The first is observed, of the adopted by Siamese King
, with the 106th
anniversary of 's founding in 1782 as
its .
- – The
orchestra in
is inaugurated.
- – The annexes the island of
.
- - is founded in
Simsbury, Connecticut
- – The building, completed at a
cost of $3 million, opens to the public in
.
- – is
established by the .
- – The
in ,
opens (continues to November).
- – Nippon Oil Corporation, predecessor of
, a in , is founded
in .
- – The 's territories
(including ) become the of .
- – In
, the abolishes the last remnants of
slavery.
- – The comic novel by brothers
and begins serialization in
(London).
- – In Glasgow (Scotland), plays its first official match,
winning 5–2 against
- – Hong Kong's begins operation.
- – in England is
called to account for using in
worship.
-
- The is formed,
in modern-day .
- American writer 's
poem "" is first published (under the
pen name "Phin") as the last of his humorous contributions to
.
- – The territories become the British
protectorate of .
- – becomes and King of Prussia; 1888 is the
.
- – In Chicago, the Republican
Convention opens at the . and win the nominations for
and ,
respectively.
- – Handel's is recorded onto wax cylinder at
in London, the
earliest known recording of classical music.
- – The
opens its laboratory, on .
July–September
<figure>
<img
src="Jack-the-Ripper-The-Nemesis-of-Neglect-Punch-London-Charivari-cartoon-poem-1888-09-29.jpg"
title=" August 31: Victim found from Jack the Ripper?" width="145"
alt=" August 31: Victim found from Jack the Ripper?" />
<figcaption aria-hidden="true"> <a href="August_31"
title="wikilink">August 31</a>: Victim found from <a
href="Jack_the_Ripper" title="wikilink">Jack the
Ripper</a>?</figcaption>
</figure>
- – – : About 200
workers, mainly teenaged girls, strike following the dismissal of
three colleagues from the factory,
precipitated by an article on their working conditions published on
by campaigning journalist , and the workers unionise on July
27.
- – According to official confirmed
report, , , Japan, more than 477
persons were fatalities.
- – Frank Edward McGurrin, a court
stenographer from Salt Lake City, Utah, purportedly the only person
using at this time, wins a
decisive victory over Louis Traub in a typing contest held in
Cincinnati, Ohio. This date can be called the birthday of the touch
typing method that is widely used in modern times.
- –
is issued with the world's first by the .
- – arrives in
having driven from
in a car manufactured by her husband
, thus completing the first
"long-distance" drive in the history of the
.
- – : The body of London
is found, a possible victim of
.
-
- A fire destroys the Main Building, the heart of in , causing a
loss of $130,000.
- The permits the taken to the
Sovereign by
(MPs) to be , rather
than sworn to , thus confirming the ability
of to sit in the .
- – Dr ’s motorised airship
successfully completes the world’s first engine-driven flight, from
to
in Germany.
- – The , effective from
, establishes and councils in , redraws some county
boundaries, and gives women the vote in local elections. It also
declares that "bicycles, tricycles, velocipedes, and other similar
machines" be carriages within the meaning of the Highway Acts (which
remains the case), and requires that they give audible warning when
overtaking "any cart or carriage, or any horse, mule, or other beast
of burden, or any foot passenger", a rule abolished in
.
- – A mutiny at
, ,
results in the imprisonment of the .
- – Earliest
evidence
of a death and injury by a meteorite in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.
- –The first (),
, begin operation.
- – The longest date in (XXVIII-VIII-MDCCCLXXXVIII)
occurs.
- – : The mutilated body of
London prostitute is
found; she is considered the first victim of .
-
- In the United States, registers the trademark
, and receives a patent for his
, which uses roll film.
- embarks on the
S.S. Clyde from for
.
- – becomes
the first in cricket to take
250 wickets in an English season – a feat since accomplished only by
(twice),
, (twice) and (six times).
-
- ()
begins with thousands of sheep beeng herded from the Argentine
outpost of
to near
the .
- : The
mutilated body of London prostitute is found (considered to be
the second victim of ).
- In England, the first six matches are played.
- In a letter accepting renomination as , declares the Chinese
"impossible of assimilation with our people and dangerous to our
peace and welfare".
- – Las Cruces College (later
) is founded in
.
-
- : The
'' signed "", the first time the
name is used, is received by London's Central News Agency.
- is officially opened by
(B.C.) mayor .
- – : The bodies of London
prostitutes and
, the latter
mutilated, are found. They are generally considered 's third and fourth victims,
respectively.
October–December
- – officially opens, becoming
the first university in liberated Bulgaria.
- – The : Dismembered remains of a
woman's body are discovered at three central London locations, one
being the construction site of the police headquarters at .
- – The officially opens to the
general public in Washington,
D.C.<img src="Washmem.jpg" title="October 9: Washington Monument opens."
width="145" alt="October 9: Washington Monument opens." />
-
- films the first
motion picture: in
, ,
, England, two
seconds and 18 frames in length (followed by his movie ).
- : Seeking
to extend control over what is now
southwestern , governor Khalil
al-Khuzani is routed by an alliance of
forces, under
and Moroda Bekere, ruler of
Leqa Naqamte. Only a handful, including Khalil, barely manage to
flee the battlefield.
- – at the in England is founded,
after a general meeting chaired by the Reverend .
- – The , a written
for exclusive mining
rights in ,
and adjoining territories, is
granted by King of Matabeleland to
, and Francis Thompson,
who are acting on behalf of South African-based politician and
businessman , providing a
basis for white settlement of
.
- – :
incumbent wins the
popular vote, but loses the vote to
challenger
, therefore losing
the election.
- – Joseph Assheton Fincher files
a in the United Kingdom for the parlour
game which he calls "".
- – : The mutilated body of
London prostitute is
found. She is considered to be the fifth, and last, of 's victims. A number of similar
murders in England follow, but the police attribute them to copy-cat
killers.
- – First signs of , caused by drought
combined with early spread of the .
- – The first parade by students is held in
.
- – International sorority
is founded at
in the United
States.
- – The celebration of
and the first day
of coincide.
- – patents the pneumatic bicycle
tyre in the United Kingdom.
- – The opens.
- – and his brother-in-law
discover the Indian ruins of in southwestern
.
- – During a bout of (and having quarreled with his
friend ),
infamously cuts off
the lower part of his own left ear, taking it to a brothel, and is
removed to the local .
Date unknown
- The dolphin is first sighted
in , New Zealand.
- The
is founded in , England.
- first publishes
in the United States.
- 's collection is published in
, India.
- The Finnish epic is published for
the first time in the , by American linguist .
- is founded in
, as
"Miss [Florence] Baldwin's School for Girls, Preparatory for ".
- starts the Quong Tuck
Company to supply construction workers to North American railroads.
- Global and brands are founded in the United
States:
- by in .
- as Abbott
Alkaloidal by Dr. Wallace C. Abbott in
.
- is founded in
the of
.
- First British tour of
Australia and New Zealand.
Births
January–February
<img src="Carlos_Quintanilla_-_CROPPED.jpg" title="Carlos Quintanilla"
width="160" height="160" alt="Carlos Quintanilla" /> <img src="Otto_Stern_1950s.jpg" title="Otto Stern" width="120"
alt="Otto Stern" />
- – , Swiss geochemist (d.
)
- – , Irish-born actor (d.
)
- – ,
admiral (d.
)
- – ,
aviation pioneer, yachtsman (d.
)
- – , American general (d.
)
- c. – Huddie William Ledbetter
(), American
, singer (d.
)
- – , 37th (d.
)
- – , Japanese admiral (d.
)
-
- , Austrian writer (d.
)
- , German aircraft
designer (d. )
- – , Chinese statesman (d.
)
- – , Australian swimmer (d.
)
- – ,
British admiral (d. )
- – , British actress (d.
)
- – , Prime Minister of
Greece (d. )
- – , Indian industrialist (d.
)
- – , German physicist, laureate (d. )
-
- , American
supercentenarian, last surviving person born in 1888 (d.
)
- ,
British admiral (d. )
- , (d.
)
- ,
Colombian writer (d. )
- – , French writer (d.
)
- – , (d.
)
-
- , German singer (d.
)
- ,
American historian (d. )
March–April
<figure>
<img src="Mrs._Henry_Wallace.jpg" title="Ilo Wallace" width="120"
alt="Ilo Wallace" />
<figcaption aria-hidden="true"><a href="Ilo_Wallace"
title="wikilink">Ilo Wallace</a></figcaption>
</figure>
- – , English cricketer (Leicestershire)
(d. )
- – , American football player, coach
(d. )
-
- , American
journalist (d. )
- , French writer
(d. )
-
- , Irish actor (d.
)
- , (d.
)
- – , German chemist noted for
synthesising (d. )
- – , Prime Minister of France (d.
)
- – , Swedish nurse (d.
)
- – ,
French diplomat, politician and historian (d.
)
-
- , Italian-born
American aerospace engineer, aviation pioneer (d.
)
- , American founder of
the
(d. )
- – , Swedish-American silent film
star (d. )
- – , American general (d.
)
- – Sir , British cricket, music writer
(d. )
- – , American admiral (d.
)
-
- , American professional
baseball player, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame (d.
)
- ,
Polish literary historian (d. )
-
- , German
filmmaker (d. )
- , German historian
(d. )
- – , 28th president of
Ecuador (d. )
- – , American player (d.
)
- – , American writer (d.
)
- – , Canadian actress (d.
)
May–June
<figure>
<img src="David_Dougal_Williams_(artist).jpg"
title="David Dougal Williams (artist)" width="100"
alt="David Dougal Williams (artist)" />
<figcaption aria-hidden="true"><a href="David_Dougal_Williams"
title="wikilink">David Dougal Williams</a> (artist)</figcaption>
</figure>
- – , French World War I fighter ace (d.
)
- – , Italian World War I fighter
ace (d. )
- – ,
Austrian-American composer (d. )
-
- , American composer (d.
)
- , American
admiral (d. )
- – , Danish seismologist, geophysicist
(d. )
- – , English cricketer (d.
)
- – , American general (d.
)
- – ,
American (d.
)
- – Stanley Sylvester Alexander Watkins,
English talking pictures pioneer
-
- , Japanese
general (d. )
- , English actor (d.
)
- – ,
French composer (d. )
- – , Prime Minister of Estonia (d.
)
- – , American actor (d.
)
- June – ,
English-born painter and art teacher working in Scotland (d.
)
- – , American jazz musician
(d. )
- – , French colonial official (d.
)
- – , American composer, pianist and
piano roll recording artist (d. )
- – , Australian illustrator
(d. )
- – , Portuguese writer (d.
)
- – , American mathematician, astronomer
and Christian apologist (d. )
- – , German general (d.
)
- – , New Zealand rugby
league footballer (d. )
-
- , Governor of Saint
Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla (d. )
- , American
politician,
(d. )
- – , American judge and politician (d.
)
-
- , Japanese
admiral (d. )
- , Dutch architect
(d. )
- – , New York stage director for
whom the is named (d.
)
- – , Australian underworld figure (d.
)
July–August
<img src="Herbert_Spencer_Gasser_nobel.jpg"
title="Herbert Spencer Gasser" width="120"
alt="Herbert Spencer Gasser" /> <img src="Zernike.jpg" title="Frits Zernike" width="120"
alt="Frits Zernike" />
- – , Romanian general (d.
)
- – , American physiologist,
laureate (d. )
- – , 8th Chief Engraver of the
United States Mint (d. )
- – ,
Chinese scholar of history and political science (d.
)
- – , Italian painter (d.
)
-
- , American actor (d.
)
- , Dutch physicist,
laureate (d.
)
- – , Israeli writer, laureate (d.
)
- – , American realtor,
lecturer and author (d. )
-
- , American
geologist (d. )
- , Ukrainian-born
biochemist, recipient of the (d.
)
- – , American-born novelist (d.
)
- – , German Waffen SS
general (d. )
- – , Indian Bohra
spiritual leader (d. )
-
- , director (d.
)
- , German
baritone (d. )
-
- , Japanese general (d.
)
- , Australian military
officer (d. )
- , French opera singer
(d. )
- – , German fighter
ace, air force general (d. )
-
- , Scottish
inventor (d. )
- ,
Russian-American sculptor (d. )
-
- , American jazz
musician (d. )
- ("Lawrence of
Arabia"), British liaison officer during the Arab Revolt, writer
and academic (d. )
- – , American actor (d.
)
- – , 2nd president of Vietnam (d.
)
- – , Pakistani scholar, politician
(d. )
- – , Maltese architect and
developer (d. )
- – , Australian-British writer, actress
and astrologer (d. )
-
- , Japanese admiral
(d. )
- , Italian stage and film
actress (d. )
September–October
<img src="Joseph_P._Kennedy,_Sr._1938.jpg" title="Joseph P. Kennedy Sr."
width="120" alt="Joseph P. Kennedy Sr." /> <img src="Maurice_Chevalier-publicity.jpg" title="Maurice Chevalier"
width="120" alt="Maurice Chevalier" /> <img src="Thomas_Stearns_Eliot_by_Lady_Ottoline_Morrell_(1934).jpg"
title="T. S. Eliot" width="120" alt="T. S. Eliot" /> <img src="Henry-A.-Wallace-Townsend.jpeg" title="Henry A. Wallace"
width="120" alt="Henry A. Wallace" />
- – , J. M. Barrie's inspiration for
the name "Wendy" in Peter Pan (d. )
- – , Indian
philosopher, politician and 2nd (d. )
-
- ,
American politician (d. )
- , Chinese drug baron (d.
)
- – , French singer and actor
(d. )
- – , Indian social
reformer and philanthropist (d. )
-
- ,
Finnish writer, laureate (d.
)
- , English engineer,
entrepreneur (d. )
- – , Japanese agricultural
scientist (d. )
- – , British impostor, writer (d.
)
- – , American
supercentenarian,
between 1999 and 2001 (d. )
-
- , American
folklorist, journalist (d. )
- , British (American-born)
poet,
laureate (d. )
- – , English actor (d.
)
-
- , Kaw tribal
chief (d. )
- , German
general (d. )
- – , French pilot (killed in
action )
- – ,
(d.
)
- – , German psychiatrist (d.
)
- – , Russian Bolshevik
and Soviet politician (d. )
- – , New Zealand fiction
writer (d. )
-
- , Romanian general (d.
)
- , American
playwright,
laureate (d. )
- , American eugenicist (d.
)
- , Soviet
politician (d. )
- – , Swiss mathematician (d.
)
- – , Indian freedom
fighter and poet (d.
)
-
- , Romanian
general (d. )
- , Japanese
academic, bibliographer (d. )
- – , Italian admiral
(d. )
- – , American actor (d.
)
- – , Romanian general (d.
)
- – , American admiral (d.
)
- – , Australian explorer of the
Arctic (d. )
November–December
<img src="Sir_CV_Raman.JPG" title="Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman"
width="120" alt="Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman" /> <img src="Harpo_Marx_1948.jpg" title="Harpo Marx" width="120"
alt="Harpo Marx" /> <img src="Oswald_Rayner.jpg" title="Oswald Rayner" width="120"
alt="Oswald Rayner" /> <img src="GladysCooper.jpg" title="Gladys Cooper" width="120"
alt="Gladys Cooper" /> <img src="Friedrich_Wilhelm_Murnau.jpg" title="F. W. Murnau" width="120"
alt="F. W. Murnau" />
-
- , German artist, made
110 paintings and drawings during World War I while interned as
a prisoner of war (d. )
- , Polish-Lithuanian
saint, the Apostle of
(d. )
- ,
7th Premier of Tonga (d. )
-
- , Ukrainian
anarcho-communist revolutionary (d. )
- , Indian
physicist, laureate (d.
)
- – , French political economist,
diplomat and a (d.
)
- – , American writer, creator of the character (d.
)
- – , Greek actor, (d.
)
-
- , Cuban
(1921–1927) (d. )
- ,
Norwegian scientist (d. )
- – , Uruguayan composer and
musician (d. )
- – , American comedian (d.
)
- – , Uruguayan-born violinist,
composer (d. )
-
- , American writer,
lecturer (d. )
- , British actress
(d. )
- – , American collector (d. )
- – , British
agent (d.
)
- – , American electronics researcher,
inventor (d. )
- – Rabbi , Polish-born Chief Rabbi
of Ireland and Israel (d. )
-
- King (d.
)
- , American admiral
(d. )
- – , British actor, comedian (d.
)
-
- , Northern Irish author (d.
)
- , Japanese admiral
(d. )
- – , French general, (d. )
-
- Dame , English actress
(d. )
- , American civil
engineer, public works director, highway and bridge builder (d.
)
- – , Hungarian conductor (d.
)
- – , German-born Israeli historian (d.
)
- – , American admiral
(d. )
- – , French orientalist (d.
)
- – , German film director (d.
)
Date unknown
- , (d.
)
- , Romanian general
(d. )
- , Romanian general
(d. )
- , Romanian general
(d. )
- , 3-time prime minister
of Jordan (d. )
- ,
first Venezuelan woman to study medicine in Venezuela (d.
)
Deaths
January–June
<img src="Kaiser_Wilhelm_I._.JPG" title="Wilhelm I" width="110"
alt="Wilhelm I" /> <img src="Ascanio_Sobrero.jpg" title="Ascanio Sobrero" width="110"
alt="Ascanio Sobrero" /> <img src="_Emperor_Friedrich_III.png" title="Frederick III" width="110"
alt="Frederick III" />
- – , Bengali landlord and
philanthropist (b. )
- – , German biologist (b.
)
- – , Texas lawyer,
southern statesman (b. )
- – , British artist, writer (b.
)
- – , Italian priest, youth worker,
educator and founder of the (b. )
- – , British jurist (b.
)
- – , Dutch painter (b.
)
- – , British women's rights
activist (b. )
- – , American hunter, settler (b.
)
-
- , American
novelist (b. )
- , Serbian botanist (b.
)
- – , King of Prussia (b.
)
- – , founder of the
(b. )
- – , French statesman (b.
)
- – , (b.
)
- – , Italian mathematician (b.
)
- – , French composer, pianist
(b. )
- – , victim (b.
)
- – , Polish chemist (b.
)
- – , English poet (b.
)
- – , American archaeologist,
newspaper editor (b. )
- – , English engineer (b.
)
- – , German-born American brewer
and businessman (b. )
- – , American archaeologist,
physician (b. )
- – , United States politician (b.
)
- – , Italian chemist (b.
)
- – , French general, (b. )
- – , British
army general (b. )
- – , King of Prussia
(b. )
- – , British psychologist (b.
)
July–December
<img src="Paul_Langerhans_1878.jpg" title="Paul Langerhans" width="110"
alt="Paul Langerhans" /> <img src="John_Pemberton.jpg" title="John Pemberton" width="110"
alt="John Pemberton" /> <img src="Carl_Zeiss_from_Auerbach_1907.png" title="Carl Zeiss"
width="110" alt="Carl Zeiss" />
- – , Jewish religious leader (b.
)
- – , German writer (b.
)
- – , 4th president of the
(b.
)
- – , German pathologist,
biologist (b. )
- – , American general (b.
)
- – , possible first victim of (b. )
- – , French poet (b.
)
- – , American founder of
(b. )
- – , Welsh peace campaigner (b.
)
- – , British scientist (b.
)
- – , German physicist, contributor
to (b.
)
- – , first confirmed victim of
(b.
)
- – , American theater
impresario (b. )
- – , victim of (b. )
- – , Argentine
politician, writer, and father of education (b.
)
- – , French general (b.
)
- – , German philosopher (b.
)
-
- , victim of
(b.
)
- , victim of (b.
)
-
- , American author
of the hymn It Is Well With My Soul (b.
)
- ,
Mayor of Chicago (b. )
- - , American politician
(b. )
- – , Russian explorer (b.
)
- – , fifth and final confirmed victim
of (b.
)
- – , British army
officer and aristocrat (b. )
- – , Chilean pirate active in the
. He was
executed.
- – , Romanian/Albanian writer and
nationalist (b. )
- – , American commodore (b.
)
- – ,
patriotic poet, social reformer (b. )
- – , German optician, founder of Carl
Zeiss AG (b. )
- – , American admiral (b.
)
- – , victim (b.
)
- – , Russian statesman,
general (b. )
-
- ,
German rabbi (b. )
- , American
surveyor and politician (b. )
Date unknown
<figure>
<img src="Caroline_Howard_Gilman_by_John_Wesley_Jarvis_circa_1820.jpeg"
title="Caroline Howard Gilman" width="110"
alt="Caroline Howard Gilman" />
<figcaption aria-hidden="true"><a href="Caroline_Howard_Gilman"
title="wikilink">Caroline Howard Gilman</a></figcaption>
</figure>
References
Bibliography
Further reading and year books
- 1888 Annual Cyclopedia
(1889)
highly detailed coverage of "Political, Military, and Ecclesiastical
Affairs; Public Documents; Biography, Statistics, Commerce, Finance,
Literature, Science, Agriculture, and Mechanical Industry" for year
1888; massive compilation of facts and primary documents; worldwide
coverage; 831 pp
Original source: 1888. Shared with Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License
Categories