Year by year · 19th century

1889

1889 in world history: 17 events, 22 births, 16 deaths, 4 works, 4 states founded and 4 that came to an end. 919 recorded states existed that year.

Events

31 March
Gustave Eiffel inaugurates his tower in Paris
Eiffel climbed the stairs of his newly completed tower to raise the French flag for the Exposition Universelle. At 300 metres it was the tallest structure in the world until 1930.
Paris
6 May
Paris Exposition Universelle opens beneath the Eiffel Tower
The world's fair marking the centenary of the French Revolution opened in Paris. Its entrance arch, Gustave Eiffel's iron tower, was then the tallest structure in the world.
Paris
8 July
The Wall Street Journal publishes its first issue
Dow Jones and Company, founded by Charles Dow, Edward Jones and Charles Bergstresser, launched the Wall Street Journal. It became one of the world's most influential financial newspapers.
2 November
North and South Dakota become US states
President Benjamin Harrison signed proclamations admitting North and South Dakota on the same day. He shuffled the papers so no one would know which was signed first.
14 November
Nellie Bly sets out to beat Phileas Fogg's 80 days
New York World reporter Nellie Bly left Hoboken to travel around the world faster than Jules Verne's fictional hero. She returned in just over 72 days, a world record at the time.
New York
15 November
A military coup makes Brazil a republic
Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca led a coup in Rio de Janeiro that deposed Emperor Pedro II and proclaimed the Republic of Brazil. The 64-year-old emperor went into exile in Europe.
Brazilian Empire Deodoro da Fonseca Rio de Janeiro Brazil
23 November
The first coin-operated phonograph plays in San Francisco
Louis Glass installed a coin-in-the-slot phonograph at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco. Listening through tubes, customers paid a nickel a song, the ancestor of the jukebox.
Event
Tenterfield Oration
The Tenterfield Oration was a speech given on 24 October 1889 at the School of Arts in Tenterfield, New South Wales, by the colony's premier Sir Henry Parkes.
Battle
Battle of Gallabat
The Battle of Gallabat, or Metemma, was fought on 9–10 March 1889 on the Sudan–Ethiopia border between the Ethiopian emperor Yohannes IV and the army of the Mahdist State.
Treaty
Treaty of Berlin (1889)
The Treaty of Berlin of 1889 was an agreement between Germany, Britain and the United States on the future of Samoa, made after the crisis at Apia earlier that year.
Revolution
Proclamation of the Republic (Brazil)
The Proclamation of the Republic was the military coup of 15 November 1889 that overthrew the Brazilian monarchy.
Battle
Battle of Toski
The Battle of Toski was fought on 3 August 1889 near Toshki on the Nile in southern Egypt.
Treaty
Treaty of Wuchale
The Treaty of Wuchale was signed on 2 May 1889 between Menelik II of Ethiopia and Italy.

ProfileState798 states with a known seat in 1889Open the atlas at 1889 →

In the profiles

Brazilian EmpireMarshal Deodoro da Fonseca's coup ends the monarchy
Empire of JapanMeiji Constitution establishes a constitutional monarchy with an Imperial Diet

Wars and longer events

Born in 1889 22

Died in 1889 16

Works 4

States founded 4

States that came to an end 4

All years → The 19th century →

Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1889. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1889
MLA: “1889.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1889. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “1889.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1889.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1889’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1889 (Accessed: ).