Year by year · 19th century

1896

1896 in world history: 28 events, 16 births, 19 deaths, 3 states founded and 5 that came to an end. 878 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 1 February

    Puccini's 'La bohème' premieres in Turin

    Conducted by the young Arturo Toscanini at the Teatro Regio, Puccini's opera of struggling artists in Paris received a cool critical welcome. Audiences loved it, and it became one of the most performed operas.

    Paris

  2. 1 March

    Ethiopia defeats Italy at the Battle of Adwa

    Emperor Menelik II's army routed an Italian invasion force in northern Ethiopia. The victory forced Italy to recognise Ethiopian independence and became a lasting symbol of African resistance.

    Italian EmpireBattle of AdwaMenelik IIEthiopia

  3. 1 March

    Henri Becquerel discovers radioactivity

    Becquerel found that uranium salts left in a drawer had fogged a photographic plate without any sunlight. He had discovered radioactivity, soon investigated by Marie and Pierre Curie.

  4. 6 April

    First modern Olympic Games open in Athens

    King George I of Greece opened the first modern Olympics at the Panathenaic Stadium. Revived by Pierre de Coubertin, the Games drew some 240 athletes from 14 nations.

    AthensGreece

  5. 18 May

    Plessy v. Ferguson upholds 'separate but equal'

    The US Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation on Louisiana railways did not violate the Constitution. The decision underpinned Jim Crow laws until Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.

    Louisiana

  6. 26 May

    Nicholas II is crowned Tsar of Russia

    Nicholas II and Alexandra were crowned in the Kremlin's Dormition Cathedral. Days later more than a thousand people died in a crush at the celebrations on Khodynka Field, a grim omen for the reign.

    Russian EmpireNicholas II

  7. 2 June

    Guglielmo Marconi applies for a wireless telegraphy patent

    The young Italian inventor filed his application in London for a system of telegraphy without wires. Within five years his signals had crossed the Atlantic.

    London

  8. 16 August

    Gold is found on Bonanza Creek in the Klondike

    George Carmack, Skookum Jim and Dawson Charlie struck gold on a tributary of the Klondike River in the Yukon. When news reached the south in 1897, some 100,000 people set out for the goldfields.

  9. 17 August

    Bridget Driscoll becomes Britain's first pedestrian killed by a car

    Bridget Driscoll was struck by a demonstration car in the grounds of the Crystal Palace in London. The coroner hoped such a thing would never happen again.

    London

  10. 10 December

    Alfred Nobel dies in San Remo

    Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist who invented dynamite, died in Italy. His will left most of his fortune to fund prizes, first awarded on the anniversary of his death in 1901.

  11. War

    Anglo-Zanzibar War

    The Anglo-Zanzibar War was a brief conflict on 27 August 1896 between Britain and the Sultanate of Zanzibar.

  12. Event

    Coup of Rucunshu

    The Coup of Rucunshu was a succession struggle at the Rwandan court in late 1896.

  13. Treaty · Peace

    Treaty of Addis Ababa

    The Treaty of Addis Ababa was signed in 1896 between Ethiopia and Italy after the Ethiopian victory at the Battle of Adwa.

  14. Battle

    Battle of Adibo

    The Battle of Adibo was fought in 1896 near Yendi, in what is now northern Ghana, between German colonial forces advancing from Togo and the army of the Dagomba kingdom of Dagbon.

  15. Battle

    Battle of Shangi

    The Battle of Shangi was fought in 1896 in south-western Rwanda, near Lake Kivu, when a Rwandan army attacked a post set up by the Congo Free State.

ProfileState773 states with a known seat in 1896Open the atlas at 1896 →

In the profiles

Wars and longer events

Born in 1896 16

Died in 1896 19

States founded 3

States that came to an end 5

All years → The 19th century →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1896. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1896
MLA
“1896.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1896. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1896.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1896.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1896’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1896 (Accessed: ).