What Happened in 1896

'Salome' Premieres in Paris

Rehearsals for the play's debut on the London stage began in 1892, but were halted when the Lord Chamberlain's licensor of plays banned Salomé on... Read more

William "Buffalo Bill" Cody founds the city of Cody, Wyoming

In 1895, William Cody was instrumental in the founding of Cody, the seat of Park County in northwestern Wyoming. The site where the community was... Read more

Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius quantifies carbon dioxide's role in warming the Earth

Arrhenius developed a theory to explain the ice ages, and first speculated that changes in the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could... Read more

Utah is the 45th State Admitted to the Union

The Utah constitution was adopted November 5, 1895, by a vote of 31,305 to 7,607. On January 4, 1896, the president of the United States issued a... Read more

The First Unofficial College Basketball Game

On January 16, 1896, Henry F. Kallenberg, an instructor of physical education at the University of Iowa, welcomed Amos Alonzo Stagg, athletic... Read more

Winnipeg Victorias win Stanley Cup

February 14, 1896 Stanley Cup winners George Merritt(goal), Rod Flett(point), Fred Higginbotham (coverpoint), Charles Johnston(coverpoint), Dan... Read more

Charles King drives first automobile on streets of Detroit

Charles King drove the first car on the streets of Detroit-his design was powered by a four cycle, four cylinder block type, a type that became the... Read more

Sutro Baths Is Opened

On March 14, 1896, San Francisco celebrated the official opening of the Sutro Baths, an extravagant public bathhouse envisioned and developed by... Read more

First Modern Summer Olympics, Games of the I Olympiad, Held in Athens, Greece

The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in Athens,... Read more

Plessy v. Ferguson Final Ruling

Plessy v. Ferguson is a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in the jurisprudence of the United States, upholding the constitutionality of racial... Read more

Khodynka Tragedy

Nicholas II was crowned Tsar of Russia on May 14 , 1896. Four days later, a banquet was going to be held for the people at Khodynka Field. In the... Read more

Point Ellice Bridge Disaster

On May 26, 1896 in Victoria, British Columbia, a streetcar crowded with 143 holidaymakers on their way to attend celebrations of Queen Victoria’s... Read more

St. Louis-East St. Louis Tornado of 1896

This tornado, which was to be one of the deadliest in US history, touched down about 6 miles west of the Eads Bridge in St. Louis. From the... Read more

Meiji-Sanriku Earthquake

Twenty-seven thousand people died in a huge tsunami that swept over the seaport of Kamaishi, Japan, on June 15, 1896. A local earthquake cause mild... Read more

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Is Born

Journalist, short-story writer, and novelist Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings was born on August 8, 1896, in Washington, D.C. Rawlings is best known for... Read more

Skookum Party Discovers Gold Deposits in Bonanza Creek, Yukon

In August 1896, three people led by Keish (Skookum Jim Mason), a member of the Tagish First Nations, headed north, down the Yukon River from the... Read more

The Crash at Crush

Crush, Texas, was a temporary "city" established as a one-day publicity stunt in 1896. William George Crush, general passenger agent of the... Read more

F. Scott Fitzgerald Is Born

Writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, best known for his classic American novel The Great Gatsby, was born on September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota.... Read more

Winston Churchill Is Transferred To Bombay

In early October 1896, he was transferred to Bombay, British India. He was considered one of the best polo players in his regiment and led his team... Read more

Cahaba River Bridge Train Wreck

A special to the Commercial Appeal from Birmingham, Ala., says: Fiends in human form wrecked the Birmingham Mineral branch passenger train No. 40... Read more

Montreal Victorias win Stanley Cup

After losing a challenge earlier in the year to Winnipeg, the Montreal Victorias wasted in requesting a rematch in order to bring back the Cup to... Read more