The world in
What happened in 1889?
16 events across 5 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
- Mayerling Incident
On 30 January 1889, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and his mistress, Baroness Mary Vetsera, were discovered dead at the Mayerling hunting lodge. The explanation most widely accepted is that the deaths resulted from a murder–suicide involving the couple. Rudolf, the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth, was heir apparent to Austria-Hungary.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Opening of the Guimet Museum
In 1889, the Guimet Museum officially opened in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France, initially called the Museum of Religions. Its establishment marked the birth of one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Asian art outside of Asia.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Completion of the Mole Antonelliana
The Mole Antonelliana, a monumental masonry dome named after architect Alessandro Antonelli, was completed in 1889 in Turin. Standing 167.5 metres tall, it became the city's symbol and one of Europe's tallest masonry structures. Construction began in 1863 and took 26 years. It later housed the National Museum of Cinema.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Amsterdam Central Station opens
Amsterdam Central Station, the main railway station of Amsterdam, Netherlands, opened in 1889. Construction began in 1881, and it became the largest railway station in the city and a major international hub.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Founding of the National Etruscan Museum in Rome
Around the late 19th century, the National Etruscan Museum was founded in Rome, Italy. Housed in the Villa Giulia, the museum is dedicated to the Etruscan and Faliscan civilizations and is the most important Etruscan museum in the world.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Foundation of the Episcopal Palace of Astorga
In 1889, construction began on the Episcopal Palace of Astorga in Spain under architect Antoni Gaudí. The building, designed in the Catalan Modernisme style, is one of only three works by Gaudí outside Catalonia.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
North America
- Outbreak of the Caste War of Yucatán
In 1847, the Indigenous Maya people of the Yucatán Peninsula launched an armed revolt against the Hispanic population, known as the Caste War. The uprising stemmed from the latter's political and economic dominance since the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, and it is considered one of the most successful modern Native American revolts. The conflict primarily unfolded between government forces in the northwest and independent Maya groups in the southeast, lasting nearly five decades.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Johnstown Flood of 1889
On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam in Pennsylvania failed after heavy rains, releasing over 14 million cubic meters of water. A wall of water destroyed Johnstown, killing around 2,200 people in the deadliest flash flood in U.S. history.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Opening of the Johns Hopkins Hospital
In 1889, the Johns Hopkins Hospital opened in Baltimore, Maryland, endowed by merchant Johns Hopkins. The hospital and its medical school are considered the founding institutions of modern American medicine and the birthplace of medical traditions such as residency training.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Founding of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park
In 1889, the Smithsonian National Zoological Park was founded in Washington, D.C., becoming one of the oldest zoos in the United States. Managed by the Smithsonian Institution, it offers free admission and is dedicated to providing animal experiences and advancing wildlife conservation.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
East Asia
- Meiji Restoration
The Meiji Restoration was a series of modernising reforms carried out in Japan between 1868 and 1889. It began with the restoration of imperial rule in 1868, overthrowing the Tokugawa shogunate and the warrior government that had ruled Japan for over six hundred years, and bringing an end to the feudal system. During the reforms, Japan actively adopted Western ideas, production methods and technology, rapidly industrialised, and underwent fundamental changes to its political and social structure, transforming the country into a modern power.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Self-Strengthening Movement Begins
Qing officials launched the Self-Strengthening Movement in 1861, aiming to strengthen China by adopting Western military technology. Though lasting until 1895, its beginning marked the start of modern industrialization and military modernization in China.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- 1887 Yellow River flood
In late September 1887, a massive breach of the Yellow River occurred near Zhengzhou, Henan, China, killing at least 930,000 people. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history and the most fatal flood in Chinese history.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
North Africa
- Mahdist War
The Mahdist War (1881–1899) was a colonial conflict between the Mahdist Sudanese, led by Muhammad Ahmad who proclaimed himself the Mahdi, and the forces of Egypt and later Britain. Beginning in 1881, the Mahdists overthrew Egyptian rule in Sudan and established a Mahdist state. The British later joined the conflict alongside Egypt, eventually defeating the Mahdists. The war involved other powers such as Italy, the Congo Free State, Ethiopia, and France, and was marked by internal rebellions and famine.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- French conquest of Algeria
Between 1830 and 1904, France launched a military invasion and prolonged war of conquest in Algeria. In June 1830, French forces landed near Algiers, quickly seizing the capital and coastal areas. Over the following decades, despite internal political strife, France repeatedly reinforced its military presence to suppress resistance in the interior, gradually extending control southward into the Sahara, and finalizing its colonial borders by 1904.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
South Asia
- Outbreak of the Aceh War
In early 1873, discussions between representatives of the Aceh Sultanate and the United States in Singapore provoked the Netherlands, leading to a Dutch military attack on Aceh and the start of the Aceh War. The conflict was part of a series of late 19th-century wars that consolidated Dutch rule over modern-day Indonesia, ultimately ending in 1904 with the Dutch annexation of Aceh and control over the entire Indonesian archipelago. The war lasted over three decades, resulting in around 4,000 Dutch and 25,000 Acehnese deaths.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Around 1889
These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.
- Second Industrial Revolution
- Emergence of the Enlightenment
- Museum Island construction begins
- Completion of Dom Pedro V Theatre
- Establishment of Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Industrial Heritage
- Construction of Hôtel Solvay begins
- Founding of Kulangsu as an International Settlement
- Construction of the Four Hydraulic Boat Lifts on the Canal du Centre begins