1896
| Years: 1893 1894 1895 - 1896 - 1897 1898 1899 | |
| Decades: 1860s 1870s 1880s - 1890s - 1900s 1910s 1920s | |
| Centuries: 18th century - 19th century - 20th century 1896 in topic: Lists of leaders: | |
1896 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar).
| Contents |
Events
January - April
- January 4 - Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
- January 5 - An Austrian newspaper reports that Wilhelm Röntgen discovered a type of radiation later known as X-rays.
- January 12 - H.L. Smith takes the first X-ray photograph.
- January 18 - The X-ray machine is exhibited for the first time.
- February 1 - The opera La bohème premieres (Turin).
- February 11 - Oscar Wilde's play Salomé premieres in Paris.
- March 1 - With the Battle of Adowa, Ethiopia defended its independence from Italy.
- 3 April - First edition of Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport is published.
- 6 April - Opening ceremonies of the 1896 Summer Olympics, the first modern Olympic Games.
May - August
- May 8 - Against Warwickshire, Yorkshire sets a still-standing County Championship record when they accumulate an innings total of 887.
- May 18 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Plessy v Ferguson, introducing the "Separate but Equal" doctrine.
- May 26 - Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
- June 12 - J.T. Hearne sets a record for the earliest date of taking 100 wickets. It is equalled by Charlie Parker in 1931.
- June 15 ? Earthquake and tsunami in Sanriku, Japan, kills 27.000
- July 9 - William Jennings Bryan delivers his Cross of gold speech.
- July 11 - Wilfrid Laurier becomes Canada's seventh prime minister.
- August 16 - Skookum Jim Mason, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie discover gold in the Klondike.
- August 27 - The shortest war in the world - 9.02 - 9.40 between Britain and Zanzibar
September - December
- October 3 ? Dalton brothers try to rob two banks but only Emmet Dalton survives the shootout
- November - William McKinley defeats William Jennings Bryan in the U.S. presidential election.
Unknown date
- Nepalese archaeologists rediscover the great stone pillar of Ashoka at Lumbini, using Fa Xian's records.
- Pontifical University of Maynooth is established by decree of the Vatican
- France establishes an administrative post in Abengourou, Ivory Coast.
Births
- January 2 - Dziga Vertov, Russian filmmaker (d. 1954)
- January 4 - Everett Dirksen, American politician (d. 1969)
- André Masson, French artist (d. 1987)
- January 12 - Rex Ingram, Irish director and actor (d. 1950)
- January 14 - Martin Niemöller, German theologian and pacifist (d. 1984)
- John Dos Passos, American author (d. 1970)
- January 20 - George Burns, American comedian (d. 1996)
- January 23 - Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg (d. 1985)
- February 18 - André Breton, French writer (d. 1966)
- March 1 - Dimitri Mitropoulos, Greek conductor, pianist, and composer (d. 1960)
- March 20 - Wilfrid Reid "Wop" May, Canadian World War I pilot (d. 1952)
- March 29 - Wilhelm Ackermann, German mathematician (d. 1962)
- April 30 - Gary Davis, American musician (d. 1972)
- May 11 - Mari Sandoz, writer (d. 1966)
- May 30 - Howard Hawks, American director (d. 1977)
- June 19 - Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor (d. 1986)
- July 2 - Quirino Cristiani, Argentine animated film director (d. 1984)
- July 16 - Trygve Lie, first United Nations Secretary General (d. 1968)
- August 9 - Jean Piaget, Swiss developmental psychologist (d. 1980)
- August 18 - Jack Pickford, American actor (d. 1933)
- August 30 - Raymond Massey, Canadian-born actor (d. 1983)
- September 24 - F. Scott Fitzgerald, American writer (d. 1940)
- October 1 - Liaquat Ali Khan, first Prime Minister of Pakistan (d. 1951)
- October 28 - Howard Hanson, American composer (d. 1981)
- October 31 - Ethel Waters, American singer and actress (d. 1977)
- November 8 - Bucky Harris, Baseball Hall of Famer (d. 1977)
- November 10 - Jimmy Dykes, Major League Baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
- November 14 - Mamie Eisenhower, First Lady of the United States of America (d. 1979)
- November 16 - Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists (d. 1980)
- November 17 - Lev Vygotsky, Russian developmental psychologist (d. 1934)
- December 6 - Ira Gershwin, American lyricist (d. 1983)
- December 14 - Jimmy Doolittle, American World War II general (d. 1993)
Deaths
- January 4 - Joseph Hubert Reinkens, German Old Catholic bishop (b. 1821)
- January 8 - Paul Verlaine, French lyric poet (b. 1844)
- April 30 - Hamilton Disston, Floridan developer (b. 1844)
- May 20 - Clara Schumann, German composer (b. 1819)
- August 10 - Otto Lilienthal, German aviation pioneer (b. 1848)
- August 17 - Bridget Driscoll, world's first automobile fatality
- October 11 - Anton Bruckner, Austrian composer (b. 1824)
- October 11 - Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1829)
- October 23 ? Columbus Delano, American statesman (b. 1809)
- December 10 - Alfred Nobel, Swedish inventor of dynamite and creator of the Nobel Prize (b. 1833)
- December 30 - José Rizal, national hero of the Philippines (b. 1861)