1881
Alexander II Assassinated
On a Sunday drive along a St. Petersburg canal, a bomb thrown by a young revolutionary named Rysakov wounded the tsar's Cossacks.
Mahdi's Revolt Begins
In Sudan, a Dongolawi Sufi named Muhammad Ahmad declared himself the Mahdi - the messianic figure expected by Muslims at the end of the age - and called…
Garfield Shot
President James Garfield was shot by a disappointed office-seeker in a Washington railway station.
First Russian Pogroms
After Alexander II's assassination, anti-Jewish riots swept through southern Russia: Jewish shops burned, synagogues desecrated, hundreds killed.
Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee
A young African American educator opened a normal school in a rented shanty in rural Alabama with thirty students.
Gunfight at OK Corral
In Tombstone, Arizona, the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday exchanged about thirty seconds of gunfire with the Clanton-McLaury gang in a narrow lot…
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1881?
Saeculum lists 6 events from 1881. The most significant is Alexander II Assassinated: On a Sunday drive along a St. Petersburg canal, a bomb thrown by a young revolutionary named Rysakov wounded the tsar's Cossacks.
What era was 1881 part of?
1881 falls within the Industrial Age (1801-1900). Steam, empire, and the unmaking of the old order.
Which regions saw notable events in 1881?
The events from 1881 span Europe, Africa and North America.