1886
Gold at Witwatersrand
A prospector named George Harrison picked up a chunk of ore on an Afrikaner farm in the Transvaal and recognized reef gold.
Haymarket Affair
At a labor rally in Chicago's Haymarket Square, a bomb thrown into a line of advancing police killed seven officers.
Third Anglo-Burmese War
British troops took Mandalay in a brief campaign and exiled King Thibaw and his queen Supayalat to India.
Statue of Liberty Dedicated
Bartholdi's enormous copper figure of Liberty, a gift from France, was dedicated on Bedloe's Island in New York harbor by President Cleveland.
Geronimo Surrenders
After thirty years of raiding across the Arizona and Sonora borderlands, the Chiricahua Apache leader Geronimo surrendered to General Nelson Miles in Skeleton…
Coca-Cola Invented
In Atlanta, a morphine-addicted Confederate veteran turned pharmacist named John Pemberton stirred up a tonic of coca-leaf extract, kola-nut caffeine…
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1886?
Saeculum lists 6 events from 1886. The most significant is Gold at Witwatersrand: A prospector named George Harrison picked up a chunk of ore on an Afrikaner farm in the Transvaal and recognized reef gold.
What era was 1886 part of?
1886 falls within the Industrial Age (1801-1900). Steam, empire, and the unmaking of the old order.
Which regions saw notable events in 1886?
The events from 1886 span Africa, North America and Southeast Asia.