1890
Bismarck Dismissed
After twenty-eight years of running Germany, the Iron Chancellor was pushed into retirement by the young Kaiser Wilhelm II, who wanted to be his own minister.
Wounded Knee Massacre
On a frozen creek in South Dakota, the 7th Cavalry - Custer's old regiment - opened fire on a disarmed Lakota encampment.
Sherman Antitrust Act
Passed almost unanimously by Congress in a burst of populist fury against the railroad and oil monopolies, the Sherman Act outlawed "every contract…
Van Gogh Dies
In Auvers-sur-Oise, Vincent van Gogh shot himself in a wheatfield and lingered two days before dying in his brother Theo's arms.
Ghost Dance Spreads
A Paiute prophet named Wovoka had a vision that the dead would return, the buffalo come back, and the whites vanish if native people danced.
How the Other Half Lives
Jacob Riis, a Danish-born police reporter, published a book of photographs and text documenting the tenements of New York's Lower East Side.
Ibsen's Hedda Gabler
Henrik Ibsen's chilly drama of a bored officer's wife who burns a manuscript and shoots herself with her father's pistol scandalized Europe.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1890?
Saeculum lists 7 events from 1890. The most significant is Bismarck Dismissed: After twenty-eight years of running Germany, the Iron Chancellor was pushed into retirement by the young Kaiser Wilhelm II, who wanted to be his own minister.
What era was 1890 part of?
1890 falls within the Industrial Age (1801-1900). Steam, empire, and the unmaking of the old order.
Which regions saw notable events in 1890?
The events from 1890 span Europe and North America.