What happened in 1886

9 entries recorded for 1886, listed by date. That was 140 years ago.

1886 at a glance

February 23
Charles Martin Hall
Historical event
American inventor Charles Martin Hall discovered an inexpensive method of producing aluminium.

May 4
Labour movement
Historical event
During a labor rally in Chicago, a bomb explosion and gunfire led to the deaths of eight police officers and four members of the public.

June 2
Wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom
Historical event
The wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom (wedding depicted) took place in the White House, in the only time that a U.S. president has married in the building.
June 10
Mount Tarawera
Historical event
Mount Tarawera, a volcano in New Zealand's North Island, erupted (depicted), killing around 120 people and creating the Waimangu Volcanic Rift Valley.
June 26
Henri Moissan
Historical event
French chemist Henri Moissan successfully isolated elemental fluorine (pictured in liquid state), for which he later won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

August 31
1886 Charleston earthquake
Historical event
The 7.0 Mw Charleston earthquake struck southeastern South Carolina with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing 60 people and causing damage worth an estimated $5–6 million.

September 4
United States Army
Historical event
After more than 25 years of fighting against the United States Army and the armed forces of Mexico, Geronimo of the Chiricahua Apache surrendered at Skeleton Canyon in Arizona.

October 28
New York Harbor
Historical event
In New York Harbor, U.S. president Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue of Liberty (pictured), a gift from France commemorating the Declaration of Independence.

December 11
Association football
Historical event
The London-based football club Arsenal, then known as Dial Square, played their first match on the Isle of Dogs.

This site records 9 entries for 1886, including Charles Martin Hall on February 23. They are listed below by date.

140 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1886 turns 140 this year.

1886 falls in the 19th century, in the 1880s.

Lost Generation (1883–1900). Came of age during the First World War.

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