What happened in 1891

12 entries recorded for 1891, listed by date. That was 135 years ago.

1891 at a glance

January 29
Liliʻuokalani
Historical event
Liliʻuokalani, the last monarch and only queen regnant of the Hawaiian Kingdom, ascended the throne.

February 13
Whitechapel murders
Historical event
Frances Coles was killed in the last of eleven unsolved murders of women that took place in or near the impoverished Whitechapel district in the East End of London.

March 3
Shoshone National Forest
Historical event
Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming was established as the first national forest in the United States.
March 9
Kaʻiulani
Historical event
Kaʻiulani (pictured) was appointed the heir apparent to the throne of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
March 17
SS Utopia
Historical event
The transatlantic steamship Utopia accidentally collided with the battleship HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar, sinking in less than twenty minutes and killing 562.

April 23
Chilean Civil War of 1891
Historical event
Chilean Civil War: The armored frigate Blanco Encalada (pictured) was sunk at the Battle of Caldera Bay, the first ironclad warship lost to a self-propelled torpedo.

May 5
Carnegie Hall
Historical event
Carnegie Hall (interior pictured) in New York City, built by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, officially opened with a concert conducted by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
May 15
Pope Leo XIII
Historical event
Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Rerum novarum, which addressed the condition of the working classes and is considered to be the foundation of modern Catholic social teaching.

July 23
Kronstadt–Toulon naval visits
Historical event
During a visit of the French Navy to Kronstadt in Russia, the two nations reached a secret agreement on a joint response to any future war in Europe.

August 16
San Sebastian Church (Manila)
Historical event
San Sebastian Church (pictured), an all-iron church in Manila, was officially consecrated.
August 18
1891 Martinique hurricane
Historical event
A hurricane struck the Caribbean island of Martinique, killing about 700 people, injuring at least 1,000 others, and causing severe damage.

October 1
Stanford University
Historical event
Stanford University (pictured), founded by railroad magnate and politician Leland Stanford and his wife Jane in Palo Alto, California, admitted its first students.

This site records 12 entries for 1891, including Liliʻuokalani on January 29. They are listed below by date.

135 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1891 turns 135 this year.

1891 falls in the 19th century, in the 1890s.

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

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