1881: what happened around the world

In 1881, 47 events recorded on Erask's globe began — Mahdist War, assassination of James A. Garfield and assassination of Alexander II of Russia among the best known. 63 more were already under way, such as War of the Pacific and First Boer War. 71 things were founded or built that year, from Kinshasa and Kingdom of Romania.

47events began
63already under way
71founded or built
See 1881 on the globe →

Wars, battles and sieges18

Accidents and fires10

Revolts, massacres and attacks8

Treaties, councils and politics6

Disasters3

Expeditions2

Already under way in 188163

Came to an end in 18816

Founded or built in 188171

+41 more, on the globe.

Stories that pass through 1881

Volcanic EruptionsEvery significant eruption on record since 1500 How America Filled UpEvery American city of 60,000 people, in the year it began

Nearby years

1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 All of the 19th century →

Every entry comes from Wikidata and links to its Wikipedia article; entries are ordered by how many language editions of Wikipedia cover them. Only things with a date are listed, and dates before the modern era are often approximate. How this is made →