- January 4 - The Fabian Society is founded in London .
- January 18 - Dr William Price attempts to Cremate the body of his infant son, Jesus Christ Price, setting a legal precedent for cremation in the UK.
- February 1 - Edition one of the '' Oxford English Dictionary '' is published.
- March 13 - The siege of Khartoum , Sudan begins (ends on January 26 , 1885 ).
- April 22 - Colchester earthquake, England ; the UK 's most destructive.
- May 1 - the first proclamation of Eight-hour Workday by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions in the United States . May 1st, called '' May Day '' or '' Labour Day '', is now a holiday recognized in almost every industrialized country.
- July 5 - Germany takes possession of Cameroon .
- August 5 - The cornerstone for the Statue Of Liberty is laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor .
- August 10 - A severe Earthquake , Magnitude 5.5 , (intensity VII ) occurs off the northeast Atlantic coast. The area affected extends from central Virginia to southern Maine , and west as far as Cleveland .
- October - International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C. fixes the Greenwich Meridian as the world's prime meridian.
- October 6 - United States Naval War College established in Newport, Rhode Island .
- October 18 - University Of Wales, Bangor ( UK ) founded.
- October 22 - The first woman receives a degree from an Irish university. The degree is granted by the Royal University Of Ireland .
- November 1 - The Irish Gaelic Athletic Association is founded in Thurles, Ireland .
- November 2 - Timisoara is the first town of Europe with streets illuminated by electric light.
- Grover Cleveland defeats Republican James G. Blaine in a very close contest to win the first of his non-consecutive terms.
- November 15 - The Berlin Conference which regulated Europe an Colonisation and trade in Africa begins (ends February 26 , 1885 ).
- November 25 - British surgeon John Dooglee makes the first successful removal of a Brain Tumor .
- December 1 - American Old West - Near Frisco, New Mexico (now Reserve, New Mexico ), deputy sheriff Elfego Baca holds off a gang of 80 Texan Cowboy s who want to kill him for arresting cowboy Charles McCarthy (the cowboys were terrorizing the area's Hispanos and Baca was working against them).
- December 6 - Washington Monument was completed.
- December 16 - World Cotton Centennial World's Fair opens in New Orleans, Louisiana .
- Bechuanaland becomes British Protectorate .
- Stefan-Boltzmann Law reformulated by Ludwig Boltzmann .
- British Police Officers go on armed patrol in London .
- Mark Twain writes '' The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn ''.
- January 2 - Oscar Micheaux , American filmmaker and author (d. 1951 )
- January 12 - Texas Guinan , American vaudeville performer (d. 1933 )
- January 13 - Sophie Tucker , Russian-born singer and comedienne (d. 1966 )
- January 21 - Roger Baldwin , American social activist (d. 1981 )
- January 23 - Ralph DePalma , Italian-born race car driver (d. 1956 )
- January 28 - Auguste Piccard , Swiss physicist, balloonist, and inventor (d. 1962 )
- January 31 - Theodor Heuss , German politician and publicist (d. 1963 )
- February 12 - Max Beckmann , German painter and graphic artist (d. 1950 )
- February 12 - Marie Vassilieff , Russian artist (d. 1957 )
- February 13 - Alfred Carlton Gilbert , American athlete and inventor (d. 1961 )
- February 14 - Hezekiah M. Washburn , missionary (d. 1972 )
- February 16 - Robert J. Flaherty , American filmmaker (d. 1951 )
- February 18 - Andrew Watson Myles , Canadian politician (d. 1970 )
- February 22 - Abe Attell , American boxer (d. 1970 )
- March 13 - Sir Hugh Walpole , English novelist (d. 1941 )
- March 17 - Alcide Nunez , American jazz musician (d. 1934 )
- March 24 - Peter Debye , Dutch chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1966 )
- March 25 - Georges Imbert , Alsatian chemist (d. 1950 )
- March 26 - Wilhelm Backhaus , German pianist (d. 1969 )
- April 4 - Isoroku Yamamoto , Japanese naval commander (d. 1943 )
- April 6 - Walter Huston , actor (d. 1950 )
- April 12 - Otto Fritz Meyerhof , German-born physician and biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize In Physiology Or Medicine (d. 1951 )
- May 1 - Henry Norwest , Canadian World War I sniper (d. 1918 )
- May 8 - Harry S. Truman , 33rd President Of The United States (d. 1972 )
- May 10 - Olga Petrova , English-born actress (d. 1977 )
- May 14 - Claudius Dornier , German aircraft designer (d. 1969 )
- May 27 - Max Brod , Austrian author (d. 1968 )
- May 28 - Edvard Beneš , Austrian politician (d. 1948 )
- July 12 - Amedeo Modigliani , Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1920 )
- July 23 - Emil Jannings , Swiss actor (d. 1950 )
- August 10 - Panait Istrati , Romanian writer (d. 1935 )
- August 23 - Will Cuppy , American humorist (d. 1949 )
- August 30 - Theodor Svedberg , Swedish chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971 )
- September 17 - Charles Tomlinson Griffes , American composer (d. 1920 )
- September 24 - Hugo Schmeisser , German weapons designer (d. 1953 )
- October 11 - Friedrich Bergius , German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1949 )
- October 11 - Eleanor Roosevelt , First Lady Of The United States (d. 1962 )
- November 20 - Norman Thomas , American social reformer (d. 1968 )
- December 30 - Tojo Hideki , Prime Minister Of Japan (d. 1948 )
- January 6 - Gregor Mendel , Austrian geneticist (b. 1822 )
- January 25 - Johann Gottfried Piefke , German conductor and composer (b. 1815 )
- March 1 - Isaac Todhunter , English mathematician (b. 1820 )
- March 21 - Ezra Abbot , American Bible scholar (b. 1819 )
- April 4 - Marie Bashkirtseff , Russian artist (b. 1858 )
- May 12 - Bedrich Smetana , Czech composer (b. 1824 )
- May 13 - Cyrus McCormick , American inventor (b. 1809 )
- June 25 - Hans Rott , Austrian composer (b. 1858 )
- July 1 - Allan Pinkerton , American detective (b. 1819 )
- July 10 - Paul Morphy , American chess player (b. 1837 )
- November 25 - Adolph Wilhelm Hermann Kolbe , German chemist (b. 1818 )
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