January 2
January 2
Author Stephen Crane’s boat sinks
On January 2, 1897, American writer Stephen Crane survives the sinking of The Commodore off the coast of Florida. He will turn the harrowing adventure into his classic short story…
A Year In History: 1897
This Year in History:
1897
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
February 2
February 2
Black inventor Alfred Cralle patents the first ice cream scoop
On February 2, 1897, Black inventor and businessman Alfred Cralle patents the first ice cream scoop. His popular creation is part of a surge in patents by Black inventors after…
February 27
February 27
Britain recognizes U.S. authority over Western Hemisphere
Great Britain agrees to U.S. arbitration in a border dispute between Venezuela and British Guiana, defusing a dangerous U.S.‑British diplomatic crisis. In 1841, gold was discovered in eastern British Guiana…
March 20
March 20
Yale defeats Penn in first men’s intercollegiate basketball game
On March 20, 1897, Yale outscores the University of Pennsylvania, 32‑10, in the first men’s intercollegiate basketball game played with modern rules. The game takes place on Yale’s campus in…
April 16
April 16
Frederick William Winterbotham, one of Britain’s top code breakers, is born
Winterbotham, a British secret service official who would play a decisive role in the World War II Ultra code‑breaking project, is born on this day in 1897. A graduate of…
April 19
April 19
First Boston Marathon run
On April 19, 1897, the first Boston Marathon is run in Boston, Massachusetts. John J. McDermott of New York ran the 24.5‑mile course of the all‑male event in a winning…
April 19
April 19
First Boston Marathon held
On April 19, 1897, John J. McDermott of New York won the first Boston Marathon with a time of 2:55:10. The Boston Marathon was the brainchild of Boston Athletic Association…
April 28
April 28
Chickasaw and Choctaw abandon communal lands
The Chickasaw and Choctaw, two of the Five Civilized Tribes, become the first to agree to abolish tribal government and communal ownership of land. The other tribes soon followed, finally…
April 30
April 30
British physicist J.J. Thomson announces the discovery of electrons
On April 30, 1897, British physicist J.J. Thomson announced his discovery that atoms were made up of smaller components. This finding revolutionized the way scientists thought about the atom and…
May 19
May 19
Poet and playwright Oscar Wilde is released after two years in prison
On May 19, 1897, writer Oscar Wilde is released from jail after two years of hard labor. His experiences in prison were the basis for his last work, The Ballad…
May 26
May 26
Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula goes on sale in London
Horror writer Bram Stoker’s classic vampire tale, Dracula, is first offered for sale in London on this day. Through fictional journal entries and letters written by the novel’s principal characters,…
May 26
May 26
This Day in History Video: What Happened on May 26
In this This Day in History video, take a look at May 26, the day in 1896 when the Wall Street Journal first published the Dow Industrial Average and the…
May 27
May 27
“Dracula” goes on sale in London
According to the Daily News of London, the first copies of the classic vampire novel Dracula, by Irish writer Bram Stoker, go on sale on May 27, 1897. A childhood…
June 12
June 12
Deadly quake hits India, killing more than 1,500
On this day in 1897, a powerful earthquake in Assam, India, triggers deadly landslides and waves, killing more than 1,500 people. The quake, with a devastating 8.8 magnitude, struck at…
July 25
July 25
Jack London sails for the Klondike gold rush
On July 25, 1897, 21‑year‑old Jack London leaves for the Klondike region of far‑northern Canada to join the gold rush, where he will write his first successful stories. London was…
August 21
August 21
Olds Motor Vehicle Company founded
On August 21, 1897, Ransom Eli Olds of Lansing, Michigan, founds Olds Motor Vehicle Company, which will later become Olds Motor Werks and then Oldsmobile. Born in Geneva, Ohio, in…
August 31
August 31
Thomas Edison patents the Kinetograph
Thomas Edison receives a patent for his movie camera, the Kinetograph. Edison had developed the camera and its viewer in the early 1890s and staged several demonstrations. The camera was…
September 10
September 10
First drunk driving arrest
On September 10, 1897, a 25‑year‑old London taxi driver named George Smith becomes the first person ever arrested for drunk driving after slamming his cab into a building. Smith later…
September 10
September 10
Londoner George Smith gets caught driving drunk
On September 10, 1897, a London cabdriver named George Smith slams his taxi into a building and is the first person to be arrested for drunk driving. He pled guilty…
September 25
September 25
William Faulkner is born
William Faulkner is born this day near Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner’s father was the business manager of the University of Mississippi, and his mother was a literary woman who encouraged Faulkner…
