1890 – 1900s

Events in the 1890s 33

• 1824 – 1896 Fourier and Arrhenius — the greenhouse effect Atmospheric gases trap heat and warm the planet Joseph Fourier first described the greenhouse effect in 1824, noting that the atmosphere traps heat. John Tyndall identified the specific gases responsible (CO2, water vapour) in 1859. Svante Arrhenius in 1896 calculated that doubling atmospheric CO2 would raise global temperatures by 5–6°C — the first quantitative climate model and a prescient warning about fossil fuel burning.
• 1825 – 1899 Johann Strauss II Waltz King Austrian composer known as the Waltz King, famous for The Blue Danube and the operetta Die Fledermaus. He defined the sound of 19th-century Vienna.
• 1833 – 1897 Johannes Brahms Late Romantic master German composer whose four symphonies, two piano concertos and German Requiem represent the pinnacle of absolute music in the Romantic era.
• 1840 – 1893 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Russian Romantic composer Russian composer whose Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty ballets and 1812 Overture are among the most beloved works in classical music.
• 1850 – 1893 Guy de Maupassant French writer Maupassant mastered the short story form with realistic depictions of human nature and society.
• 1853 – 1890 Vincent van Gogh Post-Impressionism · Netherlands Vincent van Gogh (March 30, 1853 – July 29, 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who sold only one painting in his lifetime but created over 2,000 works. The Starry Night, Sunflowers and his self-portraits are among the most recognised in the world.
• 1859 – 1891 Georges Seurat Pointillism · France Georges Seurat (December 2, 1859 – March 29, 1891) was a French Post-Impressionist who invented Pointillism — applying tiny dots of pure colour that blend optically. A Sunday on La Grande Jatte is his masterpiece. He died at 31.
• 1890 – 1969 Dwight D. Eisenhower 34th President — WWII Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower (Oct 14, 1890 – Mar 28, 1969) was the 34th President 1953-1961 and Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in WWII. He ended the Korean War, built the Interstate Highway System and warned against the "military-industrial complex".
• 1891 – 1958 Ronald Colman (1891-1958) English actor with a celebrated voice, star of Lost Horizon, A Tale of Two Cities and A Double Life.
• 1891 – 1953 Sergei Prokofiev Soviet modernist composer Russian composer of Peter and the Wolf, Romeo and Juliet ballet, and five piano concertos. A titan of Soviet music who walked the line between modernism and accessibility.
• 1891 French Championships 1891 — first edition Men: H. Briggs First French Championships held at the Stade Français. Open only to French club members. Won by British player H. Briggs, who was a member of the French Stade Français club.
• 1892 – 1973 J. R. R. Tolkien English fantasy writer Tolkien created The Lord of the Rings, defining modern epic fantasy literature and world-building.
• 1892 – 1964 Eddie Cantor (1892-1964) American comedian, singer and actor, a star of Ziegfeld's Follies, early radio and television, and founder of the March of Dimes name.
• 1893 – present PepsiCo From a North Carolina pharmacy to a global food and drink empire PepsiCo traces its roots to 1893 when pharmacist Caleb Bradham invented "Brad's Drink" in New Bern, North Carolina. Renamed Pepsi-Cola in 1898, the brand became one of the most recognised in the world. After merging with Frito-Lay in 1965, PepsiCo grew into a global food and beverage giant operating in over 200 countries.
• 1894 – 1971 Nikita Khrushchev De-Stalinisation and the Cuban Missile Crisis Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (April 15, 1894 – September 11, 1971) led the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964. He denounced Stalin's cult of personality, launched Sputnik, and navigated the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was removed in a coup by Politburo colleagues in 1964.
• 1895 Röntgen discovers X-rays Invisible radiation penetrates flesh — medical imaging is born On 8 November 1895, Wilhelm Röntgen of Würzburg discovered X-rays while experimenting with cathode ray tubes, noticing they caused a fluorescent screen across the room to glow. He produced the first X-ray photograph — of his wife's hand. Within months, X-rays were being used in hospitals worldwide. Röntgen received the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.
• 1895 – 1967 Paul Muni (1895-1967) Austro-Hungarian-born American actor from the Yiddish theatre, known for Scarface and his biographical films.
• 1895 – 1963 Paul Hindemith German neo-classical composer German composer and theorist who developed a neo-classical style. His Mathis der Maler Symphony and Ludus Tonalis are among his most celebrated works.
• 1896 Becquerel discovers radioactivity Uranium emits energy spontaneously — atoms are not inert In 1896, Henri Becquerel of Paris discovered that uranium salts emit radiation spontaneously without any external energy source. Marie and Pierre Curie then isolated polonium and radium (1898) and coined the term radioactivity. The discovery shattered the idea of the atom as an inert, indivisible particle, revealed that atoms contain internal energy, and led to nuclear physics, nuclear medicine, and ultimately nuclear power.
• 1896 – 1940 F. Scott Fitzgerald American novelist Fitzgerald captured the Jazz Age in The Great Gatsby, exploring wealth, illusion, and disillusionment.
• 1896 – 1977 Ethel Waters (1896-1977) American singer and actress who broke barriers on record, on Broadway, in film and on television.
• 1897 Thomson discovers the electron Atoms have internal structure — the first subatomic particle In 1897, J.J. Thomson of Cambridge demonstrated that cathode rays are streams of particles (which he called corpuscles, later named electrons) far lighter than atoms. This proved that atoms are not the smallest particles of matter — they have internal structure. Thomson proposed the plum-pudding model of the atom, which was later replaced by Rutherford's nuclear model, but the discovery of the electron launched the atomic era.
• 1897 – 1987 Pola Negri (1897-1987) Polish actress, a star of German silent film under Ernst Lubitsch and one of Hollywood's first European imports.
• 1897 – 1975 Moe Howard (1897-1975) American comedian, the bossy leader of the Three Stooges.
• 1897 – 1975 Fredric March (1897-1975) American actor, winner of two Oscars and two Tonys, from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to The Best Years of Our Lives.
• 1898 Nokia enters rubber business Nokia expands into rubber products, establishing the Finnish Rubber Works in 1898 — making galoshes, tyres, raincoats and rubber boots. The iconic Nokia rubber boot becomes a beloved Finnish product still sold today. By the mid-20th century Nokia is a conglomerate of three separate listed companies: Nokia Ab (paper), Finnish Rubber Works and Finnish Cable Works. The cable division will prove the crucial bridge to electronics.
• 1898 – 1979 Gracie Fields (1898-1979) English singer and comedian from Rochdale, the biggest British star of the 1930s.
• 1898 Renamed Pepsi-Cola New name trademarked — August 28, 1898 On August 28, 1898, Caleb Bradham renamed his drink "Pepsi-Cola" — "Pepsi" from the digestive enzyme pepsin (and dyspepsia), "Cola" from the kola nuts in the recipe. The first Pepsi logo was also introduced. Bradham believed the drink aided digestion and boosted energy.
• 1898 – 1990 Irene Dunne (1898-1990) American actress and singer, equally at home in musicals, melodramas and screwball comedy, with five Oscar nominations.
• 1899 Bottling rights sold for $1 National bottling network established In 1899, Candler sold the exclusive rights to bottle Coca-Cola across most of the United States to Benjamin Thomas and Joseph Whitehead for just $1. He never collected the dollar. This contract had no fixed duration, locking in the 5-cent price until 1959.
• 1899 – 1963 Francis Poulenc French modernist composer French composer of the group Les Six, known for his songs, chamber music and the opera Dialogues of the Carmelites.
• 1899 – 1961 Ernest Hemingway American novelist Hemingway developed a spare writing style focusing on courage, loss, and human endurance.
• 1899 – 1902 The Second Boer War Where the concentration camp got its name The British Empire takes nearly three years and close to half a million troops to defeat two small Afrikaner republics. After losing the conventional war the Boers turn to commando raids, and Kitchener answers with blockhouses, farm burning and the internment of civilians in camps where around 28,000 Boers, most of them children, and at least 20,000 black Africans die of disease and hunger. Emily Hobhouse's reporting on the camps causes a scandal in Britain. The war ends at Vereeniging with annexation, and lays the groundwork for the Union of South Africa.