* German scientist Robert Koch announces the discovery of the tuberculosis bacterium.
February
* Charles J. Guiteau, the assassin of President James A. Garfield, is found guilty of murder and sentenced to death.
March
* The Phoenix Park Murders in Dublin, Ireland, result in the deaths of two British government officials.
April
* Jesse James, the notorious American outlaw, is assassinated by Robert Ford, a member of his gang.
May
* The United States Congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act, barring Chinese immigration for ten years.
June
* The British bombardment of Alexandria, Egypt, marks the beginning of the Anglo-Egyptian War.
July
* The first successful electric power plant is built in New York City.
August
* Thomas Edison files the first patent for an electric light bulb.
September
* The first issue of the American Red Cross is published.
October
* The Brooklyn Bridge opens to the public.
November
* The first telephone exchange opens in Chicago.
December
* Louis Pasteur successfully tests his anthrax vaccine.