February 1
February 1
Oxford Dictionary debuts
February 1, 1884: The first portion, or fascicle, of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), considered the most comprehensive and accurate dictionary of the English language, is published. Today, the OED…
A Year In History: 1884
This Year in History:
1884
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
February 14
February 14
Theodore Roosevelt’s wife and mother die
Future President Theodore Roosevelt’s wife and mother die, only hours apart, on February 14, 1884. Roosevelt was at work in the New York state legislature attempting to get a government…
April 4
April 4
Isoroku Yamamoto, Japan’s mastermind of the Pearl Harbor attack, is born
Isoroku Yamamoto, perhaps Japan’s greatest strategist and the officer who would contrive the surprise air attack on U.S. naval forces at Pearl Harbor, is born on April 4, 1884. A…
May 8
May 8
Harry S. Truman is born
On May 8, 1884, Harry S. Truman is born in Lamar, Missouri. The son of a farmer, Truman could not afford to go to college. He joined the army at…
June 16
June 16
First roller coaster in America opens
On June 16, 1884, the first roller coaster in America opens at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York. Known as a switchback railway, it was the brainchild of LaMarcus Thompson,…
July 4
July 4
France gives the Statue of Liberty to the United States
In a ceremony held in Paris on July 4, 1884, the completed Statue of Liberty is formally presented to the U.S. ambassador as a commemoration of the friendship between France…
December 6
December 6
Washington Monument completed
On December 6, 1884, in Washington, D.C., workers place a nine‑inch aluminum pyramid inscribed with “Laus Deo,” meaning praise (be) to God, atop a tower of white marble, completing the construction of…
December 22
December 22
Cattleman John Chisum dies in Arkansas
A central player in the violent Lincoln County War of 1878‑81, the cattleman John Chisum dies at Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Born in Tennessee in 1824, Chisum moved with his family…
December 30
December 30
Japanese prime minister Hideki Tojo is born
Hideki Tojo, prime minister of Japan during the war, is born in Tokyo. After graduating from the Imperial Military Academy and the Military Staff College, Tojo was sent to Berlin…
