What Happened in 1885 — Events, Births & Deaths

Sino-French War: Beginning of the Battle of Núi Bop.

Sino-French War: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing force at Núi Bop in northern Vietnam.

Troops loyal to The Mahdi conquer Khartoum, killing the Governor-General Charles George Gordon.

King Leopold II of Belgium establishes the Congo as a personal possession.

The first Japanese immigrants arrive in Hawaii.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is published in the United States.

The newly completed Washington Monument is dedicated.

The Mikado, a light opera by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, receives its first public performance at the Savoy Theatre in London.

Louis Riel declares a provisional government in Saskatchewan, beginning the North-West Rebellion.

The Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel begin the North-West Rebellion against Canada.

The Battle for Kushka triggers the Panjdeh Incident which nearly gives rise to war between the Russian and British Empires.

Canadian Cree warriors attack the village of Frog Lake, killing nine.

Gottlieb Daimler is granted a German patent for a light, high-speed, four-stroke engine, which he uses seven months later to create the world's first motorcycle, the Daimler Reitwagen.

American sharpshooter Annie Oakley is hired by Nate Salsbury to be a part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West.

Governor of New York David B. Hill signs legislation creating the Niagara Reservation, New York's first state park, ensuring that Niagara Falls will not be devoted solely to industrial and commercial use.

Cree and Assiniboine warriors win the Battle of Cut Knife, their largest victory over Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion.

North-West Rebellion: The four-day Battle of Batoche, pitting rebel Métis against the Canadian government, comes to an end with a decisive rebel defeat.

In the last military engagement fought on Canadian soil, the Cree leader, Big Bear, escapes the North-West Mounted Police.

Treaty of Tientsin is signed to end the Sino-French War, with China eventually giving up Tonkin and Annam – most of present-day Vietnam – to France.

The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor.

Louis Pasteur successfully tests his vaccine against rabies on Joseph Meister, a boy who was bitten by a rabid dog.

Japan's first patent is issued to the inventor of a rust-proof paint.

Rock Springs massacre: In Rock Springs, Wyoming, 150 white miners, who are struggling to unionize so they could strike for better wages and work conditions, attack their Chinese fellow workers, killing 28, wounding 15 and forcing several hundred more out of town.

Lord Randolph Churchill makes a speech in Ulster in opposition to the Irish Home Rule movement.

Ethiopian forces under Ras Alula defeat Mahdist Sudanese forces in the battle of Kufit.

The first practical public electric tramway in the world is opened in Blackpool, England.

The Georgia Institute of Technology is founded in Atlanta, Georgia.

Canadian rebel leader of the Métis and "Father of Manitoba" Louis Riel is executed for treason.

Serbo-Bulgarian War: The decisive Battle of Slivnitsa begins.

Bulgarian victory in the Serbo-Bulgarian War preserves the Unification of Bulgaria.

The Indian National Congress is founded in Bombay Presidency, British India.