The Year 1891 in Review: Fun Facts, Trivia, and Historic Highlights

This quick read is a collection of fun facts, trivia, and historical events from the year 1891. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, U.S. economix trends, sports facts, entertainment trivia, and much more.

1. In 1891, Benjamin Harrison (R-Indiana) was the 23rd U.S. president, and Levi B. Morton (R-New York) was the 22nd vice president of the United States.
2. In 1891, the U.S. unemployment rate was an estimated 5.0%, and the nation's inflation rate was 0.00%. Two years later, the Panic of 1893 would trigger a significant increase in the U.S. jobless rate, with an estimated 17-19% of Americans out of work. (In the 1890s, no state or federal agencies compiled “accurate tallies” of America’s unemployed. Only “rough estimates” of the U.S. jobless rate were available.)
3. The average life expectancy at birth in the United States was about 49 years. In the 1890s, the average life expectancy was relatively low, and a major factor was a high infant mortality rate.
4. American companies and brands launched in 1891 included the Curtis Publishing Company, Hormel Foods, Ingersoll Machine Tools, the National Lead Company, U.S. Bancorp, and the Washington Shoe Company.
5. On January 20, Jim Hogg became the first native Texan to serve as governor of the “Lone Star State.”
6. On January 27, the Mammoth Mine disaster unfolded in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. The news media reported that firedamp “was ignited by a miner's oil lamp, resulting in the deaths of 109 men and boys. Most of the miners were not killed by the force of the explosion but rather were suffocated by the effects of afterdamp.”
7. On January 29, Liliʻuokalani became the sovereign queen of Hawaii, inheriting the throne from her brother, King Kalākaua. She ruled until the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in January 1893.
8. On March 3, Congress passed the first International Copyright Act. It “extended limited protection to foreign copyright holders from select nations.”
9. On March 3, the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve in Wyoming became the first United States national forest.
10. March 9 to 12: The Great Blizzard of 1891 led to bitterly cold temperatures and extensive snowdrifts off the southern coast of England. An estimated 14 ships were sunk, and over 200 deaths resulted from the unstable weather conditions.
11. On April 1, William Wrigley Jr. founded the Wrigley Company in Chicago. According to Forbes.com, the company was initially created “to sell soap and baking powder.” It started packaging chewing gum with its baking powder in 1892, and the company ultimately reorganized because chewing gum became more popular than baking powder.
12. April 5: According to the UK census, about 54% of the British population lived in cities with 20,000 or more residents.
13. On May 5, Carnegie Hall opened in New York City with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as guest conductor.
14. On June 25, Arthur Conan Doyle’s character, detective Sherlock Holmes, appeared for the first time in a short story published in London’s Strand magazine.
15. On August 5, the Hotel Hauffe in Leipzig, Germany, cashed the first American Express Traveler’s Cheque, “a significant moment in the history of travel and finance.”
16. On November 28, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) was organized in St. Louis, Missouri. Today, the IBEW has 881 local unions representing over 750,000 members across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
17. In 1891, Marie Owens became one of the first female police officers in the United States. She joined the Chicago Police Department and retired in 1923.
18. The Kennedy Biscuit Works in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, created Fig Newtons.
19. The world’s first cafeteria opened at the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) in Kansas City, Missouri. It was established to provide affordable meals to working women.
20. New York City had more soda fountains than saloons.
21. Famous people who died in 1891 were P.T. Barnum (entrepreneur), Herman Melville (novelist), George Bancroft (historian), Nicholas Otto (engineer), Arthur Rimbaud (poet), and Francis Henry Brown (teacher and composer).
22. Popular music artists and groups in 1891 included Al Reeves, Charles Harris, Dan Quinn, George Johnson, Gilmore’s Band, Harry Kennedy, Holding’s Military Band, Issler’s Orchestra, James Thornton, John Philip Sousa’s Band, Len Spencer, Press Eldridge, the U.S. Military Band, and Will White.
23. America’s most beloved songs were One Minute Too Late (F. Voss’s First Regiment Band), The Third Verse of Mary and John (Will White), and Farewell to Dresden (U.S. Military Band).
24. Popular films for the year included Newark Athlete (documentary), Men Boxing (documentary), and Dickson Greeting (short film).
25. In 1891 as well, the words “AWOL,” “basketball,” “body wash,” “collective bargaining,” “dinner jacket,” “flea market,” “homogenized,” “Irish terrier,” “middle of the road,” “mystique,” “nationwide,” “plunk down,” “populism,” “prosciutto,” “rural free delivery,” “table tennis,” “tabloid,” “talking machine,” “traveler’s check,” “shut-in,” “tuberculous,” and “vaccination” all appeared in print for the first time.

References:

1. https://www.history.com/a-year-in-history/1891
2. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1891
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1891_in_the_United_States
4. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1891
5. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-history-1890.html
6. https://www.flickchart.com/charts.aspx?year=1891
7. https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/single/1891/

Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor