Births on December 17

Patrick Flynn, Irish-American runner and soldier (d. 1969)

Patrick (aka Pat, Patsy, Paddy) J. Flynn was an accomplished Irish American athlete, an Olympic silver medalist and a war veteran.

14 Apr

Kinetoscope
The first ever commercial motion picture house opened in New York City using ten Kinetoscopes, a device for peep-show viewing of films.
11 May

Pullman Palace Car Company
Pullman Strike: Four thousand Pullman Palace Car Company workers go on a wildcat strike in Illinois.
4 Jul

Sanford B. Dole
The short-lived Republic of Hawaii is proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole.
25 Aug

Bubonic plague
Kitasato Shibasaburō discovers the infectious agent of the bubonic plague and publishes his findings in The Lancet.
1 Nov

Annie Oakley
Buffalo Bill, 15 of his Indians, and Annie Oakley were filmed by Thomas Edison in his Black Maria Studio in West Orange, New Jersey.