1881

Centuries: Year in Review 19th Century (18th century - 19th century - 20th century)

Decades: 1830s 1840s 1850s 1860s 1870s - 1880s - 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s

Years: 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 - 1881 - 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886

---

Events:

• Change of US presidency from Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881) to James Garfield (1881)
• Change of US presidency from James Garfield (1881) to Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)

Births:

• March 25 - Béla Bartók, Hungarian composer.
• August 6 - Sir Alexander Fleming, British discoverer of penicillin.
• October 15 - P. G. Wodehouse, British-American writer.

Science:

• Michelson and Morley discover speed of light is independent of Earth's orbital motion.