Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
Feb
18
Feb
21
Feb
23
On February 23, 1885, a 19-year-old man named John Lee is sent to the gallows in Exeter, England, for the murder of Emma Keyse, a rich older woman for whom he had worked. Although he insisted he was innocent, Lee had been convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. However, after the noose was put around his neck and the lever that would release the floor beneath his feet was pulled, something malfunctioned and Lee was not dropped.
May
02
On May 2, 1885, Good Housekeeping magazine debuts in Holyoke, Massachusetts with this bold stated mission: “To produce and perpetuate perfection—or as near unto perfection as may be attained in the household.” And an American institution begins, with a place in the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.
May
17
Jun
17
On June 17, 1885, the dismantled Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of America, arrives in New York Harbor after being shipped across the Atlantic Ocean in 350 individual pieces packed in more than 200 cases. The copper and iron statue, which was reassembled and dedicated the following year in a ceremony presided over by U.S. President Grover Cleveland, became known around the world as an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy.
The Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island, New York, New York, 1898. (Photo by Geo. P. Hall & Son/The New York Historical Society/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Jul
23
On July 23, 1885, just after completing his memoirs, Civil War hero and former president Ulysses S. Grant dies of throat cancer.
Portrait of General Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), leader of the Union army in the Civil War and later US President.
CORBIS via Getty Images
Sep
02
Nov
07
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