1881

Key events from 1881

1881

  • President James Garfield is assassinated by Charles Guiteau, shocking America and leading to civil service reform to reduce political corruption.
  • The first skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building, is constructed in Chicago using steel frame technology that revolutionizes urban architecture.
  • The Mahdi uprising begins in Sudan against Egyptian and British rule, creating a Islamic state that lasts until 1898.

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