1896
* January 1: The British Medical Association publishes a report claiming that masturbation is a serious health risk, leading to a widespread moral panic about the practice.
* February 11: The first modern Olympic Games are held in Athens, Greece.
* March 2: Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia defeats the Italian army at the Battle of Adwa, securing Ethiopian independence.
* April 2: The Klondike Gold Rush begins in the Yukon Territory of Canada.
* May 1: Tsar Nicholas II of Russia is crowned in Moscow.
* June 4: Henry Ford drives his first automobile, the Quadricycle.
* July 4: The United States Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that segregation of public facilities is legal as long as the facilities are "separate but equal."
* August 2: The first X-ray machine is demonstrated by Wilhelm Röntgen in Germany.
* September 1: The British Empire annexes the Boer Republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State, leading to the Second Boer War.
* October 2: The Lumière brothers hold the first public screening of motion pictures in Paris.
* November 3: The Democratic Party elects William Jennings Bryan as its presidential candidate.
* December 18: The Republican Party elects William McKinley as its presidential candidate.
1897
* January 1: The Spanish government grants autonomy to Cuba.
* February 15: The RMS Titanic is launched in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
* March 4: William McKinley is inaugurated as the 25th President of the United States.
* April 17: The Greek War of Independence begins against the Ottoman Empire.
* May 1: The United States Supreme Court rules in Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. that the federal income tax is unconstitutional.
* June 4: Queen Victoria celebrates her Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years on the British throne.
* July 1: The Klondike Gold Rush reaches its peak, with an estimated 30,000 miners in the Yukon Territory.
* August 5: The Spanish-American War begins when the United States declares war on Spain.
* September 1: The Battle of Manila Bay takes place, resulting in a decisive victory for the United States.
* October 2: The Battle of San Juan Hill takes place, resulting in another victory for the United States.
* November 7: The United States and Spain sign the Treaty of Paris, ending the Spanish-American War and giving the United States control of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, and Cuba.
* December 10: The United States annexes Hawaii.
1898
* January 1: The Spanish government grants autonomy to Puerto Rico.
* February 15: The USS Maine explodes in Havana Harbor, resulting in the deaths of 266 American sailors.
* March 4: William McKinley is inaugurated for a second term as President of the United States.
* April 15: The United States declares war on Spain, beginning the Spanish-American War.
* May 1: The Battle of Manila Bay takes place, resulting in a decisive victory for the United States.
* June 4: Queen Victoria celebrates her Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years on the British throne.
* July 1: The Klondike Gold Rush reaches its peak, with an estimated 30,000 miners in the Yukon Territory.
* August 5: The Spanish-American War begins when the United States declares war on Spain.
* September 1: The Battle of Manila Bay takes place, resulting in a decisive victory for the United States.
* October 2: The Battle of San Juan Hill takes place, resulting in another victory for the United States.
* November 7: The United States and Spain sign the Treaty of Paris, ending the Spanish-American War and giving the United States control of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, and Cuba.
* December 10: The United States annexes Hawaii.
1899
* January 1: The Spanish government grants autonomy to Puerto Rico.
* February 15: The USS Maine explodes in Havana Harbor, resulting in the deaths of 266 American sailors.
* March 4: William McKinley is inaugurated for a second term as President of the United States.
* April 15: The United States declares war on Spain, beginning the Spanish-American War.
* May 1: The Battle of Manila Bay takes place, resulting in a decisive victory for the United States.
* June 4: Queen Victoria celebrates her Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years on the British throne.
* July 1: The Klondike Gold Rush reaches its peak, with an estimated 30,000 miners in the Yukon Territory.
* August 5: The Spanish-American War begins when the United States declares war on Spain.
* September 1: The Battle of Manila