Events of 1887

January - March

• January 6 - `Abd-allah II of Harar opens the Battle of Chelenqo with an attack on the camp of the Shewan army of Negus Menelik II early in the morning; prepared for the assault, the Negus orders a counter-attack which routs the enemy, resulting in the capture of Harar a few days later.
• January 11 - Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the French Academy of Medicine by Dr. Joseph Grancher.
• January 20 - The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base.
• January 21
  • The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is formed.
  • Brisbane receives a daily rainfall of 465 millimetres - a record for any Australian capital city.
• January 24 - Battle of Dogali: Abyssinian troops defeat Italians.
• January 28 - In a snowstorm at Fort Keogh, Montana, USA, the largest snowflakes on record are reported. They are 15 inches (38cm) wide and 8 inches (20cm) thick.
• February 2 - In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the first Groundhog Day is observed.
• February 5 - The Giuseppe Verdi opera Otello premieres at La Scala.
• February 8 - Dawes Act or General Allotment Act was made.
• February 23 - The French Riviera is hit by a large earthquake, killing around 2,000 along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
• February 26 - At the SCG, George Lohmann becomes the first bowler to take eight wickets in a Test innings.
• March 3 - Anne Sullivan begins teaching Helen Keller.
• March 4 - Gottlieb Daimler unveils his first automobile.
• March 7 - North Carolina State University is established as North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts.
• March 13 - Chester Greenwood patents earmuffs.
• March 19 - Henry Cogswell College established by Henry D. Cogswell.
  
  

April - June

June 21 - Britain celebrates a Golden Jubilee, marking the 50th year of Queen Victoria's reign. (External Link)

June 23 - The Rocky Mountains Park Act becomes law in Canada, creating that nation's first national park, Banff National Park. (External Link)