Timeline February 1887

Events in February 1887 5

• 1833 – 1887 Alexander Borodin (1833-1887) Died 27 February 1887, aged 54 Alexander Borodin was a Russian chemist and composer, a member of the group of composers known as "The Mighty Handful." He is best known for the opera Prince Igor, left unfinished at his death, and for orchestral works including the Polovtsian Dances. He collapsed suddenly during a party at his home in Saint Petersburg.
• 1887 Interstate Commerce Act signed into law Creates the Interstate Commerce Commission President Grover Cleveland signs the Interstate Commerce Act, establishing the Interstate Commerce Commission as the first independent federal regulatory agency in the United States. The law requires railroad rates to be "reasonable and just" and prohibits discriminatory pricing practices. It sets a precedent for federal economic regulation that later agencies would follow.
• 1887 Verdi's opera Otello premieres Premiere at Teatro alla Scala in Milan Giuseppe Verdi's opera Otello, based on Shakespeare's play, premieres at La Scala in Milan to great acclaim. It is Verdi's first new opera in over a decade and is considered one of his finest achievements, notable for its through-composed structure. Composer Arrigo Boito wrote the libretto.
• 1887 Dawes Act signed into law US policy divides tribal lands into individual allotments President Grover Cleveland signs the Dawes Act, authorizing the federal government to break up communally held Native American tribal lands into individual allotments. Surplus land not allotted to tribal members is opened to sale to non-Native settlers. The policy leads to the loss of tens of millions of acres of Native-held land over subsequent decades.
• 1887 Emin Pasha Relief Expedition departs for Africa Henry Morton Stanley leads mission to relieve besieged governor Explorer Henry Morton Stanley departs from England leading an expedition to relieve Emin Pasha, the besieged governor of Equatoria province in Sudan, cut off by the Mahdist uprising. The expedition crosses the Congo basin under harsh conditions, suffering heavy losses. It becomes one of the last major European exploration ventures into interior Africa.