Dashed left edge = started before June 1888 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond June 1888
Events in June 1888 7
1831 – 1888Frederick III, German Emperor (1831-1888)Died 15 June 1888, aged 56Frederick III became German Emperor on his father's death in March 1888 but was already terminally ill with throat cancer. He reigned for only 99 days, earning him the nickname the '99-day Kaiser,' and died on 15 June 1888. His liberal sympathies led many to believe his early death changed the course of German history.
1888Frederick IIIGerman Emperor for 99 daysFrederick III ruled Germany for only 99 days before dying from throat cancer.
1888Germany has three emperors in one yearWilhelm I's death and Frederick III's brief reign bring Wilhelm II to the throneGerman Emperor Wilhelm I died on 9 March 1888 at age 90, and was succeeded by his son Frederick III, who was already dying of throat cancer. Frederick reigned for only 99 days before his death on 15 June 1888, after which his son Wilhelm II became emperor. The rapid succession became known as the Year of the Three Emperors and set Germany on the more aggressive course associated with Wilhelm II's reign.
1888'Casey at the Bat' is publishedBaseball poem by Ernest Thayer appears in the San Francisco ExaminerErnest Lawrence Thayer's comic poem 'Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888' was published in the San Francisco Examiner on 3 June 1888. The poem, about a star batter who strikes out at a crucial moment, became one of the most famous pieces of American light verse and a staple of baseball folklore. It was popularized nationally through recitations by actor De Wolf Hopper.
1888 – 1935Fernando PessoaModernist PoetOne of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century, famous for his use of heteronyms.
1888 – 1918Wilhelm IILast German EmperorWilhelm II pursued aggressive foreign policies and led Germany during World War I before abdicating in 1918.
1888Wilhelm II becomes KaiserBerlin, GermanyTwenty-nine years old, with a withered left arm and a conviction that Germany deserved a place among the great powers. He would dismiss Bismarck within two years.