What Happened in 1875 — Events, Births & Deaths

The Palais Garnier, one of the most famous opera houses in the world, is inaugurated in Paris.

The SS Gothenburg hits the Great Barrier Reef and sinks off the Australian east coast, killing approximately 100, including a number of high-profile civil servants and dignitaries.

Guangxu Emperor of Qing dynasty China begins his reign, under Empress Dowager Cixi's regency.

Archbishop of New York John McCloskey is named the first cardinal in the United States.

Aristides wins the first Kentucky Derby with the jockey Oliver Lewis (2:37.75).

Signing of the Metre Convention by 17 nations leading to the establishment of the International System of Units.

The Herzegovinian rebellion against the Ottoman Empire begins.

The Herzegovina Uprising against Ottoman rule begins, which would last until 1878 and have far-reaching implications throughout the Balkans.

The Treaty of Saint Petersburg between Japan and Russia is ratified, providing for the exchange of Sakhalin for the Kuril Islands.

The 1864 play Heath Cobblers by Aleksis Kivi premieres in Oulu, Finland.

The merchant sailing ship Ellen Southard is wrecked in a storm at Liverpool.

Brigham Young University is founded in Provo, Utah.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B♭ minor, Op. 23 premieres in Boston, Massachusetts, with Benjamin Johnson Lang as conductor and Hans von Bülow as soloist.