Historical eventFebruary 231886

Charles Martin Hall

American inventor Charles Martin Hall discovered an inexpensive method of producing aluminium.

Everything on February 23Original source

In context

When
Tuesday, February 23 1886140 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
19th century · 1880s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: From 1886.

What happened

American inventor Charles Martin Hall discovered an inexpensive method of producing aluminium.

February 23 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1886Charles Martin Hall
  2. 2008Northrop B-2 Spirit
  3. 2010Diesel fuel
  4. 201223 February 2012 Iraq attacks
  5. 2017Free Syrian Army
  6. 2017Syrian civil war
  7. 20182018 Djiboutian parliamentary election
  8. 2019Atlas Air Flight 3591
  9. 2020Murder of Ahmaud Arbery
  10. 2021February 2021 Ecuadorian prison riots
  11. 20252025 German federal election

Also in 1886

  • June 26Henri MoissanFrench chemist Henri Moissan successfully isolated elemental fluorine (pictured in liquid state), for which he later won the Nobel Prize…
  • May 4Labour movementDuring a labor rally in Chicago, a bomb explosion and gunfire led to the deaths of eight police officers and four members of the public.
  • September 4United States ArmyAfter more than 25 years of fighting against the United States Army and the armed forces of Mexico, Geronimo of the Chiricahua Apache sur…
  • June 2Wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances FolsomThe wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom (wedding depicted) took place in the White House, in the only time that a U.S. preside…
  • December 11Association footballThe London-based football club Arsenal, then known as Dial Square, played their first match on the Isle of Dogs.
  • August 311886 Charleston earthquakeThe 7.0 Mw Charleston earthquake struck southeastern South Carolina with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing 60 people a…
  • October 28New York HarborIn New York Harbor, U.S. president Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue of Liberty (pictured), a gift from France commemorating the Decl…
  • June 10Mount TaraweraMount Tarawera, a volcano in New Zealand's North Island, erupted (depicted), killing around 120 people and creating the Waimangu Volcanic…

Everything we record for 1886 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Charles Martin Hall”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/charles-martin-hall-1886-february-23, accessed October 29, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Charles Martin Hall happen?

February 23 1886 — 140 years ago, on a Tuesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.