Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore (poster featured) premiered at the Opera Comique in London.
In context
- When
- Saturday, May 25 1878148 years ago
- Category
- Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Era
- 19th century · 1870s
- 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 1878.
Catalyst / how it started
Beginnings One of Gilbert's illustrations for his Bab Ballad "Gentle Alice Brown" Gilbert before Sullivan Main article: W. S. Gilbert Gilbert was born in London on 18 November 1836. His father, William , was a naval surgeon who later wrote novels and short stories, some of which included illustrations by his son. [ 1 ] In 1861, to supplement his income, the younger Gilbert began writing illustrated stories, poems and articles of his own,
What happened
Gilbert and Sullivan were a Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan. The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado are among the best known. The producer Richard D'Oyly Carte brought Gilbert and Sullivan together and nurtured their collaboration. He built the Savoy Theatre in 1881 to present their joint works and founded the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company,
May 25 through the years
Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.
- 1878Gilbert and Sullivan
- 20092009 North Korean nuclear test
- 2011The Oprah Winfrey Show
- 2011Oprah Winfrey
- 2012SpaceX Dragon 1
- 2012SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 2
- 2013Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
- 2013Naxalism
- 2018General Data Protection Regulation
- 2018Republic of Ireland
- 2020George Floyd
Also in 1878
- September 17Natal–Zululand border incidentA British surveyor was detained by the Zulu on the border with the Colony of Natal; a demand for reparations for the incident formed part…
- September 3Sinking of SS Princess AliceThe passenger steamship SS Princess Alice sank in the River Thames after colliding (pictured) with the collier Bywell Castle, killing mor…
- October 7Death and state funeral of Mindon MinThe state funeral of Mindon Min (pictured), who ruled Myanmar for 25 years, took place; his death was reportedly preceded by strange omen…
- June 2Karl NobilingAnarchist Karl Nobiling attempted to assassinate German Emperor Wilhelm I.
- June 15Eadweard MuybridgeEadweard Muybridge took a series of photographs to prove that all four feet of a horse leave the ground when it gallops (animation pictur…
- May 2Great Mill DisasterA dust explosion (depicted) at the world's largest flour mill in Minneapolis resulted in 18 deaths.
- September 1Emma NuttEmma Nutt becomes the world's first female telephone operator when she is recruited by Alexander Graham Bell to the Boston Telephone Disp…
- February 18Lincoln County, New MexicoCompetition between two American merchants in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, turned into a range war when a member of one faction…
Sources
- Wikipedia article (text, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 for adapted text · how we source this
Cite this page
“Gilbert and Sullivan”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/gilbert-and-sullivan-1878-may-25, 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 Gilbert and Sullivan happen?
May 25 1878 — 148 years ago, on a Saturday.
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.
One entry a day, by email
The standout entry each morning. Kept for this site only.
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.