1885Sep, 29
The first practical public electric tramway in the world is opened in Blackpool, England.
The Blackpool Tramway runs from Blackpool to Fleetwood on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire, England. The line dates back to 1885 and is one of the oldest electric tramways in the world. It is operated by Blackpool Transport (BT) and runs for 18 km (11 miles). It carried 4.8 million passengers in the 2019/20 financial year.It is the second-oldest electric tramway in the United Kingdom, the first being Volk's Electric Railway in Brighton, which opened two years earlier and similarly runs on a reserved track along the seafront. These are also the two surviving first-generation town tramways in the UK, though the majority of services on the line have since 2012 been operated by a fleet of modern Bombardier Flexity 2 trams. A 'heritage service' using the traditional trams operates year-round on weekends, certain weekdays and bank holidays, as well as during the Blackpool Illuminations. Excluding museums, it is one of only a few tramways in the world to still use double-deck trams, the others including the Hong Kong Tramways and the Alexandria Tram in Egypt.
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Events on 1885
- 24Apr
Buffalo Bill's Wild West
American sharpshooter Annie Oakley is hired by Nate Salsbury to be a part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West. - 2May
Léopold II of Belgium
The Congo Free State is established by King Léopold II of Belgium. - 3Jun
Big Bear
In the last military engagement fought on Canadian soil, the Cree leader, Big Bear, escapes the North-West Mounted Police. - 6Jul
Rabies
Louis Pasteur successfully tests his vaccine against rabies on Joseph Meister, a boy who was bitten by a rabid dog. - 29Aug
Internal combustion
Gottlieb Daimler patents the world's first internal combustion motorcycle, the Reitwagen.