1889 followed by 1890
April–June
April 1 – Following a failed attempt at a coup, French defense minister Georges Boulanger is forced to flee the country.
April 10 – The Hammarby Roddförening (later Hammarby IF) sports club is founded in Sweden.April 22 – At high noon in Oklahoma Territory, thousands rush to claim land in the Land Rush of 1889. Within hours the cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie are formed, with populations of at least 10,000.
May – 1889–1890 pandemic of influenza first reported in the city of Bukhara in the Central Asian part of the Russian Empire.
May 2 – Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs a treaty of amity with Italy, giving Italy control over what will become Eritrea.
May 6 – The Exposition Universelle opens in Paris, with the Eiffel Tower as its entrance arch. The Galerie des machines, at 111 m (364 ft), spans the longest interior space in the world at this time.
May 11 – Wham Paymaster robbery: An attack upon a U.S. Army paymaster and escort in the Arizona Territory results in the theft of over $28,000, and the award of two Medals of Honor.
May 28 – Rubber tire company Michelin is registered by Édouard and André Michelin in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
May 31
Johnstown Flood: The South Fork Dam collapses in western Pennsylvania, killing more than 2,200 people in and around Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
The Naval Defence Act dictates that the fleet strength of the British Royal Navy must be equal to that of at least any two other countries.
June – Vincent van Gogh paints The Starry Night at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
June 3 – The first long distance electric power transmission line in the United States is completed, running 14 miles (23 km) between a generator at Willamette Falls and downtown Portland, Oregon.
June 6 – The Great Seattle Fire ravages through the downtown area without any fatalities.
June 12 – The Armagh rail disaster near Armagh in Ireland kills 80 people.
June 19 – A Neapolitan baker named Raffaele Esposito invents the Pizza Margherita, named after the queen consort of Italy Margherita of Savoy. This is the forerunner of the modern pizza.
June 26 – Bangui is founded in the French Congo.
June 28 – The annular solar eclipse of June 28, 1889 is visible in Atlantic Ocean, Africa and Indian Ocean, and is the 47th solar eclipse of Solar Saros 125.
June 29–30 – First Inter-Parliamentary Conference held.