4 March – Battle of Cotonou, attack on French positions repulsed.
4 October – First Franco-Dahomean War ends in French victory.
9 October – The first brief flight of Clément Ader's steam-powered fixed-wing aircraftAder Éole takes place in Satory. It flies uncontrolled approximately 50 m (160 ft) at a height of 20 cm (7.9 in), the first take-off of a powered airplane solely under its own power.[1][2][3]