1882

In 19th-century Barcelona, rapid industrialization and Catholic revival inspired ambitious church projects funded by local devotees. Josep Maria Bocabella commissioned a new basilica dedicated to the Holy Family to replace an earlier modest chapel. On March 19, 1882, the bishop of Barcelona laid the cornerstone for the Sagrada Família according to initial Gothic Revival plans by architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. Construction proceeded slowly amid funding challenges and design debates. Antoni Gaudí assumed leadership the following year and radically transformed the project with his organic, symbolic architecture. The event initiated one of the world's most iconic ongoing construction projects.

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1882

Science 19th Century Europe

Robert Koch Announces Tuberculosis Bacterium

In the late 19th century, tuberculosis killed one in seven people in Europe and the United States, with prevailing theories blaming miasmas or spontaneous generation. On March 24, 1882, German physician Robert Koch presented stained tissue samples and culture results to the Berlin Physiological Society, identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis as the causative agent. He outlined his postulates for proving microbial causation of disease during the lecture. The findings were published weeks later and revolutionized bacteriology. Koch received the Nobel Prize in 1905 for this and related work on anthrax and cholera.

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1882 Timeline

Cornerstone Laid for Sagrada Família Basilica

Robert Koch Announces Tuberculosis Bacterium