Editing 1897 (section)

== Events ==
* January 4 - A British expedition under General James Phillips is ambushed and killed in Benin on the orders of Oba (King) [[Ovonramwen]]. Only two Britons survive the so-called "Benin Massacre". 
* February 9 to 18 - The [[Benin Expedition]], a punitive expedition by a British force of 1,200 men under Sir [[Harry Rawson]], takes place in revenge for the killings of James Phillips' party. This results in the brutal massacre of much of the indigenous Beninese population, the [[Arson|burning]] of Benin City, and the eventual absorption of Benin into British Nigeria.
* March 3 - [[John Brown Gordon]] resigns from the United States Senate for the second time.
* March 4 - [[William McKinley]] takes office as the 25th President of the United States.
* Unknown - End of the [[Queensland Aboriginal Genocide]].