Charles Fort: A Fortean Chronology, 1884.

The year 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.

January

• January 4: The Fabian Society is founded in London.
• January 5: Princess Ida premieres at the Savoy Theatre.
• January 18: Dr William Price attempts to cremate the body of his infant son, Iesu Grist (Jesus Christ) Price, setting a legal precedent for cremation in the U.K.

February

• February 1: The first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary is published.
• February 3: M. Staevert, of the Brusels Observatory, saw, upon the disc of Venus, an extremely brilliant point. Nine days later a similar point was seen but at a distance from the planet. (Books436)
• February 7: The Diocese of Madrid-Alcalá is founded.
• February 18: At West Mersea, near Colchester, a loud report was heard. (Books439)

March

• March 1: A black rain fell in the Clyde Valley. (Books29)
• March 13:  The siege of Khartoum, Sudan begins (ends on January 26, 1885).

April

• April 22: The Colchester earthquake, England, the UK's most destructive, occurs. (Books439)
• April 23: A quartz stone fell from the sky, breaking the glass in an Essex greenhouse. (Books440)
• April 26: A black rain fell at Crowle near Worcester, England. (Books31)
• April 26: The Stoneyhurst Observatory, near Liverpool, was reported that at 11:00am occured "the most extraordinary darkness remembered." Forty minutes late rain fell, "as black as ink." Then fell black snow; then black hail. (Books440)
• April 26: Black hail fell at Chaigley, several miles from Liverpool. (Books440)
• April 28: Black rain fell near Church Stretton, Shropshire, so heavily that the following day the brooks were still dyed with it. (Brooks31)
• April 28: Half a mile from Lilleshall, Shropshire, an unknown pink substance was bought down by a storm. (Books440)

May

• May 1: The eight-hour workday is first proclaimed by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions in the United States. May 1, called May Day or Labour Day, is now a holiday recognized in almost every industrialized country.
• May 3: Black rain fell upon Crowle, Worcestershire. (Books31)
• May 22: Bismark, Dakota - Throughout the city flinty stones fell. Fifteen hours later a further fall of flinty stones. (Books179)
• May 27: At Tysnas, Norway, a meteorite had fallen. Two days later a "very peculiar stone" was found - "in shape and size very like the fourth part of a large Stilton cheese. (Books108)

June

• June 4: The Estonian flag is consecrated as the flag of the Estonian Students Society.
• June 16: At Trenton, N.J. - stones fell at the feet of two farmers hoeing a field. Crowds came and stones continued to fall (Books560) 
• June 22: At Fletching, Sussex, southwest of Colchester - an intense darkness and rain that bought down flakes of soot in abundance. (Books440) 

July

• July 3: A luminous object was seen moving slowly in the sky of Norwood, N.Y. It had features that suggested structure! (Books436)
• July 5: Germany takes possession of Cameroon.
• July 23: Today's Courier records the first tennis tournaments held on the grounds of Shrubland Hall, Leamington Spa, England.
• July 26: A luminous globe, the size of the moon, was seen at Cologne; it seemed to be moving upward from the earth. (Books436)