Around the nation and the world
- 1881, Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company.
- 1885, The Statue of Liberty arrives for the first time in New York harbor.
- 1886, Dr. John Pemberton, a Georgia pharmacist, invents Coca-Cola, a carbonated beverage.
Around campus
- 1881, The buildings of I.A.C. consists of the Main College Building (Old Main), the Boarding (East) Cottage, Chemical and Physical Hall, North Hall, the Horticultural Buildings, South Hall, Farm House, the Creamery, and a Workshop, Laundry, and Gas-Works behind Old Main. The College Farm consists of 860 acres with 70 set aside for the College Grounds.
- 1881, There is no charge for tuition, but students have to pay for room and board.
- 1882, A cyclone hits the campus on April 8th, causing a great deal of damage, and injuring several people.
- 1883, The first Engineering Hall is built at a cost of $4,890.
- 1883, There are two cases of scarlet fever, and at least 40 students leave the College to avoid the disease.
- 1884, Electric lights are first installed in Old Main.
- 1885, The buildings, Veterinary Hospital and Sanitary Building, are built; both torn down in 1926-1927 to make way for the Memorial Union.
- 1886, The total enrollment of resident graduates, seniors, juniors, sophomores, freshmen, special students, and sub-freshmen is 305. While there is no tuition charge for Iowa residents, a $15.00 fee per term is applied to out of state students.
- 1889, There are 424 volumes added to the Library, and the Dewey Decimal system is implemented.