January 1, 1898 – New York, New York annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York. The four initial boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx, are joined on January 25 by Staten Island to create the modern city of five boroughs.

February 7, 1898 – Émile Zola is brought to trial for libel for publishing J'Accuse.

April 22, 1898 – Spanish-American War: The United States Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports and the USS Nashville captures a Spanish merchant ship.

June 10, 1898 – Spanish-American War: U.S. Marines land on the island of Cuba.

June 11, 1898 – Spanish-American War: U.S. war ships set sail for Cuba.

June 22, 1898 – Spanish–American War: United States Marines land in Cuba.

July 1, 1898 – Spanish-American War: the Battle of San Juan Hill is fought in Santiago de Cuba.

August 12, 1898 – An Armistice ends the Spanish-American War.

August 13, 1898 – Spanish–American War: Spanish and American forces engaged in a mock battle for Manila, after which the Spanish commander surrendered in order to keep the city out of Filipino rebel hands.

August 28, 1898 – Caleb Bradham invents the carbonated soft drink that will later be called “Pepsi-Cola”.

February 22, 1898 – Thillaiaadi Valliammai, a Tamil satyagrahi from South Africa (d. 1914)

March 27, 1898 – Alma Tell, American stage and film actress (d. 1937)

June 17, 1898 – M. C. Escher, Dutch artist (d. 1972)

July 17, 1898 – Osmond Borradaile, Canadian cinematographer (d. 1999)

August 10, 1898 – Jack Haley, American actor (d. 1979)

November 11, 1898 – René Clair, French film director (d. 1981)

November 26, 1898 – Karl Ziegler, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)

November 30, 1898 – Firpo Marberry, American baseball player (d. 1976)

December 20, 1898 – Irene Dunne, American actress (d. 1990)

December 22, 1898 – Vladimir Aleksandrovich Fock, Russian physicist (d. 1974)