The World Health Organization first observed 'World Tuberculosis Day' on this day. The date commemorates the day Koch announced his discovery of the tuberculosis bacterium, raising awareness of the global epidemic of tuberculosis.

Robert Koch died in Baden-Baden at the age of 66, three days after giving a lecture on his tuberculosis research at the Prussian Academy of Sciences. His death marked the end of a pivotal era in the development of bacteriology and medicine.