Well, this is a very broad question. It's really two questions. "Why does 1888 seem to appear everywhere?," and "Could someone give me a few interesting things that happened in 1888?"

The answer to the first question is more psychological than History, I would say, but to answer your very broad second question about an interesting event that happened that year:

http://www.casebook.org/intro.html

That is a link to an introduction into the case of Jack the Ripper. Jack the Ripper was a nom de plume of a serial killer (or killers, depending on who you ask) that operated out of the East End in Whitechapel, London in 1888.

The murders are remembered because the person or persons doing the murders of Jack the Ripper have never been conclusively identified - though some have tried with considerable efforts, and claim to have closed the case.

The link provided is an introduction section of the website, but the whole website itself is a treasure trove of information regarding this case. The site will have information such as:

Jack the Ripper has remained popular for a lot of reasons. He was not the first serial killer, but he was probably the first to appear in a large metropolis at a time when the general populace had become literate and the press was a force for social change.

and will lead you through everything regarding all the victims, autopsies, suspects, witnesses, letters, and plenty of other aspects about the crimes, times, and events happening in that time period.