When did Robert Koch identify the bacterium that causes tuberculosis?

Koch announced the discovery of the tuberculosis bacillus on 24 March 1882 in Berlin. He showed that a specific microorganism was responsible for the disease, using staining and microscopy methods that became foundational in bacteriology. Tuberculosis was one of the leading causes of death in the 19th century, so identifying its cause had enormous public-health significance. Koch's work helped establish the principle that particular diseases can be linked to particular microbes.