Although fuchsia appears to be a purplish red color, it's actually created digitally in the RGB color model by blending blue and red equally at their maximum possible intensity. This form of fuchsia is created for television and computer screens.
When fuchsia is created digitally, it's the exact same color as magenta. In print and design work, fuchsia has a stronger purple tint, whereas magenta leans toward the red side of the spectrum.
A French chemist named Francois-Emmanuel Verguin introduced the color in 1859 as a new dye color called fuchsine. That same year, the color was renamed magenta in commemoration of the French army's victory at the Battle of Magenta. The first known time the name fuchsia was used in English was in 1892.