Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

1878

1878 was a common year in the Gregorian calendar that commenced on Tuesday and featured the Congress of Berlin, a major diplomatic conference where European powers redrew Balkan territories following Russia's victory in the Russo-Turkish War, granting independence to Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania while reducing the size of the proposed Bulgarian state to limit Russian influence.^[1]^[2] The Treaty of Berlin, signed on July 13, also allowed Austria-Hungary to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina and Britain to administer Cyprus, reflecting balance-of-power dynamics among great powers.^[1] In science and technology, Thomas Edison received a U.S. patent for the phonograph on February 19, enabling the first practical sound recording and reproduction.^[3] The year saw the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Afghan War in November, as Britain invaded to counter Russian expansion toward India.^[4] Among notable births were Joseph Stalin on December 18, who later led the Soviet Union, and Lise Meitner on November 7, a physicist who contributed to nuclear fission research.^[5] Significant deaths included Pope Pius IX on February 7, the longest-serving pope whose reign saw the loss of the Papal States, and Victor Emmanuel II on January 9, Italy's first king after unification.^[6] In the United States, the year was marred by a severe yellow fever epidemic in the South, claiming over 5,000 lives, alongside events like the Lincoln County War in New Mexico.^[3]

Events

January

On January 5, Russian forces under General Joseph Vladimirovich Gourko launched the fourth and final assault on Ottoman positions at Shipka Pass during the Russo-Turkish War, defeating Turkish troops and securing the strategic route through the Balkan Mountains; this victory, combined with the fall of Plevna, accelerated the Ottoman Empire's collapse in the region.^[7]^[8] On January 8, Henry Morton Stanley met secretly with an agent of Belgian King Leopold II in Paris, initiating negotiations that would lead to Stanley's commission to explore and claim the Congo Basin for Leopold's International African Association, laying groundwork for Belgium's colonial exploitation of the region.^[9] Umberto I ascended the throne of Italy on January 9 following the death of his father, Victor Emmanuel II; Umberto adopted the title "Umberto I of Italy" to emphasize national unity over Savoyard lineage, marking the continuation of the constitutional monarchy amid post-unification challenges.^[10] On January 10, U.S. Senator Aaron A. Sargent of California introduced a resolution in the Senate proposing a constitutional amendment to grant women the right to vote, the first such formal effort in Congress, though it failed to pass and was reintroduced periodically until the 19th Amendment's ratification in 1920.^[11]^[12] The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled on January 14 in Hall v. DeCuir that Louisiana's law requiring racial segregation on public conveyances violated the implicit commerce clause protections against state interference in interstate travel, overturning a state court decision and affirming that states could not enforce discriminatory accommodations on vessels like steamboats operating across state lines.^[13]^[14] The world's first commercial telephone exchange opened on January 28 in New Haven, Connecticut, operated by George W. Coy's District Telephone Company from the Boardman Building; connecting 21 subscribers via a manual switchboard, it represented the initial step in scaling Alexander Graham Bell's invention for public use.^[15]^[16]

February

On February 7, Pope Pius IX died in Rome at the age of 85, concluding the longest pontificate in papal history up to that time, spanning 31 years.^[17] His death from complications including an epileptic seizure and heart attack marked the end of a reign noted for doctrinal developments such as the definition of papal infallibility and the Immaculate Conception, amid tensions with the rising Kingdom of Italy.^[18] On February 10, the Pact of Zanjón was signed between Cuban insurgent leaders and Spanish authorities in Camagüey, formally ending the Ten Years' War, Cuba's first major bid for independence from Spain that had begun in 1868.^[19] The agreement granted limited autonomy promises, including abolition of slavery and political reforms, though key rebel figures like Antonio Maceo rejected it, leading to the short-lived Protest of Baraguá.^[20] Exhaustion on both sides, with Cuban forces depleted after a decade of guerrilla warfare and Spain facing economic strain, facilitated the truce, but it failed to resolve underlying grievances, setting the stage for future conflicts.^[21] February 12 saw the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 200,358 to Frederick W. Thayer for an "improvement in masks," the first catcher's mask in baseball, designed to protect the catcher from pitched balls by adapting a fencing mask with padded supports.^[22] Thayer, manager of the Harvard University baseball team, invented it to safeguard their young catcher, enabling closer positioning behind the plate and revolutionizing defensive play in the sport.^[23] The Lincoln County War erupted on February 18 in New Mexico Territory when gunmen employed by the Murphy-Dolan faction murdered English rancher John Tunstall, igniting a violent feud over economic control in the region.^[24] This conflict, involving rival merchants, cattlemen like John Chisum, and figures such as Alexander McSween and Billy the Kid, exemplified the lawlessness of the American frontier, with federal intervention eventually required to suppress the violence.^[25] On February 19, Thomas Edison received U.S. Patent No. 200,521 for the phonograph, a device using tinfoil-wrapped cylinders to record and reproduce sound via a stylus tracing vibrations.^[26] Invented in late 1877, it represented a breakthrough in audio technology, demonstrating the feasibility of mechanical sound recording and paving the way for the modern recording industry.^[27] On February 28, President Rutherford B. Hayes vetoed the Bland-Allison Act, which mandated monthly Treasury purchases of $2–4 million in silver for coining into dollars to expand the money supply amid debates over bimetallism following the Coinage Act of 1873.^[28] Congress promptly overrode the veto later that day, restoring silver dollars as legal tender and marking a partial victory for "free silver" advocates, primarily Western miners and farmers seeking inflation to ease debts, though it did not fully satisfy silver interests.^[29]

March

On March 3, the Treaty of San Stefano was signed between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, formally ending the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878.^[30] The agreement, dictated by Russian forces after their military successes, required the Ottoman Empire to recognize the full independence of Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro, while establishing a large autonomous Principality of Bulgaria under Russian protection, encompassing much of the Balkans from the Black Sea to the Aegean.^[31] This expansive Bulgarian territory, intended to serve as a Russian-influenced buffer state, alarmed other European great powers, particularly Britain and Austria-Hungary, due to its potential to shift regional power dynamics and threaten Ottoman territorial integrity.^[30] The treaty's terms were preliminary and later substantially revised at the Congress of Berlin in July, but at the time, they represented Russia's maximalist aims in supporting Balkan Slavic nationalism against Ottoman rule.^[32] On March 6, the first University Match in golf was contested between Oxford and Cambridge universities at Wimbledon Common, with Oxford emerging victorious by a margin of 24 holes to 13.^[33] This event, hosted by the London Scottish Golf Club, marked the inception of what became golf's oldest continuous amateur team competition between the two institutions.^[33] On March 24, the Royal Navy training frigate HMS Eurydice capsized in a sudden snow squall in Sandown Bay off the Isle of Wight, shortly after departing Bermuda for Portsmouth.^[34] Of the 362 officers, trainees, and crew aboard, only two survived, making it one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters in British naval history; the wooden-hulled vessel, under full sail and unprepared for the rapid weather shift, heeled over and sank within minutes.^[35] An official inquiry attributed the loss primarily to the squall's intensity overwhelming the ship's stability, though critics noted potential issues with its conversion from a sailing corvette to a sail-training ship without sufficient ballast adjustments.^[34] On March 26, the Sabi Game Reserve—now part of Kruger National Park in present-day South Africa—opened as the world's first officially designated game reserve, established by Transvaal Republic authorities to protect wildlife from overhunting.^[36] The same day saw the founding of Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, the first law school in the University of California system, aimed at providing legal education amid California's post-Gold Rush growth.^[36]

April

On April 4, the Gunfight at Blazer's Mill took place in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, during the Lincoln County War, pitting members of the Regulators—including Billy the Kid, Charlie Bowdre, and Doc Scurlock—against bounty hunter Andrew "Buckshot" Roberts.^[37] Roberts, wounded from prior engagements, held off the group inside the mill, killing two Regulators (Frank McNabb and George Shultz) and wounding several others before succumbing to his injuries; the skirmish highlighted the escalating violence between rival factions backed by cattle baron John Chisum and merchant Lawrence Murphy.^[38] On April 10, the California Street Cable Railroad Company inaugurated service on its line from Kearny Street to Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, California, marking the third cable car route in the city after the Clay Street and Geary Street lines and extending the innovative inclined railway technology developed by Andrew Smith Hallidie to navigate the city's steep hills.^[39] In early April, the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") arrived in Le Havre, France, towed by the French tug Jean Bart after departing New York in March, to transport American industrial exhibits—including machinery, artwork, and a streetcar—for display at the Exposition Universelle in Paris; the voyage repurposed the aging frigate as a floating warehouse, underscoring its transition from active naval service to ceremonial roles.^[40] On April 16, the Senate of the Grand Duchy of Finland decreed the establishment of Kotka as a town on islands from the former Kymi parish, formalizing its development as a port amid regional industrialization and timber trade, with full city status granted the following year.^[41] On April 21, the New York City Fire Department installed the first permanent firehouse pole at Engine Company No. 21 on South Street, devised by Captain David L. Kenyon to expedite response times by allowing firefighters to slide from upper bunks to ground level, replacing slower stair descents amid growing urban fire risks.^[42] The following day, April 22 (Easter Monday), First Lady Lucy Hayes hosted the inaugural White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn, inviting children to roll painted eggs after Congress banned the longstanding Capitol tradition to protect grounds; President Rutherford B. Hayes joined, establishing an annual event that drew hundreds and symbolized family-oriented public access to the executive mansion.^[43]

May

On May 2, 1878, the Washburn "A" Mill in Minneapolis, Minnesota—one of the world's largest flour mills at the time—exploded due to the ignition of accumulated flour dust, killing 18 workers and destroying the facility along with nearby structures. The blast, heard miles away, highlighted the hazards of combustible dust in industrial milling and prompted subsequent innovations in dust control and safety engineering.^[44] On May 14, 1878, the trademark for Vaseline petroleum jelly was registered in the United States by Robert Augustus Chesebrough, marking the commercial formalization of the product he had developed from refined petroleum residues discovered during oil drilling operations.^[45] Originally promoted for wound healing and lubrication, Vaseline gained widespread use as a versatile ointment following this trademark, which protected the brand name derived from "Wasser" (water) and "Oleum" (oil).^[46] On May 25, 1878, W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore, or The Lass That Loved a Sailor premiered at the Opera Comique in London, initiating a run of over 700 performances and exemplifying the duo's satirical take on British naval and social hierarchies.^[47] The work's immediate success, driven by its catchy tunes and critique of class distinctions, propelled the collaborators toward further operettas and influenced popular theater. On May 31, 1878, the German ironclad battleship SMS Grosser Kurfürst sank in the English Channel after being accidentally rammed by the fellow ironclad SMS König Wilhelm during maneuvers, resulting in 284 deaths from drowning and exposure amid poor rescue coordination.^[48] The collision, occurring just weeks after Grosser Kurfürst's commissioning, exposed flaws in ironclad design and fleet signaling, leading to naval inquiries and design reforms in the Imperial German Navy.^[49] That same day, the U.S. Congress approved measures to reduce the circulation of greenback dollars, advancing efforts to stabilize the currency post-Civil War by aligning it more closely with gold reserves.^[50]

June

On June 1, 1878, the second congress of the General Postal Union concluded in Paris with the signing of a revised convention that renamed the organization the Universal Postal Union (UPU), establishing it as a single postal territory for international mail exchange among member states. This formalized streamlined regulations for cross-border correspondence, postage rates, and transit, involving 22 nations and marking a key advancement in global communication infrastructure.^[51] Also on June 1, the iron-hulled clipper ship Loch Ard, en route from Gravesend, England, to Melbourne, Australia, struck Mutton Bird Island off Victoria's Shipwreck Coast during a storm, resulting in the loss of 52 lives out of 54 aboard; only a cabin boy and a passenger survived, highlighting the perils of 19th-century maritime travel.^[52] On June 4, the Cyprus Convention was signed between the United Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire at Constantinople, granting Britain administrative control over Cyprus in exchange for British protection against Russian aggression, while Ottoman sovereignty was nominally retained; this secret agreement aimed to secure British strategic interests in the eastern Mediterranean amid the Russo-Turkish War's aftermath.^[53] The arrangement involved an annual tribute payment from Britain to the Ottomans, totaling £92,000 initially, though disputes over terms persisted.^[54] The Congress of Berlin convened on June 13, hosted by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, with representatives from the major European powers—including Britain, Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire—to revise the Treaty of San Stefano and redistribute Balkan territories following Russia's victory in the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish War.^[55] Chaired by Bismarck, the congress lasted until July 13, significantly reducing the size of the proposed Bulgarian state, granting autonomy to Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania, and allocating Bosnia and Herzegovina to Austro-Hungarian administration, thereby averting broader European conflict but sowing seeds for future Balkan tensions.^[56] In the United States, the 12th Belmont Stakes horse race was held on June 8 at Jerome Park Racetrack in New York, where Duke of Magenta, ridden by L. Hughes, won in a time of 2:43¾, covering 1½ miles and underscoring the growing popularity of thoroughbred racing.^[36]

July

On July 1, Canada acceded to the Universal Postal Union, facilitating standardized international mail exchange among member states.^[57] On July 7, the Social Democratic Union was established in Amsterdam, marking an early consolidation of socialist political organizations in the Netherlands.^[36] The Congress of Berlin concluded on July 13 with the signing of the Treaty of Berlin by representatives of the United Kingdom, Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire.^[58] This agreement revised the earlier Treaty of San Stefano (March 1878) following the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), reducing the size of the proposed Bulgarian state to prevent Russian dominance in the Balkans; it established the Principality of Bulgaria as an autonomous vassal of the Ottoman Empire between the Danube and Balkan Mountains, with Eastern Rumelia as a separate Ottoman province under Bulgarian administration.^[59] Austria-Hungary received administrative control over Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the United Kingdom gained possession of Cyprus from the Ottomans for strategic naval purposes.^[60] Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia gained independence and territorial expansions, though Romania ceded southern Bessarabia to Russia. The treaty aimed to balance great-power interests and stabilize the region, averting broader European conflict, though it sowed seeds for future nationalist tensions by leaving ethnic populations divided across new borders.^[61] On July 25, Black Bart, the alias of stagecoach robber Charles E. Boles, conducted a holdup of a Wells Fargo stage near Copperopolis, California, using a flour sack mask and demanding the strongbox without firing shots, netting about $8,000 in gold and express matter before vanishing into the woods.^[3] This was one of several similar non-violent robberies attributed to him in the American West during the 1870s. A total solar eclipse occurred on July 29, visible across the western United States from Texas through Colorado and Wyoming to Montana, drawing expeditions from the U.S. Naval Observatory and other institutions to observe and photograph the event amid clear prairie skies.^[62] Astronomers documented the corona's structure and potential solar prominences, contributing early data to solar physics, though initial hopes for comet sightings or Venus transits went unrealized; the event spurred public interest in astronomy and prompted temporary influxes of scientists to remote western sites.^[63]

August

On August 9, a violent F4 tornado struck Wallingford, Connecticut, at approximately 6 p.m., destroying around 40 houses, a schoolhouse, and a church while killing 34 people and injuring at least 70 others, marking it as the deadliest tornado in the state's history.^[64] ^[65] The yellow fever epidemic, originating from infected ports along the Mississippi River, reached a critical point on August 13 when Kate Bionda, an Italian immigrant and restaurant owner in Memphis, Tennessee, became the first confirmed fatality after serving a man who had evaded quarantine from a steamboat out of New Orleans.^[66] ^[67] This triggered widespread panic in Memphis, where up to 25,000 residents fled the city amid rapid disease spread via Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, ultimately resulting in over 17,000 cases and more than 5,000 deaths there alone by October, devastating the local economy and population.^[67] ^[68] On August 21, the American Bar Association was founded in Saratoga Springs, New York, when Connecticut lawyer Simeon E. Baldwin convened 75 legal professionals to establish a national organization aimed at advancing jurisprudence, improving legal standards, and fostering professional unity in the United States.^[69] ^[70]

September

On 1 September, Emma M. Nutt began work as the first female telephone operator for the Edwin Holmes Telephone Dispatch Company in Boston, Massachusetts, hired by Alexander Graham Bell himself after proving more effective than male predecessors in handling calls with patience and clarity.^[71]^[72] On 3 September, the paddle steamer SS Princess Alice, carrying over 900 passengers returning from a day trip on the River Thames, collided with the outbound collier SS Bywell Castle near Woolwich, splitting in two and sinking within minutes in the polluted waters near London's sewer outfalls, resulting in approximately 640 deaths—the deadliest accident in the river's peacetime history.^[73]^[74] On 12 September, Cleopatra's Needle—an ancient Egyptian obelisk from the 18th Dynasty, originally erected at Heliopolis around 1450 BCE—was raised into position on London's Victoria Embankment after a challenging transport from Alexandria, where it had stood since Ptolemaic times; the 68-foot granite monument, weighing 180 tons, was presented to Britain in 1819 but only relocated following naval engineering efforts.^[75]^[76] Throughout September, the yellow fever epidemic ravaged the Lower Mississippi Valley, with cases surging in cities like Memphis, Tennessee—where over 5,000 died by year's end amid failed quarantines and poor sanitation—contributing to an estimated 20,000 fatalities across the region from a pathogen transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.^[77]^[67] On 30 September, the sailing ship SS Priscilla arrived in Honolulu Harbor after 116 days from Madeira, disgorging roughly 120 Portuguese laborers—the first organized group from the Azores and Madeira islands—to work on Hawaii's sugar plantations, launching a migration that would bring over 15,000 Portuguese to the islands by 1913.^[78]^[79]

October

On October 1, a major labor uprising known as Fireburn erupted on the island of St. Croix in the Danish West Indies (present-day U.S. Virgin Islands), involving estate workers protesting exploitative labor contracts following the abolition of slavery in 1848; the revolt, led by figures such as Susanna Abrahamsson, resulted in the burning of several plantations and the deaths of dozens, marking the largest such disturbance in Danish colonial history.^[80] On October 4, Scottish golfer Jamie Anderson won the British Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland, securing his third consecutive title with a score of 157 over 36 holes on a links course amid challenging coastal winds.^[80] October 14 saw the world's first recorded floodlit association football (soccer) match at Bramall Lane in Sheffield, England, where two local teams played under experimental gas lamps, illuminating the pitch to extend play into evening hours and foreshadowing modern floodlighting in sports.^[36] On October 15, Thomas Edison incorporated the Edison Electric Light Company in New York with $300,000 in capital, aimed at developing and commercializing practical incandescent electric lighting systems, building on his ongoing experiments with carbon filaments and vacuum bulbs.^[36] October 17 marked the federal election in Canada, in which John A. Macdonald's Conservative Party secured a majority with 142 seats against the Liberals' 63, enabling Macdonald's re-election as prime minister amid debates over the National Policy tariff and Pacific Railway expansion.^[80] The German Reichstag approved the Anti-Socialist Laws on October 21, a set of repressive measures introduced by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck prohibiting socialist organizations, publications, and assemblies deemed threats to public safety, enacted in response to perceived radicalism after assassination attempts on Kaiser Wilhelm I and resulting in the suppression of the Social Democratic Party until their expiration in 1890.^[80]^[36]

November

On November 1, Edward Willis Scripps and John Sweeney established the Penny Press in Cleveland, Ohio, a newspaper that emphasized affordable access to news and laid groundwork for Scripps' media empire.^[36] The United States held midterm elections on November 5, with Democrats achieving substantial gains in the House of Representatives amid economic discontent following the Panic of 1877, including control of several state governorships such as those in Massachusetts and Michigan.^[81] On November 6, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's drama Samfundets støtter (Pillars of Society) premiered at the Kristiania Theater in Oslo, critiquing hypocrisy in bourgeois society and marking a key work in modern realism.^[82] The New York Symphony Orchestra, under conductor Leopold Damrosch, gave its inaugural performance on November 9 at Chickering Hall, contributing to the city's classical music scene before merging with the New York Philharmonic in 1928.^[82] An attempted assassination of King Umberto I occurred on November 17 in Naples, when anarchist Giovanni Passannante stabbed at the monarch during a procession; the king sustained minor injuries, while the attacker was later sentenced to life imprisonment.^[82] Soprano Marie Selika Williams performed on November 18 at the White House for President Rutherford B. Hayes and guests, becoming the first African American artist to do so, with her program featuring operatic arias introduced by Frederick Douglass.^[83] The Second Anglo-Afghan War commenced on November 21 with British forces invading from India in three columns to counter Russian influence, capturing key passes like Ali Masjid and installing Yakub Khan as emir after the flight of Sher Ali Khan.^[84] Russian playwright Aleksandr Ostrovsky's Bespridannitsa (Without a Dowry) debuted on November 22 (Old Style November 10) at the Maly Theatre in Moscow, exploring themes of love and social inequality in provincial Russia.^[82] The libel trial Whistler v. Ruskin concluded on November 28, with artist James McNeill Whistler awarded nominal damages of one farthing against critic John Ruskin, who had accused him of "flinging a pot of paint in the public's face"; the verdict highlighted debates over aesthetic value in art.^[82]^[85]

December

On December 11, British High Commissioner for South Africa Sir Bartle Frere delivered an ultimatum to Zulu King Cetshwayo kaMpande, demanding the disbandment of the Zulu army, the cessation of raids into neighboring territories, and other reforms designed to limit Zulu sovereignty; Cetshwayo rejected the terms, setting the stage for the Anglo-Zulu War that began the following month.^[86]^[87] On December 12, Joseph Pulitzer, a Hungarian-born American journalist and politician, published the inaugural edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch after acquiring the struggling St. Louis Evening Dispatch and merging it with the St. Louis Post; the newspaper quickly gained prominence for its investigative reporting and advocacy for the working class, establishing Pulitzer's model of "yellow journalism" precursors.^[88]^[89] A maritime disaster occurred on December 18 when the French steamship SS Byzantin, en route from Marseille to Constantinople with passengers and cargo, collided with the British vessel Rinaldo in the Dardanelles strait; the Byzantin sank rapidly, resulting in approximately 210 deaths among its crew and passengers, with survivors rescued amid challenging conditions.^[90] On December 28, Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Quod apostolici muneris, condemning socialism, communism, and nihilism as ideologies that undermine natural law, private property, and social order by promoting class warfare and state overreach; the document emphasized the Church's role in defending Christian principles against revolutionary doctrines gaining traction in Europe.^[91]

Date unknown

The first operational Pelton wheel, an impulse water turbine designed by Lester Allan Pelton, is installed at the Mayflower Mine in Nevada City, California, marking a significant advancement in hydroelectric power efficiency for mining operations.^[92] This design, featuring split buckets to capture water jet momentum, later proves highly effective for high-head water sources, influencing modern turbine technology despite Pelton's patent filing in 1880.^[93] A complete edition of Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina, incorporating the final part after its serialization in the Russian Messenger from 1875 to 1877, is published in book form in Moscow.^[94] The work explores themes of Russian aristocracy, adultery, and philosophical inquiry into faith and progress, establishing Tolstoy's reputation as a master of realist fiction.^[95] In federal court, formerly enslaved Henrietta Wood secures a $2,500 verdict—the largest known restitution for slavery in U.S. history—against Zebulon Ward, who had kidnapped and resold her into bondage after her 1848 manumission in Kentucky.^[96] Filed in 1870 under the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the case leverages postwar amendments to affirm damages for illegal enslavement, though Wood receives only partial payment amid Ward's financial distress.^[97]

Births

January–March

On January 9, Umberto I ascended to the throne of Italy following the death of his father, Victor Emmanuel II, marking the continuation of the House of Savoy's rule over the newly unified kingdom.^[98] In the United States, on January 10, Senator Aaron A. Sargent of California introduced a joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to grant women the right to vote, stating that "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."^[99] This measure, which would later form the basis for the Nineteenth Amendment, failed to advance at the time amid opposition from those arguing it interfered with states' rights over suffrage qualifications.^[99] On January 14, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Hall v. DeCuir, ruling 8-0 that a Louisiana statute requiring common carriers to provide equal accommodations regardless of race violated the Commerce Clause by improperly regulating interstate travel.^[100] The case arose when Josephine Decuir, a free woman of color, was denied access to the white cabin on a Mississippi River steamboat operating across state lines; the decision prioritized federal authority over interstate commerce, effectively limiting state-level anti-discrimination mandates on such carriers until Congress acted.^[100] In the American West, simmering economic rivalries in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, erupted into open violence on February 18 when rancher John Tunstall was murdered by deputies aligned with the Murphy-Dolan faction, which controlled local mercantile and political power through ties to federal Indian contracts.^[24] This assassination, part of a broader feud over cattle, banking, and supply monopolies involving figures like Alexander McSween and John Chisum, escalated into the Lincoln County War, drawing in gunmen including Billy the Kid and leading to federal intervention by Pat Garrett and the U.S. Army.^[24] On February 19, Thomas Edison received U.S. Patent No. 200,521 for the phonograph, a device using a tinfoil-wrapped cylinder, diaphragm, and stylus to record and reproduce sound via mechanical vibrations, revolutionizing audio technology though early models suffered from short playback duration and material fragility. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 concluded on March 3 with the Treaty of San Stefano, signed near Constantinople by Russian diplomat Count Nikolai Ignatyev and Ottoman representatives Alexander Karatheodory Pasha and Sadullah Bey.^[101] The agreement granted independence to Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro; established a large autonomous Principality of Bulgaria under Russian influence, encompassing territories from the Danube to the Aegean; ceded southern Bessarabia, Kars, Batum, and Ardahan to Russia; and mandated Ottoman reforms in Armenia and Bosnia.^[101] While securing Russian strategic gains after military victories like the Siege of Plevna, the treaty's expansive Bulgarian provisions alarmed Britain and Austria-Hungary over shifts in Balkan power balances, prompting calls for international revision.^[31]

April–June

April 4: During the Lincoln County War, a posse of Regulators including Billy the Kid confronted suspected rustler Andrew L. "Buckshot" Roberts at Blazer's Mill in the Mescalero Apache Reservation, New Mexico Territory; Roberts killed two Regulators, including leader Dick Brewer, before succumbing to wounds, in one of the conflict's most intense shootouts.^[37]^[38] April 10: The California Street Cable Car Railroad began service in San Francisco, introducing Andrew Hallidie's cable-hauled system that revolutionized steep urban transportation and remains operational.^[102] April 15: Harley T. Procter of Procter & Gamble launched Ivory Soap in the United States, marketed for its 99.44% purity and unique floating quality due to air whipped into the mixture during production.^[102] April 21: First Lady Lucy Hayes hosted the inaugural Easter Egg Roll on the White House South Lawn, inviting children to roll decorated eggs, establishing an annual presidential tradition.^[103] May 1: The Exposition Universelle opened in Paris, France, featuring exhibits from 36 nations on agriculture, manufacturing, and fine arts across 66 hectares, drawing over 13 million visitors to celebrate France's post-Franco-Prussian War recovery.^[104]^[105] May 2: An explosion at the Washburn "A" Mill in Minneapolis, Minnesota, triggered by flour dust ignition, killed 18 workers and destroyed four mills, underscoring the fire risks in grain milling before modern safety measures.^[4] Late May: The Bannock War erupted as Bannock and Paiute bands in Idaho, deprived of traditional camas root harvesting grounds by settler encroachments and overgrazing, raided settlements under leaders like Chief Buffalo Horn, prompting U.S. military response.^[106]^[107] June 4: Under the Cyprus Convention, the Ottoman Empire granted Britain administrative rights over Cyprus in exchange for support against Russian advances, securing a strategic Mediterranean base amid post-Russo-Turkish War realignments.^[108] June 8: In the Bannock War's initial major engagement, a party of 26 Silver City volunteers clashed with approximately 50 Bannock and Paiute warriors at a site near the Oregon-Idaho line, suffering casualties that escalated federal involvement.^[109] June 13: The Congress of Berlin opened under German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck's auspices, assembling representatives from Europe’s great powers to mediate Balkan outcomes of the Russo-Turkish War by modifying the expansive Treaty of San Stefano, thereby curbing Russian territorial gains and reshaping Ottoman holdings.^[2]^[56]

July–September

The Congress of Berlin, convened from June 13 to July 13, 1878, concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Berlin on July 13, which revised the terms of the Treaty of San Stefano following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. The agreement curtailed Russian influence in the Balkans by reducing the territory of the proposed Greater Bulgaria, granting full independence to Serbia and Montenegro while recognizing Romania's independence under certain conditions, and establishing the autonomous Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia under Ottoman suzerainty. Austria-Hungary was authorized to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the United Kingdom secured administrative control over Cyprus in exchange for supporting the Ottoman Empire against Russian expansion. These provisions aimed to stabilize the region and balance great power interests, averting broader European conflict.^[58] On July 29, a total solar eclipse crossed the United States from Montana to Texas, drawing scientific expeditions coordinated by the U.S. Naval Observatory and including inventor Thomas Edison, who sought to test theories on the corona's nature using specialized equipment. Observations from sites in the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains yielded data on solar prominences and the chromosphere, advancing astronomical understanding despite challenges like cloudy weather in some areas.^[62] In August, the yellow fever epidemic escalated across the American South, with Memphis, Tennessee, reporting its first fatality on August 13 when restaurant owner Kate Bionda succumbed after contact with an infected individual from a quarantined vessel; the outbreak ultimately claimed over 5,000 lives in the city, prompting mass evacuations and economic devastation.^[66] The American Bar Association was founded on August 21 in Saratoga Springs, New York, by 75 lawyers to promote professional standards, legal education, and uniform laws across states.^[110] September saw maritime tragedy on September 3 when the paddle steamer Princess Alice collided with the collier Bywell Castle on the River Thames near Gallions Reach, sinking rapidly and resulting in at least 640 deaths, primarily women and children, due to overcrowding and the collision's severity in polluted waters; the disaster prompted inquiries into shipping safety and sewage management in London.^[111] On September 1, Emma Nutt began work as the first female telephone operator at the Boston Telephone Dispatch Company, marking a shift in the industry from male "boys" to women for their clearer diction and patience, with Nutt earning $10 weekly for 54-hour shifts.^[36] Cleopatra's Needle, a 3,500-year-old Egyptian obelisk originally from Heliopolis, was erected on the Thames Embankment in London on September 12 after a transatlantic voyage fraught with storms, symbolizing Anglo-Egyptian ties under Khedive Ismail Pasha's gift to Britain.^[112] The Canadian federal election on September 17 resulted in a Conservative majority under John A. Macdonald, securing 141 seats amid debates over the National Policy tariff.^[112]

October–December

On October 1, laborers on St. Croix in the Danish West Indies initiated the Fireburn uprising, protesting exploitative contract labor conditions post-emancipation by setting fires to plantations and clashing with police, resulting in eight deaths and the arrest of over 100 participants before order was restored by mid-month. The Edison Electric Light Company, founded by inventor Thomas Edison with financial backing from figures like J.P. Morgan, commenced operations on October 15 to develop and commercialize practical incandescent lighting systems, marking an early step toward widespread electric illumination.^[113] On October 21, the German Reichstag approved the Anti-Socialist Law, which prohibited social democratic associations, publications, and meetings perceived as threats to state security, enabling police suppression of socialist activities until its expiration in 1890.^[114] In November, United States midterm elections on November 5 saw the Democratic Party gain control of the House of Representatives, expanding from 109 seats to 149 amid Republican losses tied to economic discontent following the Panic of 1873, while Republicans retained the Senate.^[115] The Second Anglo-Afghan War commenced on November 21 as British Indian Army columns, totaling around 40,000 troops, invaded Afghanistan from three directions to counter Russian influence and install a pro-British ruler, prompting Afghan Emir Sher Ali Khan to flee northward.^[116] On December 11, British colonial authorities in South Africa issued an ultimatum to Zulu King Cetshwayo demanding the disbandment of Zulu impis and compliance with confederation policies, setting the stage for the Anglo-Zulu War after its rejection the following month.^[117] Joseph Pulitzer acquired the failing St. Louis Dispatch on December 12 and merged it with the Post to launch the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, adopting a crusading editorial stance against corruption that boosted circulation from under 2,500 to over 22,000 within a year.^[118] Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Quod apostolici muneris on December 28, condemning socialism, communism, and nihilism as ideologies undermining property rights, family structures, and divine order, urging Catholics to resist their spread.^[91]

Deaths

January–June

On January 9, Umberto I succeeded to the throne of Italy upon the death of his father, Victor Emmanuel II, marking the continuation of the Savoy dynasty in the newly unified kingdom.^[10] On January 10, the United States Senate approved a proposed constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote, introduced by Senator Aaron A. Sargent, though it would not pass for decades.^[119] On January 14, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Hall v. DeCuir that a Louisiana law prohibiting racial segregation on common carriers unconstitutionally burdened interstate commerce, effectively permitting carriers to enforce separation in such travel despite state mandates for integration.^[120] The Lincoln County War erupted in New Mexico on February 18, triggered by the murder of Sheriff William Brady amid disputes over cattle ranching and mercantile monopolies involving figures like John Chisum and Lawrence Murphy.^[3] On February 19, Thomas Edison received a patent for the phonograph, a device capable of recording and reproducing sound via tinfoil-wrapped cylinders, revolutionizing audio technology. President Rutherford B. Hayes reluctantly signed the Bland-Allison Act into law on February 28, mandating the U.S. Treasury to purchase between $2 million and $4 million worth of silver monthly for coinage into dollars, a compromise aimed at appeasing silver mining interests while limiting bimetallism's expansion.^[29] The Russo-Turkish War concluded on March 3 with the Treaty of San Stefano, in which the Ottoman Empire ceded significant territories to Russia, recognized the independence of Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania, and established a large autonomous Bulgarian principality encompassing much of the Balkans, prompting European powers' concerns over Russian influence.^[30] On June 4, the Cyprus Convention granted Britain administrative control over Cyprus from the Ottoman Empire in exchange for British support against Russian advances, while Cyprus remained nominally Ottoman sovereign territory; Britain agreed to pay an annual tribute to the Porte.^[121] The Posse Comitatus Act was enacted on June 18 as part of an Army appropriations bill, prohibiting the use of federal military forces to enforce domestic laws unless expressly authorized by Congress or the Constitution, in response to Reconstruction-era military interventions in civilian affairs.^[122]

July–December

The Congress of Berlin concluded on July 13 with the signing of the Treaty of Berlin, which revised the earlier Treaty of San Stefano following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878.^[123] The treaty granted full independence to Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro, while awarding them significant territorial expansions at the expense of the Ottoman Empire.^[123] Bulgaria was established as an autonomous principality under Ottoman suzerainty but with reduced territory compared to San Stefano's provisions, and Eastern Rumelia remained under Ottoman control.^[123] Austria-Hungary received the right to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina, Britain assumed administration of Cyprus, and Russia retained southern Bessarabia and parts of Kars.^[123] These arrangements aimed to balance great power interests in the Balkans, curbing Russian influence while preserving Ottoman integrity in core areas.^[123] In the United States, a severe yellow fever epidemic erupted in the Lower Mississippi Valley starting in late summer. The first confirmed death in Memphis, Tennessee, occurred on August 13 when Kate Bionda, an Italian immigrant restaurant owner, succumbed to the disease after contact with an infected steamboat passenger who evaded quarantine.^[66] The outbreak, originating from New Orleans and spreading northward via the Mississippi River, infected approximately 120,000 people across the region, resulting in around 20,000 deaths by October.^[124] In Memphis alone, over 17,000 cases led to more than 5,000 fatalities, depopulating the city as up to 25,000 residents fled, causing economic devastation estimated at $30 million. The epidemic highlighted vulnerabilities in urban sanitation and quarantine measures, with the Aedes aegypti mosquito as the vector, though its role was not yet understood.^[77] On September 12, Cleopatra's Needle, an ancient Egyptian obelisk originally erected around 1450 BCE by Thutmose III, was raised on London's Victoria Embankment after a perilous sea voyage from Alexandria.^[125] Gifted to Britain in 1819 by Muhammad Ali Pasha but delayed in transport, the 68-ton granite monument was encased in an iron cylinder and towed across the Atlantic and around stormy seas, during which six crew members drowned in 1877.^[125] Flanked by sphinxes cast in Britain, it symbolized Victorian engineering prowess and imperial connections to antiquity.^[125] Tensions in South Asia escalated with the onset of the Second Anglo-Afghan War on November 21, as British Indian forces under Viceroy Lord Lytton invaded Afghanistan to counter perceived Russian encroachment.^[126] The conflict arose from Afghanistan's refusal to accept a British resident in Kabul, prompting three-pronged advances totaling about 50,000 troops, including the capture of Ali Masjid on November 22.^[127] Emir Sher Ali Khan fled northward, seeking Russian aid, while British objectives focused on securing a pro-British ruler and influence over Afghan foreign policy.^[126] In December, the Anglo-Zulu War commenced on the 11th when British forces under Lieutenant General Frederic Thesiger (Lord Chelmsford) crossed into Zululand from Natal, initiating conflict with King Cetshwayo's Zulu Kingdom.^[128] The invasion stemmed from disputes over border territories and Zulu military buildup, with British columns totaling around 18,000 troops aiming to dismantle Zulu power.^[128] This war would culminate in British victory but at significant cost, including the defeat at Isandlwana in January 1879.^[128]

References

[1]
Congress of Berlin - Jewish Virtual Library
The Congress of Berlin was a gathering of the great European powers in 1878 to settle problems concerning the Balkans and Near East arising after the war ...
[2]
Congress of Berlin (1878) - Owlcation
Nov 16, 2023 · It was a meeting to rectify the Treaty of San Stefano (1878) and to settle peace between the Ottoman Empire of Turkey and the Empire of Russia.
[3]
1878 Archives | HISTORY
Timeline · 1878 · First US cycling club formed · Murder ignites Lincoln County War · Thomas Edison patents the phonograph · Silver dollars made legal · Black Bart ...
[4]
Historical Events in 1878 - On This Day
Jan 9 Umberto I becomes King of Italy. · Jan 10 US Senate proposes female suffrage · Jan 14 US Supreme court rules race separation on trains unconstitutional [1] ...
[5]
Famous People Born in 1878 - On This Day
Celebrate the birthdays of 211 famous people, historical figures and celebrities born in 1878 like Joseph Stalin, Reza Shah Pahlavi and Pancho Villa.
[6]
Famous People Who Died in 1878 - On This Day
Famous Deaths in 1878 · Victor Emmanuel II (1820-1878) · Mark Hopkins Jr. (1813-1878) · Boss Tweed (1823-1878) · John Russell (1792-1878) · Famous People by Cause of ...
[7]
Battles of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) | Military Wiki - Fandom
1878. January 5 – Battle of Shipka Pass IV; General Gourko crushes Turks at Shipka Pass (R); January 17 – Battle of Philippopolis; Gourko routes Turkish ...
[8]
Shipka Pass | Bulgarian Revolution, Ottoman Empire & Battle of ...
Sep 26, 2025 · ... January 1878, General F.F. Radetsky attacked the Turks at Shipka Pass. The fall of Pleven made Turkish resistance strategically useless, and ...Missing: 5 | Show results with:5
[9]
What Happened on January 8, 1878 - On This Day
Leopold II and Stanley's Secret Meeting. Secret meeting of Belgian King Leopold II's agent and Henry Morton Stanley · Journalist and Explorer Henry Morton ...
[10]
Umberto I | House of Savoy, Italian Unification, Constitutional Monarch
Umberto ascended the throne on Jan. 9, 1878, but his respect for the constitutional regime, as well as his attempt to reconcile various political and regional ...
[11]
Woman Suffrage Centennial - U.S. Senate
Women demanded political equality even before the nation's founding, but not until 1878 ... January 10, 1878. Sargent Proposes Amending Constitution. Senator ...
[12]
Aaron A. Sargent (R-CA) - Senate.gov
On January 10, 1878, Senator Aaron Sargent of California introduced a resolution for an amendment to the Constitution to provide for woman suffrage.
[13]
Hall v. DeCuir | 95 U.S. 485 (1877) - Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center
Hearing was had, and the court decided that persons of color were entitled to the same rights and privileges, when traveling, as white persons, and that they ...Missing: January 1878
[14]
HALL v. DECUIR (1878) - Ballotpedia
HALL v. DECUIR is a case that was decided by the Supreme Court of the United States on January 14, 1878. In an 8-0 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the ...Missing: separation | Show results with:separation
[15]
First Commercial Telephone Exchange – Today in History: January 28
On January 28, 1878, the Boardman Building became the site of the world's first commercial telephone exchange, the District Telephone Company of New Haven.
[16]
Telephone Company Histories
On January 28, 1878, two years after Alexander Graham Bell was awarded a ... first commercial telephone exchange opened for business in New Haven, Connecticut.
[17]
Pius IX | Pope, Syllabus of Errors, Immaculate Conception, & Death
Pius IX (born May 13, 1792, Senigallia, Papal States—died February 7, 1878, Rome; beatified September 3, 2000, feast day February 7) was the pope, leader of ...
[18]
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Pope Pius IX - New Advent
Pope from 1846-78; born at Sinigaglia, 13 May, 1792; died in Rome, 7 February, 1878. Before his papacy His early years
[19]
Cuban Independence Movement | History & Ten Years' War
Sep 26, 2025 · Lacking organization and significant outside support, the rebels agreed to an armistice in February 1878 (Pact of Zanjón), the terms of which ...
[20]
Zanjón, Pact of | Encyclopedia.com
Pact of Zanjón, the armistice that ended the Ten Years' War, the first Cuban War of Independence, in 1878. It was made possible by the exhaustion of the Cuban ...
[21]
Cuba's Ten Years' War | Research Starters - EBSCO
On February 10, 1878 the provincial leaders of the CLA in Camagüey signed a peace pact with Spain, the Treaty of Zanjón. Because the treaty, which promised ...<|separator|>
[22]
US200358A - Improvement in masks - Google Patents
FREDERICK W. THAYER, OF WAVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS. IMPROVEMENT IN MASKS ... is usually to be worn by the catcher or person in rear of the striker or bat-wielder.
[23]
Frederick W. Thayer's Invention - Nebraska State Historical Society
He modified a fencing mask which enabled the catcher to move closer to home base and receive the ball without fear of being struck in the face. Thayer received ...
[24]
Murder ignites Lincoln County War | February 18, 1878 - History.com
Long simmering tensions in Lincoln County, New Mexico, explode into a bloody shooting war when gunmen murder the English rancher John Tunstall.
[25]
New Mexico's Lincoln County War - Legends of America
On July 19, 1878, McSween and his supporters, including Billy the Kid, were besieged by the new Sheriff, George Peppin, and a group of his men. McSween's house ...
[26]
History of the Cylinder Phonograph | Articles and Essays
The patent on the phonograph was issued on February 19, 1878. The invention was highly original. The only other recorded evidence of such an invention was in a ...
[27]
History of the Phonograph | Electrohome
Edison filed a patent for the phonograph on December 24, 1877 and the patent was issued on February 19, 1878.
[28]
Bland-Allison Act | United States [1878] - Britannica
Its first significant success was the enactment of the Bland-Allison Act in 1878, which restored the silver dollar as legal tender and required the U.S. ...Missing: February | Show results with:February
[29]
Silver dollars made legal | February 28, 1878 | HISTORY
With the backing of powerful western mining interests, Bland secured passage of the Bland-Allison Act, which became law on this day in 1878.
[30]
Treaty of San Stefano | Ottoman Empire, Balkan States, Peace Treaty
Sep 26, 2025 · Treaty of San Stefano, (March 3 [February 19, Old Style], 1878), peace settlement imposed on the Ottoman government by Russia at the conclusion of the Russo- ...
[31]
Historical Documents - Office of the Historian
The official text of the treaty of San Stefano was published at St. Petersburg on March 21, under the heading of “Preliminaries of peace,” and was telegraphed ...
[32]
https://www.eurasiareview.com/20102025-the-1878-san-stefano-treaty-and-the-albanians-analysis/
[33]
The University Match – CUGC - Cambridge University Golf Club
The first University Golf Match was played on March 6, 1878, at Wimbledon Common, as guests of the London Scottish Golf Club. The match was contested by ...
[34]
HMS Eurydice (1843) - Engole
Jan 24, 2025 · On 24 March 1878, Eurydice was caught in a fierce squall in Sandown Bay, off the Isle of Wight, just eight miles (13 km) from Portsmouth.<|separator|>
[35]
The HMS Eurydice disaster - Mike Parsons Family Tree
The sinking of HMS Eurydice on Sunday the 24th of March 1878 was one of Britain's worst peace-time maritime disasters. Of the 319 people on board only two ...Missing: date | Show results with:date
[36]
1878 in History - BrainyHistory - Events Listing
1878 in History ; January 8 · Secret meeting of King Leopold II's agent and Henry Morton Stanley ; January 10 · U.S. Senate proposes female suffrage ; January 28.
[37]
Buckshot Robert's Last Stand - Legends of America
April 4, 1878, one of the most remarkable gunfights that ever took place in the Old West pitted one man against eight skilled gunslingers.Missing: date | Show results with:date
[38]
Shootout at Blazer's Mill - True West Magazine
Apr 1, 2003 · April 4, 1878. Riding 13-strong, the Regulators rein in at Blazer's Mill on the Mescalero Apache reservation. After drawing the short straw, ...Missing: date | Show results with:date
[39]
About the California Street Cable Railroad
April 10, 2003 marks the 125th anniversary of cable car service on San Francisco's California Street (from Kearny to Van Ness Avenue).
[40]
USS Constitution Timeline
1878 – 1879. The ship was loaded with American exhibits for transport to L'Exposition Universelle, an elaborate world's fair held in Paris, France, in 1878.
[41]
Kotka | Coastal City, Port, Baltic Sea | Britannica
Sep 30, 2025 · Kotka was founded in 1878 and was greatly developed during the late 1930s. A Greek Orthodox church (1795) is the oldest building in the city; ...
[42]
Fire Poles • A Historic Tradition in the Fire Service | F.F.A.M.
Jan 22, 2022 · One article said that “the first firehouse pole was installed in New York in April of 1878.”14 Oddly this is the same year as Chicago claimed ...
[43]
First White House Easter Egg Roll - Histories of the National Mall
The first official White House Easter Egg Roll was held Monday April 22, 1878. ... Hayes and his wife Lucy opened the White House lawn to egg rollers. Soon ...
[44]
The explosion that changed milling - General Mills
May 2, 2012 · In 1878, a historic mill explosion in Minneapolis led to an innovation that changed the flour milling process forever.
[45]
[PDF] A Tour Through Time in Vaseline Jars - Historical Archaeology
Jul 30, 2015 · Chesebrough received Trademark No. 6,041 for the word “Vaseline” on May 14, 1878, and re-registered the logo as Trademark No. 8,359 on June ...
[46]
Celebrating the invention of Vaseline - Sciencelens
May 14, 2013 · It is today, 135 years ago on 14 May 1878, that the Vaseline trademark was registered for the petroleum jelly product developed almost a ...
[47]
https://www.onthisday.com/date/1878/may/25
[48]
Pre-First World War German Battleship and Memorial Granted ...
Jun 5, 2020 · Protection granted for SMS 'Grosser Kurfürst', which sank in 1878 and a Folkestone memorial commemorating the men who lost their lives.
[49]
Grosser Kurfürst: 19th Century warship wreck off Kent protected - BBC
Jun 4, 2020 · Armour plating on SMS Grosser Kurfürst was ripped away and it sank rapidly. Many of the 284 men who lost their lives on 31 May 1878 were ...Missing: sinking | Show results with:sinking
[50]
Historical Events in May 1878 - On This Day
Historical events in May 1878. Learn about 14 famous, scandalous and important events that happened in May 1878 or search by date or keyword.
[51]
History - Upu.Int
Oct 9, 2025 · Membership in the Union grew so quickly during the following three years that its name was changed to the Universal Postal Union in 1878.Missing: June | Show results with:June
[52]
Loch Ard Peacock - Victorian Heritage Database
Date lost 1 June 1878 and port/Country Glasgow, Scotland. It sailed from Gravesend to Melbourne (VHR S417). The ship sank after striking Mutton Bird Island near ...
[53]
Historical Documents - Office of the Historian
... Cyprus will be evacuated by England, and the convention of the 4th of June, 1878, will be at an end. Done at Constantinople the 1st day of July, 1878. A. H. ...
[54]
THE CYPRUS CONVENTION
Signed at Constantinople, 4th June 1878. Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, and his Imperial Majesty ...Missing: date | Show results with:date
[55]
Congress of Berlin | Research Starters - EBSCO
The Congress of Berlin, held in the summer of 1878, marked the end of a serious crisis in the Middle East that had arisen in 1875 with the outbreak of rebellion ...
[56]
Congress of Berlin and the Reorganization of the Balkans in 1878
From June 13 to July 13, 1878, the so-called Berlin Congress, chaired by Otto von Bismarck, met in the Reich Chancellor's Palace. With the decline of the ...
[57]
Historical Events in July 1878 - On This Day
Historical Events in July 1878 · Jul 1 Canada joins the Universal Postal Union · Jul 5 The coat of arms of the Baku governorate was established · Jul 7 Social- ...
[58]
treaty of Berlin - Historical Documents - Office of the Historian
A conflict between Great Britain and Russia has been postponed, if not prevented, and the relations between Turkey and Russia agreed upon at San Stefano ...
[59]
[PDF] Treaty of Berlin Great Britain, Austria-Hungary, France, Germany ...
Treaty of Berlin between. Great Britain, Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy,. Russia and Turkey. July 13, 1878. Article I. Bulgaria is constituted an ...
[60]
Treaty between Great Britain, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Russia ...
Mar 15, 2013 · Treaty between Great Britain, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Russia, and Turkey for the Settlement of Affairs in the East: Signed at Berlin, ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[61]
https://opil.ouplaw.com/display/10.1093/law:epil/9780199231690/law-9780199231690-e687
[62]
The Great Eclipse of 1878 | Naval History Magazine
On 29 July 1878, astronomers working for the US Naval Observatory occupied the Rocky Mountains and the Wyoming and Colorado prairies in force.
[63]
https://kunc.org/science/2017-08-16/eclipse-tourism-takes-a-cue-from-1878-america-and-the-first-great-eclipse
[64]
The Great Wallingford Tornado – Today in History: August 9
On August 9, 1878, a tornado in Wallingford, CT, killed 34, injured 70, destroyed 40 houses, and a schoolhouse, and a church.
[65]
The Wallingford Tornado of 1878 Unleashes Terror on an ...
Starting at 6 p.m. on Aug. 9, 1878, Wallingford, Conn., was struck by a tornado so deadly it killed at the rate of one victim every four seconds.Missing: facts | Show results with:facts
[66]
First victim of Memphis yellow fever epidemic dies | August 13, 1878
On August 13, 1878, Kate Bionda, a restaurant owner, dies of yellow fever in Memphis, Tennessee, after a man who had escaped a quarantined steamboat visited ...
[67]
A City Under Siege: The 1878 Yellow Fever Epidemic in Memphis
Feb 29, 2024 · The 1878 Memphis yellow fever outbreak, spread by mosquitoes, started August 13, causing over 5,000 deaths and half the population to leave.
[68]
Memphis Fights the Yellow Fever - AMERICAN HERITAGE
The yellow fever outbreak that hit Memphis in 1878 came north up the river from New Orleans. ... By August 23 the number of cases had already reached epidemic ...
[69]
The American Bar Association Founded
Rating 4.7 (29) Aug 21, 2023 · On August 21, 1878, Connecticut lawyer Simeon Baldwin invited 75 men from his profession to meet in Saratoga Springs, New York, to organize a national group.
[70]
When Was the ABA Founded and Why It Matters - UpCounsel
Apr 17, 2025 · The American Bar Association (ABA) was founded on August 21, 1878, in Saratoga Springs, New York. It was created to establish a national code of ...
[71]
Emma Nutt, The World's 1st Woman Telephone Operator
Emma Nutt made history in 1878 when she picked up the phone. Her boss, Alexander Graham Bell, hired her to become the world's 1st female telephone operator.
[72]
Emma Nutt: The Woman Who Made History by Answering the Phone
Sep 1, 2015 · A woman named Emma Nutt away from her job at a telegraph office, and on this day, Sept. 1, in 1878, she became the world's first female telephone operator.
[73]
Drowning in sewage: the sinking of the Princess Alice
Jun 1, 2021 · The Princess Alice collided with the Bywell Castle, broke in two and sank in foul, sewage-filled water, resulting in around 640 deaths.
[74]
Princess Alice disaster: The Thames' 650 forgotten dead - BBC
Sep 2, 2018 · The Princess Alice sank in the River Thames on 3 September 1878, killing hundreds of ordinary Londoners returning home from a day trip to ...
[75]
Cleopatra's Needle | Royal Museums Greenwich
The obelisk was eventually erected on the Thames Embankment on 12 September 1878. The two sphinxes that sit beneath it were cast in bronze at the Ecclestone ...
[76]
How Cleopatra's Needle came to London
After a long, treacherous journey at sea, the obelisk was finally erected in Westminster on 12 September 1878. Its pair is in Central Park in New York City. A ...
[77]
1878 Epidemic | American Experience | Official Site - PBS
The state board of health declared an epidemic on August 10, after 431 reported cases and 118 deaths. But the epidemic was not contained to New Orleans. On July ...
[78]
Portuguese celebrate 140 years since first immigrants arrive
Sep 24, 2018 · On Sept. 30, 1878, the SS Priscilla, a three-masted wooden sailing ship, arrived in Honolulu Harbor from Funchal, Madeira, after 116 days at sea.
[79]
Lusitana Society | Images of Old Hawaiʻi
Oct 3, 2025 · On September 30, 1878, a pioneer band of 180 Portuguese landed in Honolulu. The Portuguese entered Hawaiian society in large numbers between ...
[80]
Historical Events in October 1878 - On This Day
Historical Events in October 1878 ; British Golf Open. Oct 4 · Golfer ; Macdonald Re-elected. Oct 17 · Prime Minister of Canada ; Anti-Socialist Law. Oct 21 · German ...Missing: major | Show results with:major
[81]
THE ELECTIONS OF 1878.; SUMMARY. - The New York Times
Alabama will elect Congressmen Nov. 5. The Democratic State ticket was elected Aug. 6, without opposition, and a Legislature, which will choose a United ...
[82]
Historical Events in November 1878 - On This Day
Historical events in November 1878. Learn about 6 famous, scandalous and important events that happened in Nov 1878 or search by date or keyword.
[83]
Marie Selika Williams (ca. 1849-1937) | BlackPast.org
In 1878 soprano Marie Selika Williams, known as the “queen of staccato,” became the first black artist to perform at the White House. Marie Selika was born ...
[84]
The Second Anglo-Afghan War 1878 1879 1880 - FAQ (frequently ...
... Afghan War). The first campaign began in Nov 1878 with the British invasion of Afghanistan in three columns and the battle of Ali Masjid, and ended with the ...
[85]
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-james-abbott-mcneill-whistler-sued-harshest-critic-won
[86]
Anglo-Zulu War | British-Zulu Conflict, South African History
Sep 27, 2025 · In December 1878 Sir Bartle Frere, British high commissioner for South Africa, issued an ultimatum to Cetshwayo that was designed to be ...
[87]
History and Timeline of the Anglo-Zulu War, 1879 - Historic UK
Dec 10, 2014 · 11th December, 1878 – The British send an ultimatum to Zulu King Cetshwayo. 31st December 1878 – Sir Henry Frere grants an extension to the ...
[88]
Joseph Pulitzer | Biography & Facts | Britannica
Oct 11, 2025 · Four years afterward he gained control of the St. Louis Dispatch (founded 1864) and the Post (founded 1875) and merged them as the Post-Dispatch ...
[89]
Biography of Joseph Pulitzer
At age 25, Pulitzer became a publisher and there followed a series of shrewd business deals from which he emerged in 1878 as the owner of the St. Louis Post- ...
[90]
BYZANTIN PASSENGER SHIP 1854-1878 - WRECK WRAK EPAVE ...
The vessels then separated and within five minutes the BYZANTIN foundered, taking with her about 150 persons. The Rinaldo lowered her boats, but they were blown ...
[91]
Quod Apostolici Muneris (December 28, 1878) - The Holy See
Encyclical Quod Apostolici Muneris of Leo XIII, 28 December 1878.Missing: date | Show results with:date
[92]
Lester Allan Pelton - ASME
Jun 12, 2012 · The first operational Pelton wheel was installed at the Mayflower Mine in Nevada City in 1878. In 1895, a 30-foot-diameter wheel was installed ...
[93]
Pelton Waterwheel Collection - ASME
Pelton built the first Pelton turbine in Camptonville in 1878. He soon moved his tests, then his family, to nearby Nevada City where he perfected the wheel at ...Missing: invention | Show results with:invention<|separator|>
[94]
https://www.bookvica.com/pages/books/429/l-n-tolstoy/anna-karenina-first-edition
[95]
Anna Karenina | Russian literature, 19th century, tragedy - Britannica
Sep 12, 2025 · Anna Karenina, novel by Leo Tolstoy, published in installments between 1875 and 1877 and considered one of the pinnacles of world literature.
[96]
Historical Timeline of Reparations Payments Made
1878: Henrietta Wood. In 1853, Henrietta Wood was a free black woman ... court in the United States in restitution for slavery. ("The Ex-Slave Who ...<|separator|>
[97]
In 1870, Henrietta Wood Sued for Reparations—and Won
The postwar constitutional amendments that abolished slavery and extended national citizenship to ex-slaves enabled Wood to pursue Ward in federal court. Ward's ...Missing: date | Show results with:date
[98]
King Umberto I of Italy | Unofficial Royalty
Mar 31, 2016 · When his father, Victor Emmanuel II, died on January 9, 1878, Umberto became King of Italy. Unpopular with the Italian people, Umberto was soon ...Missing: becomes | Show results with:becomes
[99]
Woman Suffrage Centennial - Senate.gov
On January 10, 1878, Senator Aaron Sargent of California introduced a resolution for an amendment to the Constitution to provide for woman suffrage: “The right ...
[100]
[PDF] Hall v. DeCuir, 95 U.S. 485 (1878). - Loc
The Supreme Court of Louisiana having decided that an act of the General. Assembly, approved Feb. 23, 1869, entitled "An Act to enforce the thirteenth article ...
[101]
The Preliminary Treaty of Peace, signed at San Stefano
Done at San Stefano, the 19th February/3rd March, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight. Cte. N.
[102]
Historical Events in April 1878 - On This Day
Historical events in April 1878. Learn about 7 famous, scandalous and important events that happened in Apr 1878 or search by date or keyword.
[103]
What Happened in April 1878 - On This Day
Historical Events · Apr 21 First Lady Lucy Hayes begins egg rolling contest on White House lawn · Apr 21 New York installs its first fireman's pole ...
[104]
Expo 1878 Paris - Bureau International des Expositions (BIE)
Dates. 20/05/1878 - 10/11/1878. Theme. New Technologies. Official Designation. Exposition Universelle de 1878, Paris. Area (ha). 75. Organisers. Ministry of ...
[105]
Paris 1878 Exposition: History, Images, Interpretation - Ideas
On opening day, May 1, 1878, dark clouds gathered over Paris. As President Marshall Macmahon's cortège assembled for their festive march to the exposition ...
[106]
1878 Bannock War and Chief Buffalo Horn - Intermountain Histories
Despite threats of military involvement, the Bannock rebellion and subsequent war quickly commenced in May 1878, perhaps because the Bannocks felt that the ...
[107]
The Bannock War - Legends of America
Government failings and food shortages led the Bannock tribe in Idaho to an uprising in 1878.
[108]
Historical Events in June 1878 - On This Day
Jun 4 Cyprus ceded by Turkey to Britain for administrative purposes · Jun 5 American outlaw John Wesley Hardin convicted of the murder of Deputy Sheriff Charles ...Missing: major | Show results with:major
[109]
Bannock War | Military Wiki - Fandom
The first violent conflict of the Bannock war happened on June 8 between a group of twenty-six volunteer military men from Silver City led by Captain J.B. ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[110]
Historical Events in August 1878 - On This Day
Aug 21 American Bar Association organizes in Saratoga, New York; Aug 21 Surrey wicket-keeper Ted Pooley completes a first-class cricket record of eight ...Missing: major | Show results with:major
[111]
September Historical Anniversaries - HistoryExtra
3 September. 1878: Hundreds are killed as paddle steamer Princess Alice sinks on the Thames. Some time around 7.30pm, as the ship entered ...
[112]
What Happened in September 1878 - On This Day
Historical Events · Sep 12 Cleopatra's Needle is installed in London · Sep 25 British physician Dr. · Sep 30 1st Portuguese immigrants arrive in Hawaii · Sep 30 ...
[113]
Thomas Edison's Edison Electric Light Company began operations...
Oct 15, 2020 · Thomas Edison's Edison Electric Light Company began operations on this date, October 15, in 1878.
[114]
Anti-Socialist Law (October 21, 1878)
Law against the Publicly Dangerous Endeavors of Social Democracy from October 21, 1878[1] · 1. To attend all sessions and meetings of the society [Verein]; · 2.Missing: date | Show results with:date
[115]
1878-1899: Government and Politics: Chronology | Encyclopedia.com
The Greenback Labor Party meets in Toledo and nominates candidates for the November elections, in which the party wins more than one million votes. 11 July ...<|separator|>
[116]
Second Anglo-Afghan War | 1878–1880 - Britannica
Viceroy Lytton decided to crush his neighbouring “pipkin” and launched the Second Anglo-Afghan War on November 21, 1878, with a British invasion. Shīr ʿAlī ...
[117]
Anglo-Zulu War begins | January 11, 1879 - History.com
Feb 9, 2010 · After the Zulu kingdom ignores the British ultimatum to fully demilitarize within 30 days, British troops invade Zululand in three columns ...
[118]
Saint Louis Post-Dispatch | Missouri, Journalism, Pulitzer | Britannica
It was founded in 1878 when Joseph Pulitzer purchased the 15-year-old, bankrupt St. Louis Dispatch and merged it with the 3-year-old St. Louis Post of John A. ...
[119]
This Month in History: January
January 10, 1878 - An Amendment granting women the right to vote was introduced in Congress by Senator A.A. Sargent of California. The amendment didn't pass ...
[120]
Hall v. DeCuir | law case - Britannica
The Supreme Court ruled in Hall v. DeCuir that states could not prohibit segregation on common carriers such as railroads, streetcars, or riverboats.
[121]
Cyprus Convention of 1878 | Cypriot history - Britannica
The Cyprus Convention of 1878 between Britain and Turkey provided that Cyprus, while remaining under Turkish sovereignty, should be administered by the British ...Missing: date | Show results with:date
[122]
The Posse Comitatus Act Explained | Brennan Center for Justice
Oct 14, 2021 · The Posse Comitatus Act bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement except when expressly authorized by law.
[123]
The Congress of Berlin and the division of the Balkans
The Congress of Berlin in 1878 was a textbook example of two-tier diplomacy characterized by the arrogance of the major powers with regard to the smaller ...
[124]
Major American Epidemics of Yellow Fever (1793-1905) - PBS
Mississippi Valley; May-Oct 1878; 20,000 dead. Starting in New Orleans, this epidemic spread up the Mississippi Valley to Memphis. More than half of the ...
[125]
Cleopatra's Needle - History and Facts
Apr 30, 2021 · It eventually made its way to London, where it was erected on the Victoria Embankment on 12 September 1878. Cleopatra's Needle today. The ...
[126]
The Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880) - ThoughtCo
May 15, 2019 · The Second Anglo-Afghan War began when Britain invaded Afghanistan for reasons that had less to do with the Afghans than with the Russian Empire.
[127]
The Second Anglo-Afghan War chronology of events and battles ...
The timetables here provide a brief outline of the main events during the two year campaign in Afghanistan, 1878-1880.<|separator|>
[128]
Historical Events in December 1878 - On This Day
Historical Events in December 1878 · Pulitzer Buys St. Louis Dispatch · Anglo-Zulu War · Quod Apostolici Muneris · Historical Figures.Missing: major | Show results with:major