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The Rugby Football Union is formed at a meeting of 21 clubs at the Pall Mall Restaurant, London, England

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It promotes and runs the sport, organises international matches for the England national team, and educates and trains players and officials.

The RFU is an industrial and provident society owned by over 2,000 member clubs, representing over 2.5 million registered players, and forms the largest rugby union society in the world, and one of the largest sports organisations in England.

Historical Significance

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England.

Events Before

  1. American lawman Wyatt Earp (21) weds Urilla Sutherland (20) in Lamar, Missouri, until her death in August of the same ye

    American lawman Wyatt Earp (21) weds Urilla Sutherland (20) in Lamar, Missouri, until her death in August of the same year

  2. American writer (Huckleberry Finn) Samuel Langhorne Clemens, pen name Mark Twain, (34) marries Olivia Langdon (24) in El

    American writer (Huckleberry Finn) Samuel Langhorne Clemens, pen name Mark Twain, (34) marries Olivia Langdon (24) in Elmira, NY

  3. Iowa ratifies the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution, allowing suffrage for all races and colors

    Iowa ratifies the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution, allowing suffrage for all races and colors

  4. Impressionist Painter Claude Monet (29) weds model Camille Doncieux in Paris

    Impressionist Painter Claude Monet (29) weds model Camille Doncieux in Paris

  5. The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution is adopted, guaranteeing the right to vote regardless of race

    The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government or any state from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote "on account of race, color,…

Events After

  1. The Moerdijk railway bridge over Hollands Diep in South Holland opens, becoming the longest bridge in Europe at that tim

    The Moerdijk railway bridge over Hollands Diep in South Holland opens, becoming the longest bridge in Europe at that time

  2. Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first imperial coronation in Axum in over 200 years

    Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first imperial coronation in Axum in over 200 years

  3. German physicist and X-ray pioneer Wilhelm Röntgen (26) weds Anna Bertha Ludwig in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, until her dea

    German physicist and X-ray pioneer Wilhelm Röntgen (26) weds Anna Bertha Ludwig in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, until her death in1919

  4. New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art opens

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an encyclopedic art museum in New York City.

  5. Yellowstone becomes the world's first national park

    Yellowstone National Park is a national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of the state of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho.

More from the 1870s

Belgium disbands its salt tax

Belgium disbands its salt tax

The Moerdijk railway bridge over Hollands Diep in South Holland opens, becoming the longest bridge in Europe at that tim

The Moerdijk railway bridge over Hollands Diep in South Holland opens, becoming the longest bridge in Europe at that time

Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar

Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the…

New York City annexes the West Bronx

The boroughs of New York City are the five major governmental districts that compose New York City. They are the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 26, 1871?
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It promotes and runs the sport, organises international matches for the England national team, and educates and trains players and officials.
Why is The Rugby Football Union is formed at a meeting of 21 clubs at the Pall Mall ... significant?
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England.

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January 26 in HistoryYear 1871