Explore the major historical events, famous births, and notable deaths that occurred in the year 1879. This year saw 69 significant events. 6 notable figures were born. 2 notable figures passed away.
William III (Dutch: Willem III, French: Guillaume III; 19 February 1817 – 23 November 1890) was King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1849 until his death in 1890, and was also...
Anglo-Zulu War begins as British Lieutenant General Lord Chelmsford invades Zululand in South Africa
Battle of Rorke's Drift: A British garrison of about 150 holds off 3,000 to 4,000 Zulu warriors. Eleven Victoria Crosses and several other decorations are awarded to the defenders.
The War of the Pacific (Spanish: Guerra del Pacífico), also known by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884.
Thomas Edison perfects the carbonized cotton filament light bulb
Thomas Elkins (1818 - 1819 February - August 10, 1900) was an African-American dentist, abolitionist, surgeon, pharmacist, and inventor.
The gun turret of the British battleship HMS Thunderer explodes during gunnery practice in the Gulf of Izmit near Turkey, killing 11 sailors and injuring 35
Cheyenne prisoners led by Dull Knife revolt at Ft Robinson
January record 13" of snow falls in NYC (broken Jan 7, 1996)
The Battle of Isandlwana (alternative spelling: Isandhlwana) on 22 January 1879 was the second major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom – the Battle of...
US National Archery Association forms in Crawfordsville, Indiana
The Bulgarian National Bank is founded
Marie Edme Patrice Maurice de MacMahon, marquis de MacMahon, duc de Magenta, was a French general and politician who served as President of France from 1873 to 1879.
Sir Joseph Wilson Swan FRS (31 October 1828 – 27 May 1914) was an English physicist, chemist, and inventor.
Sandford Fleming first proposes dividing the world into 24 equal time zones and adopting a Universal Standard Time at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute (adopted 1884)
1st electric arc light used (California Theater)
An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water or an artificial sheet of ice where people can ice skate or play winter sports.
Chilean troops occupy Antofagasta
US Congress authorizes women lawyers to practise before Supreme Court
Arabs capture Egyptian premier Nabar Pasha
US Congress passed 1st Timberland Protection Act
Russian-American chemist Constantin Fahlberg discovers an artificial sweetener (later named 'saccharin'), while working on coal tar analysis at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland [1]
Library of Hawaii founded
1st female lawyer heard by US Supreme Court (Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood)
War of the Pacific fought between Chile and the joints forces of Bolivia and Peru. Chile successfully takes over Arica and Tarapacá, leaving Bolivia a landlocked country.
Longest championship fight (136 rounds)
Khedive Ismael of Egypt fires French and British ministers
Trial of Standing Bear-Crook on Native American citizenship rights begins
First mobile home (horse-drawn) used in a journey from London to Cyprus
National Park (later renamed Royal National Park) established south of Sydney, Australia. World's second-oldest national park.
George Selden files the first patent for a gasoline-powered automobile
Meteor falls near Estherville, Iowa
The first group of 463 Indian indentured labourers arrive in Fiji aboard the Leonidas
The War of the Pacific (Spanish: Guerra del Pacífico), also known by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884.
92°F highest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in May
First electric railway opens at the Berlin Trade Exposition
W. H. Richardson, an African-American inventor, patents the children's carriage (Patent no. 405599)
Ismael Pasha resigns as khedive of Egypt
Ex-khedive Ismael Pasha leaves Cairo with train full of stolen goods
Africaner Union forms by Rev SJ du Toit at Cape colony
Agricultural and industrial tariffs are introduced in Germany
1st railroad opens in Hawaii
Swedish expedition headed by Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, aboard SS Vega, becomes the first to navigate the Northeast passage
The first cable connection between South Africa and Europe is laid by the British electrical engineer Charles Tilston Bright as part of his project to link the British Empire with growing telecommunications technologies
Opening of the Openshaw Citadel, the "Poor Man's Palace," by the Salvation Army in Manchester
First National Archery Association tournament in Chicago
Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps was a French Orientalist diplomat and later developer of the Suez Canal, which in 1869, joined the Mediterranean and Red Seas, substantially reducing sailing distances and...
Government Kappeijne of Coppello resigns
The Virgin Mary, along with St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist, reportedly appears to the people of Knock, County Mayo, Ireland
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north,...
American Arctic explorer George Washington De Long on board the Jeannette becomes trapped with his crew in pack ice during an attempt to reach the North Pole
Pim Mulier forms Royal Haarlemsche Football Club based in Haarlem, Netherlands; oldest existing club in Dutch football
Blackpool Illuminations is an annual lights festival that started on 18 September 1879, held each autumn in the British seaside resort of Blackpool on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire. Also known...
Thomas Ray becomes the youngest to break a world track and field record by pole-vaulting 11 ft 2½ (3.42 m) at age 17 years and 198 days
The Sydney tramway network served the inner suburbs of Sydney, Australia, from 1879 until 1961.
The Sydney tramway network served the inner suburbs of Sydney, Australia, from 1879 until 1961.
NL owners meeting in Buffalo adopts reserve clause, giving each team exclusive rights to its players
Cincinnati Enquirer publishes the first report on baseball's reserve clause; rights to players are retained by the team upon the contract's expiration; replaced by free agency
The Triple Alliance was a defensive military alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. It was formed on 20 May 1882 and renewed periodically until it expired in 1915 during World War I.
The War of the Pacific (Spanish: Guerra del Pacífico), also known by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884.
British troops occupy Kabul, Afghanistan
Afghan Emir Mohammed Yakub is forced to resign
Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day, is an annual Canadian holiday held on the second Monday in October.
National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders determines what "is" a trotter
Sekhukhune I (Matsebe; circa 1814 – 13 August 1882) was the paramount King of the Marota, more commonly known as the Bapedi (Pedi people), from 21 September 1861 until his assassination on 13 August...
A telephone number is the address of a telecommunication endpoint, such as a telephone, in a telephone network, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN).
First federal fish hatching steamer launched (Wilmington, Delaware)
North British Railway's train falls as Tay bridge collapses (Scotland)
The ʻIolani Palace was the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi beginning with Kamehameha III under the Kamehameha Dynasty (1845) and ending with Queen Liliʻuokalani (1893) under...
E. M. Forster, English novelist and writer, known for english novelist and writer, was born on 1879-01-01. Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author.
Albert Einstein, German german-born theoretical physicist, known for german-born theoretical physicist, was born on 1879-03-14.
Paul Poiret, French fashion designer, known for french fashion designer, was born on 1879-04-20.
James F. Byrnes is born
Lucy Burns, American suffragist, known for american suffragist, was born on 1879-07-28. Lucy Burns (July 28, 1879 – December 22, 1966) was an American suffragist and women's rights advocate.
Beals Wright is born
William Lloyd Garrison, American journalist and abolitionist, known for american journalist and abolitionist, died on 1879-05-24.
Rowland Hill, English devisor of the postal system, inventor and teacher, known for devisor of the postal system, inventor and teacher, died on 1879-08-27.
William III (Dutch: Willem III, French: Guillaume III; 19 February 1817 – 23 November 1890) was King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1849 until his death in 1890, and was also...
Anglo-Zulu War begins as British Lieutenant General Lord Chelmsford invades Zululand in South Africa
Battle of Rorke's Drift: A British garrison of about 150 holds off 3,000 to 4,000 Zulu warriors. Eleven Victoria Crosses and several other decorations are awarded to the defenders.
The War of the Pacific (Spanish: Guerra del Pacífico), also known by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884.
Thomas Edison perfects the carbonized cotton filament light bulb
Thomas Elkins (1818 - 1819 February - August 10, 1900) was an African-American dentist, abolitionist, surgeon, pharmacist, and inventor.
The gun turret of the British battleship HMS Thunderer explodes during gunnery practice in the Gulf of Izmit near Turkey, killing 11 sailors and injuring 35
Cheyenne prisoners led by Dull Knife revolt at Ft Robinson
January record 13" of snow falls in NYC (broken Jan 7, 1996)
The Battle of Isandlwana (alternative spelling: Isandhlwana) on 22 January 1879 was the second major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom – the Battle of...
US National Archery Association forms in Crawfordsville, Indiana
The Bulgarian National Bank is founded
Marie Edme Patrice Maurice de MacMahon, marquis de MacMahon, duc de Magenta, was a French general and politician who served as President of France from 1873 to 1879.
Sir Joseph Wilson Swan FRS (31 October 1828 – 27 May 1914) was an English physicist, chemist, and inventor.
Sandford Fleming first proposes dividing the world into 24 equal time zones and adopting a Universal Standard Time at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute (adopted 1884)
1st electric arc light used (California Theater)
An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water or an artificial sheet of ice where people can ice skate or play winter sports.
Chilean troops occupy Antofagasta
US Congress authorizes women lawyers to practise before Supreme Court
Arabs capture Egyptian premier Nabar Pasha
US Congress passed 1st Timberland Protection Act
Russian-American chemist Constantin Fahlberg discovers an artificial sweetener (later named 'saccharin'), while working on coal tar analysis at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland [1]
Library of Hawaii founded
1st female lawyer heard by US Supreme Court (Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood)
War of the Pacific fought between Chile and the joints forces of Bolivia and Peru. Chile successfully takes over Arica and Tarapacá, leaving Bolivia a landlocked country.
Longest championship fight (136 rounds)
Khedive Ismael of Egypt fires French and British ministers
Trial of Standing Bear-Crook on Native American citizenship rights begins
First mobile home (horse-drawn) used in a journey from London to Cyprus
National Park (later renamed Royal National Park) established south of Sydney, Australia. World's second-oldest national park.
George Selden files the first patent for a gasoline-powered automobile
Meteor falls near Estherville, Iowa
The first group of 463 Indian indentured labourers arrive in Fiji aboard the Leonidas
The War of the Pacific (Spanish: Guerra del Pacífico), also known by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884.
92°F highest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in May
First electric railway opens at the Berlin Trade Exposition
W. H. Richardson, an African-American inventor, patents the children's carriage (Patent no. 405599)
Ismael Pasha resigns as khedive of Egypt
Ex-khedive Ismael Pasha leaves Cairo with train full of stolen goods
Africaner Union forms by Rev SJ du Toit at Cape colony
Agricultural and industrial tariffs are introduced in Germany
1st railroad opens in Hawaii
Swedish expedition headed by Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, aboard SS Vega, becomes the first to navigate the Northeast passage
The first cable connection between South Africa and Europe is laid by the British electrical engineer Charles Tilston Bright as part of his project to link the British Empire with growing telecommunications technologies
Opening of the Openshaw Citadel, the "Poor Man's Palace," by the Salvation Army in Manchester
First National Archery Association tournament in Chicago
Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps was a French Orientalist diplomat and later developer of the Suez Canal, which in 1869, joined the Mediterranean and Red Seas, substantially reducing sailing distances and...
Government Kappeijne of Coppello resigns
The Virgin Mary, along with St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist, reportedly appears to the people of Knock, County Mayo, Ireland
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north,...
American Arctic explorer George Washington De Long on board the Jeannette becomes trapped with his crew in pack ice during an attempt to reach the North Pole
Pim Mulier forms Royal Haarlemsche Football Club based in Haarlem, Netherlands; oldest existing club in Dutch football
Blackpool Illuminations is an annual lights festival that started on 18 September 1879, held each autumn in the British seaside resort of Blackpool on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire. Also known...
Thomas Ray becomes the youngest to break a world track and field record by pole-vaulting 11 ft 2½ (3.42 m) at age 17 years and 198 days
The Sydney tramway network served the inner suburbs of Sydney, Australia, from 1879 until 1961.
The Sydney tramway network served the inner suburbs of Sydney, Australia, from 1879 until 1961.
NL owners meeting in Buffalo adopts reserve clause, giving each team exclusive rights to its players
Cincinnati Enquirer publishes the first report on baseball's reserve clause; rights to players are retained by the team upon the contract's expiration; replaced by free agency
The Triple Alliance was a defensive military alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. It was formed on 20 May 1882 and renewed periodically until it expired in 1915 during World War I.
The War of the Pacific (Spanish: Guerra del Pacífico), also known by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884.
British troops occupy Kabul, Afghanistan
Afghan Emir Mohammed Yakub is forced to resign
Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day, is an annual Canadian holiday held on the second Monday in October.
National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders determines what "is" a trotter
Sekhukhune I (Matsebe; circa 1814 – 13 August 1882) was the paramount King of the Marota, more commonly known as the Bapedi (Pedi people), from 21 September 1861 until his assassination on 13 August...
A telephone number is the address of a telecommunication endpoint, such as a telephone, in a telephone network, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN).
First federal fish hatching steamer launched (Wilmington, Delaware)
North British Railway's train falls as Tay bridge collapses (Scotland)
The ʻIolani Palace was the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi beginning with Kamehameha III under the Kamehameha Dynasty (1845) and ending with Queen Liliʻuokalani (1893) under...
E. M. Forster, English novelist and writer, known for english novelist and writer, was born on 1879-01-01. Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author.
Albert Einstein, German german-born theoretical physicist, known for german-born theoretical physicist, was born on 1879-03-14.
Paul Poiret, French fashion designer, known for french fashion designer, was born on 1879-04-20.
James F. Byrnes is born
Lucy Burns, American suffragist, known for american suffragist, was born on 1879-07-28. Lucy Burns (July 28, 1879 – December 22, 1966) was an American suffragist and women's rights advocate.
Beals Wright is born
William Lloyd Garrison, American journalist and abolitionist, known for american journalist and abolitionist, died on 1879-05-24.
Rowland Hill, English devisor of the postal system, inventor and teacher, known for devisor of the postal system, inventor and teacher, died on 1879-08-27.