1870s

The 1870s (pronounced "eighteen-seventies") was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1, 1870, and ended on December 31, 1879.

The trends of the

The last living person from this decade, Jeanne Calment, died in 1997.

Politics and wars

Wars

• Qing Empire
  which resulted in 20 million deaths and a Qing victory
• Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871), resulted in the collapse of the Second French Empire and in the formation of both the French Third Republic and the German Empire
• Third
  Anglo-Ashanti War, also known as the "First Ashanti Expedition" (1873–1874), ended with the destruction of the royal palace at Kumasi and the signing of the Treaty of Fomena
  , which secured British trading rights in the area
• The Third Carlist War (1872–1876), the last of the Carlist Wars in Spain
• Nile River basin between the Ethiopian Empire and the Khedivate of Egypt
  , resulting in an Ethiopian victory
• Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), resulted in Serbia, Romania, and Montenegro becoming completely independent from the Ottoman Empire, while Bulgaria became autonomous
• In the United States, post-
  Reconstruction continued until its conclusion under President Rutherford B. Hayes
  in 1877
• Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878–1880), fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan
• Anglo-Zulu War (11 January – 5 July 1879)
• War of the Pacific (1879–1884), fought over resource-rich territory along the Pacific coast between Chile and an alliance of Bolivia and Peru

Colonization, decolonization, and independence

• The British Empire continued to grow, with the 1870s marking the beginning of the New Imperialism.
• a war against the Ottoman Empire
  .
• The Sioux battled the United States Cavalry and resisted encroachment by white settlers on the Great Plains.

Political and social events

• The German Empire and Alliance System emerged.
• Racial and economic politics at the height of America's
  Reconstruction Era
  were bitter, pessimistic, and sometimes violent.
• The Gilded Age began in 1877, lasting until 1896.
• The First Spanish Republic rises and promptly ends (1873–1874).
• The first
  Ottoman Constitution is promulgated in 1876, starting the First Constitutional Era (1876–1878)
  .
• Contested US presidential election of 1876

Science and technology

• The prototype telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876.
• The phonograph is invented in 1877 by Thomas Edison.
• The 6.35mm
  headphone jack
  was invented in 1878 and is still widely used today.
• The first version of the
  light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison
  in 1879.
• The steam drill is invented in 1879.
• Ludwig Boltzmann statistically defined thermodynamic entropy.
• 1873 Weltausstellung in Vienna, 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and 1878 Exposition universelle in Paris
  .

• Atlas bear became extinct in 1870.^[1]
• Yellowstone National Park was established and signed into law in 1872.^[2]

Popular culture

Literature and arts

• Around The World in Eighty Days
  .
• Nadar. The group soon became known as the Impressionists.^[4]
• Jeanne Calment, born 1875, would eventually become the longest-living human being with a verified lifespan. She lived until 1997, aged 122. She still holds the record as of April 2023.
• Lewis Carroll publishes Through the Looking-Glass.
• Mark Twain publishes The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876.
• Henrik Ibsen releases A Doll's House in 1879.

Fashion

People

Politics

• Eugène Borel, Director Universal Postal Union
• Rutherford B Hayes, Elected US President in disputed election of 1876
• Thomas W Ferry, Served as Senate Pro tempore and acting US Vice President during 1870s
• Gustave Moynier, President International Committee of the Red Cross
• Samuel Tilden, won popular vote but lost contested election in 1876 US presidential election

Famous and infamous people

• Wild West
  , outlaw
• Charlie Bowdre, Wild West, outlaw/cowboy
• Richard M. Brewer, Wild West, gunslinger/cowboy, outlaw
• Crazy Horse, Native American war leader
• U. S. Army
  officer
• Wyatt Earp, Wild West, lawman
• E. B. Farnum, Elected official and one of the first residents of Deadwood, South Dakota
• "Wild Bill" Hickok
  , Legendary Wild West, lawman, gunfighter, and entertainer
• Doc Holliday, Legendary Wild West, gambler, gunfighter, outlaw, dentist
• Frank James, Wild West, outlaw
• Jesse James, Wild West, outlaw
• Calamity Jane, Frontierswoman and professional scout
• "Wild Bill" Hickok
• William Bonney a.k.a. Billy the Kid
  , Wild West, outlaw/cowboy
• Alexander McSween, Wild West, figure
• racketeer
• Tom O'Folliard, Wild West, outlaw, best friend of Billy the Kid
• Umberto I of Italy
• Frank Stilwell, Wild West, outlaw/cowboy
• Al Swearengen, pimp and entertainment entrepreneur who ran the Gem Theater, for 22 years during the late 19th century
• John Tunstall, First man to be killed during the Lincoln County War
• John Younger, Wild West, outlaw
• Jim Younger, Wild West, outlaw
• Cole Younger, Wild West, outlaw

See also

• 1870s in sociology
• Gilded Age
• Long Depression
• Second Industrial Revolution
• The Great Binge (covering roughly 1870 to 1914)^[5]

References

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1870s.

• Appleton's Annual Cyclopedia ... for 1870 (1871)
• American Annual Cyclopedia ... for 1872 (1873)
• Appleton's Annual Cyclopedia ... for 1873 (1879) online edition
• Appleton's Annual Cyclopedia ... for 1875 (1877)
• The American Annual Cyclopedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1876
• Appleton's Annual Cyclopedia ... for 1877 (1878)