1871 CE

Captain McLane Tilton leads 109 U.S. Marines in a naval attack on the Han River forts in Korea. Chinese massacre of 1871: In Los Angeles' Chinatown, 19 Chinese immigrants are killed by a mob of 500 men. German chancellor Otto von Bismarck tries to ban Catholics from the political stage by introducing harsh laws concerning the separation of church and state.

In the 1870s, the 19th century.

1871 at a glance

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United States: Ulysses S. Grant (President) Wikipedia rev. 1370561602
United Kingdom: Victoria (Queen); William Ewart Gladstone (Prime minister) Wikipedia rev. 1370561602
Russian Empire: Alexander II (Emperor) Wikipedia rev. 1370561602
Qing dynasty: Tongzhi (Emperor) Wikipedia rev. 1370561602
French Third Republic: Louis Jules Trochu (Interim Head of state); Adolphe Thiers (President); Louis-Jules Trochu (President of the Council of ministers) Wikipedia rev. 1370561602
German Empire: William I (Emperor); Otto von Bismarck (Chancellor) Wikipedia rev. 1370561602

Who led every country in 1871 →

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

January 1 - The Constitution of the German Confederation comes into effect. It abolishes all restrictions on Jewish marriage, choice of occupation, place of residence, and property ownership, but exclusion from government employment and discrimination in social relations remain in effect.source
1 January – The Civil Code of Argentina, written by Dalmacio Vélez Sársfield, comes into effect.Argentina source
January 18 – Proclamation of the German Empire: The member states of the North German Confederation and the south German states unite into a single nation state, known as the German Empire. The King of Prussia is declared the first German Emperor as Wilhelm I of Germany, in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles.source
February 8 – 1871 French legislative election elects the first legislature of the French Third Republic; monarchists (Legitimists and Orleanists) favourable to peace with the German Empire gain a large majority. The National Assembly meets in Bordeaux.source
March 21 – The 1871 Ontario election: Edward Blake's Liberals win a majority, defeating J. S. Macdonald's Liberal-ConservativesCanada source
March 22 – In North Carolina, William Holden becomes the first governor of a U.S. state to be removed from office by impeachment.source
March 22 – In North Carolina, William Woods Holden becomes the first governor of a U.S. state to be removed from office by impeachment.United States source
March 26 – The Paris Commune is formally established in France.source
April 20 – U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signs the Civil Rights Act of 1871.source
May 10 – The Treaty of Frankfurt is signed, confirming the frontiers between Germany and France. The provinces of Alsace and Lorraine are transferred from France to Germany.source
10 May – Treaty of Frankfurt is signed with confirming the frontiers between Germany and France.Germany source
19 June – Charles Gavan Duffy assumes office as Premier of Victoria.Australia source
July 20 – British Columbia joins the confederation of Canada.source
August 31 – Adolphe Thiers becomes President of the French Republic.source
September 28 - Law of Free Birth, or Rio Branco Law, passed by Brazilian Parliament, intending to provide freedom to all newborn children of slaves, and slaves of the state or crown.Brazil source
October 27 – British forces march into the Klipdrift Republic and annex the territory as Griqualand West Colony.source
October 27 – Henri, Count of Chambord, refuses to be crowned "King Henry V of France" until France abandons its tricolor, and returns to the old Bourbon flag.source
November 17 – The National Rifle Association of America is granted a charter by the state of New York.source
November 21 – Daniel Jacobus Erasmus becomes acting State President of the South African Republic.South Africa source
7 December – Barthélémy de Theux de Meylandt replaces Jules d'Anethan as Prime Minister.Belgium source
An 83.50 carats diamond is discovered, resulting in a diamond rush, and the town of New Rush springs up; Colonial Commissioners arrive there on November 17.source

Conflict & Security

January 3 – Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Bapaume – Prussians win a strategic victory.source
3 January - Battle of Bapaume, a Prussian victory in the continuing Franco-Prussian War.France source
17 January - General Assembly approved an amnesty to every individual who until that moment took part of the armed uprising and after that deserted the rebel forces and appear before the authorities. This amnesty excuses them of any offences due to being part of the rebel forces, they were promised not being prosecuted for their actions or previous opinions, and they could make use of their civilian and political rights again, along with their warranties to that rights, and in the case of military officers of the Army, they would be restored with the rank they reached up to the time they were discharged.Uruguay source
19 January – Battle of St. Quentin. Prussian victory defeats French attempts to relieve the besieged city of Paris.Germany source
January 21 – Battle of Dijon: Giuseppe Garibaldi's group of French and Italian volunteer troops, in support of the French Third Republic, win a battle against the Prussians.source
March 16 – Mokrani Revolt breaks out in French Algeria against colonial rule.source
21 March – Victor Hugo moves to Brussels.Belgium source
March 22 – The United States Army issues an order for the abandonment of Fort Kearny, Nebraska.source
May 27 – French government troops massacre 147 Communards from Belleville, at Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.source
May 28 – Paris Commune falls to French government forces.source
May 1873 — Momien besieged and stormed by imperial troops in, their resistance broke completely. Gov. Ta-sa-kon was captured and executed by order of the Imperial government.China source
June 1 – Bombardment of the Selee River Forts: Koreans attack two United States Navy warships.source
June 10 – Captain McLane Tilton leads 109 U.S. Marines in a naval attack on the Han River forts in Korea.United States source
September 3 – New York City residents, tired of the corruption of the Tammany Hall political machine and "Boss" William M. Tweed, its "Grand Sachem", meet to form the 'Committee of Seventy' to reform local politics.source
October 26 – Liberian President Edward James Roye is deposed in a coup d'état.source
November 11 – The last of the British Army leaves CanadaCanada source
The Martini–Henry rifle enters service with the British Army.United Kingdom source

Exploration & Expansion

18 February – Namaqualand – Port Nolloth to Muishondfontein, 44 mi 40 ch.South Africa source
21 March – Welsh-born journalist Henry Morton Stanley sets out for Africa to seek missing Scottish explorer and missionary Dr. David Livingstone.Wales source
March – Explorer John Ross is the first European to explore and name the Todd River.Australia source
June 10 – United States expedition to Korea: Captain McLane Tilton leads 109 members of the United States Marine Corps in a punitive naval attack on the Han River forts on Ganghwa Island in Korea, resulting in 250 Koreans dying and diplomatic failure to "open up" Korea.source
July 28 – The Annie becomes the first boat ever launched on Yellowstone Lake, in the Yellowstone National Park region.source
July – Handelsbanken is established in Stockholm.Sweden source
August 7 – Banco de Concepcion, predecessor of Itaú Unibanco, a major financial services provider in South America, is founded in Chile.source
October 11 – Heinrich Schliemann begins the excavation of Troy in the Ottoman Empire.source
November 10 – Henry Morton Stanley, Welsh-born correspondent for the New York Herald, locates missing Scottish explorer and missionary Dr. David Livingstone in Ujiji, near Lake Tanganyika, and greets him by saying, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" (according to his later account).source
10 November – missing Scottish explorer and missionary Dr. David Livingstone is located by journalist Henry Morton Stanley in Ujiji, near Lake Tanganyika.Scotland source
10 November – Welsh-born journalist Henry Morton Stanley locates missing Scottish explorer and missionary, Dr. David Livingstone in Ujiji, near Lake Tanganyika and greets him saying "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" (according to his later account).United Kingdom source
Hippolyte Boulenger, Storm over the ScheldtBelgium source
Jules Verne - Une ville flottanteFrance source

Religion & Belief

1 January – Church of Ireland disestablished. St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, becomes the National Cathedral.Ireland source
1 January – disestablishment of the Church of Ireland by the Irish Church Act 1869 comes into effect.United Kingdom source
15 March – Australia's first synagogue opens in Adelaide, South Australia.Australia source
March 22 – The Marseille Commune is established in southern France.source
24 September – Mother Mary MacKillop is excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church after refusing to disband the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart order.Australia source
22 October – Claus Winter Hjelm, judge (born 1797)Norway source
December 10 – German chancellor Otto von Bismarck tries to ban Catholics from the political stage by introducing harsh laws concerning the separation of church and state.source
10 December – Otto von Bismarck tries to ban Catholics from the political stage by introducing harsh laws concerning the separation of church and state.Germany source
The Shinto shrine of Izumo-taisha in Japan is designated as an Imperial shrine.source
J. P. Mahaffy appointed to the Chair of Ancient History at Trinity College Dublin at the age of 32.Ireland source
Correspondence and Works of Charles LambWales source

Economy & Finance

1 January – Belgium repeals import duty on salt.Belgium source
April – The Stockholms Handelsbank is founded.source
June 27 – The Meiji government officially adopts the yen as Japan's modern unit of currency. Coins which have been made in advance with the date 1870 are released into circulation.source
June 27 – The yen becomes the country's national currency.Japan source
June 29 – Trade unions are legalized in the United Kingdom by the Trade Union Act 1871.source
29 June – trade unions are legalised by the Trade Union Act but the Criminal Law Amendment Act criminalises coercion in a trade dispute.United Kingdom source
5 October – Den Danske Landmandsbank, Hypothek- og Vexelbank i Kjøbenhavn, present-day Danske Bank, is founded.Denmark source
October 8 – Continental AG is founded as Continental-Caoutchouc und Gutta-Percha Compagnie in Hanover, Germany.source
December 19 – The city of Birmingham, Alabama, is incorporated with the merger of three existing towns.source
December 19 – The city of Birmingham, Alabama, is incorporated with the merger of three pre-existing towns.United States source
German company Continental is founded in Hannover.Germany source
National income - ₹3,348 millionIndia source
Geologiska föreningen is founded.Sweden source

Technology & Infrastructure

1 February: The Daily Telegraph begins publishing in Napier. It continues until 1999, when it merges with The Hawke's Bay Herald Tribune to form Hawke's Bay Today.New Zealand source
21 February – Regular railway services between France and Belgium resumed.Belgium source
March 21 – Otto von Bismarck becomes the first Chancellor of the German Empire.source
March 27 – The first Rugby Union International results in a 1–0 win, by Scotland over England.source
March 29 – The Royal Albert Hall in London is opened by Queen Victoria; it incorporates a grand organ by Henry Willis & Sons, the world's largest at this time.source
1 May - the Rural Association of Uruguay, first union of rural producers in the country, was established.Uruguay source
May 4 – The first supposedly Major League Baseball game is played in America.source
May 8 – The first Major League Baseball home run is hit by Ezra Sutton, of the Cleveland Forest Citys.source
May 21 – The first rack railway in Europe, the Vitznau–Rigi Railway on Mount Rigi in Switzerland, is opened.source
July 22 – The foundation stone of the first Tay Bridge is laid; the bridge collapses as a train crosses in a storm eight years later.source
August – The East Argentine Railway company is founded by British investors.Argentina source
6 October - Corpbanca begins business.Chile source
October 20 – The Royal Regiment of Artillery forms the first regular Canadian army units, when they create two batteries of garrison artillery, which later become the Royal Canadian Artillery.source
November 7 – The London–Australia telegraph cable is brought ashore at Darwin.source
20 November – Initial operation of the Java telegraph cable, landed at Darwin, linking Australia to the UK.Australia source
December 15 – The Deseret Telegraph Company office in Pipe Spring begins service with a message keyed by Ella Stewart. It is the first telegraph sent from Arizona Territory.source
c. November – The South Improvement Company is formed in Pennsylvania by John D. Rockefeller and a group of major United States railroad interests, in an early effort to organize and control the American petroleum industry.source
The first section of the railway line Sørlandet Line is opened.Norway source

Science & Discovery

February 21 – The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871 is signed into law by U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant.source
February 21 – District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871United States source
September 2 – Whaling disaster of 1871: The Comet, a brig used by whalers, becomes the first of 33 ships to be crushed in the Arctic ice by an early freeze. Remarkably, all 1,219 people on the abandoned ships are rescued without a single loss of life.source
October 5 – The Società degli Spettroscopisti Italiani (laterSocietà Astronomica Italiana) is established in Rome, the first scientific organisation in the world dedicated to astrophysics.source
24 October – The Argentine National Observatory is founded by President Domingo F. Sarmiento and the North American astronomer Benjamin Apthorp Gould.Argentina source
November 17 – George Biddell Airy presents his discovery that astronomical aberration is independent of the local medium.source
17 November – George Biddell Airy presents his discovery that astronomical aberration is independent of the local medium.United Kingdom source
When an 83.50 carats diamond is discovered, a diamond rush results and the town of New Rush springs up.South Africa source
Modern "neoclassical economics" is initiated by publication of William Stanley Jevons's Theory of Political Economy and Carl Menger's Principles of Economics (Grundsätze der Volkswirtschaftslehre).source
Alfred Stevens, The Psyché (My Studio) (c. 1871)Belgium source

Health & Medicine

4 March – The Tribune newspaper reports that the streets of fever-infested Buenos Aires are so dark at night that "it truly appeared as if the terrible scourge had swept away all the residents".Argentina source
March 29 – The first Surgeon General of the United States (John Maynard Woodworth) is appointed.source
2 April – census in the United Kingdom, the first to record economic and mental status.United Kingdom source
5 May – The Prince Alfred Hospital opens in Melbourne.Australia source
1 June – Victor Hugo expelled from Belgium for endangering the public peace after publishing a letter in L'Indépendance Belge of 26 May criticising the Belgian government's attitude to Communard refugees.Belgium source
4 June – Frederik Holst, medical doctor (born 1791).Norway source
August 29 – The abolition of the han system is carried out in Japan.source
Ontario Schools Act is passed in Ontario, requiring all students aged 7 to 12 to attend school.Canada source
Poor Care Regulation of 1871 replace the Poor Care Regulation of 1847.Sweden source
Lewis Jones is appointed governor of Chubut Province by the government of Argentina.Wales source

Crime & Justice

April 4 – The New Jersey Detective Agency is chartered, and the New Jersey State Detectives are initiated.source
April 24 – Murder of Jane Clouson, a servant girl, in Eltham, England; her probable murderer is acquitted.source
May 11 – The first trial in the Tichborne case begins, in the London Court of Common Pleas.source
15 May – The Strafgesetzbuch, which goes back to the Penal Code of the North German Confederation, passed in Reichstag. It came into effect on January 1, 1872.Germany source
24 May – Henry Larssen, judge.Norway source
6 June – Smith v Hughes, a landmark case in English contract law, is decided in the Court of Queen's Bench, allowing an objective approach to interpretation of the parties' conduct when entering into a contract.United Kingdom source
July 15 – Phoebe Campbell murders her husband with an axe. She is hanged the next year.Canada source
October 12 – The Criminal Tribes Act is enacted by the British Raj in India, naming over 160 communities as "Denotified Tribes", allegedly habitually criminal (it will be repealed in 1949, after Indian independence).source
12 October – Criminal Tribes Act enacted by British rule in India, which named over 160 communities "Criminal Tribes", i.e. hereditary criminals. It was repealed in 1949.India source
October 27 – Boss Tweed of Tammany Hall is arrested for bribery, ending his grip on New York City.source
November 5 – Wickenburg Massacre: Six men travelling by stagecoach, in the Arizona Territory, are reportedly murdered by Yavapai people.source
November 5 – Wickenburg massacre: Six men traveling by stagecoach are reportedly murdered by the Yavapai Indians in Arizona Territory.United States source
Gold is discovered at Pilgrim's Creek in the Pilgrim's Rest area.source
Joseph Maswiens, The Old Fish Market in LeuvenBelgium source
Janus la Cour is awarded the Rhorvaldsen Exhibition Medal for the painting Aften ved Nemisøen.Denmark source

Disasters & Accidents

February 6 – A train collision in New York kills 22.United States source
10 February – Great Gale in the North Sea: 28 ships wrecked and total fatalities are estimated at over fifty, including six crew of Bridlington life-boat Harbinger.United Kingdom source
June – Miners' strike in South Wales culminates in defeat for the union.Wales source
July 30 – An explosion on the Staten Island Ferry kills 72 and injures 135.United States source
11 August – Stowmarket Guncotton Explosion kills 28.United Kingdom source
October 8 – The Great Chicago Fire breaks out in Chicago, Illinois and burns for 2 days, killing 300 people, destroying 17,500 buildings and leaving 100,000 people homeless.source
October 8 – Four major fires break out in the Upper Midwest in Chicago, Illinois, Peshtigo, Wisconsin, Holland, Michigan, and Manistee, Michigan. The Great Chicago Fire is the most infamous of these, killing 300 people, destroying 17,500 buildings and leaving nearly 100,000 people homeless, although the Peshtigo Fire in Wisconsin kills as many as 2,500 people, making it the deadliest fire in United States history.United States source
Whaling disaster of 1871: 1,219 people abandon 33 whaling ships caught in the ice pack off the northern coast of Alaska.United States source

Climate & Environment

July 21–August 26 – The first ever photographs of Yellowstone National Park region are taken by photographer William Henry Jackson, during the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871.source
July 21–August 26 – First ever photographs of Yellowstone National Park region taken by the photographer William Henry Jackson during Hayden Geological Survey of 1871.United States source
August 9 – One of the few known major hurricanes to strike Hawaii causes significant damage on the islands of Hawaii and Maui.source
October 8 – The Peshtigo fire begins and destroys the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, and kills as many as 2,500 people, becoming the deadliest wildfire in United States history.source
The native-bred red kite becomes extinct in England.United Kingdom source

Culture & Society

January 28 - Japan's first Japanese-language daily newspaper, the Yokohama Mainichi Shinbun, is printed in Yokohama. (Traditional Japanese Date: Eighth Day of the Twelfth Month, Meiji 3)Japan source
February 9 – The United States Commission on Fish and Fisheries is founded.source
February 24 – The Danish Women's Society is founded to promote women's rights in Denmark; on December 15 it adopts the style Dansk Kvindesamfund.source
March 3 – The first American civil service reform legislation is signed into law by U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, creating the United States Civil Service Commission.source
3 March – German federal election, 1871Germany source
March 21 – John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne marries Princess Louise, a daughter of Queen Victoria, at Windsor; she is the first legitimate daughter of a British monarch to marry a subject since 1515.source
April 10 – In Brooklyn, New York, P. T. Barnum opens his three-ring circus, hailing it as "The Greatest Show on Earth".source
April 11 - Funeral of Prince Alexander John of Wales at St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringhamsource
15 June - Chilean presidential election, 1871Chile source
June 17– The Parsons Sun newspaper in Parsons, Kansas is founded by Milton W. Reynolds and Leslie J. Perry, though the latter left after the first issue was published.source
June 18 – The Universities Tests Act 1871 removes restrictions which have previously limited access to Oxford, Cambridge and Durham universities to members of the Church of England.source
5 July: New Zealand's first university, Otago opens its doors. It was absorbed into the University of New Zealand three years later.New Zealand source
July 13 – The first cat show is held at the Crystal Palace of London.source
July 20 – C. W. Alcock proposes that "a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association", giving birth to the FA Cup for Association football in England.source
September 25 – West Chester University (Pennsylvania) is charted as West Chester Normal Schoolsource
7 November – The Pearl wins the Melbourne CupAustralia source
8 November – At Lyksborg Slot, Princess Thyra gives birth to a daughter, conceived in a love affair with a cavalry lieutenant. The girl is adopted by a couple in Odense shortly after birth.Denmark source
30 November – Work on Covering of the Senne formally completed.Belgium source
December 24 – The opera Aida opens in Cairo, Egypt.source
December 25 – Reading F.C. is formed as an Association football club in England.source
December 26 – Thespis, the first of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, premières in London. It does modestly well, but the two composers will not collaborate again for four years.source
The Harvard Summer School is founded.source
Seawanhaka Yacht Club founded at Centre Island, New York, one of the earliest surviving yacht clubs in the Western Hemisphere.United States source

Births

January 17 – David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, British admiral (died 1936)source
February 4 – Friedrich Ebert, President of Germany (died 1925)source
March 5 – Rosa Luxemburg, German politician (died 1919)source
April 12 – Ioannis Metaxas, Prime Minister of Greece (died 1941)source
June 5 – Nicolae Iorga, 34th Prime Minister of Romania (died 1940)source
August 3 – Augusta Holtz, Polish-American supercentenarian, last surviving person born in 1871 (died 1986)source
4 August - Enrique Molina Garmendia (died 1964)Chile source
August 13 – Karl Liebknecht, German politician (died 1919)source
August 14 – Guangxu Emperor of China (died 1908)source
August 15 – Ebrahim Hakimi, Prime Minister of Iran.Iran source
August 19 – Orville Wright, American aviation pioneer, co-inventor of the airplane with brother Wilbur (died 1948)source
August 30 – Ernest Rutherford, New Zealand physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (died 1937)source
September 12 - Mário Alves Monteiro Tourinho, general (died 1964)Brazil source
September 26 – Winsor McCay, American cartoonist, animator (died 1934)source
October 2 – Cordell Hull, United States Secretary of State, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (died 1955)source
November 1 – Stephen Crane, American writer (died 1900)source
December 13 – Emily Carr, Canadian artist (died 1945)source
Regina Pacini, lyric soprano (died 1965)Portugal source

Deaths

January 25 – Jeanne Villepreux-Power, French marine biologist (born 1794)source
February 7 - Princess Leopoldina of Brazil, daughter of Pedro IIBrazil source
February 20 – Paul Kane, Irish-born painter (born 1810)source
March 18 – Origin of the Paris Commune: Troops of the regular French Army, sent by Adolphe Thiers, Chef du pouvoir executive de la République française, to seize cannons stored on the hill of Montmartre, fraternise with civilians and the National Guard, and two army generals are killed. Regular troops are evacuated to Versailles.source
March 18 – Augustus De Morgan, English professor of mathematics, mathematician (born 1806)source
24 March – José Roque Pérez, president of the People's Commission of Buenos Aires (yellow fever)Argentina source
March – Emma Fürstenhoff, Swedish florist (born 1802)source
April 7 – Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, Austrian admiral (born 1827)source
May 11 – John Herschel, English astronomer (born 1792)source
May 21 – French government troops enter Paris to overthrow the Commune, beginning "Bloody Week" (Semaine sanglante), leading to the deaths of over 20,000 Parisians and the arrests of over 38,000 more.source
June 9 – Anna Atkins, British botanist (born 1799)source
July 6 – Castro Alves, Brazilian poet and playwright (born 1847)source
29 August - Marcos Maturana (born 1802)Chile source
September 23 – Louis-Joseph Papineau, Canadian politician (born 1786)source
October 18 – Charles Babbage, English mathematician, inventor (born 1791)source
October 24 – Chinese massacre of 1871: In Los Angeles' Chinatown, 19 Chinese immigrants are killed by a mob of 500 men.source
November 23 - Mariano Melgarejo (assassinated in Lima, Peru)Bolivia source
December 28 – John Henry Pratt, English clergyman, mathematician (born 1809)source