Major Events
- Jan 11 Anglo-Zulu War begins as British Lieutenant-General Lord Chelmsford invades Zululand in South Africa
- Jan 22 Battle of Rorke's Drift: British garrison of 150 holds off 3,000-4,000 Zulu warriors. Eleven Victoria Crosses and a number of other decorations were awarded to the defenders.
- Apr 5 Chile declares war on Bolivia and Peru, starting the War of the Pacific.
- Oct 22 Thomas Edison perfects carbonized cotton filament light bulb
- Nov 4 African American inventor Thomas Elkins patents the Refrigerating Apparatus [1]
- More 1879 Events
Did You Know?
James Ritty patents first cash register, to combat stealing by bartenders in his saloon in Dayton, Ohio
Albert Einstein
Cluny MacPherson
Nancy Astor
Margaret Sanger
Franz von Papen
Leon Trotsky
Ethel Barrymore
Will RogersMore People Born in 1879
Fun Fact About 1879
Frank Winfield Woolworth opens his 1st successful "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store" on North Queen Street, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
William Lloyd Garrison
Rowland Hill
Angelina Grimké
James Clerk MaxwellMore 1879 Deaths
Articles About 1879
Anglo-Zulu War
Napoleon, Prince Imperial, head of the House of Bonaparte, is killed during the Anglo-Zulu WarJanuary 11
The British: 139. Zulu Warriors: 4,000. Let Battle Begin
It was one of the most remarkable military engagements ever: the day that 139 British soldiers took on 4,000 Zulu warriors – and won.January 22
Wonder of Woolworths Begins its Meteoric Rise
It was a simple idea: opening a store where nothing cost more than five cents. The idea caught on so quickly that Woolworth’s became a retail phenomenon.February 22
Arc Lamps Light the Way to World-Beating Display
"Artificial sunshine" came to a Northern England holiday resort in 1879, dazzling the visitors and showing the world the possibilities of outside electricity.September 18
Oh Tragedy! What Could Be Worse? – McGonagall’s Verse!
Suffering a tragedy such as happened on this day was bad enough: what made it worse was having self-declared poet William McGonagall compose a rhyme about it.December 28
Famous Weddings in 1879
- Jan 7 Dutch King William II marries Emma von Waldeck-Pyrmont
- Dec 30 Composer John Philip Sousa (25) weds Jane van Middlesworth Bellis
Claude Monet
Giuseppe Verdi
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Benjamin Disraeli
Otto von Bismarck