An Empire Proclaimed in the Enemy's Palace: Germany, 1871
On January 18, 1871, Prussia's Wilhelm I was proclaimed German Emperor in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, forging a new empire in the palace of a defeated France.
Tagged: 1870s
Chicago Burns: The Great Fire That Ended on October 10, 1871
The Great Chicago Fire burned October 8 to October 10, 1871, killing an estimated 300 people and leaving 100,000 homeless — and the city rebuilt itself into a modern metropolis.
Up the Hill Without Horses: San Francisco's First Cable Car
In the pre-dawn hours of August 2, 1873, Andrew Hallidie's cable car made its first successful test run up San Francisco's Clay Street — and changed city transit forever.
Aces and Eights: The Afternoon Wild Bill's Luck Ran Out
On August 2, 1876, Wild Bill Hickok was shot in the back of the head during a poker game in Deadwood — holding the black aces and eights now known as the dead man's hand.
Custer's Last Stand: The Battle of the Little Bighorn
On June 25, 1876, Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors annihilated Custer's 7th Cavalry on the Little Bighorn River — the greatest Native American victory of the Plains Indian Wars.
Aristides and the First Run for the Roses: The 1875 Kentucky Derby
On May 17, 1875, fifteen horses contested the first Kentucky Derby at a new Louisville racetrack, and a colt named Aristides won it in front of 10,000 fans.
The Ballot That Was a Crime: Susan B. Anthony Votes
On November 5, 1872, Susan B. Anthony cast a ballot in Rochester's presidential election knowing women couldn't legally vote — and was arrested, convicted, and fined $100 she refused to pay.
The Dawn Paris Rose Up: Birth of the Paris Commune
On March 18, 1871, Parisian workers and soldiers defied the French government, seized the city's cannons, and launched the Paris Commune — the world's first workers' government.
Play Ball! The First Game of Professional Baseball, 1871
On May 4, 1871, the Fort Wayne Kekiongas beat Cleveland 2-0 in the first game of the first all-professional baseball league — before a few hundred shivering fans.