Historical Events
- Feb 19 Thomas Edison is granted a patent for his gramophone (phonograph)
- Jun 13 Congress of Berlin begins, determines the territories of the states in the Balkan peninsula following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78
- Sep 1 1st female telephone operator starts work, Emma Nutt for the Edwin Holmes Telephone Despatch Company in Boston
- More Historical Events
1878 in Film & TV
- Jun 15 World's first moving pictures caught on camera (used 12 cameras, each taking 1 picture) done to see if all 4 of a horse's hooves leave the ground
1878 in Music
- May 25 W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's comic opera "H.M.S. Pinafore" premieres in London, their first international success
1878 in Sport
- Feb 11 1st US bicycle club, Boston Bicycle Club, forms
Famous People in 1878
World Leaders in 1878
Would You Believe?
British physician Dr. Charles Drysdale warns against the use of tobacco in a letter to The Times newspaper in one of the earliest public health announcements on the dangers of smoking
On September 25, 1878
Famous Weddings
- Mar 20 53rd UK Prime Minister Archibald Primrose (31) weds heiress Hannah de Rothschild (27) at the Board of Guardians in Mount Street, London
- Sep 11 German philosopher Friedrich Engels (57) marries Lizzie Burns (51), hours before her death in London
- Dec 4 Novelist Bram Stoker (31) weds Florence Balcombe (20) in Dublin, Ireland
1878 in Pictures
The Pain Behind Cleopatra's Needle
First-time visitors to London could be surprised when they see an Egyptian obelisk standing beside the River Thames. It was welcomed to the city on this day.January 21Wonder 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 22Albert's Monumental Legacy
Architect George Gilbert Scott, who designed the Albert Memorial in honour of Queen Victoria's beloved husband, Prince Albert died on this day.March 27First Moving Images
The first moving images ever captured, Sallie Gardner at a Gallop, taken in 1878 by Eadweard MuybridgeJune 15Artist's 'Rocket' Shot Down in Flames
Artist James Whistler sought £1,000 libel damages from an art critic but was told by a jury on this day that he could whistle for it!November 26