Events in History
- Jan 11 Anglo-Zulu War begins as British Lt-General 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.
- Feb 10 Henry Morton Stanley departs for the Congo
- 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 Events in History
1879 in History Pictures
Anglo-Zulu War
Napoleon, Prince Imperial, head of the House of Bonaparte, is killed during the Anglo-Zulu WarJanuary 11The 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 22Arc 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 18Oh 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