1879 in the United States

1879 in the United States
Decades:	1850s 1860s – 1870s – 1880s 1890s
Years:	1876 1877 1878 – 1879 – 1880 1881 1882
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38 stars (1877 – 1890)
Timeline of United States history History of the United States (1865–1918)

Events from the year 1879 in the United States.

Contents 1 Incumbents 2 Events 2.1 Undated 2.2 Ongoing 3 Births 4 Deaths 5 References 6 External links

Incumbents

• President: Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican)
• Vice President: William A. Wheeler (Republican)
• Chief Justice: Morrison Waite
• Speaker of the House of Representatives: Samuel J. Randall (D-Pennsylvania)
• Congress: 45th (until March 4), 46th (starting March 4)

Events

• January – The current constitution of The State of California, USA is ratified.
• January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The Greenback is valued the same as gold for the first time since the American Civil War.
• February 12 – At New York City's Madison Square Garden, the first artificial ice rink in North America opens.
• February 15 – Women's rights: American President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.
• February 22 – In Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many of 5 and 10-cent Woolworth stores.
• March 3 – The United States Geological Survey is created.
• May 30 – New York City's Gilmore's Garden is renamed Madison Square Garden by William Henry Vanderbilt, and is opened to the public at 26th Street and Madison Avenue.
• July 19 – Doc Holliday kills for the first time after a man shoots up Holliday's New Mexico saloon.
• September 25 – Deadwood, South Dakota fire: Two-thousand people left homeless. Three hundred buildings destroyed. Total loss of property is estimated at $3 million.
• September 29 – Meeker Massacre: Nathan Meeker and others are killed in an uprising at the White River Ute Indian Reservation in Colorado.
• October 22 – Using a filament of carbonized thread, Thomas Edison tests the first practical electric light bulb (it lasts 13½ hours before burning out).
• December 31 – Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

Undated

• Simmons College of Kentucky, a historically black school, is founded.
• The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) is formed.
• Mary Baker Eddy founds the Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston.^[1]
• Henry George publishes Progress and Poverty.

Ongoing

• Gilded Age (1869–c. 1896)
• Depression of 1873–79 (1873–1879)

Births

Deaths

References

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:1879_in_the_United_States 1879 in the United States] at Wikimedia Commons

Years in the United States (1776-present) Years in the United States of America 1776 1777 1778 1779 1780 1781 1782 1783 1784 1785 1786 1787 1788 1789 1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012