The Years 1870 to 1879 Unveiled: Intriguing Facts and Landmark Events

This quick read is a collection of fun facts, trivia, and historical events from the years 1870 to 1879. Discover the decade’s top news stories, most influential people, notable inventions, historic firsts, retail prices, and much more.

1. In 1870, the United States population was 38,558,371, a 22.6% increase from 1860. This was also the first census in which all of America’s 100 largest cities recorded populations of over 10,000.
2. In 1870 as well, the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified, granting Black men the right to vote. In addition, the women’s suffrage movement gained momentum throughout the U.S., Christmas became a federal holiday in America, and Standard Oil was founded in Ohio.
3. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed over 17,000 buildings and left almost 100,000 people homeless.
4. By 1872, the 11 former Confederate States of America had all returned to the “Union.” The former Confederate states were Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. (Just so you know, during the Civil War, the “Union” “referred to the national government and the 20 free states and five border states that supported it.”)
5. In 1872, J. S. Risdon invented the metal windmill, and Aaron Montgomery Ward invented the mail-order catalog. In addition, the Amnesty Act of 1872 “restored civil rights to many former Confederate officials.”
6. In 1873, Joseph Glidden invented barbed wire. In addition, the United States experienced the Panic of 1873, a significant economic depression that caused a stock market crash and led investors to sell off railroad bonds.
7. In 1873 as well, the Coinage Act of 1873 placed the U.S. on the gold standard, and the words “margarine,” “rapid transit,” and “smorgasbord” all appeared in print for the first time.
8. In 1874, the Philadelphia Zoo opened. It was the first public zoo in the United States. In addition, four-year-old Charley Ross of Philadelphia became America’s first kidnapping-for-ransom victim. He was taken by carriage from his home in Philadelphia’s affluent Germantown neighborhood and never seen again.
9. In 1875, South Africa became the largest diamond mining region in the world. In addition, William H. Bonney (aka Billy the Kid), an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West, was arrested for the first time for stealing laundry. He was eventually linked to nine murders.
10. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, and Melville Bissell invented the modern vacuum sweeper. In addition, Colorado became a U.S. state, and Texas A&M University was founded.
11. In 1877, Eadweard Muybridge invented motion pictures, and Thomas Edison made the first recording of the human voice when he recited the nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb. In addition, a very strange creature was sighted in St. Genevieve, Missouri. The Dundee Courier reported that “the monster was ‘at least 70 feet in length,’ with the head of a sea lion and a tangled mane like a horse.”
12. In 1878, Joseph Swan invented the longer-lasting electric light bulb, and the U.S. stopped making the 20-cent coin. In addition, the words “microphone,” “Oriental rug,” and “Salvation Army” all appeared in print for the first time.
13. In 1879, Frank Winfield Woolworth opened his first “Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store” in Utica, New York. In addition, a yellow fever epidemic began in New Orleans.
14. In 1872, rice cost 11 cents a pound, a quart of beans cost nine cents, and New Orleans molasses was 70 cents a gallon.
15. Lard cost 12 cents a pound, a dozen eggs was 30 cents, and potatoes were $1.02 a bushel.
16. Cornmeal cost one cent a pound, rye flour was three cents a pound, and super-fine wheat flour cost $10.75 a barrel.
17. Butter cost 39 cents a pound, milk was eight cents a quart, and cheese cost 17 cents a pound.
18. Fresh pork was 12 cents a pound, salted pork was 11 cents a pound, and smoked ham was 13 cents a pound.
19. Mutton chops were 15 cents a pound, sausage cost 12 cents a pound, and veal cutlets were 28 cents a pound.
20. Corned beef cost 10 cents a pound, roasting beef cost 19 cents a pound, and soup beef was seven cents a pound.
21. Brazilian coffee cost 34 cents a pound, oolong tea was 69 cents a pound, and coffee sugar cost 10 cents a pound.
22. Coal for home heating cost $9.25 a ton, hardwood cost $10.12 a cord, and pine wood was $4.42 a cord.
23. Men’s heavy boots were $3.94 a pair, cotton flannel was 27 cents a yard, and satinet cost 59 cents a yard.
24. Common soap cost eight cents a pound, and starch was 12 cents a pound.

References:

1. https://listverse.com/2015/04/29/10-of-the-most-bizarre-accounts-from-the-19th-century/
2. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/yearonlytimeline1800-1899.html
3. https://www.quora.com/What-was-seen-as-entertainment-in-the-1800s-America
4. https://theinventors.org/library/weekly/aa111100a.htm
5. https://www.nps.gov/fosc/learn/education/childrengame.htm
6. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-christmas/
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1800s_in_the_United_States
8. http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/prices-for-1860-1872-1878-and-1882-groceries-provisions-dry-goods-more/
9. https://www.biographyonline.net/people/famous/nineteenth-century.html
10. https://www.history.com/articles/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-old-west
11. https://www.infoplease.com/us/states/states-by-order-of-entry-into-the-union
12. https://www.infoplease.com/us/education/major-universities-founded-1900

Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor