The world in
What happened in 1877?
14 events across 6 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
- Founding of the Plantin-Moretus Museum
The Plantin-Moretus Museum was founded in Antwerp, Belgium. It occupies the former residence and printing works of the 16th-century printers Christophe Plantin and Jan Moretus. The museum was later designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
- Completion of the Palace of Linares
The Palace of Linares was completed in the late 19th century at Madrid's Plaza de Cibeles. It was declared a national historic-artistic monument in 1976 and currently houses the Casa de América.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Fuente del Ángel Caído Inaugurated
The Fuente del Ángel Caído was inaugurated in Madrid's Buen Retiro Park, created by sculptor Ricardo Bellver and Francisco Jareño y Alarcón (pedestal). It stands on the site of a former royal porcelain factory and is a notable park feature.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Casa Batlló Built
Casa Batlló was built in 1877 as a residential building in Barcelona. It was later remodeled by architect Antoni Gaudí, becoming a modernist masterpiece.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Maria Pia Bridge opens
The Maria Pia Bridge opened in November 1877 over the Douro River between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. A metal arch railway bridge, it was designed by Gustave Eiffel and Théophile Seyrig of Eiffel & Cie. It was the first railway bridge to link the two banks of the Douro and shortened the railway distance between Porto and Lisbon by around 12 km.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
East Asia
- Meiji Restoration
The Meiji Restoration was a series of modernising reforms carried out in Japan between 1868 and 1889. It began with the restoration of imperial rule in 1868, overthrowing the Tokugawa shogunate and the warrior government that had ruled Japan for over six hundred years, and bringing an end to the feudal system. During the reforms, Japan actively adopted Western ideas, production methods and technology, rapidly industrialised, and underwent fundamental changes to its political and social structure, transforming the country into a modern power.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Self-Strengthening Movement Begins
Qing officials launched the Self-Strengthening Movement in 1861, aiming to strengthen China by adopting Western military technology. Though lasting until 1895, its beginning marked the start of modern industrialization and military modernization in China.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Battle of Shiroyama
On 24 September 1877, the Battle of Shiroyama took place in Kagoshima as the final engagement of the Satsuma Rebellion. Heavily outnumbered samurai under Saigō Takamori were annihilated by Imperial Japanese Army forces commanded by Yamagata Aritomo and Kawamura Sumiyoshi, ending the rebellion and consolidating the Meiji government's power.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Central & South America
- Outbreak of the Ten Years' War
On 10 October 1868, planter Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and fellow independence advocates proclaimed Cuba's independence from Spain at his Demajagua sugar mill, initiating the Ten Years' War. This first major Cuban independence struggle, though unsuccessful, paved the way for later uprisings.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Chilean occupation of Araucanía
Between 1861 and 1883, Chile incorporated the ancestral Mapuche territory of Araucanía through a series of military campaigns, agreements, and penetrations. Referred to by Chilean authorities as the 'Pacification of Araucanía'.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
North America
- The Great Sioux War of 1876 Begins
In 1876, a large-scale armed conflict known as the Great Sioux War or Black Hills War broke out between the United States and an alliance of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne. The immediate cause was the US government's desire to obtain the Black Hills after gold was discovered there; the Native Americans refused to cede ownership, leading to battles and negotiations that continued into 1877.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Outbreak of the Caste War of Yucatán
In 1847, the Indigenous Maya people of the Yucatán Peninsula launched an armed revolt against the Hispanic population, known as the Caste War. The uprising stemmed from the latter's political and economic dominance since the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, and it is considered one of the most successful modern Native American revolts. The conflict primarily unfolded between government forces in the northwest and independent Maya groups in the southeast, lasting nearly five decades.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
South Asia
- Outbreak of the Aceh War
In early 1873, discussions between representatives of the Aceh Sultanate and the United States in Singapore provoked the Netherlands, leading to a Dutch military attack on Aceh and the start of the Aceh War. The conflict was part of a series of late 19th-century wars that consolidated Dutch rule over modern-day Indonesia, ultimately ending in 1904 with the Dutch annexation of Aceh and control over the entire Indonesian archipelago. The war lasted over three decades, resulting in around 4,000 Dutch and 25,000 Acehnese deaths.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
North Africa
- French conquest of Algeria
Between 1830 and 1904, France launched a military invasion and prolonged war of conquest in Algeria. In June 1830, French forces landed near Algiers, quickly seizing the capital and coastal areas. Over the following decades, despite internal political strife, France repeatedly reinforced its military presence to suppress resistance in the interior, gradually extending control southward into the Sahara, and finalizing its colonial borders by 1904.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Around 1877
These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.
- Second Industrial Revolution
- Emergence of the Enlightenment
- Museum Island construction begins
- Completion of Dom Pedro V Theatre
- Establishment of Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Industrial Heritage
- Construction of Hôtel Solvay begins
- Founding of Kulangsu as an International Settlement
- Construction of the Four Hydraulic Boat Lifts on the Canal du Centre begins