1871
German Empire Proclaimed
In the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles - where Louis XIV had once received ambassadors - German princes proclaimed Wilhelm I of Prussia emperor of a unified…
Iwakura Mission
The Meiji government sent half its senior officials - including the foreign minister Iwakura - on a two-year tour of the United States and Europe, studying…
Great Chicago Fire
A barn fire on the city's west side - not, despite legend, started by Mrs. O'Leary's cow - spread in a dry October wind and burned for two days.
Stanley Finds Livingstone
At Ujiji on the shore of Lake Tanganyika, the American reporter Henry Morton Stanley - hired by the New York Herald to find the lost Scottish missionary…
Treaty of Frankfurt
France paid five billion francs in war indemnity and ceded Alsace and most of Lorraine to the new German Empire.
Paris Commune
Rather than accept disarmament and humiliating peace terms, working-class Paris rose, declared itself a commune, and governed itself for seventy-two days…
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1871?
Saeculum lists 6 events from 1871. The most significant is German Empire Proclaimed.
What era was 1871 part of?
1871 falls within the Industrial Age (1801-1900). Steam, empire, and the unmaking of the old order.
Which regions saw notable events in 1871?
The events from 1871 span Europe, East Asia, North America and Africa.