1878
Congress of Berlin
Under Bismarck's iron chairmanship, the great powers revised the Treaty of San Stefano, cutting Bulgaria down to size, giving Cyprus to Britain, and Bosnia to Austria to administer. Russia felt robbed. Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania got their independence. The settlement lasted nearly forty years, until the Balkans blew up on everyone.
Edison's Light Bulb Work
Thomas Edison's Menlo Park laboratory turned from the phonograph to the problem of a practical incandescent electric light. It took a year of trying every fiber from bamboo to hair before he found a carbonized cotton thread that glowed for forty hours. Private light that did not smell of gas was on the verge of existing.
Second Anglo-Afghan War
A Russian mission to Kabul gave the British their excuse: they invaded again, took the passes, forced the emir to flee, and installed yet another puppet. This war went, at first, less badly than the first. Then an uprising in Kabul killed the British envoy and the whole business turned ugly again, as it always did.
San Stefano Treaty
Ending the Russo-Turkish war, the treaty created a huge Bulgarian principality under Russian influence and trimmed Ottoman possessions severely. Britain and Austria, horrified at Russian gains, refused to accept it and summoned the Congress of Berlin four months later to rewrite the map. The Eastern Question had produced yet another reshuffle.
Salvation Army Founded
William Booth, an ex-Methodist preacher, reorganized his East London Christian Mission along military lines and renamed it the Salvation Army. Uniformed officers, brass bands, and a hard-driving social gospel gave the movement its distinctive flavor. Within a decade it had branches on four continents, feeding the poor and exasperating local clergy.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1878?
Saeculum lists 5 curated events from 1878. The most significant is Congress of Berlin: Under Bismarck's iron chairmanship, the great powers revised the Treaty of San Stefano, cutting Bulgaria down to size, giving Cyprus to Britain, and Bosnia…
What era was 1878 part of?
1878 falls within the Industrial Age (1801-1900). Steam, empire, and the unmaking of the old order.
Which regions saw notable events in 1878?
The curated events from 1878 span Europe, North America, Central Asia and Middle East.