In history, year 1878 has its own importance and known for many memorable events like famous birthdays, inventions, natural disaster, treaties, change of rulers, special days etc. Find below a list of important historical events which happened during the year 1878.
| Date/Month | Event / Incidence / Incident |
|---|
| 18 february | Competition between two merchants in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, US, turned into a range war when a member of one faction was murdered by the other. |
| 25 may | Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore opened at the Opera Comique in London. |
| 15 june | Eadweard Muybridge took a series of photographs to prove thatall four feet of a horse leave the ground when it gallops; the study became the basis of motion pictures. |
| 13 july | At the conclusion of the Congress of Berlin, the major powersin Europe signed the Treaty of Berlin, redrawing the map of the Balkans. |
| 01 september | Hired by Alexander Graham Bell, Emma Nutt became the world'sfirst female telephone operator. |
| 31 May | The sinking of the German warship SMS Groसरer Karfurst killed 284 people. |
| 28 July | At the conclusion of the Berlin Conference, the Berlin Agreement was signed between the Russians Germany, France, Britain and Austria. |
| 17 October | John A. McDonald was once again elected Prime Minister of Canada after playing the role of opposition in government for five years. |
| 18 October | Thomas Elva Edison provided electricity for domestic use. |
| 10 December | Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, the last Governor General of India, was born. |
| 25 December | Doctor Charles Drysdale, writing an article, first reported the damage caused by tobacco. |
| 28 January | First telephone exchange formed in New Haven, USA. |
| 17 February | The first telephone exchange opened in the city of San Francisco. |
| 21 February | First telephone directory was released in Connecticut, USA. |
| 13 March | The Vernacular Press Act came into effect and the next day Amrit Bazar Patrika became an English newspaper. |
| 24 March | British ship Eurydice sunk, killing 300 people. |
| 20 April | Birth of Maulvi Abdul Haq, father of Urdu. |
| 27 April | The University of Calcutta gave the first approval to women to be eligible in the field of university education. |
| 09 January | Umberto I was made king of Italy. |
| 02 February | Greece declares war with Turkey. |
| 13 March | Oxford University defeated Cambridge University in their first golf match. |
| 20 April | Stowel gifts were introduced for the first time in Australia. |
| 15 May | Tokyo Stock Exchange was established. |
| 20 July | The first telephones in Hawaii were made in Hawaii. |
| 21 August | The American Bar Association was held in Sarasota. |
| 01 September | The first female telephone operator started working (Emma Note) in Boston. |
| 15 October | Edison founded the Electric Light Company. |
| 17 November | Made the first attempt to assassinate Umberto I of Italy. |
| 01 December | The first telephone was installed at the White House. |
| Date/Month | Name / Profession / Country |
|---|
| 01 September | Tullio Serafin / Director / Italy |
| 02 August | Aino Kallas / Author / Estonia |
| 02 September | Herman / Bishop / Estonia |
| 02 September | Ion Dragoumis / Philosopher / Greece |
| 03 July | George M. Cohan / Actor / United States of America |
| 10 January | John McLean / Footballer / United States of America |
| 12 January | Ferenc Molnár / Author / United States of America |
| 14 November | Julie Manet / Painter / France |
| 16 September | Karl Albiker / Sculptor / Germany |
| 16 January | Harry Carey / Actor / United States of America |
| 17 September | Vincenzo Tommasini / Composer / Italy |
| 18 December | Joseph Stalin / Politician / Russia |
| 18 September | James O. Richardson / Admiral / United States of America |
| 19 May | Alfred Laliberté / Painter / Canada |
| 19 January | Herbert Chapman / Footballer / United Kingdom |
| 20 January | Finlay Currie / Actor / United Kingdom |
| 25 July | Masaharu Anesaki / Philosopher / Japan |
| 28 February | Pierre Fatou / Astronomer / France |
| 29 November | John Derbyshire / Swimmer / United Kingdom |
| 31 December | Horacio Quiroga / Poet / Argentina |