What Happened in 1870

Richard Theodore Greener Becomes First African American to Graduate from Harvard

Richard Theodore Greener (30 January 1844 – 2 May 1922) was the first African-American graduate of Harvard College and dean of the Howard... Read more

Mark Twain Marries Olivia "Livy" Langdon

Charles Langdon showed a picture of his sister, Olivia, to Twain; Twain claimed to have fallen in love at first sight. The two met in 1868, were... Read more

The Fifteenth Amendment is ratified

The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits each government in the United States from denying a citizen the... Read more

Hiram Revels Becomes the First African American Elected to US Senate

At the time, the state legislature elected US senators. Revels was elected by a vote of 81 to 15 in the Mississippi State Senate to finish the term... Read more

Charles Dickens publishes The Mystery of Edwin Drood

The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the final novel by Charles Dickens. The novel was left unfinished at the time of Dickens' death and thus how it might... Read more

Charles Dickens Dies

On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home, after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. The next day, on 9 June, and five years to the... Read more

The First Section Of The Atlantic City Boardwalk Opens

On June 26, 1870, the first section of the Atlantic City Boardwalk opened along the New Jersey beach. Dr. Jonathan Pitney and civil engineer... Read more

James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok Kills a 7th Cavalry Soldier in Gunfight at Paddy Welch's Bar

Unemployed, Hickok passed his time gambling, drinking, and occasionally working as a hunting guide. He quickly became bored and was considering... Read more

Sinking of HMS Captain

On the night of Sept. 6, 1870, while sailing off Cape Finisterre in a freshening gale, Captain abruptly capsized and sank like a stone. She took... Read more

Death of Robert E. Lee

On September 28, 1870, Lee suffered a stroke that left him without the ability to speak. Lee died from the effects of pneumonia shortly after 9... Read more