What Happened in 1880

Cologne Cathedral Completed

Cologne Cathedral (German: Kölner Dom, officially Hohe Domkirche St. Peter und Maria) is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the... Read more

Weiss Family Moves to Appleton, Wisconsin

At first, the Weiss family lived in Appleton, Wisconsin, where Ehrich's father served as Rabbi of the Zion Reform Jewish Congregation. In 1880, the... Read more

Hiram and Barney Davis, aka 'The Wild Men of Borneo' Begin Performing at Barnum's American Museum

The Wild Men of Borneo, Waino and Plutano, were a pair of exceptionally strong dwarf brothers who were most famously associated with P. T. Barnum... Read more

Edison Patents DC Electricity Distribution

Edison patented a system for electricity distribution in 1880, which was essential to capitalize on the invention of the electric lamp. Read more

Thodore Roosevelt Meets Alice Lee

Snowing heavily, but I drove over in my sleigh to Chestnut Hill, the horse plunging to his belly in the great drifts, and the wind cutting my face... Read more

Photophone Invented

The Photophone, also known as a radiophone, was invented jointly by Alexander Graham Bell and his then-assistant Charles Sumner Tainter on February... Read more

First Transmission on Alexander Graham Bell's Photophone

On June 3, 1880, Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the first wireless telephone message on his newly invented photophone from the top of the... Read more

Lee Richmond Pitches a Perfect Game

John Lee Richmond (or, more commonly, Lee Richmond or J. Lee Richmond) (May 5, 1857, in Sheffield, Ohio – October 1, 1929, in Toledo, Ohio) was a... Read more

John Montgomery Ward Pitches a Perfect Game

John Montgomery Ward (March 3, 1860 – March 4, 1925) was an American Major League Baseball star pitcher, shortstop and manager. Ward was born in... Read more

Theodore Roosevelt Graduates from Harvard

He matriculated at Harvard College in 1876. His father's death in 1878 was a tremendous blow, but Roosevelt redoubled his activities. He did well... Read more

The Battle of Maiwand

The Battle of Maiwand was one of the principal battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The battle ended in defeat for the British Army and victory... Read more

H. L. Mencken Is Born

Writer, editor, philologist, social critic, and Baltimore native H. L. Mencken was born on September 12, 1880. Mencken, who generated a strong... Read more

Gurban Pirimov Is Born

Gurban Bakhshali oglu Pirimov or Primov (Azeri: Qurban Pirimov) (October 1880, near Agdam – 29 August 1965, Baku) was an Azerbaijani folk musician... Read more

Theodore Roosevelt Marries Alice Hathaway Lee

Alice Hathaway Lee (July 29, 1861 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts – February 14, 1884 in Manhattan, New York) was the first wife of Theodore... Read more

George Poage Is Born

George Coleman Poage (November 6, 1880–April 11, 1962) was the first African American athlete to win a medal in the Olympic Games, winning two... Read more

Lillian Russell Makes Her Debut At Tony Pastor's Theatre

On November 22, 1880 Lillian Russell made her debut at Tony Pastor's Theatre in New York City. Within weeks, the beautiful blonde added a prominent... Read more

Naval Steam Colliery Disaster

The explosion occurred at 1.30 am, when one hundred and seven men and boys were at work below ground and claimed one hundred and one lives.... Read more