General
Population: 1.31 Billion*
- Entertainment: Music includes first Gilbert and Sullivan musical, Saint Saens, Brahms, Verdi's Aida premiers in Cairo, French workers compose "L'Internationale"
Writers include Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass", George Eliot, Ostrovsky, Emerson, Zola, Mommsen (Roman Constitutional Law), Darwin (Descent of Man), Adolph Wagner (The Social Question)
Art includes Rossetti's "The Dream of Dante",
- Culture: Descent of Man and link to primates made – start of social Darwinism
- Medicine: GA Hansen discovers leprosy bacillus
- Paranormal: The Mary Celestefound in the Atlantic sailing itself with a ship full of food , water, gear, and personal goods and lifeboats in place – last log entry 10 days previous – although sales set perfectly – chronometer sextant and cargo documents missing with the 10 people
- Politics: Treaty of Washington settles existing difficulties between Britain and US
- Religion: Jehovah's Witnesses founded
- Science: Kelvin proposes germs reached earth through a meteorite
- Sports: F.A. Cup established
- Technology: Simon Ingersoll invents pneumatic rock drill
- Transportation: S.S. Oceanic of the White Star Line launched – first of large modern luxury liners
- Deaths: Composer Daniel Auber, Statesman Thomas Ewing, Writer Willibald Alexis, Artist Moritz von Schwind
Africa
- Cape Colony: Basutoland becomes part as Britain annexes diamond fields - Kimberly founded - Becomes South Africa but British and Boers (Dutch) both claim
- Congo: Stanley finds Livingstone at Ujiji near Lake Tanganyika in East Africa
- Egypt: Cairo Opera House opens
- Zimbabwe: Ancient Zimbabwe discovered
Americas
- Brazil: Law for gradual abolition of slavery
- Canada: British Columbia and Vancouver join Dominion
Treaty of Washington with the US
Asia
- General: Japan seeks to rule China
- Japan: Japan seeks to learn from US trading and sends envoy to US
Europe
- General: End of Franco-Prussian War
Mount Cenis Tunnel opened between Italy and France - first major railway tunnel
- Austria: First congress of old Catholics meets in Munich
- France: France cedes Alsace-Lorraine to Germany
The Commune in Paris rules two months
LA Thiers elected French President
Third Republic established until 1940
French attempt revolution and Paris taken but reconquered by army with Prussian support
- Germany: Unification of Germany with help of Bismarck and Prussian king William I becomes German emperor
Bismarck tries to suppress Catholics politically with "Kulturkampf"
Treaty of Frankfurt calls for money to be paid to Germany
Mine output increases
All men in Germany secure right to vote
- Great Britain: Act of Parliament legalizes labor unions
Albert Hall in London opened
Bank holidays introduces in England and Wales
- Italy: Italian Law of Guaranteed allows the Pope possession of Vatican
Middle East
Pacific
- Australia: 630 pound gold (mixed) nugget found in New South Wales yielded over 187 pounds of gold
Australian lumberjacks fell mountain ash 500 feet tall (reported)
- Fiji: Cakobau, leader of Bau establishes monarchy
1871 
