WHAT ALL HAPPENED FEBRUARY TO SEPTEMBER 1879
Find out what all happened February to September 1879

War of the Pacific: Two Chilean ships blocking the harbor of Iquique (then belonging to Peru) battle two Peruvian vessels in the Battle of Iquique. (21. May 1879)

The War of the Pacific breaks out when Chilean armed forces occupy the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta. (14. February 1879)

The first group of 463 Indian indentured laborers arrives in Fiji aboard the  Leonidas. (14. May 1879)

Chile declares war on Bolivia and Peru, starting the War of the Pacific. (5. April 1879)

Anglo-Zulu War: the Zululand capital of Ulundi is captured by British troops and burned to the ground, ending the war and forcing King Cetshwayo to flee. (4. July 1879)

Sandford Fleming first proposes adoption of Universal Standard Time at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute. (8. February 1879)

The Virgin Mary, along with St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist, reportedly appears at Knock Shrine in Knock, County Mayo, Ireland. (21. August 1879)

Anglo-Zulu War: Battle of Kambula: British forces defeat 20,000 Zulus. (29. March 1879)

Gilmores Garden in New York, New York is renamed Madison Square Garden by William Henry Vanderbilt and is opened to the public at 26th Street and Madison Avenue. (31. May 1879)

Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Gandamak establishing an Afghan state. (26. May 1879)

Charles Taze Russell publishes the first edition of the religious magazine The Watchtower. (1. July 1879)

Cetshwayo, last king of the Zulus, is captured by the British. (28. August 1879)

The England cricket team led by Lord Harris is attacked during a riot during a match in Sydney. (8. February 1879)

In Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many of 5 and dime Woolworth stores. (22. February 1879)

Sailing ship USS Jeannette departs San Francisco carrying an ill-fated expedition to the North Pole. (8. July 1879)

The Blackpool Illuminations are switched on for the first time. (19. September 1879)

The opening of the Poor Man's Palace in Manchester, England. (7. August 1879)

The National Guards Unit of Bulgaria is founded. (12. July 1879)

Napoleon Eugene, the last dynastic Bonaparte, is killed in the Anglo-Zulu War. (1. June 1879)

Women's rights: American President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. (15. February 1879)