WHAT ALL HAPPENED FEBRUARY TO OCTOBER 1870
Find out what all happened February to October 1870

In the United States, post-Civil War military control of Mississippi ends and it is readmitted to the Union. (23. February 1870)

Marshal François Achille Bazaine surrenders to Prussian forces at the conclusion of the Siege of Metz along with 140,000 French soldiers in one of the biggest French defeats of the Franco-Prussian War. (27. October 1870)

Marshal F.S. López dies during the Battle of Cerro Corá thus marking the end of the Paraguayan War. (1. March 1870)

Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Sedan – Prussian forces take Napoleon III of France and 100,000 of his soldiers prisoner. (2. September 1870)

The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing voting rights to citizens regardless of race. (3. February 1870)

Having invaded the Papal States a week earlier, the Italian Army lays siege to Rome, entering the city the next day, after which the Pope described himself as a Prisoner in the Vatican. (19. September 1870)

The current flag of Japan is first adopted as the national flag for Japanese merchant ships. (27. February 1870)

Louisa Ann Swain of Laramie, Wyoming becomes the first woman in the United States to cast a vote legally after 1807. (6. September 1870)

Franco-Prussian War: the Battle of Wörth results in a decisive Prussian victory. (6. August 1870)

Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory are transferred to Canada from the Hudson's Bay Company, and the province of Manitoba and the Northwest Territories are established from these vast territories. (15. July 1870)

The United States Department of Justice formally comes into existence. (1. July 1870)

The Christian holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States. (26. June 1870)

The Wolseley Expedition reaches Manitoba to end the Red River Rebellion. (24. August 1870)

Franco-Prussian War: France declares war on Prussia. (19. July 1870)

Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the United States Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in the U.S. Congress. (25. February 1870)

Old Faithful Geyser is observed and named by Henry D. Washburn during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition to Yellowstone. (18. September 1870)

President Ulysses S. Grant signs a joint resolution of Congress establishing the U.S. Weather Bureau. (9. February 1870)

Bersaglieri corps enter Rome through the Porta Pia and complete the unification of Italy. (20. September 1870)

Franco-Prussian War: the Siege of Paris begins, which will result on January 28, 1871 in the surrender of Paris and a decisive Prussian victory. (19. September 1870)

The first game of rugby in New Zealand is played in Nelson between Nelson College and the Nelson Rugby Football Club. (14. May 1870)