WHAT ALL HAPPENED APRIL TO DECEMBER 1870
Find out what all happened April to December 1870

The First Vatican Council decrees the dogma of papal infallibility. (18. July 1870)

Emperor Napoleon III of France is deposed and the Third Republic is declared. (4. September 1870)

Reconstruction Era of the United States: Georgia becomes the last of the former Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union. (15. July 1870)

Franco-Prussian War: the Siege of Metz concludes with a decisive Prussian victory. (23. October 1870)

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

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

Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the second black U.S. congressman, the first being Hiram Revels. (12. December 1870)

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

The 12.8-km long Fréjus Rail Tunnel through the Alps is completed. (26. December 1870)

In the United States, the Weather Bureau (later renamed the National Weather Service) makes its first official meteorological forecast. (1. November 1870)

Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Mars-la-Tour is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory. (16. August 1870)

The New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded. (13. April 1870)

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

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

Tower Subway, the world's first underground tube railway, opens in London, England, United Kingdom. (2. August 1870)

Franco-Prussian War: the Battle of Spicheren is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory. (6. August 1870)

Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Gravelotte is fought. (18. August 1870)

US Congress created the United States Department of Justice (22. June 1870)