Centuries: 18th century - 19th century - 20th century
Decades: 1820s 1830s 1840s 1850s 1860s - 1870s - 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s
Years: 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 - 1875 - 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880
Events
- January 12 - Kwang-su becomes emperor of China.
- May 17 - First Kentucky Derby
Births
- January 14 - Albert Schweitzer, Alsatian physician, philosopher, and musician, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 1952 (+ 1965)
- January 22 - D. W. Griffith, director
- February 11 - Sara Wennerberg-Reuter, composer
- February 26 - Hans Böckler, unionist and politician (+ 1951)
- March 7 - Maurice Ravel, composer (+ 1937)
- April 4 - Pierre Monteux, conductor
- April 5 - Mistinguett, French cabaret singer
- April 8 - Albert I of Belgium
- September 1 - Edgar Rice Burroughs, author
- October 23 - Gilbert N. Lewis, physical chemist.
- Diedrich Westermann (died 1956) German linguist
- Dr Krishna Chandra Bhattacharya
- Maurice Ravel, French composer
- Aleister Crowley, British occultist
Deaths
- January 23 - Charles Kingsley, English writer
- February 22 - Sir Charles Lyell, British geologist.
- June 3 - Georges Bizet, French composer
- August 4 - Hans Christian Andersen, Writer.