[Melchior]

Inter alia, 1877 was the year Queen Victoria was named Empress of India. Hayes was elected president in the USA. Russia declared war on Turkey. Porfirio Diaz became President of Mexico. The Bayreuth Festival is initiated with a rendition of Wagner’s “Ring”. Bell invents the telephone. Schliemann publishes his work on the discovery of Troy. Koch discovers the Anthrax bacillus. The National Baseball League is founded in the USA.
Methinks that only the latter point would be worthy of inclusion in our modern school curriculum.

[Verginius Rufus]

I was assuming that they picked 1877 because that's when Phobos and Deimos, the moons of Mars, were discovered--I think they were the first satellites in the solar system discovered by an American.

1877 is also the year that Crazy Horse died. There was also a widespread railroad strike that year.

[Rinnwald]

Did you get all that information on a nostalgia birthday card because your birth year is 1877? Mine only lists the mutton-chops thing.

-H.G. Wells’ valet