April 13
April 13
The Colfax Massacre
An armed group of white supremacists attacks a courthouse guarded by a mostly‑Black militia in the town of Colfax, Louisiana on April 13, 1873. A bloodbath ensues, as the militia…
A Year In History: 1873
This Year in History:
1873
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
May 17
May 17
Writer Dorothy Richardson, pioneer of stream of consciousness, is born
Influential English writer Dorothy Richardson, whose stream‑of‑consciousness style will influence James Joyce and Virginia Woolf, is born on May 17, 1873. Richardson, though seldom read today, was widely read and…
May 20
May 20
Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive patent for blue jeans
On May 20, 1873, San Francisco businessman Levi Strauss and Reno, Nevada, tailor Jacob Davis are given a patent to create work pants reinforced with metal rivets, marking the birth…
August 4
August 4
Colonel Custer and 7th Cavalry clash with Indians
While protecting a railroad survey party in Montana, Custer and his 7th Cavalry clash for the first time with the local Lakota Native Americans, who will defeat them three years…
August 24
August 24
Elusive Mount of the Holy Cross photographed
William Henry Jackson becomes the first person to photograph Colorado’s elusive Mount of the Holy Cross, providing reliable proof of its existence. Rumors had abounded for years that a natural…
October 3
October 3
U.S. Army hangs four Modoc leaders for the murder of a Civil War general
On October 3, 1873, the United States military hangs four Native Americans found guilty of murdering the Civil War general Edward Canby during the Modoc War in Oregon. Canby was the…
October 27
October 27
Joseph Glidden applies for a patent on his barbed wire design
On October 27, 1873, a DeKalb, Illinois, farmer named Joseph Glidden submits an application to the U.S. Patent Office for his clever new design for a fencing wire with sharp…
December 5
December 5
The Boston Belfry Murderer kills his first victim
Bridget Landregan is found beaten and strangled to death in the Boston suburb of Dorchester. According to witnesses, a man in black clothes and a flowing cape attempted to sexually…
