The temperature on December 29, 1878 was about 6.5 °C. There was 0.5 mm of rain. The air pressure was 20 kgf/m2 and came mainly from the south-southwest. The airpressure was 75 cm mercury. The atmospheric humidity was 95%. Source: KNMI
In The Netherlands , there was from November 3, 1877 to August 20, 1879 the cabinet Kappeijne van de Coppello, with Mr. J. Kappeijne van de Coppello (liberaal) as prime minister.
February 19 » Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.
March 3 » The Russo-Turkish War ends with Bulgaria regaining its independence from the Ottoman Empire according to the Treaty of San Stefano.
July 1 » Canada joins the Universal Postal Union.
October 15 » The Edison Electric Light Company begins operation.
November 17 » First assassination attempt against Umberto I of Italy by anarchist Giovanni Passannante, who was armed with a dagger. The King survived with a slight wound in an arm. Prime Minister Benedetto Cairoli blocked the aggressor, receiving an injury in a leg.
December 31 » Karl Benz, working in Mannheim, Germany, filed for a patent on his first reliable two-stroke gas engine, and he was granted the patent in 1879.
Day of death March 11, 1940
The temperature on March 11, 1940 was between 4.4 °C and 12.5 °C and averaged 7.3 °C. There was 2.0 hours of sunshine (17%). The average windspeed was 3 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the southwest. Source: KNMI
In The Netherlands , there was from August 10, 1939 to September 3, 1940 the cabinet De Geer II, with Jonkheer mr. D.J. de Geer (CHU) as prime minister.
In The Netherlands , there was from September 3, 1940 to July 27, 1941 the cabinet Gerbrandy I, with Prof. dr. P.S. Gerbrandy (ARP) as prime minister.
February 29 » 12th Academy Awards: For her performance as "Mammy" in Gone with the Wind, Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award.
May 28 » World War II: Belgium surrenders to Nazi Germany to end the Battle of Belgium.
June 16 » World War II: Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain becomes Chief of State of Vichy France (Chef de l'État Français).
November 5 » Franklin D. Roosevelt is the first and only President of the United States to be elected to a third term.
November 9 » Warsaw is awarded the Virtuti Militari.
December 14 » Plutonium (specifically Pu-238) is first isolated at Berkeley, California.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: T.J. Mitchell, "Mitchell/Stewart Tree", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/mitchell-stewart-tree/P1480.php : accessed January 19, 2026), "Thomas Earl Mitchell (1878-1940)".
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