1882 was the 11th year after the founding of the City of
Birmingham. - May 8: Birmingham's first telephone exchange was
established on the third floor of Hughes Drug Store with 39
subscribers. - The Alabama Insane Hospital finally abandoned
altogether the use of shackles, straitjackets and other
restraints on patients. - John Lonnergan purchased the John
Looney house. - The town of Readmon was founded in St Clair
County. - Joseph Riley Smith began developing Smithfield. - The
first systematic weather observations for Birmingham were
initiated on behalf of the Signal Service. - April 12: Sloss
Furnaces was blown in. - April 18: Sloss Furnaces began pouring
iron. - November 14: The O'Brien Opera House opened with a
production of Charles Barras' The Black Crook. - Frank Evans and
W. C Garrett reorganized The Daily Age and the Birmingham Iron
Age under the Iron Age Publishing Company with Evans as
president. - Moore & Handley Hardware Company was founded by
James and Benjamin Moore and W. A. Handley. - The Southe