1855(MDCCCLV) was acommon year starting on Mondayof theGregorian calendarand acommon year starting on Saturdayof theJulian calendar,the 1855th year of theCommon Era(CE) andAnno Domini(AD) designations, the 855th year of the2nd millennium,the 55th year of the19th century,and the 6th year of the1850sdecade. As of the start of 1855, the Gregorian calendar was 12 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.
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Events
editJanuary–March
edit- January 1–Ottawa,Ontario,is incorporated as a city.
- January 5–Ramón Castillabegins his third term asPresident of Peru.
- January 23
- The first bridge over theMississippi Riveropens in modern-dayMinneapolis,a predecessor of theFather Louis Hennepin Bridge.
- The 8.2–8.3 Mw Wairarapa earthquakeclaims between five and nine lives near theCook Straitarea ofNew Zealand.
- January 26– ThePoint No Point Treatyis signed in theWashington Territory.
- January 27– ThePanama Railwaybecomes the first railroad to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
- January 29–Lord Aberdeenresigns asPrime Minister of the United Kingdom,over the management of theCrimean War.
- February 5–Lord Palmerstonbecomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- February 11– Kassa Hailu is crownedTewodros II,Emperor of Ethiopia.
- February 12–Michigan State University(the "pioneer"land-grant college) is established.
- February 15– TheNorth Carolina General Assemblyincorporates theWestern North Carolina Railroad,to build a rail line fromSalisburyto the western part of the state.[1]
- February 22–Pennsylvania State Universityis founded, as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania.
- March 2–Alexander IIascends the Russian throne, upon the death of his fatherNicholas I.
- March 3– TheUnited States Congressappropriates $30,000 to create theU.S. Camel Corps.
- March 16–Bates Collegeis founded by abolitionists inLewiston, Maine.
- March 17–Taiping Rebellion:A Taiping army of 350,000 invadesAnhui.
- March 30– Elections are held for the firstKansas Territorylegislature. Missourian 'Border Ruffians' cross the border in large numbers to elect a pro-slaverybody.
April–June
edit- April 3– TheNepaleseinvasion ofTibetstarts theNepalese–Tibetan War(1855–1856).[2]
- April 7–Battle of Kaba:TheKingdom of Tongaintervenes in the war between the self-proclaimed Tui Viti (King) ofFiji,Cakobau,and his rivals theConfederation of Rewaresulting in Rewa's defeat and the tenuous unification of Fiji under Cakobau.
- April 18– TheBordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855is first listed.
- May 1–Van Diemen's Landis separated administratively fromNew South Walesand granted self-government.
- May 3– American adventurerWilliam Walkerand a group of mercenaries sail from San Francisco to conquerNicaragua.
- May 15
- TheExposition Universelleofficially opens in Paris (a direct result of the exhibition is the introduction of theBordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855).[3]
- TheGreat Gold Robberyis made from a train betweenLondon BridgeandFolkestonein England.[4]
- May 17–Mount Sinai Hospital,New York, is dedicated (as the Jews' Hospital) in New York City; it opens to patients onJune 5.
- May 22– The province ofVictoriais separated administratively fromNew South Wales.
- June 15–Stamp dutyis removed from British newspapers, creatingmass mediain the United Kingdom.
- June 29–The Daily Telegraphnewspaper begins publication inLondon.
July–September
edit- July –Bank of Torontoincorporated in Canada (in 1955 it will merge withThe Dominion Bankto becomeToronto-Dominion Bank).[5]
- July 1– TheQuinault Treaty,in which theQuinaultandQuileutetribes cede their land to the United States, is signed.
- July 2– TheKansas territorial legislatureconvenes inPawnee,and begins passing proslavery laws.
- July 4–Walt Whitman's poetry collectionLeaves of Grassis published inBrooklyn.
- July 16– TheAustralian Coloniesare granted self-governing status by the United Kingdom.
- August 1–Monte Rosa,the second-highest summit in the Alps, is first ascended.
- September 3– The lastBartholomew Fairis held in London, England.
- September 9(August 28O.S.) –Crimean War:Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855)–Sevastopolfalls to French and British troops.
- September 27–Alfred Tennysonreads from his new bookMaud and other poems,at a social gathering in the home ofRobertandElizabeth Browningin London;Dante Gabriel Rossettimakes a sketch of him doing so.[6]
- September 29– ThePort of Iloiloin thePhilippinesis opened tointernational trade,by QueenIsabel II of Spain.[7]This year also the ports of Sual (modern-dayPangasinan) andZamboanga Cityare opened to international trade.
October–December
edit- October 17–Henry Bessemerfiles hispatentin the United Kingdom for theBessemer processofsteelmaking.[8]
- October 24–Van Diemen's Landis officially renamedTasmania.
- November 17–Scottishmissionary explorerDavid Livingstonebecomes the first European to seeVictoria Falls,in modern-dayZambia–Zimbabwe.[9]
- November 15– TheHejaz rebelliontakes place in Hejaz against the Ottoman Empire, triggered by ananti-slave trade decreewhich was condemned by the ulema of Mecca as influenced by Westerners and contrary toIslamic law.[10]
- November 21– Large-scaleBleeding Kansasviolence begins, with events leading to the 'Wakarusa War' between antislavery and proslavery forces.
- November 10–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's fictional poemThe Song of Hiawathais published in Boston.
- December 11–Ignacio Comonfort(1812–1863) becomesPresident of Mexico.[11]
- December 22– TheMetropolitan Board of Worksis established in London.
Date unknown
edit- Samuel Coltincorporates his business as theColt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Companyand opens a new factory, theColt Armory,inHartford, Connecticut.
- Thecocainealkaloidis first isolated by GermanchemistFriedrich Gaedcke.
- Palm oilsales from West Africa to the United Kingdom reach 40,000 tons.
Births
editJanuary–June
edit
- January 5–King C. Gillette,American razor inventor (d.1932)
- January 20–Ernest Chausson,French composer (d.1899)
- January 21
- John Browning,American firearms inventor (d.1926)
- Henry Jackson,British admiral (d.1929)
- February 6–Barbara Galpin,American journalist (d.1922)
- February 12–Marie-Anne de Bovet,French writer
- February 13–Paul Deschanel,President of France (d.1922)
- February 17–Otto Liman von Sanders,German general (d.1929)
- February 24–Johannes von Eben,German general (d.1924)
- March 4–Luther Emmett Holt,American pediatrician (d.1924)
- March 12–Eduard Birnbaum,Polish-born German cantor (d.1920)
- March 13–Percival Lowell,American astronomer (d.1916)
- March 24–Andrew Mellon,American banker, philanthropist (d.1937)
- March 25–Grace Carew Sheldon,American journalist and businesswoman (d.1921)
- March 29–James O. Barrows,American stage and screen actor (d.1925)
- April 9
- Pavlos Kountouriotis,Greek admiral, 2-time president (d.1935)
- John Marden,Australian headmaster, pioneer of women's education (d.1924)
- April 21–Hardy Richardson,American baseball player (d.1931)
- April 23–Marco Fidel Suárez,9thPresident of Colombia(d.1927)
- April 27–Caroline Rémy de Guebhard,French feminist (d.1929)
- April 28–Mario Nicolis di Robilant,Italian general (d.1943)
- May 1–Marie Corelli,English novelist (d.1924)
- May 8–Bohuslav Brauner,Czech chemist (d.1935)
- May 9–Julius Röntgen,German-Dutch classical composer (d.1932)
- May 10–Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri,Bengali yogi, author ofThe Holy Science(d.1936)
- May 21
- Émile Verhaeren,Belgian poet (d.1916)
- Ella Stewart Udall,American telegraphist (d. 1937)[12]
- May 23–Isabella Ford,English socialist, feminist, trade unionist and writer (d.1924)
- May 28–Emilio Estrada Carmona,18th President of Ecuador (d.1911)
- June 1–Edward Angle,American dentist (d.1930)
- June 2–Archibald Berkeley Milne,British admiral (d.1938)
- June 14–Robert M. La Follette,American politician (d.1925)
- June 18–Alice Sudduth Byerly,American temperance activist (d.1904)
- June 28–Theodor Reuss,German occultist (d.1923)
July–December
edit
- July 26–Ferdinand Tönnies,German sociologist (d.1936)
- August 25–Hugo von Pohl,German admiral (d.1916)
- August 28–Alexander Bethell,British admiral (d.1932)
- August 31–Vsevolod Rudnev,Russian admiral (d.1913)
- September 5–Henry Victor Deligny,French general (d.1938)
- September 8–Marieta de Veintemilla,Ecuadorian first lady, women's rights activist (d.1907)
- September 9–Houston Stewart Chamberlain,British-born German writer (d.1927)
- September 15–Orishatukeh Faduma,Guyana-born African-American Christian missionary, educator and advocate for African culture (d.1946)
- September 17–Effie Ellsler,American actress (d.1942)
- September 25–James P. Parker,United States Navy commodore (d.1942)
- October 10–Eduard von Capelle,German admiral (d.1931)
- October 12–Arthur Nikisch,Hungarian conductor (d.1922)
- November 1–Templin Potts,American naval officer; 11thNaval Governor of Guam(d.1927)
- November 5
- Léon Teisserenc de Bort,French meteorologist (d.1913)
- Eugene V. Debs,American union leader (d.1926)
- November 6–E. S. Gosney,American philanthropist, eugenicist (d.1942)
- November 8–Nikolaos Triantafyllakos,Prime Minister of Greece (d.1939)
- December 16–Alice Mary Dowd,American educator, poet (d.1943)
- December 29–William Thompson Sedgwick,American teacher, epidemiologist and bacteriologist (d.1921)
Date unknown
edit
- Florence Huntley,American humorist and occult author (d.1912)
- Flora Haines Loughead,American miner; mother ofAllan Lockheed,founder of Lockheed aerospace company (d.1943)
- Katharine A. O'Keeffe O'Mahoney,Irish-born American teacher of poetry toRobert Frost(d.1918)
Deaths
editJanuary–June
edit
- January 6–Giacomo Beltrami,Italian explorer (b.1779)
- January 8–Diponegoro,Leader of Javanese Rebellion (b.1785)
- January 10–Mary Russell Mitford,English novelist, dramatist (b.1787)
- January 15–Henri Braconnot,French chemist, pharmacist (b.1780)
- January 17–Shūsaku Narimasa Chiba,Japanese swordsman (b.1792)
- January 26–Gérard de Nerval,French writer (b.1808)
- February 6–Josef Munzinger,Member of the Swiss Federal Council (b.1791)
- February 23–Carl Friedrich Gauss,German mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (b.1777)
- March 2– EmperorNicholas I of Russia(b.1796)
- March 6–Bandō Shūka I,Japanese Kabuki actor (b.1813)
- March 8–William Poole,infamous member of New York City'sBowery BoysGang (b.1821)
- March 29–Henri Druey,member of the Swiss Federal Council (b.1799)
- March 31–Charlotte Brontë,English author (b.1816)[13]
- May 5–Sir Robert Inglis,English politician (b.1786)
- May 23–Charles Robert Malden,English explorer (b.1797)
- May 30–Mary Reibey,Australian businesswoman (b.1777)
- June 7–Friederike Lienig,Latvian entomologist (b.1790)
- June 28–FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan,commander of British forces in the Crimean War (b.1788)
July–December
edit
- July 12(June 30O.S.) –Pavel Nakhimov,Russian admiral (b.1802)
- August 7–Mariano Arista,President of Mexico (b.1802)
- August 12–Helen Hunt Jackson,American activist (b.1830)
- August 30–Feargus O'Connor,British political radical,Chartistleader (b.1794)
- September 7–William Barton Wade Dent,U.S. Congressman (b.1806)
- November 11–Søren Kierkegaard,Danish philosopher (b.1813)
- September 20–José Trinidad Reyes,Honduran Father, national hero, and founder of Autonomous National University of Honduras (b.1797)
- November 26–Adam Mickiewicz,Lithuanian-Polish poet, writer (b.1798)
- December 6–William John Swainson,English naturalist, artist (b.1789)
References
edit- ^"Railroad — Western North Carolina Railroad".North Carolina Business History.historync.org. 2006. Archived fromthe originalon October 30, 2013.RetrievedMay 9,2013.
- ^Rose, Leo E. (1971).Nepal: Strategy for Survival.University of California Press. pp. 110–111.
- ^"The Official Classification of Medoc and Graves of 1855".Wine-Searcher.Archived fromthe originalon March 30, 2010.RetrievedMay 3,2019.
- ^Hanrahan, David C. (2011).The First Great Train Robbery.London: Robert Hale.ISBN978-0-7090-9040-3.
- ^"Celebrating a rich history".TD Bank Financial Group. Archived fromthe originalon May 8, 2006.RetrievedJuly 18,2020.
- ^"Tennyson Reading 'Maud'".Pre-Raphaelite Online Resource.Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery.RetrievedMay 9,2013.
- ^Funtecha, Henry."Iloilo's position under colonial rule".thenewstoday.info.
- ^van Dulken, Stephen (2001).Inventing the 19th Century: the great age of Victorian inventions.London:British Library.pp. 30–1.ISBN0-7123-0881-4.
- ^Penguin Pocket On This Day.Penguin Reference Library. 2006.ISBN0-14-102715-0.
- ^Badem, C. (2010). The Ottoman Crimean War (1853-1856). Tyskland: Brill. p357
- ^"Ignacio Comonfort".Biografias y Vidas(in Spanish).RetrievedJune 8,2019.
- ^For birth and death date, see"Eliza Luella (Ella) Stewart Udall".The First Fifty Years of Relief Society.Church Historian's Press.Archivedfrom the original on November 13, 2022.RetrievedNovember 15,2022.For telegraphy, seeMcKoy, Kathleen L. (2000).Cultures at a Crossroads: An Administrative History of Pipe Spring National Monument.U. S. Department of the Interior,National Park Service,Intermountain Region. p. 35 – via Google Books.
- ^"Charlotte Brontë | British author".Encyclopedia Britannica.RetrievedApril 17,2019.
Further reading
edit- Louis Heilprin(1885)."Chronological Table of Universal History".Historical Reference Book.New York: D. Appleton and Company.hdl:2027/wu.89097349187– via Hathi Trust.
1855