1856
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1856(MDCCCLVI) was aleap year starting on Tuesdayof theGregorian calendarand aleap year starting on Sundayof theJulian calendar,the 1856th year of theCommon Era(CE) andAnno Domini(AD) designations, the 856th year of the2nd millennium,the 56th year of the19th century,and the 7th year of the1850sdecade. As of the start of 1856, the Gregorian calendar was 12 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.
Events
[edit]January–March
[edit]- January 8–Boraxdeposits are discovered in large quantities byJohn VeatchinCalifornia.[1][2]
- January 23– The Americansidewheel steamerSSPacificleavesLiverpool(England) for a transatlantic voyage on which she will be lost with all 186 on board.[3]
- January 24– U.S. PresidentFranklin Piercedeclares the newFree-StateTopeka governmentin "Bleeding Kansas"to be in rebellion.
- January 26– FirstBattle of Seattle:Marines from theUSSDecatursuppress an indigenous uprising, in response to Governor Stevens' declaration of a "war of extermination" on Native communities.
- January 29
- The 223-mileNorth Carolina Railroadis completed fromGoldsborothroughRaleighandSalisburytoCharlotte.[4]
- Queen Victoriainstitutes theVictoria Crossas a British military decoration.
- February
- TheTintic Warbreaks out inUtah.
- TheNational Dress Reform Associationis founded in the United States to promote "rational" dress for women.
- February 1–Auburn Universityis first chartered, as the East Alabama Male College.
- February 2–Dallas, Texas,is incorporated as a city.
- February 7– TheNawab of Oudh,Wajid Ali Shah,is exiled toMetiabruzand the state is annexed by the BritishEast India Company.
- February 12– AmericanclippershipsDriverandOcean QueenleaveLiverpooland London respectively; both will be lost without trace in the Atlantic, perhaps due to ice, killing 374 and 123 respectively.[5]
- February 18– The AmericanKnow NothingParty convenes inPhiladelphiato nominate their firstPresidentialcandidate, former PresidentMillard Fillmore.
- March
- TheGreat Trigonometrical Surveyof India officially gives 'Peak XV' (later to be namedMount Everest) the height of 29,002 ft (8,840 m). 'Peak IX' (Kangchenjunga), previously thought to be the world's highest, is confirmed as 28,156 ft (8,582 m).
- Mauveine,the first syntheticorganicdye,is discovered byWilliam Henry Perkin,while attempting to synthesizequinine.This eventually leads to the birth of thechemical industry.[6]
- March–Nepalese–Tibetan War:The signing of theTreaty of Thapathaliconcludes the war.
- March 5– Fire destroys theCovent Garden Theatrein London.
- March 6–Maryland Agricultural College(modern-dayUniversity of Maryland, College Park) is chartered.
- March 20–Filibuster War:Battle of Santa Rosa:–Costa Ricantroops routWalker's soldiers.
- March 24–Taiping Rebellion:Suspecting treachery on the part of East KingYang Xiuqing,Shi DakaigarrisonsAnhuiand begins his march back to the Heavenly Capital, having defeated a strong Xiang Army detachment.
- March 31– TheTreaty of Parisis signed, ending theCrimean War.
April–June
[edit]- April– TheXhosa cattle-killing movement and faminebegins inCape Colony.
- April 7–Nelson Collegeis founded inNelson, New Zealand.
- April 10–Theta Chiinternational college fraternity is founded at Norwich University in Vermont.
- April 16– TheParis Declaration Respecting Maritime Lawabolishesprivateering,and regulates the relationship between neutral and belligerent and shipping on the high seas.
- April 17– TheChicago Historical Society Museumis established at 1601 N.Clark Street, Chicago.
- April 21– Building workers agitate for theeight-hour dayinMelbourne,Australia.
- April 29– The iron-hulledpaddle steamerRMSPersiaconcludes a 9-day 16 hour westboundtransatlantic crossing,at an average 13.11 knots (24.28 km/h), regaining theBlue Ribandfor theCunard Line.
- May 1– The province ofIsabelais created in thePhilippines,in honor of QueenIsabella II of Spain.
- May 3–Queen Victoriaof the United Kingdom givesNorfolk Islandto the population of the colony atPitcairn Island,most being descendants of theMutiny on theBounty.They first settle on Norfolk Island onJune 8.Women's suffrage,as practiced on Pitcairn, is extended to Norfolk Island.
- May 14– TheSan Francisco Committee of Vigilanceis founded in the United States. It lynches twogangsters,arrests mostDemocratic Partyofficials, and disbands itself onAugust 18.
- May 20–David Livingstonearrives atQuelimaneon the Indian Ocean, having completed a 2-year transcontinental journey across Africa fromLuanda.[7]
- May 21–Sacking of Lawrence:Lawrence, Kansas,is captured and burned by pro-slaveryforces.
- May 22–Caning of Charles Sumner:United States CongressmanPreston BrooksofSouth CarolinabeatsSenatorCharles Sumnerwith a cane in the hall of theUnited States Senatefor a speech Sumner had made attacking pro-slaverySoutherners, especially elderly South Carolina SenatorAndrew Butler,a relative of Brooks. Sumner is unable to return to duty for three years while he recovers; Brooks becomes a hero across the South.
- May 24–Pottawatomie massacre:A group of followers of radicalabolitionistJohn Brownkill 5 homesteaders inFranklin County, Kansas.
- June 2–Battle of Black Jack:Antislavery forces, led byJohn Brown,defeat proslavery forces inBleeding Kansas.
- June 9– 500Mormon handcart pioneersleaveIowa Cityand head west forSalt Lake City, Utah,carrying all their possessions in two-wheeled handcarts.
- June 13–Taiping Rebellion:Shi Dakaiarrives atNanjing.
- June 20–General Millsis founded inMinneapolis, Minnesota,United States, as the Minneapolis Milling Company.[8]
July–September
[edit]- July 9–Natalbecomes a BritishCrown colony.[9]
- July 14–15– In Spain, GeneralLeopoldo O'Donnelltakes control of the government, bringing an end to thebienio progresista.
- July 17– TheGreat Train Wreck(the worst railroad calamity in the world to date) occurs nearPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania,United States.
- July 31–Christchurch,New Zealand, is chartered as a city.
- August–Pre-human remainsare found in theNeanderthal ValleyinPrussia.
- August 10– TheLast Island hurricanedestroysLast Island, Louisiana,leaving 400 dead. The whole island is broken up into several smaller islands by the storm.
- August 30–Battle of Osawatomie:Proslavery forces defeat antislavery forces inBleeding Kansas.
- September 1–Seton Hall Universityis founded inSouth Orange, New Jersey,by Roman Catholic Bishop of NewarkJames Roosevelt Bayley,a cousin of future U.S. PresidentTheodore Rooseveltand nephew ofSaint Elizabeth Ann Seton.
- September 2–Taiping Rebellion:Wei ChanghuiandQin RigangassassinateYang Xiuqing.
- September 7– TheSaimaa Canalwas inaugurated.[10]
October–December
[edit]- October 8– TheSecond Opium Warbetween several Western powers and China begins with theArrowIncident on thePearl River.
- October 12–1856 Heraklion earthquake:A powerful earthquake rocks the Mediterranean, killing hundreds on the island of Crete and many more in the Middle East.
- October 13– American mercenaryWilliam Walkereffectively takes control ofNicaragua.
- November 1–Anglo-Persian War:War is declared between Great Britain andPersia.
- November 4–1856 United States presidential election:DemocratJames Buchanandefeats former PresidentMillard Fillmore,representing a coalition ofKnow NothingsandWhigs,andJohn C. Frémontof the fledglingRepublican Party,to become the 15thPresident of the United States.
- November 11–Taiping Rebellion:Shi Dakaiarrives at the Heavenly Capital once more with 100,000 men, and demands thatWei Changhuiand Qin Rigang be executed. Shi subsequently becomes head of the government.
- November 17–American Old West:On theSonoita Riverin modern-day southernArizona,theUnited States ArmyestablishesFort Buchanan,in order to help control new land acquired in theGadsden Purchase.
- November 21–Niagara Universityis founded inNiagara Falls, New York.
- November 27– TheCoup of 1856leads toLuxembourg's unilateral adoption of a new, reactionaryconstitution,asKing-Grand DukeWilliam IIIsigns the new constitution without theChamber of Deputies' consent.
- December 1– Under theCounty and Borough Police Act,in any county or area ofEngland and Waleswhere a police force has not already been established, theJustices of the Peacemust from this date take steps to create one according to nationally defined standards.[11]
- December 2– TheNational Portrait Gallery, London,is established.[12]
- December 9–Bushehrsurrenders to theBritish.
Date unknown
[edit]- Gregor Mendelstarts his research ongenetics.
- Kate Warne,the first femaleprivate detective,begins to work for thePinkerton Detective Agency.
- Legal protection of widow remarriage is extended in India.
- St. Paul's School, Belgaum,is founded by theJesuitsinBelgaum,India.
- TheBritish Guiana 1c magentapostage stampis issued inBritish Guianain limited numbers; the one surviving specimen will become regarded as the world's rarest stamp.[13]
- Globalfinancial servicesbusinessCredit Suisseis founded as La Schweizerische Kreditanstalt.[14]
- Charles III of Monacogrants a concession to Napoléon Langlois and Albert Aubert to establish a German-stylecasinoatMonte Carlo.[15]
Births
[edit]January–March
[edit]
- January 6–Martin von Feuerstein,German painter (d.1931)
- January 9–Lizette Woodworth Reese,American poet and teacher (d.1935)
- January 11–Christian Sinding,Norwegian composer (d.1941)
- January 12–John Singer Sargent,American artist (d.1925)
- January 27–Telémaco Susini,Argentinian physician (d.1936)[16]
- January 31–Hermann von François,German general (d.1933)
- February 2–Frederick William Vanderbilt,American railway magnate (d.1938)
- February 4–Otani Kikuzo,Japanese general (d.1923)
- February 5–Frank Podmore,British psychical researcher (d.1910)
- February 9–Hara Takashi,Japanese politician, 10thPrime Minister of Japan(d.1921)
- February 12–Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli,Austrian general, German field marshal (d.1941)
- February 14–Frank Harris,Irish author, editor (d.1931)
- February 15–Emil Kraepelin,German psychiatrist (d.1926)
- February 17–Arnold von Winckler,German general (d.1945)
- February 21
- Paul Puhallo von Brlog,Croatian Austro-Hungarian general (d.1926)
- Maurycy Gottlieb,Ukrainian painter (d.1879)
- February 26–Elizabeth Marney Conner,American elocutionist (unknown year of death)
- March 2–Louis Dartige du Fournet,French admiral (d.1940)
- March 4
- Julius Drewe,English businessman, retailer and entrepreneur (d.1931)
- Alfred William Rich,English watercolour painter, author (d.1921)
- March 8
- Bramwell Booth,English Salvation Army general (d.1929)
- Tom Roberts,Australian artist (d.1931)
- March 9
- Eddie Foy Sr.,American vaudevillian (d.1928)
- Jules-Albert de Dion,French automobile pioneer (d.1946)
- March 16–Napoléon, Prince Imperialof France (k.1879)[17]
- March 20
- SirJohn Lavery,Irish artist (d.1941)
- Frederick Winslow Taylor,American inventor and efficiency expert (d.1915)
- March 26–William Massey,Irish-born 19th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d.1925)
April–June
[edit]- April 4–Washington Irving Chambers,American naval officer (d.1934)
- April 5–Booker T. Washington,American educator (d.1915)
- April 6–Maurice Sarrail,French general (d.1929)
- April 12–Martin Conway,British art critic, mountaineer (d.1937)
- April 14–Albert W. Grant,American admiral (d.1930)
- April 18–Hammerton Killick,Haitian admiral (d.1902)
- April 23–Granville Woods,African-American inventor (d.1910)
- April 24–Philippe Pétain,French soldier, statesman (d.1951)
- April 26– SirJoseph Ward,17thPrime Minister of New Zealand(d.1930)
- April 27–Tongzhi Emperorof China (d.1875)
- May 6
- Sigmund Freud,Austrian neurologist (d.1939)
- Robert Peary,American Arctic explorer (d.1920)
- May 8–Pedro Lascuráin,34thPresident of Mexico(d.1952)
- May 15–L. Frank Baum,American author, poet, playwright, actor and independent filmmaker (The Wizard of Oz) (d.1919)
- May 18–Guglielmo Pecori Giraldi,Italian nobleman, general and politician (d.1941)
- May 21–José Batlle y Ordóñez,Twice President of Uruguay (d.1929)
- May 25
- Ján Bahýľ,Slovak engineer, inventor (d.1916)
- Louis Franchet d'Espèrey,French general (d.1942)
- June 14–Andrey Markov,Russian mathematician (d.1922)
- June 22–H. Rider Haggard,English novelist (d.1925)
- June 29–Maria Cederschiöld,Swedish journalist (d.1935)
July–September
[edit]
- July 7–Georg von der Marwitz,German general (d.1929)
- July 10–Nikola Tesla,Serbian-American inventor (d.1943)
- July 11–Georgiana Drew,American stage actress, marriedMaurice Barrymorein 1876 (d.1893)
- July 23–Bal Gangadhar Tilak,Indian political activist (d.1920)
- July 24–Franklin Ware Mann,American inventor (d.1916)
- July 26–George Bernard Shaw,Irish writer,Nobel Prizelaureate (d.1950)
- July 27–Nathan Francis Mossell,physician, 1st African American graduate of theUniversity of Pennsylvania School of Medicineand founder of theFrederick DouglassMemorial Hospital and Training School (d.1946)
- July 30–Harriet Bates,American author (d.1986)
- August 3–Alfred Deakin,2ndPrime Minister of Australia(d.1919)
- August 10–William Willett,British promoter of Daylight Saving Time (d.1915)
- August 12–Diamond Jim Brady,American businessman and philanthropist (d.1917)
- August 15
- Ivan Franko,Ukrainianpoet, critic, journalist and political activist (d.1916)
- Keir Hardie,British labour leader (d.1915)
- September 1–Sergei Winogradsky,Russian scientist (d.1953)
- September 3–Louis Sullivan,American architect (d.1924)
- September 18–Wilhelm von Gloeden,German photographer (d.1931)
- September 19–Miguel R. Dávila,Honduranian general, 21stPresident of Honduras(d.1927)
- September 28–Kate Douglas Wiggin,American author ofRebecca of Sunnybrook Farm(d.1923)
October–December
[edit]- October 15–Robert Nivelle,French general (d.1924)
- October 21–Francisco Plancarte y Navarrete,Mexican archaeologist and Archbishop ofRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Monterrey(d. June 2,1920)[18]
- October 23–William Thomas Turner,British ship's captain withCunard Steamship Company(d.1933)
- October 30–Charles Leroux,American balloonist, parachutist (d.1889)
- November 9–Andrei Eberhardt,Russian admiral (d.1919)
- November 13–Louis Brandeis,Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States(d.1941)
- November 14–J. M. Robertson,BritishLiberal Partypolitician, writer and journalist,Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade(d.1933)
- November 17–Demetrio Castillo Duany,Cuban revolutionary, soldier and politician (d.1922)
- November 21–William Emerson Ritter,American biologist (d.1944)
- November 22
- Heber J. Grant,7th president ofThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(d.1945)
- Melbourne MacDowell,American stage and film actor (d.1941)
- November 24–Bat Masterson,American lawman (d.1921)
- November 28–Mary Catherine Crowley,American author (d.1920)
- November 29–Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg,Chancellor of Germany(d.1921)
- December 2–Robert Kajanus,Finnish conductor, composer (d.1933)
- December 6–Hans Molisch,Czech-Austrian botanist (d.1937)
- December 10–Dewa Shigetō,Japanese admiral (d.1930)
- December 11–Georgi Plekhanov,Russian revolutionary, Marxist theoretician (d.1918)
- December 13–Svetozar Boroević,Austrian field marshal (d.1920)
- December 18
- Graciano López Jaena,Filipino journalist, writer and patriot (d.1896)
- J. J. Thomson,English physicist,Nobel Prizelaureate (d.1940)
- December 22–Frank B. Kellogg,United States Secretary of State,recipient of theNobel Peace Prize(d.1937)
- December 23–James Buchanan Duke,American tobacco and electric power industrialist (d.1925)
- December 25–Hans von Bartels,German painter (d.1913)
- December 28–Woodrow Wilson,28thPresident of the United States,recipient of theNobel Peace Prize(d.1924)
Date unknown
[edit]- Zübeyde Hanım,mother ofMustafa Kemal Atatürk(d.1923)
- Juan Nepomuceno Rencoret,Chilean doctor (d.?)
Deaths
[edit]January–June
[edit]
- January 4–Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Marquess of Ailesbury,British politician (b.1773)
- January 14–Janko Drašković,Croatian politician, reformer (b.1770)
- January 16–Thaddeus William Harris,American naturalist (b.1795)
- January 31–Khedrup Gyatso, 11th Dalai Lama(b.1838)
- February 4–Anna Gottlieb,Austrian operatic soprano (b.1774)
- February 17–Heinrich Heine,German writer (b.1797)
- May 3
- Adolphe Charles Adam,French composer (b.1803)
- Louis-Étienne Saint-Denis,Arab-French memoir writer and servant to Napoleon I (b. 1788)
- June 23–Ivan Kireyevsky,Russian literary critic, philosopher (b.1806)
- June 26–Max Stirner,German philosopher (b.1806)
July–December
[edit]
- July 9–Amedeo Avogadro,Italian chemist (b.1776)
- July 11–Norberto Ramírez,Central American politician
- July 14–Edward Vernon Utterson,English lawyer, literary antiquary, collector and editor (b.1775/1776)
- July 20–Anna Nielsen,Danish mezzo-soprano (b.1803)
- July 29
- Karel Havlíček Borovský,Czech politician, writer (b.1821)
- Robert Schumann,German composer, pianist (b.1810)
- August 6–Robert Lucas de Pearsall,English composer; setting of "In dulce jubilo" (b.1795)
- August 14–William Buckland,English geologist, palaeontologist (b.1784)
- August 19–Anna Maria Rüttimann-Meyer von Schauensee,politically active Swiss salonist (b.1772)
- August 29–Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck,British Christian writer (b.1778)
- August 30–Gilbert Abbott à Beckett,English writer (b.1811)
- September 3–Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão, Marquis of Paraná,Brazilian politician (b.1801)
- October 19
- Josceline Percy,British admiral (b.1784)
- William Sprague III,American politician from Rhode Island (b.1799)
- Said bin Sultan, Sultan of Muscat and Oman(b.1797)
- October 21–Francisco Plancarte y Navarrete,Mexican archaeologist and Archbishop ofRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Monterrey(d. June 2,1920)[19]
- November 23–Manuela Sáenz,Colombian national heroine (b.1797)
- December 20–Francesco Bentivegna,Italian revolutionary (b.1820)
Date unknown
[edit]- Enriqueta Favez,Swiss physician, surgeon (b.1791)
- Juana Ramírez,"La Avanzadora", Venezuelan heroine (b.1790)
References
[edit]- ^Veatch, John Allen, Texas State Historical Association
- ^Linsley, Judith; Rienstrad, Ellen; Stiles, Jo (2002).Giant Under the Hill, A History of the Spindletop Oil Discovery at Beaumont, Texas in 1901.Austin: Texas State Historical Association. pp. 9–11.ISBN9780876112366.
- ^"Reminisecence of the Lost Steamship Pacific.; INTERESTING STATEMENT".The New York Times.London Shipping Gazette. August 7, 1861.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedOctober 30,2020.
Our readers may have observed recently, amongst our maritime extracts, the copy of the contents of a slip of paper, found in a bottle some weeks ago, on the western coast of Uls, in the Hebrides, and forwarded to us by our agent at Sternoway. The paper in question, apparently the leaf of a pocketbook, used in the hurry of the moment, was covered on both sides with pencil marks, from which the following was with difficulty deciphered:On board the Pacific, from L'pool to N. York. Ship going down. (Great) confusion on board. Icebergs around us on every side. I know I cannot escape. I write the cause of our loss, that friends may not live in suspense. The finder of this will please get it published, WM. GRAHAM.If we are right in our conjecture, the ship here named is the Pacific, one of the Collins line of steamers, which vessel left Liverpool on Jan. 23, 1856, three days before the Persia, and has not since been heard of; and this slip of paper, three inches by two, is probably the only record of the fate of that missing ship.
- ^"Railroads — prior to the Civil War".North Carolina Business History.2006. Archived fromthe originalon July 26, 2011.RetrievedAugust 26,2011.
- ^"Missing Ships – The Gales of the Past Winter - A Melancholy Catalogue".TheNew York Herald.June 3, 1856. p. 12.RetrievedJune 18,2019– viaLibrary of Congress.
- ^Garfield, Simon(2000).Mauve: How One Man Invented a Colour that Changed the World.London: Faber.ISBN0-571-20197-0.
- ^"Central Africa, explored".Unimaps.com.2005.RetrievedAugust 26,2011.
- ^"Mill City Timeline".millcitymuseum.org.RetrievedSeptember 13,2014.
- ^Palmer, Alan; Palmer, Veronica (1992).The Chronology of British History.London: Century Ltd. pp. 276–277.ISBN0-7126-5616-2.
- ^"Saiman kanawa walmistunut".Sanomia Turusta(in Finnish). No. 36. September 2, 1856. p. 5.
- ^Friar, Stephen (2001).The Sutton Companion to Local History(rev. ed.). Stroud: Sutton Publishing. p. 243.ISBN0-7509-2723-2.
- ^"Gallery history".National Portrait Gallery. Archived fromthe originalon September 20, 2016.RetrievedAugust 26,2011.
- ^Carlton, R. Scott (1997).The International Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Philatelics.Iola, WI: Krause. p. 36.ISBN0-87341-448-9.
- ^"Credit Suisse. Our company".credit-suisse.com.RetrievedApril 28,2021.
- ^"History of Casino Monte Carlo".History of Monte Carlo.Progress Publishing. 2006.RetrievedMay 27,2021.
- ^Saller, Lucas."Telémaco Susini".muba.uba.ar(in Spanish). MUBA.RetrievedDecember 13,2023.
- ^Gilman, Daniel Coit; Peck, Harry Thurston; Colby, Frank Moore, eds. (1906)."NAPOLEON, Eugène Louis Jean Joseph".The New International Encyclopaedia.New York: Dodd, Mead & Co. p. 246.RetrievedOctober 10,2021.
- ^"Francisco Plancarte y Navarrete, Pionero de la Arqueología Nacional"[Francisco Plancarte y Navarrete, Pioneer of National Archaeology] (in Spanish). Consejo Ciudadano de la Cronica de Zamora. September 8, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 10,2019.
- ^"Francisco Plancarte y Navarrete, Pionero de la Arqueología Nacional"[Francisco Plancarte y Navarrete, Pioneer of National Archaeology] (in Spanish). Consejo Ciudadano de la Cronica de Zamora. September 8, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 10,2019.
External links
[edit]
Media related to1856at Wikimedia Commons