Events
January–March
*
January 8 –
Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by
John Veatch
John Allen Veatch (5 March 180824 April 1870), a surgeon, surveyor, and scientist, was known for his discovery of large deposits of borax at Tuscan Springs, California, on 8 January 1856.
Veatch moved with his family to Texas in 1833, where he su ...
in
California.
*
January 23 – American paddle steamer
SS ''Pacific'' leaves
Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voyage on which she will be lost with all 186 on board.
*
January 24 – U.S. President
Franklin Pierce declares the new
Free-State Topeka government in "
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the ...
" to be in rebellion.
*
January 26 – First
Battle of Seattle: Marines from the suppress an indigenous uprising, in response to Governor Stevens' declaration of a "war of extermination" on Native communities.
*
January 29
** The 223-mile
North Carolina Railroad
The North Carolina Railroad is a state-owned rail corridor extending from Morehead City, North Carolina to Charlotte, North Carolina. The railroad carries over seventy freight trains offered by the Norfolk Southern Railway and eight passenger ...
is completed from
Goldsboro through
Raleigh and
Salisbury to
Charlotte.
**
Queen Victoria institutes the
Victoria Cross as a British military decoration.
*
February
** The
Tintic War breaks out in
Utah.
** The
National Dress Reform Association is founded in the United States to promote "rational" dress for women.
*
February 1 –
Auburn University is first chartered, as the East Alabama Male College.
*
February 2 –
Dallas, Texas, is incorporated as a city.
*
February 7 – The
Nawab of Oudh
The Nawab of Awadh or the Nawab of Oudh was the title of the rulers who governed the state of Awadh (anglicised as Oudh) in north India during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Nawabs of Awadh belonged to a dynasty of Persian origin from Nishap ...
,
Wajid Ali Shah, is exiled to
Metiabruz and the state is annexed by the British
East India Company.
*
February 12 – American
clipper ships ''
Driver'' and ''Ocean Queen'' leave
Liverpool and London respectively; both will be lost without trace in the Atlantic, perhaps due to ice, killing 374 and 123 respectively.
*
February 18 – The American
Know Nothing Party convenes in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
to nominate their first
Presidential candidate, former President
Millard Fillmore.
*
March
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...
** The
Great Trigonometrical Survey
The Great Trigonometrical Survey was a project that aimed to survey the entire Indian subcontinent with scientific precision. It was begun in 1802 by the British infantry officer William Lambton, under the auspices of the East India Company.Gi ...
of India officially gives 'Peak XV' (later to be named
Mount Everest) the height of . 'Peak IX' (
Kangchenjunga
Kangchenjunga, also spelled Kanchenjunga, Kanchanjanghā (), and Khangchendzonga, is the third highest mountain in the world. Its summit lies at in a section of the Himalayas, the ''Kangchenjunga Himal'', which is bounded in the west by the ...
), previously thought to be the world's highest, is confirmed as .
**
Mauveine, the first synthetic
organic dye, is discovered by
William Henry Perkin, while attempting to synthesize
quinine. This eventually leads to the birth of the
chemical industry.
*
March
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...
–
Nepalese–Tibetan War: The signing of the
Treaty of Thapathali concludes the war.
*
March 5 – Fire destroys the
Covent Garden Theatre in London.
*
March 6
Events Pre-1600
* 12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor.
* 632 – The Farewell Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
* 845 & ...
–
Maryland Agricultural College (modern-day
University of Maryland, College Park) is chartered.
*
March 20
Events Pre-1600
* 673 – Emperor Tenmu of Japan assumes the Chrysanthemum Throne at the Palace of Kiyomihara in Asuka.
* 1206 – Michael IV Autoreianos is appointed Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
* 1600 – The Link ...
–
Filibuster War
The Filibuster War or Walker affair was a military conflict between filibustering multinational troops stationed in Nicaragua and a coalition of Central American armies. An American mercenary William Walker invaded Nicaragua in 1855 with a sma ...
:
Battle of Santa Rosa: –
Costa Rican troops rout
Walker
Walker or The Walker may refer to:
People
* Walker (given name)
*Walker (surname)
* Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer
Places
In the United States
*Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County
*Walker, Mono County, California ...
's soldiers.
*
March 24
Events Pre-1600
* 1199 – King Richard I of England is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting in France, leading to his death on April 6.
*1387 – English victory over a Franco- Castilian-Flemish fleet in the Battle of Margate o ...
–
Taiping Rebellion: Suspecting treachery on the part of East King
Yang Xiuqing
Yang Xiuqing () (died September 2/3, 1856), was an organizer and commander-in-chief of the Taiping Rebellion.
Early life
Yang Xiuqing's family were farmers from Xincun near Jintian, Guangxi, but he lost his parents at a young age. According ...
,
Shi Dakai garrisons
Anhui and begins his march back to the Heavenly Capital, having defeated a strong Xiang Army detachment.
*
March 31 – The
Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France:
Treaties
1200s and 1300s
* Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade
* Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France
* Trea ...
is signed, ending the
Crimean War.
April–June
*
April – The
Xhosa cattle-killing movement and famine begins in
Cape Colony.
*
April 7
Events Pre-1600
* 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town.
* 529 – First ''Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Empe ...
–
Nelson College
Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand. It is an all-boys school in the City of Nelson that teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it runs a private preparatory school for year 7 and 8 boys. The school also has ...
is founded in
Nelson, New Zealand.
*
April 10 –
Theta Chi
Theta Chi () is an international Fraternities and sororities, college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 at Norwich University then-located in Norwich, Vermont, and has initiated more than 200,000 members and currently has over 8,700 c ...
international college fraternity is founded at Norwich University in Vermont.
*
April 16
Events Pre-1600
* 1457 BC – Battle of Megido - the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail.
* 69 – Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Otho commits suicide.
* 73 – Masad ...
– The
Paris Declaration Respecting Maritime Law abolishes
privateering, and regulates the relationship between neutral and belligerent and shipping on the high seas.
*
April 17 – The
Chicago Historical Society Museum is established at 1601 N.
Clark Street, Chicago.
*
April 21 – Building workers agitate for the
eight-hour day
The eight-hour day movement (also known as the 40-hour week movement or the short-time movement) was a social movement to regulate the length of a working day, preventing excesses and abuses.
An eight-hour work day has its origins in the ...
in
Melbourne, Australia.
*
April 29
Events Pre-1600
* 1091 – Battle of Levounion: The Pechenegs are defeated by Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.
* 1386 – Battle of the Vikhra River: The Principality of Smolensk is defeated by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and b ...
– The iron-hulled
paddle steamer concludes a 9-day 16 hour westbound
transatlantic crossing, at an average 13.11 knots (24.28 km/h), regaining the
Blue Riband for the
Cunard Line.
*
May 1
Events Pre-1600
* 305 – Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor.
* 880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.
*1169 – N ...
– The province of
Isabela is created in the
Philippines, in honor of Queen
Isabella II of Spain.
*
May 3
Events Pre-1600
* 752 – Mayan king Bird Jaguar IV of Yaxchilan in modern-day Chiapas, Mexico, assumes the throne.
* 1481 – The largest of three earthquakes strikes the island of Rhodes and causes an estimated 30,000 casualties.
...
–
Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom gives
Norfolk Island to the population of the colony at
Pitcairn Island, most being descendants of the
Mutiny on the ''Bounty''. They first settle on Norfolk Island on
June 8.
Women's suffrage, as practiced on Pitcairn, is extended to Norfolk Island.
*
May 14 – The
San Francisco Committee of Vigilance
The San Francisco Committee of Vigilance was a vigilante group formed in 1851. The catalyst for its formation was the criminality of the Sydney Ducks gang. It was revived in 1856 in response to rampant crime and corruption in the municipal govern ...
is founded in the United States. It lynches two
gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...
s, arrests most
Democratic Party officials, and disbands itself on
August 18
Events Pre-1600
* 684 – Battle of Marj Rahit: Umayyad partisans defeat the supporters of Ibn al-Zubayr and cement Umayyad control of Syria.
* 707 – Princess Abe accedes to the imperial Japanese throne as Empress Genmei.
*1304 & ...
.
*
May 20 –
David Livingstone arrives at
Quelimane
Quelimane () is a seaport in Mozambique. It is the administrative capital of the Zambezia Province and the province's largest city, and stands from the mouth of the Rio dos Bons Sinais (or "River of the Good Signs"). The river was named when Va ...
on the Indian Ocean, having completed a 2-year transcontinental journey across Africa from
Luanda.
*
May 21
Events Pre-1600
* 293 – Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian appoint Galerius as ''Caesar'' to Diocletian, beginning the period of four rulers known as the Tetrarchy.
* 878 – Syracuse, Sicily, is captured by the Muslim Aghlabi ...
–
Sacking of Lawrence
The sacking of Lawrence occurred on May 21, 1856, when pro-slavery settlers, led by Douglas County Sheriff Samuel J. Jones, attacked and ransacked Lawrence, Kansas, a town which had been founded by anti-slavery settlers from Massachusetts w ...
:
Lawrence, Kansas, is captured and burned by pro-
slavery forces.
*
May 22 –
Caning of Charles Sumner
The Caning of Charles Sumner, or the Brooks–Sumner Affair, occurred on May 22, 1856, in the United States Senate chamber, when Representative Preston Brooks, a pro-slavery Democrat from South Carolina, used a walking cane to attack Senator Cha ...
:
United States Congressman
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
Preston Brooks
Preston Smith Brooks (August 5, 1819 – January 27, 1857) was an American politician and member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina, serving from 1853 until his resignation in July 1856 and again from August 1856 until his ...
of
South Carolina beats
Senator Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner (January 6, 1811March 11, 1874) was an American statesman and United States Senator from Massachusetts. As an academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the anti-slavery forces in the state and a leader of th ...
with a cane in the hall of the
United States Senate for a speech Sumner had made attacking pro-
slavery Southerners, especially elderly South Carolina Senator
Andrew 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 radical
abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
John Brown kill 5 homesteaders in
Franklin County, Kansas.
*
June 2
Events Pre-1600
* 455 – Sack of Rome: Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks.
* 1098 – First Crusade: The first Siege of Antioch ends as Crusader forces take the city; the second siege began five days later. 1601� ...
–
Battle of Black Jack: Antislavery forces, led by
John Brown, defeat proslavery forces in
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the ...
.
*
June 9
Events Pre-1600
*411 BC – The Athenian coup succeeds, forming a short-lived oligarchy.
* 53 – The Roman emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia.
* 68 – Nero dies by suicide after quoting Vergil's ''Aeneid'', thus ending th ...
– 500
Mormon handcart pioneers
The Mormon handcart pioneers were participants in the migration of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to Salt Lake City, Utah, who used handcarts to transport their belongings. The Mormon handcart movement b ...
leave
Iowa City and head west for
Salt Lake City, Utah, carrying all their possessions in two-wheeled handcarts.
*
June 13
Events Pre-1600
* 313 – The decisions of the Edict of Milan, signed by Constantine the Great and co-emperor Valerius Licinius, granting religious freedom throughout the Roman Empire, are published in Nicomedia.
* 1325 – Ibn Battuta ...
–
Taiping Rebellion:
Shi Dakai arrives at
Nanjing.
*
June 20 –
General Mills is founded in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, as the Minneapolis Milling Company.
July–September
*
July 9 –
Natal
NATAL or Natal may refer to:
Places
* Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil
* Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa
** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843)
** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...
becomes a British
Crown colony.
*
July 14–
15 – In Spain, General
Leopoldo O'Donnell
Leopoldo O'Donnell y Jorris, 1st Duke of Tetuán, GE (12 January 1809 – 5 November 1867), was a Spanish general and Grandee who was Prime Minister of Spain on several occasions.
Early life
He was born at Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canar ...
takes control of the government, bringing an end to the ''
bienio progresista
In the history of Spain, the ''bienio progresista'' (, "Progressive Biennium" or "Progressivist Biennium") was the two-year period from July 1854 to July 1856, during which the Progressive Party attempted to reform the political system of the rei ...
''.
*
July 17
Events Pre-1600
* 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world.
*1048 – Damasu ...
– The
Great Train Wreck (the worst railroad calamity in the world to date) occurs near
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
,
Pennsylvania, United States.
*
July 31 –
Christchurch, New Zealand, is chartered as a city.
*
August –
Pre-human remains are found in the
Neanderthal Valley in
Prussia.
*
August 10
Events Pre-1600
* 654 – Pope Eugene I elected to succeed Martinus I.
* 955 – Battle of Lechfeld: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Gro� ...
– The
Last Island hurricane destroys
Last Island, Louisiana, leaving 400 dead. The whole island is broken up into several smaller islands by the storm.
*
August 30
Events Pre-1600
* 70 – Titus ends the siege of Jerusalem after destroying Herod's Temple.
* 1282 – Peter III of Aragon lands at Trapani to intervene in the War of the Sicilian Vespers.
*1363 – The five-week Battle of Lake ...
–
Battle of Osawatomie: Proslavery forces defeat antislavery forces in
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the ...
.
*
September 1 –
Seton Hall University is founded in
South Orange, New Jersey, by Roman Catholic Bishop of Newark
James Roosevelt Bayley
James Roosevelt Bayley (August 23, 1814 – October 3, 1877) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the first Bishop of Newark (1853–1872) and the eighth Archbishop of Baltimore (1872–1877).
Early life and educa ...
, a cousin of future U.S. President
Theodore Roosevelt and nephew of
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton (August 28, 1774 – January 4, 1821) was a Catholic religious sister in the United States and an educator, known as a founder of the country's parochial school system. After her death, she became the first person bor ...
.
*
September 2 –
Taiping Rebellion:
Wei Changhui and
Qin Rigang
Qin Rigang (秦日綱, 1821 – 1856), né Qin Richang (秦日昌), was a Hakka military leader of the Taiping Rebellion, known during his military tenure as the King of Yen (燕王). He served under Hong Xiuquan's Taiping Administration and led ...
assassinate
Yang Xiuqing
Yang Xiuqing () (died September 2/3, 1856), was an organizer and commander-in-chief of the Taiping Rebellion.
Early life
Yang Xiuqing's family were farmers from Xincun near Jintian, Guangxi, but he lost his parents at a young age. According ...
.
*
September 7
Events Pre-1600
* 70 – A Roman army under Titus occupies and plunders Jerusalem.
* 878 – Louis the Stammerer is crowned as king of West Francia by Pope John VIII.
*1159 – Pope Alexander III is chosen.
*1191 – Third Cr ...
– The
Saimaa Canal was inaugurated.
October–December
*
October 8 – The
Second Opium War between several Western powers and China begins with the ''Arrow'' Incident on the
Pearl River
The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-a ...
.
*
October 12
Events Pre-1600
* 539 BC – The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon, ending the Babylonian empire. (Julian calendar)
* 633 – Battle of Hatfield Chase: King Edwin of Northumbria is defeated and killed by an alliance u ...
–
1856 Heraklion earthquake
The 1856 Heraklion earthquake, also known as the Crete earthquake or Rhodes earthquake occurred on the morning of October 12 at 02:45 am local time. This extremely catastrophic earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.7 to 8.3 at a depth of appr ...
: A powerful earthquake rocks the Mediterranean, killing hundreds on the island of Crete and many more in the Middle East.
*
October 13
Events Pre-1600
* 54 – Roman emperor Claudius dies from poisoning under mysterious circumstances. He is succeeded by his adoptive son Nero, rather than by Britannicus, his son with Messalina.
* 409 – Vandals and Alans cross the P ...
– American mercenary
William Walker effectively takes control of
Nicaragua.
*
November 1 –
Anglo-Persian War
The Anglo-Persian War or the Anglo-Iranian War () lasted between 1 November 1856 and 4 April 1857, and was fought between the United Kingdom and Iran, which was ruled by the Qajar dynasty. The war had the British oppose an attempt by Iran to ...
: War is declared between Great Britain and
Persia.
*
November 4 –
1856 United States presidential election:
Democrat James Buchanan defeats former President
Millard Fillmore, representing a coalition of
Know Nothings and
Whigs, and
John C. Frémont of the fledgling
Republican Party, to become the 15th
President of the United States.
*
November 11 –
Taiping Rebellion:
Shi Dakai arrives at the Heavenly Capital once more with 100,000 men, and demands that
Wei Changhui and Qin Rigang be executed. Shi subsequently becomes head of the government.
*
November 17 –
American Old West: On the
Sonoita River in modern-day southern
Arizona, the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
establishes
Fort Buchanan, in order to help control new land acquired in the
Gadsden Purchase.
*
November 21 –
Niagara University is founded in
Niagara Falls, New York.
*
November 27 – The
Coup of 1856 leads to
Luxembourg's unilateral adoption of a new, reactionary
constitution, as
King-Grand Duke William III signs the new constitution without the
Chamber of Deputies' consent.
*
December 1
Events Pre-1600
* 800 – A council is convened in the Vatican, at which Charlemagne is to judge the accusations against Pope Leo III.
*1420 – Henry V of England enters Paris alongside his father-in-law King Charles VI of France.
* ...
– Under the
County and Borough Police Act, in any county or area of
England and Wales where a police force has not already been established, the
Justices of the Peace must from this date take steps to create one according to nationally defined standards.
*
December 2
Events Pre-1600
*1244 – Pope Innocent IV arrives at Lyon for the First Council of Lyon.
* 1409 – The University of Leipzig opens. 1601–1900
*1697 – St Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt to the design of Sir Christopher Wren followin ...
– The
National Portrait Gallery, London, is established.
*
December 9
Events Pre-1600
* 536 – Gothic War: The Byzantine general Belisarius enters Rome unopposed; the Gothic garrison flees the capital.
* 730 – Battle of Marj Ardabil: The Khazars annihilate an Umayyad army and kill its commander, ...
–
Bushehr surrenders to the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
.
Date unknown
*
Gregor Mendel
Gregor Johann Mendel, OSA (; cs, Řehoř Jan Mendel; 20 July 1822 – 6 January 1884) was a biologist, meteorologist, mathematician, Augustinian friar and abbot of St. Thomas' Abbey in Brünn (''Brno''), Margraviate of Moravia. Mendel was ...
starts his research on
genetics.
*
Kate Warne
Kate Warne (1833 – January 28, 1868) was an American law enforcement officer known as the first female detective, in 1856, in the Pinkerton Detective Agency and the United States.
Pre–Civil War Early detective work: 1856–1861
Very li ...
, the first female
private detective
A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...
, begins to work for the
Pinkerton Detective Agency
Pinkerton is a private security guard and detective agency established around 1850 in the United States by Scottish-born cooper Allan Pinkerton and Chicago attorney Edward Rucker as the North-Western Police Agency, which later became Pinkerton ...
.
* Legal protection of widow remarriage is extended in India.
*
St. Paul's School, Belgaum, is founded by the
Jesuits in
Belgaum, India.
* The
British Guiana 1c magenta
The British Guiana 1c magenta is regarded by many philatelists as the world's most famous rare stamp. It was issued in limited numbers in British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1856, and only one specimen is now known to exist. It is the only major p ...
postage stamp is issued in
British Guiana in limited numbers; the one surviving specimen will become regarded as the world's rarest stamp.
* Global
financial services business
Credit Suisse is founded as La Schweizerische Kreditanstalt.
*
Charles III of Monaco grants a concession to Napoléon Langlois and Albert Aubert to establish a German-style
casino at
Monte Carlo.
Births
January–March
*
January 6 –
Martin von Feuerstein, German painter (d.
1931
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
)
*
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
Events January
* January 1
** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria.
* January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Itali ...
)
*
January 31 –
Hermann von François, German general (d.
1933)
*
February 2 –
Frederick William Vanderbilt
Frederick William Vanderbilt (February 2, 1856 – June 29, 1938) was a member of the American Vanderbilt family. He was a director of the New York Central Railroad for 61 years, and also a director of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad and o ...
, American railway magnate (d.
1938)
*
February 4 –
Otani Kikuzo
Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. Otani participated in the First Sino-Japanese War, Russo-Japanese War, World War I and the Russian Civil War. During the course of the latter he commanded the Vladivostok Expeditionary Force an ...
, Japanese general (d.
1923
Events
January–February
* January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory).
* January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...
)
*
February 5 –
Frank Podmore
Frank Podmore (5 February 1856 – 14 August 1910) was an English author, and founding member of the Fabian Society. He is best known as an influential member of the Society for Psychical Research and for his sceptical writings on spiritualism.
...
, British psychical researcher (d.
1910
Events
January
* January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...
)
*
February 9 –
Hara Takashi
was a Japanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1918 to 1921.
Hara held several minor ambassadorial roles before rising through the ranks of the Rikken Seiyūkai and being elected to the House of Representatives. Hara ...
, Japanese politician, 10th
Prime Minister of Japan (d.
1921)
*
February 12 –
Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli
Eduard Freiherr von Böhm-Ermolli (12 February 1856 – 9 December 1941) was an Austrian general during World War I who rose to the rank of field marshal in the Austro-Hungarian Army. He was the head of the Second Army and fought mainly on the fr ...
, Austrian general, German field marshal (d.
1941)
*
February 14 –
Frank Harris, Irish author, editor (d.
1931
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
)
* 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
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
)
** 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
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
)
* March 9
** Eddie Foy Sr., American vaudevillian (d. 1928)
** Jules-Albert de Dion, French automobile pioneer (d. 1946)
* March 16 – Napoléon, Prince Imperial of France (k. 1879)
*
March 20
Events Pre-1600
* 673 – Emperor Tenmu of Japan assumes the Chrysanthemum Throne at the Palace of Kiyomihara in Asuka.
* 1206 – Michael IV Autoreianos is appointed Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
* 1600 – The Link ...
** Sir John 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
Events January
* January 1
** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria.
* January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Itali ...
)
April–June
* April 5 – Booker T. Washington, American educator (d. 1915)
* April 6 – Maurice Sarrail, French general (d. 1929)
* April 12 – Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington, 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
Events
January
* January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...
)
* April 24 – Philippe Pétain, French soldier, statesman (d. 1951)
* April 26 – Sir Joseph Ward, 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1930)
* April 27 – Tongzhi Emperor of China (d. 1875)
* May 6
** Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist (d. 1939)
** Robert Peary, American Arctic explorer (d. 1920)
* May 8 – Pedro Lascuráin, 34th President 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
Events Pre-1600
* 293 – Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian appoint Galerius as ''Caesar'' to Diocletian, beginning the period of four rulers known as the Tetrarchy.
* 878 – Syracuse, Sicily, is captured by the Muslim Aghlabi ...
– 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
Events January
* January 1
** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria.
* January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Itali ...
)
* June 29 – Maria Cederschiöld, Swedish journalist (d.
1935)
July–September
* 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, married Maurice Barrymore in 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 Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1950)
*July 27 - Nathan Francis Mossell, physician, 1st African American graduate of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and founder of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Hospital and Training School (d. 1946)
* July 30 – Harriet Bates, American author (d. 1986)
* August 3 – Alfred Deakin, 2nd Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1919)
*
August 10
Events Pre-1600
* 654 – Pope Eugene I elected to succeed Martinus I.
* 955 – Battle of Lechfeld: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Gro� ...
– 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, Ukrainians, Ukrainian poet, 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
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
)
* September 19 – Miguel R. Dávila, Honduranian general, 21st President of Honduras (d. 1927)
* September 28 – Kate Douglas Wiggin, American author of ''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' (d.
1923
Events
January–February
* January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory).
* January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...
)
October–December
* October 15 – Robert Nivelle, French general (d. 1924)
* October 21 – Francisco Plancarte y Navarrete, Mexican archaeologist and Roman Catholic archbishop of Monterrey, Mexico (d. 1920)
* October 23 – William Thomas Turner, British ship's captain with Cunard 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, British Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician, 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 of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 1945)
* 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 (German Reich), Chancellor of Germany (d.
1921)
*
December 2
Events Pre-1600
*1244 – Pope Innocent IV arrives at Lyon for the First Council of Lyon.
* 1409 – The University of Leipzig opens. 1601–1900
*1697 – St Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt to the design of Sir Christopher Wren followin ...
– 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 Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1940)
* December 22 – Frank B. Kellogg, United States Secretary of State, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1937)
* December 23 – James Buchanan Duke, American tobacco and electric power industrialist (d.
1925
Events January
* January 1
** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria.
* January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Itali ...
)
* December 25 – Hans von Bartels, German painter (d. 1913)
* December 28 – Woodrow Wilson, 28th
President of the United States, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1924)
Date unknown
* Zübeyde Hanım, mother of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (d.
1923
Events
January–February
* January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory).
* January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...
)
* Juan Nepomuceno Rencoret, Chilean doctor (d. ?)
Deaths
January–June
* 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
Events Pre-1600
* 752 – Mayan king Bird Jaguar IV of Yaxchilan in modern-day Chiapas, Mexico, assumes the throne.
* 1481 – The largest of three earthquakes strikes the island of Rhodes and causes an estimated 30,000 casualties.
...
** 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
*
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 (1803–1856), 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
Events Pre-1600
* 70 – Titus ends the siege of Jerusalem after destroying Herod's Temple.
* 1282 – Peter III of Aragon lands at Trapani to intervene in the War of the Sicilian Vespers.
*1363 – The five-week Battle of Lake ...
– 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 (Royal Navy officer), 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 of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monterrey (d. June 2, 1920)
* November 23 – Manuela Sáenz, Colombian national heroine (b. 1797)
* December 20 – Francesco Bentivegna, Italian revolutionary (b. 1820)
Date unknown
* Enriqueta Favez, Swiss physician, surgeon (b. 1791)
* Juana Ramírez, "La Avanzadora", Venezuelan heroine (b. 1790)
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:1856
1856,
Leap years in the Gregorian calendar