Events
January

*
January 13
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years.
* 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the ra ...
– American songwriter
Stephen Foster ("
Oh! Susanna", "
Old Folks at Home
"Old Folks at Home" (also known as " Swanee River") is a folk song written by Stephen Foster in 1851. Since 1935, it has been the official state song of Florida, although in 2008 the original lyrics were revised. It is Roud Folk Song Index ...
") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song "
Beautiful Dreamer" is published in March.
*
January 16
Events Pre-1600
* 1458 BC – Hatshepsut dies at the age of 50 and is buried in the Valley of the Kings.
* 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the R ...
–
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
rejects an Austrian-Prussian ultimatum to repeal the
Danish Constitution, which says that
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...
is part of Denmark.
*
January 21
Events Pre-1600
* 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa.
* 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded wh ...
–
New Zealand Wars
The New Zealand Wars () took place from 1845 to 1872 between the Colony of New Zealand, New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori people, Māori on one side, and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. Though the wars were initi ...
: The
Tauranga campaign begins.
February
*
February
February is the second month of the year in the Julian calendar, Julian and Gregorian calendars. The month has 28 days in common years and 29 in leap years, with the February 29, 29th day being called the ''leap day''.
February is the third a ...
–
John Wisden publishes ''
The Cricketer's Almanack for the year 1864'' in England; it will go on to become the major annual
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
reference publication.
*
February 1
Events Pre-1600
* 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.
* 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), ...
– Danish-Prussian War (
Second Schleswig War
The Second Schleswig War (; or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 Februar ...
): 57,000 Austrian and Prussian troops cross the
Eider River into Denmark.
*
February 15
Events Pre-1600
* 438 – Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus
* 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia.
* 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Ti ...
–
Heineken Brewery is founded in the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
.
*
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
:
**
February 17 – The tiny
Confederate hand-propelled
submarine
A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
''
H. L. Hunley'' sinks the , using a
spar torpedo in
Charleston Harbor
The Charleston Harbor is an inlet (8 sq mi/20.7 km2) of the Atlantic Ocean at Charleston, South Carolina. The inlet is formed by the junction of Ashley River (South Carolina), Ashley and Cooper River (South Carolina), Cooper rivers at . Morr ...
, becoming the first submarine to sink an enemy ship, although the submarine and her crew of eight are also lost.
**
February 20
Events Pre-1600
*1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.
*1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawn (law), pawned by Norway to S ...
– The
Union suffers one of its
costliest defeats at the
Battle of Olustee near
Lake City, Florida.
**
February 25
Events Pre-1600
* 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
* 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
* ...
– The first Northern prisoners arrive at the Confederate prison at
Andersonville, Georgia (the 500 prisoners had left Richmond, Virginia, seven days before).
March
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
* 509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor Diocleti ...
–
Alejandro Mon y Menéndez takes office as
Prime Minister of Spain
The prime minister of Spain, officially president of the Government (), is the head of government of Spain. The prime minister nominates the Spanish government departments, ministers and chairs the Council of Ministers (Spain), Council of Mini ...
.
*
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
:
**
March 9
Events Pre-1600
*141 BC – Liu Che, Posthumous name, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China.
*1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the Annals of Quedlinburg, annals of the mo ...
–
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
appoints
Ulysses S. Grant commander in chief of all
Union armies.
**
March 10
Events Pre-1600
* 241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end.
* 298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes ...
– The
Red River Campaign begins, as Union troops reach
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat and largest city of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River of the South, Red River ...
.
*
March 11
Events Pre-1600
* 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the veneration of icons in the Orthodox churches in the Byzantine Empire.
* 1343 – Arnošt of Pardubice becomes the last Bishop of Prague (3 March 13 ...
–
Great Sheffield Flood: A reservoir near
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
, England, bursts; 250 die.
*
March 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland.
* 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the H ...
– Rossini's ''
Petite messe solennelle'' is first performed, by twelve singers, two pianists and a
harmonium player in a mansion in Paris.
April
*
April 8 –
Gallaudet University
Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered university in Washington, D.C., for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first school ...
is founded in
Washington, D.C., as the first university for the deaf and hard of hearing.
*
April 12 –
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
:
Battle of Fort Pillow – Confederate forces kill most of the
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
soldiers who surrender at
Fort Pillow, Tennessee.
*
April 15 –
Choe Je-u, founder of the
Donghak
Donghak () was an academic movement in Korean Neo-Confucianism founded in 1860 by Choe Je-u. The Donghak movement arose as a reaction to seohak (), and called for a return to the "Way of Heaven". While Donghak originated as a reform movement ...
Movement, is executed by beheading for sedition, at
Daegu
Daegu (; ), formerly spelled Taegu and officially Daegu Metropolitan City (), is a city in southeastern South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; the fourth-largest List of provincial-level ci ...
, Korea.
*
April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days.
* 1428 – Peace of Ferrara ...
– Danish-Prussian War (
Second Schleswig War
The Second Schleswig War (; or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 Februar ...
) –
Battle of Dybbøl: The Prussian army, fielding 10,000 men, defeats the Danish defending army of 9,200 at Dybbøl Mill, after an artillery bombardment from
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 Em ...
–
18.
*
April 22
**The
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
passes the
Coinage Act of 1864
The Coinage Act of 1864 was a United States federal law passed on April 22, 1864, which changed the composition of the Cent (United States coin), one-cent coin and authorized the minting of the Two-cent piece (United States coin), two-cent coin. ...
, which makes privately issued
Civil War tokens illegal. An additional law is passed on June 8 to include all private coinage.
**The phrase "
In God We Trust
"In God We Trust" (also rendered as "In God we trust") is the United States national motto, official motto of the United States as well as the motto of the U.S. state of Florida, along with the nation of Nicaragua (Spanish language, Spanish: '' ...
" appears for the first time on the newly created
two-cent piece.
*
April 30 – American Civil War:
Confederate forces led by General
E. Kirby Smith attack federal troops retreating across the
Saline at
Jenkins' Ferry, Arkansas.
May
*
May 2 – Under terms of the
Treaty of London, the United Kingdom voluntarily cedes control of the
United States of the Ionian Islands to the
Kingdom of Greece.
*
May 4 –
Société Générale, a major financial group in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, is founded.
*
May 5 – American Civil War: The
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant general (United States), Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General (C ...
begins in
Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
*
May 7
** American Civil War: The
Army of the Potomac, under General
Ulysses S. Grant, breaks off from the
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant general (United States), Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General (C ...
and moves southwards.
** The
clipper ship ''
City of Adelaide
The City of Adelaide, also known as the Corporation of the City of Adelaide and Adelaide City Council, is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the metropolitan area of greater Adelaide, South Australia. It is legally defi ...
'' is launched in
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
, England. By the 21st century, she will be the world's oldest surviving clipper of only two (''
Cutty Sark'' being the other).
*
May 8–
21 – American Civil War:
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House (The ''Bloody Angle'') – Some 4,000 troops on both sides die in an inconclusive engagement.
*
May 9
** Danish-Prussian War (
Second Schleswig War
The Second Schleswig War (; or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 Februar ...
):
Battle of Heligoland – The Danish navy gains a tactical victory over those of Austria and Prussia, near the island of Heligoland. It is the last significant naval battle fought by squadrons of wooden ships, and also the last involving Denmark.
** American general
John Sedgwick is shot dead during the
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, shortly after uttering the famous
last words: ''"They couldn't hit an elephant from this distance!"''

*
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
:
**
May 11
Events Pre-1600
* 330 – Constantine the Great dedicates the much-expanded and rebuilt city of Byzantium, changing its name to New Rome and declaring it the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.
*868 – A copy of the Diamond Sūtr ...
–
Battle of Yellow Tavern – Confederate General
J. E. B. Stuart is mortally wounded at Yellow Tavern, Virginia.
**
May 13 –
Battle of Resaca – The battle begins with Union General
Sherman fighting toward
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
.
*&
May 15 –
Battle of New Market – Cadets from the
Virginia Military Institute fight alongside the
Confederate Army, forcing
Union General
Franz Sigel out of the
Shenandoah Valley.
*
May 18 –
Civil War gold hoax: The ''New York World'' and the ''New York Journal of Commerce'' publish a fake proclamation that President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
has issued a draft of 400,000 more soldiers.
*
May 20
** American Civil War:
Battle of Ware Bottom Church – In the Virginia
Bermuda Hundred Campaign, 10,000 troops fight in this Confederate victory.
** Australian bushranger
Ben Hall and his gang escape from a shootout with police, after attempting to rob the Bang Bang Hotel in
Koorawatha, New South Wales.
*
May 21 – The Russian Empire begins the
Circassian genocide. More than 1.5 million Circassians are driven from their homeland to the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
, ending the
Russo-Circassian War.
*
May 26 –
Montana Territory is organized out of parts of Washington Territory and Dakota Territory.
June
*
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
:
**
June 5 –
Battle of Piedmont – Union forces under General
David Hunter defeat a Confederate army at
Piedmont, West Virginia, taking nearly 1,000 prisoners.
**
June 9 –
First Battle of Petersburg
**
June 10 –
**
Battle of Noonday Creek – Confederate troops defeat Union forces, near
Kennesaw, Georgia.
**
Battle of Brice's Crossroads – Confederate troops under
Nathan Bedford Forrest defeat a much larger Union force, led by General
Samuel D. Sturgis, in
Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
.
**
June 12 –
Battle of Cold Harbor – General Ulysses S. Grant pulls his troops from their positions at Cold Harbor, Virginia, and moves south.
*
June 15 –
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia.
...
is established in the United States, when of the grounds of Robert E. Lee's home (
Arlington House) are officially set aside as a military
cemetery
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...
, by U.S. Secretary of War
Edwin M. Stanton.
*
June 18
Events Pre-1600
* 618 – Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang dynasty rule over China.
* 656 – Ali becomes Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate.
* 860 – Siege of Constantinople (860), Byzantine� ...
** The
Decree of Extended Freedom of Trade introduces complete freedom of trade in Sweden.
** The
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...
ends in the defeat of Polish forces.
*
June 19 – American Civil War:
Battle of Cherbourg –
Confederate States Navy CSS ''Alabama'' is sunk in a
single-ship action with
USS ''Kearsarge'', in the
English Channel
The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
off the coast of
Cherbourg peninsula, France.
*
June 21 –
New Zealand Wars
The New Zealand Wars () took place from 1845 to 1872 between the Colony of New Zealand, New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori people, Māori on one side, and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. Though the wars were initi ...
: The
Tauranga Campaign ends.
*
June 27 – American Civil War:
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain – Confederate troops defeat Union forces near
Kennesaw, Georgia.
*
June 29
Events Pre-1600
* 226 – Cao Rui succeeds his father as emperor of Wei.
* 1149 – Raymond of Poitiers is defeated and killed at the Battle of Inab by Nur ad-Din Zangi.
* 1170 – A major earthquake hits Syria, badly damagi ...
** Second Schleswig War: The
Battle of Als is won by the Prussians under General
Herwarth von Bittenfeld, who occupy the island of
Als after crossing the Alssund, between the village of Sottrupskov and the
Sandbjerg Estate, by night. Of 9,000 Danish troops stationed there, a third are killed, wounded or captured.
**
St-Hilaire train disaster, a passenger train operated by
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway (; ) was a Rail transport, railway system that operated in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the List of states and territories of the United States, American sta ...
and travelling from
Quebec City
Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
to
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
is derailed at a swung open bridge after a signal passed at danger. The train also collapses onto a ship, sinking both ship and train. 99 people are killed and 100 injured making this the deadliest train accident in Canada's history.
*
June
June is the sixth and current month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars—the latter the most widely used calendar in the world. Its length is 30 days. June succeeds May and precedes July. This month marks the start of su ...
– The
United States Sanitary Commission
The United States Sanitary Commission (USSC) was a private Aid agency, relief agency created by federal legislation on June 18, 1861, to support sick and wounded soldiers of the United States Army (Federal / Northern / Union Army) during the Ameri ...
's
Sanitary Fair in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
takes place.
July
*
July 2 –
Dimitri Atanasescu founds the first Romanian school in the Balkans for
Aromanians
The Aromanians () are an Ethnic groups in Europe, ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian language, Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Albania, south-western Bulgari ...
in
Trnovo, in the Ottoman Empire (modern-day
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
). By the early 20th century, the number of these schools will have risen to 106.
*
July 4 – The
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...
in
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
is founded.

*
July 18 – President Lincoln issues a true proclamation of conscription of 500,000 men, for the U.S. Civil War.
*
July 19 – The
Third Battle of Nanking climaxes, when the
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom capital of
Nanking falls to an assault by Imperial
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
forces, in the last major action of the
Taiping Rebellion in China. There are probably more than a million troops in the battle, and the Taiping army sustains at least 100,000 dead.
*
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
:
**
July 20 –
Battle of Peachtree Creek – Near
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, Confederate forces led by General
John Bell Hood unsuccessfully attack Union troops under General
William T. Sherman.
**
July 22 –
Battle of Atlanta
The Battle of Atlanta took place during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply hub of Atlanta, Union forces ...
– Outside of Atlanta, Confederate General Hood leads an unsuccessful attack on Union troops under General Sherman, on Bald Hill.
**
July 24 –
Second Battle of Kernstown – Confederate General
Jubal Early defeats Union troops led by General
George Crook
George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. He is best known for commanding U.S. forces in the Geronimo Campaign, 1886 campaign that ...
in an effort to keep the Yankees out of the Shenandoah Valley.
**
July 28
Events Pre-1600
*1364 – Troops of the Republic of Pisa and the Republic of Florence clash in the Battle of Cascina.
*1540 – Henry VIII of England marries his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.
*1571 – La Laguna encomienda, known t ...
–
Battle of Ezra Church – Confederate troops, led by General Hood, make a third unsuccessful attempt to drive Union forces under General Sherman from Atlanta.
**
July 29 – Confederate spy
Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops, and detained at the
Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C.
**
July 30 –
Battle of the Crater – Union forces attempt to break Confederate lines, by exploding a large bomb under their trenches.
August
*
August 1
Events Pre-1600
* 30 BC – Octavian (later known as Augustus) enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Republic.
*AD 69 – Batavian rebellion: The Batavians in Germania Inferior (Netherlands) revolt u ...
– The
Elgin Watch Company is founded in
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, Cook and Kane County, Illinois, Kane counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located northwest of Chicago along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River. As of the 2020 United Stat ...
.
*
August 5 – American Civil War:
Battle of Mobile Bay – At
Mobile Bay near
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...
, Admiral
David Farragut
David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first Rear admiral (United States), rear admiral, Vice admiral (United State ...
leads a Union flotilla through Confederate defenses, and seals one of the last major Southern ports.
*
August 10 – An undeclared
Uruguayan War begins, when
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
refuses an ultimatum from the
Empire of Brazil
The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and Uruguay until the latter achieved independence in 1828. The empire's government was a Representative democracy, representative Par ...
.
*
August 13
Events Pre-1600
* 29 BC – Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes.
* 523 – John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas.
* 554 &ndash ...
– The first
fish and chips
Fish and chips is a hot dish consisting of batter (cooking), battered and fried fish, served with French fries, chips. Often considered the national dish of the United Kingdom, fish and chips originated in England in the 19th century. Today, ...
shop perhaps opens in London.
*
August 18 – American Civil War:
Battle of Globe Tavern – Forces under Union General
Ulysses S. Grant try to cut a vital
Confederate supply-line into
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 33,458 with a majority bla ...
, by attacking the
Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, forcing the Confederates to use wagons.
*
August 22 – The
First Geneva Convention, for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field, is signed in
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
by 12 European states, under the auspices of the
International Committee for Relief to the Wounded (predecessor of the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
).

*
August 31
Events Pre-1600
* 1056 – After a sudden illness a few days previously, Byzantine Empress Theodora dies childless, thus ending the Macedonian dynasty.
* 1057 – Abdication of Byzantine Emperor Michael VI Bringas after just one ye ...
– American Civil War: Union forces, led by General
William T. Sherman, launch an assault on
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
.
September
*
September 1
**American Civil War: Confederate General Hood evacuates Atlanta, after a 4-month siege mounted by Union General Sherman.
**
Charlottetown Conference: Delegates from the Canadian colonies meet, to discuss
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Name of Canada#Adoption of Dominion, Dominion of Ca ...
.
*
September 2
Events
Pre-1600
* 44 BC – Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion.
* 44 BC – Cicero launches the first of his '' Philippicae'' (oratorical attacks) on Mark Antony. He will make 14 of ...
– American Civil War: Union forces under General Sherman enter Atlanta, a day after the Confederate defenders fled the city.
*
September 5–
6 –
Bombardment of Shimonoseki: An American, British,
Dutch and French alliance engages the powerful feudal Japanese warlord or ''
daimyō
were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...
'' Lord
Mōri Takachika, of the
Chōshū clan, based in
Shimonoseki, Japan.
*
September 7 – American Civil War: Atlanta is evacuated on orders of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman.
*
September 16 –
Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...
establishes the
Diocese of Gozo.
*
September 17 – American Civil War: The
Second Battle of Cabin Creek is fought in
Indian Territory
Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...
.
*
September 28 – The
International Workingmen's Association is founded in London.
October
*
October 1 – A calamity is narrowly averted in London at the
Erith explosion
*
October 2 –
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
:
First Battle of Saltville – Union forces attack
Saltville, Virginia, but are defeated by Confederate troops.
*
October 5 – A
cyclone kills 70,000 people in and around
Calcutta
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
in India.
*
October 9 –
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
:
Battle of Tom's Brook – Union cavalrymen in the Shenandoah Valley defeat Confederate forces at
Tom's Brook, Virginia.
*
October 10 – The
Quebec Conference begins, to discuss plans for the creation of a Dominion of Canada.
*
October 12 –
Uruguayan War: Forces of the
Empire of Brazil
The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and Uruguay until the latter achieved independence in 1828. The empire's government was a Representative democracy, representative Par ...
invade
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
, in support of
Venancio Flores'
Colorado Party.
*
October 28 –
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
: Second Battle of Fair Oaks – Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant withdraw from
Fair Oaks, Virginia, after failing to breach the Confederate defenses around
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
.
*
October 30
** The
Second Schleswig War
The Second Schleswig War (; or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 Februar ...
is concluded. Denmark renounces all claim to
Schleswig,
Holstein, and
Lauenburg, which come under
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
n and Austrian administration.
**
Helena, Montana
Helena (; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat, seat of Lewis and Clark County, Montana, Lewis and Clark County.
Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold ...
, is founded, after four
prospectors (the so-called ''
Four Georgians'') discover
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
at ''Last Chance Gulch''; it is their last and agreed final attempt for weeks, of trying to find gold in the northern Rockies.
** An annular solar eclipse occurs, the 42nd solar eclipse of
Solar Saros 131.
*
October 31 –
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
is admitted as the 36th
U.S. state.
November
*
November 4 –
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
:
Battle of Johnsonville – At Johnsonville, Tennessee, troops under the command of Confederate General
Nathan Bedford Forrest bombard a Union supply base with artillery, and destroy millions of dollars worth of material.
*
November 7
Events Pre-1600
* 335 – Athanasius, 20th pope of Alexandria, is banished to Trier on the charge that he prevented a grain fleet from sailing to Constantinople.
* 680 – The Sixth Ecumenical Council commences in Constantinople. ...
– The capital of
Idaho Territory is moved from
Lewiston to
Boise;
North Idaho declares the move illegal, and proposes
secession
Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...
.
*
November 8 –
1864 United States presidential election
United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 8, 1864, near the end of the American Civil War. Incumbent President Abraham Lincoln of the National Union Party (United States), National Uni ...
:
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
is reelected, in an overwhelming victory over
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey and as Commanding General of the United States Army from November 1861 to March 186 ...
.
*
November 12 – Hostilities in the
Paraguayan War open, with the Paraguayan ship ''Tacuarí'' capturing the Brazilian ''Marquês de Olinda'', in the
Paraguay River.
*
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
:
**
November 15 –
Sherman's March to the Sea begins: Union General Sherman burns Atlanta and starts to move south, living off the land, and causing extensive devastation to crops and mills.
**
November 20 – The
judicial reform of Alexander II is launched in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
.
**
November 22 –
Sherman's March to the Sea – Confederate General John Bell Hood invades
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
, in an unsuccessful attempt to draw Union General Sherman from Georgia.
**
November 25
Events Pre-1600
*571 BC – Servius Tullius, king of Ancient Rome, Rome, celebrates the first of his three Roman triumph, triumphs for his victory over the Etruscans.
*1034 – Máel Coluim II of Scotland, Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, Ki ...
– A group of Confederate operatives, calling themselves the
Confederate Army of Manhattan, starts fires in more than 20 locations, in an unsuccessful attempt to burn down
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
*
November 29
Events Pre-1600
* 528 – Antioch suffers its second major earthquake in two years, killing thousands and destroying its remaining edifice.
* 561 – Following the death of King Chlothar I at Compiègne, his four sons, Charibert ...
–
American Indian Wars
The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonization of the Americas, European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States o ...
:
Sand Creek massacre –
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
volunteers, led by Colonel
John Chivington, massacre at least 400
Cheyenne and
Arapaho noncombatants at Sand Creek, Colorado (where they had been given permission to camp); many of the dead are subsequently mutilated.
*
November 30 –
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
:
Second Battle of Franklin – The Confederate
Army of Tennessee, led by General Hood, mounts a dramatically unsuccessful frontal assault on Union positions around
Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin is a city in and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020 Uni ...
(Hood loses 6 generals and almost a third of his troops).
December
*
December 1 – The
Great Fire of Brisbane breaks out in Australia.
*
December 4 –
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
:
Sherman's March to the Sea – At
Waynesboro, Georgia, forces under Union General
Judson Kilpatrick prevent troops, led by Confederate General
Joseph Wheeler, from interfering with Union General Sherman's campaign of destroying a wide swath of the South, on his march to
Savannah; Union forces suffer more than 3 times the casualties as the Confederates, however.
*
December 8
**
James Clerk Maxwell
James Clerk Maxwell (13 June 1831 – 5 November 1879) was a Scottish physicist and mathematician who was responsible for the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, which was the first theory to describe electricity, magnetism an ...
presents his paper, ''
A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field'', to the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
in London, treating light as an
electromagnetic wave
In physics, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is a self-propagating wave of the electromagnetic field that carries momentum and radiant energy through space. It encompasses a broad spectrum, classified by frequency or its inverse, wavelength, ...
.
** ''
Syllabus errorum'':
Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...
condemns theological liberalism as an error, and claims the supremacy of Roman Catholic Church authority over civil society. He also condemns
rationalism
In philosophy, rationalism is the Epistemology, epistemological view that "regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge" or "the position that reason has precedence over other ways of acquiring knowledge", often in contrast to ot ...
and
socialism
Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
.
** The
Clifton Suspension Bridge across the
River Avon (Bristol) in England, designed by
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel ( ; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history", "one of the 19th-century engi ...
and completed as a memorial to him, opens to traffic.
*
December 13 –
Paraguayan War:
Paraguay
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
formally declares war on the
Empire of Brazil
The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and Uruguay until the latter achieved independence in 1828. The empire's government was a Representative democracy, representative Par ...
, in support of the
Uruguayan National Party. The war continues to
1870
Events
January
* January 1
** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England.
** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed.
* January 3 – Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge be ...
, with around 300,000 Paraguayan deaths.
*
December 15
Events Pre-1600
* 533 – Vandalic War: Byzantine Empire, Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Tricamarum.
* 687 – Pope Sergius I is elected as a compromise between antipopes P ...
–
16 –
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
:
Battle of Nashville – Union forces decisively defeat the Confederate Army of Tennessee.
Date unknown
* The Second
Anglo-Ashanti War ends.
* The Dutch conquer southern
Sumatra
Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
.
*
Asa Mercer
Asa Shinn Mercer (June 6, 1839 – August 10, 1917) was the first president of the University of Washington, Territorial University of Washington and a member of the Washington State Legislature, Washington State Senate.
He is remembered primar ...
travels from
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
to the U.S. East Coast, and recruits 11 ''
Mercer Girls'', potential wives for men on the West Coast.
* The first
Quanjude Peking Roast Duck restaurant opens on Qianmen Street in
Peking, China.
* Yasudaya Currency Exchange Bank, as predecessor of
Mizuho Financial Group, is founded in Edo (modern-day
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
), Japan.
* Merchants Bank of Halifax, as predecessor of
Royal Bank of Canada, founded in
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
.
Births
January–March

*
January 1
January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in the Gregorian Calendar; 364 days remain until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the year. __TOC__
Events ...
**
Qi Baishi, Chinese painter (d.
1957
Events January
* January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany.
* January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
* January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...
)
**
Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer (d.
1946
1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...
)
*
January 8
Events Pre-1600
* 307 – Emperor Huai of Jin, Sima Chi becomes emperor of the Jin dynasty (266–420), Jin dynasty in succession to his brother, Emperor Hui of Jin, Sima Zhong, despite a challenge from his other brother, Sima Ying.
* 871 ...
–
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (d.
1892)
*
January 13
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years.
* 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the ra ...
–
Wilhelm Wien, German physicist,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (d.
1928)
*
January 21
Events Pre-1600
* 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa.
* 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded wh ...
–
Israel Zangwill, British novelist, playwright (d.
1926)
*
January 24
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
* 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
* 1438 – The Co ...
–
Marguerite Durand, French actress, journalist and feminist leader (d.
1936
Events January–February
* January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House.
* January 28 – Death and state funer ...
)
*
January 28
Events Pre-1600
*AD 98, 98 – On the death of Nerva, Trajan is declared Roman emperor in Cologne, the seat of his government in lower Germany.
* 814 – The death of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, brings about the accessi ...
–
Herbert Akroyd Stuart, English mechanical engineer, inventor (d.
1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...
)
*
February 4
Events Pre–1600
* 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrellin ...
–
James Fenton, Australian politician (d.
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
)
*
February 7
Events Pre-1600
* 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor.
* 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II.
* 1301 & ...
–
Arthur Collins, early American recording artist (d.
1933
Events
January
* January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand.
* January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...
)
*
February 11
Events Pre-1600
* 660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.
* 55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman Empire, on the eve of his comin ...
–
Louis Bouveault, French chemist (d.
1909)
*
February 17 –
Banjo Paterson, Australian poet (d.
1941)
*
February 20
Events Pre-1600
*1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.
*1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawn (law), pawned by Norway to S ...
–
Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson, British general (d.
1925)
*
March 4
Events Pre-1600
* AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title '' princeps iuventutis'' (head of the youth).
* 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia.
* 581 – Yang Jian declares himself Emperor ...
–
David W. Taylor, American naval architect (d.
1940)
*
March 12
Events Pre-1600
* 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.
* 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of th ...
–
W. H. R. Rivers, English psychiatrist (d.
1922)
*
March 13
Events Pre-1600
* 222 – Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander.
* 624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Mu ...
–
Alexej von Jawlensky, Russian expressionist painter (d.
1941)
*
March 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland.
* 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the H ...
–
Casey Jones, American railway engineer (d.
1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...
)
*
March 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland.
* 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the H ...
–
Alfred Redl, Austrian military intelligence officer and double agent (suicide
1913)
*
March 15
Events Pre-1600
* 474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years truce.
* 44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar, the dictator of the Roman R ...
–
Johan Halvorsen, Norwegian composer (d.
1935
Events
January
* January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims.
* January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...
)
*
March 17
Events Pre-1600
* 45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
* 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of ...
–
Joseph Baptista,
Indian Home Rule Movement founder (d.
1930)
*
March 19
Events Pre-1600
* 1277 – The Byzantine–Venetian treaty of 1277 is concluded, stipulating a two-year truce and renewing Venetian commercial privileges in the Byzantine Empire.
* 1279 – A Mongol victory at the Battle of Yamen en ...
–
Charles Marion Russell
Charles Marion Russell (March 19, 1864 – October 24, 1926), also known as C. M. Russell, Charlie Russell, and "Kid" Russell, was an American artist of the American Old West. He created more than 2,000 paintings of cowboys, Native Americans, ...
, American artist (d.
1926)
*
March 23
Events Pre-1600
* 1400 – The Trần dynasty of Vietnam is deposed, after one hundred and seventy-five years of rule, by Hồ Quý Ly, a court official.
* 1540 – Waltham Abbey is surrendered to King Henry VIII of England; the las ...
**
Robert Arbuthnot, British admiral (d.
1916)
**
Sándor Simonyi-Semadam, 26th Prime Minister of Hungary (d.
1946
1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...
)
April–June

*
April 10
**
Clara Lachmann
Clara Lachmann (; 10 April 1864 – 10 August 1920) was a Danish and Swedish patron of the arts. After coming into immense wealth following her marriage to one of the richest men in Sweden, Lachmann became a prominent sponsor of musical events, ...
, Danish-Swedish patron of the arts (d.
1920)
**
Michael Mayr, 2nd Chancellor of Austria (d.
1922)
**
Tully Marshall, American actor (d.
1943
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured.
* January 4 � ...
)
*
April 11 –
Johanna Elberskirchen, German feminist (d.
1943
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured.
* January 4 � ...
)
*
April 12 –
Rosslyn Wemyss, 1st Baron Wester Wemyss, British admiral (d.
1933
Events
January
* January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand.
* January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...
)
*
April 14
Events Pre-1600
* 43 BC – Legions loyal to the Roman Senate, commanded by Gaius Pansa, defeat the forces of Mark Antony in the Battle of Forum Gallorum.
* 69 – Vitellius, commanding Rhine-based armies, defeats Roman emperor ...
–
Artur Văitoianu, Romanian general and politician, 27th
Prime Minister of Romania (d.
1956
Events
January
* January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years.
* January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...
)
*
April 21
Events Pre-1600
* 753 BC – Romulus founds Rome ( traditional date).
* 43 BC – Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is mur ...
–
Max Weber
Maximilian Carl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German Sociology, sociologist, historian, jurist, and political economy, political economist who was one of the central figures in the development of sociology and the social sc ...
, German sociologist (d.
1920)
*
May 5 –
Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet, British field marshal, politician (d.
1922)
*
May 10
Events Pre-1600
* 28 BC – A sunspot is observed by Han dynasty astronomers during the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, one of the earliest dated sunspot observations in China.
* 1291 – Scottish nobles recognize the authority of ...
–
Léon Gaumont, French film pioneer (d.
1946
1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...
)
*
May 15 –
Vilhelm Hammershøi, Danish painter (d.
1916)
*
May 20 –
Vasily Gurko, Russian general (d.
1937)
*
May 25
Events Pre-1600
* 567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans.
* 240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
* 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes ...
–
Princess Anne of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg, British-born German aristocrat, aviation enthusiast (d.
1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...
, officially declared dead February
1928)
*
June 2 –
Wilhelm Souchon, German admiral (d.
1946
1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...
)
*
June 3 –
Ransom E. Olds, American automotive pioneer (d.
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
)
*
June 10 –
Ninian Comper, British architect (d.
1960)
*
June 11 –
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...
, German composer (d.
1949
Events
January
* January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025
* January 2 – Luis ...
)
*
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 ...
–
Dwight B. Waldo, American educator, historian (d.
1939)
*
June 14 –
Alois Alzheimer, German psychiatrist, neuropathologist (d.
1915)
*
June 22
Events Pre-1600
*217 BC – Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV Philopator of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom.
*168 BC – Battle of Pydna: Roman Republic, Romans under Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus, Luciu ...
–
Hermann Minkowski, German mathematician (d.
1909)
*
June 25 –
Walther Nernst, German chemist,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (d.
1941)
*
June 30 –
Frederick Bligh Bond, English architect (d.
1945)
July–September

*
July 12
**
George Washington Carver, African-American botanist (d.
1943
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured.
* January 4 � ...
)
**
Peter Deunov, Bulgarian spiritual teacher (d.
1944
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 2 – WWII:
** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...
)
*
July 13 –
John Jacob Astor IV, American businessman, inventor (d.
1912
This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15.
In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...
)
*
July 15 –
Marie Tempest, English stage, film actress (d.
1942
The Uppsala Conflict Data Program project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 4.62 million. However, the Correlates of War estimates that the prior year, 1941, was th ...
)
*
July 20 –
Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish writer,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (d.
1931)
*
July 21 –
Frances Cleveland,
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...
(d.
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
)
*
July 23 –
Apolinario Mabini, Filipino political theoretician, Prime Minister (d.
1903)
*
August 9 –
Roman Dmowski, Polish politician (d.
1939)
*
August 20 –
Ion I. C. Brătianu, 5-time prime minister of Romania (d.
1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...
)
*
August 23
Events Pre-1600
* 30 BC – After the successful invasion of Egypt, Octavian executes Marcus Antonius Antyllus, the eldest son of Mark Antony, and Caesarion, the last king of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and only child of Julius Ca ...
–
Eleftherios Venizelos, 7-time prime minister of Greece (d.
1936
Events January–February
* January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House.
* January 28 – Death and state funer ...
)
*
September 14 –
Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, English politician, diplomat, recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
(d.
1958)
October–December

*
October 1 –
Emma Sheridan Fry, American actress and playwright (d.
1936
Events January–February
* January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House.
* January 28 – Death and state funer ...
)
*
October 3 –
Sentō Takenaka, Japanese admiral (d.
1919)
*
October 5 –
Louis Lumière, French inventor (d.
1948
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
)
*
October 8
Events Pre-1600
* 316 – Constantine I Battle of Cibalae, defeats Roman Emperor Licinius, who loses his European territories.
* 451 – The first session of the Council of Chalcedon begins.
* 876 – Frankish forces led by Louis ...
–
Kikunae Ikeda, Japanese chemist (d.
1936
Events January–February
* January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House.
* January 28 – Death and state funer ...
)
*
October 9 –
Reginald Dyer, British army officer, perpetrator of
Jallianwala Bagh massacre (d.
1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...
)
*
October 15 –
Lorenzo Lauri, Italian cardinal (d.
1941)
*
October 25 –
Alexander Gretchaninov, Russian composer (d.
1956
Events
January
* January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years.
* January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...
)
*
October 31 –
Cosmo Gordon Lang,
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
(d.
1945)
*
November 5 –
Jessie Ralph, American actress (d.
1944
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 2 – WWII:
** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...
)
*
November 1 –
Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (d.
1918
The ceasefire that effectively ended the World War I, First World War took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year. Also in this year, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50–100 million people wor ...
)
*
November 11
Events Pre-1600
* 308 – At Carnuntum, Emperor ''emeritus'' Diocletian confers with Galerius, '' Augustus'' of the East, and Maximianus, the recently returned former ''Augustus'' of the West, in an attempt to end the civil wars of th ...
–
Alfred Hermann Fried, Austrian writer, pacifist, recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
(d.
1921)
*
November 24 –
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, French painter (d.
1901)
*
November 26 –
Edward Higgins, third General of
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
(d.
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
)
*
November 27 –
Alfred Meyer-Waldeck, German admiral (d.
1928)
*
December 6
**
Alberico Albricci, Italian general (d.
1936
Events January–February
* January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House.
* January 28 – Death and state funer ...
)
**
William S. Hart, American film actor, director and writer (d.
1946
1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...
)
*
December 8 –
Camille Claudel, French sculptor (d.
1943
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured.
* January 4 � ...
)
*
December 9 –
Breaker Morant, Australian soldier (d.
1902)
*
December 12 –
Paul Elmer More, American critic, essayist (d.
1937)
*
December 14 –
Frank Campeau, American actor (d.
1943
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured.
* January 4 � ...
)
*
December 23 –
Princess Zorka of Montenegro (d.
1890
Events
January
* January 1 – The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony in the Horn of Africa.
* January 2 – Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer in the White House.
* January 11 – 1890 British Ultimatum: The Uni ...
)
*
December 25 –
Thomas Cahill, American soccer coach (d.
1951
Events
January
* January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950).
* January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...
)
*
December 27 –
Peyton C. March, U.S. Army general (d.
1955)
Date unknown
*
Ali Rikabi, 2-time prime minister of Jordan (d.
1943
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured.
* January 4 � ...
)
Deaths
January–June

*
January 13
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years.
* 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the ra ...
–
Stephen Foster, American song composer (b.
1826)
*
January 24
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
* 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
* 1438 – The Co ...
–
Vedanayagam Sastriar,
Tamil Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
hymnwriter
A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who is traditional ...
and
court poet in the palace of
Serfoji II, the last
Maratha King of Thanjavur (b.
1774)
*
January 27
Events Pre-1600
* 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor.
* 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to become monks by Constantine VII, who becomes sole emperor of the ...
–
Leo von Klenze, German neoclassicist architect, painter and writer (b.
1784)
*
February 7
Events Pre-1600
* 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor.
* 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II.
* 1301 & ...
–
Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, Serbian linguist, major reformer of the Serbian language (b.
1787)
*
February 22
Events Pre-1600
* 1076 – Having received a letter during the Lenten synod of 14–20 February demanding that he abdicate, Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
* 1316 – The Battle of Picotin, between Fer ...
–
James Sewall Reed, U.S. Army officer (in battle) (b.
1832)
*
February 25
Events Pre-1600
* 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
* 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
* ...
–
Anna Harrison,
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...
(b.
1775)
*
March 10
Events Pre-1600
* 241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end.
* 298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes ...
– King
Maximilian II of Bavaria (b.
1811)
*
March 28
Events Pre-1600
* AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate.
* 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Did ...
–
Princess Louise Charlotte of Denmark (b.
1789)
*
April 4
Events Pre-1600
* 503 BC – Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrates a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines.
* 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground.
* 611 &nd ...
–
Joseph Pitty Couthouy, American naval officer (b.
1808)
*
April 14
Events Pre-1600
* 43 BC – Legions loyal to the Roman Senate, commanded by Gaius Pansa, defeat the forces of Mark Antony in the Battle of Forum Gallorum.
* 69 – Vitellius, commanding Rhine-based armies, defeats Roman emperor ...
–
Charles Lot Church, Nova Scotia politician (b.
1777)
*
April 30 –
John B. Cocke, Confederate officer (in battle) (b. )
*
May 2 –
Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Meyer Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart and Richard Wa ...
, German composer (b.
1791)
*
May 5 –
Elizabeth Andrew Warren, Cornish botanist, marine
algolologist (b.
1786)
*
May 9
**
John Sedgwick, Union general, American Civil War (b.
1813)
**
Wilhelm Wolff, German political activist (b.
1809)
*
May 12
Events Pre-1600
* 254 – Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I, becoming the 23rd pope of the Catholic Church, and immediately takes a stand against Novatianism.
* 907 – Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the ...
–
J. E. B. Stuart, Confederate general (in battle) (b.
1833)
*
May 19 –
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne (né Hathorne; July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion.
He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associat ...
, American author (b.
1804
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Haiti gains independence from France, and becomes the first black republic.
* February 4 – The Sokoto Caliphate is founded in West Africa.
* February 14 – The First Serbian uprising begins th ...
)
*
May 20 –
John Clare,
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...
peasant poet (b.
1793
The French Republic introduced the French Revolutionary Calendar starting with the year I.
Events
January–June
* January 7 – The Ebel riot occurs in Sweden.
* January 9 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard becomes the first to ...
)
*
June 1
Events Pre-1600
* 1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed king of Castile and León.
* 1298 – Residents of Riga and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeat the Livonian Order in the Battle of Turaida.
* 1495 – A monk, John Cor, rec ...
–
Hong Xiuquan, Chinese rebel (b.
1814)
*
June 4 –
Matías Ramón Mella, Dominican general (b.
1816)
*
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 ...
–
Henryk Dembiński, Polish engineer (b.
1791)
*
June 14 –
Patrick Kelly, U.S. Army officer (in battle) (b. c.
1822
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.
* January 3 – The famous French explorer, Aimé Bonpland, is imprisoned in Paraguay on charges of espionage. ...
)
*
June 15 –
William E. Jones, Confederate general (in battle) (b.
1824
Events
January–March
* January 1 – John Stuart Mill begins publication of The Westminster Review. The first article is by William Johnson Fox
* January 8 – After much controversy, Michael Faraday is finally elected as a member of th ...
)
July–December

*
August 3 –
Jakob Walter, German
stonemason, common draftee (b.
1788)
*
August 4
Events Pre-1600
* 598 – Goguryeo–Sui War#Course of the war, Goguryeo-Sui War: In response to a Goguryeo (Korean) incursion into Liaoxi, Emperor Emperor Wen of Sui, Wéndi of Sui dynasty, Sui orders his youngest son, Yang Liang (assiste ...
–
David Hansemann, Prussian politician (b.
1790)
*
August 19 –
Trương Định
Trương Định (1820 – August 19, 1864), sometimes known as Trương Công Định, was a mandarin (bureaucrat), mandarin (scholar-official) in the Nguyễn dynasty of Vietnam under Emperor Tự Đức. He is best known for leading a gue ...
, Vietnamese leader (suicide) (b.
1820
Events
January–March
*January 1 – A constitutionalist military insurrection at Cádiz leads to the summoning of the Spanish Parliament to meet on March 7, becoming the nominal beginning of the "Trienio Liberal" in History of Spain (1 ...
)
*
August 31
Events Pre-1600
* 1056 – After a sudden illness a few days previously, Byzantine Empress Theodora dies childless, thus ending the Macedonian dynasty.
* 1057 – Abdication of Byzantine Emperor Michael VI Bringas after just one ye ...
–
Ferdinand Lassalle, Prussian-German philosopher, socialist and politician (b.
1825)
*
September 3 –
Emil Oskar Nobel, younger brother of
Alfred Nobel (killed in an explosion) (b.
1843
Events January–March
* January 3 – The '' Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms'' (海國圖志, ''Hǎiguó Túzhì'') compiled by Wei Yuan and others, the first significant Chinese work on the West, is published in China.
* J ...
)
*
October 1 –
Juan José Flores,
President of Ecuador
The president of Ecuador (), officially called the constitutional president of the Republic of Ecuador (), serves as the head of state and head of government of Ecuador. It is the highest political office in the country as the head of the exec ...
(b.
1800)
*
October 12 –
Roger Taney,
Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (b.
1777)
*
November 6 –
Tuanku Imam Bonjol, Indonesian religious and military leader (b.
1772)
*
November 20 –
Albert Newsam, American artist (born 1809)
*
November 30
**
John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...
, Confederate general (in battle) (b.
1825)
**
Patrick Cleburne
Major general, Major-General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne ( ; March 16, 1828November 30, 1864) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer in the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, West ...
, Confederate general (in battle) (b.
1828
Events
January–March
* January 4 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Jean-Baptiste de Villèle, Comte de Villèle, as Prime Minister of France.
* January 8 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organiz ...
)
**
States Rights Gist, Confederate general (in battle) (b.
1831)
*
December 1 –
William L. Dayton – United States Minister to France (b.
1807)
*
December 8 –
George Boole
George Boole ( ; 2 November 1815 – 8 December 1864) was a largely self-taught English mathematician, philosopher and logician, most of whose short career was spent as the first professor of mathematics at Queen's College, Cork in Ireland. H ...
, English mathematician, philosopher (b.
1815)
*
December 21 –
Archduke Louis of Austria (b.
1784)
*
December 23 –
James Bronterre O'Brien, British Chartist (b.
1804
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Haiti gains independence from France, and becomes the first black republic.
* February 4 – The Sokoto Caliphate is founded in West Africa.
* February 14 – The First Serbian uprising begins th ...
)
*
December 24 – Mary Baker (née Willcocks), aka
Princess Caraboo
Mary Baker (née Willcocks; 11 November 1792 (alleged), Witheridge, Devonshire, England – 24 December 1864, Bristol, England) was an English impostor. Posing as the fictional Princess Caraboo, Baker pretended to come from a far-off island kin ...
(b.
1791)
*
December 31 –
George M. Dallas, U.S. Senator,
11th Vice President of the United States
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...
(b.
1792
Events
January–March
* January 9 – The Treaty of Jassy ends the Russian Empire's war with the Ottoman Empire over Crimea.
* January 25 – The London Corresponding Society is founded.
* February 18 – Thomas Holcrof ...
)
Date unknown
*
Fu Shanxiang, Chinese scholar, Chancellor (b.
1833)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1864
Leap years in the Gregorian calendar