Law

Membership on the Supreme Court is increased from seven to nine.

Government

President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) recognizes the Republic of Texas on his last day in office, thereby preventing its admission as a slave territory.

Government

Martin Van Buren (1782-1862) is inaugurated as the 8th U.S. President and Richard M. Johnson (1780-1850) is inaugurated as the nation's 9th Vice President.

Government

New State: Michigan becomes the 26th state in the U.S.

Government

Presidents: Grover Cleveland (1837-1906), 22nd President of the U.S., is born in Caldwell, New Jersey.

War

Indian Wars: General Zachary Taylor tricks(1784-1850) Seminole leader Osceloa (c.1804-1838) and captures him.

Science

French mathematician Simeon Denis Poissson (1781-1840) develops the rules of probability by studying the incidence of death from mule kicks in the French army.

Inventions

Alfred Lewis Vail (1807-1859), Samuel Morse’s (1791-1872) assistant, develops the “Morse Code” of dots and dashes that will be used by telegraphers everywhere.

Inventions

John Deere (1804-1886) invents the steel-toothed plow.

Inventions

English schoolmaster, Rowland Hill (1744-1833) invents the postage stamp.

Education

Public Education: Horace Mann (1796-1959) becomes head of the newly formed Massachusetts State Board of Education. Edmund Dwight (1716-1755), a major industrialist, thinks a state board of education was so important to factory owners that he offered to supplement the state salary with extra money of his own.

Education

Higher Education: Education of Women: Women’s Colleges: Mount Holyoke Female Seminary is founded and is chartered in 1888(becomes the model for other colleges in the future years).

Education

Freidrich Froebel (1782-1852) establishes the first kindergarten in Germany.

Education

Higher Education: Education of Women: Women's Colleges: Mary Mason Lyon (1797-1849) opens Mt. Holyoke Seminary in Massachusetts, one of the first colleges for women.

Arts and Letters

Literature: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s (1804-1864) first work, "Twice-Told Tales" is published.

Ideas

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) publishes "The American Scholar."

Arthur, Ellen

Ellen Lewis Herndon (1837-1880), future wife of President Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886), is born August 30 in Culpepper Court House, Virginia.

Economics

Transportation: The first British liner made of iron—the Great Britain—is launched.

Economics

The economic Panic of 1837 is felt across the nation. Many people are out of work.

Daily Life

Victoria (1819-1901) becomes Queen of Great Britain. She is the first monarch to live in Buckingham Palace.

Daily Life

Magazines: Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1879), author of "Mary Had A Little Lamb," begins editing the popular women''s magazine, "Godey''s Lady''s Book."

Sports

The first boat race, sponsored by the Castle Garden Boat Club, is held in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Sports

Women in Sports: Donald Walker's book, "Exercise for Ladies," warns women against horseback riding, because it deforms the lower part of the body.

Religion

American Presbyterians are split into the “old” and the “new.”

Reform

Abolition Movement: The first Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women is held in New York.

Reform

Labor Movement: The Grimké sisters found the National Female Anti-Slavery Society, one of the first to admit women of color from the start.

Government

Slavery: John Calhoun (1782-1850), Senator from South Carolina, introduces resolutions in the Senate affirming the legality of slavery.

War

Afrikaner (Boer) forces fight and defeat the Zulu at the Battle of Blood River in South Africa.

Science

The Royal Irish Academy elects astronomer Caroline Herschel to membership.

Science

The idea that cells are the basic building blocks of all living things is advanced.

Inventions

A one-day, brass movement clock is invented that is both accurate and inexpensive, giving rise to the term “Yankee ingenuity.”

Inventions

America’s first microscope is built by Charles A. Spencer (1813-1881).

Technology

Samuel Morse (1791-1872) gives the first demonstration of the telegraph.

Education

Education of Women: William Holmes MdGuffey (1800-1873) supports more liberal education for women.

Education

French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798-1857) gives the discipline of sociology its name.

Arts and Letters

Literature: Author James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) publishes two novels criticizing American democracy; he is roundly criticized.

Arts and Letters

Literature: Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849) writes "Ligeia," often called the first work of American science fiction.

Arts and Letters

Literature: Charles Dickens (1812-1870) writes "Oliver Twist" and "Nicholas Nickleby."

Harrison, Anna

William Henry Harrison (1802-1838), son of William Henry and Anna Harrison, is born September 3.

Economics

Transportation: The British liner Great Western sails from England on her maiden voyage; she is the first to cross the Atlantic regularly.

Economics

Transportation: The British steamship Sirius crosses the Atlantic solely on steam power in 18 days, 10 hours.

Daily Life

Newspapers: The New York "Herald" is the first U.S. newspaper to employ European correspondents.

Daily Life

The coronation of Queen Victoria (1819-1901) takes place a year after she ascends the throne.

Popular Culture

Jenny Lynd (1820-1887), the "Swedish Nightingale," makes her debut.

Social Issues

Native Americans: Fifteen thousand Cherokee Indians remaining in Georgia are moved by federal troops 800 miles westward in what becomes known as "the Trail of Tears."

Reform

Women's Suffrage: Widows with school-age children are allowed to vote in school board elections in Kentucky.

Reform

Abolution Movement: Angelina Grimké becomes the first woman to ever address an American legislature, speaking on abolition in Massachusetts.

Law

Women's Firsts: Mississippi becomes the first state to give the right to own property to women, although they must have their husbands’ permission.

Politics

Third Parties: The first anti-slavery political party, the Liberty Party, runs James Birney (1792-1857) for president. He loses.

Government

The kingdom of Belgium is recognized by all countries of Europe.

War

The first Opium War between Britain and China begins.

Science

Ozone is discovered and named.

Inventions

The first electric clock is invented.

Inventions

The first bicycle is constructed by Scottish inventor Kirkpatrick Macmillan (1813-1878).

Technology

Louis Daguerre (1787-1851) takes the first photograph of the moon.

Technology

Telegraph inventor Samuel F.B. Morse (1791-1872) makes the first daguerreotype portraits to be produced in the U.S.

Education

The Lowell Institute in Boston is founded to provide free lectures by eminent scholars.

Education

A College of Dental Surgery opens in Baltimore.

Education

Teacher Education: The first public normal school (teachers' college) is founded in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Ideas

The unofficial headquarters of the Transcendentalist Club is Elizabeth Palmer Peabody’s (1804-1894) Boston bookshop.

Madison, Dolley

Dolley Madison (1768-1849) moves back to Montpelier to try farming.

Harrison, Anna

Carter Bassett Harrison (1812-1839), son of William Henry and Anna Harrison, dies August 12.

Lincoln, Mary

Mary Todd (1818-1882) goes to live with her sister, Elizabeth Edwards (Mrs. Ninian), in Springfield, Illinois; she meets Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) there at a dance.

Tyler, Julia

Julia Gardner Tyler (1820-1889) is the first President's wife to pose for a department store advertisement.

Pierce, Jane

Frank Robert Pierce (1839-1843), son of Franklin and Jane Pierce, is born August 27.

Economics

The manufacture of rubber is pioneered by Charles Goodyear (1800-1860).

Daily Life

Magazines: The Lowell mill girls begin publishing "The Lowell Offering," a monthly magazine of poetry, fiction, and essays that becomes internationally known.

Sports

Horse Racing: The first Grand National horse race is run in Britain.

Sports

Baseball: Abner Doubleday (1819-1893) lays out the first baseball field and the first game is played.

Politics

William Henry Harrison (1773-1841) is elected the 9th President of the U.S., and John Tyler (1790-1862) is elected as the 10th Vice President on the Whig ticket.

Government

Upper and lower Canada are united by an Act of Parliament.

Government

Stamps: The first postage stamps appear in Britain, bearing Queen Victoria's (1837-1901) profile. The tiny stamps (3/4 by 7/8 inches) are printed using only black ink. Brazil is the second nation to have postage stamps.

Science

Louis Agassiz (1807-1873) publishes a work on the movements and effects of glaciers.

Science

The fundamentals of artificial fertilizer are discovered.

Science

James Joule (1818-1889) develops the idea that energy can be converted from one state to another, but cannot be destroyed.

Medicine

The American Society of Dental Surgeons is organized in New York City.

Inventions

Englishman John Herschel (1792-1871) invents the blueprint.

Education

Public Education: Irish Catholics in New York City struggle for local neighborhood control of schools as a way of preventing their children from being force-fed a Protestant curriculum.

Education

Women’s Colleges: St. Mary-of-the-Woods College is founded in Indiana as the first of many women's institutions that are established by Catholic Sisters and is chartered in 1846.

Ideas

Margaret Fuller (1810-1850) becomes editor of "The Dial," an influential transcentalist publication.

Harrison, Anna

Benjamin Harrison (1806-1840), son of William Henry and Anna Harrison, is born.

Adams, Abigail

"Selected letters" by Abigail Adams (1744-1818) on social, political, and other matters are published.

Economics

Transportation: Railroad History: There are 2,816 miles of railroad in operation in the U.S.

Economics

Transportation: The Cunard steamship line is established, the first with scheduled transatlantic sailings.

Economics

Population: The sixth national census shows a population of more than 17 million; 600,000 immigrants have arrived since 1830, 207,281 from Ireland.

Daily Life

Women''s Firsts: Elizabeth Peabody (1804-1894) becomes the first woman publisher in Boston and the U.S.

Daily Life

History of Toys: The first American dollmaker is granted a patent and dolls begin to be mass-produced in America for the first time.

Sports

The game of bowling (called nine pins) becomes popular in the U.S.

Popular Culture

The expression, "O.K." is first used; it refers to “Old Kinderhook,” birthplace of Martin Van Buren (1782-1862), and is also the name of a Democratic Club in New York City.

Popular Culture

The ritual of afternoon tea is introduced in Britain by Anna, the Duchess of Bedford (1788-1861).

Popular Culture

James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) writes "The Pathfinder."

Social Issues

Native Americans: An increasing flow of emigrants to Oregon and California bring cholera, smallpox, and measles to the Indians as well as accelerated buffalo hunting for the fur trade.

Social Issues

Immigration: Over a million Irish immigrants arrive in the United States, driven out of their homes in Ireland by the potato famine.

Social Issues

Slavery: Slaves on the Spanish ship Amistad mutiny and sale the ship into a Connecticut harbor.

Reform

Abolition Movement: Lydia Maria Child (1802-1880) and her husband, David Lee Child (1794-1874), edit the Anti-Slavery Standard until 1844.

Reform

Labor Movement: The 10-hour day is established for federal employees by a Presidential order.

Reform

Abolition Movement: Women's Rights Movement: William Lloyd Garrison refuses to speak at the World’s Anti-Slavery Convention in London because women have been excluded from the meeting.

Reform

Abolution Movement: Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton are chosen as delegates to the World’s Anti-Slavery Convention in London.

Law

Slavery: Affirming a strong argument made by John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), the Supreme Court rules that the slaves who took over the Amistad may be freed. Thirty-five freed men return to Africa.

Government

President William Henry Harrison (1773-1841) dies in office and is replaced by Vice-President John Tyler (1790-1852) as the 10th U.S. president; no new Vice President is selected.

Government

Tyler’s cabinet resigns over his veto of a bill creating a national bank; Daniel Webster remains Secretary of State.

Government

New Zealand becomes a British crown colony.

War

Mexican Wars: Texas soldiers invade New Mexico and claim all land east of the Rio Grande. Their efforts are thwarted by Governor Manuel Armijo (1793-1853).

Medicine

James Braid (1795-1860), Scottish surgeon, investigates the use of hypnosis.

Inventions

Adolphe Sax (1814-1894) invents the saxophone.

Inventions

Cornstarch is patented by Orlando Jones.

Inventions

Samuel Slocum (1792- 1861) patents the stapler.

Technology

The first U.S. steam fire engine is tested in New York City.

Education

Children''s Books: Harriet Martineau (1802-1876) publishes a collection of children’s stories, "The Playfellow."

Education

Education of Women: Oberlin College in Ohio is the first to grant college degrees to women.

Education

New England transcendentalists found the commune and school, Brook Farm.

Education

Education of Women: Catherine Beecher (1800-1878) publishes "A Treatise on Domestic Economy."

Education

Children’s Books: Unlike the early nineteenth-century Rousseauesque castaways, Victorian versions of the Crusoe story stressed adventure, manliness, and self-help. Well-known examples include Captain Marryat's reassuringly Evangelical Masterman Ready.

Education

Children’s Books: Frederick Marryatt (1792-1848), an ex-naval officer who wrote a whole series of shipboard novels. His Masterman Ready, or the Wreck of the Pacific, first published in three volumes in 1841-42.

Ideas

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) writes "Self Reliance."

Madison, Dolley

Dolley Madison (1764-1849) returns to Washington, DC.

Pierce, Jane

Benjamin Pierce (1841-1853), son of Franklin and Jane Pierce, is born April 13.

Harrison, Anna

Anna Symmes Harrison (1775-1864) is the first President's wife to never get to see or live in the White House because her husband, William Henry Harrison, died before she could join him there. President Harrison delivered the longest inaugural address (105 minutes) on a very cold winter day and contracted pneumonia.

Tyler, Letitia

Letitia Christian Tyler (1790-1842) is the First Vice President's wife to become First Lady at the death of the former president.

Daily Life

Newspapers: The "New York Tribune" begins publishing, edited by Horace Greeley.

Popular Culture

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) publishes the first detective story, "Murders in the Rue Morgue."

Popular Culture

James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) writes "The Deerslayer."

Popular Culture

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) writes "The Old Curiosity Shop."

Social Issues

Slavery: Texas gives its citizens the right and responsibility to apprehend runaway slaves and turn them over to the law so that they may be returned to their owners or sold at auction.

Social Issues

Slavery: Slaves aboard the U.S.S. Creole take over the ship and sail it to Nassau, where they become free.

Government

The border between the U.S. and Canada is established from Maine to the Great Lakes.

Government

American author Washington Irving (1783-1859) is appointed ambassador to Spain.

Government

Stamps: The first adhesive postage stamps are used in the U.S.

War

Indian Wars: After destroying the Seminoles’ crops and villages, U.S. troops force a peace treaty and move them to Indian Territory in eastern Oklahoma.

Science

The Doppler Effect is described by Christian Doppler (1803-1853).

Medicine

The first surgery using an anesthetic—ether—is performed by Dr. Crawford Long (1815-1878) of Georgia.

Inventions

Joseph Dart builds the first grain elevator.

Education

Women's Colleges: Augusta Female Seminary—later Mary Baldwin Seminary, then College) is founded by Presbyterians in Staunton, VA; it will become one of the best-known early 19th century schools for girls.

Arts and Letters

The New York Philharmonic Orchestra gives its first performance.

Ideas

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) becomes editor of "The Dial," an influential transcendentalist publication.

Tyler, Letitia

Letitia Christian Tyler (1790-1842) dies of a second stroke in the White House on September 10. She is the first First Lady to die during her husband's presidency.

Mary Todd (1818-1882) and Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) are married on November 4 at her sister Elizabeth’s house in Springfield.

Harrison, Anna

Mary Symmes Harrison Thornton (1809-1842), daughter of William Henry and Anna Harrison, dies November 16.

Discovery

John Charles Fremont (1813-1890) maps the Oregon Trail and wagon trains begin to move west.

Daily Life

Disasters: Mount St. Helens in Washington state erupts.

Sports

Horse Racing: Horse races at the Union Course on Long Island attract thousands of fans.

Popular Culture

P.T. Barnum (1810-1891)exhibits the young midget, Tom Thumb (Charles Sherwood Stratton, c. 1850).

Reform

Labor Movement: The landmark Supreme Court decision, Commonwealth v. Hunt, rules that trade union are not illegal, the striking for a closed shop is legal, and that unions cannot be held responsible for illegal actions by individuals.

Politics

Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) enters politics as a delegate to the Democratic State Convention in Alabama.

Government

Diplomatic representatives are sent to Hawaii by the U.S.

Government

Presidents: William McKinley (1843-1901), 25th President of the U.S. is born in Niles, Ohio.

Government

The first town meeting is held in Boston at Faneuil Hall.

Inventions

A U.S. patent for a hand-cranked ice cream freezer is granted to Nancy M. Johnson.

Inventions

Alexander Bain (1818-1903) of Scotland invents the facsimile.

Technology

Airplanes: William Samuel Henson, England, proposes the Aerial Steam Carriage in "Mechanics Magazine," the first known design for a propeller-driven fixed-wing aircraft.

Arts and Letters

Poetry: Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) writes "Morte d’Arthur" and "Locksley Hall."

Ideas

Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) lays the foundations for existentialism by stressing the primacy of the individualand the inevitability of suffering.

Ideas

Women''s Rights Movement: Margaret Fuller (1810-1850) writes “The Great Lawsuit: Man versus Men, Woman versus Women.”

Lincoln, Mary

Mary Todd (1818-1882) and Abraham Lincoln’s(1809-1865) son Robert Todd (1843-1926) is born August 1 in Springfield, in the Globe Tavern, where the Lincolns lived for a time after their marriage.

Pierce, Jane

Frank Robert Pierce (1839-1843), son of Franklin and Jane Pierce, dies November 14 of typhoid fever; Franklin Pierce begins to wonder if God is taking his children.

Economics

Samuel Morse (1791-1872) starts to build a telegraph line between Baltimore and Washington, DC.

Discovery

John Charles Fremont (1813-1890) crosses the Rocky Mountains into California.

Daily Life

Fashion: A new form of female dress--bloomers--is introduced by Amelia Bloomer (1818 - 1894).

Daily Life

The first use of the word “millionaire” occurs in newspapers.

Daily Life

The History of Toys: The Mansion of Happiness is developed by S.B. Ives in Salem, Massachusetts. It becomes the first board game sold in the United States.

Sports

Skiing begins as a sport in Norway.

Sports

Rowing is introduced at Harvard.

Popular Culture

American Theathre: The first minstrel show is performed in New York City.

Popular Culture

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) publishes "A Christmas Carol."

Religion

The Jewish organization B’nai B’rith is founded.

Religion

Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) becomes a traveling evangelical preacher.

Reform

Labor Movement: The Lowell Female Labor Reform Association wins the first investigation of labor conditions by a government agency.

Reform

Mental Health Movement: Dorothea Dix (1802-1887) pushes reforms in the way mental health patients are treated through the Massachusetts legislature.

Politics

James Knox Polk (1795-1849) is elected as the 11th President of the U.S., and George Dallas (1792-1864) is elected as the nation's 11th Vice President.

Government

The first treaty of peace, amity, and commerce is signed by the U.S. with China.

Government

A plan to annex Texas is rejected by the Senate.

War

A gun on the new frigate Princeton, being demonstrated by the U.S. Navy, explodes, killing the Secretaries of State and the Navy, as well as other government officials.

Medicine

Nitrous oxide is first used in dentistry.

Inventions

Paper made from wood pulp is invented by Friedrich Keller.

Inventions

Englishman John Mercer (1829- 1897) invents mercerized cotton.

Technology

Charles Goodyear (1800-1860) receives a patent for rubber vulcanization.

Technology

Samuel F.B. Morse (1791-1872) sends his first telegraph message to an associate 45 miles away: the message is, “What hath God wrought?”

Arts and Letters

Literature: Alexander Dumas (1802-1870) writes "The Three Musketeers."

Ideas

Karl Marx (1818-1883) writes of religion as “the sigh of the oppressed creature, the feelings of a heartless world…the opium of the people.”

Madison, Dolley

Dolley Madison (1768-1849) sells Montpelier and is the first First Lady to be granted a permanent seat on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Lincoln, Mary

Mary Todd (1818-1882) and Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) buy a home from the Episcopal minister who had married them. This will prove to be the only home the couple ever own.

Tyler, Julia

Julia Gardner (1820-1889) is the first woman to marry an American President while he was in office.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Webb's (1831-1889) mother, Maria Webb, moves her family to Delaware, Ohio, so that her sons, Joseph and James, can enroll in the newly formed Methodist college, Ohio Wesleyan University.

Economics

Morse’s (1791-1872) telegraph is used for the first time between Baltimore and Washington, DC.

Daily Life

The first private bath in an American hotel is built in the New York Hotel.

Sports

Cricket: The first official international cricket match is played: Canada vs. United States.

Religion

Brigham Young (1801-1877) is chosen to replace Joseph Smith (1805-1844) as leader of the Mormons.

Religion

The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) is founded in England.

Reform

Anti-Child Labor Movement: The Factory Act in England prohibits children under 13 from working more than 6 ½ hours a day.

Government

Congress establishes the first week in November for election day; the harvest is over but the roads are still passable.

Government

The U.S. Senate overrides a presidential veto for the first time.

Government

New State: Florida becomes the 27th state in the Union.

Government

New State: Texas becomes the 28th state in the Union.

Government

James Knox Polk (1795-1849) is inaugurated as the 11th President of the U.S., and George Dallas (1792-1864) is inaugurated as the nation's 11th Vice President.

Inventions

American Elias Howe (1819-1867) invents a sewing machine.

Inventions

Sarah Mather receives a patent for a submarine telescope.

Inventions

Rubber bands are invented.

Inventions

The first pneumatic tires are patented in England.

Technology

Airplanes: William Samuel Henson and John Stringfellow (1799-1883) attempt to form the Aerial Transit Company, which (if only they had a practical airplane), would have been the world's first airline. To drum up support, they build and test a model of Henson's aerial carriage with a 20-foot wingspan. It makes brief glides, but does not sustain flight.

Education

The first written examinations in elementary schools begin in Boston.

Education

Higher Education: The U.S. Naval Academy opens at Annapolis, MD.

Arts and Letters

Poetry: Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) publishes his poem, “The Raven” with the famous line, “Quoth the Raven, Nevermore.”

Ideas

Catherine Beecher writes An Essay on Slavery and Abolitionism with Reference to the Duty of American Women to Their Country

Ideas

Margaret Fuller publishes Women in the Nineteenth Century, an expansion of her earlier essay calling for equality for women.

Harrison, Anna

Anna Tuthill Harrison Taylor (1813-1845), daughter of William Henry and Anna Harrison, dies July 5.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Webb (1831-1889) attends classes at Ohio Wesleyan and receives some credits from the College, although female students are not officially enrolled there.

Polk, Sarah

Sarah Childress Polk (1803-1891) is the first First Lady to be "selected" by the previous President for her position (President Tyler told newly elected James Polk that he needed to get married and should marry Sarah). As a result of this selection, Sarah is the first First Lady to serve as her husband's personal secretary.

Jackson, Rachel

Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), 7th President of the U.S., dies at the Hermitage in Nashville, Tennessee.

Economics

Power looms for weaving carpets and tapestries are built by Erastus Bigelow (1814-1879).

Daily Life

The Eastern Hotel in Boston becomes the first steam-heated building in the U.S.

Daily Life

Magazines: "Scientific American Magazine" begins publication.

Religion

Children’s Books: "Letter to My Young Cousin" by American Sunday school Union. This is a book of religious advice on behavior in the family, written as from one teenage girl to another.

Social Issues

Immigration: The potato crop fails in Europe, hitting Ireland especially hard; Irish immigrants continue to flock to the U.S.

Reform

Labor Movement: The Industrial Congress of the U.S., one of the earliest labor unions, is organized.

Government

New State: Iowa becomes the 29th state in the U.S.

War

Mexican War: The U.S. declares war on Mexico over California. U.S. forces under General Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) defeat the Mexicans at Palo Alto, the Navy occupies Monterey, and the territory of New Mexico is annexed to the U.S.

Science

Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) is awarded the King of Prussia’s Gold Medal for science.

Science

The planet Neptune is discovered by German astronomer Johann Gottfied Galle.

Medicine

Dr. William Morton (1819-1868), a Massachusetts dentist, is the first to use anesthesia for tooth extraction.

Inventions

Elias Howe (1819-1867) receives a patent for his sewing machine.

Education

The Smithsonian Institution is established in Washington, DC as a center for scientific research.

Education

Education of Women: The National Academy of Design accepts women students.

Ideas

Catherine Beecher (1800-1878) publishes "The Evils Suffered by American Women and American Children."

Lincoln, Mary

With Mary’s (1818-1882) encouragement, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Lincoln, Mary

Edward Baker (1846-1850), son of Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln, born on March 10 in Springfield.

Harrison, Anna

Elizabeth "Betsey" Bassett Harrison Short (1796-1846), the oldest daughter of William Henry and Anna Harrison, is born September 29.

Harrison, Anna

Elizabeth "Betsey" Bassett Harrison Short (1796-1846), the oldest daughter of William Henry and Anna Harrison, dies September 26.

Tyler, Julia

David Gardiner "Gardie" Tyler (1846-1927), the first son born to John Tyler and his second wife Julia, is born on July 12.

Daily Life

Women''s Firsts: Sarah Bagley (1806-1848) becomes the first woman telegrapher in the U.S.

Daily Life

The first painted Christmas card is designed.

Sports

Baseball: New York surveyor Alexander Cartwrite codifies the rules of baseball.

Sports

Baseball: The first recorded baseball game is played in Hoboken, NJ.

Popular Culture

Edward Lear (1812-1888) publishes his "Book of Nonsense."

Religion

The Mormons under Brigham Young (1801-1877) move westward beyond the U.S. borders to the Great Salt Lake.

Religion

The American Missionary Association is founded, combining Protestant evangelicalism with abolitionism.

Social Issues

Slavery: During the Mexican-American War, Mexico is defeated and forced to yield an enormous amount of territory to the United States. Americans then wrestle with a controversial topic: Should slavery be permitted in the new lands?

Reform

Capital Punishment: Michigan becomes the first state to outlaw capital punishment.

Government

California comes under U.S. control.

Government

Liberia, colonized by American ex-slaves, becomes the first independent republic in Africa.

Government

Stamps: United States stamps debut. The first two feature George Washington (1732-1799) and Ben Franklin (1706-1790).

Science

Maria Mitchell (1818-1889) discovers a new comet which is named after her.

Science

Joseph Leidy (1823-1891) suggests that the environment affects changes (evolution) within a species.

Medicine

Childbirth assisted by anesthetic (chloroform) first takes place.

Medicine

The American Medical Association is organized in Philadelphia.

Medicine

Antiseptics are developed by Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865), a Hungarian.

Medicine

Epidemics: Another world-wide epidemic of influenza occurs.

Inventions

The ophthalmoscope is invented by Charles Babbage (1791-1871) .

Education

Women's Colleges: Rockford Female Seminary (later College) is founded in Rockford, IL; it is called the “Mount Holyoke of the West.”

Arts and Letters

Literature: Emily Bronte (1818-1848) writes "Wuthering Heights" and Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855) writes "Jane Eyre."

Fillmore, Abigail

The Fillmore (1800-1874) family moves to Albany when Fillmore is elected state comptroller; the children are away at boarding school and college.

Mckinley, Ida

Ida Saxon (1847-1907), future wife of President William McKinley (1843–1901), is born in Canton, Ohio on June 8.

Tyler, Letitia

Alice Tyler Denison (1847-1854), daughter of John and Letitia Tyler, is born March 23.

Economics

Evaporated milk is made for the first time.

Daily Life

Disasters: Forty-seven of the eighty-seven members of the Donner Party die while trapped in the Sierra Mountains.

Daily Life

The California town of Yerba Buena is renamed San Francisco.

Daily Life

Newspapers: The telegraph is used to transfer stories over great distances, thus making news more immediate.

Religion

The Mormons found Salt Lake City, Utah.

Social Issues

Immigration: The first Chinese immigrants arrive in the U.S.

Social Issues

Immigration: Irish immigration reaches 105,000, 3 times more than the year before.

Social Issues

Native Americans: Taos Rebellion against the U.S. military occurs.

Reform

Abolition Movement: Frederick Douglass (1817-1895) , escaped ex-slave, begins publishing his abolitionist newspaper, the North Star.

Reform

Anti-Child Labor Movement: Women and children in Britain may only work a 10-hour day.

Politics

Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) is elected 12th President of the U.S. on the Whig ticket; Millard Fillmore is elected as the 12th Vice President.

Politics

Third Parties: Former Democratic President Martin van Buren (1782-1862) becomes the presidential candidate of the anti-slavery Free-Soil Party. He wins 10 percent of the popular vote, and is credited with siphoning off enough votes from Democratic candidate Lewis Cass (1782-1866 ) to help Whig candidate Zachary Taylor (1784- 1850) win the election.

Government

New State: Wisconsin becomes the 30th state in the U.S.

War

Mexican Wars: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the war with Mexico, the U.S. receives New Mexico and California as well as parts of Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Colorado for $15 million.

Science

Maria Mitchell (1818-1889) becomes the first woman to be elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Science

Hyperion, the eighth moon of Saturn, is discovered.

Medicine

Epidemics: More than 5,000 deaths are caused by a cholera epidemic in New York City.

Inventions

Waldo Hanchett patents the dental chair.

Inventions

Margaret (Mattie) Knight (1838-1914) (10) invents a stop-motion device to keep shuttles from sliding out of the looms and injuring workers.

Inventions

Chewing gum is invented by John B. Curtis (1827–1897) of Maine.

Education

Education of Women: A medical school for women opens with 12 students in Boston.

Education

Public Education: Massachusetts Reform School at Westboro opens, where children who have refused to attend public schools are sent. This begins a long tradition of "reform schools," which combine the education and juvenile justice systems.

Education

Public Education: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo guarantees citizenship rights to everyone living in new American areas, mostly Mexicans and Native people. It also guarantees the continued use of the Spanish language, including in education. One hundred fifty years later, in 1998, California breaks that treaty, by passing Proposition 227, which would make it illegal for teachers to speak Spanish in public schools.

Education

Libraries: Boston Public Library becomes the first publicly supported major urban library.

Education

Women’s Colleges: Moore College of Art is founded in Philadelphia (then called the Philadelphia School of Design for Women); it is the first and only women's visual arts college in the nation--and one of only two in the world.

Ideas

Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) publish "The Communist Manifesto."

Tyler, Julia

John Alexander "Alex" Tyler (1848-1883), son of John Tyler and his second wife Julia, is born on April 7.

Tyler, Letitia

Mary Tyler Jones (1815-1848), the first daughter born to John and Letitia Christian Tyler, dies June 17.

Taylor, Margaret

Margaret Smith Taylor (1788-1852) is the only First Lady whose portrait does not hang in the White House. She refused to ever have it made.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Webb (1831-1889) meets Rutherford B. Hayes for the first time when he is visiting her town with his mother. She begins college at the Cincinnati Wesleyan Female College this year as well.

Adams, Louisa

John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), son of Abigail and John Adams, dies of a massive stroke on February 23.

Economics

Gold is first discovered in California, in Sutter's mill. After President Polk (1795-1849) announces the news in December, the gold rush begins soon after.

Daily Life

Niagara Falls stops flowing for the first time in history because of an ice jam in the Niagara River.

Popular Culture

Stephen Foster (1826-1864) writes “Oh, Susannah,” which becomes popular among the “49ers” and establishes his reputation as a song writer.

Religion

Spiritualism becomes popular in the U.S.

Social Issues

Native Americans: The California Gold Rush begins, increasing Western expansion across former Native American lands.

Reform

Women's Rights Movement: The National Convention of Colored Freedmen held in Cleveland, Ohio resolves that women should be elected delegates on an equal basis with men.

Reform

Women's Rights Movement: The first Women’s Rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, NY.

Government

Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) is inaugurated as the 12th President of the U.S. and Millard Fillmore is inaugurated as the 12th Vice President.

Government

Thomas Ewing (1829-1896) of Ohio is appointed as the first Secretary of the Interior, a department created to meet the needs of western settlers.

Government

Congress establishes the Minnesota territory.

Science

Jeffries Wyman (1814-1874) describes the similarities between the skeletons of apes and humans.

Medicine

Women's Firsts: Female doctors are permitted to practice medicine for the first time in the U.S., and Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) becomes the first woman physician in the U.S.

Inventions

The safety pin is invented by Walter Hunt (1796-1859) , trying to satisfy a $15 debt; he spends 3 hours bending wire into various forms.

Inventions

Mary Ann Woodward patents a fan that attaches to a rocking chair.

Technology

Airplanes: Sir George Cayley (1773-1857), builds a small glider designed to lift about 80 pounds of the ground. He refers to it as his Boy Glider. It is the first recorded manned (or boyed) fixed-wing aircraft. It lifts a 10-year old boy off the ground for a few yards on test runs. Cayley also flew it in a high wind like a kite, tethered to the ground.

Education

Children’s Books: Anna Maria Hall (1800-1881) is one of the most prolific Victorian writers for children, best known for such moral tales as "Grandmamma's Pockets."

Education

The Free Academy in New York City opens; it will become the College of the City of New York and offer free education to the children of New York’s working class.

Madison, Dolley

Dolley Madison (1768-1849) dies on July 12 at the age of 81.

Polk, Sarah

James K. Polk (1795-1849) is the first President to be photographed while in office; he dies on June 15 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Fillmore, Abigail

The family moves to Washington.

Lincoln, Mary

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) applies for a patent on a floating dry dock; he is the only U.S. President to do so.

Harrison, Caroline

Caroline Harrison (1832-1892) meets Benjamin Harrison (1831-1901) , a student of her father’s in Cincinnati.

Tyler, Julia

Julia Tyler Spencer (1849-1871), daughter of John Tyler and his second wife Julia, is born on December 25.

Economics

Seven thousand “49ers” invade California in a search for gold.

Economics

Transportation: Railroad History: The Pacific Railroad Company is chartered, the first railroad west of the Mississippi River.

Economics

Women''s Rights Movement: Amelia Bloomer (1818 - 1894) begins publishing "The Lily," moving it to Ohio in 1853 and employing female typesetters in spite of a strike by males on the staff.

Sports

The Pearl of Bermuda beats the U.S. yacht Brenda in the first recognized international yacht race.

Social Issues

Native Americans: The giant redwood trees in California are named Sequoias in honor of the Cherokee Indian Chief, Sequoya (c.1770-1843).

Social Issues

Slavery: California holds a convention, adopting a constitution that forbids slavery and requests admission to the Union.

Social Issues

Immigration: The California Gold Rush sparks first mass immigration from China.

Reform

Abolition Movement: Maryland slave Harriet Tubman (c.1820-1913) escapes to the North with some help from her friends.

Government

Slavery: The Compromise of 1850 is passed after bitter debates about slavery in new territories and states.

Government

Vice President Millard Fillmore (1800-1847) becomes the 13th President of the U.S. on the death of Zachary Taylor. No new Vice President is selected.

Government

New State: California becomes the 31st state in the U.S.

Government

The city of Los Angeles is incorporated.

Government

New Mexico (which included present day Arizona, southern Colorado, southern Utah, and southern Nevada) is designated a territory, but denied statehood.

Science

The inner-most ring of Saturn is discovered.

Inventions

The continuous stitch sewing machine is invented by Isaac Singer (1811-1875).

Inventions

Joel Houghton is granted the first dishwasher patent in 1850.

Technology

Newspapers: Powerful, giant presses appear, and they are able to print ten thousand complete papers per hour.

Technology

The first clear photograph of the moon is made (a daguerreotype).

Education

Children’s Books: "Three Little Kittens" and other stories from Mama Lovechild''s Series were issued by the American toy and game publisher, McLoughlin Brothers.

Education

Education of Women: The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania is founded.

Education

Public Education: One of the first “free,” or public, schools in New Jersey is founded by Clara Barton (1821-1912).

Arts and Letters

Poetry: Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) writes "Sonnets from the Portuguese."

Arts and Letters

Literature: Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) writes "The Scarlet Letter."

Lincoln, Mary

Edward Baker Lincoln (1846-1850), son of Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln, dies of tuberculosis at age 3, on February 1.

Lincoln, Mary

William Wallace Lincoln (1850-1862), son of Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln, is born on December 21.

Taylor, Margaret

President Zachary Taylor (1784-1850), 12th President of the U.S., dies of indigestion on July 9 in Washington D.C. after less than a year-and-a-half in office on .

Fillmore, Abigail

The first library in the White House is established by Abigail Fillmore (1798-1853); She used her furniture money to buy the books. In addition to the library, she also had the first White House bathtub installed and replaced the fireplace used for cooking with the first White House cookstove.

Grant, Julia

Fredrick Dent Grant (1850-1912), son of Ulysses and Julia Grant, is born May 30.

Tyler, Letitia

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Tyler Waller (1823-1850), daughter of John and Letitia Tyler, dies June 1 from childbirth complications.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Webb Hayes (1831-1889) is the first First Lady to earn a college degree from Cincinnati Wesleyan.

Monroe, Elizabeth

Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur (1803-1850) President James Monroe and Elizabeth Monroe, dies at the age of 47.

Economics

Young Bavarian-American Levi Strauss (1829-1902) invents blue jeans.

Economics

Population: The population of the U.S. is 23 million (3.2 million black slaves).

Daily Life

Fashion: Crinolines become popular in the U.S., later to be replaced by hoop skirts.

Daily Life

Newspapers: The first "pictorial" weekly newspapers emerge; for the first time they feature extensive illustrations of news events.

Popular Culture

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) publishes "David Copperfield."

Popular Culture

P.T. Barnum (1810-1891) brings Jenny Lind (1820-1887) to sing in the U.S.

Popular Culture

Steven Foster (1826-1864) writes “Camptown Races.”

Social Issues

Native Americans: Silversmithing is introduced to the Navajo Indians, who make it an art form.

Social Issues

Slavery: The Compromise of 1850 includes the Fugitive Slave Act, a law designed to assist in the recovery of runaway slaves by increasing federal officers and denying fugitive slaves a right to a jury trial.

Reform

Women's Rights Movement: Women gain the right to own land in Oregon.

Reform

Abolition Movement: Harriet Tubman (c.1820-1913) begins to lead slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. She makes 19 trips back to the South to free about 300 slaves.

Government

American Money: Three-cent coins are authorized by Congress.

Government

National Capital: The dome on top of the Capitol Building is designed.

Science

Understanding of the rotation of the earth is advanced.

Medicine

Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) sets up a small medical clinic in a New York City tenement district.

Medicine

The use of glass eyes is introduced; many think they will restore sight.

Education

Libraries: The first law allowing towns to support free libraries through taxes is passed in Massachusetts.

Education

Teacher Education: White American education pioneer Myrrilla Miner opens a teaching college for black women in Washington, DC, the Miner Normal School, amid threats, arson attempts, and stone-throwing mobs.

Education

Libraries: Fire at the Library of Congress burns two-thirds of its collection, 900 of which have still to be replaced.

Education

Public Education: State of Massachusetts passes its first compulsory education law. The goal is to make sure that the children of poor immigrants get "civilized" and learn obedience and restraint, so they make good workers and don't contribute to social upheaval.

Arts and Letters

Opera: Giuseppe Verdi’s (1813-1901) opera "Rigoletto" is first performed in Venice.

Arts and Letters

Literature: Herman Melville (1819-1891) publishes "Moby Dick."

Tyler, Julia

Lachlan Tyler (1851-1902), son of John Tyler and his second wife Julia, is born December 2.

Hayes, Lucy

Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1881) asks Lucy Webb (1831-1889) to marry him; she accepts.

Daily Life

Newspapers: The "New York Times" begins publishing.

Daily Life

The first double-decker omnibus, drawn by horses, appears in England.

Daily Life

Fashion: Amelia Jenks Bloomer (1818-1894) gives her name to “bloomers,” a split skirt designed by Elizabeth Smith Miller (1822-1911) for bicycle riding.

Sports

In the America’s Cup race, the U.S. yacht America beats the British yacht Aurora on Cowes, England.

Sports

Baseball: The first baseball uniforms are worn by the New York Knickerbockers—straw hats, white shirts, and blue trousers.

Popular Culture

Stephen Foster (1826-1864) publishes “Old Folks at Home.”

Popular Culture

Children’s Books: The American abolitionist novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1812-1896) was pirated and abridged to become a children's classic. Although the book presents both African-American and white characters through melodrama and stereotype, the novel has received increasing critical reappraisal in recent years.

Religion

The first Young Men’s Christian Association (WMCA) opens in Boston.

Social Issues

Native Americans: The Sioux Indians give their Iowa lands, and most of their lands in Minnesota to the U.S.

Reform

Temperance Movement: Prohibition against liquor is begun in Maine and Illinois.

Reform

Native Americans: Bishop Jean Baptiste Lamy (1818-1888) arrives in New Mexico and establishes schools, hospitals and orphanages throughout the territory.

Reform

Women's Rights Movement: Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) gives her famous "Ain't I a Woman" speech at the Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.

Reform

Harriet Beecher Stow publishes the first installment of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in an abolitionist weekly. After 40 more installments, it is published as a book in 1852.

Politics

Democrat Franklin Pierce (1804-1869) is elected as the 14th President of the U.S., defeating the Whig candidate, General Winfield Scott; William R. King (1786-1853) is elected as the 13th Vice President. The Whig party ceases to be a power.

Government

Napoleon III (1808-1873) becomes the Emperor of France.

Government

The South African Republic (Transvaal) is established.

Government

Stamps: The first pre-stamped envelopes are sold. Pre-stamped postcards (for a penny) appear 19 years later.

Science

Kerosene is discovered and named.

Medicine

A Dutch army surgeon creates the first cast for broken bones by injecting bandages with plaster.

Inventions

Elisha Gray (1835-1901) invents a safety device to prevent the fall of heavy machinery; his invention makes the development of the elevator possible.

Inventions

James Otis (died 1861) designs a passenger elevator.

Inventions

The non-rigid airship is invented by Henri Giffard.

Education

Education of Women: Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) publishes "The Laws of Life, with Special Reference to the Physical Education of Girls."

Education

Women's Colleges: The National Women’s Education Association is founded by Catherine Beecher (1800-1878) to provide help for women’s colleges, and promote the idea of women as teachers.

Education

The first effective school attendance law is passed in Massachusetts; it requires at least 12 weeks attendance for all children between 8 and 14, six of which must be consecutive.

Education

Libraries: The Boston Public Library is founded.

Education

Women’s Colleges: Mills College is founded in California; it is the oldest women's college in the western part of the United States.

Grant, Julia

Ulysses Simpson "Buck" Grant Jr. (1852-1929), son of Ulysses and Julia Grant, is born July 22.

Johnson, Eliza

Andrew Johnson Jr. (1852-1879), son of Andrew and Eliza Johnson, is born August 6.

Madison, Dolley

John Payne Todd (1792-1852), the biological son of Dolley Madison and the stepson of President James Madison, dies of typhoid fever. John''s life choices, made him a charlatan and constant disgrace to his parents.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Webb (1831-1889) and Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1881) are married on December 30 in Cincinnati.

Adams, Louisa

Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams (1775-1852) dies in Washington on May 15 at the age of seventy-seven; the U.S. Congress adjourns to attend her funeral, the first time this honor is conferred upon a woman.

Taylor, Margaret

Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor (1788-1852) dies near Pascagoula, Mississippi on August 18 at the age of sixty-four.

Economics

The Wells Fargo Company is founded.

Discovery

Livingstone (1813-1873) begins explorations of the Zambezi River in South Africa.

Daily Life

The U.S. imports sparrows from Germany as a defense against caterpillars.

Sports

The first intercollegiate rowing race is held between Harvard and Yale.

Popular Culture

The character of “Uncle Sam” appears for the first time in the "New York Lantern Weekly."

Popular Culture

Stephen Foster (1826-1864) writes “My Old Kentucky Home.”

Religion

American Catholics hold their first Plenary Council in Baltimore.

Social Issues

Immigration: Chinese immigration is encouraged in California, particularly to provide labor for building railroads.

Reform

Labor Movement: Ohio becomes the first state to regulate working hours for women.

Reform

Temperance Movement: The Woman’s New York Temperance Society is formed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

Government

With the Gadsden Treaty, the U.S. secures land from Mexico that completes its acquisition of land in the continental United States.

Government

The Washington Territory is formed from part of the Oregon Territory.

Government

Franklin Pierce (1804-1869) is inaugurated as the 14th President of the U.S., and William R. King (1786-1853) is inaugurated as the 13th Vice President. King dies soon after taking office, and is not replaced.

Medicine

Epidemics: More than 3,000 perish from yellow fever in New Orleans.

Medicine

Alexander Wood (1817-1884) uses hypodermic syringes for injections under the skin.

Medicine

Smallpox vaccinations are made compulsory in Britain.

Medicine

Chloroform is used by Queen Victoria (1819-1901) as an anesthetic in the birth of her 7th child; it becomes an accepted practice in England.

Inventions

African American inventors: George Crum invents the potato chip.

Technology

Airplanes: The first heavier-than-air flying machine, a glider, flies across a valley for 500 yards carrying its frightened creator, George Cayley (1773-1857).

Education

Children’s Books: From his weekly magazine, "Household Words," Charles Dickens (1812-1870) waxes nostalgic for the educationally-incorrect fairy tales and nursery rhymes of his youth, such as Aladdin or Jack the Giant-Killer.

Education

Higher Education: Antioch College in Ohio opens.

Education

Women's Colleges: American educator Mary Easton Sibley (1800-1878) founds the Lindenwood Female College in Missouri.

Arts and Letters

Painting: Rosa Bonheur’s (1822-1899) painting, "The Horse Fair," establishes her reputation as an artist.

Fillmore, Abigail

Abigail Powers Fillmore (1798-1853) dies of pneumonia at the Willard Hotel in Washington at the age of fifty-five.

Harrison, Caroline

Caroline Scott (1832-1892) graduates from the Oxford Female Academy. She begins teaching

Pierce, Jane

Benjamin Pierce (1841-1853), son of Franklin and Jane Pierce, dies tragically January 16 in a train accident before his parents' eyes.

Hayes, Lucy

Birchard Austin Hayes (1853-1926), son of Rutherford and Lucy Hayes, is born November 4 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Lincoln, Mary

Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln’s son Thomas "Tad" (1853-1871) is born on April 4 in Springfield.

Tyler, Julia

Lyon Gardiner Tyler (1853-1935), son of John Tyler and his second wife Julia, is born in August.

Economics

American Money: Three-dollar gold pieces are authorized by Congress.

Economics

Transportation: Railroad History: The Baltimore and Ohio railroad is completed as far as the Ohio River.

Economics

Transportation: Railroad History: The New York Central railroad is formed, connecting New York City and Buffalo, NY.

Economics

The building of Steinway pianos is begun in New York City by Henry Steinway (1797-1871) and his three sons.

Economics

Tiffany and Company, jewelers, is established.

Economics

Condensed milk is introduced by Gail Borden (1801-1871).

Discovery

Commander Matthew Perry (1794-1858) sails into Japan’s Edo Bay, hoping to open Japan to trade with the west.

Religion

Women's Firsts: Antoinette Brown Blackwell (1825-1921) becomes the first ordained minister of a recognized denomination, the Congregationalists.

Reform

Women's Suffrage Movement: Seventy-three women present a petition to the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention urging women’s suffrage.

Politics

Political Parties: The Republican Party is formed in Ripon, Wisconsin; opposition to slavery is their central principle.

Politics

Third Parties: The Know-Nothing Party is formed; native white Protestants opposed to immigration and Catholicism run Millard Fillmore (1800-1874) for President.

Government

Clara Barton (1821-1912) becomes perhaps the first regularly appointed woman civil servant in the U.S. with a clerkship in a Washington, DC patent office.

Government

The Gadsden Purchase Treaty is ratified.

Medicine

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) introduces nurses and standards of cleanliness into military hospitals in the Crimea.

Inventions

The first form of the electric light bulb is invented by Heinrich Goebel (1818-1893) in Germany.

Inventions

The Smith and Wesson revolver is invented.

Technology

The use of the Bunsen burner is introduced.

Education

Special Education: The first state-supported school especially designed for the mentally retarded opens in Syracuse, NY.

Education

Education of Women: Emily Blackwell (1826-1910), Elizabeth Blackwell’s sister, earns a medical degree at Cleveland’s Western Reserve University.

Arts and Letters

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) writes "Walden," or "Life in the Woods."

Arts and Letters

Poetry: Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) writes "The Charge of the Light Brigade," a poem about a tragic battle in the Crimean War.

Fillmore, Abigail

Mary Abigail (Abby) Fillmore (1832-1854) dies of cholera on July 27 at the age of 22.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy (1831-1889) and Rutherford Hayes (1822-1893) and their family move into its own house in Cincinnati.

Harrison, Caroline

Caroline (1832-1892)and Benjamin Harrison (1831-1901) move to Indianapolis, Indiana.

Tyler, Letitia

Alice Tyler Denison (1847-1854), daughter of John and Letitia Tyler, dies June 8 of colic.

Harrison, Caroline

Caroline and Benjamin Harrison’s son, Russell Benjamin Harrison (1854-1936), is born on August 12.

Economics

Transportation: Railroad History: Immigration: 13,000 Chinese arrive, the beginning of large-scale Chinese immigration; they are employed largely in railroad building in the west.

Popular Culture

Stephen Foster (1826-1864) writes “Jeanne with the Light Brown Hair.”

Religion

Pope Pius IX (1792-1878) sets forth the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

Social Issues

Slavery: During the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Congress sets aside the rulings from the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and allows these two new territories to choose whether or not to allow slavery. Violent clashes erupt.

Reform

Abolition Movement: Northern resistance to the expansion of slavery increases.

Reform

Temperance Movement: Black temperance advocate Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911) lectures for antislavery societies.

Reform

Women's Rights Movement: Susan B. Anthony collects 6,000 signatures on a petition for women’s rights.

Law

The first U.S. Court of Claims is established.

Government

Stamps: Prepayment of postage is required in United States

Inventions

Kerosene is patented by Abraham Gesner (1797-1864) .

Inventions

The printing telegraph is invented.

Inventions

The first patent for the production of rayon is obtained by George Audemars.

Education

The first German-language kindergarten in the United States is established by Margarethe Schurtz in Watertown, WI.

Education

A professorship of technology is created at Edinburgh University.

Education

Children’s Books: Charlotte Yonge (1823-1901) publishes the children's historical novel, "The Little Duke," and also "The History of Sir Thomas Thumb, a traditional folktale to which Yonge adds material from the Arthurian legends and from the German tales of the Brothers Grimm.

Arts and Letters

Poetry: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) writes "Hiawatha."

Arts and Letters

Poetry: Walt Whitman (1819-1892) writes "Leaves of Grass."

Arts and Letters

The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra is organized.

Lincoln, Mary

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) runs unsuccessfully for the Senate.

Grant, Julia

Ellen Wrenshall "Nellie" Grant Sartoris Jones (1855-1922), daughter of Ulysses and Julia Grant, is born July 4.

Van Buren, Hannah

Martin Van Buren (1812-1855), son of Martin and Hannah Van Buren, dies in Paris on March 19.

Economics

Transportation: The first Cunard liner crosses the Atlantic in 9 ½ days.

Economics

The first oil refinery in the U.S. is built in Pittsburgh.

Discovery

Missionary David Livingstone (1813-1873) discovers falls on the Zambezi River which he names Victoria Falls.

Sports

Horseback riding by women becomes popular; many riding academies are set up to help women learn.

Social Issues

Slavery: Fugitive slave Ann Wood leads a wagon load of armed boys and girls in a shootout with slave catchers; two are killed and the rest escape to the North.

Politics

James Buchanan (1791-1868) , Democrat, is elected the 15th President of the U.S., and John C. Breckenridge (1821-1875) is elected as the nation's 14th Vice President.

Politics

Third Parties: Former President Millard Fillmore (1800-1874) is selected to be the presidential candidate of the Know-Nothing or American Party.

Government

Presidents: Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) , 28th President of the United States, is born.

War

The Crimean War ends with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.

Science

A Neanderthal skull is found in a cave near Dusseldorf in Germany.

Inventions

Henry Bessemer (1813-1898) invents a process which makes it possible to mass-produce low-cost steel.

Inventions

A patent for a pencil with an attached eraser is granted to H.L. Lipman.

Inventions

Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) invents the process of pasteurisation.

Technology

Railroad History: The first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River is completed between Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa.

Arts and Letters

American Theatre: The first American copyright law is established because of the efforts of Dion Boucicault (1820-1890). In its earliest form, it only protects the title of the play.

Tyler, Julia

Robert Fitzwalter Tyler (1856-1927), son of John Tyler and his second wife Julia, is born March 12.

Lane, Harriet

Harriet Lane (1830-1903) serves as James Buchanan's hostess because he never married.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy and Rutherford Hayes’s second son, James Webb Hayes (1856-1934), is born on March 20th in Cincinnati.

Hayes, Lucy

Fannie Hayes Platt, Rutherford’s sister and Lucy’s great friend, dies of complications of childbirth.

Economics

The first street trains, powered by steam, begin running between Boston and Cambridge, MA.

Economics

The Western Union Company is established.

Discovery

Borax is discovered in California.

Sports

Boxing: The longest bare-knuckle boxing match in history pits James Kelly vs. Jack Smith in Melbourne, Australia; the fight lasts 6 hours and 15 minutes.

Sports

Women in Sports: Catherine Beecher (1800-78) publishes Physiology and Calisthenics for Schools and Families, the first fitness manual for women.

Social Issues

Native Americans: The Pottawatomie Massacre takes place in Kansas.

Reform

Abolition Movement: An anti-slavery group led by John Brown (1800-1859) attacks a pro-slavery settlement in Franklin County, Kansas. Horace Greeley’s (1811-1872) "New York Tribune" calls the territory “Bleeding Kansas.”

Law

Slavery: In the Dred Scott decision, the Supreme Court rules that slaves are not free just because they live in a free state, that blacks do not have the right to sue in federal court, and that Congress does not have the right to try to exclude slavery from the territories.

Government

Presidents: William Howard Taft (1857-1930) , 27th President of the United States, is born.

Government

James Buchanan (1791-1868) is inaugurated as the 15th President of the U.S., and John C. Breckenridge (1821-1875) is inaugurated as the nation's 14th Vice President.

Government

Stamps: Perforated U.S. stamps appear (Previously people had to cut apart sheets of stamps).

Government

National Capital: The House of Representatives moves into its current home in the south wing of the Capitol.

Science

Yeast is discovered to be a living plant.

Science

Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) proves that fermentation is caused by living organisms.

Science

In a letter to Asa Gray (1810-1888) , Charles Darwin (1809-1882) first outlines his theories of evolution and natural selection.

Medicine

Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) founds her own New York Infirmary for Women and Children.

Medicine

Epidemics: One of the worst epidemics of influenza begins this year and spreads around the world in the next two years.

Inventions

George Pullman (1831-1897) invents the Pullman Sleeping Car for train travel.

Technology

Airplanes: Jean-Marie Le Bris (1817-1872), a French sea caption, tests a glider modeled after an albatross. This "artificial bird" makes one short glide, but on the second glide it crashes and Le Bris breaks his leg.

Education

Children’s Books: Thomas Hughes (1822-1896), writes "Tom Brown's Schooldays," making Arnold's Rugby the model for what Victorian schoolboys expected their schools to be like.

Education

Libraries: The Watkinson Library is founded as a “a library of reference” for the community of Hartford, Connecticut.

Education

The National Education Association is founded in Philadelphia for the purpose of advancing the professionalism of teaching.

Arts and Letters

Literature: Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) publishes "Madame Bovary."

Ideas

'The Atlantic Monthly' is founded.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Hayes (1831-1889) takes great pleasure in her new sewing machine, a gift from her mother.

Lane, Harriet

Harriet Lane (1830-1903) is the first woman to have a federal steamship named after her.

Economics

E.G. Otis installs the first safety elevator.

Economics

The laying of the transatlantic cable begins.

Economics

A financial panic triggers a serious depression; thousands of businesses fail.

Daily Life

Central Park, in New York City, is designed.

Daily Life

The American Chess Association is formed.

Daily Life

Holidays: The first Mardi Gras pageant of decorated floats is held in New Orleans.

Sports

Baseball: Twenty-five teams form the first baseball association, the National Association of Baseball Players.

Reform

Women's Rights Movement: The Married Women’s Property Bill passes in England.

Government

A treaty of peace, friendship, and commerce is signed between the U.S. and China.

Government

New State: Minnesota becomes the 32nd state in the U.S.

Government

Presidents: Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) , 26th President of the United States, is born.

Government

Britain takes over the government of India from the East India Company.

Science

The cell is isolated by Berlin doctor Rudolf Virchow (1821-1902) , who calls it the basic unit of all life.

Inventions

Hamilton Smith (1862-1943) patents the rotary washing machine.

Inventions

Jean Lenoir (1822-1900) invents an internal combustion engine.

Education

Children’s Books: Rev. Frederic William Farrar (1831-1903), a schoolmaster, writes the moralistic tale "Eric," or "Little by Little," about a boy who goes bad.

Education

A chemistry department and research lab are established by Harvard University.

Arts and Letters

The first public concert is performed by the New York Symphony Orchestra.

Arts and Letters

Poetry: “The Courtship of Miles Standish” is published by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882).

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy and Rutherford Hayes’s third son, Rutherford Platt Hayes (1858-1927), is born on June 24 in Cincinnati.

Hayes, Lucy

Rutherford Hayes (1822-1893) is appointed to an unexpired term as city solicitor of Cincinnati in December.

Hayes, Lucy

The Hayes family has its first Christmas tree, decorated as a surprise by their German servants.

Lincoln, Mary

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) runs for the Senate from Illinois against incumbent Democrat Stephen Douglas (1813-1861); he loses, but the Lincoln-Douglas debates form a part of U.S. history.

Harrison, Caroline

Caroline and William Harrison’s first daughter, Mary Scott (1858-1930) is born on April 3.

Grant, Julia

Jesse Root Grant (1858-1934), son of Ulysses and Julia Grant, is born February 6.

Economics

The transatlantic cable is completed, allowing telegraphic communication between the U.S. and Britain; the service ends after a month because the signal is too weak.

Economics

Transportation: Stagecoach service and mail delivery begin between San Francisco and St. Louis.

Economics

Macy’s Department Store opens.

Discovery

Lake Tanganyika in East Africa is first discovered by Europeans.

Daily Life

Princess Victoria (1840-1901) of England (daughter of Queen Victoria) chooses Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” and Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” for her wedding, thus beginning a tradition.

Daily Life

Crime and Punishment: The first use of fingerprints as a means of identification occurs in India.

Sports

Baseball: The National Association of Baseball Players is organized.

Religion

Marie-Bernard Soubirous (1843-1879), later to become St. Bernadette of Lourdes, first sees a vision of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes in France.

Religion

The Ladies’ Christian Association, forerunner to the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), is founded in New York City.

Religion

Another religious revival begins in New York and Pennsylvania and sweeps across the country; religious conversions are many.

Social Issues

Slavery: Slaves are sold at very high prices because of high demand for cotton, and southerners begin to talk about reopening the slave trade.

Law

The Supreme Court upholds the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850; Georgia prohibits the deathbed manumission of slaves and rules that free blacks can be sold back into slavery; tensions between North and South escalate.

Government

New State: Oregon becomes the 33rd state in the U.S.

Government

President James Buchanan (1791-1868) rules that the New Mexico territory should become a reservation for American Indians.

Government

National Capital: The Senate moves into the enlarged north wing of the Capitol, where it remains, today.

War

The first iron-clad armored warship, Britain’s HMS Warrior, is launched.

Science

Botanist Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps (1793-1884) is the second woman elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Science

Charles Darwin’s (1809-1882) "Origin of the Species" is published.

Inventions

The first practical storage battery is invented.

Inventions

The steamroller is invented.

Education

The Cooper Union in New York City is established, primarily for adult education in the arts and sciences.

Arts and Letters

Opera: The opera "Faust" is performed.

Arts and Letters

Literature: Charles Dickens (1812-1870) writes "A Tale of Two Cities."

Arts and Letters

Women's Firsts: Harriet E. Wilson (1827-1863), author of "Our Nig," becomes the first African-American novelist published in the U.S.

Hayes, Lucy

Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) is elected to his own two-year term as city solicitor in Cincinnati.

Hayes, Lucy

The Hayes home is enlarged, with quarters for servants and a brick kitchen with a new range.

Economics

Work is begun on the Suez Canal.

Economics

The first commercial oil well is brought in at Titusville, PA.

Discovery

The first large silver deposit found in the U.S., the Comstock Lode, is found in Nevada.

Daily Life

Big Ben, the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament in London is started.

Sports

Baseball: The first intercollegiate baseball game in the U.S. is played by students from Amherst and Williams Colleges in Massachusetts.

Sports

The first national billiards champion wins a $15,000 prize.

Popular Culture

Daniel Emmett (1815-1904) writes “Dixie” and "Turkey in the Straw."

Popular Culture

Charles Blondin (1824-1897) walks across Niagara Falls on the tightrope; he is watched by 25,000 people.

Popular Culture

Wearing the body-hugging costume later named for him, Jules Leotard (1839-1870) performs the first flying trapeze act without a net at the Cirque Napoleon.

Reform

Abolition Movement: John Brown (1800-1859) seizes the armory at Harper’s Ferry to provide for his militia; he is later captured and hanged.

Politics

South Carolina secedes from the Union followed within two months by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.

Politics

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) of Illinois becomes the first Republican to win the United States Presidency; he becomes the 16th President and Hannibal Hamlin (1809-1891) of Maine is elected as the 15th Vice President.

Government

The U.S. Secret Service is established.

Government

Stamps: By 1860, almost all countries have postage stamps.

Science

The fact that the star Sirius is a double star is discovered.

Medicine

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) opens the world’s first school of nursing.

Inventions

The first practical gasoline engine is built.

Education

The first English language kindergarten is established in Boston by Elizabeth Peabody (1804-1894).

Education

Olympia Brown (1835-1926) becomes the first woman to study theology with men—at St. Lawrence University.

Arts and Letters

Literature: George Eliot(1819-1880) (Mary Ann Evans) publishes "The Mill on the Floss."

Arts and Letters

American Theatre: Dion Boucicault (1820-1890) begins promotion of "combination companies". The company and players would travel with scenery for 1 play.

Tyler, Julia

Pearl Tyler Ellis (1860-1947), daughter of John Tyler and his second wife Julia, is born June 20.

Arthur, Ellen

William Lewis Arthur (1860-1863), son of Chester Alan and Ellen Arthur, is born December 10.

Harding, Florence

Florence Kling DeWolfe (1860-1924), future wife of President Warren G. Harding (1865–1923), is born in Marion, Ohio on August 15.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Hayes’s (1831-1889) boys suffer from mumps, whooping cough, and measles.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Hayes (1831-1889) and her husband take a long trip, by riverboat, to Canada, by rail and boat to Boston, to New England and home by way of New York City. Total cost: $310.77.

Harrison, Caroline

Caroline Harrison (1832-1892) begins 30 years of serving on the board of managers of the Indianapolis Orphans’ Asylum.

Wilson, Ellen

Ellen Louise Axson (1860-1914), future first wife of President Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), is born in Savannah, Georgia on May 15.

Economics

Slavery: Cotton shipments are at an all-time high (2 billion pounds a year), which gives the South extra incentives to keep slavery.

Economics

The first Pony Express riders make it from Missouri to California in 10 days.

Economics

Population: The population of the United States (1860) is 32 million.

Daily Life

Fashion: Bustles begin to take the place of hoop skirts in American women’s fashion.

Daily Life

History of Toys: A chemistry set for children is offered for sale for $5.00.

Sports

Boxing: The longest prizefight in American history is held in Maine; it lasts for 4 hours and 20 minutes.

Sports

Croquet is introduced to the U.S. from England; it becomes very popular.

Sports

Golf: The first British Open Golf Championship is held.

Popular Culture

Stephen Foster (1826-1864) composes “Old Black Joe.”

Social Issues

Native Americans: The U.S. Army's Fort Definace in New Mexico is attacked by 1,000 Navaho Indians; the Indians lose.

Social Issues

Immigration: Poland’s religious and economic conditions prompt immigration of approximately two million Poles by 1914.

Reform

Women's Suffrage Movement: Elizabeth Cady Stanton speaks to a meeting of the New York State Legislature on behalf of women’s suffrage.

Reform

Women's Rights Movement: Women are allowed to collect their own wages, to sue, and to inherit their husbands’ property in New York State; married women are allowed to be guardians of their children

Reform

Labor Movement: Six thousand shoemakers go on strike in Lynn, MA for higher wages; the companies grant higher wages but refuse to recognize the union.

Politics

Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) is elected President of the Confederate States of America.

Politics

Virginia secedes from the Union, followed within five weeks by Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, thus forming an eleven state Confederacy with a population of 9 million.

Government

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) is inaugurated as the 16th President and Hannibal Hamlin (1809-1891) is inaugurated as the 15th Vice President.

Government

Congress passes the first income tax in the U.S. to support the war.

Government

New State: Kansas becomes the 34th state in the United States.

Government

The United States introduces the passport system.

War

Civil War: The Union Army under Gen. Irvin McDowell (1818-1885) suffers a defeat at Bull Run 25 miles southwest of Washington.

War

Civil War: Pierre Beauregard (1813-1893) opens fire with 50 cannons upon Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War begins.

War

Confederates invade New Mexico from Texas.The Confederate Territory of Arizona is declared with the capital at La Mesilla.

War

Civil War; National Capital: The U.S. Capitol houses Union soldiers, providing medical attention and a place to sleep.

Inventions

Elisha Otis (1811-1861) patents elevator safety brakes, creating a safer elevator.

Inventions

Linus Yale (1821-1868) invents the Yale lock or cylinder lock.

Education

The first American doctor of philosophy degree is awarded by Yale University.

Education

Women's Colleges: Vassar College for women is founded in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Arts and Letters

Poetry: George Eliot (1819-1880) (Mary Ann Evans) writes "Silas Marner."

Arts and Letters

Literature: Charles Dickens (1812-1870) writes "Great Expectations."

Lincoln, Mary

The Lincolns (Abraham: 1809-1865 and Mary Todd: 1818-1882) move into the White House in March of 1861.

Hayes, Lucy

Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) joins the 23rd Ohio Volunteer infantry as a Major.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy and Rutherford Hayes’s fourth son, Joseph Thompson (1861-1863), is born on December 21 in Cincinnati.

Harrison, Caroline

Caroline (1832-1892) and Benjamin (1831-1901) Harrison’s third child and second daughter dies at birth.

Roosevelt, Edith

Edith Kermit Carow (1861-1948), future wife of Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), is born in Norwich, Connecticut on August 6.

Taft, Helen

Helen Herron (1861-1943), future wife of President William Howard Taft [1909-1913] is born in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 2.

Economics

American Money: Gold payments are suspended; greenbacks become the national currency.

Economics

Transportation: Railroad History: Leland Stanford (1824-1893) hires Chinese laborers to help build the western part of the Central Pacific Railroad.

Economics

Transportation: Railroad History: There are 30,000 miles of railroad track in the U.S.

Economics

Telegraph wires are strung between San Francisco and New York.

Economics

Pencils are mass-produced in New York by Eberhard Faber.

Economics

American Money: Congress authorizes the United States Treasury to issue paper money for the first time in the form of non-interest bearing Treasury Notes called Demand Notes.

Daily Life

Daily weather forecasts are begun in Britain.

Popular Culture

Hot Air Balloons: A record balloon trip is made between Cincinnati, Ohio and the South Carolina coast is made in 9 hours.

Popular Culture

Wartime Music: “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” is written during the Civil War by Julia War Howe for the Union.

Popular Culture

Wartime Music: “Battle Cry of Freedom” is written during the Civil War by George F. Root for the Union.

Popular Culture

Wartime Music: “Dixie Land” is written during the Civil War by Daniel Emmett for the Confederate.

Government

The Homestead Act is passed, decreeing that any American may have 160 acres of land in the west free, if he lives on it for five years.

Government

President Lincoln (1809-1865) issues the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves "henceforth and forever free."

Government

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is created by Congress.

Government

American Money: The Secretary of the Treasury is empowered by Congress to have notes engraved and printed, which is done by private banknote companies.

Government

Railroad History: President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) signs the Pacific Railway Act, which authorizes the construction of the first transcontinental railroad.

Government

The Medal of Honor is authorized by Congress.

War

Civil War: The Confederate Ironclad 'Merrimac' sinks two wooden Union ships then battles the Union Ironclad 'Monitor' to a draw. Naval warfare is thus changed forever, making wooden ships obsolete.

War

Civil War: Confederate surprise attack on Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's (1822-1885) unprepared troops at Shiloh on the Tennessee River results in a bitter struggle with 13,000 Union killed and wounded and 10,000 Confederates.

War

Civil War: 75,000 Federals under Gen. John Pope (1874-1937) are defeated by 55,000 Confederates under Gen. Stonewall Jackson (1824-1863) and Gen. James Longstreet (1821-1904) at the second battle of Bull Run in northern Virginia.

War

Civil War: The bloodiest battle of the Civil War occurs at Antietam; over 23,000 are killed or wounded.

Science

The speed of light is successfully measured.

Medicine

The first children’s clinic is opened in New York City.

Inventions

The Gatling (a 10 barrel, automatic firing) gun is invented by R.J. Gatling (1818-1903).

Inventions

A timepiece for split-second timing—the chronograph—is invented.

Inventions

Alexander Parkes (1813-1890) invents the first man-made plastic.

Inventions

Jean Lenoir (1822-1900) makes a gasoline engine automobile.

Education

Children’s Books: Christina Rossetti''s (1830-1894) long fantasy, "Goblin Market," about two sisters'' struggle to resist the tempting fruits of the goblin men, was long categorized as a children''s fairy tale, but is increasingly reread as a major poem of its period.

Education

Women's Firsts: In Ohio, Mary Jane Patterson receives a degree from Oberlin, becoming the first black woman to graduate from an American college.

Education

African American Education: One of the earliest and longest-lived freedmen’s schools, the Penn School on St. Helena Island, NC, is founded by Laura Matilda Towne (1825-1901).

Education

Women's Firsts: Geologist Florence Bascom (1862-1945) becomes the first woman to receive a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University; she goes on to teach at Bryn Mawr.

Education

The Morrill Land-Grant Act endows colleges of agriculture and industry.

Arts and Letters

Literature; Victor Hugo (1802-1885) writes "Les Misérables."

Lincoln, Mary

The Lincolns’ son William Wallace (1850-1862) dies of typhoid fever at age 11 on February 20.

Harrison, Caroline

Benjamin Harrison (1831-1901) raises a regiment for the Union in the Civil War (1,000 men from Indiana) known as the 70th Indiana Regiment.

Van Buren, Hannah

Martin Van Buren (1782-1862), 8th President of the U.S., dies in Kinderhook, New York.

Tyler, Julia

John Tyler (1790-1862), 10th President of the U.S., dies in Richmond, Virginia.

Economics

American Money: Demand Notes are replaced by United States Notes.

Economics

1,000 guns a day are being produced by the Colt factory.

Economics

The first automobile with an internal combustion engine is constructed.

Economics

A process for concentrating fruit juice is patented.

Popular Culture

Julia Ward Howe's (1819-1910) poem, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is published and later set to music. The music for "Taps" is also composed.

Government

National Capital: The "Statue of Freedom" is place on top of the Capitol building and becomes the crowning feature of the dome.

Government

President Lincoln (1809-1865) issues the final Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves in territories held by Confederates and emphasizes the enlisting of black soldiers in the Union Army.

Government

New Mexico is divided in half, creating the Territory of Arizona.

Government

Congress establishes free mail delivery in cities.

Government

New State: West Virginia becomes the 35th state in the United States.

Government

President Lincoln (1809-1865) delivers the Gettysburg Address.

War

Civil War: The Union institutes a draft to recruit soldiers for the Civil War.

War

Civil War: The tide of war turns against the South as the Confederates are defeated at the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania.

War

Civil War: The Battle of Gettysburg takes place.

Science

The National Academy of Sciences is founded in Washington, DC.

Education

Children’s Books: The Rev. Charles Kingsley’s (1819-1875) fairy tale "The Water-Babies" combines many of these enthusiasms in a tale of how a little chimney-sweep goes backward in evolution when he is wicked, and forwards when he does as he would be done by.

Arts and Letters

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910) adopts the pen-name, Mark Twain.

Arts and Letters

Poetry: Henry Wordsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) publishes the poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride.”

Pierce, Jane

Jane Means Appleton Pierce (1806-1863), wife of Franklin Pierce (1804-1869), dies of tuberculosis in Andover, Massachusetts on December 2 at the age of 57.

Arthur, Ellen

William Lewis Arthur (1860-1863), son of Chester Alan and Ellen Arthur, dies July 7.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy and Rutherford Hayes’s fourth son, Joseph (1861-1863), dies of dysentery at the age of two on June 24.

Johnson, Eliza

Charles Johnson (1830-1863), son of Andrew and Eliza Johnson, dies April 4 in a horse accident.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Hayes (1831-1889), her four sons, and her mother go to West Virginia to be with Rutherford (1822-1893) and his regiment.

Economics

American Money: The design of U.S. currency incorporates a Treasury seal, the fine line engraving necessary for the difficult-to-counterfeit itaglio printing, intricate geometric lathe work patterns, and distinctive linen paper with embedded red and blue fibers.

Economics

Transportation: The world''''s first underground railway service, London''''s Metropolitan line between Paddington and Farringdon, is opened.

Economics

Traveler’s Insurance Company is founded in Hartford, CT.

Daily Life

Holidays: The first national Thanksgiving Day is proclaimed by President Lincoln (1809-1865) to be the fourth Thursday of November.

Daily Life

The first paper dress patterns are developed by Ebenezer Butterick (1826-1903).

Sports

The four-wheeled roller skate is patented by James Plimpton of New York.

Sports

Horse Racing: The Grand Prix horse race is first held in Paris.

Popular Culture

Stephen Foster (1826-1864) composes “Beautiful Dreamer.”

Religion

Olympia Brown (1835-1926) is ordained a minister by the Northern Universalists in Weymouth, MA.

Religion

The Seventh Day Adventist church was officially founded by Ellen G White, James White and Joseph Bates.

Social Issues

Native Americans: Kit Carson (1809-1868) begins resettling Navajo and Apache Indians on reservations by force.

Social Issues

Slavery: The Emancipation Proclamation delivered by President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) decrees that all slaves in Rebel territory are free on January 1, 1863.

Law

Chief Justices: President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) nominates Salmon Portland Chase (1808-1873) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; he is confirmed by the Senate on the same day, and holds the position for eight years, until his death in 1873.

Politics

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) is reelected for a second term as President of the United States, and Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) is elected as the nation's 16th Vice President.

Government

New State: Nevada becomes the 36th state in the United States.

Government

The territory of Montana is organized.

Government

Twenty-six nations sign the Geneva Conventions, an agreement to respect humanitarian rules of war with respect to prisoners, sick soldiers, Red Cross neutrality, and civilians in war zones.

Government

American Money: Congress authorizes the inscription, "In God We Trust" on U.S. coins.

War

Civil War: General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891) marches his Union army through Georgia, captures Atlanta and Savannah, and leaves a 300 mile path of destruction, 60 miles wide, all the way to the sea.

Medicine

Women's Firsts: Dr. Mary Edwards Walker (1832-1919) is appointed assistant surgeon in the Union Army.

Inventions

African American Inventors: Inventor Norbert Rillieux (1806-1894) patents a process for refining sugar that is used by sugar processing plants all over the world.

Technology

Airplanes: Count Ferdinand d’Esterno, France, publishes the first scientific observations of the effects of the wind on a wing in his pamphlet, "Du Vol des Oiseaux."

Education

Women’s Firsts: Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1846-1922) becomes the first black woman to receive an M.D. degree. She graduated from the New England Female Medical College.

Education

Public Education: Native Americans: Indian Education: Congress makes it illegal for Native Americans to be taught in their native languages. Native children as young as four years old are taken from their parents and sent to Bureau of Indian Affairs off-reservation boarding schools, whose goal, as one BIA official put it, is to "kill the Indian to save the man."

Arts and Letters

Literature: Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) begins writing his epic, "War and Peace."

Arts and Letters

Literature: Jules Verne (1828-1905) publishes "A Journey to the Center of the Earth."

Harrison, Anna

Anna Tuthill Symmes (1775-1864) Harrison dies on February 25 in North Bend, Ohio, at the age of eighty-eight.

Hayes, Lucy

Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) runs for Congress from Ohio and wins without ever leaving his troops.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy and Rutherford Hayes’s fifth son, George Crook (1864-1866) is born on September 29 in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Cleveland, Frances

Frances Folsom (1864-1947), future wife of President Grover Cleveland (1837–1908), is born in Buffalo, New York, on July 21. She is the sixth of ten First Ladies born in New York, the "mother state" of presidential wives. (Rose Elizabeth Cleveland, sister of Grover Cleveland, served as his First Lady during the first two years of his presidency, and is the fifth First Lady born in New York State).

Economics

Transportation: Railroad History: The Pennsylvania Railroad begins using steel for its rails.

Daily Life

Taking pictures that will be become famous as a record of the Civil War, New York photographer Matthew Brady (1822-1896) travels through the nation's battlefields.

Daily Life

Newspapers: In Louisiana, the New Orleans Tribune begins publication. It is one of the first African-American-run daily newspapers.

Social Issues

Immigration: European immigration to the U.S. increases, due in large part to the Homestead Act and also because immigrants are excluded from the draft.

Social Issues

Native Americans: Many Navahos die as they make the "Long March" through New Mexico to their grim reservation at Bosque Redondo.

Social Issues

Native Americans: The massacre of Cheyenne and Arapahoe Indians at Sand Creek, CO occurs.

Reform

Labor Movement: The first International Workingmen's Association is founded by Karl Marx (1818-1883) in London and New York.

Law

Civil Rights Movement: The Thirteenth Amendment, forbidding slavery, is passed by the Congress, ratified by two-thirds of the states and added to the Constitution.

Government

Warren G. Harding (1865-1923), 29th President of the United States, is born near Marion, Ohio.

Government

Following the assassination of President Lincoln, his Vice-President, Andrew Johnson (1808-1875), becomes the 17th President of the United States. No new Vice President is selected.

Government

American Money: Gold Certificates are issued by the Department of the Treasury against gold coin and buillion deposits and are circulated until 1933.

Government

American Money: The Department of the Treasury establishes the United States Secret Service to control counterfeit money.

War

Indian Wars: Escalation of the Plains War between the U.S. military and the Sioux and Cheyenne.

War

Civil War: Gen. Robert E. Lee (1807-1870) surrenders his Confederate Army to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) at the village of Appomattox Court House in Virginia; the Civil War ends.

Science

Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) proposes the laws of heredity.

Medicine

Antiseptic surgery is initiated by Joseph Lister (1827-1912) using carbolic acid.

Medicine

The Chicago Hospital for Women and Children is established, in part, by Dr. Mary Harris Thompson, one of the best-known surgeons of her era.

Medicine

Women's Firsts: Dr. Mary Walker (1832-1919) becomes the first woman to receive the Medal of Honor, for her service during the Civil War.

Inventions

The coffee percolator is invented.

Education

Higher Education: The Universities of Maine and Kentucky, Purdue University and Cornell University are all founded.

Education

Higher Education: Yale University opens the first Department of Fine Arts in the U.S.

Education

Higher Education: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is founded.

Education

Women's Colleges: Maria Mitchell (1818-1889) is the first woman appointed as a professor of astronomy, at Vassar College.

Education

Public Education (1865-1877): African Americans mobilize to bring public education to the South for the first time. After the Civil War, and with the legal end of slavery, African Americans in the South make alliances with white Republicans to push for many political changes, including for the first time rewriting state constitutions to guarantee free public education. In practice, white children benefit more than Black children.

Education

Children''s Books: Lewis Carroll''s (1832-1898) "Alice in Wonderland" is published.

Education

Children''s Books: "Hans Brinker," or "The Silver Skates" is written by Mary Mapes Dodge (1831-1905).

Arts and Letters

Opera: Wagner’s (1813-1883) opera "Tristan and Isolde," premiers in Munich.

Arts and Letters

Literature: Jules Verne (1828-1905) writes "From the Earth to the Moon."

Jackson, Rachel

Andrew Jackson Jr. (1808-1865), Andrew and Rachel Jackson's adopted son (he was one of the pair of twins born to a sibling of Rachel Jackson), dies.

Lincoln, Mary

Assassination: President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) is assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC.

Johnson, Eliza

Eliza McCardle Johnson (1810-1876) is the first First Lady to teach her husband, Andrew Johnson, to read and write.

Lincoln, Mary

Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882) and her family move to Chicago.

Hayes, Lucy

Rutherford (1822-1893) and Lucy (1831-1889) Hayes go to Washington for his first term in Congress. The children stay in Chillicothe with their grandmother.

Harrison, Caroline

General Benjamin Harrison (1831-1901) and the 70th Indiana are mustered out of Federal service on June 8, 1865.

Economics

The Atlantic cable is completed.

Economics

The first oil pipeline is laid in Pennsylvania (6 miles).

Economics

The Union Stockyards open in Chicago.

Daily Life

The first carpet sweeper comes into popular use.

Daily Life

Transportation: George Pullman''s (1831-1897) railroad sleeping cars appear in the U.S.

Daily Life

The first fire department with paid firefighters is founded in New York City.

Sports

Billiard balls made out of a composition material replace balls made of ivory.

Sports

Boxing: Boxing's Queensbury Rules are laid out.

Sports

Women in Sports: Matthew Vassar opens Vassar College with a special School of Physical Training with classes in riding, gardening, swimming, boating, skating and "other physical accomplishments suitable for ladies to acquire ... bodily strength and grace."

Popular Culture

Another popular favorite published this year is Mark Twain's (1835-1910) short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County."

Social Issues

Hate Groups: The Ku Klux Kan is founded in Tennessee.

Social Issues

Poverty: The Salvation Army is founded in England by William Booth (1829-1912).

Law

Civil Rights Movement: The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting voter discrimination, is passed by the Congress.

Government

Civil Rights Movement: The Freedman’s Bureau Bill is established to provide assistance to freed slaves.

Government

American Money: Congress authorizes the issuance of the 5-cent piece, the “nickel.”

Government

Tennessee becomes the first state readmitted to the Union.

Government

Civil Rights Movement: Despite the veto of President Andrew Johnson (1808-1875), the U.S. passes a Civil Rights Law, protecting the rights of citizenship for former slaves freed by the Thirteenth Amendment.

Inventions

Dynamite is developed by Swedish engineer Alfred Nobel (1801-1872).

Inventions

Englishmen Robert Whitehead (1861-1947) invents a torpedo.

Inventions

A 12-horsepower steam automobile is developed in Connecticut.

Technology

Airplanes: The Aeronautical Society is founded in England.

Technology

Battery Technology: Georges Leclanche (1839-1882), a French engineer, patents a new system, which is immediately successful. In the space of two years, twenty thousand of his cells are being used in the telegraph system.

Education

Women’s Firsts: Lucy Hobbs (1833-1910) becomes the first woman to graduate from dental school, the Ohio College of Dental Surgery.

Arts and Letters

Literature: Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) writes "War and Peace."

Arts and Letters

Literature: Feodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) writes "Crime and Punishment."

Van Buren, Hannah

John Van Buren (1810-1866), son of Martin and Hannah Van Buren dies October 13 of kidney failure while at sea.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Hayes (1831-1889) returns to Chillicothe in March; the older boys study German.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy and Rutherford Hayes’s fifth son, George Crook (1864-1866), dies of scarlet fever on May 24 at the age of 20 months.

Economics

American Money: National Bank Notes, backed by U.S. government securities, becomes predominant.

Economics

The first refrigerated railroad car is built in Detroit.

Economics

Laying of the second Atlantic cable is completed.

Daily Life

The first Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) opens in Boston.

Sports

Women in Sports: Baseball: Vassar College fields the first two women''s amateur baseball teams.

Religion

An early congregation of Reform Jews builds the Plum Street Temple in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Social Issues

Jim Crow Laws: The former Confederate States enact "Black code" (later known as Jim Crow) laws to counteract the thirteenth amendment.

Reform

Labor Movement: The National Labor Union is founded in Baltimore, the first such industrial trade-union confederation and a landmark in the U.S. labor movement.

Reform

Animal Rights Movement: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is founded in New York City.

Reform

Women's Rights Movement: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Martha Coffin Pelham Wright, Lucretia Mott, and Ernestine Rose found the American Equal Rights Association, seeking both black and women’s suffrage.

Government

The Dominion of Canada is established by The British North America Act.

Government

Education: The federal Office of Education is established to provide information on the condition of education in the United States.

Government

New State: Nebraska becomes the 37th state of the Union.

Government

Alaska is purchased from Russia for the sum of $7.2 million, approximately two cents an acre.

Medicine

Lister (1827-1912) publishes "Antiseptic Principle of the Practice of Surgery," based partly on Pasteur's work.

Inventions

The first motorcycle is invented.

Inventions

Christopher Sholes (1819-1890) invents the first practical and modern typewriter.

Inventions

Elizabeth Hawks receives a patent for a stove with a separate “air chamber” for baking.

Inventions

Barbed wire is first patented by Lucien B. Smith of Ohio.

Inventions

Joseph Monier (1823-1906) of Paris first patents reinforced concrete.

Education

Higher Education: The first U.S. dental school is established at Harvard.

Education

Higher Education: Howard University, the first predominantly Negro college to offer comprehensive university facilities, is chartered.

Education

Special Education: The Clark Institute for Deaf Mutes is chartered; it is the first U.S. school to teach the deaf using German principles of articulation and lip-reading.

Arts and Letters

Drama: Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) writes "Peer Gynt."

Arts and Letters

Opera: Charles Gounod’s (1818-1893) opera, "Romeo et Juliette," is performed in Paris.

Arts and Letters

Walt Whitman (1819-1992) circulates this fourth edition as four separately paginated books stitched together between two covers: a vastly re-edited version of the 1860 "Leaves of Grass," a reissue of "Drum-Taps," a reissue of the "Sequel to Drum-Taps," and a striking coda called "Songs Before Parting."

Ideas

"Das Kapital" is published by Karl Marx (1818-1883).

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy and Rutherford Hayes’s first and only daughter, Fannie (1867-1950), is born in Cincinnati on September 2.

Hayes, Lucy

Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) resigns his seat in Congress, runs for Governor of Ohio, and wins by less than 3,000 votes.

Harrison, Caroline

Benjamin Harrison (1831-1901) runs for Governor of Indiana; is defeated by the Democrats.

Economics

Transportation: Railroad History: The first elevated railroad is built in New York City.

Economics

The first paperback books are published in Leipzig, Germany.

Discovery

Diamond fields are discovered in South Africa.

Discovery

Gold is discovered in Wyoming.

Daily Life

Magazines: Mary Louise Booth (1831-1889) becomes editor of the new "Harper’s Bazaar" magazine.

Sports

Women in Sports: Golf: St. Andrew''s in Scotland is the first ladies golf club.

Sports

Horse Racing: The Belmont Stakes horserace is run for the first time in New York.

Popular Culture

“The Blue Danube Waltz” is written by Johann Strauss II (1825-1899).

Popular Culture

The first of the popular “rags to riches” stories, "Ragged Dick," or "Street Life in New York" is published by Horatio Alger.

Religion

Children’s Books: Religious books for children are often more attractively produced, and also much gentler, even sentimental, in religious messages like "The Pretty Village."

Social Issues

Native Americans: The Treaty of Medicine Lodge between the U.S. and the Cheyenne and Arapaho forces the two tribes to move to a reservation in Indian Territory, on land that was ceded by Indian tribes to the U.S. after the end of the Civil War.

Social Issues

Native Americans: Reservations in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) are set up by Congress for the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, and Seminoles).

Reform

Civil Rights Movement: Congress gives blacks the right to vote in Washington, D.C.

Law

Native Americans: A clause in the 14th Amendment “excluding Indians not taxed” prevents Native-American men from receiving the right to vote.

Law

Civil Rights Movement: The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting states from infringing on the rights of American citizens is ratified by two-thirds of the states and added to the Constitution.

Politics

Impeachment: Current President Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) is impeached by the House of Representatives, but escapes conviction by one vote.

Politics

Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) is elected as the 18th President of the United States, and the first from Ohio; Schuyler Colfax (1823-1885) is elected as the nation's 17th Vice President.

Government

Civil Rights Movement: Congress makes black suffrage mandatory for a Confederate state to be readmitted to the Union.

Science

A Cro-Magnon skeleton (the first homo sapiens) is found in France.

Inventions

The air brake is invented by George Westinghouse (1846-1914).

Inventions

An electric voting machine is patented by Thomas Edison (1847-1931).

Inventions

George Westinghouse (1846-1914) invents the compressed air locomotive brake, which enables trains to be stopped with fail-safe accuracy.

Inventions

Railroad History: Major Eli Janney (1831 – 1912), a confederate veteran of the civil war, invents the knuckle coupler. This semi-automatic device locks upon the cars closing together without the rail worker getting between the cars.

Technology

Airplanes: Jean-Marie Le Bris (1817-1872) tests an improved version of his glider, making several unmanned glides before it crashes.

Technology

Airplanes: John Stringfellow, England, proposes a man-carrying triplane, similar to Henson’s aerial steam carriage. It captures the public’s imagination, although the model does not perform well when tested.

Arts and Letters

Literature: Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) writes "Little Women."

Arts and Letters

Brahams’ (1833-1897) “Lullaby” is published.

Lane, Harriet

James Buchanan (1791-1868), 15th President of the U.S. and the only bachelor to be elected President, dies June 1 at Wheatland (near Lancaster, Pennsylvania).

Lincoln, Mary

Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882) travels to Europe with her son, Tad.

Hayes, Lucy

Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) is inaugurated as Governor of Ohio in January. His salary is $4,000.

Economics

The Armour meat-packing factory is opened in Chicago.

Daily Life

The world's first traffic lights, built near London's Parliament Square, begin operation.

Sports

The first recorded bicycle race is held in Paris.

Sports

Golf: Golf''s first recorded hole-in-one is scored in Scotland.

Sports

The game of badminton is invented in England.

Sports

The sport of skating is regulated at a meeting of an American skating congress in Pittsburgh.

Sports

The first indoor track and field meet is held in New York City.

Religion

Brigham Young (1801-1877) marries his 27th and final wife.

Religion

“O Little Town of Bethlehem” is written by Episcopal clergyman Phillips Brooks (1835-1893).

Social Issues

Immigration: Japanese laborers arrive in Hawaii to work in sugar cane fields.

Reform

Labor Movement: The first 8-hour day begins for government workers. Others continue to work long hours.

Law

Women’s Firsts: Arabella Mansfield (1846-1911) is granted admission to practice law in Iowa, making her the first woman lawyer.

Law

In "Texas v. White," the U.S. Supreme Court rules that secession is illegal. Following this decision, Congress restores a republican government in Texas.

Law

The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution, affirming the right to vote and forbidding states to deny that right based on race, color, or "previous condition of servitude," is passed by Congress.

Politics

Third Parties: The National Prohibition Party is formed in Chicago.

Government

The first Black U.S. diplomat, Ebenezer D. Bassett (1833-1908), becomes minister-resident to Haiti.

Government

Stamps: First U.S. pictorial stamps appear; this is the first time that U.S. stamps show something other than a dead person.

Government

Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) is inaugurated as the 18th President of the United States, and Schuyler Colfax (1823-1885) is inaugurated as the nation's 17th Vice President.

Inventions

Railroad History: George Westinghouse (1846-1914), an inventive Civil War veteran, develops the straight air brake.

Inventions

Chewing gum is patented by William F. Semple.

Inventions

Margarine is patented in France.

Inventions

Ives W. McGaffey of Chicago patents an early suction type vacuum cleaner.

Inventions

Celluloid is invented by J.W. Hyatt.

Education

Education of Women: Three women are admitted to the Chicago Medical College.

Education

Children’s Books: A beautiful Victorian illustrated "Cinderella" is published, along with a new versification of the story by Robert Willis, as "The Children''s Christmas Annual for 1869."

Arts and Letters

American Theatre: There are 21 theatres in New York and 6 in Boston.

Ideas

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) writes "On the Subjugation of Women."

Johnson, Eliza

Robert Johnson (1834-1869), son of Andrew and Eliza Johnson, dies April 22 by taking his own life.

Grant, Julia

Julia Dent Grant (1826-1902) is the first President's wife to have the Inaugural Ball in the Treasury. She also had the first closets built in the White House, and was the first First Lady to close the White House grounds to the public.

Pierce, Jane

Franklin Pierce (1804-1869), the 14th president of the United States, dies October 8 in Concord, New Hampshire.

Hayes, Lucy

Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) runs for a second term as Governor of Ohio and is once again elected. Lucy Hayes (1831-1889) continues her role as First Lady of Ohio.

Economics

Transportation: Railroad History: The first trans-continental railroad is finished when the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads are joined on May 10.

Economics

The Suez Canal is opened, after more than 10 years of construction.

Economics

Gypsy moths are brought to Massachusetts to start a silk industry. They escape, however, and cause all kinds of problems around the country.

Economics

Transportation: The clipper ship, "Cutty Sark," is launched.

Sports

Soccer: Intercollegiate football (soccer) is begun by Rutgers and Princeton.

Sports

The first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, is founded.

Sports

Women in Sports: Frenchwomen enter cycling races at Bordeaux, France.

Popular Culture

Mark Twain (1835-1910) publishes his book "Innocents Abroad."

Religion

The first Vatican Council meets in Rome.

Social Issues

Native Americans: The Transcontinental Railroad cuts across Native American lands.

Reform

Women’s Firsts: Arabella Mansfield (1846-1911) is granted admission to practice law in Iowa, making her the first woman lawyer.

Reform

Temperance Movement: The National Temperance Convention meets in Chicago to form the Prohibition Party.

Reform

Women's Suffrage Movement: Susan B. Anthony founds the American Women’s Suffrage Association. The newspaper she founds has the slogan “Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less.”

Reform

Women's Suffrage Movement: The Wyoming Territory becomes the first state to grant women suffrage.

Law

Civil Rights Movement: The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution affirming the right to vote and forbidding states to deny that right based on race, color, or "previous condition of servitude," is ratifiedby two-thirds of the states and added to the Constitution.

Politics

Hiram Revels (1827-1901) (Mississippi) becomes the first Black elected to U.S. Senate.

Politics

Jefferson Long (1836-1901) (Georgia) becomes the first Black elected to U.S. House of Representatives.

Government

The U.S. Congress readmits Texas to the Union.

Government

The U.S. Justice Department is created.

Government

Congress authorizes the registration of trademarks.

Medicine

Louis Pasteur (1822- 1895) and Robert Koch (1843-1910) establish the germ theory of disease.

Inventions

Thomas Edison (1847-1931) invents the stock ticker.

Inventions

Mary Carpenter patents a sewing machine with a self-threading, self-setting needle.

Technology

Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge begins.

Technology

Airplanes: Alphonse Penaud (1850-1880), France, uses twisted rubber bands to power a miniature helicopter. It’s copied by dozens of toymakers in Europe in America.

Education

Education of Women: The first sorority: Kappa Alpha Theta, is established at De Pauw University.

Education

Education of Women: Ada H. Kepley (1847-1925) becomes the first woman to graduate from law school (at Union College of Law, Chicago).

Arts and Letters

Museums: The Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded in New York City.

Lincoln, Mary

Congress appropriates a pension for Mary Todd (1818-1882) Lincoln of $3,000, later raised to $5,000.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Hayes (1831-1889) and Rutherford (1822-1893) successfully campaign for official Ohio state support for the establishment of a home for children orphaned by the Civil War.

Economics

Standard Oil Co. of Ohio is incorporated, with John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) as president and majority stockholder.

Economics

Census: The U.S. population is 39.8 million, including, for the first time, African Americans listed by name.

Economics

The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. (the A&P) is founded.

Discovery

Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890) begins excavations on the site of Homer's Troy.

Daily Life

A donkey first appears in a cartoon to symbolize the U.S. Democratic Party.

Daily Life

The Marcel wave becomes a popular women’s hairstyle.

Popular Culture

Jules Verne (1828-1905) writes "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea."

Religion

The first Vatican Council declares the dogma of papal infallibility.

Reform

Abolition Movement: The American Anti-Slavery Society is dissolved.

Reform

Black Suffrage Movement: The 15th Amendment of the Constitution provides African-American males with the right to vote.

Government

The first Civil Service Commission is appointed by President Grant.

Science

Charles Darwin (1809-1882) writes "The Descent of Man," in which he asserts that all mammals descend from a single ancestor.

Medicine

The bacillus that causes leprosy is discovered.

Inventions

The first cable car is invented.

Technology

Airplanes: Alphonse Penaud (1850-1880) builds a planophore, a 20-inch long monoplane with a pusher propeller powered by a rubber band. It flies 131 feet in 11 seconds — the first flight of an inherently stable aircraft.

Technology

Airplanes: Francis Herbert Wenham and John Browning, England, invent the wind tunnel. They use it to prove that cambered wings produce more lift than other shapes.

Education

Children’s Books: Mother Goose is reprinted, with verses set to music.

Education

Parochial Education: The Archdiocese of New York receives $700,000 in public funds for schooling.

Education

Public Education: Michigan, New Hampshire, and Washington enact compulsory school attendance laws.

Arts and Letters

Opera: "Aida," by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), is performed in Cairo, where the opera is set; it is written in honor of the opening of the Suez Canal.

Arts and Letters

Literature: George Eliot (1819-1880) writes "Middlemarch."

Arts and Letters

Literature: Henry James’ (1843-1916) first novel, "Watch And Ward", is written as he travela through Venice and Paris.

Ideas

Marx’s (1818-1883) "Communist Manifesto" appears for the first time in English.

Lincoln, Mary

Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882) returns to the United States. Her son Thomas (1853-1871) dies of tuberculosis at age 18.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Hayes’s sixth son, Scott Russell (1871-1923), is born in Columbus, Ohio on February 8. His sister Fanny calls him “little boy sister.”

Mckinley, Ida

Katherine "Katie" McKinley (1871-1875), the first child of William and Ida McKinley, is born December 25.

Arthur, Ellen

Ellen Herndon "Nell" Arthur (Pinkerton) (1871-1915), daughter of Chester Alan and Ellen Arthur, is born November 21.

Tyler, Julia

Julia Tyler Spencer (1849-1871), daughter of John Tyler and his second wife Julia, dies May 8 from childbirth complications.

Economics

The S.S. Oceanic, the first of the White Star Line luxury liners, is launched.

Daily Life

Disasters: The Chicago Fire burns down about three and one half miles of the city.

Sports

The National Rifle Association is founded by Union Army officers

Sports

Women in Sports: Miss Carrie A. Moore demonstrates a variety of roller skating movements at the Occidental Rink in San Francisco. Later in the same day, she exhibits her skill on a velocipede.

Popular Culture

“The Greatest Show on Earth”—P.T. Barnum’s (1810-1891) circus—opens in Brooklyn, NY.

Popular Culture

Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) writes "Through the Looking Glass."

Popular Culture

The poem, “The Owl and the Pussycat” is written by Edward Lear (1812-1888).

Religion

The hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers” is composed.

Social Issues

Native Americans: The Indian Appropriation Act is passed by Congress, making Native Americans wards of the federal government.

Reform

Labor Movement: Labor unions are legalized in Britain.

Politics

President Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) is elected for a second term, and Henry Wilson (1812-1875) is elected as the nation's 18th Vice President.

Politics

Third Parties; Women's Firsts: The Equal Rights Party nominates Victoria Woodhull (1838-1927) as the first woman candidate for President and African American leader Frederick Douglass (1817-1895) as her running mate.

Government

Presidents: Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), 30th President of the United States, is born in Plymouth, Vermont.

Government

Congress abolishes the income tax it had imposed during the Civil War.

Science

Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) shows that fermentation is caused by microorganisms.

Science

Bacteriology is established as a science.

Science

"Popular Science Monthly" begins to be published.

Inventions

The doughnut cutter is patented by John F. Blondel of Maine.

Inventions

A crude forerunner of the movie projector—the “zoopraxiscope”—is invented.

Inventions

African American Inventors: Elijah McCoy (1843-1929) invents an oiling devise that allows machines to be oiled while in motion.

Education

Public Education: Connecticut enacts compulsory school attendance laws.

Education

Parochial Education: About 30,000 children attend Lutheran parochial schools.

Education

Public Education: The Tileston Normal School is opened in Wilmington, NC as one of the first free schools in the area open to poor students.

Education

Children’s Books: Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) writes a books of shorter verses for young children entitled "Sing-Song."

Arts and Letters

Painting: James Whistler (1834-1903) paints a portrait of his mother.

Ideas

The Granger Movement is formed, a forerunner of the populist movement of the 1890s.

Wilson, Edith

Edith Bolling Galt (1872-1961), future second wife of President Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), is born in Wytheville, Virginia on October 15.

Economics

Montgomery Ward opens in Chicago.

Economics

Railroad History: George Westinghouse (1846-1914) patents the first automatic air brake. This is basically the same system as is used by today's railroads.

Daily Life

Yellowstone, the world's first National Park, is opened.

Daily Life

Disasters: The American ship "Mary Celeste" is found abandoned in the Atlantic en route to Genoa.

Daily Life

The Brooklyn Bridge is opened.

Sports

Soccer: The first English Football Association (F.A.) Cup final is played at the Kennington Oval in London.

Sports

Soccer: The first international soccer game is held when England plays Scotland.

Sports

The first U.S. ski club is founded in New Hampshire.

Religion

The International Bible Students Association, which evolved into the Jehovah’s Witness religious sect, is founded.

Social Issues

Birth Control: The “Comstock Law” forbids the transport of contraceptives in the United States.

Reform

Women's Suffrage Movement: Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) and other feminists are arrested for trying to vote in the presidential election.

Reform

Women's Rights Movement: Congress guarantees equal pay for equal work in federal jobs.

Politics

The American Granger movement, which organizes U.S. farmers in the midwest to counter monopolistic transportation practices by the railroads, reaches its peak membership.

Government

The North West Mounted Police are formed in Canada, later to become the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Government

President Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) is inaugurated for a second term, and Henry Wilson (1812-1875) is inaugurated as the nation's 18th Vice President.

Science

The American Metrological Society, the first organization to improve the system of weights and measures, is formed.

Science

Astronomer Maria Mitchell (1818-1889) founds the Association for the Advancement of Women.

Medicine

Dr. Mary Jane Safford (1834-1891) joins the faculty of the newly opened Boston University School of Medicine as a professor of women’s diseases.

Inventions

African American Inventors: Lewis Latimer (1848-1928) invents a water closet (toilet system) for railroad cars.

Technology

The first color photographs are developed.

Education

Author Sarah Chauncey Woolsey, a.k.a. Susan Coolidge (1835-1905), revolutionizes school story books by blending imaginary and real-life episodes.

Education

Public Education: William T. Harris (1835-1909), Superintendent of the St. Louis school system, incorporates kindergarten into the schools

Education

The discipline of sociology is established with Herbert Spencer’s (1820-1903) "The Study of Sociology."

Education

Women’s Firsts: Ellen Swallow Richards (1842–1911), the first woman to be admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earns her B.S. degree. She becomes the first female professional chemist in the U.S.

Education

Libraries: Chicago Public Library opens.

Education

Women’s Colleges: The College of Notre Dame of Maryland is founded.

Arts and Letters

Literature: Mark Twain (1835-1910) and Charles Dudley Warner (1829-1900) write "The Gilded Age;" the phrase becomes a descriptor for the era.

Ideas

“Set theory” in mathematics is established.

Hayes, Lucy

His second term as Governor over, Lucy (1831-1889) and Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1881) move to Spiegel Grove, an estate in N.W. Ohio.

Hayes, Lucy

Manning Force Hayes (1873-1874), seventh son of Lucy and Rutherford B. Hayes, is born on August 1.

Mckinley, Ida

Ida McKinley (1873), daughter of William and Ida McKinley, is born April 1 and dies 4 months later in August. After the birth of her namesake, First Lady Ida McKinley is stricken with a litany of lifelong illnesses that included epileptic seizures and phlebitis.

Economics

Jay Cooke & Co.'s Wall Street banking house fails, and the American economy collapses into a sharp depression.

Economics

American Money: The U.S. goes on the gold standard, eliminating all silver currency.

Economics

E. Remington & Sons, gunmakers, begin to manufacture typewriters.

Daily Life

Newspapers: The New York "Daily Graphic" becomes the first illustrated daily newspaper.

Daily Life

San Francisco’s first cable streetcar goes into operation.

Daily Life

Crime and Punishment: Jesse James and his gang rob their first passenger train.

Sports

Football: The first American Football rules are formulated at a meeting in New York attended by delegates from Columbia, Princeton, Rutgers and Yale.

Sports

The modern game of lawn tennis is invented in England.

Sports

Women in Sports: 10 young women compete in a mile-long swimming contest in the Harlem River. Miss Deliliah Goboess wins the prize, a silk dress worth $175.

Popular Culture

Jules Verne publishes "Around the World in Eighty Days."

Religion

The Reform Union of Hebrew Congregations is organized in Cincinnati.

Law

Chief Justices: President U.S. Grant (1822-1885) nominates Morrison R. Waite (1816-1888) as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He is confirmed two days later and serves for fourteen years.

Government

Presidents: Herbert Hoover (1875-1964), 31st President of the United States, is born in West Branch, Iowa.

War

Federal troops stationed in New Orleans during Reconstruction quell a revolt led by the White League against Louisiana's black state government.

Medicine

The streptococci and staphylococci bacilli are discovered.

Medicine

The field of osteopathy is founded in Kansas; Dr. Andrew Still becomes its first practitioner.

Inventions

African American Inventors: Lewis H. Latimer (1848-1928) co-invents an improved water closet, or bathroom, for trains.

Technology

The process of pressure cooking is introduced as a method of canning foods.

Technology

Airplanes: Felix Du Temple builds a man-carrying steam-powered monoplane. With a young French sailor at the controls, it makes a ski-jump take-off and a brief hop but cannot sustain flight.

Education

The Chautauqua movement begins in an effort to bring greater educational opportunity to America's isolated farmers and small towns through traveling lectures and correspondence-school courses.

Arts and Letters

Painting: A group of French Impressionists, including Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet, Camille Pissaro, and August Renoir, hold their first show. Rejected by a formal gallery, the exhibit was held by the artists themselves.

Fillmore, Abigail

Millard Fillmore (1800-1874), 13th president of the United States, dies on March 8 in Buffalo, NY. He is only the second vice president to succeed on the death of the incumbent president.

Hayes, Lucy

Manning Force Hayes, seventh son of Lucy and Rutherford B. Hayes, dies at the age of 13 months, probably of dysentery, in Fremont, Ohio on August 28.

Tyler, Letitia

Tazewell Tyler (1830-1874), the youngest of John and Letitia Tyler's children, dies January 8 as a result of alcoholism.

Hoover, Lou

Lou Henry (1874-1944), wife of Herbert Hoover, is born in Waterloo, Iowa, on March 29.

Cleveland, Frances

Oscar Folsom Cleveland (1874-?), son of Grover Cleveland and a widow, Maria Croftis Halpin, is born. Unsubstantiated reports suggest that Oscar died in his late 20's of alcoholism.

Grant, Julia

White House Weddings: Nellie Grant (1856-1922), daughter of Julia (1826-1902) and Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) marries Algernon Sartoris, a British diplomat, in the White House.

Economics

The first electric streetcar begins operation in New York City.

Economics

Stockholders of the Union Pacific railroad form a phony development bank, the Credit Mobilier. Several members of President Ulysses S. Grant’s (1822-1885) administration, including his vice president, are implicated in the scandal, though no one is ultimately indicted.

Daily Life

The first American zoo is established in Philadelphia.

Daily Life

Republican Party is first symbolized by an elephant. – drawn by Thomas Nast (1840-1902), in "Harper’s Weekly."

Sports

Women in Sports: Tennis is introduced to the U.S. by Mary Outerbridge, who saw it played in Bermuda.

Popular Culture

The original Siamese Twins, Chang and Eng (1811-1874), die. Born in Thailand of Chinese parents and joined at the chest, they were sold and exhibited in Europe and America.

Popular Culture

New York's Madison Square Garden opens under the name Barnum’s Hippodrome.

Reform

Women's Suffrage Movement: The Rhode Island legislature passes a women’s suffrage amendment to its constitution.

Reform

Temperance Movement: The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is founded in Cleveland, Ohio.

Reform

Labor Movement: Police on horses break up a demonstration of the unemployed in New York's Tompkins Square Park, injuring hundreds who came to protest the intense poverty resulting from the depression of the 1870s.

Law

Women's Suffrage Movement: In "Miner v. Hoppersatt," the Supreme Court rules that women are “persons” under the 14th Amendment, but are not entitled to vote.

Politics

Ex-political boss and New York politician William Marcy “Boss” Tweed (1823-1878) escapes from jail, flees to Cuba. He is apprehended, returned to New York, and dies in prison three years later.

Government

Rebellion in Cuba leads to deterioration of U.S.-Spanish relations.

Government

British prime minister Disraeli (1804-1881) maneuvers to bring the Suez Canal, which was completed in 1869, under British control.

Government

Civil Rights Movement: Congress passes the Civil Rights Act, guaranteeing blacks equal rights in public places and banning their exclusion from jury duty.

Medicine

The London Medical School for Women is founded.

Medicine

The bacillus that causes lumbar pneumonia—pneumococcus— is discovered.

Inventions

Thomas Edison (1847-1931) invents a duplicating process that uses a wax stencil, an early version of the mimeograph machine.

Inventions

An electric dental drill is patented.

Technology

The world’s first radio is operated by American Elihu Thomson (1853-1937).

Education

Women's Colleges: Wellesley College for women, founded by Henry and Pauline Durant, opens in Wellesley, Massachusetts, outside of Boston.

Arts and Letters

Opera: The first performance of French composer Georges Bizet's (1838-1875) opera "Carmen" takes place at the Opera Comique, Paris.

Arts and Letters

The first Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, "Trial by Jury," is written.

Mckinley, Ida

Katherine "Katie" McKinley (1871-1875), the first child of William and Ida McKinley, dies June 25 from typhoid fever.

Taylor, Margaret

Anne Margaret Mackell Taylor Wood (1811-1875), daughter of Zachary and Margaret Taylor, dies December 2.

Lincoln, Mary

Mary Todd Lincoln’s (1818-1882) son Robert (1843-1926) has her declared insane; she manages to get herself released from the mental hospital, and goes to live with her sister in Springfield, Illinois.

Hayes, Lucy

Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) runs for his third term as Governor of Ohio, and wins.

Johnson, Eliza

Andrew Johnson (1808-1875), 17th President of the U.S., dies July 31 in Carter's Station, Tennessee.

Economics

Luxury hotels are opened in Saratoga Springs, New York, and San Francisco, marking the development of a luxury-seeking elite in the United States.

Economics

The first factory using the Bessemer steel-making process is built by Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919).

Daily Life

Newspapers: The "Times" of London becomes the first newspaper to print a daily weather chart.

Sports

Horse Racing: The first Kentucky Derby is held at Churchill Downs, Kentucky, won by Aristides.

Sports

Capt. Matthew Webb (1848-1883) becomes the first person to swim across the English Channel.

Sports

The first roller skating rink is opened in London.

Sports

Women in Sports: Baseball: The "Blondes" and "Brunettes" play their first match In Springfield, IL on Sept. 11. Newspapers heralded the event as the "first game of baseball ever played in public for gate money between feminine ball-tossers."

Religion

Mary Baker Eddy’s (1821-1910) "Science and Health" is first published.

Social Issues

Native Americans: Comanche chief Quanah Parker (1850-1911) ends his resistance to white settlement of Texas, enabling American expansion to proceed rapidly.

Social Issues

Jim Crow Laws: Segregation: Tennessee passes a "Jim Crow" law segregating blacks and whites on railroads (which are private, and so not covered by the Civil Rights Act).

Politics

Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) is elected the 19th President of the U.S., and William A. Wheeler (1819-1887) is elected as the nation's 19th Vice President. The election is so close that it is not finally concluded until 1877.

Government

New State: Colorado becomes the 38th state of the United States

War

Indian Wars: At the Battle of the Little Big Horn (Custer’s Last Stand), Sioux Indians led by Chief Crazy Horse routed the U.S. 7th Cavalry led by Col. Custer (1839-1876).

War

Indian Wars: In one of the final periods of intense Native American resistance to American expansion, Apache leader Geronimo (1829-1909) begins a 10-year reign of war and terror against white settlers in the American Southwest.

Science

Thomas Edison (1847-1931) establishes Menlo Park as America’s first research laboratory.

Medicine

The bacillus that causes anthrax is discovered by Robert Koch (1843-1910).

Inventions

Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) patents the first telephone.

Inventions

The first carpet sweeper is patented by inventor Melville Bissell (1843-1889), of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Inventions

Thomas Edison (1847-1931) patents the mimeograph machine.

Education

Higher Education: Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore opens.

Education

The Kindergarten exhibit at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia enhances kindergarten’s popularity.

Education

Libraries: The American Library Association is founded.

Arts and Letters

Opera: The first complete performance of Richard Wagner’s (1813-1883) operatic Ring cycle opens in Germany.

Johnson, Eliza

Eliza McCardle Johnson (1810-1876) dies of tuberculosis in December at her daughter's, Martha Patterson, house.

Van Buren, Hannah

Smith Thommpson Van Buren (1817-1876), son of Martin and Hannah Van Buren dies.

Lincoln, Mary

A second jury finds Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882) sane. Later she travels again to Europe and spends most of her time in France.

Hayes, Lucy

Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) runs for President of the U.S. His election is in dispute until January of 1877 because of contested election results in several states.

Economics

Railroad History: All Southern Pacific and Central Pacific passenger cars converted to air brakes.

Daily Life

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is organized.

Sports

Baseball: The Chicago Cubs hold their first National League game, beating Louisville 4-0.

Sports

Baseball: The U.S. National Baseball League is established

Sports

The first tennis tournament in the U.S. is held.

Sports

Polo is introduced to the U.S. from England.

Sports

Women in Sports: Ten percent of the members of the newly created Appalachin Mountain Club are women.

Popular Culture

Mark Twain (1835-1910) publishes his book “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”.

Social Issues

Immigration: California Senate committee investigates the “social, moral, and political effect of Chinese immigration.”

Reform

Prohibition: An early Prohibition Amendment to the Constitution is proposed in the House of Representatives.

Reform

Women's Rights Movement: A Declaration of the Rights of Women is distributed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Matilda Gage.

Government

Women's Suffrage Movement: The House of Representatives defeats a bill to amend the Constitution to allow women to vote where they are taxed.

Government

Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) is inaugurated as the 19th President of the U.S., and William A. Wheeler (1819-1887) is inaugurated as the nation's 19th Vice President.

Government

British imperialism is nearing its zenith as Britain annexes the South African Republic, and Queen Victoria (1819-1901) is proclaimed empress of India.

War

Indian Wars: The Nez Perce tribes in the northwestern United States battle with American troops after years of passive noncompliance with treaties. The tribes ultimately surrender; their leader, Chief Joseph (1840-1904), gives a surrender speech considered one of the finest statements on Native American displacement.

Science

U.S. astronomer Asaph Hall (1829-1907) discovers Deimos, ("panic" in Greek) a satellite of Mars, at the Naval Observatory in Washington.

Medicine

The process for staining bacteria so as to see them under a microscope is invented by Robert Koch (1843-1910).

Inventions

Copper wire is invented.

Inventions

Thomas Edison (1847-1931) invents the phonograph and makes the first sound recording.

Education

Libraries: Women's Firsts: Minerva Saunders is the first librarian to end age restrictions on borrowing books and to create a seperate childern's section.

Education

The YWCA in New York City establishes the first known typing course for women.

Education

Women's Firsts: Education of Women: Helen McGill(White) becomes the first woman in the U.S. to earn a Ph.D. degree; it is from Boston University, and her field is Greek drama.

Education

Children’s Books: Anna Sewell (1820-1878) is known only for one book, the perennial favorite "Black Beauty, the Autobiography of a Horse."

Education

Public Education: Reconstruction ends in 1877 when federal troops, which had occupied the South since the end of the Civil War are withdrawn. Whites regain political control of the South and lay the foundations of legal segregation.

Arts and Letters

Drama: American Theatre: Henrik Ibsen writes "Pillars of Society," an early example of the Realism in theatre that begins to compete with melodrama. With the advent of early realism, the role of the regisseur, or strong director, begins to develop.

Arts and Letters

Dance: Tchaikovsky's (1840-1893) ballet "Swan Lake" is first performed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.

Arts and Letters

Painting: The third Impressionist exhibition is held in Paris.

Tyler, Letitia

Robert Tyler (1816-1877), the first son of John and Letitia Christian Tyler, dies December 3.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Hayes (1831-1889) and Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) celebrate their 25th anniversary in the White House.

Hayes, Lucy

A newspaper first refers to the wife of the President as the "First Lady." Lucy Hayes (1831-1889) is also the first Presidential wife to take the Oath of Office in the White House.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Hayes (1831-1889) oversees the first Easter egg-rolling contest at the White House.

Economics

American Money: The Department of the Treasury's bureau of Engraving and Printing starts printing all U.S. currency, although other steps are done outside.

Economics

A drink called root beer is first made and distributed by Charles Elmer Hires (1851-1937).

Economics

Railroad History: Four feuding American railroads cease their price wars and join together to cut wages, prompting the great railroad strike of 1877. Federal troops end the strike, but only after killing some workers and injuring many.

Discovery

British explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904) reaches the mouth of the Congo River.

Daily Life

The first public telephones are installed in the U.S.

Daily Life

The first Westminster Dog Show is held.

Sports

Cricket: The first cricket match between Australia and England is played in Melbourne, the home side winning by 45 runs.

Sports

The first Wimbledon tennis championships are held.

Sports

Women in Sports: The first women's field hockey club is started in Surrey, England.

Social Issues

Immigration: United States Congress investigates the criminal influence of Chinese immigrants.

Social Issues

Immigration: A mob in San Francisco sets fire to two dozen Chinese laundries in the city, sparking months of anti-Chinese violence.

Social Issues

Racism: Reconstruction in the South ends, and with it any effort of the Federal government to enforce the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments in the South for nearly 100 years.

Politics

Third Parties: The Greenback-Labor Party is formed by labor organizations and advocates cheap money.

Politics

For the first time in twenty years, Democrats win control of both houses of Congress.

War

Indian Wars: Lincoln County War erupts in southeast New Mexico.

Medicine

Epidemics: The last great epidemic of yellow fever kills more than 13,000 in the lower Mississippi valley.

Inventions

The microphone is invented by David Hughes (1831-1900).

Inventions

The phonograph, invented by Thomas Edison (1847-1931), is patented.

Inventions

Sir Joseph Wilson Swan (1828-1914) is the first person to invent a practical and longer-lasting electic lightbulb.

Technology

Airplanes: Bishop Milton Wright (1828-1917), then living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, brings home a rubber band-powered Penaud-type helicopter for his sons. They build several successful copies. Orville tells his schoolteacher that he and his brother Wilbur plan to build a large enough machine to carry the both of them. But when they try to build a larger model, it doesn’t fly.

Technology

The first private connection by telephone in Great Britain was made on the Isle of Wight when Queen Victoria (1819-1901) spoke to Thomas Biddulph.

Education

Public Education: Kindergarten is incorporated into the San Francisco public school system.

Education

Women's Colleges: Physicist Sarah Frances Whiting (1846-1927) opens the second undergraduate physics laboratory in the U.S. at Wellesley College.

Arts and Letters

Dance: "Swan Lake" is first performed at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.

Arts and Letters

Gilbert and Sullivan write "H.M.S. Pinafore."

Arts and Letters

Literature: Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) writes "Return of the Native."

Arts and Letters

Drama: Actress Ellen Terry (1848-1928) becomes a part of the Irving Company at London's Lyceum Theatre.

Ideas

Charles Pierce (1839-1914) publishes "How to Make Our Ideas Clear," developing the philosophy of Pragmatism.

Harrison, Anna

John Scott Harrison (1804-1878), son of William Henry and Anna Harrison, dies May

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Hayes (1831-1889) becomes widely known for her concern for and help to those in need in Washington, especially Civil War veterans and their families.

Economics

American Money: The Department of the Treasury is authorized to issue Silver Certificates in exchange for silver dollars.

Economics

The name "Vaseline," a brand of petroleum jelly, is trademarked by Robert A. Chesebrough (1856-?).

Economics

The first commercial telephone switchboard goes into operation in New Haven, Connecticut.

Economics

The first bicycles are manufactured in the U.S.

Economics

Women's Firsts: Emma Nutt becomes the first woman telephone operator when she goes to worl for Edwin Holmes and his Telephone Dispatch Company in Boston, Massachusetts.

Discovery

The largest yellow diamond ever discovered is found in the Kimberly Mine of South Africa. It is purchased by New York's Tiffany & Co. and becomes known as the Tiffany Diamond.

Daily Life

The first telephone book is issued in New Haven, CT.

Daily Life

Newspapers: The first full-page newspaper advertisements appear.

Sports

Women in Sports: Woman pedestrian Ada Anderson walks 3,000 quarter-miles in 3,000 quarter hours over the course of a month in New York' Mozart Hall, kicking off a series of "lady walker" matches.

Sports

The National Archery Association is organized.

Popular Culture

A London tunesmith introduces the word jingoism into the British parlance in the lyric: "We don't want to fight, but by jingo if we do/We've got the men, we've got the ships, we've got the money too." The word would characterize an era of British imperialism.

Popular Culture

Showboats, which had shut down during the Civil War, are revived as entertainment centers on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.

Religion

Pittsburgh minister Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916), who will go on to found the Watchtower Society associated with the Jehovah''s Witnesses, preaches that the second coming happened invisibly in 1874 and that the world will end in 1914.

Religion

Anna Howard Shaw (1847-1919) graduates as the only woman in her class in Boston University's divinity school; when she applies for ordination, her application is denied and her license to preach repealed

Social Issues

Abortion: Anthony Comstock, head of the New York Society for the Suppression fo Vice, entraps New York abortion provider and brothel owner Madame Restell into giving him abortifacients and contraceptives by telling her his wife is pregnant and they cannot afford another child. He then exposes her, slapping her with a lawsuit. Fearing conviction, she commits suicide.

Social Issues

Racism: The relocation of former slaves to Kansas, called the "Exoduster Movement," begins. Within the year, 30,000 blacks migrate to Kansas.

Reform

Labor Movement: Labor struggle intensifies in the United States when the Atchison, Topkea, and Santa Fe railraod cuts engineers' pay 10 percent. Striking workers shut the railroad down for five days. The militia is called in, and after a militiaman kills a bystander, labor leaders are arrested.

Law

Women’s Firsts: Belva Ann Lockwood (1830-1917) becomes the first woman admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Politics

Irish nationalist Michael Davitt (1846-1906) founds the Irish Land League to resist absentee landlords and fight for a more equitable distribution of land in Ireland and independence from Britain.

Politics

Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck (1862-1890) engineers an Austro-German alliance in which either side will offer the other aid in the event of an attack from Russia. It's one of a series of alliances that prefigure the battle lines of World War I.

Government

President Hayes (1822-1893) tries to reform the Civil Service, and to settle the question of Indian lands; large numbers of native Americans visit with him in Washington to argue their need for justice.

Government

National Capital: Electric lighting is installed in the Capitol building.

Government

Immigration: A bill to restrict Chinese immigration is vetoed by President Hayes (1822-1893).

War

The Zulu War: The Zulu War begins between the British of the Cape Colony and the natives of Zululand.

Science

Russian pathologist demonstrates by using dogs that the stomach will produce gastric juices even if there is no food, suggeting that reflexes are learned and conditioned, not natural, and that people can be taught to respond to anything.

Science

The discovery of saccharin is reported.

Medicine

Women's Firsts: Mary Mahoney(1845-1926) becomes the first black professional nurse in the U.S.

Inventions

Thomas Edison (1847-1931) invents a workable electric light at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

Technology

An internal combustion engine is used to power a "horseless carriage" by George Selden (1846-1922).

Technology

Thomas Edison (1847-1931) gives the first public demonstration of an eletric incandescent lamp in Menlo Park, New Jeresy.

Education

Women's Colleges: The first class at what was to become Radcliffe College, then called "The Society for the Collegiate Instruction of Women," begins.

Education

American educator Anna Hallowell(1831-1905) establishes free kindergartens in poor neighborhoods in Philadelphia.

Education

Native Americans: Indian Education: The Carlisle Indian School is founded in Pennsylvania, in an aggressive U.S. government campaign to "civilize" Indian children.

Arts and Letters

Literature: Among Henry James' (1843-1916) masterpieces is "Daisy Miller," in which the young and innocent American, Daisy, finds her values in conflict with European sophistication.

Arts and Letters

Literature: Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) writes "The Brothers Karamzov."

Arts and Letters

Opera: "Evgeny Onegin," or "Eugene Onegin," best known opera by Russian composer Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), receives its first performance at the Maily Theater in Moscow.

Arts and Letters

Drama: Henrik Ibsen's (1828-1906) modern classic about the erosion of traditional domestic roles, "A Doll's House," is performed for the first time in Copenhagen.

Arts and Letters

"The Pirates of Penzance"(or "The Slave of Duty"), an operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan, has its first performance in New York City.

Ideas

American economist Henry George (1839-1897) writes "Progress and Poverty," in which he observes increasing economic inequality in the United States.

Taylor, Margaret

Richard Taylor (1826-1879), son of Zachary and Margaret Taylor, dies April 12.

Johnson, Eliza

Andrew Johnson Jr. (1852-1879), son of Andrew and Eliza Johnson, dies March 12.

Coolidge, Grace

Grace Anna Goodhue Coolidge (1879-1957), wife of Calvin Coolidge, is born in Burlignton, Vermont on January 3.

Economics

The first five-and-dime store is founded by Frank Woolworth (1852-1919) in Utica, New York; it later moves to Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the same year.

Daily Life

Newspapers: Henry Grady (1850-1889) takes over the "Atlanta Constitution," in the pages of which he begins to exhort the South to attract northern capital and transform itself into a modern industrial region--to little avail.

Daily Life

Electric arc lamps are installed on the streets of Cleveland, Ohio, by Charles Brush (1849-1929).

Sports

The first major skiing contest occurs in Norway.

Popular Culture

Annie Oakley (1860-1926) defeats Frank Butler in a shooting match; they later marry and tour the country in Wild West shows.

Religion

St. Patrick's Cathedral opens in New York after twenty-six years of work.

Religion

Women’s Firsts: Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) establishes the Church of Christ, Scientist, becoming the first woman to found a major religion, Christian Science.

Social Issues

Immigration: California adopts a new constitution which, in part, prohibits the employment of Chinese workers.

Social Issues

Racism: With federal Reconstruction over and national troops out of the South, political repression of southern blacks starts to intensify.

Reform

Temperance Movement: Frances Willard (1839-1898) becomes president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, campaigning also for women's rights with the motto, "Do Everything."

Law

Civil Rights Movement: The Supreme Court rules that the exclusion of Blacks from jury duty is unconstitutional.

Politics

James A. Garfield (1831-1881) beats President Ulysses Grant (1822-1885) in a hotly contested election and becomes the 20th President of the U.S.; Chester A. Arthur (1829-1886) is elected as the 20th Vice President.

Medicine

Rubber gloves are introduced in hospital operating rooms after nurse Caroline Hampton developed a skin allergy to the antiseptic solutions used; when postoperative infections dropped dramatically, such gloves became part of the surgical team’s standard uniform.

Medicine

The parasite that causes malaria is discovered.

Inventions

The British Perforated Paper Company invents a form of toilet paper.

Inventions

Englishman, John Milne (1850-1913) invents the modern seismograph.

Inventions

Thomas Edison (1847-1931) is granted a patent for his incandescent light.

Technology

Airplanes: Otto Lilienthal (1848-1896), Germany, begins to test cambered wing surfaces and measures their lifting capability.

Technology

The first large furnace for making steel is developed by Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919).

Technology

The first wireless telephone message is sent by Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) through a “photophone,” a devise that transmits sound on a beam of light.

Education

Public Education: Kindergarten is incorporated into the Chicago public school system.

Education

Libraries: The initial funding of buildings for public libraries is begun by Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919).

Arts and Letters

Literature: Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881) publishes "The Brothers Karamazov," a year before he dies.

Arts and Letters

Literature: Lew Wallace (1827-1905) writes "Ben Hur."

Arts and Letters

Sculpture: Rodin’s (1840-1917) sculpture, “The Thinker,” is exhibited in model form.

Arts and Letters

Gilbert and Sullivan produce "The Pirates of Penzance" in London. It runs for over 300 performances.

Garfield, Lucretia

Lucretia Rudolph Garfield (1832-1918) is the first President's wife to be kissed by her husband at his inauguration.

Arthur, Ellen

Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur (1837-1880), wife of Chester A. Arthur (1830-1886), dies of pneumonia on January 10, ten months before her husband is elected as Vice President of the United States.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Hayes (1831-1889) accepts the national presidency of the Woman’s Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Church, a group that helps poor women and children.

Hayes, Lucy

Lucy Hayes (1831-1889) and Rutherford (1822-1893) spend 72 days touring the west, the first such trip by a sitting President.

Lincoln, Mary

Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882) returns to the United States in 1880 and again goes to the Edwards' home in Springfield to live. She is slowly going blind.

Harrison, Caroline

Benjamin Harrison (1831-1901) is elected to the U.S. Senate from Indiana. He and Caroline Harrison (1832-1892) move to Washington, DC.

Harding, Florence

Eugene Marshall "Pete" DeWolfe (1880-1915), son of Warren and Florence Harding, is born September 22.

Economics

Newspapers: Newspaper growth continues unabated in the postwar years. An astounding 11,314 different papers are recorded in the census.

Economics

The De Beers Mining Corp. is founded by Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902) and Albert Beit (1853-1906) , both 27 years old. Rhodes will eventually acquire a near-total monopoly on the South African diamond industry.

Economics

The population of Los Angeles, California, doubles between 1870 and 1880, a sign of the urbanization of the American west.

Economics

Census: The U.S. population is 50.1 million people, including about 2.8 million immigrants.

Daily Life

The first canned fruits and vegetables appear in stores.

Daily Life

The first telephone box for public use goes into service.

Daily Life

Electricity first lights the street lights in New York City.

Daily Life

Newspapers: The first photographs are seen in newspapers that are printed using halftones.

Popular Culture

J.C. Harris publishes his “Uncle Remus” stories.

Popular Culture

The game of bingo is developed from an Italian lotto game.

Religion

Women Firsts: Anna Howard Shaw (1847-1919) is the first woman ordained by the Methodist Church.

Religion

Frances Cabrini (later Mother Cabrini) (1850-1917) founds the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Italy.

Social Issues

Poverty: The American Salvation Army is established in Philadelphia.

Social Issues

Immigration: Italy’s troubled economy, crop failures, and political climate begin the start of mass immigration with nearly four million Italian immigrants arriving in the United States.

Reform

Labor Movement: The word boycott comes into use when Irish tenant farmers refuse to harvest crops on an estate managed by British army captain Charles Cunningham Boycott (1832-1897).