January 1 Canada begins using decimal currency system January 14 French Emperor Napoleon III escapes attempt on his life by Felice Orsini, an Italian patriot who was later executed January 25 Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" 1st played, at wedding of Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Victoria, to crown prince of Prussia January 28 John Brown organized raid on Arsenal at Harper's Ferry January 30 Charles Halle founds Halle Orchestra in Manchester January 30 William Wells Brown published 1st Black drama, "Leap to Freedom" February 11 1st apparition of Mary to 14-year-old Bernadette of Lourdes France February 13 Sir Richard Burton and John Speake explore Lake Tanganyika, Africa February 21 Edwin T. Holmes installs 1st electric burglar alarm (Boston, Massachusetts) February 22 Dion Boucicault's "Jessie Brown," premieres in New York City March 2 Frederick Cook, New Orleans, patents a cotton-bale metallic tie March 8 Opera "I Pagliacci" is produced (Naples) March 9 Albert Potts of Philadelphia patents the street mailbox March 18 Dutch Van der Brugghen government resigns March 23 Streetcar patented (E A Gardner of Philadelphia) March 30 Pencil with attached eraser patented by Hyman L. Lipman April 12 1st U.S. billiards championship (Michael J Phelan wins in Detroit) May 4 War of Reform (Mexico); Liberals establish capital at Vera Cruz May 8 John Brown holds antislavery convention May 11 Minnesota admitted as 32nd U.S. state May 15 Royal Italian Opera opens in Covent Garden London May 22 Confederacion Granadina (now Colombia) forms May 28 Dion Boucicault's "Foul Play," premieres in London May 30 Hudson's Bay Co rights to Vancouver Island revoked June 2 Donati Comet 1st seen named after it's discoverer June 16 Abraham Lincoln says "A house divided against itself cannot stand" June 21 Louisiana chess prodigy Paul Morphy arrives in Europe June 29 Great fire in London harbor June 29 Treaty of Algun, China cedes north bank of Amur River to Russia July 2 Partial emancipation of Russian serfs July 6 Lyman Blake patents shoe manufacturing machine July 20 Fee 1st charged to see a baseball game (50 cents ) (New York beats Brooklyn 22-18) July 20 Gathering of Plombieres - Napoleon III meets Cavour July 23 Jewish Disabilities Removal Act passed by British Parliament July 26 Baron Lionel de Rothschild is 1st Jew elected to British Parliament July 28 Nadar takes 1st airborne photo, in a balloon July 28 William Herschel of the Indian Civil Service in India July 29 1st commercial treaty between U.S. and Japan signed July 29 U.S. citizens allowed to live anywhere in Japan August 2 1st mailboxes installed in Boston and New York City streets August 2 Government of India transferred from East India Company to Crown August 5 Cyrus W. Field completes 1st transatlantic telegraph cable August 15 Regular mail to Pacific coast begins August 16 Britain's Queen Victoria telegraphs President James Buchanan August 17 1st bank in Hawaii opens August 18 Netherlands and Japan sign trade agreement August 21 1st Lincoln-Douglas debate (Illinois) August 24 Richmond "Daily Dispatch" reports 90 blacks arrested for learning September 1 1st transatlantic cable fails after less than 1 month September 8 Lincoln makes a speech about when you can fool people September 10 John Holden hits 1st recorded home run (Brooklyn vs New York) September 13 Hamburg-US ship Austria catches fire and sinks, 471 die September 16 1st overland mail for California September 28 Donati's comet becomes 1st to be photographed October 21 In Paris, the Can-Can is 1st performed October 21 Jacques Offenbach's opera "Orphee aux Enfers," premieres in Paris October 26 Hamilton Smith patents rotary washing machine October 27 RH Macy and Co opens 1st store, (6th Ave-NYC) Gross receipts $1106 October 28 Macy's Department store opens in New York City November 9 1st performance of New York Symphony Orchestra November 17 Origin of Modified Julian Period December 12 1st Canadian coins circulated (1 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent and 20 cent) December 16 Dutch government decides to vacate Schokland Island December 18 Passy, at Paris: 1st "Samedi soir" i/d villa of lovers Rossini
