January 1 Lincoln University, a black college, chartered (Oxford, Penn) January 5 Steamship San Francisco wrecked - 300 die January 9 Astor Library opens in New York City January 13 Anthony Foss patents accordion January 18 Filibuster William Walker proclaims Republic of Sonora in NW Mexico January 25 Aleksandr Ostrovsky's "Bednost ne Porok," premieres in Moscow January 30 1st election in Washington Territory; 1,682 votes cast January 31 Dutch KNMI established (Royal Meteorological Institute) February 2 Pope Pius IX encyclical "On persecution of Armenians" February 4 Alvan Bovay proposes name "Republican Party," Ripon, Wisc February 6 Composer R Schumann is saved from suicide attempt into the Rhine February 11 Major streets lit by coal gas for 1st time February 16 Franz Liszts symphony "Orpheus," premieres February 17 British recognize independence of Orange Free State (South Africa) February 22 1st meeting of Republican Party in Michigan February 23 Great Britain and Orange Free state sign Convention of Bloemfontein February 27 Composer Robert Schumann saved from suicide attempt in Rhine February 28 Republican Party formally organized at Ripon, Wisconsin March 1 SS City of Glasgow leaves Liverpool harbor and is never seen again March 7 Charles Miller patents 1st U.S. sewing machine to stitch buttonholes March 8 U.S. Commodore Matthew C. Perry's 2nd trip to Japan March 17 1st park land purchased by a U.S. city, Worcester, Massachusetts March 28 During the Crimean War, Britain and France declare war on Russia March 31 Treaty of Kanagawa: Commodore Perry forces Japan to opens ports to U.S. April 16 Franz Liszt's "Mazeppa," premieres April 16 San Salvador destroyed by earthquake April 16 Steamer "Long Beach" sinks off Long Beach NY, 311 die April 24 Austria's Franz Joseph I marries Elisabeth A E "Sissi" May 1 Amsterdam begins transferring drinking water out of the dunes May 5 English pirate Plumridge robs along pro-English Finnish coast May 24 Anthony Burns, slave, arrested by U.S. Deputy marshals in Boston May 24 Lincoln University, Penn, 1st Black college in U.S. forms by Prebyts May 27 Marine Telegraph from Ft. Point to San Francisco completed May 30 Territories of Kansas and Nebraska created June 10 Georg F B Reiman proposes that space is curved June 23 Antwerp-Roosendaal railway goes into use June 29 Gadsden Purchase (parts of Az, NM) from Mexico for $10 million June 29 Netherlands allows corporal punishment July 6 1st Republican state convention in Ripon, Wisconsin July 13 U.S. forces shell and burn San Juan del Norte, Nicaragua August 6 Congress passes Confiscation Act August 8 Smith and Wesson patents metal bullet cartridges August 9 Henry David Thoreau publishes "Walden" August 24 National emigration convention meets in Cleveland August 29 Self-governing windmill patented (Daniel Halladay) August 30 John Fremont issues proclamation freeing slaves of Missouri rebels September 4 English/French assault on Petropavlovsk Kamchatka September 8 With a 3-2 count, Phillies Richie Ashburn fouls next 14, then walks September 14 Allied armies, including those of Britain and France, land in Crimea September 19 Henry Meyer patents sleeping rail car September 20 Battle at Alma Krim: 1,000 British soldiers died September 20 British and French defeat Russians at Alma, in Crimea September 27 Steamship "Arctic" sinks with 300 people on board October 4 Abraham Lincoln made his 1st political speech at Illinois State Fair October 10 U.S. Assay Office in New York City, New York opens October 12 Lincoln University founded as Ashmun Institute October 23 The Times give precise British positions in Krim October 25 Charge of Light Brigade (Battle of Balaklava, Crimean War), 409 die October 25 Prince Menshikov of Krim occupies British base at Balaclava November 2 Cobblestone paving of Washington St. between Dupont and Kearny starts November 4 Lighthouse forms on Alcatraz Island November 5 Crimean War: British and French defeat Russian force of 50,000 November 9 Franz Liszt's "Fest-Long," premieres November 13 "New Era" sinks off New Jersey coast with loss of 300 November 28 Dutch army stops Chinese uprising in Borneo December 5 Aaron Allen of Boston patents folding theater chair December 8 Pope Pius IX proclaims Immaculate Conception, makes Mary, free of Original Sin December 9 Lord Tennyson's poem, "Charge of the Light Brigade," published December 15 1st street-cleaning machine in U.S. 1st used in Philadelphia December 19 Allen Wilson of Connecticut patents sewing machine to sew curving seams December 26 Wood-pulp paper 1st exhibited, Buffalo December 30 Pennsylvania Rock Oil Co, 1st in U.S., incorporated in New York City
