Explore 419 historical events from 1850–1859.
George Charles Haité was an English designer, painter, illustrator and writer. His most famous work is the iconic cover design of the Strand Magazine, launched in 1891, which helpe…
George Charles Haité, English painter and illustrator (died 1924)
Robert Marion La Follette Sr., nicknamed "Fighting Bob", was an American lawyer and the leading progressive politician in Wisconsin from the 1890s until his death in 1925. He serve…
Robert M
Sir Richard Lodge was a British historian.
Richard Lodge, English historian and academic (died 1936)
Samuel Morris was an Australian cricketer who played in one Test in 1885. He was the first black man to play Test cricket, as well as the first person of West Indian heritage and t…
Samuel Morris, Australian cricketer (died 1931)
Ludwig Ganghofer was a German writer. He has been called the "most-adapted author in the history of German cinema", as many of his novels were turned into films.
Ludwig Ganghofer, German author and playwright (died 1920)
Edward "Ned" Hanlan was a Canadian professional sculler, hotelier, and alderman from Toronto, Ontario. He was the world sculling champion from 1880 to 1884. According to Rowing Can…
Ned Hanlan, Canadian rower, academic, and businessman (died 1908)
Ferdinand Tönnies was a German sociologist, economist, and philosopher. He was a significant contributor to sociological theory and field studies, best known for distinguishing bet…
Ferdinand Tönnies, German sociologist and philosopher (died 1936)
Georg Wilhelm von Siemens was a German telecommunications industrialist of the Siemens family.
Georg Wilhelm von Siemens, German-Swiss businessman (died 1919)
Sir Robert Harry Inglis, 2nd Baronet, FRS was a British Conservative politician, noted for his staunch high church views.
Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet, English politician (born 1786)
Charles Robert Malden was a nineteenth-century British naval officer, surveyor and educator. He is the discoverer of Malden Island in the central Pacific, which is named in his hon…
Charles Robert Malden, English lieutenant and explorer (born 1797)
Mary Reibey was an English-born merchant, shipowner and trader who was transported to Australia as a convict. After gaining her freedom, she was viewed by her contemporaries as a c…
Mary Reibey, Australian businesswoman, (born 1777)
John B. Gorrie was a Saint Kitts and Nevis born American medical doctor and scientist, credited as the inventor of mechanical refrigeration.
John Gorrie, American physician and humanitarian (born 1803)
Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov was a Russian admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy known for his victory in the Battle of Sinop and his leadership in the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855)…
Pavel Nakhimov, Russian admiral (born 1802)
Konstantin Nikolayevich Batyushkov was a Russian poet, essayist and translator of the Romantic era. He also served in the diplomatic corps, spending an extended period in 1818 and …
Konstantin Batyushkov, Russian poet and translator (born 1787)
A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. M…
A group of American mercenaries led by William Walker set sail from San Francisco to conquer Nicaragua
The Great Gold Robbery took place on the night of 15 May 1855, when a routine shipment of three boxes of gold bullion and coins was stolen from the guard's van of the service betwe…
Thieves stole 224 pounds (102 kg) of gold from a train travelling from London to Folkestone, England
General José María Yáñez Carrillo was a Mexican soldier who fought in the Mexican War of Independence. He also served in the Mexican-American war and the war against the French att…
In the Battle of Guaymas, Mexico, General José María Yáñez stops the French invasion led by Count Gaston de…
Ludwig Levy was a German Jewish architect of the Historicist school. He designed a number of synagogues, amongst which was the huge Neue Synagoge in Strasbourg, as well as official…
Ludwig Levy, German architect (died 1907)
William Stang was a German Catholic prelate who served as the first Bishop of Fall River from 1904 until his death in 1907.
William Stang, German-American bishop (died 1907)
Henri La Fontaine, was a Belgian international lawyer and president of the International Peace Bureau. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1913 because "he was the effective leade…
Henri La Fontaine, Belgian lawyer and author, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1943)
Charles Sumner Tainter was an American scientific instrument maker, engineer and inventor, best known for his collaborations with Alexander Graham Bell, Chichester Bell, Alexander'…
Charles Sumner Tainter, American engineer and inventor (died 1940)
The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 was a territorial organic act that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. It was drafted by Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas, passed b…
The Kansas–Nebraska Act becomes law establishing the U
The Åland War was the operations of an Anglo-French naval force against military and civilian facilities on the coast of the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1854–1856, during the Crimean…
Åland War: The British navy destroys merchant ships and about 16,000 tar barrels of the wholesale stocks area in Oulu, G