1855
Henry Colburn, English publisher (born 1785)
Henry Colburn was a British publisher.
Henry Colburn, English publisher (born 1785)
The 1850s
Explore 658 historical events from 1850–1859.
1855
José Trinidad Reyes, Honduran priest and educator (born 1797)
Father José Trinidad Reyes y Sevilla was a Honduran priest who founded the National Autonomous University of Honduras, formerly called "La Sociedad del Genio emprendedor y del buen…
José Trinidad Reyes, Honduran priest and educator (born 1797)
1855
A group of American mercenaries led by William Walker set sail from San Francisco to conquer Nicaragua
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
1855
Thieves stole 224 pounds (102 kg) of gold from a train travelling from London to Folkestone, England
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
1854
In the Battle of Guaymas, Mexico, General José María Yáñez stops the French invasion led by Count Gaston de…
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…
1854
The Hinomaru is established as the official flag to be flown from Japanese ships.
The national flag of Japan is a rectangular white banner with a red circle at its center. The flag is officially called the Nisshōki , but is more commonly known in Japan as the Hi…
The Hinomaru is established as the official flag to be flown from Japanese ships.
1854
Ludwig Levy, German architect (died 1907)
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)
1854
The Kansas–Nebraska Act becomes law establishing the U
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
1854
Åland War: The British navy destroys merchant ships and about 16,000 tar barrels of the wholesale stocks area in Oulu, G
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
1854
The United States Naval Academy graduates its first class of students
The United States Naval Academy is a federal service academy adjacent to Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretar…
The United States Naval Academy graduates its first class of students
1854
The Republican Party of the United States held its first convention in Jackson, Michigan.
The Republican Party, also known as the Grand Old Party (GOP), is a right-wing populist and nationalist political party in the United States, sitting on the right-wing to far-right…
The Republican Party of the United States held its first convention in Jackson, Michigan.
1854
USS Constellation (1854), the last all-sail warship built by the United States Navy and current museum ship in…
USS Constellation is a sloop-of-war, the last sail-only warship designed and built by the United States Navy. She was built at the Gosport Shipyard between 1853 and 1855. She was n…
USS Constellation (1854), the last all-sail warship built by the United States Navy and current museum ship in…
1854
William Stang, German-American bishop (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)
1854
Henri La Fontaine, Belgian lawyer and author, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1943)
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)
1854
Charles Sumner Tainter, American engineer and inventor (died 1940)
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)
1854
Hertha Marks Ayrton, Polish-British engineer, mathematician, and physicist
Phoebe Sarah Hertha Ayrton was an English electrical engineer, mathematician, physicist and inventor, and suffragette. Known in adult life as Hertha Ayrton, born Phoebe Sarah Marks…
Hertha Marks Ayrton, Polish-British engineer, mathematician, and physicist
1854
American Transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau publishes his memoir Walden.
Transcendentalism is a philosophical, spiritual, and literary movement that developed in the late 1820s and 1830s in the New England region of the United States. A core belief is i…
American Transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau publishes his memoir Walden.
1854
The First Sioux War begins when United States Army soldiers kill Lakota chief Conquering Bear and in return are…
The Sioux Wars were a series of conflicts between the United States and various subgroups of the Sioux people which occurred in the later half of the 19th century. The earliest con…
The First Sioux War begins when United States Army soldiers kill Lakota chief Conquering Bear and in return are…
1854
Crimean War: British and French troops defeat Russians at the Battle of Alma.
The Crimean War was fought between Russia and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom, and Sardinia from October 1853 to February 1856. Geopolitical causes of…
Crimean War: British and French troops defeat Russians at the Battle of Alma.
1854
Henri Poincaré, French mathematician, physicist and engineer (died 1912)
Jules Henri Poincaré was a French mathematician, theoretical physicist, engineer, and philosopher of science. He is often described as a polymath, and in mathematics as "The Last U…
Henri Poincaré, French mathematician, physicist and engineer (died 1912)
1854
George Gore, American baseball player and manager (died 1933)
George F. Gore, nicknamed "Piano Legs", was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for 14 seasons, eight for the Chicago White Stockings, five for the New Y…
George Gore, American baseball player and manager (died 1933)
1854
Jack Blackham, Australian cricketer (died 1932)
John McCarthy Blackham was a Test cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia.
Jack Blackham, Australian cricketer (died 1932)
1854
Ioannis Psycharis, Ukrainian-French philologist and author (died 1929)
Ioannis (Yiannis) Psycharis was a Russian-born philologist who was much of his life a national of France. He was of Greek descent. He was also a writer and a promoter of Demotic Gr…
Ioannis Psycharis, Ukrainian-French philologist and author (died 1929)
1854
Bernard Zweers, Dutch composer and educator (died 1924)
Bernard Zweers was a Dutch composer and music teacher.
Bernard Zweers, Dutch composer and educator (died 1924)