1855
Major Henry C
Henry Constantine Wayne was a United States Army officer, and is known for his commanding the expedition to test the U.S. Camel Corps as part of Secretary of War Jefferson Davis's …
Major Henry C
The 1850s
Explore 193 historical events from 1850–1859.
1855
The American adventurer William Walker conquers Nicaragua
An adventure is a novel and exciting undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountai…
The American adventurer William Walker conquers Nicaragua
1855
José Malhoa, Portuguese painter (died 1933)
José Vital Branco Malhoa, known simply as José Malhoa was a Portuguese painter.
José Malhoa, Portuguese painter (died 1933)
1855
Cecilia Beaux, American painter and academic (died 1942)
Eliza Cecilia Beaux was an American artist and the first woman to teach art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Known for her elegant and sensitive portraits of friends, …
Cecilia Beaux, American painter and academic (died 1942)
1855
Julius Röntgen, German-Dutch composer (died 1932)
Julius Engelbert Röntgen was a German-Dutch composer of classical music. He was a friend of Liszt, Brahms and Grieg.
Julius Röntgen, German-Dutch composer (died 1932)
1855
Yukteswar Giri, Indian guru and educator (died 1936)
Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri is the monastic name of Priya Nath Karar, an Indian monk and yogi, and the guru of Paramahansa Yogananda and Swami Satyananda Giri. Born in Serampore, West…
Yukteswar Giri, Indian guru and educator (died 1936)
1855
Francis Bellamy, American minister and author (died 1931)
Francis Julius Bellamy was an American Christian socialist Baptist minister and author. He is best known for writing the original version of the Pledge of Allegiance in 1892.
Francis Bellamy, American minister and author (died 1931)
1855
Ella Stewart Udall, American telegraphist (died 1937)
Eliza Luella "Ella" Stewart Udall was an American telegraphist and entrepreneur. Recruited by Brigham Young in 1870 and stationed at the Deseret Telegraph Company office in Pipe Sp…
Ella Stewart Udall, American telegraphist (died 1937)
1855
Isabella Ford, English author and activist (died 1924)
Isabella Ormston Ford was an English social reformer, suffragist and writer. She became a public speaker and wrote pamphlets on issues related to socialism, feminism and workers' r…
Isabella Ford, English author and activist (died 1924)
1855
Arthur Wing Pinero, English actor, director, and playwright (died 1934)
Sir Arthur Wing Pinero was an English playwright and, early in his career, actor.
Arthur Wing Pinero, English actor, director, and playwright (died 1934)
1855
Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet, English politician (born 1786)
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)
1855
Charles Robert Malden, English lieutenant and explorer (born 1797)
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)
1855
Mary Reibey, Australian businesswoman, (born 1777)
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)
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
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
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
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
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)