1856 the second opium war between several western powers and chin 10 08
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1856 170 years ago Historical Events October 8

The Second Opium War between several western powers and China begins with the Arrow Incident.

On October 8, in the year 1856, The Second Opium War between several western powers and China begins with the Arrow Incident. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of October 8, one of 430 recorded events on this date across all of history.

The Second Opium War, also known as the Second Anglo-Chinese War or Arrow War, was fought between the United Kingdom and France against the Qing dynasty of China between 1856 and 1860. It was the second major conflict in the Opium Wars, which were fought over the right to import opium to China, and resulted in a second defeat for the Qing and the forced legalisation of the opium trade. It caused many Chinese officials to believe that conflicts with the Western powers were no longer traditional wars, but part of a looming national crisis.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on October 8, 1856 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 1 Wikipedia article.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 9 September 2026.

On This Date in History 430

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2025 Oct 8 Miguel Ángel Russo, Argentine footballer and manager (born 1956)
Notable Deaths 2024 Oct 8 Pat Fischer, American football player (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2024 Oct 8 Tim Johnson, American lawyer and politician (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2024 Oct 8 Luis Tiant, Cuban baseball player (born 1940)
Historical Events 2020 Oct 8 Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: Azerbaijan twice deliberately targeted the Church of the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots of…
Notable Deaths 2020 Oct 8 Whitey Ford, American professional baseball pitcher (born 1928)
Historical Events 2019 Oct 8 About 200 Extinction Rebellion activists block the gates of Leinster House (parliament) in the Republic of Ireland.
Selected Events 2019 Oct 8 Anti-government protests calling for free and fair elections began in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Historical Events 2016 Oct 8 In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the death toll rises to nearly 900.
Selected Events 2016 Oct 8 Yemen War: A funeral in Sanaa was hit by two consecutive airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition, leaving 143–155…
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 8 Richard Davies, Welsh-English actor (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 8 Jim Diamond, Scottish singer-songwriter (born 1951)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 8 Dennis Eichhorn, American author and illustrator (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 8 Lindy Infante, American football player and coach (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 8 Paul Prudhomme, American chef and author (born 1940)
Historical Events 2014 Oct 8 Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person in the United States to be diagnosed with Ebola, dies.
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 8 Morris Lurie, Australian author and playwright (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 8 Alden E. Matthews, American missionary (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 8 Harden M. McConnell, American chemist and academic (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 8 Zilpha Keatley Snyder, American author (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 8 Jeen van den Berg, Dutch speed skater (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 8 Philip Chevron, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1957)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 8 Paul Desmarais, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 8 Rod Grams, American journalist and politician (born 1948)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 8 Rodolphe Kasser, Swiss archaeologist and philologist (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 8 Andy Pafko, American baseball player and manager (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 8 Akong Rinpoche, Tibetan-Chinese spiritual leader (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 8 Varsha Bhosle, Indian singer and journalist (born 1956)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 8 Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Filipino director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1955)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 8 Eric Lomax, Scottish captain and author (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 8 Nawal Kishore Sharma, Indian politician, 20th Governor of Gujarat (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2011 Oct 8 Al Davis, American football coach, general manager, and NFL team owner (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2011 Oct 8 Mikey Welsh, American guitarist and painter (born 1971)
Notable Deaths 2011 Oct 8 Roger Williams, American pianist (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2010 Oct 8 Frank Bourgholtzer, American journalist (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2010 Oct 8 Eileen Crofton, British physician and author (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2008 Oct 8 Ângelo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2008 Oct 8 Bob Friend, English journalist (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2008 Oct 8 Eileen Herlie, Scottish-American actress (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2008 Oct 8 George Emil Palade, Romanian-American biologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1912)
Notable Deaths 2007 Oct 8 Constantine Andreou, Greek painter and sculptor (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2006 Oct 8 Mark Porter, New Zealand race car driver (born 1974)
Historical Events 2005 Oct 8 The 7.6 Mw Kashmir earthquake leaves 86,000–87,351 people dead, 69,000–75,266 injured, and 2.8 million homeless.
Notable Deaths 2004 Oct 8 James Chace, American historian and author (born 1931)
Notable Births 2003 Oct 8 Ángela Aguilar, Mexican-American singer
Notable Births 2002 Oct 8 Brian Thomas Jr., American football player
Notable Births 2002 Oct 8 Zheng Qinwen, Chinese tennis player
Notable Deaths 2002 Oct 8 Phyllis Calvert, English actress (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2002 Oct 8 Jacques Richard, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1952)
Historical Events 2001 Oct 8 A twin engine Cessna and a Scandinavian Airlines System jetliner collide in heavy fog during takeoff from Milan,…

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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