The history of New Orleans, Louisiana traces the city's development from its founding by the French in 1718 through its period of Spanish control, then briefly back to French rule before being acquired by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. During the War of 1812, the last major battle was the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. Throughout the 19th century, New Orleans was the largest port in the Southern United States, exporting most of the nation's cotton output and other farm products to Western Europe and New England. As the largest city in the South at the start of the Civil War (1861–1865), it was an early target for capture by Union forces.
Union blockades towns of New Orleans and Mobile
The history of New Orleans, Louisiana traces the city's development from its founding by the French in 1718 through its period of Spanish control, then briefly back to French rule before being...
Historical Significance
The history of New Orleans, Louisiana traces the city's development from its founding by the French in 1718 through its period of Spanish control, then briefly back to French rule before being acquired by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
Events Before
Slavery is abolished in the Dutch East Indies for areas under direct rule
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies, was a Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which declared independence on 17 August 1945.
Willie Park Sr. marries Susanna Law in Inveresk, Scotland
Willie Park Sr. marries Susanna Law in Inveresk, Scotland
Start of the Pony Express, mail is delivered by horse and rider relay teams between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento,
Start of the Pony Express, mail is delivered by horse and rider relay teams between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California
First Pony Express rider reaches Sacramento, California
The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California.
Champion of England Tom Sayers and American John Heenan fight a brutal 2-hour, 27-minute draw that ends only after polic
Champion of England Tom Sayers and American John Heenan fight a brutal 2-hour, 27-minute draw that ends only after police stop the fight near Farnborough in England, acknowledged as the first world title bout
Events After
First Legal Tender Act of 1862 is passed by US Congress, authorizing the United States note (greenback) into circulation
First Legal Tender Act of 1862 is passed by US Congress, authorizing the United States note (greenback) into circulation, the first fiat paper money that is legal tender in America
First pasteurization test is completed by Frenchmen Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard
First pasteurization test is completed by Frenchmen Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard
Chemist Dmitri Mendeleev (28) weds Feozva Nikitichna Leshcheva at Nikolaev Engineering Institute's church in Saint Peter
Chemist Dmitri Mendeleev (28) weds Feozva Nikitichna Leshcheva at Nikolaev Engineering Institute's church in Saint Petersburg, Russia
First baseball enclosure opens at Union Grounds in Brooklyn
Union Grounds was a baseball park located in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. The grounds opened in 1862, its inaugural match being played on May 15.
Belgian-French engineer Étienne Lenoir builds the first automobile with an internal-combustion engine
Belgian-French engineer Étienne Lenoir builds the first automobile with an internal-combustion engine
More from the 1860s
Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation to free enslaved people in Confederate states
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865.
Slavery is abolished in the Dutch East Indies for areas under direct rule
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies, was a Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which declared independence on 17 August 1945.
birth
Alfred Stieglitz is born
Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer, known for american photographer, was born on 1864-01-01.
birth
Qi Baishi is born
Qi Baishi, Chinese painter, known for chinese painter, was born on 1864-01-01. Qi Baishi (1 January 1864 – 16 September 1957) was a Chinese painter, noted for the whimsical, often playful style of…
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on May 26, 1861?
- The history of New Orleans, Louisiana traces the city's development from its founding by the French in 1718 through its period of Spanish control, then briefly back to French rule before being acquired by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. During the War of 1812, the last major battle was the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. Throughout the 19th century, New Orleans was the largest port in the Southern United States, exporting most of the nation's cotton output and other farm products to Western Europe and New England.
- Why is Union blockades towns of New Orleans and Mobile significant?
- The history of New Orleans, Louisiana traces the city's development from its founding by the French in 1718 through its period of Spanish control, then briefly back to French rule before being acquired by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.