Explore the major historical events, famous births, and notable deaths that occurred in the year 1860. This year saw 61 significant events. 10 notable figures were born. 1 notable figure passed away.
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
Start of the Pony Express, mail is delivered by horse and rider relay teams between St. Joseph, Missouri and 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 police stop the fight near Farnborough in England, acknowledged as the first world title bout
US Major General George McClellan (33) weds Mary Ellen Marcy at Calvary Church in NYC, New York
Famous debate on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is held at Oxford University Museum, dominated by arguments between Thomas Henry Huxley and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce
1st British Open Men's Golf, Prestwick GC: Willie Park Sr. wins the inaugural event by two strokes over fellow Scot Tom Morris Sr.
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865.
South Carolina General Assembly votes 169-0 to secede from the United States, declaring itself an "independent commonwealth" and is quickly followed by other Southern states, triggering the American Civil War
First ever inter-club football match takes place at Sandygate Road in Sheffield, England, between Sheffield F.C. and Hallam F.C. who win 2-0
Harriet Tubman arrives in Auburn, New York, on her last mission to free slaves, having evaded capture for eight years on the Underground Railroad
Dion Boucicault's stage drama "Jeanie Deans" opens at Laura Keene's Theatre, NYC
Dutch troops conquer Watampone in Celebes
Britain formally returns the Mosquito Coast to Nicaragua
Pope Pius IX (Italian: Pio IX; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878.
1st rabbi to open House of Representatives, Morris Raphall of NYC
Thomas Clemson takes office as 1st US superintendent of agriculture
Johannes Brahms' orchestral music piece "Serenade No. 2 in A" premieres in Hamburg
King Basse Kajuara departs Boni South-Celebes
Dutch Rochussen/Van Bosse government resigns
Organized baseball played in San Francisco for 1st time between the Eagles and the Red Rovers
The term Kingdom of Sardinia denotes the Savoyard state from 1720 to 1861. From 1720 to 1847, only the island of Sardinia proper was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, while the other mainland...
1st Japanese ambassador arrives in San Francisco en route to Washington
Hurricane was a large extreme clipper of 1608 tons burthen built in Hoboken, New Jersey, United States in 1851.
M. L. Byrn patents a "covered gimlet screw with a 'T' handle," more popularly known as a corkscrew
First Taranaki War: Battle of Waireka begins in New Zealand between Europeans and Māori
Turin is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of the Piedmont region and of the Metropolitan City of Turin.
Joseph Smith III, creates the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by reorganizing the previous church organized by his father, Joseph Smith, Jr.
Grand Duke Frederick I liberalizes laws in Baden
The phonautograph is the earliest known device for recording sound. Previously, tracings had been obtained of the sound-producing vibratory motions of tuning forks and other objects by physical...
The 1860 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that met May 16–18 in Chicago, Illinois.
Navaho indians attack Fort Defiance (Canby)
Charles XV and IV (Carl Ludvig Eugen; Swedish and Norwegian officially: Karl; 3 May 1826 – 18 September 1872) was King of Sweden and King of Norway, there often referred to as Charles IV, from 8 July...
Turn- und Sportverein München von 1860, commonly known as TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich, is a sports club based in Munich. The club's football team plays in the 3.
Comanche, Iowa, completely destroyed by one of a series of tornadoes
Workmen start laying track for Market Street Railroad, San Francisco
First US "dime novel" published, "Malaeska, The Indian Wife of the White Hunter," by Mrs. Ann S. Stephens
The State Bank of the Russian Empire was the dominant financial institution of the Russian Empire from its founding in 1860 until the Empire's end in 1917.
Idaho (EYE-də-hoe) is a landlocked state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West subregions of the Western United States.
US Congress establishes Government Printing Office
The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate from 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race and the oldest continuously run race in North America, having been founded...
Temperature hits 115°F in Fort Scott and 112°F in Topeka, Kansas
First railroad reaches Kansas
Olympics defeat St. George 25-17 at St. George's Cricket Grounds in Philadelphia in the first baseball game played in an enclosed field
First US intercollegiate billiard match (Harvard vs. Yale)
The New Zealand Wars (Māori: Ngā pakanga o Aotearoa) took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side, and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the...
Carl IV of Sweden-Norway is crowned King of Norway in Trondheim
Hawaii is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S.
US's first successful silver mill in Virginia City, Nevada
The Tubular Victoria Bridge across the St. Lawrence River at Montreal is officially opened by the Prince of Wales, an engineering wonder of the day, as it is the longest bridge in the world at that time, measuring 2 km [1]
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States, or a Tramcar) is an urban rail transit type in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run...
Excursion steamer "Lady Elgin" sinks after being rammed in a storm on Lake Michigan, drowning about 300, the largest loss of life on the Great Lakes
The Second Opium War (simplified Chinese: 第二次鸦片战争; traditional Chinese: 第二次鴉片戰爭), also known as the Second Anglo-Chinese War or Arrow War, was fought between the United Kingdom and France against the...
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the fourth-most populous city in California and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with a population of 827,526 in 2024.
British & French troops capture Beijing
James Wallace Black captures a photographic view from a hot air balloon tethered above Boston Common, in Boston Massachusetts; the first aerial photo taken in US is also the oldest surviving of its kind [1]
The Convention of Peking or First Convention of Peking is an agreement comprising three distinct unequal treaties concluded between the Qing dynasty of China and Great Britain, France, and the...
Anaheim Township created in Los Angeles County
Actor Joseph Jefferson's dramatization of "Rip Van Winkle" premieres in NYC
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship protected by steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s.
Charles Curtis is born
Anton Chekhov, Russian dramatist and author, known for russian dramatist and author, was born on 1860-01-29.
Will Keith Kellogg, American businessman, known for american businessman, was born on 1860-04-07.
Theodor Herzl, Hungarian father of modern political zionism, known for father of modern political zionism, was born on 1860-05-02.
J. M. Barrie, Scottish novelist and playwright, known for scottish novelist and playwright, was born on 1860-05-09.
Lizzie Borden, American acquitted murder suspect, known for american acquitted murder suspect, was born on 1860-07-19.
Annie Oakley, American sharpshooter, known for american sharpshooter, was born on 1860-08-13. Annie Oakley was an American sharpshooter and folk heroine who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West.
Raymond Poincaré is born
Grandma Moses, American painter, known for american painter, was born on 1860-09-07.
William Jennings Bryan, American politician, known for american politician, was born on 1860-03-19.
Charles Goodyear, American inventor, known for american inventor, died on 1860-07-01.
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
Start of the Pony Express, mail is delivered by horse and rider relay teams between St. Joseph, Missouri and 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 police stop the fight near Farnborough in England, acknowledged as the first world title bout
US Major General George McClellan (33) weds Mary Ellen Marcy at Calvary Church in NYC, New York
Famous debate on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is held at Oxford University Museum, dominated by arguments between Thomas Henry Huxley and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce
1st British Open Men's Golf, Prestwick GC: Willie Park Sr. wins the inaugural event by two strokes over fellow Scot Tom Morris Sr.
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865.
South Carolina General Assembly votes 169-0 to secede from the United States, declaring itself an "independent commonwealth" and is quickly followed by other Southern states, triggering the American Civil War
First ever inter-club football match takes place at Sandygate Road in Sheffield, England, between Sheffield F.C. and Hallam F.C. who win 2-0
Harriet Tubman arrives in Auburn, New York, on her last mission to free slaves, having evaded capture for eight years on the Underground Railroad
Dion Boucicault's stage drama "Jeanie Deans" opens at Laura Keene's Theatre, NYC
Dutch troops conquer Watampone in Celebes
Britain formally returns the Mosquito Coast to Nicaragua
Pope Pius IX (Italian: Pio IX; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878.
1st rabbi to open House of Representatives, Morris Raphall of NYC
Thomas Clemson takes office as 1st US superintendent of agriculture
Johannes Brahms' orchestral music piece "Serenade No. 2 in A" premieres in Hamburg
King Basse Kajuara departs Boni South-Celebes
Dutch Rochussen/Van Bosse government resigns
Organized baseball played in San Francisco for 1st time between the Eagles and the Red Rovers
The term Kingdom of Sardinia denotes the Savoyard state from 1720 to 1861. From 1720 to 1847, only the island of Sardinia proper was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, while the other mainland...
1st Japanese ambassador arrives in San Francisco en route to Washington
Hurricane was a large extreme clipper of 1608 tons burthen built in Hoboken, New Jersey, United States in 1851.
M. L. Byrn patents a "covered gimlet screw with a 'T' handle," more popularly known as a corkscrew
First Taranaki War: Battle of Waireka begins in New Zealand between Europeans and Māori
Turin is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of the Piedmont region and of the Metropolitan City of Turin.
Joseph Smith III, creates the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by reorganizing the previous church organized by his father, Joseph Smith, Jr.
Grand Duke Frederick I liberalizes laws in Baden
The phonautograph is the earliest known device for recording sound. Previously, tracings had been obtained of the sound-producing vibratory motions of tuning forks and other objects by physical...
The 1860 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that met May 16–18 in Chicago, Illinois.
Navaho indians attack Fort Defiance (Canby)
Charles XV and IV (Carl Ludvig Eugen; Swedish and Norwegian officially: Karl; 3 May 1826 – 18 September 1872) was King of Sweden and King of Norway, there often referred to as Charles IV, from 8 July...
Turn- und Sportverein München von 1860, commonly known as TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich, is a sports club based in Munich. The club's football team plays in the 3.
Comanche, Iowa, completely destroyed by one of a series of tornadoes
Workmen start laying track for Market Street Railroad, San Francisco
First US "dime novel" published, "Malaeska, The Indian Wife of the White Hunter," by Mrs. Ann S. Stephens
The State Bank of the Russian Empire was the dominant financial institution of the Russian Empire from its founding in 1860 until the Empire's end in 1917.
Idaho (EYE-də-hoe) is a landlocked state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West subregions of the Western United States.
US Congress establishes Government Printing Office
The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate from 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race and the oldest continuously run race in North America, having been founded...
Temperature hits 115°F in Fort Scott and 112°F in Topeka, Kansas
First railroad reaches Kansas
Olympics defeat St. George 25-17 at St. George's Cricket Grounds in Philadelphia in the first baseball game played in an enclosed field
First US intercollegiate billiard match (Harvard vs. Yale)
The New Zealand Wars (Māori: Ngā pakanga o Aotearoa) took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side, and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the...
Carl IV of Sweden-Norway is crowned King of Norway in Trondheim
Hawaii is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S.
US's first successful silver mill in Virginia City, Nevada
The Tubular Victoria Bridge across the St. Lawrence River at Montreal is officially opened by the Prince of Wales, an engineering wonder of the day, as it is the longest bridge in the world at that time, measuring 2 km [1]
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States, or a Tramcar) is an urban rail transit type in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run...
Excursion steamer "Lady Elgin" sinks after being rammed in a storm on Lake Michigan, drowning about 300, the largest loss of life on the Great Lakes
The Second Opium War (simplified Chinese: 第二次鸦片战争; traditional Chinese: 第二次鴉片戰爭), also known as the Second Anglo-Chinese War or Arrow War, was fought between the United Kingdom and France against the...
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the fourth-most populous city in California and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with a population of 827,526 in 2024.
British & French troops capture Beijing
James Wallace Black captures a photographic view from a hot air balloon tethered above Boston Common, in Boston Massachusetts; the first aerial photo taken in US is also the oldest surviving of its kind [1]
The Convention of Peking or First Convention of Peking is an agreement comprising three distinct unequal treaties concluded between the Qing dynasty of China and Great Britain, France, and the...
Anaheim Township created in Los Angeles County
Actor Joseph Jefferson's dramatization of "Rip Van Winkle" premieres in NYC
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship protected by steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s.
Charles Curtis is born
Anton Chekhov, Russian dramatist and author, known for russian dramatist and author, was born on 1860-01-29.
Will Keith Kellogg, American businessman, known for american businessman, was born on 1860-04-07.
Theodor Herzl, Hungarian father of modern political zionism, known for father of modern political zionism, was born on 1860-05-02.
J. M. Barrie, Scottish novelist and playwright, known for scottish novelist and playwright, was born on 1860-05-09.
Lizzie Borden, American acquitted murder suspect, known for american acquitted murder suspect, was born on 1860-07-19.
Annie Oakley, American sharpshooter, known for american sharpshooter, was born on 1860-08-13. Annie Oakley was an American sharpshooter and folk heroine who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West.
Raymond Poincaré is born
Grandma Moses, American painter, known for american painter, was born on 1860-09-07.
William Jennings Bryan, American politician, known for american politician, was born on 1860-03-19.