1861
1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday.
EventsJanuary January 1 - Benito Juárez captures Mexico City January 2 - Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia dies and is succeeded by Wilhelm I January 3 - American Civil War: Delaware votes not to secede from the United States January 9 - Mississippi becomes the second state to secede from the Union, preceding the American Civil War. January 10 - American Civil War: Florida secedes from the United States January 11 - American Civil War: Alabama secedes from the United States January 18 - American Civil War: Georgia joins the Confederacy January 21 - American Civil War: Jefferson Davis resigns from the United States Senate January 26 - American Civil War: Louisiana secedes from the Union. January 29 - Kansas is admitted as the 34th U.S. state.
February February 1 - American Civil War: Texas secedes from the United States. February 4 - American Civil War: In Montgomery, Alabama the Confederate States of America is formed by delegates from six break-away United States. February 8 - American Civil War: The Confederate States of America are formed. February 9 - American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is elected the Provisional President of the Confederate States of America by the Confederate convention at Montgomery, Alabama. February 11 - American Civil War: US House unanimously passes resolution guaranteeing non-interference with slavery in any state. February 18 - American Civil War: In Montgomery, Alabama Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as the provisional president of the Confederate States of America. February 18 - Victor Emmanuel of Savoy becomes King of Italy. See: Kingdom of Italy February 19 - Serfdom is abolished in Russia. February 23 - President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, DC after an assassination attempt in Baltimore, Maryland. February 27 - A crowd in Warsaw protesting Russian rule over Poland is fired upon by Russian troops killing five protesters. February 28 - Colorado is organized as a United States territory.
March March 2 - Nevada is organized as a United States territory. March 3 - Formal emancipation of the serfs in Imperial Russia March 4 - End of term for President of the United States James Buchanan. He is succeeded by Abraham Lincoln. March 4 - American Civil War: The "Stars and Bars" is adopted as the flag of the Confederate States of America. March 11 - American Civil War: The Constitution of the Confederate States of America is adopted. March 17 - Proclamation of the kingdom of Italy with Victor Emanuel II as its king March 19 - First Taranaki War ends in New Zealand March 30 - Sir William Crookes announces his discovery of Thallium (see Discovery of the chemical elements)
April April 12 - American Civil War begins at Fort Sumter, South Carolina April 27 - American Civil War: President Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus in the United States. April 27 - American Civil War: West Virginia secedes from Virginia.
May May 6 - American Civil War: Arkansas secedes from the Union. May 7 - American Civil War: Tennessee secedes from the Union. May 8 - American Civil War: Richmond, Virginia is named the capital of the Confederate States of America. May 13 - American Civil War: Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a "proclamation of neutrality" which recognizes the breakaway states as having belligerent rights. May 14 - The Canellas meteorite, an 859 gram chondrite type meteorite struck earth near Barcelona, Spain. May 20 - American Civil War: Kentucky proclaims its neutrality which will last until September 3 when Confederate forces enter the state. North Carolina secedes from the United States
June June 8 - American Civil War: Tennessee secedes from the Union. June 9 - Lebanon separated from Syrian administration and reunited under Ottoman governor with the approval of European powers June 15 - Benito Juárez formally elected president of Mexico; he temporarily stops the payments of foreign debtJune 25 - Abd-ul-Mejid, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1839-1861) dies and is succeeded by Abd-ul-Aziz (1861-1876).
JulyJuly 1 - First issue of Vatican's newspaper L'Osservatore Romano was published. July 2 - Ioan Kasatkin lands on Hakodate and introduces the Eastern Orthodox church into Japan. July 21 - American Civil War: First Battle of Bull Run - At Manassas Junction, Virginia, the first major battle of the war begins (Confederate victory). July 25 - American Civil War: The Crittenden-Johnson Resolution is passed by the U.S. Congress stating that the war is being fought to preserve the Union and not to end slavery.July 26 - American Civil War: George McClellan assumes command of the Army of the Potomac following a disastrous Union defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run.
August August 5 - American Civil War: In order to help pay for the war effort, the United States government issues the first income tax as part of the Revenue Act of 1861 (3% of all incomes over US $800; rescinded in 1872). August 27 - Last execution in Britain for attempted murder - Martin Doyle in Chester
September September 3 - American Civil War: Confederate General Leonidas Polk invades neutral Kentucky, prompting the state legislature to ask for Union assistance. September 6 - American Civil War: Forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant bloodlessly capture Paducah, Kentucky, which gives the Union control the mouth of the Tennessee River.
October October 21 - American Civil War: Battle of Ball's Bluff - Union forces under Colonel Edward Baker are defeated by Confederate troops in the second major battle of the war. Baker, a close friend of Abraham Lincoln, is killed in the fighting. October 31 - American Civil War: Citing failing health, Union General Winfield Scott resigns as Commander of the United States Army.
November November 1 - American Civil War: US President Abraham Lincoln appoints George McClellan as commander of the Union Army, replacing the aged General Winfield Scott. November 2 - American Civil War: Western Department Union General John C. Fremont is relieved of command and replaced by David Hunter. November 6 - American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is elected president of the Confederate States of America. November 7 - American Civil War: Battle of Belmont - In Belmont, Missouri, Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant overrun a Confederate camp but are forced to retreat when Confederate reinforcements arrive. November 8 - American Civil War: The "Trent Affair" - The USS San Jacinto stops the United Kingdom mail ship Trent and arrests two Confederate envoys, James Mason and John Slidell, sparking a diplomatic crisis between the UK and US. November 21 - American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis appoints Judah Benjamin secretary of war.
unknown dates News of Henri Mouhot's discovery of Angkor Wat published. In Britain, the death penalty is limited to murder, embezzlement, piracy and to acts of arson perpetrated upon docks or ammunition depots. British Empire establishes bases in Lagos to stop the slave trade.
Births January 14 - Sultan Mehmed VI of the Ottoman Empire (+ 1926) January 30 - Charles Martin Loeffler, American composer February 12 - Lou Andreas-Salome, author (+ 1937) February 26 - King Ferdinand of Bulgaria (+ 1948) February 27 - Rudolf Steiner, anthroposoph (+ 1925) April 8 - Son, Byong-Hi, one of the leaders of the Samil, or March 1st Movement in Korea April 15 - Bliss Carman, poet May 6 - Rabindranath Tagore October 16 - J. B. Bury October 30 - Antoine Bourdelle, sculptor December 4 - Lillian Russell, singer, vaudeville star (d. 1922) November 6 - James Naismith, inventor of basketball December 8 - Georges Méličs , French film director, allegedly the first. December 15 - Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, Prime Minister and President of Finland (d. 1944) December 16 - Antonio de La Gandara, painter December 20 - Ivana Kobilca, Slovene painter (+ 1926)
Deaths January 2 - Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia January 17 - Lola Montez, Irish-born Spanish dancer and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria May 29 - Joachim Lelewel, Polish nationalist historian June 3 - Stephen A. Douglas, U.S. Senator from Illinois and candidate for the U.S. presidency (b. 1813) June 25 - Abd-ul-Mejid, Ottoman sultan July 25 - Jonas Furrer, Swiss Federal Councilor August 24 - Pierre Berthier, French geologist (b. 1782) December 14 - Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria
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