This Year in History:
1858
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
In southern France, Marie‑Bernarde Soubirous, a 14‑year‑old French peasant girl, first claims to have seen the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ and a central figure in the Roman…
Salt Lake City offers an uneasy welcome to Alfred Cummings, its first non‑Mormon governor, which signals the end of the so‑called “Utah War.” The Mormon acceptance of a gentile governor…
Minnesota enters the Union as the 32nd state on May 11, 1858. Known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” Minnesota is the northern terminus of the Mississippi River’s traffic and…
On June 16, 1858, newly nominated senatorial candidate Abraham Lincoln addresses the Illinois Republican Convention in Springfield and warns that the nation faces a crisis that could destroy the Union.…
After several unsuccessful attempts, the first telegraph line across the Atlantic Ocean is completed, a feat accomplished largely through the efforts of American merchant Cyrus West Field. The telegraph was…
Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois and Abraham Lincoln, a Kentucky‑born lawyer and one‑time U.S. representative from Illinois, begin a series of famous public encounters on the issue of slavery. The…
On September 15, 1858, the new Overland Mail Company sends out its first two stages, inaugurating government mail service between the eastern and western regions of the nation. With California…
On October 27, 1858, future President Theodore Roosevelt is born in New York City to a wealthy family. Roosevelt was home‑schooled and then attended Harvard University, graduating in 1880. He…
Theodore Roosevelt, the future 26th president of the United States, is born in New York City. A dynamic and energetic politician, Theodore Roosevelt is credited with creating the modern presidency.…
On October 29, 1858, the first store opens in a small frontier town in Kansas Territory that a month later will take the name of Denver in a shameless ploy to…
On this day in 1858, future President James Garfield marries fellow Disciple of Christ Church member Lucretia Rudolph. The couple met while Lucretia was a student at Hiram Eclectic Institute…
