March 22
March 22
Earthquake destroys landmarks in Quito, Ecuador
Quito, Ecuador, the site of many powerful earthquakes through the years, suffers one of its worst when a tremor kills 5,000 people and destroys some of the most famous buildings…
A Year In History: 1859
This Year in History:
1859
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
April 5
April 5
Charles Darwin sends first three chapters of “On the Origin of Species” to his publisher
Naturalist Charles Darwin sends his publishers the first three chapters of On the Origin of Species, which will become one of the most influential books ever published. Knowing the fates of…
April 9
April 9
Mark Twain receives steamboat pilot’s license
On April 9, 1859, a 23‑year‑old Missouri youth named Samuel Langhorne Clemens receives his steamboat pilot’s license. Clemens had signed on as a pilot’s apprentice in 1857 while on his…
April 23
April 23
William Byers publishes first Denver newspaper
Beating a rival publisher by a mere 20 minutes, William Byers distributes the first newspaper ever published in the frontier boomtown of Denver, Colorado. Byers had arrived in Denver the…
April 25
April 25
Ground broken for Suez Canal
At Port Said, Egypt, ground is broken for the Suez Canal, an artificial waterway intended to stretch 101 miles across the isthmus of Suez and connect the Mediterranean and the…
April 30
April 30
First installment of “A Tale of Two Cities” is published
On April 30, 1859, the first chapter of Charles Dickens’ serialized novel, A Tale of Two Cities, is published in Dickens’ circular, All the Year Round. It rolls out over…
May 3
May 3
Cowboy author Andy Adams is born
Andy Adams, one of the most accurate chroniclers of the authentic “Old West,” is born in Columbia City, Indiana. While still in his teens, Adams ran away from home. He…
May 22
May 22
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, is born
It’s the birthday of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of master sleuth Sherlock Holmes. Doyle was born in Scotland and studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, where he…
May 31
May 31
This Day in History Video: What Happened on May 31
In this This Day in History video, take a look at May 31, the day in 1859 when the Big Ben clock tower was set up in St. Stephen’s tower…
May 31
May 31
Big Ben starts ticking over London for the first time
The famous tower clock known as Big Ben, located at the top of the 320‑foot‑high Elizabeth Tower, begins ticking over the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, for the first…
June 30
June 30
Daredevil crosses Niagara Falls on tightrope
Jean Francois Gravelet, a Frenchman known professionally as Charles Blondin, becomes the first daredevil to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. The feat, which was performed 160 feet above…
August 15
August 15
Charles Comiskey born
On August 15, 1859, Charles Albert Comiskey, namesake of Chicago’s famous Comiskey Park, is born in Chicago, Illinois. Comiskey went on to become the first and only player to later…
October 16
October 16
John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry
Abolitionist John Brown leads a small group on a raid against a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in an attempt to start an armed revolt of…
November 23
November 23
Legendary outlaw Billy the Kid is born
The infamous Western outlaw known as “Billy the Kid” is mostly likely born in a poor Irish neighborhood on New York City’s East Side on November 23, 1859. (Much about…
November 24
November 24
“Origin of Species” is published
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, a groundbreaking scientific work by British naturalist Charles Darwin, is published in England on November 24, 1859. Darwin’s theory argued…
November 24
November 24
Charles Darwin’s “Origin of Species” is published
On this day, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, which immediately sold…
December 2
December 2
Abolitionist John Brown is hanged
Militant abolitionist John Brown is executed on charges of treason, murder and insurrection on December 2, 1859. Brown, born in Connecticut in 1800, first became militant during the mid‑1850s, when…
