The year 1855 saw significant developments across the globe in politics, science, culture, and technology. Key events shaped the course of the 19th century and beyond.
Politics and Society
January 29: Oregon legislature prohibits slavery, but excludes free blacks. This reflects the complex racial attitudes of the time, even in territories ostensibly opposed to slavery, foreshadowing tensions leading to the American Civil War.
February 2: New Zealand achieves responsible government. This marked a significant step towards self-rule for the British colony.
February 7: The Treaty of Shimoda is ratified between Russia and Japan, formally establishing diplomatic relations and defining borders. It also granted Russia trading rights in several Japanese ports.
March 2: Alexander II becomes Tsar of Russia following the death of Nicholas I. He initiates reforms aimed at modernizing Russia, including the eventual emancipation of serfs.
May 15-16: The Lawrence, Kansas, raid. Pro-slavery forces attacked and ransacked the anti-slavery town of Lawrence, further escalating tensions in "Bleeding Kansas," a crucial prelude to the American Civil War.
August 18: The Battle of the Chernaya River is fought during the Crimean War. The allied forces of France and Sardinia defeat the Russian army.
September 8: The Siege of Sevastopol ends with the fall of the city to allied forces (France, Britain, and the Ottoman Empire) during the Crimean War.
November 21: The Know-Nothing Party achieves significant electoral gains in the United States, demonstrating the strength of nativist sentiment. This party, formally known as the American Party, opposed immigration and the political influence of immigrants.
December 2: The Second Parliament of New Zealand opens.
Science and Technology
March 3: Pennsylvania State University is founded. This Land-grant university expands education opportunities for the citizens of Pennsylvania and the United States.
April 20: The first successful public trial of a Bessemer process converter occurs at the Dowlais Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. This revolutionary steel-making process would transform industry.
July 15: David Edward Hughes patents the printing telegraph. This invention significantly improves the speed and efficiency of transmitting messages.
Culture
January 27: Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" is first published in book form, in The Raven and Other Poems.
February 21: The American writer Walt Whitman publishes the first edition of Leaves of Grass, a highly influential collection of poetry that broke from conventional poetic forms.
November 24: Adam Mickiewicz's remains are moved from Turkey to France.
December 25: "O Tannenbaum" ("O Christmas Tree") is written by Ernst Anschütz, based on an older Silesian folk song.
The events in "Bleeding Kansas", particularly the attack on Lawrence, significantly worsened the sectional tensions over slavery. The rise of the Know-Nothing Party demonstrated anti-immigrant sentiments, a recurring theme in American political history. The founding of Pennsylvania State University marked the continued expansion of higher education, especially in the area of agricultural and mechanical skills.