1859 was a year of significant political, scientific, cultural, and technological developments across the globe.
Political Events
January 1: Charles John XIV dies; his son Oscar I becomes King of Sweden.
January 24: Wallachia and Moldavia are united under Alexandru Ioan Cuza, officially forming the nation of Romania.
April 29: Austria declares war on the Kingdom of Sardinia, starting the Second Italian War of Independence. This war leads to significant territorial changes in Italy. Italian Unification
June 4: Battle of Magenta: French and Sardinian forces defeat the Austrians.
June 24: Battle of Solferino: Another decisive Franco-Sardinian victory over Austria. This battle leads to the formation of the International Red Cross. International Red Cross
July 11: The Treaty of Villafranca is signed between France and Austria, ending the Second Italian War of Independence, although Sardinia-Piedmont gains territory.
November 10: Treaty of Zurich officially ends the Second Italian War of Independence.
December 2: John Brown is executed for treason, conspiracy, and murder for his raid on Harpers Ferry in the United States. This event significantly intensifies the tensions leading up to the American Civil War.
December 8: In the United States, Kansas legislature bans slavery.
Scientific Events
1859: Charles Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species, introducing his theory of evolution by natural selection. This is arguably one of the most impactful scientific publications in history. Evolution
September 1-2: The Carrington Event, the most intense solar storm in recorded history, strikes Earth, causing auroras visible around the world and disrupting telegraph systems.
Cultural Events
February 18: The opera Un ballo in maschera by Giuseppe Verdi premieres in Rome.
November 24: George Eliot's Adam Bede is published.
December 16: Edmond About's L'Homme à l'oreille cassée is published.
December 28: Edwin Drake strikes oil near Titusville, Pennsylvania, sparking the first American oil boom.
Technological Events
August 28: Construction begins on the Suez Canal. Suez Canal
December 2: The first recorded use of the "OK" abbreviation appears in the Boston Morning Post.
Events Relevant to the United States
February 14: Oregon is admitted as the 33rd state of the United States.
August 27-28: The Petaluma Riot, a violent anti-Chinese demonstration, occurs in Petaluma, California.
October 16-18: John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), a pivotal event in the lead-up to the American Civil War, takes place. It was an attempt to initiate a slave rebellion.
December 2: John Brown is executed in Charles Town, Virginia.
December 28: Edwin Drake strikes oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania, considered the start of the modern petroleum industry in the United States.
1859 was a year that set the stage for significant changes in the coming decades, particularly with respect to the brewing tensions in the United States.