January •
January 1 •
Fisk University, a
historically black university, is established in
Nashville, Tennessee. • The last issue of the
abolitionist magazine
The Liberator is published. •
January 6 –
Ottoman troops clash with supporters of
Maronite leader
Youssef Bey Karam, at St. Doumit in
Lebanon; the Ottomans are defeated. •
January 12 • The
Royal Aeronautical Society is formed as
The Aeronautical Society of Great Britain in
London, the world's oldest such society. • British auxiliary steamer sinks in a storm in the
Bay of Biscay, on passage from the Thames to Australia, with the loss of 244 people, and only 19 survivors. •
January 18 –
Wesley College, Melbourne, is established. •
January 26 –
Volcanic eruption in the
Santorini caldera begins.
February •
February 7 –
Battle of Abtao: A Spanish naval squadron fights a combined
Peruvian-
Chilean fleet, at the island of Abtao, in the
Chiloé Archipelago of southern
Chile. •
February 13 – The first daylight
bank robbery in United States history during peacetime takes place in
Liberty, Missouri. This is considered to be the first robbery committed by
Jesse James and his gang, although James's role is disputed. •
February 26 – The
Calaveras Skull is discovered in
California. Purported to be evidence of humans in North America during the
Pliocene epoch, it turns out to be a
hoax.
March •
March 13 – The
United States Congress overwhelmingly passes the
Civil Rights Act of 1866, the first federal legislation to protect the rights of African-Americans; U.S. President
Andrew Johnson vetoes the bill on March 27, and Congress overrides the veto on April 9. •
March 31 – A
total lunar eclipse occurs.
April •
April 4 –
Alexander II of Russia narrowly escapes an assassination attempt in the city of
St Petersburg. •
April 8 – The kingdoms of
Italy and
Prussia form an alliance against the
Austrian Empire. •
April 10 – The
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is founded in New York City by
Henry Bergh.
May •
May 1–
3 –
The Memphis massacre: a rebellion with a series of violent racial events. •
May 2 –
Battle of Callao:
Peruvian defenders fight the Spanish fleet. •
May 7 – Student
Ferdinand Cohen-Blind makes a failed attempt to assassinate
Otto von Bismarck in
Unter den Linden in Berlin. : U.S.
nickel coin approved. •
May 10 – London bank
Overend, Gurney and Company collapses, precipitating
Panic of 1866. •
May 16 – The
United States Congress approves the minting of a nickel 5-cent coin (
nickel), eliminating its predecessor, the
half dime. •
May 24 –
Battle of Tuyutí: 32,000 soldiers of the Triple Alliance defeat 24,000 Paraguayan soldiers few miles north of the
Paraná, Argentina, in the
Paraguayan War, with 16,000 casualties. •
May 26 – First production of the
comic opera Cox and Box by
F. C. Burnand and
Arthur Sullivan at Moray Lodge,
Kensington •
May 30 –
Bedrich Smetana's comic opera
The Bartered Bride premiered in
Prague.
June •
June 2 –
Fenian forces skirmish with Canadian militia at the battles of
Ridgeway and
Fort Erie. •
June 5 – Calculations indicate
Pluto (not known at this time) reaches its only
aphelion (furthest point from the
Sun) between
1618 and August 2113. •
June 8 – The
Parliament of Canada meets for the first time in
Ottawa. •
June 11 – The
Agra High Court is established (later shifted to the
Allahabad High Court). •
June 14 – The
Austro-Prussian War ("Seven Weeks War") begins when the Austrians and most of the medium-size German states declare war on Prussia. •
June 20 – The Kingdom of Italy declares war on Austria. •
June 22 – In
Sweden, the
Riksdag of the Estates votes to replace itself by an elected two-chamber
Riksdag. •
June 27–
29 –
Battle of Langensalza: The Prussians defeat the
Hanoverian army.
July •
July 3 –
Battle of Königgrätz: the
Prussian army under
King Wilhelm and
Helmuth von Moltke defeats the Austrian army of
Ludwig von Benedek, leading to a decisive Prussian victory in the Austro-Prussian War. •
July 5 –
Princess Helena, third daughter of
Queen Victoria, marries
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. •
July 10 –
Reconstruction Treaty with
Choctaw &
Chickasaw,
completing the abolition of slavery in the United States; see also
Choctaw freedmen. •
July 13 (July 1
Old Style) – The first Constitution of
Romania is issued. •
July 20 – Austro-Prussian War: Naval
Battle of Lissa – The Austrian fleet under
Wilhelm von Tegetthoff defeats the Italian fleet of
Carlo di Persano. •
July 22 – Austro-Prussian War:
Battle of Blumenau – Austrians defend Bratislava against the Prussian army, concluding the fighting in the war. •
July 24 –
Reconstruction:
Tennessee becomes the first
U.S. state to be readmitted to the
Union following the
American Civil War. •
July 25 – The
United States Congress passes legislation authorizing the four-star rank of
General of the Army (later reestablished as a five-star rank); Lieutenant General
Ulysses S. Grant becomes the first to have this rank. :
Atlantic Cable completed •
July 27 – The successfully completes laying the
transatlantic telegraph cable between
Valentia Island, Ireland, and
Heart's Content, Newfoundland, permanently restoring a communications link. •
July 28 – The
Metric Act of 1866 becomes law and legalizes the standardization of
weights and measures in the United States.
August •
August 23 – The
Treaty of Prague formally ends the
Austro-Prussian War. The German Federation is abolished (with the
Duchy of Limburg and Luxemburg controlled by the Netherlands), the Habsburgs vow not to interfere in any reorganisation of Germany under Prussian leadership and cede Veneto.
September •
September 20 – The
Kingdom of Prussia formally
annexes the
Kingdom of Hanover and King
George V of Hanover goes into exile. •
September 22 –
Paraguay successfully
defends Curupayty against the Triple Alliance in the
Paraguayan War, killing more than 5,000 while sustaining just about 50 casualties. •
September – The
Great Tea Race of 1866 ends in London, narrowly won by the
clipper ship Taeping. invents dynamite in 1866
October •
October 12 – The
Treaty of Vienna ends the war between Austria and Italy; it formalizes the annexation of
Venetia by Italy. •
October 14 – French troops under the command of Rear Admiral
Pierre-Gustave Roze land at
Ganghwa Island, Korea, as part of
a punitive expedition against that kingdom for the execution of French
Jesuit priests. It is the first military contact between Korea and a Western force. •
October 22 – The office of
State President of the South African Republic is created by constitutional amendment approved at a session of the
Volksraad.
November •
November 7 – The Ruse–
Varna railway line (the first railway in
Bulgaria) officially opens.
December •
December 12–
Oaks explosion: The worst mining disaster in England kills 383 miners and rescuers. •
December 18 – The
College of Wooster is founded in
Ohio.
Date unknown •
Federalist revolts occur in
Argentina. •
Alfred Nobel invents
dynamite in Germany. • Foundation of the predecessors of
Nestlé S.A., the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé. • The Minneapolis Milling Company, predecessor of
General Mills, builds its own mills. •
Marcus Jastrow arrives in the United States to become rabbi of Congregation Rodeph Shalom in
Philadelphia. • The recommendations of the state
Girls' School Committee of 1866 result in a series of progressive reforms in women's rights in Sweden. • The
Famine of 1866–68 begins in Finland. • Erasmus Jacobs discovers the
Eureka Diamond near
Hopetown on the banks of the
Orange River in the
Cape of Good Hope. •
Magirus, as predecessor of a major worldwide
commercial vehicles manufacturing brand,
Iveco, is founded in
Baden-Württemberg,
Germany. == Births ==