Year by year · 19th century

1859

1859 in world history: 19 events, 15 births, 20 deaths, 1 work, 4 states founded and 5 that came to an end. 1,057 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 19 March

    Gounod's 'Faust' premieres in Paris

    Charles Gounod's opera, based on Goethe, opened at the Théâtre Lyrique. Revised with recitatives and a ballet, it became one of the most performed operas of the 19th century.

    Paris

  2. 25 April

    Work begins on the Suez Canal

    Ferdinand de Lesseps struck the first blow at the site of Port Said. The canal opened in 1869, linking the Mediterranean and the Red Sea and shortening the sea route from Europe to Asia.

  3. 31 May

    The Great Clock of Westminster starts keeping time

    The clock in the new tower of the Houses of Parliament began running. Its great bell, Big Ben, struck the hours for the first time that July.

  4. 27 August

    Edwin Drake strikes oil in Pennsylvania

    Drilling near Titusville, Edwin Drake's well struck oil at about 21 metres. It was the first commercially successful oil well in the US and launched the modern petroleum industry.

  5. 12 November

    Jules Léotard performs the first flying trapeze act

    At the Cirque Napoléon in Paris, Jules Léotard swung between trapezes in the first flying trapeze act. The close-fitting garment he wore still bears his name.

    Paris

  6. 24 November

    Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species

    John Murray published Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, setting out evolution by natural selection. The first printing of 1,250 copies was quickly taken up, and the book transformed biology.

  7. War

    Second Italian War of Independence

    The Second Italian War of Independence was fought in 1859 by France and the Kingdom of Sardinia against the Austrian Empire.

  8. Treaty · Peace

    Armistice of Villafranca

    The Armistice of Villafranca was agreed on 11 July 1859 by Napoleon III and Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria after the battles of Magenta and Solferino.

  9. Battle

    Battle of Solferino

    The Battle of Solferino was fought on 24 June 1859 in Lombardy between the French and Sardinian armies under Napoleon III and Victor Emmanuel II and the Austrian army under Emperor Franz Joseph.

  10. Battle

    Battle of Cepeda (1859)

    The Battle of Cepeda was fought on 23 October 1859 in Buenos Aires province between the army of the Argentine Confederation under Justo José de Urquiza and the forces of the State of Buenos Aires under Bartolomé Mitre.

  11. Battle

    Battle of Magenta

    The Battle of Magenta was fought on 4 June 1859 near Magenta in Lombardy, in the Second Italian War of Independence.

  12. Treaty

    Wyke–Cruz Treaty

    The Wyke–Cruz Treaty was signed in November 1859 by Britain, represented by Charles Lennox Wyke, and Honduras, represented by Francisco Cruz.

  13. Treaty · Peace

    Treaty of Zürich

    The Treaty of Zürich, signed on 10 November 1859 by Austria, France and the Kingdom of Sardinia, ended the Second Italian War of Independence.

  14. Treaty · Peace

    Pact of San José de Flores

    The Pact of San José de Flores, signed on 11 November 1859 after Urquiza's victory at the Battle of Cepeda, ended the separation of the State of Buenos Aires from the Argentine Confederation.

ProfileState900 states with a known seat in 1859Open the atlas at 1859 →

In the profiles

Wars and longer events

Born in 1859 15

Died in 1859 20

Works 1

States founded 4

States that came to an end 5

All years → The 19th century →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1859. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1859
MLA
“1859.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1859. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1859.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1859.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1859’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1859 (Accessed: ).