Important Historical Events of the year 1866, Year 1866 in History

List of 1866 Major News Events in History, Most Important Historical Events in 1866

What happened in the year 1866?

Date Event
January 12, 1866 The Royal Aeronautical Society is formed in London.
January 18, 1866 Wesley College is established in Melbourne, Australia.
February 16, 1866 Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington becomes British Secretary of State for War.
February 21, 1866 Lucy Hobbs Taylor becomes the first American woman to graduate from dental school.
March 27, 1866 President of the United States of America Andrew Johnson vetoes the Civil Rights Act of 1866. His veto is overridden by Congress and the bill passes into law on April 9.
April 4, 1866 Alexander II of Russia narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by Dmitry Karakozov in the city of Saint Petersburg.
April 6, 1866 The Grand Army of the Republic, an American patriotic organization composed of Union veterans of the American Civil War, is founded. It lasts until 1956.
April 8, 1866 Austro-Prussian War: Italy and Prussia sign a secret alliance against the Austrian Empire.
April 10, 1866 The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is founded in New York City by Henry Bergh.
May 1, 1866 The Memphis Race Riots begin. In three days time, 46 blacks and two whites were killed. Reports of the atrocities influenced passage of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
May 2, 1866 Peruvian defenders fight off the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao.
May 5, 1866 Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York.
May 16, 1866 The United States Congress establishes the nickel.
May 22, 1866 Oliver Winchester founded the Winchester Repeating Arms
May 30, 1866 Bedrich Smetana's comic opera The Bartered Bride premiered in Prague.
June 2, 1866 The Fenians defeat Canadian forces at Ridgeway and Fort Erie, but the raids end soon after.
June 3, 1866 The Fenians are driven out of Fort Erie, Ontario back into the United States.
June 7, 1866 One thousand eight hundred Fenian raiders are repelled back to the United States after looting and plundering the Saint-Armand and Frelighsburg areas of Canada East.
June 24, 1866 Battle of Custoza: An Austrian army defeats the Italian army during the Austro-Prussian War.
July 3, 1866 Austro-Prussian War is decided at the Battle of Königgrätz, enabling Prussia to exclude Austria from German affairs.
July 20, 1866 Austro-Prussian War: Battle of Lissa: The Austrian Navy, led by Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, defeats the Italian Navy near the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea.
July 24, 1866 Reconstruction: Tennessee becomes the first U.S. state to be readmitted to Congress following the American Civil War.
July 25, 1866 The United States Congress passes legislation authorizing the rank of General of the Army. Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant becomes the first to be promoted to this rank.
July 27, 1866 The first permanent transatlantic telegraph cable is successfully completed, stretching from Valentia Island, Ireland, to Heart's Content, Newfoundland.
July 28, 1866 At the age of 18, Vinnie Ream becomes the first and youngest female artist to receive a commission from the United States government for a statue (of Abraham Lincoln).
July 30, 1866 Armed Confederate veterans in New Orleans riot against a meeting of Radical Republicans, killing 48 people and injuring another 100.
August 17, 1866 The Grand Duchy of Baden announces its withdrawal from the German Confederation and signs a treaty of peace and alliance with Prussia.
August 20, 1866 President Andrew Johnson formally declares the American Civil War over.
August 23, 1866 The Austro-Prussian War ends with the Treaty of Prague.
September 22, 1866 The Battle of Curupayty is Paraguay's only significant victory in the Paraguayan War.
October 19, 1866 In accordance with the Treaty of Vienna, Austria cedes Veneto and Mantua to France, which immediately awards them to Italy in exchange for the earlier Italian acquiescence to the French annexation of Savoy and Nice.
October 22, 1866 A plebiscite ratifies the annexation of Veneto and Mantua to Italy, which had occurred three days before on October 19.
December 12, 1866 Oaks explosion: The worst mining disaster in England kills 361 miners and rescuers.