1.
1866
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As of the start of 1866, the Gregorian calendar was 12 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923. January 1 Fisk University, a black university, is established in Nashville. The last issue of the abolitionist magazine The Liberator is published, january 6 – Ottoman troops clash with men of a Maronite leader Youssef Bey Karam at St. Doumit in Lebanon, the Ottomans are defeated. January 12 Royal Aeronautical Society is formed as The Aeronautical Society of Great Britain in London, british auxiliary steamer SS London 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 7 – Battle of Abtao, A Spanish naval squadron fights a combined Peruvian-Chilean fleet, 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, february 26 – The Calaveras Skull is discovered in California. Purported to be evidence of humans in North America during the Pliocene epoch, february 28 – The month concludes without having a full moon. April 4 – Alexander II of Russia narrowly escapes an 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 is founded in New York City by Henry Bergh. 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. May 10 – London bank Overend, Gurney and Company collapses, may 16 – The United States Congress approves the minting of a nickel 5-cent coin, 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, may 26 – First production of the comic opera Cox and Box by F. C. Burnand and Arthur Sullivan at Moray Lodge, Kensington June 2 – Fenian forces skirmish with Canadian militia at the battles of Ridgeway, June 5 – Calculations indicate Pluto reaches its only aphelion between 1618 and August 2113. June 8 – The Canadian Parliament meets for the first time in Ottawa, June 11 – The Agra High Court is established. June 14 – The Austro-Prussian War begins, when the Austrians, 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 2-chamber Riksdag, June 27–June 29 – Battle of Langensalza, The Prussians defeat the Hanoverian army. July 1 – The first Constitution of Romania is issued, july 5 – Princess Helena, third daughter of Queen Victoria, marries Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
2.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
3.
1864 in the United States
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Events from the year 1864 in the United States. President, Abraham Lincoln Vice President, Hannibal Hamlin Chief Justice, at least 200 died along the 300-mile trek that took over 18 days to travel on foot. February 9 – American Civil War, Libby Prison Escape –109 Union soldiers escape from the Confederate prison in Richmond, February 17 – American Civil War, The tiny Confederate submarine Hunley torpedoes the USS Housatonic, becoming the first submarine to sink an enemy ship. February 25 – American Civil War, The first Northern prisoners arrive at the Confederate prison at Andersonville, March 9 – American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln appoints Ulysses S. Grant commander in chief of all Union armies. March 10 – American Civil War, The Red River Campaign begins as Union troops reach Alexandria, Louisiana. April 22 – The U. S. Congress passes the Coinage Act of 1864 which mandates that the inscription In God We Trust be placed on all coins minted as United States currency. May – Man and Nature, or, Physical geography as modified by human action by George Perkins Marsh is published, one of the first works to document the effects of human action on the environment and it helped to launch the modern conservation movement. May 5 – American Civil War, The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County, may 7 – American Civil War, The Army of the Potomac, under General Ulysses S. Grant, breaks off from the Battle of the Wilderness and moves southwards. May 8–21 – American Civil War – Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, may 11 – American Civil War – Battle of Yellow Tavern, Confederate General J. E. B. Stuart is mortally wounded at Yellow Tavern, Virginia, may 12 – American Civil War – Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, The Bloody Angle – thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers die. May 13 – American Civil War – Battle of Resaca, The battle begins with Union General Sherman fighting toward Atlanta. May 18 – Civil War gold hoax, The New York World, may 20 – American Civil War – Battle of Ware Bottom Church, In the Virginia Bermuda Hundred Campaign,10,000 troops fight in this Confederate victory. May 26 – Montana Territory is organized out of parts of Washington Territory and Dakota Territory, and is signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. June 5 – American Civil War – Battle of Piedmont, Union forces under General David Hunter defeat a Confederate army at Piedmont, Augusta County, Virginia, june 9 – American Civil War – The Siege of Petersburg begins. Union forces under General Grant and troops led by Confederate General Robert E. Lee battle for the last time, june 10 American Civil War, Battle of Noonday Creek near Kennesaw, Georgia. American Civil War – Battle of Brices Crossroads, Confederate troops under Nathan Bedford Forrest defeat a much larger Union force led by General Samuel D. Sturgis in Mississippi. June 12 – American Civil War – Battle of Cold Harbor, General Ulysses S. Grant pulls his troops from their positions at Cold Harbor, Virginia, june 27 – American Civil War, Battle of Kennesaw Mountain near Kennesaw, Georgia. June 30 – President Abraham Lincoln signs the Yosemite Grant Act, July – President Abraham Lincoln signs a law that abolishes the commutation fee that could be paid to in lieu of conscription
4.
1865 in the United States
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Events from the year 1865 in the United States. The American Civil War ends with the surrender of the Confederate States, President, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson Vice President, until March 4, Hannibal Hamlin March 4–April 15, Andrew Johnson starting April 15, vacant Chief Justice, Salmon P. January 15 – American Civil War, United States forces capture Fort Fisher, january 31 – American Civil War, Confederate General Robert E. Lee becomes general-in-chief. February 17 – American Civil War, Columbia, South Carolina burns as Confederate forces flee from advancing Union forces, february 22 – Tennessee adopts a new constitution that abolishes slavery. March 3 – The U. S. Congress authorizes formation of the Freedmens Bureau, March 4 – U. S. President Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated for a second term, Andrew Johnson becomes Vice President. March 13 – American Civil War, The Confederate States of America agrees to the use of African American troops, March 18 – American Civil War, The Congress of the Confederate States of America adjourns for the last time. March 19 – American Civil War, The Battle of Bentonville begins, by the end of the battle on March 21 the Confederate forces retreat from Four Oaks, March 21 - The University of Kansas was founded when the Board of Regents held its first meeting. March 25 American Civil War, In Virginia, Confederate forces capture Fort Steadman from the Union, Lees army suffers heavy casualties during the Battle of Fort Stedman—about 2,900, including 1,000 captured in the Union counterattack. After the battle, Lees defeat is only a matter of time, the Claywater Meteorite explodes just before reaching ground level in Vernon County, Wisconsin, fragments having a combined mass of 1.5 kg are recovered. April 1 – American Civil War – Battle of Five Forks, In Petersburg, Virginia, April 9 – American Civil War, General Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the American Civil War. April 14 Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth shoots, President Abraham Lincoln while Lincoln is attending an evening performance of the farce Our American Cousin at Fords Theatre in Washington, D. C. Doctors attend the President in the theater then soldiers move his unconscious body to a house across the street. Because of his height, Lincoln is laid diagonally across a bed so his body will fit, U. S. Secretary of State William H. Seward and his family are attacked in his home by Lewis Powell. April 15 – Inauguration of Andrew Johnson, President Lincoln dies of his wound early this morning. April 18 – Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his entire cabinet arrive in Charlotte with a contingent of 1,000 soldiers. April 26 American Civil War, Confederate States Army General Joseph E. Johnston surrenders to Union Army Major General William Tecumseh Sherman at Durham Station, Union cavalry corner John Wilkes Booth in a Virginia barn, and cavalryman Boston Corbett shoots the assassin dead. April 27 The steamboat Sultana, carrying 2,300 passengers, explodes and sinks in the Mississippi River, killing 1,800, governor of New York Reuben Fenton signs a bill formally creating Cornell University. May 5 Jefferson Davis meets with his Confederate Cabinet for the last time, in Washington, Georgia, in North Bend, Ohio, the first train robbery in the United States takes place
5.
1867 in the United States
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Events from the year 1867 in the United States. January 8 – African-American men are granted the right to vote in the District of Columbia, february 7 West Virginia University is established in Morgantown, West Virginia. Laura Ingalls Wilder is born near Pepin, Wisconsin March – The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is established, March 1 – Nebraska is admitted as the 37th U. S. state. March 30 – Alaska is purchased for $7.2 million from Alexander II of Russia, about 2 cent/acre, the news media call this Sewards Folly. June 15 – The Atlantic Cable Quartz Lode mine is named in Montana, June 29 – Kidder massacre, A Sioux and Cheyenne war party kills U. S. Second Lieutenant Lyman Kidder, along with an Indian scout and ten enlisted men in Kansas. July 2 – The first elevated railroad in USA begins service in New York, July 17 – In Boston, Massachusetts, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine is established as the first dental school in the United States. September 30 – The United States takes control of Midway Island, october 21 – Manifest Destiny – Medicine Lodge Treaty, Near Medicine Lodge Creek, Kansas, a landmark treaty is signed by southern Great Plains Indian leaders. The treaty requires Native American Plains tribes to relocate to a reservation in western Oklahoma, November 15 – Former Minnesota farmer Oliver Hudson Kelley founds the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry. December 2 – In a New York City theater, British author Charles Dickens gives his first public reading in the United States, December 18 –49 people are killed in a train crash in Angola, New York. Yellow fever kills 3,093 in New Orleans, the Prohibition National Committee is formed in the United States. At historic Fountain Point, Michigan, a water spring gushes continuously until the present day. 1867–1873 – Chinese, Scandinavian and Irish immigrants lay 30,000 miles of tracks in the United States. Reconstruction era January 1 – Lew Fields, vaudeville performer January 8 – Emily Greene Balch, writer and pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize January 14 – James H. Hughes, navy commander and Governor of American Samoa Kirtland I. Senator from Iowa in 1922 June 8 – Frank Lloyd Wright, architect July 31 – S. S. Kirby, senator from Arkansas from 1916 till 1921 November 24 Possible date – Scott Joplin, ragtime composer Frank L. Smith, elected U. S. Senator from Illinois in 1926 December 23 – Madam C. J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove, African American entrepreneur and philanthropist December 30 – Simon Guggenheim, U. S. Riddle, U. S. Senator from Delaware from 1864 to 1867 April 3 – George W. Randolph, lawyer, planter, Confederate general, 3rd Confederate States Secretary of War May 11 – Joseph A. Wright, U. S. Senator from Indiana from 1862 to 1863 May 27 – Thomas Bulfinch, collector of myths and legends July 3 – Lazarus W. Powell, senator from Kentucky from 1859 to 1865 July 31 – Catharine Sedgwick, novelist September 3 – James A. McDougall, U. S
6.
1868 in the United States
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Events from the year 1868 in the United States. President, Andrew Johnson Vice President, vacant Chief Justice, Salmon P. January 9 – John William De Forest, writing for The Nation, calls for a more specifically American literature, February 16 – In New York City the Jolly Corks organization is renamed the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Johnson is later acquitted by the Senate, the first parade to have floats occurs at Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana. March 1 – The Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity is founded at the University of Virginia, March 5 – A court of impeachment is organized in the United States Senate to hear charges against President Andrew Johnson. March 23 – The University of California is founded in Oakland, California, March 27 – The Lake Ontario Shore Railroad Company is organized in Oswego, New York. April 1 – The Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute is established in Hampton, april 29 – After pursuing a policy of total war on the Plain Indians, General William Tecumseh Sherman brokers the Treaty of Fort Laramie. May 16 and 26 – President Andrew Johnson is acquitted during his impeachment trial, may 30 – Memorial Day is observed in the United States for the first time. July 25 – Wyoming Territory is organized, july 28 – The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution is adopted, guaranteeing African Americans full citizenship and all persons in the United States due process of law. September – The first volume of Louisa May Alcotts novel Little Women is published, September 18 – The University of the South holds its first convocation in Sewanee, Tennessee. September 23 – Rebels in the town of Lares declare Puerto Rico independent, October 6 – The City of New York grants Mount Sinai Hospital a 99-year lease for a property on Lexington Avenue and 66th Street, for the sum of $1.00. October 28 – Thomas Edison applies for his first patent, the electric vote recorder, november 3 – U. S. presidential election,1868, Ulysses S. Grant defeats Horatio Seymour in the election. December 25 – President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all Civil War rebels, maryland School for the Deaf is established. The Roman Catholic See of Tucson is established as the Apostolic Vicariate of Arizona in 1868, the Diocese of Tucson is canonically erected on May 8,1897. – Scott Joplin, African American ragtime composer and pianist January 31 – Theodore William Richards, chemist, recipient of Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1914 February 3 – William J. Harris, U. S. E. B. Wood, optical physicist May 10 – Ed Barrow, baseball player and manager June 4 – Thomas F. Bayard, Jr. U. S. Senator from Delaware from 1922 to 1929 June 8 – Robert Robinson Taylor, first accredited African American architect June 28 – John F. Nugent, U. S. S. Senator from Kansas from 1929 to 1931 September 22 – John T. Raulston, state judge October 8 – Coleman Livingston Blease, U. S. Sackett, U. S
7.
Flag of the United States
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The flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag, is the national flag of the United States. S. Nicknames for the flag include The Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, the current design of the U. S. flag is its 27th, the design of the flag has been modified officially 26 times since 1777. The 48-star flag was in effect for 47 years until the 49-star version became official on July 4,1959, the 50-star flag was ordered by the then president Eisenhower on August 21,1959, and was adopted in July 1960. It is the version of the U. S. flag and has been in use for over 56 years. At the time of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776, the flag contemporaneously known as the Continental Colors has historically been referred to as the first national flag. The name Grand Union was first applied to the Continental Colors by George Preble in his 1872 history of the American flag, the flag closely resembles the British East India Company flag of the era, and Sir Charles Fawcett argued in 1937 that the company flag inspired the design. Both flags could have been constructed by adding white stripes to a British Red Ensign. However, an East India Company flag could have nine to 13 stripes. In any case, both the stripes and the stars have precedents in classical heraldry, Flag Day is now observed on June 14 of each year. While scholars still argue about this, tradition holds that the new flag was first hoisted in June 1777 by the Continental Army at the Middlebrook encampment. The first official U. S. flag flown during battle was on August 3,1777, Massachusetts reinforcements brought news of the adoption by Congress of the official flag to Fort Schuyler. A voucher is extant that Capt. Swartwout of Dutchess County was paid by Congress for his coat for the flag, the 1777 resolution was most probably meant to define a naval ensign. In the late 18th century, the notion of a flag did not yet exist. The flag resolution appears between other resolutions from the Marine Committee, on May 10,1779, Secretary of the Board of War Richard Peters expressed concern it is not yet settled what is the Standard of the United States. However, the term, Standard, referred to a standard for the Army of the United States. Each regiment was to carry the standard in addition to its regimental standard. The national standard was not a reference to the national or naval flag, the appearance was up to the maker of the flag. Some flag makers arranged the stars into one big star, in a circle or in rows, one arrangement features 13 five-pointed stars arranged in a circle, with the stars arranged pointing outwards from the circle, the so-called Betsy Ross flag
8.
Timeline of United States history
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This is a timeline of United States history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political and economic events in the United States and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of the United States, some dates before September 14,1752, when the British government adopted the Gregorian calendar, may be given in the Old Style
9.
Federal government of the United States
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The Federal Government of the United States is the national government of the United States, a republic in North America, composed of 50 states, one district, Washington, D. C. and several territories. The federal government is composed of three branches, legislative, executive, and judicial, whose powers are vested by the U. S. Constitution in the Congress, the President, and the courts, including the Supreme Court. The powers and duties of these branches are defined by acts of Congress. The full name of the republic is United States of America, no other name appears in the Constitution, and this is the name that appears on money, in treaties, and in legal cases to which it is a party. The terms Government of the United States of America or United States Government are often used in documents to represent the federal government as distinct from the states collectively. In casual conversation or writing, the term Federal Government is often used, the terms Federal and National in government agency or program names generally indicate affiliation with the federal government. Because the seat of government is in Washington, D. C, Washington is commonly used as a metonym for the federal government. The outline of the government of the United States is laid out in the Constitution, the government was formed in 1789, making the United States one of the worlds first, if not the first, modern national constitutional republics. The United States government is based on the principles of federalism and republicanism, some make the case for expansive federal powers while others argue for a more limited role for the central government in relation to individuals, the states or other recognized entities. For example, while the legislative has the power to create law, the President nominates judges to the nations highest judiciary authority, but those nominees must be approved by Congress. The Supreme Court, in its turn, has the power to invalidate as unconstitutional any law passed by the Congress and these and other examples are examined in more detail in the text below. The United States Congress is the branch of the federal government. It is bicameral, comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate, the House currently consists of 435 voting members, each of whom represents a congressional district. The number of each state has in the House is based on each states population as determined in the most recent United States Census. All 435 representatives serve a two-year term, each state receives a minimum of one representative in the House. There is no limit on the number of terms a representative may serve, in addition to the 435 voting members, there are six non-voting members, consisting of five delegates and one resident commissioner. In contrast, the Senate is made up of two senators from each state, regardless of population, there are currently 100 senators, who each serve six-year terms
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