What happened in 1859

13 entries recorded for 1859, listed by date. That was 167 years ago.

1859 at a glance

February 4
Constantin von Tischendorf
Historical event
Constantin von Tischendorf rediscovered the Codex Sinaiticus, a 4th-century great uncial codex of the Bible in Greek, in Saint Catherine's Monastery, Egypt.
February 16
Musical note
Historical event
The French government passed a law setting the musical note A4 to a frequency of 435 hertz, in the first attempt to standardize concert pitch.
February 17
Cochinchina campaign
Historical event
Cochinchina campaign: French Navy forces captured the Citadel of Saigon, defended by 1,000 Vietnamese soldiers of the Nguyễn dynasty.

March 2
Great Slave Auction
Historical event
The Great Slave Auction, the largest single sale of slaves in U.S. history, with more than 400 people sold, began in Georgia.

April 4
Bryant's Minstrels
Historical event
Bryant's Minstrels premiered the minstrel song "Dixie" in New York City as part of their blackface show.

June 15
Pig War (1859)
Historical event
Ambiguity in the Oregon Treaty leads to the "Northwestern Boundary Dispute" between American and British/Canadian settlers.
June 15
San Juan Islands
Historical event
The shooting of a pig in the San Juan Islands led to the so-called Pig War over the border between the United States and British North America.
June 30
Charles Blondin
Historical event
French acrobat Charles Blondin crossed Niagara Gorge, making him one of the world's most famous tightrope walkers.

August 27
Edwin Drake
Historical event
Edwin Drake successfully drilled for oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania, resulting in the Pennsylvania oil rush, the first oil boom in the United States.

September 1
Carrington Event
Historical event
A powerful solar flare caused a coronal mass ejection that struck Earth a few hours later, generating the most intense geomagnetic storm ever recorded and causing bright aurorae visible in the middle latitudes.
September 17
San Francisco
Historical event
Disgruntled with the legal and political structures of the United States, Joshua Norton (pictured) distributed letters to various newspapers in San Francisco proclaiming himself to be Emperor Norton.

November 15
Evangelos Zappas
Historical event
Sponsored by Greek businessman Evangelos Zappas, the first modern revival of the Olympic Games took place in Athens.
November 24
Charles Darwin
Historical event
British naturalist Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species was first published, and sold out its initial print run on the first day.

This site records 13 entries for 1859, including Constantin von Tischendorf on February 4. They are listed below by date.

167 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1859 turns 167 this year.

1859 falls in the 19th century, in the 1850s.

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