1861
| File:Decade.png ( 1860s: ) 1861 link | |
|---|---|
 The Bombardment of Fort Sumter, starting the hostilities in the southern states' bid for secession. | |
| year 1861 |
Events
- February 8 – American Civil War: The Confederate States of America are formed, comprising the first seven break-away States.
- February 23 – President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C. after an assassination attempt in Baltimore.
- February 24 – Battle of Ky Hoa: the French and the Spanish defeat the Vietnamese.[1]
- March 3 (February 19 O.S.) – Emancipation reform of 1861: Serfdom is abolished in the Russian Empire.
- March 17 – Italian unification: The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed by the new Parliament, with Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont-Sardinia becoming its king.
- April 7 – A population census is taken in the United Kingdom.
- April 12 – The American Civil War begins with the bombardment of Fort Sumter, South Carolina.
- April 13 – American Civil War: Fort Sumter surrenders to Southern forces.
- April 27 - President Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus in the United States.
- May 13 - American Civil War: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a "proclamation of neutrality", which recognizes the breakaway states as having belligerent rights.
- June 15 – Benito Juárez is formally elected President of Mexico; he temporarily stops the payments of foreign debt.
- June 25 – Abdülmecid I, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1839–1861) dies and is succeeded by Abdülaziz (1861–1876).
- July 1
- The first issue of the Vatican's newspaper L'Osservatore Romano is published.
- Taiping Rebellion – Battle of Shanghai: French and Imperial Chinese troops defeat Taiping forces.
- July 12 – The Confederate States sign a Treaty with Choctaws and Chickasaws in Indian Territory.
- July 21 – American Civil War: First Battle of Bull Run: At Manassas Junction, Virginia, the first major battle of the war ends in a Confederate victory.
- July 25 – American Civil War: The Crittenden–Johnson Resolution is passed by the U.S. Congress, stating that the war is being fought to preserve the Union, and not to end slavery.
- August 1 – The first public weather forecast: measured and predicted correctly by Admiral Robert FitzRoy.
- August 5 - American Civil War: In order to help pay for the war effort, the United States government issues the first income tax as part of the Revenue Act of 1861 (3% of all incomes over US$800; rescinded in 1872).
- October 24 – Template:Ship, the world's first ocean-going (all) iron-hulled armored battleship, is completed and commissioned into the British Royal Navy.
- October 31 - The Spanish, French and British governments sign a tripartite agreement to intervene in Mexico, in the hope of recovering unpaid debts.[2]
- November 6 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is elected president of the Confederate States of America.
- November 5 – The first Melbourne Cup horse race is held in Melbourne, Australia.
- November 8 – American Civil War – Trent Affair: The Template:USS stops the United Kingdom mail ship Trent, and arrests two Confederate envoys, James Mason and John Slidell, sparking a diplomatic crisis between the U.K. and U.S.
Date unknown
- The British Empire establishes bases in Lagos to stop the slave trade.
- The Perpetual Truce of Peace and Friendship is signed between Bahrain and the United Kingdom.