Dmitri Mendeleev arranges the chemical elements by atomic weight and properties, predicting elements not yet discovered.
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, later known as Lenin, leader of the October Revolution, is born in Simbirsk.
Prussia and its German allies defeat France, bringing down the Second French Empire and paving the way for German unification.
Troops of the Kingdom of Italy enter Rome, ending the Papal States; Rome then becomes the capital of unified Italy.
France seizes Vĩnh Long, An Giang and Hà Tiên, completing the colony of French Cochinchina.
The United States signs a treaty to buy Alaska from the Russian Empire for $7.2 million.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie, the first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences, is born in Warsaw.