1865★★★★★
Maxwell's electromagnetic theory
James Clerk Maxwell publishes "A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field", unifying electricity, magnetism and light.
Science· United Kingdom
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Events this year
April 9, 1865★★★★★
Lee surrenders at Appomattox Court House
General Robert E. Lee surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the American Civil War.
War· United States
April 14, 1865★★★★★
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
John Wilkes Booth shoots President Lincoln at Ford's Theatre days after the Civil War effectively ends; Lincoln dies the next morning.
PoliticsDeath· United States
December 6, 1865★★★★★
Thirteenth Amendment abolishes slavery in the US
The Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution is ratified, formally abolishing slavery throughout the country.
Politics· United States
Ongoing
November 3, 1839 – 1876★★★★★
Tanzimat reforms begin
The Edict of Gülhane opens the Tanzimat, a series of reforms modernising Ottoman administration, law and the army.
Politics· Turkey
1845 – 1872★★★★★
The New Zealand Wars
A series of armed conflicts between the colonial government and Māori iwi, chiefly over land and sovereignty, which led to large confiscations of Māori land.
War· New Zealand, United Kingdom
1858 – 1947★★★★★
Beginning of the British Raj
After the 1857 rebellion, the Government of India Act transfers rule from the East India Company to the British Crown; the Mughal Empire formally ends.
Politics· India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, United Kingdom
April 12, 1861 – 1865★★★★★
American Civil War
War between the Union and the seceding Confederate states, centred on slavery, ending in Union victory and the abolition of slavery.
War· United States
1864 – 1870★★★★★
Paraguayan War
Paraguay fights the Triple Alliance of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay in a war that devastates Paraguay and kills a large share of its population.
War· Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay