Editing 1866 (section)

== Events ==
=== January–March ===
* [[January 1]]
** [[Fisk University]], a [[Historically black colleges and universities|historically black university]], is established in [[Nashville, Tennessee]].
** The last issue of the [[abolitionist]] magazine ''[[The Liberator (anti-slavery newspaper)|The Liberator]]'' is published.
* [[January 6]] – [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] troops clash with supporters of [[Maronite]] leader [[Youssef Bey Karam]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ehdenfamilytree.org/getperson.php?personID=I1&tree=ehden|title=Youssef KARAM, I b. May 1823 d. 7 Apr 1889: Ehden Family Tree}}</ref> at St. Doumit in [[Lebanon]]; the Ottomans are defeated.
* [[January 12]]
** The ''[[Royal Aeronautical Society]]'' is formed as ''The Aeronautical Society of Great Britain'' in [[London]], the world's oldest such society.
** British auxiliary steamer {{SS|London|1864}} 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 [[Peru]]vian-[[Chile]]an fleet, at the island of Abtao, in the [[Chiloé Archipelago]] of southern [[Chile]].
* [[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, although James's role is disputed.
* [[February 26]] – The [[Calaveras Skull]] is discovered in [[California]]. Purported to be evidence of humans in North America during the [[Pliocene]] epoch, it turns out to be a [[hoax]].
* [[March 13]] – The [[United States Congress]] overwhelmingly passes the [[Civil Rights Act of 1866]], the first federal legislation to protect the rights of African-Americans; U.S. President [[Andrew Johnson]] vetoes the bill on March 27, and Congress overrides the veto on April 9.<ref>"Civil Rights Act of 1866", in ''Encyclopedia of African American History'', Volume 1, Leslie Alexander, ed. (ABC-CLIO, 2010)  p699.</ref>
* [[March 31]] – A [[total lunar eclipse]] occurs.

=== April–June ===
* [[April 4]] &ndash; [[Alexander II of Russia]] narrowly escapes an assassination attempt in the city of [[St Petersburg]].
* [[April 8]] &ndash; The kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]] and [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] form an alliance against the [[Austrian Empire]].
* [[April 10]] &ndash; The [[American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals]] (ASPCA) is founded in New York City by [[Henry Bergh]].
* [[May 1]]&ndash;[[May 3|3]] &ndash; [[Memphis massacre of 1866|The Memphis massacre]]: a rebellion with a series of violent racial events.
* [[May 2]] &ndash; [[Battle of Callao]]: [[Peru]]vian defenders fight the Spanish fleet.
* [[May 7]] &ndash; Student [[Ferdinand Cohen-Blind]] makes a failed attempt to assassinate [[Otto von Bismarck]] in [[Unter den Linden]] in Berlin.
[[File:ShieldNickel.jpeg|thumb|260px|right| [[May 16]]: U.S. [[nickel (U.S. coin)|nickel]] coin approved.]]
* [[May 10]] &ndash; London bank [[Overend, Gurney and Company]] collapses, precipitating [[Panic of 1866]].
* [[May 16]] &ndash; The [[United States Congress]] approves the minting of a nickel 5-cent coin ([[Nickel (United States coin)|nickel]]), eliminating its predecessor, the [[half dime]].
* [[May 24]] &ndash; [[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]], with 16,000 casualties.
* [[May 26]] &ndash; First production of the [[comic opera]] ''[[Cox and Box]]'' by [[F. C. Burnand]] and [[Arthur Sullivan]] at Moray Lodge, [[Kensington]]
* [[May 30]] &ndash; [[Bedrich Smetana]]'s comic opera ''[[The Bartered Bride]]'' premiered in [[Prague]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|author-link=John Tyrrell (musicologist)|last=Tyrrell|first=John|editor-first=Laura|editor-last=Macy|title=''The Bartered Bride'' (''Prodaná nevěsta'')|encyclopedia=[[Grove Music Online]]}} {{Subscription required}}</ref>
* [[June 2]] &ndash; [[Fenian]] forces skirmish with Canadian militia at the battles of [[Battle of Ridgeway|Ridgeway]] and [[Battle of Fort Erie (1866)|Fort Erie]].
* [[June 5]] &ndash; Calculations indicate [[Pluto]] (not known at this time) reaches its only [[apsis|aphelion]] (furthest point from the [[Sun]]) between [[1618]] and August 2113.
* [[June 8]] &ndash; The [[Parliament of Canada]] meets for the first time in [[Ottawa]].
* [[June 11]] &ndash; The [[Agra High Court]] is established (later shifted to the [[Allahabad High Court]]).
* [[June 14]] &ndash; The [[Austro-Prussian War]] ("Seven Weeks War") begins when the Austrians and most of the medium-size German states declare war on Prussia.
* [[June 20]] &ndash; The Kingdom of Italy declares war on Austria.
* [[June 22]] &ndash; In [[Sweden]], the [[Riksdag of the Estates]] votes to replace itself by an elected two-chamber [[Riksdag]].
* [[June 27]]&ndash;[[June 29|29]] &ndash; [[Battle of Langensalza (1866)|Battle of Langensalza]]: The Prussians defeat the [[Kingdom of Hanover|Hanoverian]] army.

=== July–September ===
* [[July 3]] – [[Battle of Königgrätz]]: the [[Prussia]]n army under [[Wilhelm I of Germany|King Wilhelm]] and [[Helmuth von Moltke the Elder|Helmuth von Moltke]] defeats the Austrian army of [[Ludwig von Benedek]], leading to a decisive Prussian victory in the Austro-Prussian War.
* [[July 5]] – [[Princess Helena of the United Kingdom|Princess Helena]], third daughter of [[Queen Victoria]], marries [[Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein]].
* [[July 10]] – [[Reconstruction Treaties|Reconstruction Treaty]] with [[Choctaw]] & [[Chickasaw]], [[Timeline of abolition of slavery and serfdom|completing the abolition of slavery]] in the United States; see also [[Choctaw freedmen]].
* [[July 13]] (July 1 [[Old Style]]) – The first Constitution of [[Romania]] is issued.
* [[July 20]] – Austro-Prussian War: Naval [[Battle of Lissa (1866)|Battle of Lissa]] – The Austrian fleet under [[Wilhelm von Tegetthoff]] defeats the Italian fleet of [[Carlo di Persano]].
* [[July 22]] – Austro-Prussian War: [[Battle of Blumenau]] – Austrians defend Bratislava against the Prussian army, concluding the fighting in the war.
* [[July 24]] – [[Reconstruction Era|Reconstruction]]: [[Tennessee]] becomes the first [[U.S. state]] to be readmitted to the [[United States|Union]] following the [[American Civil War]].
* [[July 25]] – The [[United States Congress]] passes legislation authorizing the four-star rank of [[General of the Army (United States)#Post–American Civil War era|General of the Army]] (later reestablished as a five-star rank); Lieutenant General [[Ulysses S. Grant]] becomes the first to have this rank.
[[File:Atlantic cable Map.jpg|thumb|[[July 27]]: [[Atlantic Cable]] completed]]
* [[July 27]] – The {{SS|Great Eastern}} successfully completes laying the [[transatlantic telegraph cable]] between [[Valentia Island]], Ireland, and [[Heart's Content, Newfoundland and Labrador|Heart's Content, Newfoundland]], permanently restoring a communications link.
* [[July 28]] – The ''[[Metric Act of 1866]]'' becomes law and legalizes the standardization of [[weights and measures]] in the United States.
* [[August 23]] – The [[Peace of Prague (1866)|Treaty of Prague]] formally ends the [[Austro-Prussian War]]. The [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Duchy of Limburg]] leaves the [[German Confederation]].
* September – The [[Great Tea Race of 1866]] ends in London, narrowly won by the [[clipper ship]] ''[[Taeping]]''.
* [[September 22]] – [[Paraguay]] successfully [[Battle of Curupayty|defends Curupayty]] against the Triple Alliance in the [[Paraguayan War]], killing more than 5,000 while sustaining just about 50 casualties.

=== October–December ===
[[File:AlfredNobel2.jpg|thumb|[[Alfred Nobel]] invents dynamite in 1866]]
* [[October 12]] – The [[Treaty of Vienna (1866)|Treaty of Vienna]] ends the war between Austria and Italy; it formalizes the annexation of [[Venetia (region)|Venetia]] by Italy.
* [[October 14]] – French troops under the command of Rear Admiral [[Pierre-Gustave Roze]] land at [[Ganghwa Island]], Korea, as part of [[French campaign against Korea (1866)|a punitive expedition against that kingdom]] for the execution of French [[Jesuit]] priests. It is the first military contact between Korea and a Western force.
* [[October 22]] – The office of [[State President of the South African Republic]] is created by constitutional amendment approved at a session of the ''Volksraad''.<ref name="ZAR">[http://www.archontology.org/nations/south_africa/transvaal/00_1857_1877_s.php Archontology.org: A Guide for Study of Historical Offices, South African Republic (Transvaal): Heads of State: 1857–1877] (Accessed on 14 April 2017)</ref>
* [[November 7]] – The Ruse–[[Varna, Bulgaria|Varna]] railway line (the first railway in [[Bulgaria]]) officially opens.
* [[December 12]]– [[Oaks explosion]]: The worst mining disaster in England kills 383 miners and rescuers.
* [[December 18]] – The [[College of Wooster]] is founded in [[Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Fast Facts|url=http://www.wooster.edu/about/facts|publisher=The College of Wooster|access-date=2013-04-08|archive-date=April 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419134824/http://www.wooster.edu/about/facts|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Date unknown ===
* [[Federalist]] revolts occur in [[Argentina]].
* [[Alfred Nobel]] invents [[dynamite]] in Germany.
* Foundation of the predecessors of [[Nestlé]] S.A., the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé.
* The Minneapolis Milling Company, predecessor of [[General Mills]], builds its own mills.
* [[Marcus Jastrow]] arrives in the United States to become rabbi of Congregation Rodeph Shalom in [[Philadelphia]].
* The recommendations of the state [[Girls' School Committee of 1866]] result in a series of progressive reforms in women's rights in Sweden.
* The [[Famine of 1866–68]] begins in Finland.
* Erasmus Jacobs discovers the {{convert|21.25|carat|g|adj=on}} [[Eureka Diamond]] near [[Hopetown]] on the banks of the [[Orange River]] in the [[Cape of Good Hope]].
* [[Magirus|Magirus Kommamditist]], as predecessor of a major worldwide [[Vehicle|commercial vehicles manufacturing brand]], [[Iveco]], is founded in [[Baden-Württemberg]], [[Germany]].{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}