What Happened in 1866

"Blind Tom Wiggins" visits Europe on concert tour

In 1866 Tom began his European tour. At one concert, Tom listened to two pianos hammered nosily and simultaneously while a run of 20 notes was... Read more

'Crime and Punishment' is Published

Crime and Punishment was the second of Dostoevsky's most important, mature fictional works. It was first published in the conservative journal The... Read more

Thomas Edison Works at Western Union

Edison became a telegraph operator after he saved three-year-old Jimmie MacKenzie from being struck by a runaway train. Jimmie's father, station... Read more

The Fisk School Convenes For Classes

The Fisk School, forerunner of Fisk University, convened classes for the first time on January 9, 1866, in former Union army barracks in ... Read more

The Robbery Of The Clay County Savings Association

These men were the likely culprits in the first daylight armed bank robbery in the United States in peacetime, the robbery of the Clay County... Read more

William "Buffalo Bill" Cody marries Louisa Frederici

After the war, on March 6, 1866, Will married Louisa Frederici in St. Louis, Missouri and their first child, Arta Lucille, was born the same year.... Read more

The Fourteenth Amendment is ratified

The Fourteenth Amendment (Amendment XIV) to the United States Constitution, along with the Thirteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, was adopted after... Read more

National Labor Union Advocates For An Eight-Hour Work Day

On August 20, 1866, the newly organized National Labor Union called on Congress to mandate an eight-hour workday. A coalition of skilled and... Read more

H. G. Wells is Born

Herbert George Wells was born in Bromley, Kent. His father was a shopkeeper and a professional cricketer until he broke his leg. In his early... Read more

Deacon Henry Brewster Decides To Create Howard University

On November 20, 1866, ten members of the First Congregational Society of Washington, D.C. gathered in the home of Deacon Henry Brewster for a... Read more