Timeline June 1859

Events in June 1859 6

• 1773 – 1859 Klemens von Metternich The Architect of Stability Foreign Minister and Chancellor who dominated European politics through his conservative "Metternich System."
• 1859 A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy Sketches the base-superstructure model Published in 1859, this work contains Marx's famous and concise statement of historical materialism in its preface, describing how the economic base of society (the mode of production) conditions the political, legal, and ideological superstructure. It served as a theoretical prelude to "Das Kapital," which Marx had begun drafting in earnest.
• 1859 Comstock Lode silver deposit discovered Major silver strike found in Nevada Prospectors discovered the Comstock Lode, a rich silver and gold deposit in the mountains of what is now Nevada. The find triggered a mining rush that led to the rapid growth of Virginia City and eventually helped fund Nevada's path to statehood. It became one of the most productive silver deposits in United States history.
• 1859 Battle of Magenta French and Sardinian forces defeat Austria in Lombardy French and Piedmontese-Sardinian troops defeated the Austrian army near Magenta, opening the road to Milan during the Second Italian War of Independence. The battle later gave its name to the magenta dye and color, discovered around the same time. Napoleon III personally commanded the French forces.
• 1859 Battle of Solferino Bloody Franco-Sardinian victory over Austria Franco-Sardinian forces defeated the Austrian army near Solferino in one of the largest battles fought in Europe since Leipzig. The carnage witnessed by Swiss businessman Henry Dunant directly inspired his campaign that led to the founding of the Red Cross. Roughly 300,000 troops took part and casualties exceeded 30,000.
• 1859 Charles Blondin crosses Niagara Falls on a tightrope French acrobat walks a rope over the gorge French tightrope walker Charles Blondin crossed the Niagara Gorge on a rope suspended 160 feet above the water, drawing large crowds on both the American and Canadian sides. He performed the feat repeatedly over the following weeks with increasingly daring variations, including carrying a man on his back. The stunts made him internationally famous.