1863

Events in 1863 43

• 1793 – 1863 Sam Houston (1793-1863) Died 26 July 1863, aged 70 Houston commanded Texan forces to victory over Mexico at the Battle of San Jacinto and served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas. He later served as a US Senator and Governor of Texas, and was removed from office for refusing to support secession.
• 1797 – 1863 Alfred de Vigny (1797-1863) Died 17 September 1863, aged 66 Vigny was a French Romantic poet, playwright, and novelist known for works such as Chatterton and Servitude et grandeur militaires. He was elected to the Académie française in 1845.
• 1798 – 1863 Eugène Delacroix Romanticism · France Eugène Delacroix (April 26, 1798 – August 13, 1863) was the leader of French Romanticism whose vibrant colour and dynamic compositions influenced the Impressionists. Liberty Leading the People is an enduring icon of revolution.
• 1808 – 1863 Frederick VII of Denmark (1808-1863) Died 15 November 1863, aged 55 Frederick VII was King of Denmark from 1848 and signed the constitution establishing a constitutional monarchy. His death without an heir triggered a succession crisis over the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein that led directly to the Second Schleswig War.
• 1811 – 1863 William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) Died 24 December 1863, aged 52 Thackeray was an English novelist best known for the satirical novel Vanity Fair. He was a leading figure of Victorian literature alongside Charles Dickens.
• 1813 – 1863 Friedrich Hebbel (1813-1863) Died 13 December 1863, aged 50 Hebbel was a German poet and dramatist whose tragedies, including Maria Magdalena and the Nibelungen trilogy, influenced the development of modern German drama. He worked much of his career in Vienna.
• 1820 – 1863 John F. Reynolds (1820-1863) Died 1 July 1863, aged 42 Reynolds was a Union general regarded as one of the Army of the Potomac's most capable commanders. He was killed by a sharpshooter on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg while positioning his troops.
• 1824 – 1863 Stonewall Jackson (1824-1863) Died 10 May 1863, aged 39 Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was a Confederate general renowned for his tactical skill at battles including Bull Run and Chancellorsville. He was accidentally shot by his own troops at Chancellorsville and died of complications eight days later.
• 1837 – 1863 Robert Gould Shaw (1837-1863) Died 18 July 1863, aged 26 Shaw commanded the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, one of the first Black regiments raised in the North during the Civil War. He was killed leading the regiment's assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina.
• 1862 – 1863 Louisa May Alcott serves as a Civil War nurse Union Hotel Hospital, Georgetown She nurses wounded Union soldiers until she falls ill with typhoid pneumonia. The mercury-based medicine she is given may have damaged her health for life.
• 1863 – 1933 Albert Calmette (1863-1933) Died 29 October 1933, aged 70 French bacteriologist who developed the BCG vaccine against tuberculosis with Camille Guérin. He also produced the first antivenom for snake bites.
• 1863 – 1943 Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943) Died 1 March 1943, aged 79 Alexandre Yersin was a Swiss-French bacteriologist who discovered the plague bacillus in Hong Kong in 1894. The organism, Yersinia pestis, is named after him. He spent most of his life in Vietnam, where he founded Pasteur Institutes and a medical school.
• 1863 – 1933 Anthony Hope (1863-1933) Died 8 July 1933, aged 70 English novelist who wrote The Prisoner of Zenda. The book gave the name Ruritania to fictional European kingdoms.
• 1863 – 1935 Arthur Henderson (1863-1935) Died 20 October 1935, aged 72 Henderson was a British Labour leader and Foreign Secretary who presided over the World Disarmament Conference. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934.
• 1863 – 1947 Arthur Machen (1863-1947) Died 15 December 1947, aged 84 Arthur Machen was a Welsh author of supernatural and horror fiction, including The Great God Pan. His story The Bowmen gave rise to the legend of the Angels of Mons. He influenced later writers of weird fiction such as H. P. Lovecraft.
• 1863 – 1933 Constantine Cavafy (1863-1933) Died 29 April 1933, aged 70 Greek poet from Alexandria whose poems include Ithaka and Waiting for the Barbarians. He died on his seventieth birthday.
• 1863 – 1938 Gabriele D'Annunzio (1863-1938) Died 1 March 1938, aged 74 D'Annunzio was an Italian poet, novelist and nationalist adventurer. He seized Fiume in 1919, and his political style influenced Italian Fascism.
• 1863 – 1952 George Santayana (1863-1952) Died 26 September 1952, aged 88 George Santayana, the Spanish-American philosopher and writer known for the aphorism "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," died in Rome on 26 September 1952. He taught at Harvard before retiring to Europe to write. His works spanned philosophy, poetry and the novel The Last Puritan.
• 1863 – 1947 Henry Ford (1863-1947) Died 7 April 1947, aged 83 Henry Ford was an American industrialist who founded the Ford Motor Company. He introduced the Model T and the moving assembly line. His methods of mass production transformed manufacturing around the world.
• 1863 – 1938 Konstantin Stanislavski (1863-1938) Died 7 August 1938, aged 75 Stanislavski co-founded the Moscow Art Theatre. His system of actor training is the foundation of modern method acting.
• 1863 – 1933 Paul Painlevé (1863-1933) Died 29 October 1933, aged 69 French mathematician and statesman who was twice prime minister of France. He made important contributions to the theory of differential equations.
• 1863 – 1951 William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) Died 14 August 1951, aged 88 Hearst built the largest newspaper chain in American history and pioneered the sensationalist style of journalism known as yellow journalism. His publishing empire and personal life inspired Orson Welles' film Citizen Kane. He died at his home in Beverly Hills.
• 1863 Emancipation Proclamation takes effect Lincoln declares slaves in rebel states free President Abraham Lincoln's proclamation, effective 1 January 1863, declared enslaved people in Confederate-held territory legally free. It reframed the Civil War as a fight against slavery and authorized the enlistment of Black soldiers into the Union Army.
• 1863 Metropolitan Railway opens in London World's first underground passenger railway The Metropolitan Railway began service between Paddington and Farringdon on 10 January 1863, becoming the world's first underground passenger railway. It used steam locomotives and laid the foundation for what became the London Underground.
• 1863 January Uprising begins in Poland Polish insurgents rise against Russian rule Polish, Lithuanian, and Belarusian rebels launched an uprising against the Russian Empire on 22 January 1863, seeking independence. The revolt was fought largely as guerrilla warfare and was crushed by Russian forces over the following months.
• 1863 – present The Red Cross ICRC Headquarters The Geneva-based humanitarian organization that acts as a neutral mediator in conflicts.
• 1863 National Academy of Sciences founded US body created to advise government on science The United States Congress chartered the National Academy of Sciences on 3 March 1863 to provide independent scientific advice to the federal government. It remains a leading American scientific institution.
• 1863 French forces capture Puebla Key siege in France's intervention in Mexico French troops besieged and captured the Mexican city of Puebla on 17 May 1863 after a two-month siege, avenging their defeat there the previous year. The victory opened the road to Mexico City during France's military intervention in Mexico.
• 1863 George I elected King of the Hellenes Danish prince chosen to rule Greece A Danish prince, William, was elected King of the Hellenes by the Greek National Assembly on 30 March 1863, taking the name George I. His election settled a succession crisis following the ouster of King Otto and began a dynasty that ruled Greece for much of the following century.
• 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville Confederate victory marked by Stonewall Jackson's wounding Confederate General Robert E. Lee defeated a much larger Union force under Joseph Hooker in Virginia between 30 April and 6 May 1863. The victory came at heavy cost, as General Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded by friendly fire during the fighting.
• 1863 Siege of Vicksburg ends in Confederate surrender Union gains control of the Mississippi River After a prolonged siege, Confederate forces surrendered the fortress city of Vicksburg, Mississippi to Ulysses S. Grant on 4 July 1863. The victory gave the Union control of the entire Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy in two.
• 1863 French army occupies Mexico City Forces of Napoleon III enter the Mexican capital French troops entered Mexico City on 7 June 1863 after President Benito Juárez's government fled north. The occupation paved the way for the installation of Maximilian of Habsburg as Emperor of Mexico the following year.
• 1863 West Virginia admitted to the Union New state formed from Unionist counties of Virginia West Virginia was admitted as the 35th US state on 20 June 1863, formed from counties that refused to join the Confederacy. Its creation reflected deep regional divisions within Virginia over secession.
• 1863 Battle of Gettysburg Turning point of the American Civil War Union forces under George Meade repelled Robert E. Lee's Confederate army in Pennsylvania between 1 and 3 July 1863, inflicting heavy casualties on both sides. The battle ended Lee's second invasion of the North and is widely regarded as the war's turning point.
• 1863 New York City draft riots Violent protests against Civil War conscription Mobs, largely of working-class immigrants, rioted in New York City from 13 to 16 July 1863 in protest against a new military draft law. The unrest turned into some of the deadliest riots in American history, including attacks on Black residents, before being put down by federal troops.
• 1863 Second Battle of Fort Wagner Famed assault by the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Union forces, spearheaded by the Black 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, assaulted the Confederate-held Fort Wagner in South Carolina on 18 July 1863. Though the attack failed, the regiment's valor helped demonstrate the effectiveness of Black soldiers in the Union Army.
• 1863 Cambodia becomes a French protectorate King Norodom signs treaty with France King Norodom of Cambodia signed a treaty on 11 August 1863 placing his kingdom under French protection, ending Siamese and Vietnamese claims of suzerainty. The agreement began nearly a century of French colonial rule over Cambodia.
• 1863 Bombardment of Kagoshima Royal Navy clashes with Satsuma domain in Japan British warships bombarded the Japanese city of Kagoshima between 15 and 17 August 1863 in retaliation for the killing of a British merchant by Satsuma samurai. The engagement, part of the wider opening of Japan to foreign powers, led to a later alliance between Britain and Satsuma.
• 1863 Battle of Chickamauga Bloodiest two-day battle of the Civil War's western theater Confederate forces under Braxton Bragg defeated the Union Army of the Cumberland near Chickamauga Creek, Georgia, on 19-20 September 1863. It was the war's second-costliest battle and forced Union troops to retreat into besieged Chattanooga.
• 1863 The Football Association founded in London Codification of modern association football Representatives of English football clubs met in London on 26 October 1863 to found the Football Association and agree on a standard set of rules. The meeting established the split between association football (soccer) and rugby football.
• 1863 Gettysburg Address delivered Lincoln's speech redefines the war's purpose President Abraham Lincoln delivered a brief address at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on 19 November 1863. The short speech redefined the Civil War as a struggle for human equality and became one of the most quoted speeches in American history.
• 1863 Battles for Chattanooga Union breaks Confederate siege in Tennessee Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant defeated Confederate troops at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge near Chattanooga, Tennessee, between 23 and 25 November 1863. The victory secured the city as a base for the Union's subsequent invasion of Georgia.
• 1863 – 1944 Edvard Munch Expressionism · Norway Edvard Munch (December 12, 1863 – January 23, 1944) was a Norwegian Expressionist painter whose The Scream is one of the most iconic images in Western art. His emotionally raw work was a major influence on German Expressionism.