Major Events
- Apr 3 Start of the Pony Express, delivers mail by horse and rider relay teams between St Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California
- Apr 13 1st Pony Express rider reaches Sacramento, California
- Jun 30 Famous debate on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution held at the Oxford University Museum and dominated by arguments between Thomas Henry Huxley and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce
- Nov 6 Republican Abraham Lincoln of Illinois elected the 16th President of the United States of America
- Dec 20 South Carolina General Assembly votes 169-0 to secede from the United States, declaring itself an "independent commonwealth". Is quickly followed by other Southern states triggering the American Civil War.
- Dec 28 Harriet Tubman arrives in Auburn, New York, on her last mission to free slaves, having evaded capture for 8 years on the Underground Railroad
- More 1860 Events
1860 in Sport
- Oct 17 1st British Open Men's Golf, Prestwick GC: Willie Park Sr. wins inaugural event by 2 strokes from fellow Scot Tom Morris Sr
- Dec 26 First ever inter-club football match between Hallam F.C. and Sheffield F.C. at Sandygate Road ground in Sheffield, England
Did You Know?
The first British seagoing iron-clad warship, HMS Warrior is launched
More People Born in 1860
Fun Fact About 1860
11-year-old Grace Bedell writes to Abraham Lincoln telling him to grow a beard
More 1860 Deaths
Articles About 1860
Police Halt Boxing Match
The first "world championship" boxing match was a brutal affair, lasting nearly two and a half hours and stretching over 42 rounds.April 17Abraham Lincoln Grows a Beard
Abraham Lincoln left, before he received the letter from Grace Bedell, and right, shortly before he met her in 1861October 15Slavery Divide Triggers America’s Civil War
South Carolina voted to secede from the United States on this day. The move was quickly followed by other Southern states and led to the American Civil War.December 20
Famous Weddings in 1860
- Mar 29 Willie Park Sr. marries Susanna Law in Inveresk, Scotland
- May 22 US Major General George McClellan (33) weds Mary Ellen Marcy at Calvary Church in NYC, New York
- Nov 11 1st Jewish wedding in Buenos Aires Argentina