1859 in France
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See also: 1858 in France, other events of 1859, 1860 in France.
Events from the year 1859 in France.
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[edit] Events
- 26 March - A French amateur astronomer claims to have noticed a planet closer to the Sun than Mercury - later named Vulcan.
- 23 April - Austria issues an ultimatum seeking the complete de-militarization of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
- 29 April - Second Italian War of Independence begins, when Austrian ultimatum is ignored.
- 14 May - Napoleon III arrives in Alessandria, taking command of the operations.
- 20 May - Battle of Montebello, Piedmontese cavalry and French infantry defeat Austrian troops.
- 30 May - Battle of Palestro, French-Sardinian victory.
- 4 June - Battle of Magenta, French-Sardinian victory under Napoleon III against the Austrians.
- 24 June - Battle of Solferino, French-Sardinian victory.
- 30 June - Charles Blondin crosses Niagara Falls on a tightrope for the first time.
- 12 July - Armistice of Villafranca ends the Second Italian War of Independence.
- 24 November - The French Navy's La Gloire ("Glory"), the first ocean-going ironclad warship in history, is launched.
[edit] Births
- 15 May - Pierre Curie, physicist, shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in physics (d.1906).
- 3 September - Jean Jaurès, socialist and pacifist (assassinated) (d.1914).
- 9 October - Alfred Dreyfus, military officer (see: Dreyfus Affair) (d.1935).
- 18 October - Henri Bergson, philosopher (d.1941).
- 2 December - Georges-Pierre Seurat, painter (d.1891).
- 17 December - Paul César Helleu, artist (d.1927).
[edit] Deaths
- 16 April - Alexis de Tocqueville, political thinker and historian (b.1805).
- 5 July - Charles Cagniard de la Tour, engineer and physicist (b.1777).
- 23 July - Marceline Desbordes-Valmore, poet (b.1786).
- 7 November - Auguste Hilarion, comte de Kératry, poet, novelist, historian and politician (b.1769).
- 19 November - Charles-Gaspard Delestre-Poirson, playwright and theatre director (b.1790).
[edit] Full date unknown
- Pierre Boitard, botanist and geologist (b.1789).
