1866
Battle of Königgrätz
In a single day on a Bohemian plain, Prussian armies armed with breech-loading needle-guns shattered Austria and ended the German question in Berlin's favor.
Transatlantic Cable
After several fiascos, the steamship Great Eastern laid a working telegraph cable the whole way from Ireland to Newfoundland.
Nobel's Dynamite
In a Swedish laboratory, Alfred Nobel discovered that nitroglycerin absorbed into kieselguhr could be handled, packed, and detonated safely.
Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment
Serialized in a Russian literary magazine, Dostoevsky's feverish novel about a St. Petersburg student who murders a pawnbroker on a philosophical theory…
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1866?
Saeculum lists 4 events from 1866. The most significant is Battle of Königgrätz: In a single day on a Bohemian plain, Prussian armies armed with breech-loading needle-guns shattered Austria and ended the German question in Berlin's favor.
What era was 1866 part of?
1866 falls within the Industrial Age (1801-1900). Steam, empire, and the unmaking of the old order.
Which regions saw notable events in 1866?
The events from 1866 span Europe and North America.