1855 Facts for Kids

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	18th century – 19th century – 20th century
Decades:	1820s 1830s 1840s – 1850s – 1860s 1870s 1880s
Years:	1852 1853 1854 – 1855 – 1856 1857 1858

The year 1855 was a time of important changes and events around the world. New cities were formed, big bridges were built, and new ways of sharing news began. It was also a year when leaders changed and big wars continued.

Key Events of 1855
Notable Births
Images for kids
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Key Events of 1855

January 1 – The city of London, Ontario in Canada officially became a city.
January 23 – The very first bridge to cross the mighty Mississippi River opened. This bridge was built in what is now Minneapolis, Minnesota, and today the Father Louis Hennepin Bridge stands in its place.
January 23 – A huge earthquake hit the Wairarapa region of New Zealand. It was the strongest earthquake ever recorded there, reaching a magnitude of 8.1 on the Richter scale, which measures how powerful an earthquake is. Five people sadly lost their lives.
January 29 – Lord Aberdeen stepped down as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He resigned because of how the Crimean War was being managed.
February 5 – A new Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, took over leadership of the United Kingdom.
February 11 – Kassa Hailu was crowned Tewodros II, becoming the new Emperor of Ethiopia. This important ceremony took place at the church of Derasge Maryam.
March 3 – The U.S. Congress, which is like the country's main law-making group, set aside $30,000 to create the U.S. Camel Corps. This was a plan to use camels for transportation in the American desert!
March 16 – Bates College, a well-known university, was founded in Lewiston, Maine, United States.
June 29 – A famous newspaper called The Daily Telegraph started being published.
September 3 – The very last Bartholomew Fair was held in London, England. This was a very old and popular fair that had been running for many centuries.
September 11 – The city of Sevastapol in Crimea fell to the British troops during the Crimean War.
December 22 – The Metropolitan Board of Works was created in London. This group was responsible for improving the city's infrastructure, like sewers and roads.
A special tax called Stamp duty was removed from newspapers in Britain. This made newspapers much cheaper, helping to create mass market media where many more people could read the news.
The Panama Railway was completed. This was a very important railroad because it was the first one to connect the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean by rail across Panama.