The first Pony Express riders set out simultaneously from St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, cutting cross-country mail time to ten days.

The first eastbound Pony Express rider reached Sacramento, completing an early transcontinental mail relay that captured America's imagination.

Giuseppe Garibaldi's volunteer force completed the conquest of Palermo, a decisive step in his campaign to unify Sicily with the Kingdom of Italy.

British and French troops began the systematic looting and burning of Beijing's Old Summer Palace, destroying centuries of Chinese imperial art and architecture during the Second Opium War.

Abraham Lincoln won the U.S. presidential election with under 40% of the popular vote, triggering the secession crisis that led to civil war.