What happened in 1862

76 events　North America 61, Europe 8, USSR / Russia 1, Asia 1, Latin America 4, Africa 1

Highlights of 1862

Jan 30North AmericaAmerican Civil War: The first U.S. ironclad warship,, is launched in Brooklyn.

Jan 30American Civil War: The first U.S. ironclad warship,, is launched in Brooklyn.
FebAmerican Civil War:
Mar 13American Civil War: The U.S. federal government forbids all Union army officers from returning fugitive slaves, thus effectively annulling the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and setting the stage for the Emancipation Proclamation.
Mar 26American Civil War: Battle of Glorieta Pass – In New Mexico, Union forces succeed in stopping the Confederate invasion of New Mexico Territory.
MarAmerican Civil War:
AprAmerican Civil War:
AprAmerican Civil War:
May 11American Civil War: Ironclad is scuttled in the James River northwest of Norfolk, Virginia.
Jun 26American Civil War: Battle of Mechanicsville – Confederate General Robert E. Lee defeats the troops of General George B. McClellan in the first of the Seven Days Battles.
JunAmerican Civil War:
JunAmerican Civil War:
Jul 16American Civil War: David Farragut becomes the first rear admiral in the U.S. Navy.
Jul 23American Civil War: Henry Halleck takes command of the Union Army.
AugAmerican Civil War:
AugAmerican Civil War:

Jan 16Hartley Colliery disaster in north-east England: 204 men are trapped and die underground when the only shaft becomes blocked.
Mar 31Victor Hugo's epic French historical novel Les Misérables begins publication in Brussels.
Apr 22Global financial group UBS is founded in Switzerland as the Bank in Winterthur.
May 1The 1862 International Exhibition is held at South Kensington in London; it is particularly noteworthy for an exhibit from Japan, influential in the development of Anglo-Japanese style.
May 24Westminster Bridge is opened across the Thames in London. This new iron bridge, designed by Thomas Page, replaces the previous stone one.
Jul 4Charles Dodgson (better known as Lewis Carroll) extemporises the story that becomes Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, for ten-year-old Alice Liddell and her sisters, on a rowboat trip on The Isis from Oxford to Godstow.
Sep 26Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein signs into law the 1862 Constitution of Liechtenstein.
Sep 29New Prussian prime minister Otto von Bismarck delivers his Blood and Iron (Blut und Eisen) speech to the Prussian Landtag.

Jul 1The Russian State Library is founded, as The Library of the Moscow Public Museum.

Jun 5Treaty of Saigon: Emperor Tự Đức of the Nguyễn dynasty in Vietnam cedes Saigon, Côn Sơn Island and three southern provinces of what is to become known as French Cochinchina (Biên Hòa, Gia Định and Định Tường) to become part of the French colonial empire. Guerilla leader Trương Định refuses to recognize the treaty.

Jan 6French intervention in Mexico: French, Spanish and British forces arrive in Veracruz, Mexico.
Mar 6An ammunition warehouse explosion in San Andres Chalchicomula, Mexico, kills between 1,400 and 2,280 during the Second French intervention in Mexico.
Apr 1Second French intervention in Mexico: The Spanish and the British ended their alliance with France.
May 5Second French intervention in Mexico: Battle of Puebla – Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza defeats the French Army; commemorated each year as Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for Fifth of May).

Oct 9The Transvaal Civil War breaks out, following Stephanus Schoeman's unconstitutional ousting of the acting President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic.