Thread: What are some big events that happened in the mid-1800's?

I'm doing a newspaper on Claude Monet and I need to include articles about current events that happened during his time. I'd look it up myself but I did and I just can't seem to find anything useful... the projects due on wednesday... and the teacher only gave me single week to do this... help plz

Here's an American history timeline for the period:
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/1880.htm

World history
http://www.zum.de/whkmla/timelines/whchapters.html

Just to say one the wave of revolution that swept Europe in 1848 as a reaction to the counter-revolution set-up by the Congress of Vienna after Napoleon's adventure. In 1834 British abolished slavery all over their empire, and the Spanish inquisition officialy ended. Between 1845 and 1849 spreaded the irish famine that led to their escape to the USA.
In 1866 there was the Austro - prussian war that ended the dominon of Austria over a great part of Germany
In 1870-71 the Franco-Prussian War results in the unifications of Germany and Italy
If i don't make a mistake outside Europe there were other foundamental events:
Between 1854-56 spreaded the crimean war that started the crippling of the zarist power
In 1860, i think, started the American civil war
In 1866 started in Japan the meiji restoration that would bring Japan into modern age in shortly 40 years

Many achivement were realized in this period in scientific and humanistic science.
Many other major events on economic level, that at first didn't led to massive political changes both intra-nations and between nations happened