34 Star Flag
Years Flown: 1861 - 1863
US Presidents:
Thirty-Four Star Flag became official July 4th 1861 after admission of Kansas, as a FREE STATE, and the 34th State of the Union on 29 January 1861.
Politics and Government
July 1, 1862: The United States begins the issuance of paper money in denominations of $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500, and $1000.
Homestead Act of 1862
April 24, 1862: The U.S. Navy captures New Orleans, a major victory in the American Civil War.
July 13, 1862: The New York City draft riots break out, with working-class citizens protesting conscription during the American Civil War.
January 1, 1863: President Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring the freedom of all slaves in Confederate-held territories.
Science, Technology and Medicine
March 9, 1862: The first battle between ironclad ships, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia, occurs during the American Civil War.
April 8, 1862: The United States Mint in New Orleans ceases coinage production due to the American Civil War.
July 2, 1862: The United States Congress passes the Pacific Railway Act, promoting the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad.
March 3, 1863: The National Academy of Sciences is founded in Washington, D.C.
Education
President Abraham Lincoln signs the Morrill Land-Grant Act into law on July 2, 1862, granting land to states for the establishment of colleges focused on agriculture and the mechanical arts.
Arts, Culture and Literature
Julia Ward Howe writes "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" in 1861, which becomes a popular and enduring patriotic song during the Civil War.
May 22, 1863: Louisa May Alcott publishes "Hospital Sketches", drawing from her experiences as a nurse during the Civil War, providing a unique perspective on the conflict.
Sports
May 21, 1863: The Organized Irish American athletes established a Society in New York City, helping lay the groundwork for modern amateur sports in America.
International Events (July 4, 1861 - July 3, 1863)
July 13, 1861: A mass protest against conscription takes place in Britain, known as the "London Monster Demonstration."
January 29, 1863: The first National Convention of the Evangelical Alliance is held in Amsterdam, advocating for religious unity.
February 16, 1862: The Saint Albans Raid takes place in Canada, when Confederate soldiers rob banks in Vermont.
November 21, 1861: The University of Sydney, Australia, is founded.
November 3, 1861: The Royal Conservatory of Music is established in Toronto, Canada.
September 23, 1862: Count Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" is published in Russia.
September 5, 1861: James Clerk Maxwell presents his paper on electromagnetism, unifying electricity and magnetism, in the United Kingdom.
December 4, 1861: The University of Zagreb is established in Croatia.
July 5, 1861: The Battle of Rich Mountain is fought during the American Civil War in present-day West Virginia.
November 16, 1862: The SS Great Eastern, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, finishes laying the first successful transatlantic telegraph cable.
September 20, 1861: English author Arthur Rimbaud is born.
April 17, 1863: Danish author Hans Christian Andersen dies.
August 9, 1861: English author Florence Nightingale publishes "Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not."
November 29, 1861: The British explorer David Livingstone is found by journalist Henry Morton Stanley in Africa.
On February 17, 1863, in Geneva, Switzerland, Henry Dunant and Gustave Moynier establish the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, which later becomes the International Committee of the Red Cross, promoting humanitarian aid and cultural norms during times of conflict.