Deaths on December 6

William John Swainson, English ornithologist and entomologist (b. 1789)

William John Swainson FLS, FRS (8 October 1789 – 6 December 1855), was an English ornithologist, malacologist, conchologist, entomologist and artist.

14 Feb

Telegraphy
Texas is linked by telegraph to the rest of the United States, with the completion of a connection between New Orleans and Marshall, Texas.
22 Feb

State College, Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania State University is founded in State College, Pennsylvania (as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania).
1 Jun

William Walker (filibuster)
The American adventurer William Walker conquers Nicaragua.
4 Jul

Leaves of Grass
The first edition of Walt Whitman's book of poems, Leaves of Grass, is published In Brooklyn.
16 Nov

Victoria Falls
David Livingstone becomes the first European to see the Victoria Falls in what is now Zambia-Zimbabwe.