Births on March 14

John Lane, English publisher, co-founded The Bodley Head (d. 1925)

John Lane (14 March 1854 – 2 February 1925) was a British publisher who co-founded The Bodley Head with Charles Elkin Mathews.

31 Mar

Convention of Kanagawa
Commodore Matthew Perry signs the Convention of Kanagawa with the Tokugawa Shogunate, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade.
1 Apr

Hard Times (novel)
Charles Dickens' novel Hard Times begins serialisation in his magazine Household Words.
19 Aug

Grattan massacre
The First Sioux War begins when United States Army soldiers kill Lakota chief Conquering Bear and in return are massacred.
27 Sep

SS Arctic disaster
The steamship SS Arctic sinks with 300 people on board. This marks the first great disaster in the Atlantic Ocean.
9 Oct

Siege of Sevastopol (1854-55)
Crimean War: The siege of Sebastopol begins.