360What happened in 1869?
10 moments from 1869 on 360n60, each told in 60 words or fewer.
- History · 6 March 1869
Mendeleev presents the periodic table of the elements
On 6 March 1869, the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev's periodic table was presented to the Russian Chemical Society. He arranged the 63 known elements by atomic weight and grouped them by their properties, leaving gaps for elements not yet discovered. When gallium, scandium and germanium were found, they matched his predictions.
- History · 17 November 1869
The Suez Canal opens, linking the Mediterranean and the Red Sea
On 17 November 1869, the Suez Canal in Egypt opened after ten years of construction. The 164 km waterway joined the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, so ships between Europe and Asia no longer had to sail around Africa. The voyage from London to Mumbai became about 7,000 km shorter.
- History · 10 May 1869
America's first transcontinental railroad is completed
On 10 May 1869, a ceremonial golden spike was driven at Promontory Summit, Utah, joining the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads. The line linked the eastern United States with California. A journey across the country that had taken months by wagon or ship could now be made in about a week. Thousands of Chinese and Irish workers built it.
- On this day · 6 March 1869
Mendeleev's periodic table is presented
On 6 March 1869, the periodic table of the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev was presented to the Russian Chemical Society. He arranged the elements by weight and properties, leaving gaps for ones not yet found. When gallium, scandium and germanium were discovered, they matched his predictions.
- On this day · 10 May 1869
The golden spike completes America's first transcontinental railroad
On 10 May 1869, a ceremonial golden spike was driven at Promontory Summit, Utah, joining the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads. Coast-to-coast travel across the United States, which had taken months, could now be done in about a week. Thousands of Chinese and Irish workers built the line.
- On this day · 17 November 1869
The Suez Canal opens
On 17 November 1869, the Suez Canal opened in Egypt, linking the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Ships between Europe and Asia no longer had to sail around Africa, cutting thousands of kilometres from the journey. It remains one of the world's busiest shipping routes.
- 6 March 1869 · from Mendeleev presents the periodic table of the elements
Mendeleev's table is presented
- 17 November 1869 · from The Suez Canal opens, linking the Mediterranean and the Red Sea
The canal opens
- 10 May 1869 · from America's first transcontinental railroad is completed
The golden spike is driven
- 1869 · from The 1860s: the underground, dynamite and the periodic table
Suez Canal opens; periodic table presented