What Happened in 1869 — Events, Births & Deaths

Boshin War: Tokugawa rebels establish the Ezo Republic in Hokkaidō.

The largest alluvial gold nugget in history, called the "Welcome Stranger", is found in Moliagul, Victoria, Australia.

The last of Tītokowaru's forces surrender to the New Zealand government, ending his uprising.

Morelos is admitted as the 27th state of Mexico.

Chinese and Irish laborers for the Central Pacific Railroad working on the first transcontinental railroad lay ten miles of track in one day, a feat which has never been matched.

The four-day Naval Battle of Hakodate begins. The newly formed Imperial Japanese Navy defeats the remnants of the Tokugawa shogunate navy in the Sea of Japan off the city of Hakodate, leading to the surrender of the Ezo Republic on May 17.

The First transcontinental railroad, linking the eastern and western United States, is completed at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory with the golden spike.

Japan's Edo society class system is abolished as part of the Meiji Restoration reforms.

Black Friday (1869): Gold prices plummet after United States President Ulysses S. Grant orders the Treasury to sell large quantities of gold after Jay Gould and James Fisk plot to control the market.

The Saxby Gale devastates the Bay of Fundy region in Canada.

The Eastman tunnel, in Minnesota, United States, collapses during construction, causing a landslide that nearly destroys St. Anthony Falls.

In New Brunswick, New Jersey, Rutgers College defeats Princeton University (then known as the College of New Jersey), 6–4, in the first official intercollegiate American football game.

In Egypt, the Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, is inaugurated.

In Dumbarton, Scotland, the clipper Cutty Sark is launched.

The short-lived Republic of Ezo is proclaimed in the Ezo area of Japan. It is the first attempt to establish a democracy in Japan.