18 August –Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, with Prince Albert, begins a 10-day state visit to Paris,[4] the first visit of a reigning British monarch to France since 1413. While there, she visits the Exposition Universelle.[5]
7 September –Battle of Malakoff, French victory over Russian forces, part of the siege of Sevastopol in the Crimean War.
17 October –Battle of Kinburn (Crimean War) – Combined French and British forces subdue Russian shore forts. The successful use of Frenchfloating batteries makes this the first use of modernironclad warships in action.[6]
15 May–15 November – The Exposition Universelle includes a retrospective of the paintings ofJean Auguste Dominique Ingres.Gustave Courbet, having had several paintings rejected for the Exposition, exhibits in a temporary "Pavillon du Réalisme" adjacent.
^Hibberd, Sarah (2013). "The Creation of Les Vêpres siciliennes".Les Vêpres siciliennes: programme book. London: Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. pp. 11–17.