Dashed left edge = started before October 1861 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond October 1861
Events in October 1861 2
1861 – 1930Fridtjof NansenArctic ExplorerFirst man to cross Greenland and a Nobel Peace Prize winner for his refugee work.
1861First transcontinental telegraph completedInstant communication links the American coastsThe Western Union Telegraph Company completed a transcontinental telegraph line connecting the eastern United States to California. The line rendered the Pony Express obsolete within days. It dramatically shortened the time needed to send messages across North America.