Timeline November 1869

Events in November 1869 5

• 1795 – 1869 George Peabody (1795-1869) Died 4 November 1869, aged 74 George Peabody was an American-born financier and philanthropist who made his fortune in London banking. He funded museums, schools, and housing for the poor on both sides of the Atlantic, establishing a model of large-scale philanthropy later followed by figures such as Andrew Carnegie. He died in London and was given a temporary burial in Westminster Abbey before his body was returned to the United States.
• 1869 Red River Rebellion begins Metis resistance to Canadian annexation of Rupert's Land Metis leader Louis Riel led a resistance movement after his followers seized Upper Fort Garry to block Canada's annexation of the Red River Settlement without local consent. Riel's provisional government negotiated terms that led to the creation of the province of Manitoba the following year. The uprising was the first major armed challenge to the young Canadian confederation.
• 1869 First intercollegiate American football game played Rutgers defeats Princeton in New Brunswick Rutgers College defeated the College of New Jersey, later Princeton, six goals to four in what is widely regarded as the first intercollegiate American football game. The match was played under rules closer to soccer than modern football. It marked the beginning of organized college football in the United States.
• 1869 Opening of the Suez Canal Waterway linking the Mediterranean and Red Seas opens The Suez Canal, built by the Suez Canal Company under Ferdinand de Lesseps, opened to shipping after a ten-year construction project. It shortened the sea route between Europe and Asia by thousands of miles, removing the need to sail around Africa. Heads of state and dignitaries from across Europe attended lavish opening ceremonies at Port Said.
• 1869 Clipper ship Cutty Sark launched Fast tea clipper launched on the Clyde The clipper ship Cutty Sark was launched at Dumbarton, Scotland, built for the competitive China tea trade. Though soon overtaken by steamships, it later became renowned as one of the fastest sailing ships of its era in the Australian wool trade. The ship survives today as a museum piece in Greenwich, England.