Historical Events in February 1859

4th Century Bible Discovered

Feb 4 One of the oldest known copies of the Bible, "The Codex Sinaiticus" (Sinai Bible), is seen in Egypt by Constantin von Tischendorf who takes the manuscript home with him

A page from the Codex Sinaiticus, displaying the Lord's Prayer. The first few letters are part of Matthew 6:4; the first new paragraph denotes Matthew 6:5. The last full sentence is Matthew 6:24; the last incomplete sentence on this page is Matthew 6:25.

Feb 5 Wallachia and Moldavia are united under Alexander John Cuza as the United Principalities

The Indian Mutiny

Feb 10 General Horsford defeats Begum of Oude and Nana Sahib in Indian Mutiny

Mutineers are executed by the Bengal Horse Artillery, in a painting by Orlando Noire

Feb 14 Oregon admitted as 33rd state of the Union
Feb 16 The French Government passes a law to set the A-note above middle C to a frequency of 435 Hz, in an attempt to standardize the pitch