1854 | Asia • Japan
| Japan is opened to outside influences through the actions of Commodore Matthew Perry and his naval expeditions. |
1854 | North America • USA | Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) publishes Walden, or, Life in the Woods. |
1859 | Europe • Great Britain
| Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species |
1862 | Europe • Great Britain
| London International Exhibition in South Kensington, London |