The official opening of Parliament of 1866 marked the first time that Queen Victoria had taken part in any official royal function since the death of her husband, Prince Albert, in December 1861.  She had spent the intervening four years in virtual seclusion.  She did not wear state robes, however, and the official "Queen's Speech" was read by the Lord Chancellor.  (By John Osborne) 

Encountering the same severe weather in the Bay if Biscay that had wrecked the steamer London with loss of hundreds of lives, the 3000-ton steamer Amalia, bound for Egypt from Liverpool, also foundered.  Fortunately for her passengers and crew, all were saved by the arrival of the steamship Laconia which stayed with the Amalia all night taking off passengers till the Amalia went down the next morning.  (By John Osborne) 

Severe winter gales across the British Isles caused havoc with coastal shipping for three days.  Numerous sinkings with severe loss of life were reported. The Lizard lifeboat station lost three men when their boat was overturned attempting a rescue at sea. Damage was also reported as very heavy on the land,  (By John Osborne)

On the day it came into official existence by Act of Parliament, London's new Metropolitan Fire Brigade had its first test when a massive fire broke out at St. Katherine's Dock in the city's port.  The fire burned for two days, caused extensive damage, and losses of close to a million dollars were reported.  Few serious injuries were reported, however, and no deaths.  (By John Osborne)

The newly completed three-quarter mile railroad bridge across the Susquehanna River at Havre De Grace, Maryland, built at a cost on one and half million dollars, now madepossible an uninterupted journey from Philadelphia to Washington, DC on the the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad.  Previously the trip had to be halted for a ferryride across the river.  (By John Osborne)

Italian troops had entered Venice on October 19, 1866 as a consequence of a secret agreement between Prussia and Italy before the conflict that forced the defeated Austrian Empire to cede Venetia to Italy.  This was confirmed with an almost unanimous plebiscite completed on November 4, 1866, and the victorious King Victor Emanuel II of Italy visited the city in triumph.  (By John Osborne)