The Wild West (TRIH ep 42)
1861 · Resource
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss the history and myth of the American Wild West, balancing romanticised popular culture with the brutal realities of westward expansion. They trace the era's drivers—economic motives, railroads, gold rushes and post–Civil War chaos—and consider the role of religion, media and celebrity (dime novels, Wild West shows, photography) in shaping the myth.
On these timelines: The Rest Is History (podcast), Resources: Combined
Around 1861
- American Civil War (1861)
- Crimean War (1853)
- Italian unification (Risorgimento) (1859)
- Meiji Restoration (1868)
- Taiping Rebellion (1851)
- Wars of German Unification (1864)
- Indian Rebellion of 1857 (1857)
- German unification (1871)
- On the Origin of Species (1859)
- Pasteur develops germ theory of disease (1861)