Historical eventJuly 111864

Leicester balloon riot

A riot broke out in Leicester, England, at the failed launching of a gas balloon (pictured).

Everything on July 11Original source

In context

When
Monday, July 11 1864162 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
19th century · 1860s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: From 1864-07-11.

Type: riot.

What came before

Background Henry Tracey Coxwell Henry Tracey Coxwell was an English aeronaut of the mid- to late 19th century. He became famous for a 5 September 1862 flight with meteorologist James Glaisher . [ 1 ] Setting off from Wolverhampton in the West Midlands in a balloon filled with coal gas they reached a record altitude of 37,000 ft (11,000 m).

What happened

Aftermath James Glaisher Coxwell laid the blame for the riot with the Leicester City Police , whom he said had failed to provide a sufficient number of officers. [ 1 ] He also stated that some of the mob wore the distinctive badge of the Foresters Society, apportioning some blame to them. [ 2 ] The London Review of Politics, Society, Literature,

A riot occurred on 11 July 1864 in Victoria Park, Leicester, during a public demonstration of a new hydrogen balloon by the aeronaut Henry Tracey Coxwell. An estimated 50,000 spectators were present for the event.

July 11 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1864Leicester balloon riot
  2. 1991Jeddah
  3. 1991Nigeria Airways Flight 2120
  4. 1995Yugoslav Wars
  5. 20062006 Mumbai train bombings
  6. 2007Siege of Lal Masjid
  7. 2010Islamism
  8. 2010Spain national football team
  9. 2011Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion
  10. 2015El Chapo
  11. 2021Virgin Galactic

Also in 1864

  • March 14Petite messe solennelleThe Petite messe solennelle by Gioachino Rossini was first performed in Paris, 34 years after his retirement as a composer.
  • August 10José Antônio SaraivaJosé Antônio Saraiva announced that the Brazilian military would exact reprisals after Uruguay's governing Blanco Party refused Brazil's…
  • July 22American Civil WarAmerican Civil War: Confederate forces unsuccessfully attacked Union troops at the Battle of Atlanta.
  • June 15American Civil WarAmerican Civil War: The Second Battle of Petersburg begins.
  • November 15American Civil WarAmerican Civil War: Union army general William Tecumseh Sherman (pictured) began his March to the Sea, inflicting significant damage to p…
  • May 9Second Schleswig WarSecond Schleswig War: The Battle of Heligoland (depicted), the last naval engagement fought by squadrons of wooden ships, took place betw…
  • November 4American Civil WarAmerican Civil War: Nathan Bedford Forrest led a cavalry division in an attack on a Union Army supply base at Johnsonville, Tennessee, re…
  • October 15American Civil WarAmerican Civil War: Confederate forces captured Glasgow, Missouri, although it had little long-term benefit as Price's Missouri Expeditio…

Everything we record for 1864 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Leicester balloon riot”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/leicester-balloon-riot-1864-july-11, accessed October 26, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Leicester balloon riot happen?

July 11 1864 — 162 years ago, on a Monday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.