Explore 436 historical events from 1840–1849.
The Báb was an Iranian religious leader who founded Bábism, and is also one of the central figures of the Baháʼí Faith. The Báb gradually and progressively revealed his claim in hi…
A merchant of Shiraz announces that he is a Prophet and founds a religious movement
The great auk, also known as the garefowl or penguin, is an extinct species of flightless alcid that first appeared around 400,000 years ago and was driven to extinction by human e…
The last known pair of great auks (one pictured), the only modern species in the genus Pinguinus of flightless birds, we
Julia Gardiner Tyler was the first lady of the United States from June 26, 1844, to March 4, 1845, as the second wife of President John Tyler. A member of the influential Gardiner …
Julia Gardiner (pictured) married U
Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel was a German astronomer, mathematician, physicist, and geodesist. He was the first astronomer who determined reliable values for the distance from the Sun …
From measurements of its motion, German astronomer Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel deduced that Sirius, the brightest star in…
The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church o…
The Disruption in Edinburgh of the Free Church of Scotland from the Church of Scotland
The Wairau Affray of 17 June 1843, also called the Wairau Massacre and the Wairau Incident, was the first serious clash of arms between British settlers and Māori in New Zealand af…
The Wairau Affray, the first serious clash of arms between Māori and British settlers in the New Zealand Wars, takes pla
The Treaty of Nanjing was the peace treaty which ended the First Opium War (1839–1842) between Great Britain and the Qing dynasty of China on 29 August 1842. It was the second of w…
Treaty of Nanking comes into effect, Hong Kong Island is ceded to the British "in perpetuity"
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was an English civil and marine engineer considered "one of the greatest figures of the Industrial Revolution", "perhaps the most eminent Victorian engineer…
Brunel's steamship the SS Great Britain is launched, becoming the first ocean-going craft with an iron hull and screw…
The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace is the mother church and cathedral of the Diocese of Honolulu.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, Hawaii is dedicated. Now the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese…
Tivoli Gardens, also known simply as Tivoli, is an amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. The park opened on 15 August 1843 and is the second-oldest operating a…
Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Princess Alice was Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine from 13 June 1877 until her death in 1878 as the wife of Grand Duke Louis IV. She was the third child and second daughter of …
Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (died 1878)
Bianka Blume was a German soprano opera singer.
Bianka Blume, German opera singer (died 1896)
William George Beers was a Canadian dentist who founded Canada's first dental journal and served as the founding dean of the Dental College of the Province of Quebec. In addition, …
William George Beers, Canadian dentist and patriot (died 1900)
Grove Karl Gilbert, known by the abbreviated name G. K. Gilbert in academic literature, was an American geologist.
Grove Karl Gilbert, American geologist and academic (died 1918)
Benito María de los Dolores Pérez Galdós was a Spanish realist novelist and politician. He was a leading literary figure in 19th-century Spain, and some scholars consider him secon…
Benito Pérez Galdós, Spanish author and playwright (died 1920)
Charles Albert Gobat was a Swiss lawyer, educational administrator, and politician who jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize with Élie Ducommun in 1902 for their leadership of the…
Charles Albert Gobat, Swiss lawyer and politician, and Nobel Prize laureate (died 1914)
Louis Renault was a French jurist and educator, and the co-winner in 1907 of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Louis Renault, French jurist, educator, and Nobel Prize laureate (died 1918)
Henry Faulds was a Scottish doctor, missionary and scientist who is noted for the development of fingerprinting.
Henry Faulds, Scottish physician and missionary, developed fingerprinting (died 1930)
Frederik VIII was King of Denmark from 29 January 1906 until his death in 1912.
Frederik VIII of Denmark (died 1912)
Henriette Wulfsberg was a Norwegian educator, writer and translator.
Henriette Wulfsberg, Norwegian school owner and writer (died 1906)
Baroness Bertha Sophie Felicitas von Suttner was an Austrian noblewoman, pacifist and novelist. In 1905, she became the second female Nobel laureate, the first woman to be awarded …
Bertha von Suttner, Austrian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1914)
Heinrich Picot de Peccaduc, Freiherr von Herzogenberg was an Austrian composer and conductor descended from a French aristocratic family.
Heinrich von Herzogenberg, Austrian composer and conductor (died 1900)
Sir David Gill was a Scottish astronomer who spent most of his career as H.M. Astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope. He was born in Aberdeen, trained as a watch and clock-maker, and …
David Gill, Scottish-English astronomer and author (died 1914)
Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repert…
Edvard Grieg, Norwegian pianist and composer (died 1907)