The 1840s

1841 185 years ago

Thomas Lempriere and James Clark Ross carved a sandstone marker on Tasmania's Isle of the Dead, one of the oldest…

Thomas James Lempriere was a British colonial administrator in the Australian colony of Van Diemen's Land. He is known for his diaries depicting the convict period in Van Diemen's …

Thomas Lempriere and James Clark Ross carved a sandstone marker on Tasmania's Isle of the Dead, one of the oldest…

1841 185 years ago

Thomas Cook, the founder of the British travel company Thomas Cook & Son, organised his first excursion, escorting…

Thomas Cook was the founder of the travel agency Thomas Cook & Son. He was born into a poor family in Derbyshire and left school at the age of ten to start work as a gardener's boy…

Thomas Cook, the founder of the British travel company Thomas Cook & Son, organised his first excursion, escorting…

1841 185 years ago

Pedro II, the last emperor of Brazil, was crowned at the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro.

Dom Pedro II, known as "the Magnanimous", was the second and final emperor of the Empire of Brazil. He reigned from 1831 until his deposition in the military coup of 1889, presidin…

Pedro II, the last emperor of Brazil, was crowned at the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro.

1840

The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, is issued in the United Kingdom

The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was first issued in the United Kingdom on 1 May 1840 but was not valid for use until…

The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, is issued in the United Kingdom

1840

The Penny Black postage stamp becomes valid for use in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was first issued in the United Kingdom on 1 May 1840 but was not valid for use until…

The Penny Black postage stamp becomes valid for use in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

1840

The Great Natchez Tornado strikes Natchez, Mississippi killing 317 people

The 1840 Natchez tornado was a deadly tornado that hit Natchez, Mississippi, on Thursday, May 7, 1840. The tornado, while officially unrated, was the second-deadliest tornado in Un…

The Great Natchez Tornado strikes Natchez, Mississippi killing 317 people

1840

The penal transportation of British convicts to the New South Wales colony is abolished

Penal transportation was the relocation of convicted criminals, or other persons regarded as undesirable, to a distant place, often a colony, for a specified term; later, specifica…

The penal transportation of British convicts to the New South Wales colony is abolished

1840

Samuel Morse receives the patent for the telegraph

Samuel Finley Breese Morse was an American inventor and painter. After establishing his reputation as a portrait painter, Morse, in his middle age, contributed to the invention of …

Samuel Morse receives the patent for the telegraph

1840

A Ms 7.4 earthquake strikes present-day Turkey and Armenia; combined with the effects of an eruption on Mount Ararat,…

An earthquake occurred on 2 July 1840 at 16:00 local time with an epicenter near Mount Ararat, where it triggered an eruption and caused a landslide that destroyed villages. An est…

A Ms 7.4 earthquake strikes present-day Turkey and Armenia; combined with the effects of an eruption on Mount Ararat,…

1840

The Great Powers of Europe conculde the convention of London in order to stabilise the Near East.

The European balance of power is a tenet in international relations that no single power should be allowed to achieve hegemony over a substantial part of Europe. During much of the…

The Great Powers of Europe conculde the convention of London in order to stabilise the Near East.

1840

The Province of Canada is created by the Act of Union.

The Province of Canada was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Rep…

The Province of Canada is created by the Act of Union.

1840

Odilon Redon, French painter and illustrator (died 1916)

Odilon Redon was a French Symbolist draftsman, printmaker, and painter.

Odilon Redon, French painter and illustrator (died 1916)

1840

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer and educator (died 1893)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote s…

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer and educator (died 1893)

1840

The Great Powers of Europe conclude the convention of London in order to stabilise the Near East.

The European balance of power is a tenet in international relations that no single power should be allowed to achieve hegemony over a substantial part of Europe. During much of the…

The Great Powers of Europe conclude the convention of London in order to stabilise the Near East.

1840

Edward Whymper, English-French mountaineer, explorer, author, and illustrator (died 1911)

Edward Whymper FRSE was an English mountaineer, explorer, illustrator, and author best known for the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. Four members of his climbing party were…

Edward Whymper, English-French mountaineer, explorer, author, and illustrator (died 1911)

1840

Alejandro Gorostiaga, Chilean colonel (died 1912)

Alejandro Gorostiaga Orrego, was a Chilean military officer born in La Serena. He joined the Escuela Militar de Chile in 1857 until his retirement in 1878. Alejandro Gorostiaga was…

Alejandro Gorostiaga, Chilean colonel (died 1912)

1840

Alphonse Daudet, French author, poet, and playwright (died 1897)

Louis Marie Alphonse Daudet was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet.

Alphonse Daudet, French author, poet, and playwright (died 1897)

1840

George Throssell, Irish-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Western Australia (died 1910)

George Throssell was the second Premier of Western Australia. He served for just three months, from 15 February to 27 May 1901, during a period of great instability in Western Aust…

George Throssell, Irish-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Western Australia (died 1910)

1840

Thomas Hardy, English novelist and poet (died 1928)

Thomas Hardy was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, includin…

Thomas Hardy, English novelist and poet (died 1928)

1840

Émile Munier, French artist (died 1895)

Émile Munier was a French academic artist and student of William-Adolphe Bouguereau.

Émile Munier, French artist (died 1895)

1840

Carlota of Mexico (died 1927)

Charlotte of Belgium, known by the Spanish version of her name, Carlota, was by birth a princess of Belgium and member of the House of Wettin in the branch of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha…

Carlota of Mexico (died 1927)

1840

Theodor Philipsen, Danish painter (died 1920)

Theodor Esbern Philipsen was a Danish painter of Jewish ancestry, known for landscapes and animal portraits. He also did small figures in wax and clay.

Theodor Philipsen, Danish painter (died 1920)

1840

Augusta Lundin, the first international Swedish fashion designer (died 1919)

Augusta Lundin was a Swedish fashion designer. She is considered to be the first international Swedish haute couture fashion designer as well as the first well known fashion design…

Augusta Lundin, the first international Swedish fashion designer (died 1919)

1840

William F

William Frederick Nast (1840–1893) was an American diplomat and entrepreneur. He was the third president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.

William F