References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2008 April 30.

1840 January 3 First deep sea sounding. [1] January 5 Records show 95,820 licensed public houses in England on this date. [1] January 10 Penny Post mail system started. [1] January 18 Electro-Magnetic Intelligencer, first US electrical journal, appears. [1] January 19 Antarctica discovered, Charles Wilkes expedition (US claim). [1] January 20 Dumont D'Urville discovers Adélie Land, Antarctica. [1] Dutch King Willem II crowned. [1] February 1 Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, first in US, incorporated. [1] February 6 Waitangi Day; treaty signed between Britain and Maoris of New Zealand. [1] February 10 British queen Victoria marries her cousin Albert von Saksen-Coburg. [1] February 11 Gaetano Donizetti's Opera "La Fille du Regiment" premieres in Paris. [1] February 12 Housatonic Railroad opens. [1] February 16 American Charles Wilkes discovers Shackleton Ice Shelf, Antarctica. [1] March 2 Heinrich Olbers German astronomer (discoverer of comets and asteroids), dies at 81. [1] March 14 José Zorilla's "El Zapatero y el Rey" premieres in Madrid. [1] March 23 Draper takes first successful photo of the Moon (daguerrotype). [1] March 28 Simon-Antoine-Jean Lhuillier Swiss mathematician, dies at 89. [1] March 30 George (Beau) Brummell Dandy, dies. [1] April 25 Siméon-Denis Poisson French mathematician (Poisson verdeling), dies. [1] May 1 First adhesive postage stamps ("Penny Blacks" from England) issued. [1] May 5 Gottlob Benedikt Bierey composer, dies at 67. [1] Matthaus Fischer composer, dies at 76. [1] May 6 First postage stamps (Penny Black) issued (Great Britain). [1] May 7 Tornado strikes Natchez Mississippi, kills 317. [1] May 8 Alexander Wolcott patents Photographic Process. [1] May 17 Niccolo Paganini composer, dies at 57. [1] May 21 New Zealand became a British colony. [1] May 27 Niccolò Paganini composer/violinist, dies at 57. [1] May 30 Dominique J de Eerens Governor-General of Dutch-Indies, dies at 59. [1] July 4 Cunard Line ship Britannia paddlewheeler first sets out from Liverpool, England. [89.35] August 27 William Kneass third US chief engraver (1824-40), dies in office. [1] September 27 Birth of Thomas Nast political cartoonist of late 1800s America. [1] October 8 First Hawaiian constitution proclaimed. [1] December 2 Gaetano Donizetti's opera "La Favorita" premieres in Paris. [1] William H Harrison elected President of US, John Tyler Vice-President. [1] 1841 January 3 Wilhelmus Kist writer/director of Dutch (Official) Gazette, dies at 82. [1] January 5 James Clark Ross (United Kingdom) is first to enter pack ice near Ross Ice Shelf. [1] January 20 China cedes Hong Kong to the British. [1] January 26 Hong Kong proclaimed a sovereign territory of Britain. [1] February 11 J H Ferdinand Olivier German painter, dies at 55. [1] February 13 Thomas Ainsworth English/Dutch industrialist, dies at 45. [1] February 14 Antun Sorkocevic composer, dies at 65. [1] February 15 Sibrand Acker Stratingh Dutch doctor/chemist (electrical car), dies at 53. [1] February 17 Dutch ex-king Willem I marries Henriette d'Oultremont de Wégimont. [1] Ferdinando Carulli composer, dies at 70. [1] February 18 First continuous filibuster in US Senate began, lasting until March 11. [1] March 4 Dion Boucicault's "London Assurance" premieres in London. [1] Longest inauguration speech (8,443 words), William Henry Harrison. [1] March 9 US Supreme Court rules Negroes are free (Amistad Incident). [1] March 16 Félix Savart French surgeon/physicist, dies at 49. [1] March 22 Cornstarch patented (Orlando Jones). [1] March 27 First US steam fire engine tested, New York City, New York. [1] March 31 First performance of Robert Schumann's first Symphony in B. [1] April 4 William Henry Harrison becomes first US President to die in office, at 68. [1] April 6 Cornerstone laid for second Mormon temple, Nauvoo Illinois. [1] April 10 New York "Tribune" begins publishing under editor Horace Greeley. [1] April 14 Edgar Allen Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue", published. [1] April 26 "Bombay Gazette" begins publishing on silk. [1] April 27 Imakita Kosen, first Zen teacher of D T Suzuki, found the awakening. [1] April 29 A Bertrand writer, dies. [1] May 1 First emigrant wagon train leaves Independence Missouri for California. [1] May 3 Cornelis T Elout Dutch minister of Finance/Navy/Colonies, dies at 74. [1] May 6 John Thomson composer, dies at 35. [1] May 20 Joseph Blanco White theological writert, dies. [1] May 23 Franz Xaver von Baader German philosopher/theologist, dies at 76. [1] June 14 First Canadian parliament opens in Kingston, Ontario. [1] June 24 Fordham University (then Saint John's College), opens in the Bronx. [1] July 3 John Couch Adams decides to determine the position of an unknown. [1] July 5 Thomas Cook opens first travel agency. [1] July 17 British humor magazine "Punch" first published. [1] August 21 John Hampson first patents the Venetian blind in the United States. [1] [5] September 9 Great Lakes steamer "Erie" sinks off Silver Creek New York, kills 300. [1] September 24 Sarawak obtained by Britain from Sultan of Brunei. [1] October 16 Queens University in Kingston is chartered. [1] November 2 Akbar Khan successfully revolts against Shah Shuja in Afghanistan. [1] November 13 James Braid first sees a demonstration that leads to his study of the subject he eventually calls hypnosis. [5] November 16 N.E. Guerin of New York patents cork-filled life preserver. [1] November 25 35 Amistad survivors return to Africa. [1] November 26 First date in James Clavell's novel Tai-Pan. [1] December 6 Robert Schumann's 4th Symphony in D, premieres. [1] December 7 Johann Daniel Ferstenberg composer, dies at 83. [1] December 18 Felice Blangini composer, dies at 60. [1] December 29 King/grand duke Willem II installs Order of Eikenkroon. [1] December 31 Alabama becomes first state to license dental surgeons. [1] 1842 January 1 First illustrated weekly magazine in US publishes first issue, New York City, New York. [1] January 2 First US wire suspension bridge for general traffic opens in Pennsylvania. [1] January 6 4,500 British and Indian troops leave Kabul, massacred before India. [1] January 7 Gioacchino Rossini's opera "Stabat Mater" premieres in Paris. [1] January 8 Dutch King Willem II charters Technical College Delft. [1] Pierre Earl the Cambronne, French General (Waterloo, Elba), dies at 71. [1] January 12 Franciscan nuns begin missionary work on Netherlands Antilles. [1] January 16 Thomas Freanby Norwegian landscape painter, dies. [1] January 31 John Tyler's daughter Elizabeth marries in the White House. [1] February 15 First adhesive postage stamps in US (private delivery company), New York City, New York. [1] February 21 First known sewing machine patented in US, John Greenough, Washington DC. [1] Wojciech Zywny composer, dies at 85. [1] March 3 First US child labor law regulating working hours passed (Massachusetts). [1] First performance of Felix Mendelssohn's third "Scottish" Symphony. [1] March 7 Christian Theodor Weinlig composer, dies at 61. [1] March 9 Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Nabucco" premieres in Milan. [1] March 15 Maria Luigi C Z S Cherubini Italian composer (Dies Irae), dies at 81. [1] March 17 Indians land in Ohio, a 12 square-mile area in Upper Sandusky. [1] March 23 Stendhal [Marie-Henri Beyle], French author (Lamiel), dies at 59. [1] March 24 Stendhal [Marie-H Beyle] French writer (The Love), buried at 59. [1] March 30 First surgical operation using ether as anaesthetic (to remove a neck cyst), performed by Dr. Crawford Long on James Venable, in Jefferson, Georgia, USA. [1] [55.18] April 7 Henrik A Bjerregaard Norwegian writer/poet (Fjeldeventyret), dies at 50. [1] April 11 John England bishop of Charleston Carolina, dies. [1] April 13 Lord Rosse successfully casts 72" (183-cm) mirror for a telescope. [1] May 5 City-wide fire burns for over 100 hours (Hamburg Germany). [1] May 8 Versailles to Paris train catches fire; 50 die. [1] May 14 First edition of London Illustrated News. [1] May 15 Emanuel Count de las Cases French historian (Napoleon), dies at 76. [1] May 23 José de Espronceda y Delgado Spanish revolutionary/poet, dies at 34. [1] May 30 John Francis attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria. [1] August 9 US-Canada border defined by Webster-Ashburton Treaty. [1] August 14 Seminole War ends; Indians removed from Florida to Oklahoma. [1] August 31 US Naval Observatory authorized by an act of Congress. [1] September 4 Work on Köln cathedral recommences after 284-year hiatus. [1] September 10 Letitia Tyler President Tyler's wife, dies at 51. [1] November 4 Abraham Lincoln marries Mary Todd in Springfield, Illinois. [1] November 17 Fugitive slave George Latimer, captured in Boston. [1] The opera "Linda di Chamounix" is produced (London). [1] November 22 Mount Saint Helens in Washington, erupts. [1] December 1 Philip Spencer first US naval officer condemned for mutiny, hanged. [1] December 5 MJ Auguste Vestrius French ballet dancers, dies at 82. [1] December 7 New York Philharmonic's first concert. [1] December 9 Saint M Glinka's opera "Russlan Ludmilla" premieres in Petersburg. [1] December 19 US recognizes independence of Hawaii. [1] December 25 Bedrich Divis Weber composer, dies at 76. [1] 1843 January 2 Richard Wagner's opera "Der Fliegende Holländer" premieres, Dresden. [1] [37] January 4 Gaetano Donizetti's opera "Don Pasquale" premieres in Paris. [1] Petronella Moens Frisian author/poetess, dies at 80. [1] Royal Academy (Technical Hague court) Delft opens. [1] January 5 In Marked Tree, Arkansas, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurs. Strongest to occur in the region since the 1811-12 sequence. Damage was severe at Memphis, Tennessee; the earth sank in places near New Madrid, Missouri. [53] January 7 Franz Schoberlechner composer, dies at 45. [1] January 9 Caroline Herschel "first lady of astronomy", dies at 98 in Germany. [1] January 11 Francis Scott Key composer (Star Spangled Banner), dies at 63. [1] February 2 US and British settlers in Oregon Country choose governmental committee. [1] February 11 Giuseppe Verdi's Opera "I Lombardi" premieres in Milan. [1] March 3 US Congress appropriates $30,000 "to test the practicability of establishing a system of electro-magnetic telegraphs" by the US. [1] March 7 First Catholic Governor in US, Edward Kavanagh of Maine, takes office. [1] March 14 Boston conducts its first town meeting (Faneuil Hall). [1] March 16 Anton R Falck Dutch minister of Education/Colonies, dies at 65. [1] March 21 Preacher William Miller of Massachusetts predicts the world will end today. [1] April 14 Joseph Franz Karl Lanner Austria, composer/violist, dies at 42. [1] April 28 William Wallace Scottish mathematician (rights of Wallace), dies. [1] May 4 Great-Britain annexes Natal. [1] May 12 Johann Georg Lickl composer, dies at 74. [1] May 18 United Free Church of Scotland forms. [1] May 22 First wagon train, 1000+ departs Independence Missouri for Oregon. [1] May 28 Noah Webster lexicographer (Webster's Dictionary), dies at 84. [1] June 1 It snows in Buffalo and Rochester New York and Cleveland Ohio. [1] Sojourner Truth leaves New York to begin her career as antislavery activist. [1] July 2 An alligator falls from the sky during a Charleston South Carolina thunderstorm. [1] July 5 Committee of 9 appointed to establish civil government in Oregon Country. [1] August 8 Natal (in South Africa) is made a British colony. [1] August 15 National black convention meets (Buffalo New York). [1] August 30 First black participation in national political convention (Liberty Party). [1] October 13 B'nai B'rith founded in New York. [1] October 14 British arrest Irish nationalist Daniel O'Connell for conspiracy. [1] November 13 Mt Rainier in Washington State erupts. [1] November 27 The opera "The Bohemian Girl" is produced (London). [1] December 1 First chartered mutual life insurance company opens. [1] December 4 Manila paper (made from sails, canvas and rope) patented, Massachusetts. [1] Robert Schumann's "Das Paradies und die Peri" premieres in Leipzig. [1] December 6 Amsterdam-Utrecht railway opens. [1] December 12 Willem I Frederik King of Netherlands (1814-40), dies at 71. [1] December 13 "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens published, 6,000 copies sold. [1] December 19 Charles Dickens publishes "A Christmas Carol" in England. [1] December 25 First theatre matinee (Olympic Theatre, New York City, New York). [1] 1844 January 1 First edition of New Rotterdam's Daily (3x per week). [1] January 15 Joseph Mazzinghi composer, dies at 78. [1] University of Notre Dame receives its charter in Indiana. [1] January 25 Recontre between Representatives Weller and Shriver, US House of Representatives. [1] February 3 Hector Berlioz' "Carnaval Romain" premieres in Paris. [1] February 4 Willem de Clerq Dutch merchant/literary, dies at 49. [1] February 15 Henry Addington Lord Sidmouth British premier (1801-04), dies at 86. [1] February 27 Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti (National Day). [1] Nicholas Biddle US lawyer/diplomat/statesman/financier, dies at 85. [1] February 28 12-inch gun aboard USS Princeton explodes. [1] Abel P Upshur Secretary of State, dies in explosion on USS Princeton. [1] Thommas W Gilmer Navy Secretary, dies in explosion on USS Princeton. [1] February 29 Thaddaus Weigl composer, dies at 67. [1] March 9 Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Hernani" premieres in Venice. [1] March 21 Leopold F J J J van Sassen Ysselt Dutch politician, dies at 65. [1] Origin of Bahá'í Era-Bahá'í calendar starts here (Bahá 1, 1). [1] March 28 José Zorilla's "Don Juan Tenorio" premieres in Madrid. [1] April 4 Charles Bulfinch first US pro architect (Massachusetts State House), dies at 80. [1] April 8 Ignaz Franz von Mosel composer, dies at 72. [1] April 12 Texas became a US territory. [1] April 22 Henri-Montan Berton composer, dies at 76. [1] May 1 Samuel Morse sends first telegraphic message. [1] Whig convention nominates Henry Clay as presidential candidate. [1] May 6 Johan Thorbecke argue general right to vote. [1] May 8 Charles XIV Johan [Jean B Bernadotte] King of Sweden/Norway, dies. [1] May 21 Guiseppi Baini composer, dies at 68. [1] May 23 Declaration of the Báb (Bahá'í festival) ('Azamat 7, 1). [1] May 24 Samual FB Morse taps out "What hath God wrought" (first telegraph message). [1] May 25 First telegraphed news dispatch is published in Baltimore Patriot. [1] May 27 Samuel F.B. Morse completes first telegraph line. [1] May 29 William Crockford, clubman/gambler, dies, leaving a fortune worth US$5 million. [80.298] (May 24 [1]) June 6 Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) founded in London. [1] June 15 Goodyear patents vulcanization of rubber. [1] June 27 Joseph and Hyrum Smith Mormon leaders killed by a mob in Carthage Illinois. [1] July 23 Christian Gobrecht 4th US chief engraver (1840-44), dies in office. [1] July 27 Fire destroys the US mint at Charlotte, North Carolina. [1] July 29 New York Yacht Club forms. [1] July 30 First US yacht club organized, New York Yacht Club. [1] August 8 Brigham Young chosen Mormon Church head following Joseph Smith death. [1] November 6 Spain grants Dominican Republic independence. [1] December 3 Roman Catholic Society Apostole of Prayer forms. [1] December 4 James K Polk elected 11th President of US, George M Dallas Vice President. [1] December 11 First dental use of nitrous oxide, Hartford Connecticut. [1] December 30 The opera "Stradella" is produced (Hamburg) after being rewritten. [1]