On This Day
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Cargo ship Mary Celeste sails from Staten Island for Genoa and is mysteriously found abandoned four weeks later

Mary Celeste (often erroneously referred to as Marie Celeste) was a Canadian-built, American-registered merchant brigantine that was discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the...

Mary Celeste (often erroneously referred to as Marie Celeste) was a Canadian-built, American-registered merchant brigantine that was discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores on December 4, 1872. The Canadian brigantine Dei Gratia found her in a dishevelled but seaworthy condition under partial sail and with her lifeboat missing. The last entry in her log was dated ten days earlier. She had left New York City for Genoa on November 7 and was still amply provisioned when found. Her cargo of alcohol was intact, and the captain's and crew's personal belongings were undisturbed. None of those who had been on board were ever seen or heard from again.

Mary Celeste was built in Spencer's Island, Nova Scotia, and launched under British registration as Amazon in 1861.

Historical Significance

Mary Celeste (often erroneously referred to as Marie Celeste) was a Canadian-built, American-registered merchant brigantine that was discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores on December 4, 1872.

Events Before

  1. Belgium disbands its salt tax

    Belgium disbands its salt tax

  2. Second German Empire is proclaimed by Kaiser Wilhelm I and Otto von Bismarck

    Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck-Schönhausen; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and…

  3. US President William McKinley (27) weds Ida Saxton (23) at the First Presbyterian Church in Canton

    US President William McKinley (27) weds Ida Saxton (23) at the First Presbyterian Church in Canton

  4. The Rugby Football Union is formed at a meeting of 21 clubs at the Pall Mall Restaurant, London, England

    The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England.

  5. Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his famous expedition to Africa

    Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his famous expedition to Africa

Events After

  1. Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar

    Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the…

  2. Modoc warriors defeat the United States Army in the First Battle of the Stronghold, part of the Modoc War

    The Modoc War, or the Modoc Campaign (also known as the Lava Beds War), was an armed conflict between the Native American Modoc people and the United States Army in northeastern California and…

  3. British Naval Officer John Moresby is the first European to discover Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, claims it for the U

    British Naval Officer John Moresby is the first European to discover Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, claims it for the United Kingdom

  4. 1st Preakness Stakes: G. Barbee aboard Survivor wins in 2:43 at Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Maryland

    1st Preakness Stakes: G. Barbee aboard Survivor wins in 2:43 at Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Maryland

  5. Heinrich Schliemann discovers "Priam's Treasure" a cache of gold and other objects in Hisarlik (Troy) in Anatolia

    Priam's Treasure is a cache of gold and other artifacts discovered by classical archaeologists Frank Calvert and Heinrich Schliemann at Hisarlık on the northwestern coast of modern Turkey.

More from the 1870s

Belgium disbands its salt tax

Belgium disbands its salt tax

The Moerdijk railway bridge over Hollands Diep in South Holland opens, becoming the longest bridge in Europe at that tim

The Moerdijk railway bridge over Hollands Diep in South Holland opens, becoming the longest bridge in Europe at that time

Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar

Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the…

New York City annexes the West Bronx

The boroughs of New York City are the five major governmental districts that compose New York City. They are the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on November 7, 1872?
Mary Celeste (often erroneously referred to as Marie Celeste) was a Canadian-built, American-registered merchant brigantine that was discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores on December 4, 1872. The Canadian brigantine Dei Gratia found her in a dishevelled but seaworthy condition under partial sail and with her lifeboat missing. The last entry in her log was dated ten days earlier.
Why is Cargo ship Mary Celeste sails from Staten Island for Genoa and is mysteriousl... significant?
Mary Celeste (often erroneously referred to as Marie Celeste) was a Canadian-built, American-registered merchant brigantine that was discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores on December 4, 1872.

Explore More

November 7 in HistoryYear 1872