On This Day

Mormon Temple in Nauvoo, Illinois, destroyed by tornado

The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The church's first temple was completed in Kirtland, Ohio, United States, in 1836.

The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The church's first temple was completed in Kirtland, Ohio, United States, in 1836. In the winter of 1846, when the main body of the church was forced out of Nauvoo, the church attempted to sell the building, finally succeeding in 1848. The building was damaged by arson and a tornado before being demolished.

In 1937, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) reacquired the lot on which the original temple had stood. In 2000, the church began to build a temple on the same site with an exterior that is a replica of the original, but whose interior is laid out like a modern Latter-day Saint temple.

Historical Significance

The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Events Before

  1. Dutch Princess Marianne and Prince Albert of Prussia separate after 18-1/2 years of marriage

    Dutch Princess Marianne and Prince Albert of Prussia separate after 18-1/2 years of marriage

  2. Giacomo Meyerbeer's opera "Le prophète" premieres in Paris

    Le prophète (The Prophet) is a grand opera in five acts by Giacomo Meyerbeer, which was premiered in Paris on 16 April 1849.

  3. Bacteriologist Louis Pasteur (26) weds secretary Marie Laurent (23) in Strasbourg, France

    Bacteriologist Louis Pasteur (26) weds secretary Marie Laurent (23) in Strasbourg, France

  4. Prime Minister of Canada John Abbott (28) weds Mary Bethune at bride's parents home

    Prime Minister of Canada John Abbott (28) weds Mary Bethune at bride's parents home

  5. First chamber music group in the US gives its first concert in Boston, Massachusetts

    First chamber music group in the US gives its first concert in Boston, Massachusetts

Events After

  1. City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line

    City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line

  2. Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Rigoletto" premieres in Venice

    Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo.

  3. Sojourner Truth addresses the first Black Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio

    Sojourner Truth was an American abolitionist and activist for African-American civil rights, women's rights, and alcohol temperance.

  4. American inventor Isaac Singer patents his famous sewing machine

    Singer Corporation is an American manufacturer of consumer sewing machines, first established as I. M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac M. Singer with New York lawyer Edward C. Clark.

  5. Second US National Women's Rights Convention convenes in Brinley Hall, Worcester, Massachusetts

    Second US National Women's Rights Convention convenes in Brinley Hall, Worcester, Massachusetts

More from the 1850s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on May 27, 1850?
The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The church's first temple was completed in Kirtland, Ohio, United States, in 1836. In the winter of 1846, when the main body of the church was forced out of Nauvoo, the church attempted to sell the building, finally succeeding in 1848.
Why is Mormon Temple in Nauvoo, Illinois, destroyed by tornado significant?
The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

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