The Cunard Line's 700-ton wooden paddle steamer RMS Britannia departs from Liverpool bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the first transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end
The Cunard Line's 700-ton wooden paddle steamer RMS Britannia departs from Liverpool bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia, on
The Cunard Line's 700-ton wooden paddle steamer RMS Britannia departs from Liverpool bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the first transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end
Events Before
Louis Daguerre demonstrates his daguerreotype photographic process to the French Academy of Sciences
Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre was a French scientist, artist and photographer recognized for his invention of the eponymous daguerreotype process of photography.
English naturalist and "On the Origin of Species" author Charles Darwin (42) marries Emma Wedgwood (41)
Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology.
First Grand National steeplechase at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool: Jem Mason wins aboard 5/1 favorite Lottery
First Grand National steeplechase at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool: Jem Mason wins aboard 5/1 favorite Lottery
Dutch prince Willem Alexander (later William III) weds cousin Princess Sophia
Dutch prince Willem Alexander (later William III) weds cousin Princess Sophia
Louis Daguerre's daguerreotype photographic process with complete working instructions is published "free to the world"
Louis Daguerre's daguerreotype photographic process with complete working instructions is published "free to the world" in Paris as a gift from the French government
Events After
China cedes Hong Kong Island to Britain during the First Opium War
The First Opium War, also known as the Anglo-Chinese War, was a series of military engagements fought between the British Empire and the Chinese Qing dynasty between 1839 and 1842.
Dutch ex-king Willem I marries Henriette d'Oultremont de Wégimont
Dutch ex-king Willem I marries Henriette d'Oultremont de Wégimont
First continuous filibuster in the US Senate begins, as the Democratic minority attempt to run out the clock on a bill t
First continuous filibuster in the US Senate begins, as the Democratic minority attempt to run out the clock on a bill to establish a national bank, lasts until March 11
First emigrant wagon train to reach California leaves Independence, Missouri, on a 1,730-mile journey over the Sierra Ne
First emigrant wagon train to reach California leaves Independence, Missouri, on a 1,730-mile journey over the Sierra Nevada [1]
The first wagon train arrives in California after a five-and-a-half-month, 1,730-mile journey over the Sierra Nevada fro
The first wagon train arrives in California after a five-and-a-half-month, 1,730-mile journey over the Sierra Nevada from Missouri [1]
More from the 1840s
Richard Wagner's opera "The Flying Dutchman" premieres in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony
Richard Wagner's opera "The Flying Dutchman" premieres in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony
Explorer and medical missionary David Livingstone (31) weds Mary Moffat
David Livingstone (19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish doctor, Congregationalist, pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, and an explorer in Africa.
First recorded bowling match in the US takes place at Knickerbocker Alleys, New York
First recorded bowling match in the US takes place at Knickerbocker Alleys, New York
New York Illustrated News, the first illustrated weekly magazine in the US, publishes its first issue in New York
The Illustrated London News, founded by Herbert Ingram and first published on Saturday 14 May 1842, was the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on July 4, 1840?
- The Cunard Line's 700-ton wooden paddle steamer RMS Britannia departs from Liverpool bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the first transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end