On This Day

Wild Bill Hickok is born

Wild Bill Hickok, American folk hero and lawman, known for american folk hero and lawman, was born on 1837-05-27.

Wild Bill Hickok, American folk hero and lawman, known for american folk hero and lawman, was born on 1837-05-27. James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837 – August 2, 1876), better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, scout, lawman, cattle rustler, gunslinger, gambler, showman, and actor, and for his involvement in many famous gunfights. He earned a great deal of notoriety in his own time, much of it bolstered by the many outlandish and often fabricated tales he told about himself.

Historical Significance

Wild Bill Hickok is American folk hero and lawman.

Key People

Wild Bill Hickok

folk hero and lawman

American folk hero and lawman

Events Before

  1. Author Harriet Beecher (24) weds educator Calvin Ellis Stowe (33) in Cincinnati, Ohio

    Author Harriet Beecher (24) weds educator Calvin Ellis Stowe (33) in Cincinnati, Ohio

  2. The Alamo is besieged for 13 days until March 6 by the Mexican army under General Santa Anna; the entire garrison is eve

    The Alamo is besieged for 13 days until March 6 by the Mexican army under General Santa Anna; the entire garrison is eventually killed

  3. Battle of the Alamo: After 13 days of fighting, 1,500 to 3,000 Mexican soldiers overwhelm the Texan defenders, killing 1

    Battle of the Alamo: After 13 days of fighting, 1,500 to 3,000 Mexican soldiers overwhelm the Texan defenders, killing 182 to 257 Texans, including William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett

  4. English novelist and social critic Charles Dickens (24) marries Catherine Thomson Hogarth (20)

    Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and social critic.

  5. Maria II of Portugal marries Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, later known as King Dom Fernando II upon the bir

    Maria II of Portugal marries Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, later known as King Dom Fernando II upon the birth of their son, Pedro V of Portugal

Events After

  1. First official horse race in South Australia takes place in Adelaide

    Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the fifth-most populous city in Australia.

  2. Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail demonstrate their telegraph machine in New Jersey

    Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872) was an American inventor and painter.

  3. First public demonstration of telegraph messages sent using dots and dashes at Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Je

    First public demonstration of telegraph messages sent using dots and dashes at Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Jersey, by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail

  4. Coronation of Queen Victoria, aged 19, during a five-hour ceremony at Westminster Abbey, London [1]

    The coronation of Victoria as queen of the United Kingdom took place on Thursday, 28 June 1838, just over a year after she succeeded to the throne of the United Kingdom at the age of 18.

  5. Huskar Pit Disaster: 26 children drown while trying to escape flooding in the Silkstone Colliery in England. Leads to th

    Huskar Pit Disaster: 26 children drown while trying to escape flooding in the Silkstone Colliery in England. Leads to the 1842 Mines Act, which bans women and children from working underground. [1]

More from the 1830s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on May 27, 1837?
Wild Bill Hickok, American folk hero and lawman, known for american folk hero and lawman, was born on 1837-05-27. James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837 – August 2, 1876), better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, scout, lawman, cattle rustler, gunslinger, gambler, showman, and actor, and for his involvement in many famous gunfights. He earned a great deal of notoriety in his own time, much of it bolstered by the many outlandish and often fabricated tales he told about himself.
Why is Wild Bill Hickok is born significant?
Wild Bill Hickok is American folk hero and lawman.
Who was involved in Wild Bill Hickok is born?
Key figures include Wild Bill Hickok (folk hero and lawman).

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