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.
Year in History
Explore the major historical events, famous births, and notable deaths that occurred in the year 1838. This year saw 38 significant events. 2 notable figures were born.
19th Century1830s
1838 Timeline
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.
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.
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
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.
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]
United States Exploring Expedition headed by Charles Wilkes departs for the Pacific Ocean and Antarctica
The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States.
Newly escaped slave Frederick Douglass marries free woman Anne Murray in New York
Newly escaped slave Frederick Douglass marries free woman Anne Murray in New York
Emma Wedgwood accepts English naturalist Charles Darwin's marriage proposal
Emma Wedgwood accepts English naturalist Charles Darwin's marriage proposal
Rebellion at Amherstburg, Ontario breaks out
Black Canadians migrated north in the 18th and 19th centuries from the United States, many of them through the Underground Railroad, into Southwestern Ontario, Toronto, and Owen Sound.
Myall Creek Massacre: about 50 Wirrayaraay indigenous people killed by New South Wales Mounted Police (seven men later t
Myall Creek Massacre: about 50 Wirrayaraay indigenous people killed by New South Wales Mounted Police (seven men later the first ever to be hanged for killing Australian Aborigines) [1]
Kentucky passes law permitting women to attend school under conditions
Kentucky passes law permitting women to attend school under conditions
London pedestrian walks 20 miles backward then forward in 8 hours
London pedestrian walks 20 miles backward then forward in 8 hours
Robert Nelson, leader of the Patriotes, proclaims the independence of Lower Canada (today Québec)
Robert Nelson, leader of the Patriotes, proclaims the independence of Lower Canada (today Québec)
Rebellion at Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada
Ontario is the southernmost province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the country's most populous province.
Franz Grillparzer's "Weh dem, der Lugt" premieres in Vienna
Franz Grillparzer's "Weh dem, der Lugt" premieres in Vienna
US mint in New Orleans begins operation (producing dimes)
US mint in New Orleans begins operation (producing dimes)
Steamship "Great Western" makes her maiden voyage from Bristol, England, to New York
SS Great Western was a wooden-hulled paddle-wheel steamship with four masts, the first steamship purpose-built for crossing the Atlantic, and the initial unit of the Great Western Steamship Company.
UK National Gallery re-opens in its new dedicated building in Trafalgar Square, London
UK National Gallery re-opens in its new dedicated building in Trafalgar Square, London
English steamship "Sirius" docks in NYC after crossing the Atlantic, providing the first transatlantic steam passenger s
English steamship "Sirius" docks in NYC after crossing the Atlantic, providing the first transatlantic steam passenger service
English steamship "Great Western" crosses the Atlantic docks in NYC
English steamship "Great Western" crosses the Atlantic docks in NYC
Fire destroys half of Charleston
Fire destroys half of Charleston
Nicaragua declares independence from the Federal Republic of Central America
The Federal Republic of Central America (Spanish: República Federal de Centro América), initially known as the United Provinces of Central America (Provincias Unidas del Centro de América), was a...
First baseball-type game in Canada played at Beachville, Upper Canada
First baseball-type game in Canada played at Beachville, Upper Canada
Myall Creek Massacre in Australia: 28 Aboriginal Australians are murdered
The Myall Creek massacre was the killing of at least 28 unarmed Aboriginal people in the Colony of New South Wales by eight colonists on 10 June 1838 at the Myall Creek in the north of the colony.
Hopkins Observatory, dedicated in Williamstown, Massachusetts
Hopkins Observatory, dedicated in Williamstown, Massachusetts
Central American federation is dissolved
The Second Central American Civil War or the Second Central American Federal War was a military conflict in Central America between 1838 and 1840.
Arabs attack Jewish community of Safed
The 1838 Druze attack on Safed began on July 5, 1838, during the Druze revolt against the rule of Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt.
The apprenticeship system is abolished in most of the British Empire, and former slaves are no longer indentured to form
The apprenticeship system is abolished in most of the British Empire, and former slaves are no longer indentured to former owners
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, Massachusetts, graduates its first class
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, Massachusetts, graduates its first class
Central Museum opens in Utrecht, Netherlands
The Centraal Museum is the main museum in Utrecht, Netherlands, founded in 1838. The museum has a wide-ranging collection, mainly of works produced locally.
Anti-Corn Law League established in Great Britain by Richard Cobden
The Anti–Corn Law League was a successful political movement in Great Britain aimed at the abolition of the unpopular Corn Laws, which protected national farming interests by levying taxes on...
Ephraim Morris granted US patent for a railroad brake
Ephraim Morris granted US patent for a railroad brake
Anti-Corn Law League forms to repeal English Corn Laws
The Corn Laws were tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and corn enforced in the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1846.
Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs issues the Extermination Order, which orders all Mormons to leave the state or be exterm
Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs issues the Extermination Order, which orders all Mormons to leave the state or be exterminated
The Times of India, the world's largest circulated English-language daily broadsheet newspaper, is founded as The Bombay
The Times of India, the world's largest circulated English-language daily broadsheet newspaper, is founded as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce
Honduras declares independence of Central American Federation
The Federal Republic of Central America (Spanish: República Federal de Centro América), initially known as the United Provinces of Central America (Provincias Unidas del Centro de América), was a...
Mexican President Anastasio Bustamante declares war on France
Trinidad Anastasio de Sales Ruiz Bustamante y Oseguera was a Mexican physician, general, and politician who served as the 4th President of Mexico three times from 1830 to 1832, 1837 to 1839, and 1839...
Battle of Blood River: Zulu impis defeated by Voortrekkers in South Africa (Great Trek)
The Battle of Blood River or Voortrekker-Zulu War (16 December 1838) was fought on the bank of the Ncome River, in what is today KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between 464 Voortrekkers ("Pioneers"), led...
John Muir is born
John Muir, American scottish-american naturalist, known for scottish-american naturalist, was born on 1838-04-21.
Ferdinand von Zeppelin is born
Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German general and airship pioneer, known for german general and airship pioneer, was born on 1838-07-08.
Events
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.
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
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.
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]
United States Exploring Expedition headed by Charles Wilkes departs for the Pacific Ocean and Antarctica
The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States.
Newly escaped slave Frederick Douglass marries free woman Anne Murray in New York
Newly escaped slave Frederick Douglass marries free woman Anne Murray in New York
Emma Wedgwood accepts English naturalist Charles Darwin's marriage proposal
Emma Wedgwood accepts English naturalist Charles Darwin's marriage proposal
Rebellion at Amherstburg, Ontario breaks out
Black Canadians migrated north in the 18th and 19th centuries from the United States, many of them through the Underground Railroad, into Southwestern Ontario, Toronto, and Owen Sound.
Myall Creek Massacre: about 50 Wirrayaraay indigenous people killed by New South Wales Mounted Police (seven men later t
Myall Creek Massacre: about 50 Wirrayaraay indigenous people killed by New South Wales Mounted Police (seven men later the first ever to be hanged for killing Australian Aborigines) [1]
Kentucky passes law permitting women to attend school under conditions
Kentucky passes law permitting women to attend school under conditions
London pedestrian walks 20 miles backward then forward in 8 hours
London pedestrian walks 20 miles backward then forward in 8 hours
Robert Nelson, leader of the Patriotes, proclaims the independence of Lower Canada (today Québec)
Robert Nelson, leader of the Patriotes, proclaims the independence of Lower Canada (today Québec)
Rebellion at Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada
Ontario is the southernmost province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the country's most populous province.
Franz Grillparzer's "Weh dem, der Lugt" premieres in Vienna
Franz Grillparzer's "Weh dem, der Lugt" premieres in Vienna
US mint in New Orleans begins operation (producing dimes)
US mint in New Orleans begins operation (producing dimes)
Steamship "Great Western" makes her maiden voyage from Bristol, England, to New York
SS Great Western was a wooden-hulled paddle-wheel steamship with four masts, the first steamship purpose-built for crossing the Atlantic, and the initial unit of the Great Western Steamship Company.
UK National Gallery re-opens in its new dedicated building in Trafalgar Square, London
UK National Gallery re-opens in its new dedicated building in Trafalgar Square, London
English steamship "Sirius" docks in NYC after crossing the Atlantic, providing the first transatlantic steam passenger s
English steamship "Sirius" docks in NYC after crossing the Atlantic, providing the first transatlantic steam passenger service
English steamship "Great Western" crosses the Atlantic docks in NYC
English steamship "Great Western" crosses the Atlantic docks in NYC
Fire destroys half of Charleston
Fire destroys half of Charleston
Nicaragua declares independence from the Federal Republic of Central America
The Federal Republic of Central America (Spanish: República Federal de Centro América), initially known as the United Provinces of Central America (Provincias Unidas del Centro de América), was a...
First baseball-type game in Canada played at Beachville, Upper Canada
First baseball-type game in Canada played at Beachville, Upper Canada
Myall Creek Massacre in Australia: 28 Aboriginal Australians are murdered
The Myall Creek massacre was the killing of at least 28 unarmed Aboriginal people in the Colony of New South Wales by eight colonists on 10 June 1838 at the Myall Creek in the north of the colony.
Hopkins Observatory, dedicated in Williamstown, Massachusetts
Hopkins Observatory, dedicated in Williamstown, Massachusetts
Central American federation is dissolved
The Second Central American Civil War or the Second Central American Federal War was a military conflict in Central America between 1838 and 1840.
Arabs attack Jewish community of Safed
The 1838 Druze attack on Safed began on July 5, 1838, during the Druze revolt against the rule of Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt.
The apprenticeship system is abolished in most of the British Empire, and former slaves are no longer indentured to form
The apprenticeship system is abolished in most of the British Empire, and former slaves are no longer indentured to former owners
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, Massachusetts, graduates its first class
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, Massachusetts, graduates its first class
Central Museum opens in Utrecht, Netherlands
The Centraal Museum is the main museum in Utrecht, Netherlands, founded in 1838. The museum has a wide-ranging collection, mainly of works produced locally.
Anti-Corn Law League established in Great Britain by Richard Cobden
The Anti–Corn Law League was a successful political movement in Great Britain aimed at the abolition of the unpopular Corn Laws, which protected national farming interests by levying taxes on...
Ephraim Morris granted US patent for a railroad brake
Ephraim Morris granted US patent for a railroad brake
Anti-Corn Law League forms to repeal English Corn Laws
The Corn Laws were tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and corn enforced in the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1846.
Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs issues the Extermination Order, which orders all Mormons to leave the state or be exterm
Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs issues the Extermination Order, which orders all Mormons to leave the state or be exterminated
The Times of India, the world's largest circulated English-language daily broadsheet newspaper, is founded as The Bombay
The Times of India, the world's largest circulated English-language daily broadsheet newspaper, is founded as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce
Honduras declares independence of Central American Federation
The Federal Republic of Central America (Spanish: República Federal de Centro América), initially known as the United Provinces of Central America (Provincias Unidas del Centro de América), was a...
Mexican President Anastasio Bustamante declares war on France
Trinidad Anastasio de Sales Ruiz Bustamante y Oseguera was a Mexican physician, general, and politician who served as the 4th President of Mexico three times from 1830 to 1832, 1837 to 1839, and 1839...
Battle of Blood River: Zulu impis defeated by Voortrekkers in South Africa (Great Trek)
The Battle of Blood River or Voortrekker-Zulu War (16 December 1838) was fought on the bank of the Ncome River, in what is today KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between 464 Voortrekkers ("Pioneers"), led...
Famous Births
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened in 1838?
- In 1838, there were 38 significant historical events. Notable events include First official horse race in South Australia takes place in Adelaide, Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail demonstrate their telegraph machine in New Jersey, First public demonstration of telegraph messages sent using dots and dashes at Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Je.
- Who was born in 1838?
- 2 notable figures were born in 1838, including John Muir is born, Ferdinand von Zeppelin is born.