City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line
City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line
Year in History
Explore the major historical events, famous births, and notable deaths that occurred in the year 1851. This year saw 52 significant events. 2 notable figures were born. 3 notable figures passed away.
19th Century1850s
1851 Timeline
City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line
City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line
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.
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.
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.
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
The 100 Guineas Cup yacht race is held around the Isle of Wight, the first race of the oldest international sporting com
The 100 Guineas Cup yacht race is held around the Isle of Wight, the first race of the oldest international sporting competition now known as the America's Cup. In the race, US schooner "America" beats the British cutter "Aurora" by 24 minutes, prompting spectator Queen Victoria to ask who was in se
Fire devastates US Library of Congress in Washington and destroys 35,000 volumes
Fire devastates US Library of Congress in Washington and destroys 35,000 volumes
General Mariano Arista replaces Mexican President José Joaquín de Herrera
José Joaquín Antonio Florencio de Herrera y Ricardos (February 23, 1792 – February 10, 1854) was a Mexican statesman who served as president of Mexico three times (1844, 1844–1845 and 1848–1851), and...
Northwestern University is chartered in Chicago
Northwestern University (NU) is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851, it is the oldest chartered university in Illinois.
San Francisco Orphan's Asylum founded, 1st in California
San Francisco Orphan's Asylum founded, 1st in California
Inaugural first-class cricket match in Australia; Tasmania vs. Victoria in Launceston; Tasmania wins by 3 wickets
The Tasmania men's cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket.
Edward Hargraves and three other men discover gold at Ophir, New South Wales, beginning Australia's first gold rush [1]
New South Wales experienced the first gold rush in Australia, a period generally accepted to lie between 1851 and 1880.
Black abolitionists invade Boston courtroom rescuing a fugitive slave
Black abolitionists invade Boston courtroom rescuing a fugitive slave
Congress authorizes smallest US silver coin (3 cent piece)
Congress authorizes smallest US silver coin (3 cent piece)
Poll tax levied on Russo-Polish Jews entering Austrian Galicia ends
Poll tax levied on Russo-Polish Jews entering Austrian Galicia ends
Yosemite Valley discovery made public by Major James D. Savage and Captain John Boling after being shown by Indian guide
Yosemite Valley discovery made public by Major James D. Savage and Captain John Boling after being shown by Indian guides in California
Earl G Andressy sentenced to death in Hungary
Earl G Andressy sentenced to death in Hungary
Clipper Marco Polo launched at St Johns, New Brunswick - then the fastest ship in the world [1]
Clipper Marco Polo launched at St Johns, New Brunswick - then the fastest ship in the world [1]
Canada issues its first postage stamp, a Three-Pence Beaver
Canada issues its first postage stamp, a Three-Pence Beaver
First public flushing toilets the 'Monkey Closets' unveiled by George Jennings as part of The Great Exhibition at Hyde P
First public flushing toilets the 'Monkey Closets' unveiled by George Jennings as part of The Great Exhibition at Hyde Park, London, costing one penny
Sixth major fire in San Francisco destroys 1500-2000 buildings
Sixth major fire in San Francisco destroys 1500-2000 buildings
American physician and inventor John Gorrie patents a "refrigeration machine" to make ice
American physician and inventor John Gorrie patents a "refrigeration machine" to make ice
Amsterdam-Nieuwediep telegraph connection linked
Amsterdam-Nieuwediep telegraph connection linked
First US alcohol prohibition law enacted in Maine
First US alcohol prohibition law enacted in Maine
First baseball uniforms are worn as the NY Knickerbockers don straw hats, white shirts, and blue long trousers
First baseball uniforms are worn as the NY Knickerbockers don straw hats, white shirts, and blue long trousers
San Francisco Committee of Vigilance forms (1st time)
San Francisco Committee of Vigilance forms (1st time)
Abass I of Egypt signs a contract with Robert Louis Stevenson to build a railway in Egypt, first stage opens 1854 betwee
Abass I of Egypt signs a contract with Robert Louis Stevenson to build a railway in Egypt, first stage opens 1854 between Alexandria and Kafer Eassa - first railway in Africa [1]
Jacob Fussell, Baltimore dairyman, sets up 1st ice-cream factory
Jacob Fussell, Baltimore dairyman, sets up 1st ice-cream factory
Fire destroys part of San Francisco, including City Hall and Jenny Lind Theatre, city's seventh major fire in 2 years
Fire destroys part of San Francisco, including City Hall and Jenny Lind Theatre, city's seventh major fire in 2 years
Battle of Viervoet: Basotho forces led by Moshoeshoe defeat the British over the British imposed Walden line
Battle of Viervoet: Basotho forces led by Moshoeshoe defeat the British over the British imposed Walden line
John Loudon discovers tin on East Indian Island of Billiton
John Loudon discovers tin on East Indian Island of Billiton
Treaty of Traverse des Sioux signed by Sioux Indians and US
The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux (10 Stat. 949) was signed on July 23, 1851, at Traverse des Sioux in Minnesota Territory between the United States government and the Upper Dakota Sioux bands.
First photograph of a total solar eclipse is captured on a daguerreotype by Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski at the Roy
First photograph of a total solar eclipse is captured on a daguerreotype by Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski at the Royal Observatory in Königsberg, Prussia
Annibale de Gasparis discovers asteroid 15 Eunomia
15 Eunomia is a very large asteroid in the middle asteroid belt. It is the largest of the stony asteroids, with 3 Juno as a close second.
Goldfields discovered in Australia
Goldfields discovered in Australia
Northern Daily Times, the first provincial daily newspaper, begins publication in Newcastle, England
Northern Daily Times, the first provincial daily newspaper, begins publication in Newcastle, England
Saint Joseph's University is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia, Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
First edition of The New York Times is published for 2 cents a copy [1]
The New-York Daily Times was established in 1851 by New-York Tribune journalists Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones.
City of Des Moines, Iowa, incorporated as Fort Des Moines
Des Moines is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County with parts extending into Warren County.
First Hawaiian stamps issued
The Hawaiian Missionaries are the first postage stamps of the Kingdom of Hawaii, issued in 1851.
The pasilalinic-sympathetic compass, a contraption built to test the pseudoscientific hypothesis that snails create a pe
The pasilalinic-sympathetic compass, a contraption built to test the pseudoscientific hypothesis that snails create a permanent telepathic link when they mate, is demonstrated but proves to be a fake
William Lassell discovers Ariel and Umbriel, satellites of Uranus
There are 29 known moons of the planet Uranus. The 27 with names are named after characters that appear in, or are mentioned in William Shakespeare's plays and Alexander Pope's poem The Rape of the...
Alfred de Musset's "Bettine" premieres in Paris
Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist. Along with his poetry, he is known for writing the autobiographical novel La Confession d'un enfant du siècle (The...
Kentucky marshals abduct abolitionist minister Calvin Fairbank from Jeffersonville, Indiana, and take him to Kentucky to
Kentucky marshals abduct abolitionist minister Calvin Fairbank from Jeffersonville, Indiana, and take him to Kentucky to stand trial for helping a slave escape
Alvan Clark patents telescope
Alvan Clark patents telescope
1st meeting of anti-revolutionary "Netherlands & Orange"
1st meeting of anti-revolutionary "Netherlands & Orange"
Opera "La Perle Du Brésil" is produced (Paris)
La Perle du Brésil (The Pearl of Brazil) is an 1851 drame lyrique in 3 acts by composer Félicien David to a French-language libretto by J. Gabriel and Sylvain Saint-Étienne.
French President Charles Louis Bonaparte in a Coup d'etat overthrows the Second Republic establishing himself as Emperor
French President Charles Louis Bonaparte in a Coup d'etat overthrows the Second Republic establishing himself as Emperor.
President Louis Napoleon Boaparte's forces crush an attempted coup d'etat in France
President Louis Napoleon Boaparte's forces crush an attempted coup d'etat in France
1st Young Men's Christian Association in North America set up in Montreal
1st Young Men's Christian Association in North America set up in Montreal
The first freight train is operated in Roorkee, India.
Roorkee, formerly also anglicized as Rurki, is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of the state of Uttarakhand, India.
1st American Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) chapter opened in Boston, Massachusetts
1st American Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) chapter opened in Boston, Massachusetts
Vincent d'Indy is born
Vincent d'Indy, French musician, known for french composer, was born on 1851-03-27. Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy was a French composer and teacher.
Doc Holliday is born
Doc Holliday, American gambler, gunfighter, and dentist in the american west, known for gambler, gunfighter, and dentist in the american west, was born on 1851-08-14.
Mary Shelley dies
Mary Shelley, English writer, known for english writer, died on 1851-02-01. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus…
Hans Christian Ørsted dies
Hans Christian Ørsted, Danish chemist and physicist, known for danish chemist and physicist, died on 1851-03-09.
Louis-Jacques Daguerre dies
Louis-Jacques Daguerre, French scientist, artist and photographer, known for french scientist, artist and photographer, died on 1851-07-10.
Events
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.
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.
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.
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
The 100 Guineas Cup yacht race is held around the Isle of Wight, the first race of the oldest international sporting com
The 100 Guineas Cup yacht race is held around the Isle of Wight, the first race of the oldest international sporting competition now known as the America's Cup. In the race, US schooner "America" beats the British cutter "Aurora" by 24 minutes, prompting spectator Queen Victoria to ask who was in se
Fire devastates US Library of Congress in Washington and destroys 35,000 volumes
Fire devastates US Library of Congress in Washington and destroys 35,000 volumes
General Mariano Arista replaces Mexican President José Joaquín de Herrera
José Joaquín Antonio Florencio de Herrera y Ricardos (February 23, 1792 – February 10, 1854) was a Mexican statesman who served as president of Mexico three times (1844, 1844–1845 and 1848–1851), and...
Northwestern University is chartered in Chicago
Northwestern University (NU) is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851, it is the oldest chartered university in Illinois.
San Francisco Orphan's Asylum founded, 1st in California
San Francisco Orphan's Asylum founded, 1st in California
Inaugural first-class cricket match in Australia; Tasmania vs. Victoria in Launceston; Tasmania wins by 3 wickets
The Tasmania men's cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket.
Edward Hargraves and three other men discover gold at Ophir, New South Wales, beginning Australia's first gold rush [1]
New South Wales experienced the first gold rush in Australia, a period generally accepted to lie between 1851 and 1880.
Black abolitionists invade Boston courtroom rescuing a fugitive slave
Black abolitionists invade Boston courtroom rescuing a fugitive slave
Congress authorizes smallest US silver coin (3 cent piece)
Congress authorizes smallest US silver coin (3 cent piece)
Poll tax levied on Russo-Polish Jews entering Austrian Galicia ends
Poll tax levied on Russo-Polish Jews entering Austrian Galicia ends
Yosemite Valley discovery made public by Major James D. Savage and Captain John Boling after being shown by Indian guide
Yosemite Valley discovery made public by Major James D. Savage and Captain John Boling after being shown by Indian guides in California
Earl G Andressy sentenced to death in Hungary
Earl G Andressy sentenced to death in Hungary
Clipper Marco Polo launched at St Johns, New Brunswick - then the fastest ship in the world [1]
Clipper Marco Polo launched at St Johns, New Brunswick - then the fastest ship in the world [1]
Canada issues its first postage stamp, a Three-Pence Beaver
Canada issues its first postage stamp, a Three-Pence Beaver
First public flushing toilets the 'Monkey Closets' unveiled by George Jennings as part of The Great Exhibition at Hyde P
First public flushing toilets the 'Monkey Closets' unveiled by George Jennings as part of The Great Exhibition at Hyde Park, London, costing one penny
Sixth major fire in San Francisco destroys 1500-2000 buildings
Sixth major fire in San Francisco destroys 1500-2000 buildings
American physician and inventor John Gorrie patents a "refrigeration machine" to make ice
American physician and inventor John Gorrie patents a "refrigeration machine" to make ice
Amsterdam-Nieuwediep telegraph connection linked
Amsterdam-Nieuwediep telegraph connection linked
First US alcohol prohibition law enacted in Maine
First US alcohol prohibition law enacted in Maine
First baseball uniforms are worn as the NY Knickerbockers don straw hats, white shirts, and blue long trousers
First baseball uniforms are worn as the NY Knickerbockers don straw hats, white shirts, and blue long trousers
San Francisco Committee of Vigilance forms (1st time)
San Francisco Committee of Vigilance forms (1st time)
Abass I of Egypt signs a contract with Robert Louis Stevenson to build a railway in Egypt, first stage opens 1854 betwee
Abass I of Egypt signs a contract with Robert Louis Stevenson to build a railway in Egypt, first stage opens 1854 between Alexandria and Kafer Eassa - first railway in Africa [1]
Jacob Fussell, Baltimore dairyman, sets up 1st ice-cream factory
Jacob Fussell, Baltimore dairyman, sets up 1st ice-cream factory
Fire destroys part of San Francisco, including City Hall and Jenny Lind Theatre, city's seventh major fire in 2 years
Fire destroys part of San Francisco, including City Hall and Jenny Lind Theatre, city's seventh major fire in 2 years
Battle of Viervoet: Basotho forces led by Moshoeshoe defeat the British over the British imposed Walden line
Battle of Viervoet: Basotho forces led by Moshoeshoe defeat the British over the British imposed Walden line
John Loudon discovers tin on East Indian Island of Billiton
John Loudon discovers tin on East Indian Island of Billiton
Treaty of Traverse des Sioux signed by Sioux Indians and US
The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux (10 Stat. 949) was signed on July 23, 1851, at Traverse des Sioux in Minnesota Territory between the United States government and the Upper Dakota Sioux bands.
First photograph of a total solar eclipse is captured on a daguerreotype by Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski at the Roy
First photograph of a total solar eclipse is captured on a daguerreotype by Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski at the Royal Observatory in Königsberg, Prussia
Annibale de Gasparis discovers asteroid 15 Eunomia
15 Eunomia is a very large asteroid in the middle asteroid belt. It is the largest of the stony asteroids, with 3 Juno as a close second.
Goldfields discovered in Australia
Goldfields discovered in Australia
Northern Daily Times, the first provincial daily newspaper, begins publication in Newcastle, England
Northern Daily Times, the first provincial daily newspaper, begins publication in Newcastle, England
Saint Joseph's University is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia, Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
First edition of The New York Times is published for 2 cents a copy [1]
The New-York Daily Times was established in 1851 by New-York Tribune journalists Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones.
City of Des Moines, Iowa, incorporated as Fort Des Moines
Des Moines is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County with parts extending into Warren County.
First Hawaiian stamps issued
The Hawaiian Missionaries are the first postage stamps of the Kingdom of Hawaii, issued in 1851.
The pasilalinic-sympathetic compass, a contraption built to test the pseudoscientific hypothesis that snails create a pe
The pasilalinic-sympathetic compass, a contraption built to test the pseudoscientific hypothesis that snails create a permanent telepathic link when they mate, is demonstrated but proves to be a fake
William Lassell discovers Ariel and Umbriel, satellites of Uranus
There are 29 known moons of the planet Uranus. The 27 with names are named after characters that appear in, or are mentioned in William Shakespeare's plays and Alexander Pope's poem The Rape of the...
Alfred de Musset's "Bettine" premieres in Paris
Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist. Along with his poetry, he is known for writing the autobiographical novel La Confession d'un enfant du siècle (The...
Kentucky marshals abduct abolitionist minister Calvin Fairbank from Jeffersonville, Indiana, and take him to Kentucky to
Kentucky marshals abduct abolitionist minister Calvin Fairbank from Jeffersonville, Indiana, and take him to Kentucky to stand trial for helping a slave escape
Alvan Clark patents telescope
Alvan Clark patents telescope
1st meeting of anti-revolutionary "Netherlands & Orange"
1st meeting of anti-revolutionary "Netherlands & Orange"
Opera "La Perle Du Brésil" is produced (Paris)
La Perle du Brésil (The Pearl of Brazil) is an 1851 drame lyrique in 3 acts by composer Félicien David to a French-language libretto by J. Gabriel and Sylvain Saint-Étienne.
French President Charles Louis Bonaparte in a Coup d'etat overthrows the Second Republic establishing himself as Emperor
French President Charles Louis Bonaparte in a Coup d'etat overthrows the Second Republic establishing himself as Emperor.
President Louis Napoleon Boaparte's forces crush an attempted coup d'etat in France
President Louis Napoleon Boaparte's forces crush an attempted coup d'etat in France
1st Young Men's Christian Association in North America set up in Montreal
1st Young Men's Christian Association in North America set up in Montreal
The first freight train is operated in Roorkee, India.
Roorkee, formerly also anglicized as Rurki, is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of the state of Uttarakhand, India.
1st American Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) chapter opened in Boston, Massachusetts
1st American Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) chapter opened in Boston, Massachusetts
Famous Births
birth
Vincent d'Indy is born
Vincent d'Indy, French musician, known for french composer, was born on 1851-03-27. Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy was a French composer and teacher.
birth
Doc Holliday is born
Doc Holliday, American gambler, gunfighter, and dentist in the american west, known for gambler, gunfighter, and dentist in the american west, was born on 1851-08-14.
Notable Deaths
death
Mary Shelley dies
Mary Shelley, English writer, known for english writer, died on 1851-02-01. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus…
death
Hans Christian Ørsted dies
Hans Christian Ørsted, Danish chemist and physicist, known for danish chemist and physicist, died on 1851-03-09.
death
Louis-Jacques Daguerre dies
Louis-Jacques Daguerre, French scientist, artist and photographer, known for french scientist, artist and photographer, died on 1851-07-10.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened in 1851?
- In 1851, there were 52 significant historical events. Notable events include City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line, Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Rigoletto" premieres in Venice, Sojourner Truth addresses the first Black Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.
- Who was born in 1851?
- 2 notable figures were born in 1851, including Vincent d'Indy is born, Doc Holliday is born.
- Who died in 1851?
- 3 notable figures passed away in 1851, including Mary Shelley dies, Hans Christian Ørsted dies, Louis-Jacques Daguerre dies.