Early 1800s timeline: what happened from 1800 to 1849?
From Napoleon to the first steam railways, the first half of the 19th century set the Industrial Revolution racing ahead.
120 events, oldest first.
Timeline of The early 1800s
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1800
The White House is first occupied
John Adams moved in while the building was still unfinished.
Modern history
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1800
Volta invents the electric battery
Alessandro Volta's name gives us the word 'volt'.
Science & technology history
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1801
Ceres, the first asteroid, is discovered
It was spotted on the first night of the 19th century.
Science & technology history
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1803
Matthew Flinders sails around Australia
He popularised the name 'Australia'.
History of exploration
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1803
The Louisiana Purchase
It doubled the size of the United States for about 3 cents an acre.
Modern history
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1804
Lewis and Clark set out across America
Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman, guided them while carrying her baby son.
History of exploration
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1804
Napoleon is crowned Emperor of the French
At the ceremony in Notre-Dame, he placed the crown on his own head.
Politics & society history
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1805
The Battle of Trafalgar
Nelson was killed by a French marksman during his greatest victory.
Modern history
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1806
Colgate is founded
William Colgate started out selling soap and candles in New York.
Food & brand history
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1807
Britain abolishes the slave trade
The Act banned trading enslaved people, but slavery itself lasted in the colonies until the 1830s.
Politics & society history
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1807
The first passenger railway service begins
The Swansea and Mumbles Railway's first passengers rode in a horse-drawn carriage.
Science & technology history
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1808
Beethoven's Fifth Symphony premieres
The premiere concert lasted about four hours, in a freezing cold hall.
Art & literature history
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1809
Abraham Lincoln is born
He was born on exactly the same day as Charles Darwin: 12 February 1809.
Politics & society history
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1810
Tin cans are patented
Early tins were so thick that soldiers opened them with bayonets, knives or even rocks.
Food & brand history
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1811
The Luddites start smashing machines
They took their name from a mythical leader, 'General Ned Ludd'.
Modern history
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1811
The New Madrid earthquakes
They briefly made the Mississippi River appear to run backwards.
Natural history & deep time
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1812
Napoleon retreats from Moscow
Of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who invaded Russia, only a small fraction made it back.
Modern history
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1812
The Brothers Grimm publish their fairy tales
The first edition contained far darker versions of stories like Cinderella.
Art & literature history
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1813
Pride and Prejudice is published
Jane Austen sold the copyright for just £110.
Art & literature history
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1814
British troops burn Washington
The White House was gutted and later repainted, though its name is older than the fire.
Modern history
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1814
Lord's cricket ground opens on its current site
Thomas Lord moved his turf to the new ground twice.
History of sport
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1814
The London Beer Flood
A burst vat sent a wave of more than a million litres of beer through the streets.
Modern history
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1814
The Star-Spangled Banner is written
Francis Scott Key wrote it after watching the bombardment of Fort McHenry.
Modern history
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1815
Mount Tambora erupts
It caused 1816's 'Year Without a Summer', when Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein.
Natural history & deep time
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1815
The Battle of New Orleans
It was fought after the peace treaty had been signed - the news hadn't reached America yet.
Modern history
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1815
The Congress of Vienna redraws Europe
The peace it created lasted, with few major wars, for about a century.
Modern history
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1815
Wellington defeats Napoleon at Waterloo
Wellington called it 'the nearest-run thing you ever saw in your life'.
Politics & society history
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1816
René Laennec invents the stethoscope
Laennec rolled paper into a tube rather than press his ear to a patient's chest.
Science & technology history
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1817
Karl Drais invents the 'running machine'
The ancestor of the bicycle had no pedals; riders pushed along with their feet.
Science & technology history
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1818
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is published
She began it aged 18 during a ghost-story contest with Lord Byron.
Art & literature history
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1819
Bolívar wins the Battle of Boyacá
The victory secured the independence of what is now Colombia.
Modern history
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1819
The Peterloo Massacre
Cavalry charged a peaceful crowd of reform campaigners in Manchester.
Modern history
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1820
Antarctica is first sighted
Russian, British and American crews all claimed to have seen it that year.
History of exploration
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1820
The Venus de Milo is found
A farmer found it buried on the Greek island of Milos.
Art & literature history
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1821
Constable paints The Hay Wain
It made little impression in London but won a gold medal in Paris.
Art & literature history
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1821
Faraday builds the first electric motor
Michael Faraday had little schooling and started out as a bookbinder's apprentice.
Science & technology history
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1821
Napoleon dies in exile on St Helena
The remote island lies in the South Atlantic, about 1,900 km from Africa.
Politics & society history
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1821
The Greek War of Independence begins
The poet Lord Byron joined the cause and died in Greece three years later.
Modern history
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1822
Babbage begins his Difference Engine
A full Difference Engine No. 2 was finally built from his plans in 1991 - and it worked.
Science & technology history
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1822
Champollion deciphers hieroglyphs
Legend says he cried 'I've got it!' and fainted.
Art & literature history
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1823
Mary Anning finds a complete plesiosaur
Her finds were often credited to the wealthy men who bought them.
Natural history & deep time
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1823
The first lighter is invented
German chemist Johann Döbereiner's lamp made a flame from hydrogen and a platinum catalyst.
Science & technology history
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1823
The Monroe Doctrine is declared
It warned European powers against new colonies in the Americas.
Politics & society history
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1824
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony premieres
He was so deaf that he had to be turned round to see the audience applauding.
Art & literature history
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1824
John Cadbury opens his first shop
His Birmingham shop sold tea and coffee as well as drinking chocolate.
Food & brand history
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1824
Megalosaurus becomes the first named dinosaur
William Buckland named it before the word 'dinosaur' even existed.
Natural history & deep time
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1825
Iguanodon is named
Gideon Mantell thought its thumb spike was a horn on its nose.
Natural history & deep time
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1825
The Erie Canal opens
It helped make New York City America's busiest port.
Science & technology history
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1825
The first public steam railway opens
The Stockton and Darlington Railway's opening train carried coal, flour and hundreds of passengers.
Science & technology history
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1826
The friction match is invented
English chemist John Walker found it by accident when a chemical-coated stick caught fire as he scraped it.
Science & technology history
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1827
Georg Ohm publishes Ohm's law
His work was dismissed at first, before becoming a foundation of electronics.
Science & technology history
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1828
London Zoo opens to scientists
It was the world's first scientific zoo; the public was admitted later.
Natural history & deep time
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1828
Noah Webster publishes his American dictionary
Webster gave Americans spellings like 'color' and 'center'.
Art & literature history
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1829
Stephenson's Rocket wins the Rainhill Trials
It reached about 30 mph, astonishing the crowds.
Science & technology history
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1829
The first Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race
It was started by two school friends, one at each university.
History of sport
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1830
Belgium becomes independent
Its revolution reportedly began after a performance at the opera.
Politics & society history
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1830
Edwin Budding invents the lawnmower
He based it on a machine for trimming cloth.
Science & technology history
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1831
Darwin sets sail on HMS Beagle
The voyage was planned to take two years, but lasted almost five.
History of exploration
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c. 1831
Hokusai's The Great Wave is printed
Hokusai was around 70 years old when he made it.
Art & literature history
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1831
James Clark Ross reaches the North Magnetic Pole
The magnetic pole has since wandered hundreds of kilometres.
History of exploration
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1832
The Great Reform Act is passed
It abolished 'rotten boroughs' where a handful of voters elected an MP.
Politics & society history
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1833
Slavery is abolished in the British Empire
Slave owners were paid huge compensation; the people enslaved received nothing.
Politics & society history
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1833
The great Leonid meteor storm
So many meteors fell that some Americans thought the world was ending.
Natural history & deep time
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1834
The Houses of Parliament burn down
J. M. W. Turner watched the blaze and painted it.
Modern history
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1834
The Tolpuddle Martyrs are transported
Six farm labourers were sent to Australia for forming a trade union.
Politics & society history
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1835
Darwin reaches the Galápagos Islands
He spent only about five weeks there.
History of exploration
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1835
Madame Tussaud opens her museum in London
She learned wax modelling in Paris and toured Britain for 33 years first.
Art & literature history
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1836
The Battle of the Alamo
The Alamo was a former Spanish mission in San Antonio, Texas.
Modern history
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1836
The Boers set out on the Great Trek
Thousands of Dutch-speaking settlers left the Cape Colony by ox wagon.
Modern history
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1836
The Luxor Obelisk is raised in Paris
France gave Egypt a clock in return for it, which reportedly never worked.
Art & literature history
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1837
Tiffany & Co. opens in New York
It began as a 'stationery and fancy goods' shop.
Food & brand history
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1837
Victoria becomes Queen
She came to the throne aged 18 and reigned for more than 63 years.
Politics & society history
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1837
Worcestershire sauce goes on sale
Legend says the first batch was judged inedible and left in a cellar, where it matured.
Food & brand history
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1838
Queen Victoria is crowned
During the ceremony, the coronation ring was forced onto the wrong finger.
Politics & society history
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1838
The Cherokee are forced west on the Trail of Tears
Thousands died during the forced removal from their homelands.
Modern history
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1838
The first steamship crossing of the Atlantic
Tales of the crew burning furniture are a myth - they burned a few barrels of resin.
History of exploration
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1839
Robert Cornelius takes the first selfie
For the first photographic self-portrait, he had to sit still for several minutes.
Science & technology history
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1839
The Chartists present their first petition
It had more than a million signatures and was rejected by Parliament.
Politics & society history
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1839
The daguerreotype photograph is announced
A Daguerre street scene caught the first person ever photographed: a man having his boots polished.
Science & technology history
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1839
The first official Grand National is run
The winner was a horse named Lottery.
History of sport
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1839
The First Opium War begins
Britain fought partly to keep selling opium to China.
Modern history
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1839
The word 'OK' is first printed
It began as a jokey abbreviation of 'oll korrect' in a Boston newspaper.
Art & literature history
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1839
Turner paints The Fighting Temeraire
Turner called it his 'darling' and refused to sell it.
Art & literature history
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1840
The Penny Black stamp is issued
It showed Queen Victoria, and British stamps still carry no country name to this day.
Politics & society history
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1840
The Treaty of Waitangi is signed
It is considered New Zealand's founding document, signed by Māori chiefs and the British Crown.
Politics & society history
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1841
Thomas Cook runs his first tour
It was a one-day rail trip for about 500 temperance campaigners.
Modern history
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1842
Christian Doppler describes the Doppler effect
It was later tested with trumpeters playing on a moving train.
Science & technology history
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1842
Hong Kong Island is ceded to Britain
Britain handed Hong Kong back to China 155 years later.
Modern history
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1842
The word 'dinosaur' is coined
Richard Owen built it from Greek words meaning 'terrible lizard'.
Natural history & deep time
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1843
Ada Lovelace publishes the first computer program
She wrote it for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, which was never built.
Science & technology history
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1843
Brunel's SS Great Britain is launched
It was the first iron-hulled, propeller-driven ship to cross the Atlantic.
Modern history
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1843
Charles Dickens publishes A Christmas Carol
The first run of 6,000 copies sold out by Christmas Eve.
Art & literature history
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1843
Nelson's Column is completed
The four bronze lions at its base were added more than 20 years later.
Art & literature history
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1843
The fax machine is patented
Scottish inventor Alexander Bain patented it more than 30 years before the telephone.
Science & technology history
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1843
The first Christmas card is sent
Sir Henry Cole commissioned it because he was too busy to write individual letters.
Politics & society history
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1843
The earliest surviving photo of a US president is taken
John Quincy Adams sat for it after leaving office; an 1841 image of William Henry Harrison is lost.
Science & technology history
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1844
Morse sends his first long-distance telegraph
The message 'What hath God wrought' travelled from Washington to Baltimore.
Science & technology history
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1844
The last great auks are killed
The great auk was the original 'penguin' - the southern birds were named after it.
Natural history & deep time
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1845
Edgar Allan Poe publishes The Raven
He was paid only about $9 for it.
Art & literature history
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1845
Franklin's Arctic expedition sets sail
Both ships vanished; HMS Erebus was found on the seabed in 2014, and HMS Terror in 2016.
History of exploration
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1845
Texas joins the United States
It had been an independent republic for nearly ten years.
Modern history
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1845
The Irish Famine begins
Through death and emigration, Ireland's population fell by about a quarter.
Modern history
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1845
The rubber band is patented
Stephen Perry's patent used vulcanised rubber.
Science & technology history
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1846
Anaesthesia is first demonstrated in public
The Boston operating theatre where it happened is now known as the Ether Dome.
Science & technology history
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1846
Neptune is discovered
It was found by maths first: Urbain Le Verrier calculated where astronomers should look.
Science & technology history
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1847
Carlsberg is founded
It was named after the founder's five-year-old son, Carl.
Food & brand history
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1847
Fry's makes the first solid chocolate bar
Before then, chocolate was almost always drunk rather than eaten.
Food & brand history
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1847
Jane Eyre is published
Charlotte Brontë first published it under the name Currer Bell.
Art & literature history
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1847
The gorilla is scientifically described
It was described from skulls collected in Gabon by a missionary, Thomas Savage.
Natural history & deep time
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1847
Wuthering Heights is published
Emily Brontë published it under the name Ellis Bell.
Art & literature history
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1848
Ludwig Leichhardt vanishes in Australia
The only confirmed relic is a small brass nameplate found on a burnt gun around 1900.
History of exploration
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1848
Queen Victoria's Christmas tree is published
A newspaper picture of the royal family's tree made Christmas trees fashionable in Britain.
Modern history
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1848
Revolutions sweep across Europe
Uprisings broke out in dozens of states, but most were crushed within a year.
Politics & society history
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1848
The California Gold Rush begins
The find at Sutter's Mill drew around 300,000 people to California.
Modern history
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1848
The Mexican-American War ends
Mexico lost about half its territory, including California.
Modern history
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1848
The Seneca Falls women's rights convention
Its Declaration of Sentiments demanded the vote for women.
Politics & society history
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1849
Elizabeth Blackwell earns a US medical degree
Her admission to medical school was reportedly approved by students as a joke.
Politics & society history
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1849
Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery
She went back again and again to lead others to freedom.
Politics & society history
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1849
Harrods opens as a small grocer's shop
Charles Henry Harrod started out selling tea and groceries.
Food & brand history
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1849
The safety pin is patented
Walter Hunt is said to have invented it in a few hours to pay off a $15 debt, then sold the patent for $400.
Science & technology history
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