1840s

The 1840s was a decade that ran from January 1, 1840, to December 31, 1849. Throughout the decade, many countries (particularly in ) worldwide saw many revolts and uprisings, with the most prominent ones. Aside from uprisings, the began to see a shifting population that, as the  ensued in the latter half of the decade.

Pacific Islands
In 1842, and  were declared a, to allow Catholic missionaries to work undisturbed. The capital of was founded in 1843. In 1845, united  into a kingdom, and reigned as.

China
On August 29, 1842, the ended between China and Britain with the. One of the consequences was the of modern-day  to the British. Hong Kong would eventually be in 1997.

Other events:
 * , – The United States signs the  with the Chinese Government, the first ever diplomatic agreement between China and the United States.

Japan
The 1840s comprised the end of the era (1830–1844), the entirety of the  era (1844–1848), and the beginning of the  era (1848–1854). The decade saw the end of the reign of in 1846, who was succeeded by his son,.

Southeastern Asia
The was a war between  (then under the rule of the ) and   under the. In the increasingly confrontational rivalry between Vietnam and Siam, the conflict was triggered by Vietnam's absorption of Cambodia and the demotion of the Khmer monarchs. Siam seized the opportunity to intervene as the tide of Khmer discontent rose against Vietnamese rule.

Siam
King ruled  during the 1840s under the  in.

Vietnam
Emperors, and  ruled  during the 1840s under the.

New Guinea

 * – British,, and German governments lay claim to.

Australia and New Zealand

 * First signing of the (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) on February 6, 1840, at   New Zealand. The treaty between the  and  made New Zealand  and is considered the founding point of modern New Zealand.
 * , –  enters the  in central.
 * , – The  awards  a  "for exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia".
 * , –  opens for the first time in

Afghanistan
The had started in 1838, started by the British as a means of defending  (under British control at the time) from the Russian Empire's expansion into Central Asia. The British attempted to impose a puppet regime on Afghanistan under, but the regime was short lived and proved unsustainable without British military support. By 1842, mobs were attacking the British on the streets of and the British garrison was forced to abandon the city due to constant civilian attacks. During, the British army of approximately 4,500 troops (of which only 690 were European) and 12,000 s was subjected to a series of attacks by Afghan warriors. All of the British soldiers were killed except for one and he and a few surviving Indian soldiers made it to the fort at shortly after. After the, Britain placed back into power (1842–1863) and withdrew from Afghanistan.

India

 * , – : The  led by  defeats the  s, securing  as a.

Sikh Empire
The was founded in 1799, ruled by. When Singh died in 1839, the Sikh Empire began to fall into disorder. There was a succession of short-lived rulers at the central (court), and increasing tension between the  (the Sikh Army) and the Durbar. In May 1841, the (a vassal of the Sikh Empire) invaded western Tibet, marking the beginning of the. This war ended in a stalemate in September 1842, with the.

The began to build up its military strength on the borders of the Punjab. Eventually, the increasing tension goaded the Khalsa to invade British territory, under weak and possibly treacherous leaders. The hard-fought (1845–1846) ended in defeat for the Khalsa. With the, the Sikh Empire ceded to the East India Company and surrendered the  diamond to.

The Sikh empire was finally dissolved at the end of the in 1849 into separate  and the British. Eventually, a Lieutenant Governorship was formed in Lahore as a direct representative of the.

Sri Lanka

 * , –  against  in.

Ottoman Empire
The decade was near the beginning of the of the Ottoman Empire. Sultan ruled during this period.

Lebanon
Emir controlled the  at the beginning of the 1840s. Bashir allied with of, but Muhammad Ali was driven out of the country. Bashir was deposed in 1840 when the Egyptians were driven out by an Ottoman-European alliance, which had the backing of forces. His successor, Emir, ruled until 1842, after which the emirate was dissolved and split into a and a.

Romania

 * , – : The  is made public and a  revolutionary government led by  and  is created.

Persian Empire

 * – The cedes  to the.

Revolutions of 1848
There was a wave of s in Europe, collectively known as the. It remains the most widespread in, but within a year,  forces had regained control, and the revolutions collapsed.

The revolutions were essentially in nature with the aim of removing the old  structures and the creation of independent national states. The revolutionary wave began in, and immediately spread to most of Europe and parts of Latin America. Over 50 countries were affected, but with no coordination or cooperation among the revolutionaries in different countries. Six factors were involved: widespread dissatisfaction with political leadership; demands for more participation in government and democracy; demands for freedom of press; the demands of the working classes; the upsurge of nationalism; and finally, the regrouping of the reactionary forces based on the royalty, the aristocracy, the army, and the peasants.

The uprisings were led by ad hoc coalitions of reformers, the middle classes and workers, which did not hold together for long. Tens of thousands of people were killed, and many more forced into exile. The only significant lasting reforms were the abolition of in Austria and Hungary, the end of  in Denmark, and the definitive end of the  in France. The revolutions were most important in France, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Italy, and the Austrian Empire, but did not reach Russia, Sweden, Great Britain, and most of southern Europe (Spain, Serbia, Greece, Montenegro, Portugal, the Ottoman Empire).

Russia

 * , – The Georgian province of   against the.
 * –  explores the.
 * , – A n court sentences  to death for anti-government activities linked to a radical intellectual group, the . Facing a firing squad on  the group members are reprieved at the last moment and exiled to the  prison camps in.

Austrian Empire

 * –, –  brings together members of the  movement.

Hungary

 * , – Start of the.
 * , – 40,000  meet at the  to protest  becoming a part of.
 * , – The  are executed after the Hungarian War of Independence.

Galicia

 * , – Beginning of the.

Sweden

 * – Compulsory introduced.
 * , –   ascends to the throne of  upon the death of his father.

Denmark

 * – The government re-establishes the  in  as an advisory body.
 * , – Start of the  (Schleswig-Holsteinischer Krieg or Three Years' War (Treårskrigen)).  The  was the first round of military conflict in southern  and northern Germany rooted in the, contesting the issue of who should control the Duchies of  and . The war, which lasted from 1848 to 1851, also involved troops from  and . Ultimately, the war resulted in a Danish victory. A second conflict, the , erupted in 1864.
 * , –  becomes a.

United Kingdom

 * , –  hands over the deeds and papers concerning the, which is to become 's first public park.
 * , – The  becomes law, prohibiting underground work for all women and boys under 10 years old in.
 * , – 's, the first tunnel under the  and the world's first bored underwater tunnel, is opened in London.
 * , –  is proclaimed a British colony.
 * April – The for  in London is closed.


 * , –  establishes  across, the nation's first public health law, giving cities broad authority to build modern sanitary systems.

Royalty
was on the throne 20 June 1837 until her death 22 January, 1901.

Ireland
The of the 1840s caused the deaths of one million Irish people and over a million more emigrated to escape it. It is sometimes referred to, mostly outside Ireland, as the "Irish Potato Famine" because one-third of the population was then solely reliant on this cheap crop for a number of historical reasons. The of  was a potato disease commonly known as. A census taken in 1841 revealed a population of slightly over 8 million. A census immediately after the famine in 1851 counted 6,552,385, a drop of almost 1.5 million in 10 years.

The period of the potato blight in Ireland from 1845 to 1851 was full of political confrontation. A more radical group seceded from the Repeal movement and attempted an armed rebellion in the, which was unsuccessful.

Germany

 * , – The first German National Assembly  opens in, Germany.
 * March – The completes its drafting of a liberal constitution and elects  emperor of the new German national state.
 * , –  end in failure.
 * , – The, last of the , begins.

Switzerland

 * –, – , a civil war in Switzerland in which General 's federal army defeats the Sonderbund (an alliance of seven  ) with a total of only 86 deaths.


 * , – One of the successes of the, the , patterned on the , enters into force, creating a  and one of the first modern  states in Europe.

The Netherlands

 * , –  becomes King of the.
 * , – A greatly revised   is proclaimed.

France

 * , –  becomes prime minister of.
 * , – The frigate  arrives in Cherbourg, bringing back the remains of  from  to . He is buried in the.


 * , – The corpse of  is placed in the  in.
 * , –, , resigns. 52 people from the Paris mob are killed by soldiers guarding public buildings.
 * , –, King of the French, abdicates in favour of his grandson, , and flees to England after days of revolution in Paris. The  is later proclaimed by  in the name of the provisional government elected by the Chamber under the pressure of the mob.
 * , –  invade the French.
 * , – The French government dissolves the national workshops in Paris, giving the workers the choice of joining the army or going to workshops in the provinces.
 * , – Mathieu Luis becomes the first black member to join the French  as a representative of.
 * , – France ratifies a new constitution. The Second Republic of France is set up, ending the state of temporary government lasting since the Revolution of 1848.
 * , –   is elected first  of the.
 * , –   takes his  in front of the.
 * , –  issues, the nation's first.

Greece

 * , – Popular uprising in, , including citizens and military captains, to require from  the issue of a liberal  to the state, which has been governed since independence  by various domestic and foreign business interests.

Italian Peninsula

 * , – The  erupts in, against the  kingdom of the.
 * , –  comes into existence in.
 * , – General elections are held in the.
 * , – The new  is proclaimed.
 * , –  enters  to defend it from the French troops of General.
 * , – Troops of the  take  and crush the republican government of.
 * , – French troops occupy ; the  surrenders.

Spain
This period saw the 1840 end of the, a in  over the succession to the throne and the nature of the. This was the first full decade of the. Since she was only 10 years old in 1840, her true reign started in 1843, for which the first portion was referred to as. The (1846) was a series of intrigues between, , and the  relating Isabella II's marriages, which was shortly followed by  (1847–1849).

Portugal

 * , – ary insurrection in Portugal (crushed by royalist troops on, )

Africa

 * , –  leaves Britain for Africa.
 * , – The French Consul in  (M. Broquant) receives the final letter sent by  during his expedition into tropical Africa.
 * , –  is abolished on the island of.

Algeria

 * , –  surrenders and is imprisoned by the French.

Ethiopia

 * , – : Ras, Regent of the , defeats warlord Wube Haile Maryam of.

South Africa

 * , – In, hunter  rides into a British military base in  to warn that the s have besieged  (he had left 11 days earlier). The British army dispatches a relief force.
 * , –  becomes a British protectorate.

Morocco

 * , –  is defeated at Isly in ; the  of  soon repudiates his ally.

Liberia

 * , –  gains independence.
 * , –  is sworn in as the first  of the independent African.

Canada
In the prior decade, the desire for resulted in the abortive. The subsequently recommended responsible government and the assimilation of French Canadians into English culture. The merged the Canadas into a united  and responsible government was established for all British North American provinces by 1849. The signing of the by Britain and the United States in 1846 ended the, extending the border westward along the. This paved the way for British colonies on and in.


 * , –  and  became the first  to be democratically elected under a system of.
 * , –, the , signs the , outraging 's  population and triggering the.

United States

 * , –   was the first newspaper in American that used electricity for power of  it.
 * , – The first ongoing  in the  begins and lasts until.
 * , – U.S. President  vetoes a  which called for the re-establishment of the . Enraged  members riot outside the  in the most violent demonstration on White House grounds in U.S. history.
 * March – : the Massachusetts Supreme Court makes strikes and unions legal in the United States.
 * , – : Militiamen supporting  attack the arsenal in, but are repulsed.
 * , – The  establishes a uniform date for federal elections, which will henceforth be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
 * , – The  passes legislation overriding a presidential  for the first time.
 * , – The  is cracked while being rung for George Washington's birthday.
 * , – The state of  formally abolishes the.
 * , – The  is sworn into office.


 * , – The United States issues its first s (pictured).


 * , – Construction of the  begins in
 * , – The  passes the  allowing the minting of  s.

Slavery

 * , – : The  rules in the case that the Africans who seized control of the ship had been taken into  illegally.
 * (Wednesday) Frederick Douglass spoke in front of the in.
 * May – 's  written by himself is published by the Anti-Slavery Society.

Settlement

 * , –  lands at  in.
 * , – The  is signed, providing for the armed occupation and settlement of the unsettled part of the Peninsula of.
 * , – The  is signed, settling the dispute over the location of the –, and establishing the United States–Canada border east of the.
 * , – The first major  headed for the American Northwest sets out with one thousand pioneers from, on the.
 * , –  is admitted as the 27th.
 * , – : U.S. President  announces to Congress that the  should be strictly enforced and that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
 * , –  is admitted as the 28th.
 * , – The  establishes the  as the border between the United States and Canada, from the  to the.
 * – The portion of the that was ceded by  in  is re-ceded to.
 * , –  is admitted as the 29th.
 * , – After 17 months of travel,  leads 148  into, resulting in the establishment of.
 * , –  is admitted as the 30th.
 * – The is completed.
 * , –  becomes a

Native Americans
Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce was predicted to have been born in the 1840s

Presidents
The United States had five different Presidents during the decade. Only the 1880s would have as many. was President when the decade began, but was defeated by in the. Harrison's service was the shortest in history, starting with on March 4, 1841, and ending when he died on April 4, 1841.

Harrison's vice president,, replaced him as President (the first Presidential succession in U.S. history), and served out the rest of his term. Tyler spent much of his term in conflict with the Whig party. He ended his term having made an alliance with the Democrats, endorsing and signing the resolution to annex Texas into the United States.

In the, defeated. During his presidency, Polk oversaw the U.S. victory in the Mexican–American War and subsequent annexation of what is now the southwest United States. He also negotiated a split of the Oregon Territory with Great Britain.

In the,  of  defeated   of. Taylor's term in office was cut short by his death in 1850.

California
In the first part of the 1840s, the modern state of was part of a larger province of, called "". The region included all of the modern American states of, and , and parts of , ,  and.

The, embarked on the in an early military campaign of the  in Alta California. The California Campaign was marked by a series of small battles throughout 1846 and early 1847. The was signed on January 13, 1847, and essentially terminated hostilities in Alta California. Shortly thereafter, was appointed Governor of the new  Territory, and, was renamed.

The, signed in February 1848, marked the end of the Mexican–American War. By the terms of the treaty, Alta California along with its other northern territories east through, receiving 15,000,000 in exchange. This largely unsettled territory constituted nearly half of its claimed territory with about 1% of its then population of about 4,500,000.

The discovery of gold in (and subsequent discourse about that discovery in 1848) led to the. In October 1848, the left, rounded  at the tip of South America, and arrived in  after the 4-month-21-day journey. Thereafter, regular service continued from the west to the east coast of the United States. During 1848, only an estimated 6,000 to 6,500 people traveled to California to seek gold that year. By the beginning of 1849, word of the Gold Rush had spread around the world, and an overwhelming number of gold-seekers and merchants began to arrive from virtually every continent. In 1849, an estimated 90,000 people arrived in in 1849—of which 50,000 to 60,000 were from the United States. In 1850, joined the union as the.

Texas
The had  in 1836, as part of breaking away from Mexico in the. The following year, an ambassador from Texas approached the United States about the possibility of becoming an American state. Fearing a war with Mexico, which did not recognize Texas independence, the United States declined the offer.

In 1844, was elected the United States president after promising to annex Texas. Before he assumed office, the outgoing president,, entered negotiations with Texas. On February 26, 1845, six days before Polk took office, the U.S. Congress approved the annexation. The Texas legislature approved annexation in July 1845 and constructed a. In October, Texas residents approved the annexation and the new constitution, and Texas was officially inducted into the United States on December 29, 1845 as the 28th U.S. state.. Mexico still considered Texas to be a renegade Mexican state, and never considered land south of the to be part of Texas. This border dispute between the newly-expanded United States and Mexico triggered the.

When the war concluded, Mexico relinquished its claim on Texas, as well as other regions in what is now the southwestern United States. Texas' annexation as a state that tolerated slavery had caused tension in the United States among slave states and those that did not allow slavery. The tension was partially defused with the, in which Texas ceded some of its territory to the federal government to become non-slave-owning areas but gained El Paso.

Mexican–American War
to the was a major goal of U.S. President. In 1845, the United States of America, which had won independence from in the  of 1836. Mexico did not accept the annexation, while also continuing to claim the as its border with Texas, and also still considering Texas to be a province of Mexico. In 1845, newly elected U.S. President sent troops to the disputed area, and a diplomatic mission to Mexico. After Mexican forces, the U.S. declared the (1846–1848).

Combat operations lasted a year and a half, from the spring of 1846 to the fall of 1847. U.S. forces quickly occupied the capital town of along the upper Rio Grande and began the  in Mexico's  Department. They then invaded to the south into parts of central Mexico (modern-day northeastern Mexico and northwest Mexico). Meanwhile, the of the  conducted a blockade and took control of several garrisons on the  coast farther south in lower. The U.S. Army eventually captured the capital, having marched west from the port of , where the Americans staged their first amphibious landing on the coast.

The 1848, forced onto the remnant Mexican government, ended the war and specified its major consequence, the of the northern territories of Alta California and Santa Fe de Nuevo México to the United States. The U.S. agreed to pay $15 million compensation for the physical damage of the war. In addition, the United States assumed $3.25 million of debt already owed earlier by the Mexican government to U.S. citizens. Mexico acknowledged the loss of their province, later the Republic of Texas (and now the ), and thereafter cited and acknowledged the Rio Grande as its future northern national border with the United States. Including Texas, Mexico ceded an area of approximately 2500000 km2 – by its terms, around 55% of its former national territory.

Mexico
The 1840s for Mexico were the end of the and the waning years the "Age of Santa Anna". In 1834, President dissolved Congress, forming a new government. That government instituted the new Centralist Republic of Mexico by approving a new centralist constitution (""), From its formation in 1835 until its dissolution in 1846, the Centralist Republic was governed by eleven (none of which finished their term). It called for the state militias to disarm, but many states resisted, including, which won its independence in the of 1836.

The declared its independence from Mexico in January 1840. However, the border with Texas was never determined (whether the or the ). The new Republic fought a brief and unsuccessful war for independence, returning to Mexico late in the year.

In 1841, Generals and  led a rebellion against, resulting in Santa Anna becoming president of the  for a fifth time. Local officials in Yucatán declared independence in 1841, opposing strong autocratic rule and demanding the restoration of the, thus establishing the second.

In 1842, the region of was annexed by Mexico as part of the state of, following the dissolution of the.

In 1846, and the Congress of Mexico declared war at the beginning of the Mexican–American War. Paredes' presidential successor was deposed in a coup, replaced by. Salas issued a new decree that restored the, ending the Centralist Republic and beginning the. After the conclusion of the Mexican–American War, became the second president of Mexico to finish his term (Mexico's first president completed his in 1829). It was during this time that Yucatán reunited with Mexico. A decisive factor for the reunion was the (a revolt by the indigenous  population) for which Yucatán initially sought help from Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, but ultimately reunited with Mexico for help.

Herrera peacefully turned over the presidency to the winner of the Federal Elections of 1850, General. Despite being exiled from Mexico in 1848, Santa Anna would during the.

El Salvador

 * February – proclaims itself an independent republic, bringing an end to the (already de facto defunct).

Barbados

 * , – In,  is the first non-white person elected to the House of Assembly.

Dominican Republic

 * , – The  gains independence from.
 * , – The  drafts its first.

Haiti

 * , –  declares himself  of.

Trinidad

 * , –  (Fath Al Razack, "Victory of Allah the Provider", : قتح الرزاق) is the first ship to bring indentured labourers from  to, landing in the  with 227 immigrants.

Brazil

 * , –  is declared "of age" prematurely and begins to reassert central control in.
 * , –  ceremony of Emperor  in.
 * , –, becomes de facto first  of the.
 * , – The Emperor Dom  marries Dona  in a state ceremony in.

Uruguay

 * , –  supports Rosas of  and begins a siege of.

Paraguay

 * – becomes dictator of.

Argentina

 * , –  formally declared.
 * , – Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata: : The  is narrowly defeated by an - fleet on the waters of the  but Argentina attracts political support in South America.

Venezuela

 * – from the  region of Southern  migrate to.

Peru

 * , –  becomes president of.

Chile

 * , –  takes possession of the.

Astronomy

 * April – is temporarily the second-brightest star in the night sky.
 * , – : The planet is observed for the first time by German astronomers  and  as predicted by the British astronomer  and the French astronomer.
 * , –  and  discover, 's.

Photography
The 1840s saw the rise of the Daguerreotype. Introduced in 1839, the Daguerreotype was the first publicly announced photographic process and came into widespread use in the 1840s. Numerous events in the 1840s were captured by photography for the first time with the use of the Daguerreotype. A number of daguerrotypes were taken of the occupation of Saltillo during the Mexican–American War, in 1847 by an unknown photographer. These photographs stand as the first ever photos of warfare in history.

Telegraph

 * The first sent by  on May 24, 1844, from  to.

Computers

 * – translates and expands 's notes on 's, including an  for calculating a sequence of , regarded as the world's first.

Chemistry

 * , –  receives a  for, a process to strengthen.
 * – Swedish chemistry professor invents the.
 * – develops a process to refine a liquid fuel, which he calls, from ,  or.
 * 1844 John Dalton Dies

Geology

 * – publishes his Etudes sur les glaciers ("Study on Glaciers", 2 volumes), the first major scientific work to propose that the Earth has seen an.

Physics

 * – The first English translation of Goethe's  by is published.
 * – proposes that  and  are equivalent.
 * , –  discovers the calculus of  and deduces that they are non-commutative.
 * – experimentally finds the.

Biology

 * , – The last definitely recorded pair of s are killed on the ic island of.
 * – The anonymously written ' is published and paves the way for the acceptance of 's book '.

Paleontology

 * –   coins the name Dinosauria, hence the  .

Psychology

 * , – Scottish surgeon  first sees a demonstration of ' by  in, which leads to his study of the phenomenon that he (Braid) eventually calls '.

Economics

 * , – Anselmo de Andrade, Portuguese economist and politician, is born in.
 * , –  and  meet in.
 * – ' treatise  is published in as Die Lage der arbeitenden Klasse in England.
 * , – The first congress of the  is held in London.


 * , –  and  publish  (Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei) in London.

Medicine

 * , –  is used for the first time in an operation (Dr.  performed the operation using ).
 * , –  is used for childbirth for the first time (Dr.  in ).
 * –, –  discovers the  properties of  and first uses it, successfully, on a patient, in an  case in.
 * , –  is awarded her M.D. by the Medical Institute of, thus becoming the ' first woman doctor.

Antarctica

 * , – Captain '  sights what becomes known as  in the southeast quadrant of, claiming it for the  and providing evidence that Antarctica is a complete continent.
 * , –  discovers  in, claiming it for.
 * , – The active   in  is discovered and named by.
 * , – Ross discovers the "Victoria Barrier", later known as the . On the same voyage, he discovers the,  and.
 * , –  explorer, charting the eastern side of , reaches a  of 78°09'30"S.
 * , –  explorer  discovers.

Rail
Widespread interest to invest in rail technology led to a in, known there as. It reached its zenith in 1846, when no fewer than 272 were passed, setting up new railway companies, and the proposed routes totalled 9500 mi of new railway. Around a third of the railways authorised were never built – the company either collapsed due to poor financial planning, was bought out by a larger competitor before it could build its line, or turned out to be a fraudulent enterprise to channel investors' money into another business.

Steam power

 * , – The 's 700- wooden paddlewheel steamer RMS Britannia departs from, bound for , , on the first steam transatlantic passenger mail service.


 * , – 's SS Great Britain is launched from ; it will be the first iron-hulled, propeller-driven ship to cross the.
 * – The steam powered is invented by  in the.
 * –, – ’s iron   makes the  from  to , the first  vessel to make the passage.

Other inventions

 * , –  brews the first  beer in the city of,  (now the ).
 * , –  is awarded the first United States patent for a  using a  design.

Commerce

 * In the mid-1840s several harvests failed across Europe, which caused famines. Especially the (1845–1849) was severe and caused a quarter of Ireland's population to die or emigrate to the United States, Canada and Australia.
 * The triggered by the failing s in America is followed by a severe depression lasting until 1845.
 * , – The, the world's first , becomes valid for the pre-payment of postage.
 * , – : A number of book s gather in, , to attend a non-existent book auction of the late "Count of Fortsas".
 * December – The world's first s, commissioned by Sir in London from the artist, are sent.
 * – The export of British textile machinery and other equipment is allowed.
 * – Annual British iron production reaches 3 million tons.
 * , –  sells his first  pistol to the U.S government.
 * The follows on the heels of the, bringing tens of thousands of immigrants to  and eliminating the United States' dependence on foreign gold.

Women's rights

 * , –,  – : The 2-day  opens in , and the "" are introduced at the  convention.

Literature

 * publishes ', ', ', ', ' and '.
 * 's  (Russian: Мёртвые души, Myortvyje dushi) is published in 1842.
 * publishes his philosophical book Enten ‒ Eller () in 1843.
 * publishes Les Trois Mousquetaires (') in 1844 and Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (') in 1844/45.
 * publishes  in 1848.
 * , – First edition of the humorous magazine  published in.
 * – 's short story  is first published.
 * , – "" by  is published for the first time (), earning him $10.
 * – writes her  (1845–1846).
 * – publishes a book (Lustige Geschichten und drollige Bilder) introducing his character, in Germany.
 * , –  publishes  under the pen name of Currer Bell.
 * , –  and  publish ' and ', respectively, in a 3-volume set under the pen names of Ellis Bell and Acton Bell.
 * – publishes  anonymously.

Theatre

 * , – The  perform the first, at the  in.

Music

 * , – 's opera  premieres in.
 * , –   first presented by the  at the  in.
 * , – 's third opera  premieres in ; its success establishes  as one of 's foremost opera writers.
 * , – 's opera  premieres at  in.
 * , – 's  debuts at, Rome.
 * , – The  by  premieres in, with  as soloist.
 * , –  presents the    to an enthusiastic London audience.
 * , –  The  is ed by.
 * , – 's opera  premieres at  in, Italy.
 * – The Shaker song  is written by in.
 * – begins writing the  that will become  (The Ring of the Nibelung).

Sports

 * , –, ridden by , wins the  at.
 * –, – The first ever  match is played in New York City,.
 * – During the 1840s, "" evolved into the modern game of, with the development of the "" in the 1840s. The  were founded in 1845, and played the first known competitive game between two organized clubs in 1846. The "New York Nine" defeated the Knickerbockers at  in , by a score of 23 to 1.

Fashion
Fashion in European and European-influenced is characterized by a narrow, natural shoulder line following the exaggerated puffed sleeves of the  and. The narrower shoulder was accompanied by a lower waistline for both men and women.

Art

 * – first displays his painting .

Religion and philosophy

 * The American movement is in full form mostly during this decade.
 * February – The  is made against the s of.
 * , – The murder of a Capuchin friar and his Greek servant leads to the, a highly publicized case of  of.
 * ,  becomes the first woman to take  in communion with the   since the, making them privately to  in.
 * July –   arrives at  in the, his first posting in.
 * , – The  in Edinburgh of the  from the.
 * , – 's philosophical book  is first published.
 * , – The  begins.
 * , –, allowing  to settle in the.
 * , –   The  privately announces his revelation to, just after sunset, founding the  (later evolving into the Bahá'í Faith as the Báb ) in Shiraz, Persia (now Iran).  Contemporaneously, on this day in nearby Tehran, was the birth of ; the eldest Son of , Prophet-Founder of the , the inception of which, the Báb's .  `Abdu'l-Bahá Himself was later proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh to be His own successor, thus being the third "central figure" of the Bahá'í Faith.
 * , –, founder of the , and his brother , are killed in , , by an armed mob, leading to a . , future president of  is severely injured but survives.
 * , – During a meeting held in, the , headed by , is chosen as the leading body of.
 * , – This second date, predicted by the  for the  of, leads to the .  The  denomination of the  religion believe this date to be the starting point of the  just prior to the  of  as declared in the 26th of 28 fundamental doctrines of Seventh-day Adventists.
 * , – The  publicly proclaimed to be the promised one of  (the, or ). He is also considered to be simultaneously the return of , , and the "" referred to in the  scriptures. He announces to the world the coming of "". He is considered the forerunner of ,  – the founder of the ,  – whose claims include being the return of.
 * , – The eminent and controversial, , is received into the.
 * , – Many  begin their migration west from, to the , led by.
 * , –  succeeds  as the 255th . He will reign for 31½ years (the longest definitely confirmed).
 * , –  is said to have appeared to two children in, France.
 * – becomes.
 * , – Four  are ordered burnt alive in,  by Queen  and 14 others are executed.

Disasters, natural events, and notable mishaps

 * , – The steamship  burns and sinks in icy waters, four miles off the coast of ; 139 die, only four survive.
 * , – The : A massive tornado strikes, during the early afternoon hours. Before it is over, 317 people are killed and 109 injured. It is the second deadliest tornado in U.S. history.
 * , – A fire ruins and destroys two-thirds of the villa (modern-day city) of.
 * , – The Governor Fenner, carrying emigrants to the United States, sinks off   with the loss of 123 lives.
 * , – SS President under the command of the legendary captain  founders in rough seas with all passengers and crew lost.
 * , – A fire at the  destroys its Grand Armoury and causes a quarter of a million pounds worth of damage.
 * , – The  is struck by a.
 * – is almost completely destroyed by an.


 * , an earthquake causes La Soufriere volcano to erupt in Caribbean Island of  and kill over 5000 people.
 * , – A gun on the USS Princeton (1843)  while the boat is on a  cruise, killing 2  members and several others.
 * June–July – The hits the  and.
 * , – In the, a drunken visitor smashes the , which takes months to repair.
 * , – A great fire destroys much of the American city of.
 * , – the  in, England, collapses leaving around 80 dead, mostly children.
 * , –  and  with 134 men, comprising Sir 's  to find the, sail from  on the . They will last be seen in August entering.
 * , – The  Exmouth carrying Irish emigrants from  bound for  is wrecked off  with only three survivors from more than 250 on board.
 * , – The U.S.   is burnt out off the, , with the loss of 178, chiefly s.
 * , – The  levee at  breaks, flooding much of.
 * , – The  takes place in  over a dispute between two Shakespearean actors. Over 20 people are killed.
 * , – The  starts when a  catches fire and nearly burns down the entire city.
 * – Seven of the "best known" go missing: , Coquette, Kelpie, Greyhound, Don Juan, Mischief, and Anna Eliza.

Cholera
The happened during the 1840s, which researchers at  believe may have started as early as 1837 and lasted until 1863. This pandemic was considered to have the highest fatalities of the 19th-century epidemics. It originated in India (in ), spreading along many shipping routes in 1846. Over 15,000 people died of cholera in in 1846. In, between 1847 and 1851, more than one million people died in the country's epidemic.

A two-year outbreak began in in 1848, and claimed 52,000 lives. In London, it was the worst outbreak in the city's history, claiming 14,137 lives, over twice as many as the 1832 outbreak. Cholera hit in 1849 and killed many of the  survivors, already weakened by starvation and fever. In 1849, cholera claimed 5,308 lives in the major port city of, , an embarkation point for immigrants to North America, and 1,834 in , England. In 1849, a second major outbreak occurred in Paris.

Cholera, believed spread from Irish immigrant ship(s) from England to the, spread throughout the , killing over 4,500 in and over 3,000 in. Thousands died in, a major destination for Irish immigrants. The took the life of former U.S. President. During the, cholera was transmitted along the , and  as 6,000 to 12,000 are believed to have died on their way to   and  in the cholera years of 1849–1855. It is believed cholera claimed more than 150,000 victims in the United States during the two pandemics between 1832 and 1849, and also claimed 200,000 victims in.

Publications

 * September 1843 – newspaper is first published in London.
 * – , a weekly, is first published in London.
 * , – The journal  begins publication.

Asia

 * , – The sixth bishop of, , and Dr. James Taylor, Civil Surgeon at , establish the first modern educational institution in the ,.

Australia

 * , –, opens with the hope that it would develop along the lines of an  college and provide the basis for university education in Tasmania. By the 21st century it will be the oldest tertiary institution in Australia.

Europe

 * , –  opens in.
 * , –, one of the oldest still intact s in the world, opens in ,.
 * , –  founds the   in London.
 * , – The  commence business at their  in.
 * , – The world's first municipally-funded civic public,  in  on  in England, is opened.
 * , –  inventor and industrialist  founds  & Halske.
 * , –  founds the first  in the English-speaking world when he establishes the  at 'Maryvale',, England.

Africa

 * – founds the Luce Ben Aben School in.

North America

 * – becomes the first law school west of the.
 * , – The  receives its charter from.
 * , –, President of the , signs the charter officially creating .  Baylor is the oldest university in the State of  operating under its original name.
 * , – In, the Naval School (later renamed the ) opens with fifty midshipmen and seven professors.
 * , – In, , the first  for women, The Boston Female Medical School (which later merges with ), opens.
 * November 1849 – receives a charter in.