1840

From Free net encyclopedia

Years: 1837 1838 1839 - 1840 - 1841 1842 1843
Decades: 1810s 1820s 1830s - 1840s - 1850s 1860s 1870s
Centuries: 18th century - 19th century - 20th century Template:C19YearInTopic

1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar).

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Events

January 3 - One of the predecessor papers to the Herald Sun of Melbourne, Australia, The Port Phillip Herald, is founded by George Cavanaugh.
January 10 - Uniform penny postage introduced in the UK.
January 13 - The steamship Lexington burns and sinks four miles off the coast of Long Island with the loss of 139 lives.
January 19 - Captain Charles Wilkes circumnavigates Antarctica, claiming what became known as Wilkes Land for the United States.
January 20 - Dumont D'Urville discovers Adélie Land, Antarctica.
January 22 - British colonists reach New Zealand. Official founding date of Wellington.
February 6 - Treaty of Waitangi, document granting British sovereignty in New Zealand, is signed.
February 10 - Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom marries Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg-Gotha.
February 11 - Gaetano Donizetti's opera La Fille du Regiment premieres in Paris.
March 1 - William Hobson, first Governor of New Zealand, suffers a stroke.
March 1 - Adolphe Thiers becomes prime minister of France.
May 1 - Britain issues the Penny Black, world's first postage stamp.
May 6 - The Penny Black, world's first postage stamp becomes valid for the pre-payment of postage.
May 7 - The Great Natchez Tornado: A massive tornado strikes Natchez, Mississippi during the early afternoon hours. Before it was over, 317 people had lost their lives and 209 were injured. It is the second deadliest tornado in U.S. history.
July 4 - The Cunard Line's 700-ton wooden paddlewheel steamer RMS Britannia departs from Liverpool bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia on the first transatlantic passenger cruise.
July 15 – Austria, Britain, Prussia, and Russia sign a London Treaty with the Sublime Porte, ruler of the Ottoman Empire.
August 10 - Fortsas hoax - number of book collectors gather to Binche, Belgium to attend a non-existent book auction of the late "Count of Fortsas"
September 10 - Ottoman and British troops bombard Beirut and land troops on the coast to pressure Egyptian Muhammad Ali to retreat from the country.
October 7 - Willem II becomes King of the Netherlands.
October 14 – Maronite leader Bashir II surrenders to the British forces and goes into exile in Malta.
November - William Henry Harrison defeats Martin Van Buren in the U.S. presidential election.