Events in History
Event of Interest
Dec 2 Franz Joseph I becomes Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia

Franz Joseph I
Scientific Discovery
Dec 5 US President James K. Polk triggers Gold Rush of 1849 by confirming a gold discovery in California

James Knox Polk
- Dec 25 New Haven Railroad opens
- Dec 26 1st gold seekers arrive in Panama en route to San Francisco
- Dec 26 William & Ellen Craft escape from slavery in Georgia
- Dec 26 The Phi Delta Theta fraternity is founded at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
- Dec 29 Gas lights 1st installed at White House (Polk's administration)
Birthdays in History
Deaths in History
Emily Brontë
Dec 19 Emily Brontë, English novelist (Wuthering Heights), dies of tuberculosis at 30

Emily Brontë