On This Day

Events in History in 1844

  • Jan 1 1st edition of New Rotterdam's Daily (3x per week)
  • Jan 15 University of Notre Dame receives its charter in Indiana
  • Jan 25 Recontre between Reps Weller & Shriver, US House of Representative
  • Feb 3 Hector Berlioz' "Carnaval Romain" premieres in Paris
  • Feb 4 World's oldest known Bible, "The Codex Sinaiticus" (Sinai Bible), is discovered or stolen in Egypt by Constantin von Tischendorf

DiscoveryHistoric Expedition

Feb 14 John C. Frémont and his party become the first Europeans to discover Lake Tahoe during his second expedition through the American West

Frontiersman Kit Carson
Frontiersman
Kit Carson
  • Feb 27 Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti (National Day)
  • Feb 28 12-inch gun aboard USS Princeton explodes, killing Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gilmer, and other high-ranking U.S. federal officials
  • Mar 8 King Oscar I ascends to the throne of Sweden-Norway
  • Mar 21 Origin of Baha'i Era-Baha'i calendar starts here (Baha 1, 1)
  • Mar 21 The original date predicted by William Miller of Massachusetts for the return of Christ and the end of the world
  • Mar 28 Jose Zorilla's "Don Juan Tenorio" premieres in Madrid
  • Apr 12 Texan envoys sign Treaty of Annexation with the United States

Electoral defeatPresidential Convention

May 1 Whig convention nominates Henry Clay as presidential candidate

Legislator and Orator Henry Clay
Legislator and Orator
Henry Clay
  • May 6 Johan Thorbecke argues general right to vote
  • May 23 Declaration of Bab (Baha'i festival) ('Azamat 7, 1)

CommunicationHistoric Communication

May 24 Samuel Morse taps out "What hath God wrought" in the world's first telegraph message

Inventor Samuel Morse
Inventor
Samuel Morse
  • May 25 1st telegraphed news dispatch is published in Baltimore Patriot

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Jun 6 Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) formed by George Williams in London

Founder of the YMCA George Williams
Founder of the YMCA
George Williams

InventionHistoric Invention

Jun 15 Charles Goodyear patents the vulcanization of rubber

Chemist and Inventor Charles Goodyear
Chemist and Inventor
Charles Goodyear
  • Jun 22 Influential North American fraternity Delta Kappa Epsilon is founded at Yale University
  • Jul 3 The last pair of Great Auks is killed.
  • Jul 27 Fire destroys US mint at Charlotte, North Carolina

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Aug 8 Brigham Young chosen as head of Mormon Church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) following the death of Joseph Smith

Founder of Salt Lake City and President of the LDS Church Brigham Young
Founder of Salt Lake City and President of the LDS Church
Brigham Young
  • Aug 29 1st white-indian lacrosse game in Montreal, Indians win
  • Sep 5 Iron ore discovered in Minnesota's Mesabi Mountains
  • Sep 28 Oscar I of Sweden-Norway is crowned king of Sweden

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Oct 1 German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt departs Jimbour, the farthest outpost of settlement on the Queensland Darling Downs, to begin his exploration of Australia's Northern Territory from Moreton Bay to Port Essington

Explorer and Naturalist Ludwig Leichhardt
Explorer and Naturalist
Ludwig Leichhardt
  • Oct 22 Millerite Adventists wait for appearance of Jesus
  • Nov 6 Spain grants Dominican Republic independence
  • Nov 23 Independence of the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein from Denmark.
  • Dec 3 RC Society Apostole of Prayer forms

Electoral defeatElection of Interest

Dec 4 James Knox Polk elected 11th US President

11th US President James Knox Polk
11th US President
James Knox Polk
  • Dec 11 1st dental use of nitrous oxide, Hartford, Connecticut
  • Dec 21 The Rochdale Pioneers commence business at their cooperative in Rochdale, England, starting the Cooperative movement.

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