Major Events
- Jan 24 James Marshall finds gold in Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California
- Feb 2 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican–American War. Mexico loses 55 percent of its territory to the US, including California, Nevada and Utah in exchange for $15 million.
- May 30 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo between US and Mexico comes into force, giving California Nevada, Utah and most of Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona to the US in return for $15 million
- Jun 22 Beginning of the June Days uprising in Paris by French workers
- Jul 19 1st US women's rights convention held in Seneca Falls NY, organised by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott
- Jul 29 Irish Potato Famine: Tipperary Revolt - an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule put down by police
- Sep 16 Slavery abolished in all French territories
- Dec 5 US President James K. Polk triggers Gold Rush of 1849 by confirming a gold discovery in California
- More 1848 Events
Did You Know?
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish "The Communist Manifesto" in London
Matthew Webb
Wyatt Earp
Paul Gauguin
W. G. Grace
Arthur BalfourMore People Born in 1848
John Quincy Adams
John Jacob Astor
Ludwig Leichhardt
George Stephenson
William Lamb
Emily BrontëMore 1848 Deaths
Articles About 1848
California Gold Rush
At first it was just a glint in James Marshall’s eye. But when he confirmed what he thought he had seen, the frantic California Gold Rush of the 1840s began.January 24
Discovery of Gold in California
First gold nugget discovered in CaliforniaJanuary 24
Astor, The First Multi-Millionaire Businessman
John Jacob Astor made a staggering fortune by monopolizing the American fur trade, but his methods – ruthless and sometimes illegal – have drawn criticism.March 29
Niagara Falls Stops Flowing
The flow of water stops completely over both of Niagara's two falls due to an ice jam in the upper riverMarch 29
American Women Demand Their Rights
On this day a group of determined women organized the first formal meeting in America to discuss women’s rights. It became known as the Seneca Falls Convention.July 19
WHSmith: a Retail Giant Born From a Widow's Might
Nobody wanted to buy the little shop owned by 18th Century widow Anna Smith. So she kept it, and built a business that was to become famous in global retailing.November 1
Wuthering Heights Author Dies at 30
Emily Brontë, author of the classic novel Wuthering Heights, died on this day. Like her sisters Anne and Charlotte, she passed away at a tragically young age.December 19
Famous Weddings in 1848
- Mar 8 Confederate General James Longstreet (27) weds Maria Louisa Garland in Lynchburg, Virginia
- Mar 20 King Louis I of Bayern abdicates to marry dancer Lola Montez
- Apr 10 British influential art critic and social commentator John Ruskin marries Effie Gray in Perth, Scotland (later annulled).
More Weddings in 1848
Charles Dickens
Giuseppe Verdi
James Knox Polk
John Russell