Major Events
- Jan 13 British lease Vancouver Island to the Hudson's Bay Company for seven shillings a year, granting them exclusive trading rights
- Jan 23 Elizabeth Blackwell becomes 1st woman in the US to earn a medical degree graduating from New York's Geneva Medical College
- Jan 23 US Patent granted for an envelope-making machine to Jesse K. Park and Cornelius S. Watson
- Jan 31 Corn Laws abolished in Britain
- Feb 4 University of Wisconsin begins in 1 room with 20 students
- Feb 8 New Roman Republic established in Italy
- Feb 9 Roman Republic declared in Rome replacing following flight of Pope Pius IX
- Feb 14 In New York City, James Knox Polk becomes first serving US President to have his photograph taken (by Matthew Brady).
- Feb 18 1st regular steamboat service to California starts (or 02/28)
- Feb 28 11th Grand National: Tom Cunningham wins aboard 20/1 Peter Simple; 2nd consecutive year there are 3 equine fatalities during the race
- More 1849 Events
1849 in Music
Did You Know?
The first air raid in history; Austria launches pilotless balloons against the Italian city of Venice
Edmund Barton
Luther Burbank
Bernhard von Bülow
Emma Lazarus
Ivan PavlovMore People Born in 1849
Fun Fact About 1849
The execution of Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky by firing squad is called off at the last second
James Knox Polk
Edgar Allan Poe
Frédéric ChopinMore 1849 Deaths
Articles About 1849
Oldest Photo of a Serving US President
James K. Polk, in a restored 1849 daguerrotype that is the oldest image of a serving American presidentFebruary 14
Chopin: The Day the Music Died
The brief life of Chopin, one of music’s earliest superstars, ended on this day when the sickly composer fell victim to tuberculosis. He was just 39.October 17
Bowled Over by William and Harry
The royal princes are the latest celebrities to favor headgear that was introduced on this day, the Bowler top hat.December 17
Famous Weddings in 1849
- May 29 Bacteriologist Louis Pasteur (26) weds secretary Marie Laurent (23) in Strasbourg, France
- Jul 26 Prime Minister of Canada John Abbott (28) weds Mary Bethune at bride's parents home
Famous Divorces in 1849
- Mar 28 Dutch Princess Marianne and Prince Albert of Prussia separate after 18-1/2 years of marriage
Charles Dickens
Giuseppe Verdi
John Russell
Zachary Taylor