The year 1849 saw significant developments across various fields, from political upheaval to scientific breakthroughs and cultural milestones. It was a year of expansion and change, particularly in the United States, marked by the continued California Gold Rush and debates over slavery.
Politics and Conflicts
March 3: The Minnesota Territory is established by the United States Congress. This event significantly shaped the westward expansion and political landscape of the region.
March 5: Zachary Taylor is inaugurated as the 12th President of the United States. His short presidency was marked by increasing tensions over slavery and the issue of extending it into new territories.
April 3: The First Schleswig War (1848-1851) sees renewed fighting between Prussia and Denmark over the Schleswig-Holstein territories.
May 10: Astor Place Riot in New York City. This event, sparked by rivalry between actors Edwin Forrest and William Charles Macready, reflects social tensions and class divisions in the United States.
May 13: Roman Republic falls to French forces, ending the short-lived republic and restoring Papal rule.
June 6: Denmark adopts a new constitution, transitioning to a constitutional monarchy.
August 13: Hungary's attempt at independence from the Austrian Empire is crushed with Russian assistance. Lajos Kossuth flees into exile.
Science and Technology
January 23: Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States. She graduated from Geneva Medical College in New York, a pivotal moment in the history of women in medicine.
Armand Hippolyte Louis Fizeau determines the speed of light with relative accuracy using terrestrial methods, a breakthrough in physics.
Culture
February 8: The Punch magazine publishes the first cartoon depicting John Bull as a national personification of Great Britain.
April 27: Ralph Waldo Emerson publishes "Nature, Addresses, and Lectures".
May 28: Anne Brontë, English novelist and poet, dies of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Economics
California Gold Rush Intensifies: The California Gold Rush, which began the previous year, gains full momentum, transforming California's economy and population. This also fueled debates about California's statehood and the expansion of slavery in the United States.
Navigation Acts are repealed: The Corn Laws had been repealed in 1846, and the Navigation Acts were repealed in 1849, which had controlled the shipping of goods in and out of England for more than 200 years.
Other Notable Events
Cholera Pandemic: The third cholera pandemic, which began in 1846, continues to spread across the globe, claiming many lives in Europe and the United States.
1849 was a complex and eventful year, setting the stage for further political and social changes in the years to come.