1817 Facts for Kids

The year 1817 was a time of important changes and events around the world. New countries were being formed, and leaders were taking power. People were also making new discoveries and creating amazing things.

Important Events of 1817
People Born in 1817
- January to June
- July to December
People Who Died in 1817
- January to June
- July to December
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Important Events of 1817

January to March

January 19 – A large army of over 5,400 soldiers, led by General José de San Martín, began a difficult journey. They started crossing the Andes Mountains from Argentina to help free Chile and later Peru from Spanish rule.
February 12 – The army from Argentina and Chile, fighting for their freedom, won a big victory against the Spanish in the Battle of Chacabuco. This was a key step in gaining independence.
March 3
- The Alabama Territory was created. This new territory was made by splitting the Mississippi Territory in half. Nine months later, Mississippi would become a U.S. state.
- President James Madison used his power to reject a law called the Bonus Bill, which was proposed by John C. Calhoun.
March 4 – James Monroe became the new President of the United States. He took over from James Madison.

April to June

April – An earthquake shook the city of Palermo in Italy.
April 3 – A mysterious person known as Princess Caraboo appeared in a village called Almondsbury in England. Her true identity was a puzzle for many.
April 15 – The very first American school for people who are deaf opened its doors in Hartford, Connecticut. This was a big step for education.
April 17 – Martin Van Buren helped pass a bill to start building the Erie Canal. This canal would become very important for trade and travel.
April 28 – The Rush-Bagot Treaty was signed. This agreement helped to limit military ships on the Great Lakes between the United States and British North America (which is now Canada).
June 5 – The first steamship to sail on the Great Lakes, named the Frontenac, was launched. This was a new way to travel and transport goods.

July to September

July 4 – Construction officially began on the Erie Canal in Rome, New York. This massive project would connect the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
August 23 – Another earthquake happened near the ancient Greek city of Helike, causing some deaths.

October to December

October – President James Monroe and his wife moved back into the White House. The building had been repaired after being damaged in the War of 1812.
October 31 – Emperor Ninkō became the new emperor of Japan.
November 20 – The first Seminole War began in Florida. This was a conflict between the United States Army and the Seminole people.
November 22 – Explorer Fredric Cailliaud discovered ancient Roman emerald mines in Sikait, Egypt.
December 10 – Mississippi officially became the 20th U.S. state. It had been separated from the Alabama Territory.

Other Events of the Year

The famous Elgin Marbles, ancient sculptures from Greece, were put on display in the British Museum in London.
Scientist John Kidd successfully took out a substance called naphthalene from coal tar.
The famous writer Samuel Taylor Coleridge published his important book, Biographia Literaria.
A serious illness called Typhus spread through the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland.

People Born in 1817

January to June

January 6 – J. J. McCarthy, an important Irish architect.
January 8 – Sir Theophilus Shepstone, a British-born statesman who worked in South Africa.
February 19 – King William III of the Netherlands, who would later rule the Netherlands.
February 22 – Carl Wilhelm Borchardt, a German mathematician.
March 6 – Clémentine of Orléans, a French princess who was the daughter of King Louis-Philippe of France.
March 22 – Braxton Bragg, who would become an American Confederate general during the Civil War.
May 15 – Debendranath Tagore, an important Indian philosopher.
June 30 – Joseph Dalton Hooker, a famous English botanist who studied plants.

July to December

July 12 – Henry David Thoreau, an American philosopher and writer known for his ideas about nature and simple living.
July 24 – Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, who would later become the Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
August 3 – Archduke Albert, an Austrian general.
August 14 – Alexander H. Bailey, an American politician.
August 24 – Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy, a Russian writer.
October 17 – Sir Syed Ahmed Khan Bahadur, an Indian leader who founded the idea of a separate nation for Muslims in India, which later led to Pakistan.
November 3 – Leonard Jerome, an American businessman and the grandfather of Sir Winston Churchill.
November 12 – Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, a religion that teaches about unity and peace.
November 17 – Benjamin Champney, an American painter.
November 30 – Theodor Mommsen, a German writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

People Who Died in 1817

January to June

January 12 – Juan Andres, a Spanish Jesuit scholar.
January 16 – Alexander J. Dallas, an American statesman and financier.
April 4 – André Masséna, a famous French marshal during the Napoleonic Wars.
April 12 – Charles Messier, a French astronomer known for his catalog of nebulae and star clusters.
June 24 – Thomas McKean, an American lawyer who was one of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence.

July to December

July 14 – Anne Louise Germaine de Staël, a well-known French writer.
July 18 – Jane Austen, a famous English novelist who wrote books like Pride and Prejudice.
July 19 – John Palmer, an architect from Bath, England.
October 16 – Manuel Piar, a Venezuelan military leader.
November 14 – Policarpa Salavarrieta, a brave Colombian spy and revolutionary who fought for Colombia's independence.
November 30 – Jean-Baptiste-Melchior Hertel de Rouville, a Canadian politician.
December 7 – William Bligh, who was the Captain of the ship Bounty and later the Governor of New South Wales in Australia.